is a matter of great Consequence to you For 1. If you cannot give your selves an account of your Religion you will never enjoy the Comforts of it never take comfort in its Comforts The Comforts of true Religion are too Great too Sweet â—oo Precious to be vainly lost or but coldly sought after Joy unspeakable and full of Glory is well worth having but alas how shall you come by this Joy these strong Consolations if you are not satisfied in the reality of that Principle in your hearts upon which they depend You have no Joy or Peace but in Believing a Rom. 15.13 and Hoping b 12.12 and walking Holily c Psal 119 65 and if you know not but your Faith and Hope may be a meer Fancy and so your diligence in Holiness which is the Effect of Faith but the Effect of Fancy what Comfort can you have in one or other what pleasure can you have in reflecting upon your Sincerity when you question your Sincerity Or upon your Interest in Christ and the benefits of His Blood and priviledges of the Gospel when for ought you know the Faith upon which that Interest immediately stands is not a Grace of Gods Spirit but a Fancy of your own Heads 2. You will never be able to give an account of it to others What you understand not your selves you will not be able to make out to others that ask you a reason of it If you cannot tell why you believe how can you Evidence to others that you do believe And if you cannot tell why you Practise thus or thus how can you satisfie others that your Practice is reasonable If you would be able to answer them first see you be able to answer your selves when you can satisfie your own Conscience you may the better answer their Cavils or Check their Revilings or bear their Censures 3. You will never be able to suffer for your Religion if you cannot give at least your selves an account of it nor suffer for that the Reality of which is Doubtfull to you You will soon make shipwrack of a good Conscience if you be at uncertainties about that Faith which should help you to keep it Get well settled or you will be easily shaken you will very scarcely venture your All in the World in Expectation of Eternal Life when you are not sure there is such a thing or that you have a Title to it but rather fear that the hopes you had of it were no better than waking mens Dreams or pleasing Visions of an imaginary Happiness which had no Subsistence but in your own Fancies You are like enough to come into sufferings you had need see upon what Ground you stand that you may be able to hold out If you once come to Question the reality of your Faith you will soon come to forsake it And if you know not but your Practice hitherto hath been unreasonable you will think when troubles come upon you you have reason to alter it If your former Strictness and Zeal in Religion seem Folly to you you will count it your Wisdom to grow loose and cold and careless in it especially rather than hazard Estate or Liberty or Life for it What man of Sence would Hang or Burn rather than forgoe that which he himself took to be but a Fancy at least had no assurance that it was not 4. You shall not need to fear the Scorns or Censures of Enemies if you be fully satisfied in your selves that your Faith is really a Grace of Gods Spirit in you and not a Deceit of your own Heart and the Holiness of youâ— Conversation a well grounded Scriptural Practice not an unwarrantable Irrational Niceness Let the Prophane World Scoff its fill and call you Deceivers or count you Fools it is no shame to be called Fools for believing Christs Truth or doing Christs Will it hath been the Lot of others before you And so long as you Feel the Power of Faith in your own Souls you are sure it Purifies your Hearts makes you fearfull of Sin Conscientious and painfull in Duty Strong against Temptations Patient in Afflictions and so long too as you find Holiness growing and thriving in you your Spiritual Strength encreasing your Fruit abounding so long you may be sure you are not Fools and the Worlds Flouts or Scorns cannot make you so You would not be much concerned if those that bore you an ill will should make themselves sport with you and attempt to perswade you that you were Blind or Lame or Sick or asleep when in the mean while your Eyes were open and you saw all things about you as at other times you could walk and Excercise your Limbs discourse and Exercise your Reason perform all the Actions of men that are awake or in health If you experience the workings of an holy Principle in your Hearts and the Effects of it in your Lives neither the Sophistry nor Censures nor Jeers of those that are otherwise minded will be able to beat you out of the Conviction of your Spirtual Senses any more than of your Reason and Understanding or Bodily motions 2. Labour to Evidence the same to others and to be able to give a reason of your Faith and Hope and holy Obedience to them that demand it of you and if possible to satisfie them as well as your selves 1. This may be much for the Glory of God and Credit of the Gospel when it is seen that you are Men as well as Christians and act Reasonably as well as Religiously and never more reasonably than when most Religiously that that Divine Nature d 2 Pet. 1.4 you are made partakers of is a perfection and Elevation not the destruction of your Humane that you have great reason for that good way that Holy course in which you have been walking and that the greatest strictness in Religion is really your greatest Wisdom How may your Confession when joyned with a Godly Conversation which is a speaking Practice and the most forcible Conviction stop the mouths of Cavillers falsifie their Slanders make them know themselves to be Liars and own themselves to have had too hard thoughts of you and that they and not you have been in the wrong And if you come into sufferings it will be for the Honour of the Gospel so to demean your selves as to make it appear that you suffer not only not as Evil Doers d 1 Pet. 4.15 but not as Fools that there is enough in your Religion to justifie you before men not only in your greatest Preciseness but in your deepest sufferings and though you pass for Fools with the unbelieving World for exposing your selves to a thousand miseries and apparent present ruin in Expectation of an Invisible and only future Happiness yet your Faith is so well grounded your Hope so sure that you need not be ashamed of undergoing evil any more than of doing good 2. It may be a means to encourage the Hearts
Col. 2.14 but withal it did direct them to the Lord Jesus who was to appear once in the end of the World to put away Sin by the Sacrifice of himself The Moral Law discovered their duty convinced them of Sin and declared the necessity of a Mediator to make an Atonement The Apostle when he witnessed that Christ should suffer and be the first that should rise from the dead and shew Light to the People and to the Gentiles he sticks not to affirm that he said no other things â—â—an what Moses and the Prophets did say should come Act. 26.22 23. Moses saw Christ and his Cross and esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches thâ—â— the Treasures of Egypt Heb. 11.26 Abraham rejoyced to see his day hâ— saw it and was glad Joh. 8.56 Nay several thousands of years before the actual rising of this Sun of righteousness there was some Light which caused a day break presently after the fall That promise the seed of the Woman shall bruise the Serpents head shews that the First Adam was not altogether ignorant of the Second 5. The Revelation of Christ under the new Testament is more clear therefore to be ignorant of him is the more without Apology the veil upon the Face of Moses did signifie the obscurity of the Mosaick Dispensation but that vail is done away in Christ and we all may now with open Face behold as in a Glass the Lords Glory 2 Cor. 3.18 The New Testament helps us to understand the Old and adds de novo a far more glorious Light than ever shined before God spake more by his Son than he had done by his Servants the Prophets that lived in the Ages before his Manifestation in the flesh Such a clear Discovery of things which before were but darkly intimated is a priviledg which should be taken notice of and thankfully improved Mat. 13.16 17. Blessed are your Eyes for they see and your ears for they hear for verily I say unto you that many Prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see and have not seen them and to hear those things which ye hear and have not heard them 6. All true Believers in Christ have some Knowledg of him Rom. 10.14 How shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard As it was in the first Creation God said let there be Light and there was Light so it is in the New Creation Darkness overspreads the Soul but God does shine into the heart and gives the Light of the Knowledg of Jesus Christ And Christ being thus revealed the heart is taken with him gladly opens and receives him relies and believes in him to Life everlasting Let the Church of Rome boast of the conveniences of Ignorance and the sufficiency of implicite Faith we shall shew our selves Children of Light by pleading for Light and it shall be our desire That God would deliver us from the Ignorance of the Church of Rome as well as from the Tyranny of the Bishop there 7. Those that know most of Christ know him but in part therefore are to be urged to grow in Knowledg The Apostle Paul who equalled James Cephas and John for in conference they added nothing to him Gal. 2.6 who was caught up to the third Heaven and there had abundance of revelations and heard words which was not lawful to utter yet humbly acknowledges that he knew in part and prophesied in part 1 Cor. 13.9 and that he saw but through a Glass darkly v. 12. Knowledg in this World is imperfect as well as Holiness and where both these are true there will be an industrious longing that both may be still carried on towards perfection These things being premised I shall tell you what it is to grow in the Knowledg of Christ in these particulars I. Growing in the knowledg of Christ implies a fuller apprehension of his Godhead Here is Majesty Immensity Glory that may presently amaze and overwhelm us Alas 't is but a small portion of this that we can understand but this must be known that the self same perfections which are in the Father are likewise in the Son for He and his Father are one Christ is the true God and Eternal Life 1 John 5.20 't is a destructively heretical Gloss to say he is styled God only by a Figure He is affirmed to be over all God blessed for ever Rom. 9.5 He created all things in Heaven and in Earth visible and invisible whether they be thrones or dominions or Principalities or Powers and he is before all things and by him all things consist Col. 1.16 17. And those excellent Creatures all the Angels of God are commanded to worship him Heb. 1.6 This Truth that Christ is God is more and more to be lookt into He that denyes it loses his Christianity according to * Necessarium est credere confiteri articulum de divinitate Christi quem ubi Arrius negavit necesse fuit etiam negare articulum Râ—demptionis vincere enim peccatum mundi mortem maledictionem iram lei in semetipso â—on est ullius â—reaturae sed â—ivinae potentiae opus Quare negantes divinitatem Christi amittunt tandem totum Christianismum fiuntque prorsus Gentiles Luther Tom. 4. p. 92. b. Luther and the prop and foundation of his Faith Here is the Rock upon which the Church is 〈◊〉 so as the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it Mat. 16.18 The Godhead of Christ makes his blood a price of infinite value full satisfaction has been made to divine Justice by the payment of it The Godhead of Christ puts merit into his obedience and sufferings so that believers cannot ask for more than he has deserved they should receive The Godhead of Christ gives efficacy to Ordinances so that the dead are quickned the blind are enlightned the weak are strengthened and confirmed The Godhead of Christ puts life and vigour into the Christians Faith he may safely be trusted who is God only wise who is the Lord Almighty whose mercy and faithfulness endure for ever 2. Diabolus lapsus est invidia illa qua invidit hominibus tantam dignitatem quod Deus futurus esset homo Bernard Growing in the knowledge of Christ implies a clearer sight of his humanity how often is he called the Son of Man as well as the Son of God One of the Fathers imagined that this was the fault and the fall of the reprobate Angels a proud enviousness at the forethought of the Son of God his advancing by taking upon him the humane nature And Luther supposed this was the occasion upon which Satan suggested to Mahomet in his Alcoram that many of the good Angels became Divels because they refused to worship Adam 'T is a great Mystery of Godliness that God is manifested in the flesh 1 Tim. 3.16 Videtur Diabolus ipse autori Alcorani suggessisse quod id o Daemones facti essent ex bonis Angelis quia
those terms for so it doth it is the scope and end of the Promise to secure Life and Glory to those that accept of it upon the terms propounded the Command directs in the way and the Promise makes over and conveys the blessing Believe and thou shalt be saved Act. 16.31 So Joh. 3.16 and Rom. 2.7 To them that by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honour and Immortality Eternal life is promised Now the Word and Promise of God not only as revealing Life to us and the way to it but as conveying it is the ground of our Faith and Hope though without the Word we might have some more general Knowledge of a State of Happiness in the other World yet without the Word we cannot know the way to it nor ever attain to an Interest in it nor have so full certainty of the very being of it as by the Word we have the certainty of Faith being greater than that of any natural Knowledge whatever we have no ground at all to believe we shall be saved but what the Promise affords us And that is sufficient ground to build our Faith upon and a better we cannot have than the Word of him that is the Truth it self and so can neither deceive nor be deceived God that cannot lie hath promised Eternal life Tit. 1.2 Upon the Infallibility and Veracity of that God in his holy Word the Faith of a Christian rests and a surer Foundation for it cannot be imagined and need not be desired As the certainty of any assent of the Mind to a truth depends upon the strength and firmness of the Reason or Argument which moves to and procures that Assent and is the Cause of it so likewise the certainty of Faith proceeds from the goodness and validity of the Authority which is the Motive to and Reason of our believing or which is the same the ground of it If we believe a man that belief is more or less certain according as the Person on whose Authority our belief is grounded is more or less credible and so when we believe God our Faith is such as its Foundation is the Effect imitates the Cause the foundation of that Faith Gods Veracity is the best and therefore the certainty of our â—aith is the greatest If a man be sure that what he believes is the Word of God he may be sure it is most true and never will fail And this no doubt may be sufficient to satisfie a Believer in his own mind or any one that receives the Scripture as the Word of God concerning the reality of the Faith he professeth that the ground of it is so certain but if he have to do with those that believe not the Scripture and so question the foundation of his Faith in that case he may have recourse to all those Arguments whereby we are wont to prove the Divine Authority of the Word and they all Confirm the Faith of a Christian and so the same account a Believer may give of the foundation of his Faith as of the Divinity of the Scripture if the Scripture be the Word of God and that Word be true his Faith built upon it is certain 3. The Actings of a Christians Faith are perceivable by himself Habits which cannot be discerned of themselves when they lye still yet may be known by their actings such an Habit Faith is which though it discover not it self or be not perceived when unactive yet may be discern'd in its exercise When a man actually believes he may know he believes reflect upon his own act as well as when he hears or sees or walks he may know he doth so and is not deceived in it Inward Sense hath as much certainty in it as outward and spiritual Sense as natural if a man therefore assent to the Truth of Gods Promise he may know he assents to it and if he accept of and close with the good Promised he may know he doth so though sometimes Temptations may be so strong and the Actings of Faith so weak and the Mind so clouded and distracted that a man may hardly be able to pass a right judgement on those Acts yet it is not always so but other whiles when the workings of Faith are more strong and vigorous and a man more clear of temptations he may do it In this therefore a man may give an account to himself of his Faith that it is reall he may know that he believes the Promise of Eternal Life as really as he believes any ordinary Truth proposed to him and that his believing and resting on Gods Word is no more a Fancy than his believing the word of a man As for others with whom he hath to do I know no reason why they should not believe him when he says he believes Gods Promise as well as when he says he believes their word or why one should be a Fancy any more than the other 4. The Effects of a Believers faith are evident to others in a good measure as well as to himself more fully As he may perceive his Faith purifying his heart taking it off from the World drawing it nearer to God so others may see his Conversation ordered correspondently to his believing they may see him Shie of Sin Diligent in Duty Conscientious in his Calling Patient in Sufferings Charitable to those that Need him Meek towards those that Offend him Profitable Spiritual Savoury in his Converse Just and Righteous in his Dealings and in a wâ—â—d the main of his Course and Wayes such as is agreable to thâ— Faith he professeth and the Recompence he expects So that if the lookers on cannot be infallibly certain of the reality of his Faith or that such a Carriage proceeds from such a Faith yet they may not only have their Mouths stopped that they cannot reasonably object against it but they may be bound in Charity to believe his Faith to be true and real when they see so much in him answerable to it and what he professeth to be the effect of it when they see him live like one that expects eternal Blessedness well may they believe that his Faith concerning it and hope of it is not feigned They see him walking strictly mortifying his flesh denying himself as to his outward enjoyments and carnal liberties and generally acting at such a rate as none would do that did not expect Eternal Life and what ground can they then have to suspect the Faith he pretends to to be only a Conceit or Fancy 2. An account may be given of the Practice of a Christian his Obedience and Holy walking the strictness and as the World counts it singularity of his Manners his universality diligence and constancy in the most spiritual and difficult Duties his watchfulness over his words thoughts actions his mortification and self-denyal and whatever it is in a Believers life which the World is most apt to quarrel with and to look upon as the effect of Humour or
Earth and went thither grieving because your bodies suffered here Study more to live by Faith on hope on the unseen promised Glory with Christ and you will patiently endure any Sufferings in the way V. And study better how great a Sin it is to set our own Wills and Desires in a discontented opposition to the wisdom will and providence of God and to make our Wills instead of his as Gods to our selves Doth not a murmuring heart secretly accuse God All accusation of God hath some degree of blasphemy in it For the accuser supposeth that somewhat of God is to be blamed and if you dare not open your mouths to accuse him let not the repineings of your hearts accuse him know how much of Religion and Holiness consisteth in bringing this rebellious self-will to a full resignation submission and conformity to the Will of God Till you can rest in Gods Will you will never have rest VI. And study well how great a Duty it is wholely to Trust God and our blessed Redeemer both with Soul and Body and all we have Is not infinite Power Wisdom and Goodness to be trusted Is not a Saviour that came from Heaven into flesh to save sinners by such incomprehensible ways of Love to be trusted with that which he hath so dearly bought To whom else will you trust Is it your selves or your friends Who is it that hath kept you all your Lives and done all for you that is done Who is it that hath saved all the Souls that are now in Heaven what is our Christianity but a Life of Faith And is this your Faith to distract your selves with cares and troubles if God do not fit all his Providences to your Wills Seek first his Kingdom and Righteousness and he hath promised that all other things shall be added to you and not a hair of your head shall perish for they are all as it were numbred A Sparrow falls not to the ground without his Providence and doth he set less by those that fain would please him Believe God and trust him and your Cares and Fears and Griefs will vanish O that you knew what a mercy and comfort it is for God to make it your Duty to trust him If he had made you no promise this is equal to a promise If he do but bid you Trust him you may be sure he will not deceive your Trust If a faithful friend that is able to relieve you do but bid you trust him for your relief you will not think that he will deceive you Alass I have friends that durst trust me with their Estates and Lives and Souls if they were in my power and would not fear that I would destroy or hurt them that yet cannot trust the God of Infinite Goodness with them though he both command them to trust him and promise that he will never fail them nor forsake them It is the refuge of my Soul that quieteth me in my fears that God my Father and Redeemer hath commanded me to trust him with my Body my health my liberty my estate and when Eternity seemeth strange and dreadful to me that he bids me trust him with my departing Soul Heaven and Earth are upheld and maintained by him and shall I distrust him Obj. But it is none but his Children that he will save Answ True And all are his Children that are truly willing to obey and please him If you are truly willing to be holy and to obey his commanding Will in a godly righteous and sober Life you may boldly rest in his disposing Will and rejoyce in his rewarding and accepting Will for he will pardon all our Infirmities through the Merits and Intercession of Christ VII If you would not be swallowed up with sorrow swallow not the Baits of sinful Pleasure Passions and Dulness and defective Duâ—ies have their degrees of guilt but it is pleasing Sin that is the dangerous and deep wounding Sin O fly from the Baits of Lust and Pride and Ambition and Covetousness and an unruly Appetite to Drink or Meat as you would fly from guilt and grief and terror The more pleasure you have in Sin usually the more sorrow it will bring you and the more you know it to be Sn and Conscience tells you that God is against it and yet you will go on and bear down Conscience the sharplier will Conscience afterward afflict you and the hardlier will it be quieted when it is awakned to Repentance yea when a humbled Soul is pardoned by Grace and believeth that he is pardoned he will not easily forgive himself The remembrance of the wilfulness of sinning and how poor a Bait prevailed with us and what Mercies and Motives we bore down will make us so displeased and angry with our selves and so to loath such naughty hearts as will not admit a speedy or easie reconciliation Yea when we remember that we sinned against knowledge even when we remembred that God did see us and that we offended him it will keep up long doubts of our Sincerity in the Soul and make us afraid lest still we have the same hearts and should again do the same if we had the same Temptations Never look for Joy or Peace as long as you live in wilful and beloved Sin This Thorn must be taken out of your hearts before you will be eased of the pain unless God leave you to a senceless heart and Satan give you a deceitful peace which doth but prepare for greater sorrow VIII But if none of the forementioned Sins cause your Sorrows but they come from the meer perplexities of your mind about Religion or the state of your Souls as fearing Gods wrath for your former sins or doubting of your Sincerity and Salvation then these foregoing Reprofs are not meant to such as you but I shall now lay you down your proper Remedies and that is the Cure of that Ignorance and those Errors which cause your Troubles 1. Many are perplexed about Controversies in Religion while every contending party is confident add hath a great deal to say which to the ignorant seemeth like to Truth and which the Hearer cannot answer and when each party tells them that their way is the only way and threatneth Damnation to them if they turn not to them The Papists say There is no Salvation out of our Church that is to none but the Subjects of the Bishop of Rome The Greeks condemn them and extol their Church and every Party extols their own Yea some will convert them with Fire and Sword and say Be of our Church or lie in Gaol or make their Church it self a Prison by driving in the uncapable and unwilling Among all these how shall the ignorant know what to chuse Answ The Case is sad and yet not so sad as the case of the far greatest part of the world who are quiet in Heathenism or Infidelity or never trouble themselves about Religion but follow the Customs of their Countreys and the
shall damn a man which he more hateth than loveth and had truly rather leave than keep and sheweth this by true endeavour XI The best man hath much evil and the worst have some good but it is that which is preferr'd and predominant in the Will which differenceth the Godly and the wicked He that in estimation choice and life performeth God and Heaven and Holiness before the world and the pleasure of sin is a true godly man and shall be saved XII The best have daily need of Pardon even for the faultiness of their holiest Duties and must daily live on Christ for pardon XIII Even Sin against Knowledge and Conscience are too oft committed by regenerate men for they know more than others do and their Consciences are more active Happy were they indeed if they could be as good as they know they should be and love God as much as they know they should love him and were clear from all the Relicts of Passion and Unbelief which Conscience tells them are their Sins XIV God will not take Satans Temptations to be our Sins but only our not resisting them Christ himself was tempted to the most heinous Sin even to fall down to the Devil and worship him God will charge Satans blasphemous Temptations on himself alone XV. The Thoughts and Fears and Troubles which Melancholy and natural Weakness and Distemper irresistably causeth hath much more of Bodily Disease than of Sin and therefore is of the least of Sins and indeed no more Sin than to burn or be thirsty in a Fever further than as some Sin did cause the Disease that causeth it or further than there is left some power in Reason to resist them XVI Certainty of our Faith and Sincerity is not necessary to Salvation but the Sincerity of faith it self is necessary He shall be saved that giveth up himself to Christ though he know not that he is sincere in doing it Christ knoweth his own Grace when they that have it know not that it is sound It is but few true Christians that attain to certainty of Salvation for weak Grace clogged with much Corruption is hardly known and usually joyned with fear and doubting XVII Probability of Sincerity and Trust in Christ may cause a man justly to live and die in Peace and Comfort without proper certainty else few Christians should live and die in peace and yet we see by experience that many do so The common Opinion of most Church-writers for 400 years after Christ was that the uncontinued sort of Christians might fall from a state of Grace in which had they continued they had been saved and therefore that none but strong confirmed Christians at most could be certain of Salvation and many Protestant Churches still are of that mind and yet they live not in despair or terror No man is certain that he shall not fall as heinously as David and Peter did and yet while they have no cause to think it likely they need not live in terror for the uncertainty No Wife or Child is certain that the Husband or Father will not murder them and yet they may live comfortably and not fear it XVIII Though Faith be so weak as to be assaulted with doubts whether the Gospel be true and there be any Life to come and though our Trust in Christ be not strong enough to banish our Fears and Troubles yet if we see so much evidence of Credibility in the Gospel and Probability of a better Life hereafter as causeth us here to fix our Hopes and Choice and to resolve for those Hopes to seek first the Kingdom of God and his Righteousness and let go all the world rather than sell those Hopes and live a holy Life to obtain it this Faith will save us XIX But God's Love and Promise through Christ is so sure a ground for Faith and Comfort that it is the great Duty and Interest of all men confidently and quietly to trust him and then to live in the joy of holy Trust and Hope XX. If any man doubt of his Salvation because of the greatness of his Sin the way to quietness is presently to be willing to forsake them Either he that complaineth is willing to be holy and forsake his Sin or not if you be not willing to leave them but love them and would keep them why do you complain of them and mourn for that which you so much love If your Child should cry and roar because his Apple is sowr and yet will not be perswaded to forbear to eat it you would not pity him but whip him as perverse But if you are truly willing to leave it you are already saved from its damning guilt XXI If you are in doubt of the Sincerity of your Faith and other Graces and all your Examination leaveth you uncertain the way is presâ—ntly to end your doubt by actual giving up your self to Christ Do you not know whether you have been hitherto a true believer you may know that Christ is now offered to you consent but to the Covenant and accept the offer and you may be sure that he is yours XXII Bare examining is not alwayes to be done for assurance but labour to excite and exercise much the grace that you would be assured of The way to be sure that you believe and love God is to study the promises and goodness of God till active Faith assure you that you believe and you love God and Glory till you are assured that you love them XXIII It is not by some extraordinary act good or bad that we may be sure what state the soul is in but by the predominant bent and drift and tenor of heart and life XXIV Though we cry out that we cannot believe and we cannot love God and we cannot pray aright Christ can help us without his grace we can do nothing but his grace is sufficient for us and he denieth not his further help when once he hath but made us willing but hath bid us ask and have and if any lack wisdom let him ask it of God who giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not with former folly but gives his spirit to them that ask him XXV This sin called the blasphemy of the Holy Ghost is the sin of no one that believeth Jesus to be the Christ nor of any that fear it no nor of every infidel but only of some few obstinate unbelieving enemies for it is only this When men see such miraclâ—â— of Christ and his spirit as should or could convince them that he is of God and when they have no other shift they will rather maintain that he is a Câ—njuâ—â—r 〈◊〉 wrought them by the Devil XXVI Though sinful fear is very troublesomâ—â—nd not to be cherished God often permitteth and useth it to good to keep us from being bold with sin and from those sinful pleasures and love of the world and presumption and security which are far more dangerous and to take down pride
you sober and in patience possess your souls Oh that when it may be said here is the cursed hellish rage and Bedlam frantick Fury of Atheists and Papists it may also be said here is the Faith and Patience of the Saints When there are those that make it their design and business to destroy and confound all things do you rejoyce in this That God Governs all wisely powerfully graciously so that those things which have the most frightful aspect the most amazing passages which we hear of or meet with are the Products of an Eternal Counsel and shall at last it may be ere long issue in an happy close however affairs go now God hath bid us say to the Righteous it shall be well with him Do you evidence the powerful and comfortable influence that Gods Government hath upon your Spirits by these three things 1. First by the k eping up your spirits yet have need of Patience ye may find a little will not serve your turn lay up therefore good store of it and then fetch out of that store and let patience have its perfect work but withal cast not away your confidence for it hath great recompence of reward We will not fear such the Church though the Earth be removed and the Mountains be carried into the midst of the Sea let the wicked fear where no fear is but let the Saints be fearless in the midst of fears Why are ye fearful said Christ to his Disciples when the Ship was almost covered with Waves He sets men above God in his thoughts whose fear of man prevails against his faith in God that man either is altogether forgetful of God or his thoughts of him are low and unbecoming for certain he doth not sanctifie the Lord of Host in his heart let your faith be preserved in vigour and exercise What though the Beast have seven Heads and ten Horns great subtilty and no less power yet the Lamb shall overcome 2. Evidence it by your perseverance in Godliness hold on your way make not use of any sinful means neglect not any part of your duty to secure your selves and avoid danger do not offend God be not beholden to the Devil for your liberty and peace what though there be Lions in the way go on and proceed boldly so long as it is the way of God you may live by faith while you walk by rule you may walk believingly and cheerfully while you walk regularly the wound that a man gets by sin will put him to far greater smart and pain that all his sufferings for God and godliness would have done He than purchases the favour of men with the frowns of Conscience will find he hath made a very hard bargain every step from God is a step to ruin if any man draw back Gods soul will have no pleasure in him whereas he that walks uprightly walketh safely 3. Make it to appear by the Raisedness of your expectations so the Church did in her low condition Micah c. 7. v. 8. Rejoyce not against me O mine Enemy though I fall I shall rise when I sit in darkness the Lord shall be a light unto me at midnight she looked for the dawning of a glorious day and so do you that is a very sweet place which you have in the 2d Joel of 20 21. where the Prophet speaking of the Northern Army saith his stink shall come up and ill savour shall come up because he hath done great things and then he adds fâ—â—â— not O Lord 〈…〉 rejoyce for the Lord will 〈◊〉 great things and so we may say â—t 〈◊〉 day God will do great things such as shall out do all that his â—n â—â—â—les have done Gods last works in the world will be his greatest works and by them he will get himself a glorious name and I hope he will speed it he that shall come will come and will not tarry therefore incourage your selves in the Lord your God do your duty and quietly wait for your expectation shall not be cut off Quest What are the hindrances and helps to a good Memory in Spiritual things SERMON XIV I. COR. XV. II By which also ye are saved if ye keep in Memory what I Preached unto you unless ye have believed in vain THere is no Complaint more common among Religious Persons than the weakness of their Memories thinking perhaps that defect doth imply least guilt or it may be mistaking their carelesness for forgetfulness or else there is really some special frailty in that faculty to heal which is the design of this Discourse For the Occasion and coherence of these words in the Text it is evident that the Apostle Paul in the Verse foregoing begins to recite and prove the Doctrine of the Resurrection from the Dead which he doth there declare to be a great point of that Gospel which he had preached unto them which also they had received and wherein they did stand And then he adds here By which Gospel also ye are saved if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you unless ye have believed in vain In which words we have a Discovery 1. Of mens utmost happiness viz. Salvation ye are saved that is not only rescued out of your Pagan State nor only that ye stand fair for salvation but ye are saved already For Heaven doth really begin upon Earth and every true Saint is at present a Citizen of the Heavenly Jerusalem 2. Of the only means for the Attaining of it viz. the Gospel by which ye are saved For that reveals the Object That directs lost Man which way to arrive at it That assures us that a passage is open'd into Heaven That incourages and inclines us seriously to endeavour after it 3. Of the special Grace necessary in respect of this Gospel viz. believing unless ye believe c. for hereby we credit what is revealed we imbrace what is offered and we rely on what is promised without which acts of Faith the Gospel signifies nothing to us And Hearing by which Faith comes is included in it for so the Apostle joyns them vers 14. then is our Preaching vain and your Faith is also vain 4. Of the particular Faculty that is requisite for this end viz. the Memory if ye keep in memory what I have preached unto you For though the main thing hereby intended be to keep in the heart a constant and effectual belief of the Gospel and particularly of this Article of the Resurrection yet to keep in memory the Form of sound Words is also necessary in order thereunto and therefore it is said in the TEXT that ye retain with what WORDS 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quibusdam verbis Tremel Quâ— sermone Bez. Arab. Qua ratione Syr. Vulg. or REASONS I preached unto you 5. The Relation or Influence which this last of keeping in memory hath upon all the rest And this exprest 1. By way of Condition in the beginning of the Verse ye are saved if ye keep in
given is no other than the Will of the great God who made us all which Will must be made known and revealed unto man before it can have on him the force of a Law Now the Discoveries of God's Will are after a twofold manner for there are some other Discoveries than these that are by the Light of Nature What may be understood by the Light of Nature from the things made is done by the exercise of our Reason but what is revealed any other way is not received the same way with the former our knowledge of these Revelations depends not solely on the exercise of but principally on the exercise of Faith 'T is God who after an extraordinary manner has reveal'd his Will and therefore 't is on the Truth of his Testimony we must lean for the knowledge thereof that is we must Believe we must exercise Faith by the Exercise whereof we come to the knowledge of those things which we could not arrive unto meerly by the Exercise of our highest Reasonings and really God delights to try and exercise our Faith so that now especially since the Fall the Life and Heart of that Religion that is necessary to Salvation consists in the Exercise of Faith To be truly Religious and to be a sound Believer are expressions of one and the same import The Religion we are designed for and must now exercise if we will be saved is the Life of Faith which is a Life much higher than that of meer Reason for by Faith we know what by meer Reason we could never know If we consider the most momentous Points of our Religion we shall find that as they are adjusted to our own Capacities even so they are of Matters infinitely above us they are of Matters that are not within our view unto the knowledge of which we cannot come but by some special Revelation the certainty of which Revelations depend on the Veracity and Truth of God's Testimony and 't is our Faith alone by which we receive these Discoveries that are thus given us of God whence 't is said that the stronger our Faith is the more we glorifie God by believing the Truth of his Testimony And that we may thus glorifie God it hath pleased the Lord so to order the Revelations of his Mind and Will and so to dispose of things by his Providence as to pose our Reason and leave us in the dark at which time if we lean on the Veracity and Truth of Gods Testimony about the Doctrine and on his Wisdom and Righteousness about his Providence we discover the strength and firmness of our Faith to the Glory of God These things being so 't is manifest That the many profound Doctrines that are in Scripture and the many dark Providences that attend us do very much contribute to our living the more religiously i. e. to our walking the more by Faith to the saving the Soul This I conceive is one great End of the profoundness of the Doctrines of Religion and of the many difficulties in the Providences of God namely to raise us up to a Life above Sense and Reason even to the Life of Faith which is a high and a heavenly Life The more Difficulties that lie in the way of our Believing the more strong is the Faith that is exercised and the stronger our Faith the more God is glorified by us and the more is our Salvation furthered the which being so we have great reason to be abundantly quickned in our Thoughts If we consider the Nature of Faith we shall find that Mysterious Doctrines and Providences are very necessary for the engaging us to apply our selves to the Exercise of it 1. FAITH is the Evidence of things not seen Heb. 11.1 The Evidence not only of unseen future Glories but the Evidence of somewhat else not within the view of our Sence or Reason Faith doth evidence unto the Believer the Reality and Certainty of the Promises about Spiritual Blessings to be enjoyed in this Life and doth clearly shew unto him that these Blessings promised are real and shall most assuredly be enjoyed yea though there are in the eye of our Sence and our Natural Reasonings some Impossibilities between us and the inheriting the Promises yet even then Faith sees the Accomplishment not only possible but certain and sure By Faith we believe and receive those Truths which though clearly enough revealed yet are so much above our Capacity that we cannot otherwise embrace them By Faith we believe that the Promise shall be when we cannot see how it can be Thus was the Faith of Abraham exercis'd He believed when his Sight and Reason fail'd him Abraham was an hundred years old and as it were dead Sarah barren and now according to all Rules past Child-bearing notwithstanding all which the Promise being made that Sarah should bear a Son Abraham believes he could see how this could be by Faith though he could not see how it could be by his Reason According to his own Reasonings his Hopes were gone but being strong in Faith he staggered not at the Promise but had a hope above Hope being fully perswaded that what God had promised he was able also to perform Rom. 4. The like also when God commanded Abraham to offer up his Son his own his only Son Isaac whom he loved and of whom the Promise was for in Isaac shall thy Seed be called but nevertheless Abraham is commanded to kill him for a Sacrifice but here is the difficulty if Isaac be slain while so young as he then was even before he had any child how could the Promise be fulfilled Abraham must kill him and yet believe that he should live that he might be the Father of many Nations but how could this be Surely this transcended his Understanding but not his Faith for he believed That God was able to raise him from the dead therefore 't is said by Faith Abraham when he was tempted offered up Isaac accounting that God was able to raise him up from the dead Heb. 11.17 18 19. Time would fail to mention Jacob Joseph Moses David and many others who when surrounded with dark Dispensations by Believing gave Glory to God Then Faith is in a special manner acted and exercised when the Believer is compassed about with a cloud of difficulties when in the Doctrines that being plainly reveal'd are to be believed there is somewhat above our Reason and when in the Providences with which we meet there is somewhat very dark they seeming to thwart the doctrinal Discoveries that are made of the Will of God unto us then is the time to act Faith that is not Faith which does carry us no higher than our own scanty Reasonings To believe no more than we can comprehend with our own Reason is too low a thing to deserve the name of Faith Faith is a more noble and raised Grace by which a man believes when his Reason is at a Loss What is here said of Faith is a
industriously conceal themselves from being serviceable they are guilty of a civil Self-excommunication while they shut out themselves from those Employments wherein they might be useful God hath made every thing for use to rust in a Corner for the avoiding of Trouble can proceed from nothing but uncharitable Pride or wilful Ignorance from base Pride you think the Neighbourhood not good enough to be blest with your endowments or slothful weakness which you are conscious of but won't take pains to cure In short to choose retirement for love of ease is an envious kind of Life and therefore far from Happiness But what can Religion do in this case One that is Serious in Religion can best manage an obscure Station whether it be forc't or voluntary 'T is only he that is crucified to the World that can scorn the Worlds scorns and contemn the Worlds contempt He that hath learnt the great lesson of Self-denial in the School of Christ is well pleas'd with his Secresie for Communion with God In short his Religion keepeth him from being fond or weary of worldly Obscurity Thus I have run over the †1 Joh. 2.16 beloved Disciples Summary of all worldly Vanities and their Contraries and how Godliness in the Power of it corrects the Vanity and extracts the Excellency of all those But let these pass and let 's examine things of a higher Nature for which more may be pleaded than can for these be pretended and here you 'l find that without Serious Godliness their Vanity is intolerable IV. Who knows whether Wisdom and Learning and the endowments of the Mind be best for a man or whether to be without these and their troublesome Attendants Now we come to a close and inward Search For Wisdom and Learning and intellectual accomplishments they are of such incomparable Excellency that he is scarce worthy the Name of a man that slights them a Eccles 2.13 Wisdom excelleth Folly as far as light excelleth darkness This is Solomons sentence even then when he is sentencing all worldly Vanities But and who mistrusts such a but here the wiser men are the more they are exempted from the ordinary Comforts of humane Society they meet with but few and those but seldom that they can converse with to any Satisfaction the more Learning they have the more Sense of and Sorrow for their Ignorance b Eccles 1.18 In much Wisdom is much Grief and he that increaseth Knowledge increaseth Sorrow Hence it is they affect an uncomfortable Solitude that they are fain to force themselves into a sociable complyance where they seldom meet with any thing but what they slight or pity they are ordinarily the objects of their own grief and of others envy There 's nothing more ordinary than for Persons of lower accomplishments to carry their designs and attain their ends before them they can't sneak and flatter like lower-spirited Animals that while they are pursuing a Notion others catch Preferment and while they are inriching their Minds others are filling their Coffers What doth Serious Godliness in this Case 'T is this alone that makes wise men truely wise and Learned men truely learned Unsanctified parts and Learning may in some respects be reckoned among Christs worst Enemies aye and among his worst Enemies that have them they furnish him with Cavils which they call unanswerable Reasons against the Simplicity of the Gospel they fill him with those prejudices that nothing but Grace can remove c Rom. 8.7 The carnal Mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be But where Grace is graffed upon good Natural parts there Wisdom and Learning are excellently beneficial it is they that have the clearest Understanding of Gospel Mysteries 't is these who are the most substantial grounded Christians these are the only Christians who are able to defend the Truth and convince gain-sayers d Job 33.3 't is their Lips can utter Knowledge clearly e 1 Cor. 14.3 't is they that can best speak or write to Edification and Exhortation and Comfort What then can be said for the want of parts and Learning Those that have no considerable Parts nor Learning that do not trouble themselves nor others about the difficulties of Knowledge or Practice but take those things to be Truth that are commonly received these are more satisfied than those thar are more inquisitive Besides these better suit the generality they live among They are wise enough to get Estates for men are ordinarily afraid to deal with those that are wiser than themselves lest they be over-reacht and they are esteem'd in the World and what care they They don't impair their health by study nor perplex themselves with great matters What can be more desired to make them happy Happiness as it were drops into their mouth unawares for when they compare their Condition with others they find it more eligible thô they did nothing to make it so But alas what use do these make of their Souls A lazy neglect of improving of parts and of getting of learning who is able to express the Sin and Mischief of it To be contented to live and die but one remove from a Brute who can express the baseness of it Ignorance may well be the Mother of their Devotion whose Religion is a Cheat but the Scripture tells us and we believe it f Prov. 2.10 When Wisdom entereth into thine Heart Knowledge is pleasant unto thy Soul And without it neither Heart nor State can be good But what doth Serious Godlinesse in this Case These thô they have not any considerable Parts and Learning yet they bewail their Ignorance and are willing to learn they get a savoury Knowledge of necessary practical Truths and they increase the knowledge of them by practice thô they are Fools to the World they are wise for their Souls and wise for Eternity and this is the best Wisdom They have learned Christ which is the best Learning This you shall find those great Doctrines of Christianity which Learned men bandy to and fro in doubtful disputation such as these viz. The unaccountableness of Predetermination the supra or infralapsarian aspect of Election the controverted extent of Redemption the manner of the concourse of the Divine and Humane will in Vocation the formality of Justification In these and such like Doctrines wherein the most eminently learned can neither give nor receive satisfaction Serious Christians of but ordinary Knowledge are so far satisfied as to admire the Grace of God in Christ and press after such Holiness of Life as adorns their Profession and muzzles Revilers So that by what hath been said you may plainly see that both the excellency and deficiency of intellectual endowments are best managed by Serious Godliness without which whatever can be said for either is not worth the mentioning V. Having named several things of real worth and compared them with other things that others think so
or promise of Christ to his Disciples about Persecution jearingly telling 'em 't was for their good Let such Persons know and O that they would consider that though God hath and doth and will bring good out of evil and over-rule the fury of men for the good of his People yet this is not the least excuse for their Sin nor can it be pleaded to abate their Punishment To give you an Instance I can't give a greater and I need give no more The Jews Persecution of our Blessed Saviour 't was predetermin'd of God and eventually proved the greatest good to man yet no thank to them nor alleviation of their guilt f Acts 2.23 Him being delivered by the determinate Counsel and fore-knowledge of God ye have taken and by wicked hands have Crucified and slain They pretended high to Piety and necessity for their Process against him they Charge him with Blasphemy against God Treason against Caesar Devilism against the Souls of People and Luxury as to his common Conversation whereas he was no other than g Act. 7.52 the just one of whom ye have been now the Betrayers and Murtherers 'T was Good Counsel that Gamaliel gave those Rulers h Act. 5.29 who were cut to the Heart i. e. vext at Heart and counted it Criminal that the Apostles should dare to tell 'em We ought to obey God rather than men Refrain from these men and let them alone for if this Counsel or this work be of men it will come to nought but if it be of God ye cannot overthrow it lest haply ye be found to fight against God for 't is said of others of them that slighted this i 1 Thes 2.15 16. They have persecuted us and they please not God and are contrary to all men forbidding us to speak unto the Gentiles that they might be saved to fill up their sin alway for the wrath is come upon them to the uttermost And how heavy doth that Doom ly upon them to this day I 'le add no more to this Caution but a Request to Persecutors to read and think and pray over the Second Psalm This premised much may be said of the good which God doth in and for and by his Children by bringing them into his presence in and deliverance out of Persecution how God increaseth their Graces heightens their Comforts multiplyes their Experiences beyond what he doth any other time of their lives I remember Augustine hath a Passage though being separated from my Books I cannot name where That if a Person suffer death for Christ before Conversion his Martyrdom shall be to him instead of Regeneration But if you will not receive his Testimony about the first Grace I am sure you 'l not deny my next about the Exercise of Grace k Heb. 5.8 Our great Exemplar thô he was the Son of God yet as he was the Son of man he experimentally learned Obedience by the things which he suffered And the Holy Ghost tells us l Heb. 2.10 It became him for whom are all things and by whom are all things in bringing many Sons unto Glory to make the Captain of their Salvation perfect through Sufferings 'T is hard to say what kind of Perfection Christ had by Suffering but 't is easie to observe how Sufferings tend to the Perfecting of Christians they force them to a more severe examination of Heart and Life and to a more thorow Repentance of what provok't God to lay them under Sufferings then their Prayers are more fervent and their whole Conversation more regular than at other times so that I know not whether as well the former as the latter part of that passage may not be a gracious Promise m Psal 89.30 31 c. If his Children forsake my Law and walk not in my judgments if they break my Statutes and keep not my Commandments then will I visit their Transgression with a Rod and their Iniquity with Stripes nevertheless my Loving kindness will I not utterly take from him nor suffer my faithfulness to fail my Covenant will I not break c. In short their greatest Sufferings shall be medicinal not destructive the more they exercise their Graces the more they increase them for here 's the difference between an Earthly and an Heavenly Treasure the one the more you spend the less you have the other the more you lay out the more you augment the Treasure n James 2.5 Hearken my beloved Brethren hath not God chosen the poor of this World those especially who are impoverished for Righteousness sake rich in Faith and according to our Faith are all our other Graces and all our other Comforts for 't is o 1 Pet. 1.8 by believing we rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of Glory And the Apostle tells you expresly that 't is for the Comfort of others he acquaints 'em p 2 Cor. 1.5 As the Sufferings of Christ abound in us so our Consolation aboundeth by Christ Those Christians that have walkt droopingly all their dayes when God hath singled them out for Sufferings God hath clear'd up their Evidences Never did any Martyr dye in desertion 'T was in the Captivity * Dan. 10.10 c. that one while Christ the Angel of the Covenant another while a created Angel one of his menial Servants did revive instruct support and comfort Daniel as Gods greatly beloved The Blessed Apostle in one Chapter q 2 Cor. 11. gives us an account of his Sufferings and in the next r 2 Cor. 12. of his some degree of s beatifical vision and both beyond all the other Apostles And God doth not only this in and for themselves but God makes them more eminently useful unto others Persecution was the occasion of spreading the Gospel all the world over Blessed Paul wrote more Epistles in his Bonds than any one of the other Apostles in their Liberty and 't was in one of those Epistles that he appeals to his Readers †Ephes 3.4 to understand his Knowledge in the mystery of Christ 'T was in the time of the beloved Disciple's banishment into Patmos that Christ gave him a Prospect of the State of the Church from his time to the End of the World thrô all the times of the Heathen Persecutions and thrô the rise reign and ruine of the Antichristian Apostasie with peculiar Prophesies suitable Directions terrible Threatnings and chearing Promises thrô the several Visions all which thô not very easie to be understood yet well deserve the Name of Revelation evidencing Christs peculiar care of his persecuted Servants that nothing befalls them by Chance but that the main outrage of Enemies is ordered and bounded by Christs infinite Wisdom and Compassionate Love And thô time hath confuted many mistaken Calculations of the continuance of the Churches troubles yet God will not delay the Churches deliverance one moment in favour to their Enemies but gradually to ripen his own design and God will in the
't is next to impossible to be too shye of Sin unless when Satan frights us into the omission of some duties for fear of the Sins that inevitably cleave to them In short I would have you understand this Instance to referr to Sins past not future to Sins already committed that there 's no other possible way of undoing what 's done but by Repentance not of Sins not yet committed as if I gave so much as the least encouragement to so much as the least Sin Thus understanding the instance I dare say it over again Serious Godliness will force something of good out of the Evil of Sin These are the Persons that cannot forget the Wormwood and the Gall of their Mortification x Lam. 3.19 20. their Soul hath them still in remembrance and is humbled in them These are the Persons that put a due estimate upon pardoning Mercy and love Christ the more for the more Sins he hath forgiven them As Christ said of Mary Magdalen y Luke 7.47 Her Sins which are many are forgiven for she loved much but to whom little is forgiven the same love little The Blessed Apostle that brands himself for the chief of Sinners z 1 Tim. 1.15 before Conversion dare own it that a 1 Cor. 15.20 he laboured more abundantly than all the Apostles after his Conversion and 't is peculiar to him to coyn words b Rom. 5.20 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 1 Tim. 1.14 to magnifie the Grace of God in Christ Christians I beseech you let not any one take encouragement hence to Sin but let the worst of Sinners take encouragement hence to repent What thô thou hast been one of the vilest wretches upon earth thou mayest through Grace be one of the highest Saints in Heaven and the sense of what thou hast been may promote it The rising ground of a Dunghill may help to raise thy flight towards Heaven Once more Thô to your own Apprehension you have no Faith at all to believe any one word of all this nor any skill at all to know what to do yet Serious Godliness will make all this good to thee Here you see I take it for granted that one may be seriously godly who in his own present Apprehensions hath no Faith at all nor skill at all for any thing that is Spiritually good many may be in this like Moses their Faces may shine their Grace may shine to others and they themselves not c Exo. 34.29 know it Many that are dear to God live many years in the growing Exercise of Grace and yet dare not own it that they have any at all God bestows the Faith of Assurance upon those of his Children that are not able to bear up without it mistake me not as if it were not every ones duty to seek it and a great Priviledge to have assurance when others of his Children which have a stronger Faith live and 〈◊〉 without it To give you an Instance beyond all instances Our 〈◊〉 Jesus Christ who 't is certain could not want assurance yet died in as great desertion as 't was possible to befall him d Mark 15.25 with Mat. 27.46 When he had hung six hours upon the Cross He cried with a loud Voice My God my God why hast thou forsaken me q. d. This is beyond all my other Torment And when he had cryed again with a loud Voice with a vehement affection and a strong Faith e Verse 50. he lay'd down his Soul But what was that he spake with such vehemency the second time f Luke 23.46 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Father into thy hands I will commend my Spirit I will depose my Soul with thee I will thrust it into thy hands Now that Jesus Christ was under this unexpressible Desertion during the three hours preternatural Darkness 't is more than for the best of Christians to be so during their whole life which doth more than prove what I asserted That a Person of great Grace may be so much in the dark as not to see he hath any But what must he do in this case Can Serious Godliness afford any Relief Christians pray mark it these Persons they are and through Grace cannot but be seriously Godly and their serious Godliness finds 'em work enough and support enough to keep 'em from sinking They daily do what they complain they can't do g Isa 50.10 They do fear the Lord they fear nothing more than sinning against him they do obey the voice of his servants there 's none receive Instructions more Obediently thô they walk in Darkness they 'l never follow a false Fire if they have no light from God they 'l have none from any else They do trust in the name of the Lord they lye at Gods foot let him do what he will with them they do stay upon their God they come up from h Cant. 8.5 the Wilderness of the World leaning upon their beloved Religion is the whole business of their life and comparatively they do nothing else And thô they have not ravishing Comforts they have that Peace that exceeds i Phil. 4.7 all understanding that is meerly humane and that doth guard their hearts and minds through Christ Jesus against all the Stratagems and Fiery Darts of Satan Their State is good their Souls are safe and they can't but be happy in both Worlds And thus I have endeavoured to be so practical in the Doctrinal part that there needs but little to be added for the Application the Lord make that little to be like Chymical Spirits to be more effectual than a greater quantity Rouze up your selves to do your part that it may be so Vse 1 Set your hearts upon Serious Godliness This must be the first Use for you can make no Use at all of this Doctrine till you have made this Use of it Every thing without this is but an abuse of it you do not only wrong the truth but you wrong your selves what ever you say or do about it till you make it your business to experiment the truth of what hath been spoken in its Commendation and this I can assure you never any one repented of his down-right Godliness Therefore live in the practice of those plain Duties without which 't is in vain to pretend to Religion e. g. Daily read some Portion of the Old and New Testament not as your Child reads it for his Lesson but as 〈◊〉 Child reads it for his Profit Be more frequent in Prayer not as those that pass their Prayers by number but as those that pour out their Hearts to God in Holy fervour Let your thoughts be so fill'd with Heavenly Objects that you may in some respect make all things such you think of Discourse of the things of God not in a captious or Vain-glorious manner but as those that feel the Truths they speak of Receive the Sacrament not as a Civil Test but as sealing that Covenant
Word and Conscience says but the same the Scripture says Now the Comforts Believers pretend to may for methods sake be reduced to two sorts the truth and reality of both which we shall labour to evince 1. Such as proceed from the direct Acts of Grace by this sort I understand nothing else but that inward delight and pleasure which usually accompanies the exercise of any Grace or gracious performance of any Duty and is in a manner intrinsick to it And the reality of this is confirmed by the Experience of all the Saints who of them doth not find a secret sweetness delight and satisfaction in the exercise of â—aith on Christ love to God and Holiness Res jucunda est resipiscentia Luth. Nay sorrow for Sin Mortification Self-denyal have something of pleasure in them There is I dare say more pleasure in a kindly melting of the heart for sin where the sorrow is not meerly Legal but Evangelical and mingled with Love than there is in the Commission of it more in denying a mans self as to any unlawful Appetite than in gratifying himself in resisting a temptation than in yielding to it in mortifying a Lust than obeying it and how much more is there in the exercise of Faith and Love c If our natural faculties are delighted with their proper actions about sutable Objects why may not our spiritual too are they less capable of pleasure or are spiritual Operations less congruous to our faculties when renewed and spiritualized or the Objects less suited to them than natural actions and objects are to our Faculties in their meer natural state If excellent Objects and intense Operations commonly produce the greatest pleasure in our natural Powers when rightly disposed why may it not be so in spirituals too What more excellent Object than God and Christ what more noble act is there of a renewed Soul than Faith and Love what delight then may such a Soul take in closing with its chief good in those acts And so if a natural man may take pleasure in the Contemplation of natural things why may not a Saint in the meditation of heavenly If one may delight in the exercise of Moral Vertue why may not the other in the exercise of Grace If a just a generous a valiant act afford some delight to the Actor how much more an holy one If the Excuse or Applause of a natural Conscience and its testimony of our well-doing affords some delight and sweetness how much more may the approbation of a renewed Conscience yield to a renewed Soul 2. Such as proceed from the reflex Acts of Grace or mens reflecting upon and perceiving their own Graces as suppose a mans knowing he believes in Christ or that he loves God or hates Sin and this kind of comfort is no other than that which flows from Assurance which where-ever it is in Exercise alwaies brings Comfort along with it Assurance in the Act is nothing else but a Conclusion drawn by the practical Understanding of a renewed Soul through the assistance of the holy Spirit from two Premises whereof the major is of Faith the very Language of the Scripture usually some Gospel Promise For instance Joh. 3.16 Whoever believes in Christ shall have Eternal Life the minor is the language of Spiritual sence I believe in Christ the Conclusion from both is Therefore I shall have Eternal Life which following the major proposition which is of Faith and therefore inevident and consequently in a Logical sence the weaker though Theologically more strong as being more certain is it self of Faith too and therefore most certain No man that believes the Scripture will deny the Major and he that shall deny the Minor must deny all Spiritual sence and the reflection of a gracious Soul upon its own Actions and so all possibility of Assurance in any such way of ratiocination and then he may well deny the comfort of Assurance when he takes away Assurance it self And therefore there needs no more to prove the reality of this kind of comfort which is so strong and satisfactory to the Soul of a Believer that he is never at rest in himself till he have attained to it than to prove the being of that Assurance from whence it proceeds and all the Arguments which evince the one will inferr the other he that shall grant a man may be sure of Heaven cannot doubt but he may take abundant comfort and satisfaction in being so assured and that that Comfort is no Fancy And so if a man may certainly know he believes in Christ loves God above all truely fears him is pure in heart a Math. 5.8.3.6 poor in spirit b hungers and thirsts after righteousness c or hath any Grace which accompanies Salvation in sincerity in him which is an evidence of his right to and Interest in any Gospel Promise or Priviledge thereby convey'd it will amount to the same and the sight and sence of any such Evidence cannot but bring the greatest sweetness and refreshment to a gracious heart and which is as real as the delight he takes in the exercise of any of his natural faculties If a man may take much real delight in knowing his Interest in a Prince here on Earth is it a delusion when he delights in the knowledge of his interest in a Saviour in Heaven If a man be so much pleased with his being the Son of a great man may not a Believer be as much Pleased with his being a Child of God his being born of him and adopted by him If men do ordinarily comfort themselves with the hope of some worldly Inheritance they reckon themselves sure of why may not a Saint much more Rejoice in Hope of the Glory of God d Rom. 5.2 triumph in expectation of an Inheritance among the Saints in Light e Col. 1.12 When no man in the World can ever be so sure of obtaining the things of the World as a Saint may be of coming to enjoy the things of Eternity the Hope and Assurance a Christian hath is according as the Promise which is the foundation of it is but the Promise of future Blessedness is a better Promise than that of any temporal enjoyment not only because the good promised is better but because the Promise of the one is more peremptory and absolute when the other is but conditional and limited Thus much may suffice to have been spoken to the first General propounded That a true Believer may give an account of his Christianity and such a one as is satisfactory to himself and ought to be to others he may make it appear that that serious Godliness in the practice of which he lives is more than a Fancy 2. I come to the second General mentioned to give Directions and shew in answer to the Case How we may experience this in ourselves and evidence it in others There be two parts of the Question which must be distinctly spoken to How we may experience
them which yet may be no true Acts of Obedience to him because not according to his Word They do but obtrude a Worship upon God and Fancy it will please him because it pleaseth them Whereas indeed nothing is acceptable to him but what is enjoyned by him Nothing is Duty but that which hath a Warrant from God for the Performance of it Men may abound in Will-worship and come short in Obedience they may do more than is enjoyned them and yet less too much which will never be reckoned to them as it was never required of them You must judge of your selves not meerly by what you do but by the ground you have for the doing of it when Gods Will is the Reason of it and not the Precepts of men nor your own Fancies so much and no more you do for God as you do in Obedience to his Command 2. Vniversal both as to the extensiveness and continuance of it 1. As to its Extensiveness See that you be not Partial in the Law a Mal. 2.9 that you walk with God in all his Ordinances Luke 1.6 have respect to all his Commandements Psal 119.6 There is the same reason for Obedience to one Command as well as another b Gods Authority who is the Law-giver and therefore when men chuse one Duty and overlook others they do not so much obey the will of God as gratifie their omn Humours and Fancies pleasing him only so far as they can please themselves too and this is not reasonable we never yield him a reasonable Service but when it is universal 2. As to its Continuance and duration If Gods Command be still the same and the Obligation of it it is but reasonable that our Obedience likewise should be still the same Constancy and Perseverance in serious Godliness will greatly confirm and Evidence the reasonableness of our Practice and reality of our Principles Fancies are usually transient and variable and so are their Effects in mens actions few Live by Fancy all their dayes but one time or other they find their Error When a Christians carriage is uniform in the course of his Life and still continues the same in a congruity and suitableness to his Principles it can hardly be imagined that it should be the effect of meer Fancy but must proceed from something in him more fixed and settled 3. Spiritual If the Obedience we yield to God be conformable to his Nature who is a Spirit so far it is reasonable and that is such as Christ requires and this the reason he gives for it John 4.24 God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in truth See therefore that the Service you do him be not meerly external and carnal but inward and Spiritual 1. Spiritual in its Principle The goodness of your outward actions proceeds especially from within and you cannot judge rightly of them but by the Principles from which they proceed those Principles are Faith and Love Your work must be the work of Faith d 1 Thess 1.3 Rom. 1.5 your Obedience the Obedience of Faith Faith both in the Command and Promise must put you upon it and if your believing both makes you Act conformably to them the Faith of the Command presseth you to Obedience and the Faith of the Promise encourages you in it you therefore Serve the Lord because you believe him and trust in him that Service cannot be unreasonable And so likewise for Love Love to God must set you at work for God Exod. 20.6 those that love me and keep my Commandments If love within Command all without if that make you Labour in his Service fear to offend him strive to please him if you can not only see your own Obedience but feel your Love to God working your hearts to it you may be sure that Obdience is reasonable because its Principle is so reall Love felt in your Hearts and breaking out in your Lives cannot be a Fancy and what more Reasonable than for him that loves God to do all he can for God 2. Spiritual in the End for which ye Act. 1. Cor. 10.31 See that whatever you do you do it for the Glory of God as the Supreme End It is most Reasonable that as you do all from God so you should do all for him that he who is the first Cause of all you have should be the ultimate End of all you do and if you can be content to be abased that God may be Exalted to deny your selves as to your Credit and Interest and all Worldly concernments purely that God may be Honoured it is your desire that in all things Christ Jesus may be magnified in you whether by Life or by Death e Philip. 1.20 and so in doing or suffering that Obedience which is not only qualified as before mentioned but is directed to such an End is not Folly nor the effetct of Fancy 3. Spiritual in the Acts of it not that all Gospel Obedience or Worship consists only in the internal Acts and workings of the Mind for external Worship it self may be spiritual Worship and so it is when rightly performed that is when it is accompanied with and proceeds from internal but by Spiritual in its Acts I mean that which principally consists in the inward Acts of Faith and Love and Fear c. which is a Serving God in our Spirits f Rom. 1.9 yet withall is productive of and manifests it self in an outward behaviour correspondent to those internal workings See therefore that your Religion do not consist meerly in Externals that you make as much Conscience of inward and Heart-worship as outward and Bodily of the Actings of Faith and Love as of Praying and Hearing look as much at least to what is within as to what comes out Do not rest in the outside of Duty nor satisfie your selves with what you do when yet it is without life and warmth have as much regard to the Manner of Performing as to Performance it self to the motions of your Hearts as to the Labour of your Lips or postures of your Bodies To conclude this direction let your work in the whole of your conversation be as much about your Hearts g Prov. 4.23 as your Lives be the same in secret that you are in publick the same when under Gods Eye only that you are in the Face of the World This I am sure cannot be said to be foolish and unreasonable when it is grounded on the greatest reason God sees in secret h Math. 6.6 looks to the heart 1 Sam. 16.17 and calls for the heart i Prov. 23.26 and therefore it is but reason we should look to them too It is the seat of Sin the Fountain whence it springs and therefore must be look't too that we may prevent the working of it and mortifie the root of it and it is the seat of Grace there is no more good in any man than what is in his
them with acting out of Fancy or humour or any thing but a fixed and stable Principle Besides what hath been spoken by way of Direction in answer to the Question some further Improvment of this Doctrine may be made Vse 2 1. By way of Information If true Christians may give an account of their Christianity 1. They then are no true Believers no true Christians of whose Religion no good account can be given either how they came by it or whereon it is grounded 1. How they came by it when they pretend to be Saints but cannot in the least tell how they came to be Saints have found no real change in themselves are the same they have alwayes been they have they think loved God and believed in Christ and had hopes of Heaven ever since they can remember but know not how any of these things were wrought in them or by what means such a Faith I dare say is but a Fancy and so is their Hope and their Love and whatever Grace they pretend to 2. Whereon it is grounded 1. When their Faith is not rightly grounded it is no better than a Fancy When it is built on the Authority of a Church or the Traditions of men and not on the Word of God or on the Word misunderstood or misapplied or divided or maimed when they believe Promises without respect to Commands believe Christ is their Saviour and yet never receive him to be their Lord believe they shall See God though they be not pure in Heart follow not after Holiness and such indeed is the Faith and Hope of Prophane Worldlings and whoever live in Contradiction to Gods Commands and yet expect the benefit of his Promises 2. When their Practice is not rightly grounded it is no better than Folly how fair soever and plausible it may seem When men set up a Religion meerly of mans devising contrive new wayes of Worshipping God which he himself never appointed and so indeed impose upon him and prescribe to him what they think must certainly please him This is unreasonable for men to think that their Inventions or others Traditions can be more acceptable to God than his own Institutions that Sacrifice can go further than Obedience would have done They would themselves be served according to their own minds and not their Servants pleasure and why should not God They would not have their Commands neglected that their Servants Will might be performed and how foolish is it then to adhere to their own Inventions though with the slighting of Gods Institutions and yet how few be there that are so addicted to Humane Observances but they are careless of Gods Appointments Gods Commands being the Great and only Warrantable reason of all Divine Worship whatever Worship is uncommanded cannot be but unreasonable 2. How great is their sin that Question nay Deride the Grace that is in Believers as not being a real thing count the most Serious powerfull Godliness to be no better than Humour of Fancy All the Religion they own consists but in a few outward Forms or some moral Actions and whatever is above this they look upon as not real and so they leave us a Lamentably empty Religion when they condemn our Faith as Fancy our Practice as Folly and casheer all our Comforts as meer Delusions This usually proceeds either 1. From the Atheism and Infidelity of such mens Hearts some Question all Religion and so the true Religion among the rest they are themselves for none and therefore Quarrel with all they think all Religion is but Fancy or Policy and so the Christian Religion too They do not really believe the Grounds of Christianity and therefore laugh at them that do 2. Or from Pride and Conceitedness of their own Wisdom and Reason they magnifie their own Notions are in love with their own Wisdom and so contemn all else like the Athenians Acts. 17.18.32 that laugh'd when they heard of Jesus and the Resurrection The high Opinion they have of their Reason makes them deny the reality of Faith what they cannot themselves comprehend they will not believe nor allow others to do it they will scarce allow of any thing between Demonstration and Fancy and this makes them Innovate so much in Religion and Scoff at the Faith by which they should be Saved 3. Or from Ignorance of Spiritual things and their not Experiencing the Power of Grace in their own Hearts They will believe nothing in Religion but what they have themselves felt They never found the Light of Divine Truths shining into their dark Minds and overcoming their Carnal Reason nor the Power of Grace renewing their Wills and subjecting them to Gods Will breaking the force of their sinfull Inclinations mortifying their Lusts regulating their Affections changing the habitual temper and disposition of their Spirits nor the Efficacy of Faith in the Purification of their Hearts their resting upon the Promises cleaving to Christ and fetching in supplies of the Spirit from him nor the Love of God shed abroad in their Hearts enlarging them in Duties quickning them in his wayes supporting them under Burthens strengthning them against Temptations and comforting them under Afflictions and therefore they Question all these things and take them to be nothing else but canting Phrases and unaccountable Fancies A man that never was at Rome or Constantinople might at the same rate deny there ever were such places one that never tasted Honey might deny it to be sweet or a blind man laugh at Colours because he never saw them though contrary to the Experience of thousands that had with as much reason as they who live meerly by Sense and never Experienced any better pleasures deny a higher Principle by which Believers are acted and more Spiritual Comforts which they enjoy Vse 2 Of Exhortotion 1. Labour to Experience the reality of your Religion in your selves So live as that you may not be deceived and may know that you are not So act Grace as that you may feel it working and from thence conclude the Principle to be in you and may tast the sweetness of the comforts it brings with it Labour to be fully satisfied that you do not live by Fancy and act by Fancy think you believe and hope when you do not that Grace in you is as real a Principle as Reason is 1. This becomes you as reasonable Creatures as such you should know the reason of your own Actings upon what Grounds you do what you do and believe what you believe You would think a man very weak and foolish in the concernments of this present Life that could give himself no account of his own Actions or expectations should have high hopes of great things but not tell why he entertained them How unreasonable then is it for a man to hope for greater things in the other Life to engage in a Religious Course be diligent in Duties deny himself as to his Worldly Interest and yet not know why he doth so 2. It
plundered him of all lifting up his Eyes to Heaven said Lord thou knowest where I have laid up my Treasure * By this delighting in God we may undoubtedly know he is our Reward What shall we do to get God to be our Reward Quest Let us see our need of God We are undone without him Lift not Direct 1 not up the Crest of Pride Beware of the Laodicean temper Revel 3.17 Thou saist I am rich and have need of nothing God will never bestow himself on them that see no want of him Let us beg of God to be our Reward 'T was Austin's Prayer Lord Direct 2 give me thy self b Da mihi te Domine Aug. O do not put me off with Common Mercies Give me not my Portion in this life †Psal 17.14 Make over thy self by a Deed of Gift to me Be earnest Suitors and God cannot find in his Heart to deny you Prayer is the Key of Heaven which being turned by the hand of Faith opens all Gods Treasures Live every day in the Contemplation of this Reward Be in the Altitudes Branch 3 Think what God hath prepared for them that love Him c Nihil in hac vita dulcius sentitur nil ita mentem ab amore mundi seperat nil sic animam contra tentationes roborat nil hominem ita ad omne bonum opus excitat quam Gratia contemplationis Bern. O that our thoughts could ascend The higher the Bird flies the sweeter it sings Let us think how Blessed they are who are possessed of their Heritage If one could but look a while through the chinks of Heaven-door and see the Beauty and Bliss of Paradise if he could but lay his Ear to Heaven and hear the Ravishing Musick of those Seraphick Spirits and the Anthems of Praise which they Sing how would his Soul be Exhilerated and Transported with Joy O Christians meditate of this Reward Slight transient thoughts do no good They are like breath upon Steel which is presently off again but let your thoughts dwell upon Glory till your Hearts are deeply affected What Lord is there such an Incomprehensible Reward to be bestowed upon me Shall these Eyes of mine be blessed with Transforming Sights of thee O the love of God to Sinners Stand at this Fire of Meditation till your Hearts begin to be warm How would the reflection on this inmense Reward conquer Temptation and behead those unruly Lusts that have formerly conspired against us What is there a Reward so sure so sweet so speedy and shall I by sin forfeit this Shall I to please my Appetite lose my Crown O all ye pleasures of Sin be gone let me no more be deceived with your sugered Lies wound me no more with your Silver Darts Th◠stolen Waters are sweet yet the Water of Life is sweeter No stronger Antidote to expell Sin than the Fore-thoughts of the Heavenly Remunerations It was when Moses was long out of sight that Israel made an Idol to worship Exod. 32.1 So when the future Reward is long out of our mind then we set up some Idol-lust in our Hearts which we begin to worship Branch 4 This may content Gods People though they have but little Oyl in the Cruse and their Estates are almost boyled away to nothing their Great Reward is yet to come Thô your Pension be but small your Portion is large If God be yours by Deed of Gift this may rock your hearts quiet God lets the wicked have their Pay before-hand Luk. 6.24 Ye have received your Consolation A wicked man may make his Acquittance and write Received in full Payment But the Saints Reward is in reversion the Robe and the Ring is yet to come May not this tune their Hearts into contentment Christian what thô God denies thee a Kid to make merry f Luk. 15.31 if he will say Son all I have is thine is not this sufficient Why dost thou complain of the Worlds emptiness who hast Gods Fulness Is not God Reward enough Hath a Son any cause to complain that his Father denies him a Flower in the Garden when he makes him Heir to his Estate g Quid ultrà quaerit cui omnia suus conditor fit Prosper The Philosopher comforted himself with this that thô he had no Musick or Vine-Trees yet he had the Houshould Gods with him * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So Christian thô thou hast not much of the World yet thou hast God and he is an inexhaustible Treasure It was strange that after God had told Abraham I am thy exceeding great Reward yet that Abraham should say vers 2. Lord what wilt thou give me seeing I go Childless Shall Abraham ask Lord what wilt thou give me when he had given himself Was Abraham troubled at the want of a Child who had a God was not God better than Ten Sons h Quid homini sufficit cui ipse conditor non sufficit Aug. Who should be content if not he who hath God for his Portion and Heaven for his Haven Let this exceeding Great Reward stir up in us a Spirit of Activity for God Our Head should Study for him our Hands work for him our Feet run in the way of his Commandements Alas how litle is all we can do Our Work bears no Proportion with our Reward Mercedi an tantae par Labor esse potest †Verinus The thoughts of this Reward should make us rise off the Bed of Sloth and Act with all our might for God i Spes proemii solatium fit laboris Hierom. It should add Wings to our Prayers and Weight to our Alms. A slothful Person stands in the World for a Cipher and God writes down no Ciphers in the Book of Life Let us abound in the work of the Lord. 1 Cor. 15.58 As Aromatical Trees sweat out their precious Oyls So should we Sweat out our strength and Spirits for Christ Saint Paul knowing what a Splendid Reward was behind brought all the Glory he could to God 1 Cor. 15.10 I laboured 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 more abundantly than they all He outwrought all the other Apostles Saint Pauls Obedience did not move slow as the Sun on the Dial but Swift as the Sun in the Firmament * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys Did Plato and Demosthenes undergo such Herculean Labours and Studies who had but the dim Watch-light of Nature to see by and did but Fancy the pleasures of the Elizian Fields after this Life and shall not Christians much more put forth all their Vigour of Spirit for God when they are sure to be Crowned nay God himself will be their Crown If God be so great a Reward let such as have an Interest in him Branch 5 be chearful God loves a Sanguine Complection k Acceptior est Deo grata laetitia quam querula tristitia Bucholcer Chearfulness credits Religion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 causeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The goodness of the
Conscience is seen in the gladness of the Countenance Let the Birds of Paradise sing for joy Shall a Carnal man rejoyce whose hopes lean on earthly Crutches and shall not he rejoyce whose Treasure is laid up in Heaven Be Serious yet Chearful A dejected Melancholy temper as it unfits for Duty especially Praising God so it disparageth Heaven will others think God is such a great Reward when they see Christians hang the wing and go drooping in Religion 'T is a sin as well not to rejoyce as not to repent But how can I be chearful I am reduced to great Straits Object Let God take away what he will from thee Answ he will at last give thee that which is better As Pharaoh said Gen. 45.20 Regard not your Stuff for the good of all the Land of Egypt is yours So I say Regard not your Stuff be not too much troubled at the diminution of these earthly things for the good of all the Land of Heaven is yours In the Fields of Sicily there is a continual Spring and Flowers all the Year long an Emblem of the Jerusalem above where are Flowers of Joy alwayes growing There you shall tread upon Stars be Fellow-commoners with Angels and have Communion with the blessed Trinity Let the Saints then be glad in the Lord in God are Treasures that can never be emptied and Pleasures that can never be ended If God be an exceeding great Reward let such as have hope in Branch 6 him long for Possession Though it should not be irksom to us to stay here to do Service yet we should have an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an holy longing till the Portion comes into our hand l Veni Domine Jesu ut ad te veniam veni dulcedo mea emancipato Animam hanc ut te Marito suo fruaatur Roll. This is a temper becoming a Christian content to live desirous to dye Phil. 1.23.25 Doth not the Bride desire the day of Espousals m In Visione Dei ut primi veri amore Dei ut summi boni consistit Corona Aug. Rev. 22.17 Did we but seriously consider our Condition here We are compassed with a body of Sin we cannot pray without wandring we cannot believe without doubting should not this make us desire to have our Pass to be gone Let us think how happy those Saints above are who are solacing themselves in God while we live far from Court they alwaies behold the smiling face of God while we drink Wormwood they swim in Honey while we are perplexed between Hope and Fear they know their Names are enrolled in the Book of Life while we are tossed upon the unquiet Waves they are gotten to the Haven Did we but know what a Reward God is and what the joy of our Lord means we should need Patience to be content to stay here any longer Let such as have God for their exceeding great Reward be living Organs Branch 7 of Gods praise n Gratias agere possumus referre non possumus Aug. Psal 118.28 Thou art my God and I will praise thee Themistocles thought he was well required by the Graecians for his Valour when they took such notice of him in the Olympicks saying This is Themistocles God counts it Requital enough for all his Love when we are grateful and present him with our Thank-Offering and well may we stand upon Mount Gerizim Blessing and Praising if we consider the Greatness of this Reward that we should be made Heirs of God and that this surpassing Reward is not a Debt but a Legacy and that when many are passed by the Lot of free Grace should fall upon us let this make us ascribe Praise unto the Lord. It is called the Garment of Praise Isa 61.3 The Saints never look so comely as in this Garment Praise is the Work of Heaven Such as shall have Angels Reward should do Angels work The word Praise comes from an Hebrew Râ—dix that signifies to shoot up p 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Godly should send up their Praises as a Volley of shot towards Heaven shall you live with God and partake of his Fulness in Glory break forth into Doxologies and Triumphs long for that time when you shall join in Consort with the Angels those Quiristers of Heaven in sounding forth Hallelujah's to the King of Glory Such as are Monuments of Mercy should be Patterns of Thankfulness 3Vse Consolation Will God himself be his Peoples Reward this may be as Bezar-stone to revive and Comfort them 1. In Case of losses they have lost their Livings and Promotions for Conscience sake but as long as God lives their Reward is not lost Heb. 10.34 I cannot be poor faith Bernard as long as God is rich for his Riches are mine Habet omnia qui habet habentem omnia Whatever we lose for God we shall find again in him We have left all say the Disciples and followed thee Mark 10.28 Alas what had they left a few sorry Boats and Tackling what were these to their Reward they parted with movable goods for the unchangable God All losses are made up in him we may be losers for God we shall not be losers by him 2. It is Comfort in Case of Persecution the Saints Reward will abundantly compensate all their Sufferings Agrippa being laid in Chains for Caius when he came after to the Empire released Agrippa out of Prison and gave him a Chain of Gold bigger than his Iron Chain So God will infinitely remunerate them that suffer for him for their Waters of Marah they shall have the Wine of Paradise The Saints Sufferings are but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for a while 1 Pet. 5.10 their Reward is for ever they are but a while in the Wine-press ever in the Banqueting-house q 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys The Hebrew Word for Glory 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies a Weight the weight of Glory should make Affliction light the enjoying of God eternally will cause Christians to forget all their Sorrows One Beam of the Sun of Righteousness will dry up their Tears after Trouble Peace after Labour Rest Then God will be all in all to his People 1 Cor. 15.28 Light to their Eye Manna to their Tast Musick to their Ear Joy to their Heart O then let the Saints be comforted in the midst of their Trials Rom. 8.18 I reckon that the Sufferings off this present time are not Worthy to be compared with the Glory which shall be revealed in us 4 Vse Terror to the Wicked Here is a Gorgons head to affright them They shall have a Reward but vastly different from the Godly the one shall be rewarded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all the Plagues in the Bible are their Reward Prov. 10.29 Destruction shall be to the Workers of Iniquity God is their Rewarder but not their Reward Rom. 6.23 The Wages of sin is Death They who did the Devils work will tremble to
first sings and then slayes worse than Jael her Hammer and Nail destroy only the Body but this destroyes the Soul and that even by its Lullabys when the unhappy fondling sleeps and snoars in the Parents bosom 2. Indulgent Parents are really cruel to themselves their Posterity and the Church of God For this we have two such instances in two Stars of the greatest magnitude that ever shone in the Churches Horizon such indeed as are not to be mention'd without the greatest dread and trembling with respect to their plunge into this deep pit of gross Indulgence ELI and DAVID Nay startle not These are the men even good Eli and better David The best of men and I had almost said the worst of Parents and then no wonder if Plagued with the worst of Children 1. Eli. His Tragical Story we find 1 Sam. 2.12 to the 4th chap. v. last He had two Sons Sons of Belial a brace of Hell-hounds Hophni and Phinehas whose names do almost stain the Sacred Writ wretches that were as desperately lewd as himself was eminently holy And this appears on these acounts 1. If the goodness of Example Precept Education Profession could have been Antidotes against the extremity of sin these Sons of so holy a Father had not been so hellishly wicked But now neither Parentage nor Education nor Priesthood could restrain the Sons of Eli from degenerating into the Sons of Belial Yea their wickedness was most desperately improv'd boil'd up and fermented to the highest Paroxysm 2. Had they not been the Sons of Eli a Priest yet being themselves by Office Priests of the most high and Holy God who would not have thought hoped concluded that their very calling and function should not have at least dictated if not infused some Holiness into them But Oh dreadful even their white and clean Ephods are but Cloaks of their fouler sins Nay though they serve at the Altar yet degenerating from their duty their wickedness is so far from being extenuated and made less that it rises so much above others as their Place and Station is holyer than others A wicked Priest is the worst the Vilest Creature on Gods Earth Devils in Mascarade Who are Devils now but they that were once Angels of Light The worst of Dung comes from the best of Meat The most deadly Poyson out of the sweetest Mineral 3. That God who had promis'd to be the Levite's Portion had set forth the fair Portion of these Levites and God will not only feed them but feast them too and that at his own Table at his own Altar They shall eat of his own Morsel and drink of his own Cup. The breast and the right Shoulder of the Peace-offering was their allowed Commons Lev. 7.14 15. Well They are satisfied they are thankful are they not No such matter These bold and saucy Priests will rather have their Flesh-hook their Arbiter than God and whatever theiâ— Trident fastens on shall be for their dainty Tooth 1 Sam. 2.13 to 17. They were weary of one or two Joints their delicacy affects more variety God is not worthy to carve for these men but their own hands And thus they do not receive but take or snatch violently audaciously unseasonably sacrilegiously It had been but fit that God should have first been serv'd but their presumption will not stay Gods leisure E're the fat be burnt e're the flesh be boyl'd they must and will snatch their share from the Altar as if the God of Heaven should wait on their curious Palate as if the Jews had come thither not so much to Sacrifice to the Lord Jehovah as to these Priests Bellies But beyond all this 4. Hear O Heavens and give ear O Earth and be astonisht with all those that bear the name guilt and shame of such debauched Priests of the Altar even then and there at the very Altar the most Holy God his throne on Earth even there they are no sooner fed but like cursed Stallions they neighed after the modest Mothers of Israel Holy women assemble at the door of the Tabernacle and these Varlets blackest Miscreants worse by far than Zimri and Cozbi all Circumstances considered Numb 25.6 and well it had been if that other Phinehas had been nigh them with his avengeful Javelin tempt if not force them to adultery that came thither for devotion These wretches had Wives of their own yet their unbridled desires rove after strange flesh and fear not to pollute even that holy place with abominable filthiness Oh! sins too shameful for common men much more for the spiritual guides of Israel That Ark which expiated other mens sins dreadfully added to the sins of these Sacrificers Jer. 2.8 Ezek. 23.38 Rom. 2. 17.25 Thus far as to the Sin and Wickedness of these miscreants the Children and Sons of Eli. 2. As to old Eli. Did he Know all this 'T is true especially of Great men that they usually are the very last that are informed of the Evil of their own House but yet as to Eli 1. It could not probably be but when all Israel rang of the lewdness of his Sons he only should be ignorant of it But 2. Or if He knew it not can his Ignorance be excus'd It being not an Ignorance merae privatis but pravae dispositionis for where should Eli have been but in the Temple either for action or oversight The very presence of the Priest keeps Gods House in order 'T was his grand duty carefully to inspect them at least diligently to enquire after the due administration of Gods Ordinances and a just and seasonable rebuke and restraint might have happily prevented this extremity and heighth of prodigious debauchery Nothing but Age can plead and apologize for Eli that he was not the first Accuser of these his Sons will you call them or monsters But 3. Now when their Enormities come to be the cry of the Multitude when it thunders and he must perforce hear it and this loud clap must of necessity pierce not his ears only but his heart bowels conscience But with what holy fervour zeal justice indignation 1. Was it as with Judah when 't was told him Tamar thy daughter-in-law hath playd the harlot bring her forth and let her be burnt Gen. 38.24 * These my Sons are Adulterers 2. Or as the Parents of the stubborn and rebellious Son lay hold of them and carry them forth to the Elders of the City and say to the Elders of the City These my Sons are stubborn and rebellious they have not will not obey my voice let them be stoned to death So God commanded Deut. 21.18 to 22. Thus even thus should Eli who was not only the chief Priest but the supreme Judge of Israel impartially have judged his own corrupted flesh and never could he have offer'd a more pleasing Sacrifice than the corrupt gore blood of so wicked Sons 1. Doubtless Eli knew full well that 'T was in vain to rebuke those sins abroad which we tolerate at
all that rise against thee to do thee hurt be as that young man is 5. And what sayes King David to this Methinks I hear him say Psal 81.1 c. Come my dear People Come and let us sing aloud unto God our strength and make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob. 2. Take a Psalm and bring hither the Timbrel the pleasant Harp with the Psaltery 3. Blow up the Trumpet as in the new Moon as on a solemn feast day 4. Let this be a Statute for Israel for this is the day that the Lord hath made we will rejoice and triumph in it The King shall joy in thy strength and greatly rejoice in thy Salvation The Lord is known by the judgment that he hath executed the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands Higgaion-Selah Is this the Io Triumphe wherewith he makes the Earth to ring again No but on the contrary the poor Father being as it were Thunder-struck with the words of his Blackmore forgets that he was a King and Father of his Countrey looks like Jephthah when he met his devoted Daughter and as if bereav'd of all Comfort breaks out into a flood of tears and into such an indecent Lamentation as no Records either Sacred or Humane can parallel The King was much moved and wept v. 33. and as he went he said O my Son Absalom my Son my Son Absalom would God I had died for thee O Absalom my Son my Son My just Indignation at this more than Womanish Transport forbids me to descant on it I shall barely lay before you Joab's smart Repartee whereby he endeavour'd to stop this Deluge 2 Sam. 29.5 6. Joab said to the King Thou hast this day shamed the faces of all thy Servants which this day have saved thy Life and the Lives of thy Sons and of thy Daughters and the Lives of thy Wives 6. In that thou lovest thine Enemies and hatest thy Friends For thou hast declared this day that thou regardest neither Princes nor Servants For this day I perceive that if Absalom had lived and all we had died this day then it had pleased thee well And thus we have seen the Malady Turn we now to the Remedy The Plague-sore has been open'd now for the Bunch of Figgs II. What may gracious Parents best do for the Conversion of those their Children whose Wickedness have been occasion'd by their own sinful Indulgence 1. Reflect seriously on your heart and wayes Begg and begg sincerely earnestly believingly constantly of the Lord effectually to convince you of the great sinfulness and mischief of your Indulgence and to humble you deeply for it O cast your selves at the foot of God lament it weep over it mourn as Doves before the Lord when you see if indeed you can see and fondness hath not quite put out your eyes Pride Stubborness Profaneness Averseness from God all sorts and degrees of sins and corruptions break forth in your Childrens Lives And that 1. With respect to your Children And this 1. Not only as the natural roots from whom all this their Lewdness springs They drew it from the Womb and breast They were poyson'd in the very Spring Psa 51.5 Job 14.1 15.14 25.4 This consideration only if no more to see your Children rotting sinking dying with a loathsome Disease which they drew from your Loins were enough to rend your hearts and Caul But 2. By your wretched Indulgence you have added much fuel to this flame you have heated your Furnace seven times hotter Your Indulgence hath fomented yea inflam'd their Wickedness You have heightned their feavour into a Plague and that worse a thousand times than that of the Body which ends in a temporal Death but this is of their Souls and is like to sink them for ever into a gulph of fire and brimstone 2. With respect to God The Lord was wroth with the Serpent and curs'd him for ever because but an instrument us'd by Satan for corrupting our first Parents though no cause at all of it Gen. 3.14 May not the Lord be much more angry with us and cause his Wrath to smoak against us that have not only been instruments really to convey this Poyson and corruption of nature into our Childrens bosoms but the principal occasions of of their superadded Wickedness You see on both these accounts matter of deep Humiliation 2. Love your Children hearken indulgent Parents I say it again Love your Children Yea Love them I say not more but better than ever yet you Lov'd them you can never Love them too well You may and have Lov'd them too much One saith well None is to be Lov'd much but He only whom we can never Love too much Love them with all the kinds degrees properties of Love before mention'd 1. Love them so as to be tender of their Bodies their outward man let that want nothing that is necessary convenient comfortable suitable to their age or quality but above all Love their Souls their inward man The Cabinet must not be neglected but the Jewel is to be most regarded The Ring is to be only esteemed but the Diamond in it most highly to be prized The Love of our Childrens Souls is the very Soul and Spirit and Elixir of True parental Love If we truely Love their Souls we shall unfeignedly desire and vigorously endeavour their Spiritual and Eternal Salvation If you Love their Souls indeed your Hearts desire and prayer to God for them will be that they may be saved Rom. 10.1 You will put forth your utmost affections and strength to lift them up out of that pit of Sin and Misery in which they lye and to raise them into and fix them in a state of Grace If we do not really grieve to see our Children lye weltring in their Sins of Ignorance unbelief folly profaneness and so under the power and paw of Satan If we do not faithfully labour to preserve them from perishing but suffer sin upon them pretend what we will let us shew never so much Love with our mouth God sayes we really hate them in our Hearts Lev. 19.17 See how Solomons Parents exprest their Love to Him Prov. 4.3 4. I was my Fathers Son tender and only beloved in the sight of my Mother 4. He taught me also and said unto me Let thy heart retain my Words keep my Commandments and Live If you Love them indeed and in truth you will you can have no greater joy than to see your Children walking in the Truth Joh. 3. Ep. 4. That foolish Son who is now an heaviness to his Mother being made Truely wise will make a glad Fatther Prov. 10.1 Oh what a lovely sight what a Soul-ravshing object in a godly Parents eye is an hopeful Timothy an obedient godly Joseph Prov. 23.24 25. Well then Love your Children and in the first place their precious Souls If you find your Love and care goes out more for their Bodies than Souls so far mistrust your
none such have the stroaking of it it is a Tetter that is never cur'd with sweet and pleasing applications a sharp and drying medicine is best so the Angry Countenance of a resolved hater of Flattery is both a good Preservative and a good healing Receipt against this disease You lose nothing if you part with such you get a dangerous disease if you retain them 6. Look on Flattery and your Love to it in their Diametrical opposition and irreconcileableness to God in the Truth of all his Word and in the Righteousness of all his judicial Sentence on men and things To call evil good or to make those seem consummate which are defective are an abomination to God A just ballance is his delight and he abhors the false ballance When a Parasite extols thy Good or extenuates thy Evil he weighs thee in a false ballance when thou art pleased with this thou weighest thy self in the same false Ballance and God who stands by abhorreth both of you Now methinks this should affect your Hearts dare you love what God hateth will you not henceforward cease to love the undue Praises of men least you fall under the dreadful but just abhorrence of God He will never lessen truth to magnifie any he will never intrench on Justice to gratifie any he is a God of Truth and Righteousness what your Good or Evil is he will impartially declare and abhorreth such who love a Lye and unrighteousness in their valuing of themselves and Actions will it be good that God should search you out †Quod si divina quaedam res sit veritas ex qua cenfonte Diis pariter ac hominibus omnia bona preficiscuntur videndum ne adulator Diis omnibus sit hostis c. Ex Plutarcho Lud. Gran. Truth is Divine whence as from a Fountain all Good Divine and Humane flow so that the Flatterer appears an Enemy to God This was the Philosophers argument long since and 't is not less cogent because so very ancient None so hateful to God as these deep ravening and insatiable Impostors nothing is more contrary to him who is all Truth and Goodness Let Flatterers and besotted Lovers of Flattery read well that Psal 52.2 3 4. ver Thy Tongue deviseth Mischiefs like a sharp razour working deceitfully thou lovest evil more than Good and Lying rather than to speak righteousness c. Here is the black Character of the Flatterer and his miserable End you have ver 5. God will destroy him for ever c. The sharp arrows of the mighty and the Coals of Juniper are prepared for the lying Lips and false tongue Psal 120.2 3 4. ver Since this is one of the things God hateth Pro. 6. v. 17 18 19. let it not be one of the things you love 7. Get such a prevailing degree of Generous and pure Love to all that is Good and such a degree of Hatred unto Evil that you may want neither the good word of men to be a spurr to doing Good nor the sharp Reproofs of men to restrain from evil who hateth evil will not need any one should put a colour on it to lessen the apparent evil We are glad that what we hate appears so evil that it justifies our Hatred Get an Antipathy to all that is Vice or looks like it and then you cannot but dislike all that would commend it to your Choice or excuse it to your Judgment Get that frame of Heart David had I hate every false way and then you are safe from this Disease And to make the Cure compleat add that Pure Generous Universal and Divine Love of Good for its own sake that will account it a rich Recompence and Praise enough to have done it There will be little need of mans just Praises where our Love to doing Good is set on it for its own sake there will need none of the undue Praises of any None need praise the Person of Rachel to Jacob he would have scorn'd the Flatteries of any who should have lessen'd her real Loveliness by false Colours How should we disdain the labour and condemn the folly of a Mad-man that would perswade us he could add Loveliness to the light of a Glorious Morning Open your eyes ye Lovers of Virtue look on all her Daughters they are all Glorious if any are Veil'd 't is because you cannot bear the lustre of their Excellency Awake ye dreaming Mortals you 'l see enough in Naked Virtue to fall in Love with it as all would if they saw it according to Plato's Judgment They are weak Stomachs that must be allur'd by superadded Sauces to eat of Good Viands there is no need of them where Food is loved and the Appetite in right order so here when you Love Good for the Goodness that is in it you 'l desire Flatterers to forbear their labour lest they marr what you Love by adding of their own which you hate and suspect When God would put us in a sure way of keeping his Commandements and persevering in a Praise-worthy Life he does direct us to encourage our selves by the large Praises of men but Commands we should Love his Law with all our Heart This will Cure indeed 8 Get and keep that humble frame of Heart which being ever sensible of its present Condition seeth so great Defects in all its Good that it dares not think there is a sufficient ground for any Praise beyond the ordinary laudable temper The Good I would I do not And as to what may be culpable let no mans Flattery pervert your Judgment but humbly acknowledge you better know your own Inclinations than any glozing fawning Hypocrite in the world and so long as you can maintain such a humble sense of your Imperfections your Humility will be your Antidote against the Infection and danger of this Disease The Flies blow when the Sun is warm and gotten high so when we are high in our own Opinions of our selves these Flesh-flies base Colloguers blow us In a cold Season and the Sun i. e. our Opinions low and in the Brumal Solstice when we have colder Thoughts of our own Goodness these Flies are nummed and Impotent c. It is our own Pride that gives these Creatures an Opportunity to hurt us Whilst Alexander M. kept a sense of his humane Original he kept himself from this Disease as Pride grew on him he open'd his Ears to seducing Flatterers and at last fell into the highest Phrensie in the height whereof he dreams of a Divine Original and will be better than a man whilst he is lower than a beast I know no better Prophylactique to keep from nor better Therapeutique to Cure us if tainted than that of Christ if we had done all yet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When you have done Good and 't is prais'd Luk. 17.10 remember what Humility would say both of the Praise and the Praiser did the Praiser know you as you know your selves he had never spent
be condemned Tit. 2.8 Deep and weighty Impressions of the things of God upon a mans own Heart would greatly advance this A Ministers Spirit is known in the gravity or lightness of his Doctrine But now we come to the second thing proposed to give some Answer to this Question from other things in the Word And I shall 1. Shew some things that must be laid to heart about the End the saving of Souls 2. And then shall give some advice about the Means 1. About the End the winning of Souls This is to bring them to God it is not to win them to us or to engage them into a Party or to the espousal of some Opinions and Practices supposing them to be never so right and consonant to the Word of God But the winning of them is to bring them out of Nature into a state of Grace that they may be fitted for and in due time admitted into everlasting Glory Concerning which great End these few things should be laid deeply to heart by all that would serve the Lord in being instrumental in reaching it 1. The exceeding height and excellency of this End is to be laid to heart It is a wonder of condescendence that the Lord will make use of men in promoting it To be workers together with God in so great a business is no small honour The great value of mens Souls the greatness of the misery they are delivered from and of the Happiness they are advanced to with the manifold Glory of God shining in all makes the work of saving men great and excellent Preaching the Gospel and suffering for it are Services that Angels are not employed in Mean and low thoughts of the great End of the Ministry as they are dissonant from Truth are also great hinderances of due endeavours after the attaining the End 2. The great difficulty of saving Souls must be laid to heart The difficulty is undoubted To attempt it is to offer violence to mens corrupt Natures and a storming of Hell it self whose Captives all sinners are Unless this difficulty be laid to heart Ministers will be confident of their own strength and so miscarry and be unfruitfull Whoever prospers in winning Souls is first convinc'd that it is the Arm of Jehovah only can do the work 3. The duty of winning Souls must be laid to heart by Ministers That it is their principal work and they are under many Commands to endeavour it It 's a fault to look on Fruit only as a reward of endeavours so it is indeed and a gracious one but it should be so minded as the End we would strive for Col. 1.28 29. which when attained is still to His Praise yet most commonly when it is missing it is to our reproach and danger when it is as alas it's often through our default 4. The great advantage there is to the Labourer by his success is to be pondered Great is the gain by one Soul he that winneth Souls is happy as well as wise Prov. 11.30 Dan. 12.3 Won Souls are a Ministers Crown and Glory and Joy Phil. 4.1 1 Thess 2. last How far is this account above all others that a man can give of his Ministry These things fix'd upon the Heart would enliven us in all endeavours to attain this excellent End 2. For advice about the Means I shall adde these few besides what hath been said 1. Let Ministers if they would win Souls procure and retain amongst the People a perswasion of their being sent of God that they are Christs Ministers 1 Cor. 4.1 It is not confident asserting of it nor justifying the lawfulness of our Ecclesiastical Calling though there be some use of these things at some times But it is ability painfulness faithfulness humility and self-denyal and in a word conformity to our Lord Jesus in his Ministry that will constrain People to say and think that we are sent of God Nicodemus comes with this Impression of Christ Joh. 3.2 A teacher come from God It is certain that these thoughts in people further the reception of the Gospel Gal. 4.14 Ye received me as an Angel of God even as Christ Jesus 2. Let Ministers if they would win Souls purchase and maintain the Peoples Love to their Persons And this is best done by loving of them and dealing lovingly and patiently with them There should be no striving with them especially about worldly things yea meekness to them that oppose themselves 2 Tim. 2.24 25 26. It is of great advantage to have their Love how carefully doth Paul sue for it in several Epistles and condescend to entreat and make Apologies when indeed he had not wrong'd them but they only did imagine he had wrong'd them 2 Cor. 11. 3. It would further the winning of Souls to deal particularly and personally with them Not alwayes nor altogether in publick Col. 1.28 Acts 20.20 21. Great fruit hath constantly followed the conscientious discharge of this duty The setting of it up in Geneva did produce incredible Fruits of Piety as Calvin reports when the Ministers and some of the Elders went from House to House and dealt particularly with the Peoples Consciences And we are not without many Instances of the Fruit of this mean in our own time and in these Nations Blessed be the Lord for the Labourers and their success 4. Ministers must Pray much if they would be successeful The Apostles spent their time this way Acts 6.3 Yea our Lord Jesus preached all day and continued all night alone in Prayer to God Ministers should be much in Prayer They use to reckon how many hours they spend in Reading and Study it were far better both with our selves and the Church of God if more time were spent in Prayer Luthers spending three hours daily in secret Prayer Bradfords studying on his knees and other instances of men in our time are talk'd of rather than imitated Ministers should pray much for themselves for they have Corruptions like other men and have Temptations that none but Ministers are assaulted with They should pray for their Message How sweet and easie is it for a Minister and likely it is to be the more profitable to the People to bring forth that Scripture as Food to the Souls of his People that he hath got opened to his own Heart by the Power of the Holy Ghost in the exercise of Faith and Love in Prayer A Minister should pray for the Blessing on the Word and he should be much in seeking God particularly for the People It may be this may be the reason why some Ministers of meaner Gifts and Parts are more successeful than some that are far above them in abilities not because they preach better so much as because they pray more Many good Sermons are lost for lack of much Prayer in Study But because the Ministry of the Word is the main instrument for winning Souls I shall therefore adde somewhat more particularly concerning this and that both as to the matter
and manner of Preaching 1. For the Subject-matter of Gospel Preaching it is determined by the Apostle expressely to be Christ crucified 1 Cor. 2.2 Two things Ministers have to do about Him in preaching Him to them that are without 1. To set him forth to People Gal. 3.1 to paint him in his Love Excellency and ability to save 2. To offer him unto them freely fully without any limitation as to Sinners or their sinful State And then Christs Laws or Will to be published to them that receive Him and are his for the Rule of their walk and his promises for the measure and foundation of all their hopes and Expectations and his Grace and fulness for their supply in every case till they be brought to Heaven This was the simplicity of the Gospel that remained but a little while in the Christian Church for Ceremonies amongst the Jews Col. 2. and sinful mixtures of vain Philosophy amongst the Gentiles did by degrees so corrupt the Gospel that the Mystery of Iniquity ripened in the production of Antichrist It was a sad Observation of the Fourth Century that it became a matter of Learning and Ingenuity to be a Christian The meaning was that too much weight was laid on Notions and matter of Opinion and less regard had unto the soundness of the Heart and Holiness of the Life In the beginning of the Reformation from Popery the Worthies whom God raised up in several Countreys did excellently in retrieving the Simplicity of the Gospel from the Popish mixtures but that good work took a stand quickly and is on the declining greatly How little of Jesus Christ is there in some Pulpits It is seen as to success that whatever the Law doth in alarming Sinners it is still the Gospel voice that is the Key that opens the Heart to Jesus Christ Would Ministers win Souls let them have more of Jesus Christ in their dealing with men and less of other things that never profit them that are exercised therein 2. As for the manner of successeful Preaching I shall give it in a Negative and Positive from these two places 1 Cor. 1.17 2. 1. 4. What this negative disowns is our inquiry The Words are full for Christ sent me not to baptize but to Preach the Gospel not with wisdom of Words lest the Cross of Christ should be made of none effect Again I came not to you with excellency of speech or of Wisdom declaring to you the Testimony of God Again And my speech and my Preaching was not with inticing words of mans Wisdom These are the words of the Holy Ghost concerning a way of Preaching that is unprofitable a way that seems was in use and respect with the Corinthians and honest Paul was despised by them for his simple and plain way different from theirs I shall only instance in things that this Scriptural Negative doth check and reprove in the way of Preaching 1. The establishing and advancing of Divine Truth upon the Foundation of humane Reason As if there were some weakness and insufficiency in those methods and arguments of working on mens Consciences that the Holy Ghost prescribes The great Foundation of all a Minister hath to say is Thus saith the Lord and a grave declaring of the Testimony of God in this matter is Ministers Duty 1 Cor. 2.1 and will have more Authority on mens Consciences than many humane Reasons There is a rational Preaching as it is called wherein men do not satisfie themselves to make use of Reason as a Tool and Instrument and then its use is excellent but will establish it as a Judge and Dictator in all Divine matters and Truth and so in effect turn all their Preaching into little better things than the Lectures of the Philosophers of old save that the poor Pagans were more sincere in their Morals and serious in delivering their Opinions Let a Minister therefore still think with himself that a plain Scripture Testimony is his main argument and accordingly let him use it When he teacheth Philosophy and when he teacheth men the Will of God about Salvation he is in distinct Provinces and his management of his work therein should be very different 2. It is to Preach with excellency of Speech and words of mans Wisdom when men think to reach the Gospel-end on Sinners by force of even spiritual reason and perswasion This corrupt thought riseth in some from an imagination that moral suasion is all that is needfull for converting a Sinner and in some this thought rises on a better account the Light of the Glory of God in the Gospel shines so brightly in upon their own Hearts that they fall into this Conceit That no man can stand before that Light which they can hold forth Melancthon's mistake at first till Experience made him wiser Hast thou a clear Knowledge of Gospel Mysteries and the word of Exhortation is with thee also so that thou art qualified to urge beseech and plead warmly with sinners on Christs behalf Take heed of this Snare lest thou think that thy Wisdom and Gifts can promote and carry on the Gospel-design on men 3. This also is check'd in the Apostles words the setting forth the beauty of the Gospel by humane Art The truth of the Gospel shines best in its bare Proposal and its Beauty in its simple and naked discovery We may observe from Church-History that still as Soundness of Doctrine and the Power of Godliness decayed in the Church the Vanity of an affected way of speaking and writing of Divine things came in Quotations from the Fathers Latine and Languages are pitiful Ornaments unto Preaching if a man design Conversion and Soul-edification And yet more despicable are all playing on words Jinglings and Cadencies which things are in all the Rules of true Eloquence justly exploded and yet some men reckon much on them But would any man think his Friend in earnest with him that would accost him in any affair with such sort of Language and Gesture 2 The Positive is in demonstration of the Spirit and of Power 1 Cor. 2.5 1. Paul preach'd so as gave a demonstration that the Holy Ghost was in him sanctifying Him This is a plain and blessed thing happy is the Minister that manageth his work so that if the hearers get not a demonstration of great Parts and Learning yet they have a demonstration of the sanctifying Spirit of God in the Minister 2. Paul preach'd so as gave a demonstration that the Spirit of God was with him assisting and helping him in his work even when he was amongst them in much weakness fear and trembling vers 3. Happy is the Minister that can preach this way he must be a depender upon assistance from the Holy Ghost 3. Paul preached so as a demonstration of the Power of the Holy Ghost was given to the Hearts of the Hearers The Spirit of God so wrought on them by his Power in and by †2 Cor. 4.2 Commending our selves to â—â—ery
of Jesus Christ THE CVRE of MELANCHOLY AND OVERMUCH-SORROW BY FAITH and PHYSICK Quest What are the best Preservatives against Melancholy and Overmuch Sorrow SERMON XI 2 COR. II. VII Lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow THe Brevity of a Sermon not allowing me Time for any unnecessary Work I shall not stay to open the Context nor to enquire whether the Person here spoken of be the same that is condemned for Incest in 1 Cor 5. or some other nor whether Chrysostom had good Tradition for it that it was a Doctor of the Church or made such after his Sin nor whether the late Expositor be in the right who thence gathers that he was one of the Bishops of Achaia and that it was a Synod of Bishops that were to excommunicate him Dr. Hammond who yet held that every Congregation then had a Bishop and that he was to be excommunicated in the Congregation and that the People should not have followed or favoured such a Teacher It would have been no Schism or sinful Separation to have forsaken him All that I now intend is to open this last Clause of the Verse which gives the Reason why the censured Sinner being penitent should be forgiven and comforted viz. Lest he should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow as it includeth these three Doctrines which I shall handle all together viz 1. That Sorrow even for Sin may be overmuch 2. That overmuch Sorrow swalloweth one up 3. Therefore it must be resisted and asswaged by necessary Comfort both by others and by our selves In handling these I shall observe this Order 1. I shall shew you when Sorrow is overmuch 2. How overmuch Sorrow doth swallow a man up 3. What are the Causes of it 4. What is the Cure I. It is too notorious that overmuch Sorrow for Sin is not the ordinary Case of the World A stupid blockish Disposition is the common Cause of mens perdition The Plague of a hard Heart and seared Conscience keeps most from all due sense of Sin or Danger or Misery and of all the great and everlasting Concerns of their guilty Souls A dead sleep in sin doth deprive most of the use of Sense and Understanding they do some of the outward Acts of Religion as in a Dream they are vowed to God in Baptism by others and they profess to stand to it themselves they go to Church and say over the Words of the Creed and Lords Prayer and Commandments they receive the Lords Supper and all as in a Dream They take on them to believe that Sin is the most hateful thing to God and hurtful to man and yet they live in it with delight and obstinacy they dream that they repent of it when no perswasion will draw them to forsake it and while they hate them that would cure them and will not be as bad and mad as they who feel in them any effectual sorrow for what is past or effectual sense of their present badness or effectual resolution for a new and holy Life They dream that there is a Judgment a Heaven and a Hell but would they not be more affected with things of such unspeakable Consequence if they were awake would they be wholly taken up with the Matters of the Flesh and World and scarce have a serious thought or word of Eternity if they were awake O how sleepily and senselesly do they think and talk and hear of the great Work of mans Redemption by Christ and of the need of Justifying and Sanctifying Grace and of the Joys and Miseries of the next Life and yet they say that they believe them When we preach or talk to them of the greatest things with the greatest evidence and plainness and earnestness that we can we speak as to the dead or to men asleep they have Ears and hear not nothing goeth to their hearts One would think that a man that reads â—n Scripture and believes the everlasting Glory offered and the dreadful punishment threatned and the necessity of Holiness to Salvation and of a Saviour to deliver us from Sin and Hell and how sure and near such a passage into the unseen world is to us all should have much ado to moderate and bear the sense of such overwhelming things But most men so little regard or feel them that they have neither time nor heart to think of them as their Concern but hear of them as of some foreign Land where they have no interest and which they never think to see Yea one would think by their senseless neglect of preparation and their worldly minds and lives that they were asleep or in jest when they confess that they must die and that when they lay their Friends in the Grave and see the Skulls and Bones cast up they were but all this while in a Dream or did not believe that their Turn is near Could we tell how to waken Sinners they would come to themselves and have other thoughts of these great things and shew it quickly by another kind of Life Awakened Reason could never be so befooled and besotted as we see the wicked world to be But God hath an awakening day for all and he will make the most senseless soul to feel by Grace or Punishment And because a hardned Heart is so great a part of the Malady and Misery of the unregenerate and a soft and tender Heart is much of the New Nature promised by Christ many awakened Souls under the work of Conversion think they can never have Sorrow enough and that their danger lies in hard-heartedness and they never fear overmuch sorrow till it hath swallowed them up yea though there be too much of other Causes in it yet if any of it be for sin they then cherish it as a necessary Duty or at least perceive not the danger of Excess and some think those to be the best Christians who are most in doubts and fears and sorrows and speak almost nothing but uncomfortable Complaints but this is a great mistake 1. Sorrow is overmuch when it is fed by a mistaken Cause All is too much where none is due and great sorrow is too much when the Cause requireth but less If a man thinketh that somewhat is a Duty which is no Duty and then sorrow for omitting it such sorrow is all too much because it is undue and caused by errour Many I have known that have been greatly troubled because they could not bring themselves to that length or order of meditation for which they had neither Ability nor Time And many because they could not reprove sin in others when prudent instruction and intimation was more suitable than reproof And many are troubled because in their Shops and Callings they think of any thing but God as if our outward Business must have no thoughts Superstition always breeds such sorrows when men make themselves Religious Duties which God never made them and then come short in the performance of
these that I speak of can delight in nothing neither in God nor in his Word nor any Duty They do it as a sick man eateth his meat for meer necessity and with some loathing and aversness 9. And all this sheweth us that this Disease is much contrary to the very Tenor of the Gospel Christ came as a Deliverer of the Captives a Saviour to reconcile us to God and bring us glad Tidings of pardon and everlasting joy where the Gospel was received it was great rejoycing and so proclaimed by Angels and by men But all that Christ hath done and purchased and offered and promised seems nothing but matter of doubt and sadness to this Disease 10. Yea it is a Distemper which greatly advantageth Satan to cast in Blasphemous thoughts of God as if he were bad and a hater and destroyer even of such as fain would please him The Design of the Devil is to describe God to us as like himself who is a malitious Enemy and delighteth to do hurt And if all men hate the Devil for his hurtfulness would he not draw men to hate and blaspheme God if he could make men believe that he is more hurtful The worshipping God as represented by an Image is odious to him because it seems to make him like such a Creature as that Image representeth How much more blasphemous is it to feign him to be like the malicious Devils Diminutive low thoughts of his Goodness as well as of his Greatness is a sin which greatly injureth God As if you should think that he is no better or trustier than a Father or a Friend much more to think him such as distempered Souls imagine him You would wrong his Ministers if you should describe them as Christ doth the false Prophets as hurtful Thorns and Thistles and Wolves And is it not worse to think far worse than this of God 11. This overmuch sorrow doth unfit men for all profitable meditation it confounds their thoughts and turneth them to hurtful Distractions and Temptations and the more they muse the more they are overwhelmed And it turneth Prayer into meer Complaint instead of Child-like believing Supplications It quite undisposeth the Soul to Gods Masses and especially to a comfortable Sacramental Communion and fetcheth greater terror from it lest unworthy receiving will but hasten and increase their Damnation And it rendreth Preaching and Câ—unsel too oft unprofitable say what you will that is never so convincing either it doth not change them or is presently lost 12 And it is a distemper which maketh all sufferings more heavy as falling upon a poor diseased soul and having no comfort to set against it And it maketh Death exceeding terrible because they think it will be the gate of Hell so that life seemeth burdensome to them and death terrible They are a weary of living and afraid of dying Thus overmuch sorrow swalloweth up III. Quest What are the causes and cure of it Answ With very many there is a great part of the cause in distemper weakness and diseasedness of the body and by it the soul is greatly disabled to any comfortable sense But the more it ariseth from such natural necessity it is the less sinful and less dangerous to the soul but nevertheless troublesome but the more Three Diseases cause overmuch sorrow 1. Those that consist in such violent pain as natural strength is unable to bear But this being usually not very long is not now to be chiefly spoken of 2. A natural passionateness and weakness of that reason that should quiet passion It is too frequent a case with aged persons that are much debilitated to be very apt to offence and passion And children cannot chuse but cry when they are hurt but it is most troublesome and hurtful in too many Women and some men who are so easily troubled and hardly quieted that they have very little power on themselves even many that fear God and that have very found understandings and quick wits have almost no more power against troubling passions anger and grief but especially fear than they have of any other persons Their very natural temper is a strong disease of troubling sorrow fear and displeasedness They that are not melancholly are yet of so Childish and sick and impatient a temper that one thing or other is still either discontenting grieving or affrighting them They are like an Aspen leaf still shaking with the least motion of the air The wisest and most patient man cannot please and justifie such a one a word yea or a look offendeth them every sad story or news or noise affrighteth them and as children must have all that they cry for before they will be quiet so is it with too many such The case is very sad to those about them but much more to themselves To dwell with the sick in the house of mourning is less uncomfortable Bâ—t yet while reason is not overthrown the case is not remediless nor wholly excusable 3. But when the Brain and Imagination is Crazed and Reason partly overthrown by the Disease called Melancholly this maketh the cure yet more difficult for commonly it is the foresaid Persons whose natural temper is timerous and passionate and apt to discontent and grief who fall ito Crazedness and Melancholly And the conjunction of both the Natural Tempâ—r and the Disease do increase the misery The sigâ—s of such diseasing Melancholly I have often elsewhere described As 1. The trouble and disquiet of the mind doth then become a setled habit they can see nothing but matter of fear and trouble all that they hear or do doth feed it danger is still before their eyes all that they read and hear makes against them they can delight in nothing fearful dreams trouble them when they sleep and distracted thoughts do keep them long waking it offends them to see another laugh or be merry they think that every Beggars case is happyer then theirs they will hardly believe that any one else is in their case when some two or three in a week or a day come to me in the same case so like that you would think it were the same persons case which they all express they have no pleasure in Relations Friends Estate or any thing they think that God hath forsaken them and that the day of Grace is past and that there is no more hope they say they cannot pray but howl and groan and God will not hear them they will not believe that they have any sincerity and grace they say they cannot repent they cannot believe but that their hearts are utterly hardened usually they are afraid lest they have committed the unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost In a word fears and troubles and almost despair are the constant temper of their minds 2. If you convince them that they have some evidences of sincerity and that their fears are causeless and injurious to themselves and unto God and they have nothing to say against it yet
noluerint Adamum adorare Hoc suum peccatum non potuit celare Satan Luther Tom. 3. p. 82. b. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us says the beloved Disciple Joh. 1.14 He had a true body and a reasonable soul which soul of Christ considering its nearest union to the Divine nature and the light and joy and glory it must needs be full of may be look't upon by Milions of Degrees as the highest of Creatures and the chief of all the ways of God The Holy Ghost took care in the conception of Christ that his human nature should not be in the least defiled and his whole life was perfectly free from sin he did no evil neither was guile found in his mouth and his heart was alwayes pure And having taken mans Nature God is well pleased with that nature in Christ The man Christ Jesus always did those things which were pleasing to the Father The Sons of men may come with boldness to this Mediatour who is bone of their bone and flesh of their flesh He bears good will to men as the Angels sang aloud at his Nativity Man may be confident of a kind reception since Christ is so near akin to them and was in all things excepting sinful infirmities made like unto them that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest to make Reconciliation for their Iniquities Heb. 2.17 Christ is man and this man is Gods greatest favourite far greater than Joseph to Pharaoh or Mordecai to Ahasuerus Extra Christum oculos aures claudatis Vbi Iesus est ibi est totus Deus seu tota divinitas ibi Pater Spiritus Extra hunc Christum Deus nusquam invenitur Deus in carâ—e illa sic apparet ut extra hanc carnem coll cognosci non possit Luther Tam. 4. p. 491. a. He has the highest place in Heaven as well as in his Fathers heart let Saints search into his truth and they will find matters of unspeakable encouragement Here is the way to know the Father to worship him acceptably and to attain to fellowship with him here and for ever 3. Growing in the knowledge of Christ implies a more plain discerning and ful perswasion that he was foreordained to be a Redeemer Christ was the person pitched upon from eternity to be the Saviour of the Elect of God 1 Pet. 1.20 Who verily was foreordained befoâ—e the foundation of the world but was manifest in these last times for you He is therefore caled the elect One in whom Gods Soul delights There was a compact and agreement made between the Father and the Son The Son agrees in fulness of time to be made of a Woman to take a body to offer up himself without spot to God and the Father promises eternal Life and Salvation and that he should have a Church givâ—â— him out of the world though the world is faâ—â—en into wickedness upon which Church this eternal life is to be bestowed The Prophet Zachariah tells â—s of a Counsel of Peace between the Lord of Hâ—â—â— and Christ whose name is the Branch Zach. 6.12 13. And the Apostle speaks of the promise of eternal life which God who cannot lie promised before the world began Tit. 1.2 This promise may very well be conceived to be made to the Son that he should give eternal life to all that were given him of the Father And when the Saints behold that Christ is the Person from eternity designed to be a Saviour they may include that God hath a love to them a care of them and a purpose of Grace towards them from everlasting and how securely and sweetly may they rest upon the blessed Jesus not doubting but he is a person every way fit and sufficient to finish that work of Redemption which he undertook according to the appointment of his Father 4. Growing in the Knowledge of Christ implies a greater insight into his sufferings It is not without reason that the History of these is so largely penned by all the four Evangelists certainly there is much in his Crucifixion which it concerns Believers to pry into The sufferings of Christ were great and that both in his body and in his soul his body was in a bloody sweat and his soul was amazed sore and full of heaviness and sorrow and in an Agony before he was condemned and fastned to the Cross but then all the pain and shame which he did undergo his Death was violent and accursed and just before he breathed out his last his Father hid his face his sufferings were unconceivably increased by a dreadful desertion which made him roar out my God my God why hast thou forsaken me When Christ died the sins of the whole Church were laid upon the head of the Church how many stings then had the death of Christ Isa 53.6 All we like sheep have gone astray we haâ—e turned every one to his own way and the Lord hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all And if all were laid upon him none shall be laid to the charge of them who believe in him But how came it to pass that Christ did not sink under such a burthen The first sin of the first man was enough to sink all the world into Hell how could Christ bear up under all the sins of so great a multitude The reason is because he is God the blood of Christ is the blood of God how loud does it cry for Pardon and Salvation and how easily does it drown the cry of sin for vengeance The blood and sufferings of Christ applied and relyed on by Faith justifie the sinner silence Satan the accuser purge the conscience from dead works and open a way into the holiest of all by the Cross of Christ we are to climb up to the Throne of Glory The more the death of Christ is studied the Spirit will be more contrite the heart more clean the conscience more calm and quiet The death of Christ puts the sin to death but delivers the sinner from it 5. Growing in the Knowledge of Christ implies a more fruitful eying of his Resuâ—rection and going to his Father Hark to the Apostle Phil. 3. 10. That I may kâ—â—â— him and the power of his Resurrection The Justice of God had Christ under an â—rrest and hath cast him into the Grave as â—nto a Prison and if he had not fully paid the debt of those whose surety he became it would have held him in prison to this hour If Christ were not risen faith would be vain the guilt and power of sin would refrain But being risen true believers are delivered from sins punishment and power Sin and death and Satan are triumphed over Know that there is a very great power and vertue to be derived from the resurrection of our Lord. A power to raise a drooping Spirit When Christ was riseâ— dâ—e sends this Message to his Disciples that they might be well assurâ—â— his God was theirs his Father their Father
9 10. Lay hold of the promise of the Spirit which the Father is more forward to give then earthly Parents bread to their hungry Children take heed of grieving this holy Spirit deliver up your selves to his guidance and hear what he saith unto the Churches and he will lead you farther into all truth and glorify Christ Joh. 16 14. by causing you to see more of his beauty more of his glory 7. Take heed of seducing Spirits Hearken to the Apostle Joh. 14 1. Beloved believe not every Spirit but try the Spirits whether they are of God and the Trial is to be made with reference to Christ v. 2. It is much to be observed that Satan the Father of lies in broaching of heresies has struck at our Lord Jesus in a special manner Arrius of old denied his Godhead Eutyches his Manhood Nestorius denyed the Union of his Nature in one Person Pelagius opposed his Grace and Antichrist would fain banish his Gospel and hinder him from being lookt unto as the only Mediatour You that are the Sheep of Christ hearken not to the voice of such strangers but flee from them Be not like Children toss't too and fro and carried about with every wind of Doctrine as you would become perfect men in the knowledge of the Son of God and attain to the measure of the Stature of the fulness of Christ Eph. 4 13 14. 8. Abstain from worldly and fleshly lusts these put out the Souls eyâ— and take away the heart These lusts are called deceitful and foolish lusts for they make meer fools of those that make provision to fulfil them The cleaner your hearts are from pride envy passion malice evil concupiscence and covetousness the clearer will the eyes of your understandings be to see the Lord Jesus The Apostle bids the Ephesians Chap. 4 22 23. to put off concerning the former conversation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts and then adds be ye renewed in the Spirit of your mind So Col. 3 5 10. Mortify your members which are upon Earth fornication uncleanness inordinate affection c. and then it follows put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the Image of him that created him 9. Associate your selves with them who have a great measure of the Knowledge of Christ Solomon tells us He that walketh with the wise shâ—ll be wise but a companion of fools shall be destroyed Prov. 13 20. Value the communion of Saints and delight in them as the most excellent Company and like them best when they shew the best of themselves and most of all manifest that light and heat that is in them Oh what an improvement might Saints make one of another as to wisdom grace and consolation if they were not wanting â—ne to â—â—other and to themselves also The weaker Christians should learn of the stronger â—specially of their Teachers and Teachers themselves by iâ—â—â—â—ing light to others would find then own light increased Ego ex corum numero me essâ— profiteor qui scribunt proficiendo scribendo proficiunt August Epist 7. Knowledge being likâ— the Widdows oyl which the more it was drawn out the more it was augmented 10. Let your end in desiring a greater degree of the Knowledge of Christ be right not that you may be paâ—â— up in your own minds or admired by men but that Christ may bâ— more admired and esteemed by you If knowledge pulls you up you â—re not really great and grown but only swell'd and diseased Apparet Christus humilis ad superbos Est enim superbia non magnitudo sed tumor quod autem tumes videtur magâ—â—â—sed non est saâ— num Augustin Serm. 27. de Temp. as a Father observes Superbia non est magnitude sed tumor More talents will be committed to your trust if you ask more that you may improve them Let this be your design in desiring to grow in the knowledge of Christ that your Faith may grow exceedingly that your love may grow more ardent and that over all things in your hearts Christ may know the preheminence Long to know him better that this knowledge may more perfectly cleanse both your hearts and conversations Follow on to know him that you may follow harder after him In the fourth and last place I am to tell you what Vse and improvement you are to make of this knowledge of Christ or of Christ known And here I might speak largely first of all to them that are without Christ you that are in this state must needs he also without hope and with us God in the world You that are such pray consider what you have heard concerning the Lord Jesus and seriously weigh with your selves whether you have reason still to slight him Much good has been told you concerning him and none but a lying Spirit can suggest and a foolish heart believe that 't is best still to keep at a distance from him Christ calls after you to this day though you have long rejected him behold he stand at the door and knocks Prov. 3.20 waiting that he may be gracious Oh that at length you would he prevailed with to come to him I shall only vse these two arguments to perswade you 1. Christ is willing to receive the very must of you upon your returning and believing he will take you with all your faults and obtain your full and free pardon he will take you with all your debts and cross your scores cancel your bonds though you debts amount to many thousand talents He will take you with all your infirmities though â—ever so soul and loathsome and heal and cleanse your Souls by his Blood and Spirit The Apostle Paul speaks of his being apprehended of Jesus Christ Phil. 3 12. And when our Lord Jesus apprehended him and graciously received him whom did he receive it was a Blasphemer 〈◊〉 Persecutâ—r and Injurious and yet he obtained mercy Iâ— tâ—e Apostle had ransack all he could hardly have found a worse â—rue theâ— those mentioned 1 Cor. 6.9 10 11. Fornicatours Idolaters Adulterers â—ffiminate abusers of themselves with Mankind Thieves Covetous Drunkards Revilers Extortioners and yet these were washt and sanctified first and saved afterwards Here is a strong inducement to the very worst to come to this Gracious this mighty Saviour 2. Christ is willing to give himself to you so that all that he is and has shall be yours you are not only called but wooâ—d you are solicited to give your conâ—ent marriage and this is the greatest and the bâ—â— Match of all to be married to the Prince of life and Lord of all Be but willing to be his he is much more willing to be yours Oh wonder at his condescending love wonder at your own madness in standing out and presently yield your selves to Jesus saying Lord we repent we believe help thâ—â— our and â—â—belief and heal the impenitency and â—ardness of our hearts I shall say no more at present to the
often yearne and his repentings are kindled together In the 11. Hosea 8.9 He seemed to stand with his hand stretched out as one resolved to give a consuming blow but he laid aside his Weapons of indignation and in the greatness of his compassion cryed out How shall I give thee up Ephraim how shall I deliver thee Judah how shall I make thee as Adâ—nah how shall I set thee as Zeboim my heart is turned within me I will not execute the fierceness of mine anger I will not return to destroy Ephraim for I am God and not man Thus we see God is accomplished for the Government â—f the world In the second place let us enquire concerning the extent of Gods Governing Providence how far and unto what it reaches And take this in general The whole world and whatsoever is contained within the compass of Heaven and Earth are ordered by him as his Family the Church is regarded and cared for by him as his endeared Spouse and all thâ— Saints as his children All men even the worst and vilest with all their actions and all Creatures even the meanest are ordered by God and directed to their appointed ends But we will descend to particulars First The governing Providence of God extends it self to all Creatures whatsoever have being both animate and inanimate the greatest and the least He rules the Stars the Influences of Pleiades and the Bands of Orion are from him He causeth the Sun to shine sets him daily and anual Journeys and when he pleaseth stops him in his course and turns him back when he comes out of his Chamber as a Bridegroom or a Giant refreshed with Wine He makes small the drops of Rain and causeth them to fall upon one City and not upon another he feeds the Fouls and musters Caterpillars Locusts Flies as his Armies Angels are his Servants absolutely at his beck ready to execute his Will and by him they are sent forth to minister unto his Children and to punish his Enemies He hath enraged Devils in a Chain and both confines them and imploys them as he himself thinks good He suffered one to be a lying Spirit in the mouth of Ahabs Prophets He permitted Satan to do much against Job yet kept him from touching his Life He cast Devils out of the possessed and gave them leave to enter into an Herd of swine He governs men too keeping Abimelech from violating Sarahs Chastity and Laban from touching Jacob's Liberty or Goods and Esau from offering violence to his Life the meanest Creatures are the Objects of his Cure and the noblest are overruled by his Power Secondly the Governing Providence of God extends it self to all motions and actions without him we can do nothing as a special assistance is necessary to gratious Acts so is a general concurse to natural ones unless he support we cannot stir a step nor strike a stroke nor speak a word nor form a thought God suspends the Creatures Actions when he pleaseth thus he kept the Fire from burning the three Children that were thrown into it when put into its greatest rage He stopt the mouths of Lions and kept them from preying upon Daniel when hunger was feeding upon them And it was he that taught and commanded the rapacious Raven to forget it self that it might carry food to a Prophet God orders and directes actions to ends never designed by the doer yea he makes the most vile and wicked actions subservient to most excellent and most noble ends Adams sin issued in the glorifying of Gods name in a mixt way of Justice and Mercy Pharoahs Cruelty made Israel multiply so that the more they were deprest the more they flourished Romes persecutions have been Sions Enlargements and the bloud of the Martyrs the Seed of the Church Josephs Brethrens selling him was a step to his preferment in the Court of Pharoah and a sending him before to preserve the use of his Father and of his Family The crucifying of our dear Jesus was the saving of Believers and by his most pretious bloud which the Jews and Romans most wickedly spilt were all the Elect of God redeemed from Hell and everlasting destruction The King of Assyria thought of nothing else but to destroy and câ—â—t off Nations not a few but God sent him as an Executioner of his Justice to punish an hypocritical Nation and the people of his wrath Thus God doth not only uphold his Creatures in their Beings and assist and strengthen them in their Actions but he doth also direct order and overrule those actions so that their product and issue shall be admirable wicked men have base and sordid ends in the Commission of Sin but God hath holy ends in his permission thereof while they gratifie their Lusts he fulfills his pleasure and while they act like Devils He acts like God i. e. like himself Thirdly This Governing and overruling Providence of God extends it self to all issues and results of things both good and evil the lot is cast into the Lap but the Disposal thereof is of the Lord. He is the Fountain of all the good and comforts which we enjoy for which we are under everlasting Obligations to praise his Name and not to sacrifice to our own Net That the House is built we owe more to God than to the Workmen and in the preservation of the City God is more to be thanked and acknowledged than the Watchman It is unquestionably mens duty to follow their Callings and mind their business and study good Husbandry for the sluggard shall be cloathed with rags and the prodigal will be glad of husks but if after all endeavour and care an Estate comes in it is more of Gods sending than of Mans fetching The Blessing of God makes rich and not mans diligence without it when you are sick it is your wisdom and duty to send for the most able skilful and faithful Physitians and to follow the method and use the means which they prescribe but when your Distempers are removed and your Health is restored you are beholden more to God than to Men and means for notwithstanding them your Souls would dwell in silence if the Lord himself were not your help The Battle is not to the strong nor the race to the swift nor doth promotion come from the East or the West but the Lord pulleth down one and setteth up another So for evil things we are too prone to rest in second Causes and care not to look so high as God but whether we take notice of him or no there is no rod under which we smart but Gods hand lays it on Eliphaz tells us 5. Job 6. Affliction cometh not forth from the dust neither doth trouble spring out of the ground i. e. they do not come by chance though many things be contingences yet all things have a cause to us indeed they are casual but to God they are certain He himself foresaw and fore-appointed them There is nothing of Fortune
keep them A transgression of the Law is the endangering of a Subject He shall give his Angels charge ever thee to kâ—ep thee in all thy ways Their commission as large 〈◊〉 it is reaches no further when you leave that you lose your guard but while you keep your way Angels yea the God of Angels will keep you Do not so much fear loosing your Estate or your liberty or your lives as losing your way and leaving your way fear that more than any thing nothing but Sin exposeth you to misery So long as you keep your way you shall keep other things or if you lose any of them you shall get that which is better though you may be sufferers for Christ you shall not be losers by him Noah was a just man and perfect in his generation and walked with God and he was secured in the Ark before the world was drowned with the Flood Let the worst come that can it is not so bad as carnal reason represents it if a good man should be deprived of his temporal comforts it will commend spiritual ones the more to him so that he shall the better rellish and taste them Gods voice is never so sweet as when he speaks comfortably in a wilderness If a Child of God should be cut off by a violent stroak he is thereby brought the sooner to his Father such a death is the shortest way home If inraged Persecutors add to his sufferings in so doing tâ—â—y add to his Crown and by making his burden heavy they make his glory the more exceeding weighty 3. Let Gods governing the World be the matter of your Faith no Truth will be a Staff of Support unless you carry it in a believing hand precepts will not prevail threatnings will not awe you and promises will not comfort you and the most pretious Scripture-Revelations will not chear you any farther than as they are believed Let a Minister of the Gospel present you with never so precious a Cordial made up of the most choice and excellent Ingredients it will do you no good unless it be mingled by you with Faith therefore believe that the management and ordering of all things is in the hand of God and pray that you may have a well confirmed and improved Faith hereof when the Faith is weak it affords but weak comfort do you strengthen your Faith and that will greaten your peace and raise your joy to this end Be careful of this that you do nothing to the prejudice of your Faith do not you weaken that which must support you what a madness was it for Sampson to let his Locks be cut when he knew he should lose his strength together with them Now there is nothing in the World so prejudicial to Faith as Sin is A guilty Conscience doth always make a palsey-hand which is tremulous and shaking whensoever it goes about to lay hold upon God and Christ and the Covenant or any promise Rebukes of Conscience are severe checks to Faith O! saith the poor soul when snib'd from within What! shall I look upon God as my God alass I have disobeyed and dishonoured him Shall I trust in Christ as my Saviour I have crucified him afresh and put him to an open shame Shall I rejoyce in the Covenant I have broken it and dealt falsely in it Shall I delight in the promise and live upon it where is the Condition I cannot find it in my self Such Reflexions as these produce inward Troubles and Disquiets and Fears so that the very sweet meats of the Gospel are imbittered to such an one He cannot rellish them because he questions his Interest in them What is all God to one that cannot say my God Guilt makes Faith and Comfort run low whereas Great Peace have they that love the Law and nothing shall offend them they have peace in trouble joy in sorrow calms in storms inward sedateness in the midst of outward Commotions If our hearts condemn us not then have we boldness toward God and if so then comfort comes in from every Prospect which we have of God Let us then Look upon him which way we will we shall see smiles and delights that very appearance which is dark to others will give Light to us Lastly Be very serious and frequent in your Meditations upon Gods Governing the World transient and fleeting thoughts make either none or but little and slight and short Impressions The Burning-Glass will not Fire any combustible matter unless it be held some considerable time with a steady hand in the beams of the Sun so it is here dwell therefore in your thoughts upon this Subject consider it and return to consider repeat the Work again and again and again 25. Ps 15. Mine Eyes are ever toward the Lord that is often and often at all times and upon all occasions Was he in straits he looked to God Was he in danger he looked to God Was he in fears he still looked to God and that supported him as you may gather from the next Words He shall pluck my Feet out of the Net though mine Enemies have got me in their Net and I am so entangled in it that I cannot make my own Escape yet God shall pluck me out from him I shall have my Deliverance and a Song And in such Cases and Conditions we should specially look to God under the notion of Supreme Rector and Governour of the World Are there confusions and distresses up and down in the World Are Foundations out of course yet comfort your selves with this that God sits at the helm and he is our refuge and strength a very present help in time of trouble you will find serious reiterated meditation will be exceeding influential upon you David remembred God upon his Bed and meditated upon him in the night-watches and called to mind his former mercies how he had been his help 63. Psalm and this greatly supported and comforted him therefore saith He in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoyce he would both hide under it and rejoyce Gods shadow should be both his shelter and his Paradise and so it may well be for his Name is not only a strong Tower but likewise an Ointment poured forth having in it strength and sweetness In the second Use I exhort and beseech you to evidence it unto the World That your Belief of Gods Governing the World doth really support and chear you in the midst of the present Distractions when many Mens hearts are failing for fear of those things which may come to pass The Truth is the day in which Providence hath cast us is a day of Distraction the World is stark mad wicked men are mad upon sin and vanity and superstition and idolatry and mad against Religion and Godliness Well Christians if they will be mad let them be so God knows how to tame them and how to chain and fetter them too he hath hooks for their Noses and bridles for their Jaws Only be
a of a wound in his Spirit or a sting in his Conscience whereby he was prest down as it were to Hell as before he was caught up to Heaven Others understand it of the reproaches and persecution of his enemies wicked men are likened unto thorns 〈◊〉 Scripture Others again understand it of some bodily distemper an acute tormenting pain such as Stone or Gout or the like Of this opinion are some Ancient and many modern writers Augustine freely confesseth se nescire quid sit that he did not know what it was The Apostle himself tells us be it what it will that it was a Messenger of Satan he sent it though God gave it A godly man at the same time and by the same means may be both afflicted of God and buffeted of Satan God and Satan both though with a different design and to a different end may have a hand in the same affliction God intending the good and Satan the hurt of a Child of God What a gracious God do we serve who overrules Satan in all his devices against us so that he cannot have his ends upon us Thus I have briefly paraphras'd upon the words of my Text and set before you several useful noâ—es from them as they lay in my way The main observation which I shall insist and dilate upon is this Obs That one great design of God in all his dispensations to his People is to prevent and cure the pride of their hearts This you see was the thing God design'd in letting Satan loose to afflict and buffet the Apostle and therefore he gave him a thorn in his Flesh This was his design in leading the Children of Israel such a dance in the wilderness They might well have gone from Egypt to Canaan in less then 40 weeks yet there he made them to wander for the space of 40 years and why was it the Spirit of God tells us Deut. 8 2. that it was to humble them There are other reasons also assign'd but this was the first and greatest reason Elihu informs us Job 33 17. of Gods various dealings with the sons of men and of his various ends therein and amongst the rest this is none of the least to hide pride from man Two ways may God be said to hide pride from man 1. By pardoning it and so this very word is used in another place to note the gracious act of God in the pardoning the Sin of man Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven whose Sin is cover'd or hide 2. As God hides pride from man by pardoning it so also by preventing it to hide pride is all one with hindering it and in this sence it is here taken God is said to hide pride from man not by pardoning it when 't is acted but by hindering and keeping man from the acting of it I might shew you how God designed this in his creating man at first he made him of the dust of the earth and this might keep him humble even the sense of his Original God designed this in his way of redeeming man by his Son Jesus Christ we are thereby given to understand that we could no more have redeemed our selves then we could have Created our selves that we are as much beholden to a Redeemer for Salvation and Eternal life as to a Creator for our Natural life Yea God designs this in his way and method of saving man which is by his Grace and not by works of Righteousness which we do we must condemn our selves beforâ—â—e'l justifie us and renounce our own Righteousness if ever we will be made righteous and why is this but that pride should be excluded and that no Flesh might ever Glory or exalt it's self in his sight Yea farther I might let you see how this is Gods design in his more inferiour providence and dispensations This is his design in his exalting his people not that they might be made proud but more humble that they might think and say with David what are we Lord and what are our Fathers House that thou shouldst bring us hitherto This is his design in afflicting them therefore he brings them low that they might be more lowly minded affliction is the Physick by which he brings down that swelling which is in their Souls This is his design in deserting them therefore he hides his face that he may hide pride from his people he leaves them as he did Hezekiah that they might know what was in their hearts For this reason he leaves them to be reproacht and persecuted by men For this reason he leaves them to be tempted and buffeted by Satan For this reason he leaves them to be overcome or overtaken by Sin By their sins and falls they are made more watchful and more humble too Peter was too much opiniated of his own strength and love to Christ Lord says he tho all thy Disciples forsake thee I will not forsake thee but after his fall he was Crest fallen and more modestly conceited of himself Our Saviour said to him Simon son of Jonah lovest thou me more then these he answered Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee he speaks to the reality not to the degree of his love to Christ He had done now comparing with and preferring himself before the rest of the Disciples The main reason of the point is this because pride is a sin that is most hateful unto God he hates all sin but more especially this sin There are six things that God hates Prov. 6 16 17. yea there are seven that are an abomination to him and the first and chiefest of those is pride he hates a proud look but he hates more a proud heart Prov. 16 5. Every one that is proud is an abomination to the Lord not abominable only but an abomination in the Abstract James 4 6. 1 Pet. 5 5. twice it is said in the new Testament once in the Epistle of James and the second time in the first Epistle of Peter that God resisteth the proud 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he fights and sets himself in battle array against them He opposeth them because they oppose him nay if it were in their power they would depose him too they would be God to themselves this is the Devillish nature of Pride that when as other sins are against Gods Laws this sin is against his Soveraignty and his being other sins are a turning from God this is a turning upon him Hence it is that God is said to behold the proud a far off as if he could not endure the sight of them Ps 119 21. Prov. 16 5. Isa 25 11 23.8.2.12 13. He hates the proud with his heart he curseth them with his mouth he punisheth them with his hand for proof of this peruse the Texts in the Margent I hasten to what I principally intend Is this so Doth God design in all his Dispensations to prevent and cure the pride of the hearts then let
We must consider a man as placed by God in a publick capacity whether of Magistracy or Ministry and in this case also more is requisite to constitute a middle State than for those whom Providence hath set in a lower Orb. The Rule by which a mediocrity in such a capacity must be determined is so much as may be necessary to discharge those Offices and great Trusts to which they are called Magistrates especially chief Magistrates such as have the Care of Kingdoms and Common-wealths upon them it is supposed a liberal share is necessary for them and that for the keeping up that external Grandeur that belongs to their places and to defray the Charges of that great work incumbent upon them which cannot be done but by many hands which must be not only employed but rewarded by them And for Ministers whom God hath called to that honourable Work of winning Souls 1 Tim. 4.13 15. in order to which they are enjoyn'd to give attendance to reading to exhortation to doctrine and to meditate upon these things and give themselves wholly to them that their profiting may appear to all So much is supposed to be necessary for a competency for them as may free them from worldly distractions Acts 6.2 4. and that they be not necessitated to serve Tables Yet doth not this either justifie Magistrates in the unreasonble Exactions or Oppressions of their People peeling and polling them for the maintaining of their Pride and Luxury contrary both to divine Precept and Pattern The Precept you have Deut. 17.16 17. He shall not multiply Horses to himself nor cause the People to return to Egypt to the end that he should multiply Horses c. Neither shall he multiply Wives to himself that his heart turn not away neither shall he greatly multiply to himself Silver and Gold And for a Pattern take good Nehemiah Nehem. 5.15 The former Governors that had been before me were chargeable unto the People and had taken of them Bread and Wine beside forty Shekels of Silver yea even their Servants bare rule over the People but so did not I because of the fear of God Neither will this vindicate Ministers 1 Tim. 3.3 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Not a lover of Silver by what Titles soever they are dignified or distinguished to be greedy of filthy Lucre or Covetous not grasping at worldly wealth exalting themselves with external Pomp and Grandeur who are to be examples of Humility Meekness and Lowliness to the Flocks over which God hath made them Overseers 1 Pet. 5.3 thus to Lord it over Gods Heritage with high swelling Titles and a Train of Attendants may suit well enough with the Ministers of Antichrist 2 Thes 2.4 who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped but is very unbecoming those who profess themselves to be the servants of a meek and a lowly Jesus Having thus shewed you in what respects we are to judge of a Mediocrity or middle worldly condition I proceed to shew you wherein this condition is the most eligible and desirable and this both upon Rational and Religious Grounds Only one thing remember that when I am recommending a middle state in the world it must be suppos'd that there is no worldly condition that can be propos'd as so desirable but what hath its adherent Vanities as hath excellently been declared in this Morning-Exercise from another Subject Who knoweth what is good for man in this life Eccl. 6.11 12. all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow To which let me add further Neither is there any condition so formidable but what may by the Grace of God influencing the Heart be improv'd for holy and happy purposes and yet so far as seems sutable to sound Reason as also Scripture-Revelation a middle worldly estate is most eligible and that 1. For a man considered as such with respect to his short passage through this world still this is to be understood with submission to divine pleasure Let us look upon man as a Creature placed by God to act a Part upon the Stage of this world for a few years and then to have his Exit and thus think upon him abstracted from all considerations of a future state Could it be supposed that those Expressions of Solomon were to be construed in the Epicures or Atheist's sence That that which befals the Sons of men befalleth Beasts even one thing befalleth them Eccl. 3.19 20. as the one dieth so dieth the other yea they have all one breath c. all go into one place This were good News to those wretches that spend their precious Time in the contempt of God and neglect of their Souls if the words were to be understood without a limitation But the following Verse spoils all their Mirth V. 21. Who knoweth the spirit of a man that goeth upward and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth A clear Testimony of the immortality and surviving of the Soul in a future state But suppose man as making a short through-fare from the Womb to the Tomb and so a middle condition is most eligible and that 1. With respect to his Mind 2. With respect to his Body 1. With respect to the Mind a middle state is most eligible as tending to a greater sedateness and tranquility and freeing it from many distractions and manifold anxieties that are the natural concomitants of both the forementioned Extreams of Poverty and Riches 1. As for Poverty it is obvious to every eye especially if it be extream O what daily Tortures and wracking thoughts what solicitous cares the mind of man under such circumstances is exposed to and that for the getting of such Provision as is necessary to satisfie the cravings of Nature whose cries and clamors are loud and troublesome impatient and querulous not a day nor scarce an hour but the mind is put upon the contriving an answer to those repeated Queries what shall I eat and what shall I drink and wherewith shall I be cloathed Nor 2. Is the mind ever a whit the more at ease by being brought into the other Extream of Riches as through our folly we are apt to imagine Oh says the poor man could I but compass such an Estate could I get such a Bank of Money into my Coffers then I should be satisfied but alas this is a grand Mistake for though Riches stop the mouth and satisfie the cravings of Nature yet do they open the â—ouths and enlarge the cravings of so many devouring Lusts that the rich man where his heart is not renewed by Grace is less at quiet and fuller of disturbance than the poor Sometimes his Pride sometimes his Pleasure sometimes his Covetousness and sometimes a whole Kennel of Lusts are let loose upon him that eats out all that comfort and sweetness which otherwise might result from his plentiful Enjoyments whenas a middle condition in the world
require much time in dressing and undressing No cost of Apparel is so ill bestow'd as that of precious time in apparelling And if common time be so ill spent what is the solemn sacred time laid out in such curiosity How many Sabbaths Sermons Sacraments Prayers Praises Psalms Chapters Meditations has this one Vanity devoured Let me recommend the counsel of holy Mr. Herbert to you Church-porch O be Dress't Stay not for t'other Pin why thou hast lost A Joy for it worth worlds Thus hell doth jest Away thy blessings and extremely flout thee Thy cloathes being fast but thy soul loose about thee O the wanton folly of our Times when as one expresses it it s almost as easie to enumerate all the Tackling of the Royal Soveraign as the Accoutrements of a capricious Lady and perhaps it requires not much more time to equip and rig out a Ship for the Indies as a whimsical Madam when she is to sail in state with all her Flags Streamers Pennons bound for a Court-Voyage With less labour did Adam give Names to all the Creatures in Paradise than an Attire-Herald shall give you the Nomenclature of all the Trinkets that belong to a Ladies Closet And yet all this is but to consume a whole Morning to put on which must waste the whole Evening to put off Direction VI. Suit your Apparel to the day of Gods Providence and to the day of his Ordinances There is a day wherein God calls aloud for baldness Isa 22.12 13. and do we cross his design with ranting Periwigs Does he bespeak Sackcloath and are we in our Silks and Sattins How absurd is it to appear in the high Rant like Zimri with his COSBI when the Church of Christ is mourning before the Lord And yet more incongruous when God calls and they that fear his Name answer his call in a day of solemn fasting and Prayer afflicting their souls before him and accepting the punishment of their sins for a Gallant to come ruffling into the Assembly as if he design'd only his diversion and to trifle out a tedious painful hour till he may adjourn his little self with all his splendid Equipage to the Devotion of the Play-house Thus did the builders of Babel answer each other when Vengeance had poured confusion on their Hearts and Tongues reaching the Hammer when his Fellow called for the Axe and thus do we answer our God who calls for Weeping and Mourning and we return Mirth and Jollity and gorgeous Apparel God by an express Law granted this Priviledg to the new married man That for a Twelve Month he should be exempted from the Wars Deut. 24.5 And yet tho this Indulgence held good when the Country was in danger of Invasion no exemption was to be pleaded when the Church was expos'd to Gods Indignation Then call an assembly sanctifie the people Joel 2.14 let the bridegroom come forth of his chamber and the bride out of her closet There was no discharge in this War But how well was it resented by Heaven when at the denunciation of the Divine displeasure against Israel that he would not go up with them Exod. 33.3 4. the people mourned and no man put on his ornaments Direction VII In all Apparel keep a little above contempt and somewhat more below envy He that will vere nigh either extreme shall never avoid offence either for sordidness or superfluity Let not your Garments smell either of Antiquity or Novelty Shun as much an affected Gravity as a wanton levity There may be as much pride in adhering to the antick Garbs of our Ancestors as there is in courting the Modern Fooleries A plain cleanliness is the true Medium between sluttishness and gaudiness Truth commonly lies in the middle between the hot contenders Virtue in the middle between the extreme Vices and Decency of Apparel in the middle between the height of the Fashion and a more running Counter and Opposition only because our corrupt hearts are more prone to the Excess than the Defect I laid the Rule to keep a little more below Envy than above Contempt Direction VIII Let the Ornament of the inward man be your Rule for the adorning the outward Take measure of your bodies by your souls That is Consider well what Graces Excellencies and Virtues will adorn a soul and let something Analogical be made the Trimming for the body The Apostle will have Women adorn themselves in modest Apparel 1 Tim. 2.9 Tit. 2.3 and especially the graver sort that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the Tigurine Version renders in habitu qui Religionem deceat in such a habit as becomes Religion and Beza in habitu qui sanctimoniam deceat in such a habit as becomes holiness Now it may be enquired what is Apparel capable of modesty or immodesty of holiness or unholiness But the meaning is the Garment the manner of dressing or wearing must be such as indicates and discovers such qualities lodging in the soul And indeed if we could get the soul suitably adorned it would cut out make up put oâ—â— and wear suitable Ornaments 1 Pet. 5.5 The Apostle Peter commands us all to be cloath'd with humility Humility is a very proper wear for a sinner and if the soul be thus cloathed you may trust her to cloath the body When the Inward Man is new-framed and new-fashioned let it alone to frame and fashion the outward Attire The Platonists say That Anima format sibi Domicilium 'T is the soul that forms its house to dwell in And she that is so rare an Architect as to build the house will take care that it be conveniently tiled Direction IX Get the heart mortified and that will mortifie the habit Let Grace circumcise that and that will circumcise the long hair and sweeping Train with all the impertinent superfluities that wait on Vain-glory. Heal the heart of its inward pride and that will retrench the excesses of the outward I do not wonder that we find it so difficult to convince idle women that these Gayeties and Extravagancies of curled hair painting and patching are sinful when we cannot convince them of the evil of impenitency and unbelief The most compendious way of reforming Persons Families Nations and Churches is to begin at and deal with the heart as the shortest way to fell the Tree is by sound blows at the root Could we lay the Axe to heart-pride the Branches would fall the Leaves wither the Fruit fade with one and the same labour 'T is an endless labour to demolish this Castle of Pride by beginning at the top Undermine the Foundation and all the glory of the superstructure falls with it As a pure living Spring will work it self clean from all the accidental filth that 's thrown into it from without so the cleansing of the heart will cleanse the rest And when the Spirit of Christ shall undertake this work to convince the soul
plead They good Women do it only to please their Husbands that they may keep a room in their affections now grown old and not so taken as in their youthful and florid days And they think they have a clear Text that will justifie their pious intentions She that is married careth for the things of the world 1 Cor. 7.34 Loc. com p. 383. and how she may please her husband To which I answer with P. Martyr Curent ut velint placere maritis modo id faciant citra fictionem mendacium de seipsis cogitent an vellent decipi falli ut pro viro pulchro formoso ducerent foedum deformem Let 'em do so with all my heart let 'em strive to please their Husbands but be sure they do not cheat and abuse him whilst they please him For let them make it theit own case Would they be so choused as to marry a deformed ill-looked fellow whom they took for a handsome and beautiful person An understanding man as Chrysostome would see his Wives face as God made it And says he when Women have once taught their Husbands to be in love with painted faces they will rather send them to professed Whores than tie them closer to themselves because common Harlots are a thousand times more expert in these Adulterations than honest Women And if it be a sin to sophisticate and adulterate Wares and Merchandise how much more to paint the Face And Austin in express Epist ad Possid Fucari pigmentis quo mulier vel candidior vel rubicundior appareat Adulterina fallacia est quâ etiam ipsos maritos non dubito nolle decipi For a Woman to paint her face that she may appear either more fair or more ruddy is an adulterating fallacy and I am confident Husbands would not willingly have such a trick put upon them To conclude If the Husband be a wicked Man he will suspect his Wives honesty the more and be tempted par pari referre If a good man he will need none of these Artifices to secure his affections but out of Conscience will acquiesce in his own choice and the Law and Will of God VII And weigh it seriously what a long train of sins waits upon this stately Lady Vain-glory. Pride never walks the streets alone nor without a vast Retinue of Lusts to adorn her Pageantry He that will be profuse in one instance must be covetous in another Riotous spending is accompanied with penurious sparing A great fire must have great store of fewel to feed it and an open Table requires abundance of Provision to maintain it Pride must be maintained by Oppression Fraud Couzenage If the Tradesman's Wife lashes it out in the streets the Husband must fetch it in one way or other in the Shop They that spend unmercifully must gain unconscionably The Mill will not grind unless some Lust brings Grist unto it A Gentleman anticipates his Rents in the Countrey he comes up to Town to vamp his Lady and fine Daughters with the newest Fashion He ransacks the Court and City for the Fashion searches the Shops for Materials to furnish out the pomp He returns home and then his poor Tenants go to rack the sweat is squeez'd out of their Brows the blood screw'd out of their Veins the Marrow out of their Bones that they may pay the unconscionable Reckonings and monstrous Bills that his own prodigality has drawn upon him Nor is it one single sin that fills the Train of Pride God is robb'd of his Worship the Poor of their Charity the Creditor of his just Debts Posterity of those Portions which Parents are bound to lay up for their Children Pride drinks the Tears of Widows and Orphans revels with the hard labours of the Indigent feeds on the flesh of Thousands Elegantly Tertullian De hab Mulieb Brevissimis loculis patrimonium grande profertur Uno lino decies sestertium inseritur saltus insulas tenera Cervix fert Graciles aurium Cures Calendarium expendunt A vast Estate is inclosed in one small Locket A Necklace of almost 8000. l. hangs on one single string A slender Neck carries Lordships and Mannors and the thin tip of the Ear wears a Jewel or Pendent that would defray the charges of House-keeping for a Twelve month This is the evil of what the Apostle calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 costly Apparel VIII And how many precious souls hath this one Vanity destroy'd or endanger'd not with meat but which is more sinful because less necessary with superfluous Apparel How oft has thy own cloathing been thy own temptation as the proud Horse is made more proud with his Bells and Trappings Is it not enough we have a Devil to tempt us but we must be so to our selves How often has Apparel drawn out the seeds of Corruption which else had lien under the clod and never sprouted How often has it blown up the sparks of Concupiscence which else had lien buried under the ashes Is not Satan malicious enough subtil enough but we must do his work for him or render it more feisible And how do you endanger the souls of others Wicked men are hardened in their pride by your Example they triumph in you as their Converts and Proselytes they glory that the Professor is now become as one of them Others are tempted to think all Religion a cheat when it cannot prevail with those that pretend to it to deny one Vanity when it professes to deny all Who can expect a Man should deny his profit and gain that cannot deny an expensive and chargeable foolery Or how will that Man deny himself in the bulk when he cannot refuse the blandishment of so small a branch of it And how many poor innocent souls perhaps a little inclinable to entertain better thoughts of Religion have been seduced to unchaste thoughts designs and actions Nay how many may be in Hell whom thy bewitching whorish Attire hath first drawn into sin and then sent down to Hell Say not if thou art a Christian thou wilt not say it I will use my liberty and wear what I judg convenient if others will take offence and stumble 't is their sin not mine the offence is taken not given If they took an occasion I gave them no cause and therefore let them be damn'd at their own peril But didst thou know or seriously consider what thou knowest the price of a souls Redemption thou would'st not hazard its Damnation 1 Pet. 1.18 Silver and Gold and corruptible things may damn a soul but could not ransom and recover a soul What a cut would it be to thy heart could'st thou lay thine ear to the Gates of Hell and hear the Roarings Cursings and Blasphemies of that miserable Crew how they blaspheme Divine Justice curse themselves and amongst others thy self that wast an occasion to send them thither with thy tempting Braveries Hear Tertullian Quid igitur in te excitas malum illud
if they are brought into the honourable state of marriage and in due time God do bless them with blooming hopes of the Fruits of their bodies and the unknown pains of a woman in travail come upon them a Gen. 38.27 Psal 48.6 1 Sam. 4.19 Micah 4.10 they may live by saith upon Gods power and promise and expect salvation in an happy separation 'twixt them and the Babes God hath enabled them to conceive in the appointed season Yea and then tho their pains should come as sharply upon any of them as they did upon Rachel and Phineas his Wife causing a separation betwixt their own souls and bodies their souls may go in a very sure way out of a great cross here to receive a Crown of Glory hereafter Believe it Virgins These Graces are the necessary qualifications to fortifie your tremulous souls apt to be full of fear * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eurip. in Medea against all Occurrences if you have the real Ornaments of Christ's Spouse you need not torment your selves with carking thoughts your mystical Husband will take care of you to make what you greatly fear the matter of your joy 2. If you are already married and that in the Lord who hath opened your Wombs and given you power to conceive it behoves you as righteous Hand-maids of the Lord 1. To continue in the constant exercise of these Graces Certainly you who are blessed in being instruments for the propagation of Mankind when you find you have conceiv'd and grow pregnant are highly concern'd to put on and use these Ornaments A great work you are usually busie about in preparing your child-bed-linnen And I shall not discourage but rather encourage you to make necessary provision for your tender selves and babes I easily yeild according to the instinct of Nature as other Females and with the help of their Mates you ought to be somewhat indulg'd to make ready and feather your Nests wherein to lay your selves and your young b Luke 9.58 But the Modesty and Moderation you have heard of will not allow you above your rank to be costly in superfluous fine Feathers when Christs poor Ministers and Members up and down do expect your Charity Oh! I beseech you good Christian women let your chief care be lest you should die in your sorrows to be array'd in that truly spiritual fine linnen clean and white which is the righteousness of the Saints wherewith the Lamb's wife maketh her self ready c Rev. 19.8 This this is the principal thing the Grace of Faith Charity Holiness and Sobriety speak true Christian prudence And if you therefore take care to put on these you will be the most surely guided in a subordinate care about other circumstances And if God hath given any of you real proof already of performing his promise in my Text by vouchsafing temporal salvation to you it behoves you to take care 2. To record the Experiments he hath given you of making good his word to you in particular Hath God vanquish'd your fears wip'd away your tears and heard your prayers Engrave the Memorials of his goodness and faithfulness upon the tables of your hearts You have the great Example of our dear Lord and Master Jesus Christ who when he had been greatly troubled for Lazarus whom he loved groaned in spirit and wept making his requests known to his Father on his behalf which was graciously answered he with great devotion of heart lift up his eyes and said d John 11.41 with ver 3 35 38. Father I thank thee that thou hast heard me Let every ingenuous and grateful Mother whom God hath safely delivered from her child-bearing pains and peril imprint a grateful remembrance of so signal a mercy with indeleble characters in her mind Lord thou hast regarded the low estate of thine maiden when I was in an agony and well-nigh spent with repeated pains thou didst stand by me and my babe yea thou didst admirably help us making way for it to pass the bars into this world safely keeping us both alive yea and it may be when our friends verily thought with sadness that my child could not have seen the light and I should shortly have shut mine eyes upon it being ready to despair of bringing it forth then didst thou find a way for us both to escape e 1 Cor. 10.13 When the above-noted Gentlewoman * Mrs. Joceline Oct. 12. 1622. was made a Mother of a Daughter whom shortly after being baptiz'd and brought to her she blessed and then gave God thanks that her self had lived to see it a Chrsstian Having dedicated it to the Lord in his Ordinance she accounted it an additional mercy to her bringing her forth and so would have it communicated to others support As Paul when he was made sensible of great mercy in his deliverance by superadded Favours he thank'd God and took courage f Acts 28.15 so should every joyful Mother thank God and be of good courage for the time to come and good because by how much the more common the better it is She should communicate her rare Experiment to encourage others who are apt to look upon themselves as a most miserable Off-spring * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eurip. in Med. when their pangs come upon them that they may be helped For well said the Greek Tragaedian ‖ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Il. in Helen It becomes one woman to be at hand to help another in her labour Thus we briefly see this Doctrine teacheth care to men and women both in a single and a married-state It doth also 2. Administer comfort as to the good Wives themselves so likewise to the Husbands of such good Wives 1. To good Wives themselves who are qualified as you have heard but yet in an hour of temptation are apt to walk very heavily from pre-apprehensions of grievous pains yea and it may be from great fear of Death in their appointed sorrows that are coming upon them grown weary with their heavy burthens Whereas a constant abiding in the fore-mentioned Graces and Duties is a sure ground of good hope that you shall pass well through your child-bed sorrows which be sure shall be no obstacle at all to your eternal welfare And if you be eternally sav'd 't will be better for you than to be only temporally deliver'd Yes But you 'l say You shall have a rough passage And if as Sabina a Christian Martyr when she travail'd being in Prison you shall cry out as she was heard to do in her child-bearing throws whereupon some asked her how she would endure the torments her persecutors had prepared for her if she shrunk at those To whom she said I now bear the punishment of my sin but then I shall suffer for my Saviour It may be answered Notwithstanding be of good chear The Apostle certainly brings in my Text as an Antidote against discouragement and to chear up suspicious and fearful
reference both to the Way and to the End He led them on safely Psal 78.53 I do but allude to it Here 's no such Leader as Those the Prophet speaks of Is 9.16 The Leaders of this people cause them to err they that are led of them are destroyed Oh who then would not be desirous to be led by him The skilfullest faithfullest safest Guide the Traveller pitches upon O Christian wilt not thou do the same for thy precious and immortal Soul 5. The Advantages Benefits Blessings that attend and result from this Leading of the Spirit are great and glorious As to instance in a Few inward Peace and Comfort whereever the Spirit is a Leading Spirit there he is or will be a Comforting Spirit A Readiness to all Dutys of Holiness so as to do them spontaneously and with Delight Gal. 5.18 If ye be led by the Spirit ye are not under the Law i. e. so as in your Obedience to act from a servile Spirit and from the meer External Compulsions of the Law but having the gracious Conduct of the Spirit this will make you do all Freely with the greatest Promptitude and Alacrity Sonship to God so it here comes in as many as are led by the Spirit are the Sons of God As it leads to Conversion it makes us the Sons of God as it leads after Conversion it evidences us to be the Sons of God as has been already said If the Spirit be thy Leader God is thy Father And what a Priviledge is this John 1.12 1 John 3.1 And then as the Consummation of all comes the Glory and Blessedness of Heaven as the certain portion of such who are led by the Spirit Death and Hell are not more sure upon the leading of Sin and Satan than Life and Heaven are sure upon the leading of this Spirit God ever saves in Heaven such whom he leads on Earth Gal. 6.26 As many as walk according to this Rule mercy and Peace be upon them Thou shalt guide me with thy Counsel Psal 73.24 and afterward receive me to Glory All being put together and seriously weighed have I not said enough and enough to excite you all to attain and close with this Blessed Leading of the Spirit of God Much more might have been added by way of Motive but if what has been said will not prevail I despair of ever prevailing with you A Third Enquiry follows 3. Enquiry How may this Leading of the Spirit be attained What is to be done by us that we may be thus led by Him Answ In order to this take the following Directions 1. There must be the having of the Spirit before there can be the Leading of the Spirit This Order is founded in the Nature of the Thing We cannot expect to participate of the Spirits Operations such as are saving before we participate of the Spirit Himself Therefore pray attend upon the Gospel by which He is convey'd to Sinners and then when you have once received him he will not be * Non est spiritus sanctus otiosus movet Mentes et ducit Mel. Idle and Ineffective but an Operative and Leading Spirit in you 2. The Antecedent First leading of the Spirit must be had before there can be the having of his Subsequent and Secondary Leading That is to say He must First lead you to God by Conversion first bring you into a state of Grace and then way is made for his subsequent Leading and Direction When he has been a quickning Spirit in the infusing of a vital Principle into the Soul then succeeds this Act which I am upon And not till then for who will attempt to lead a thing that is dead This Method of the Spirit therefore must be regarded and comply'd with 'T is first Sanctification then Manuduction in the several Things contained therein 3. Be willing to follow the Leading the Motions of the Spirit He gives again and again his secret Guidance to you shewing what you are to do what not if this be followed and comply'd with he 'l continue it if not he 'l withdraw and leave you to follow the Conduct of your own Inclinations a sore Judgment Psal 81.11 12. My people would not hearken to my voice and Israel would none of me So I gave them up unto their own Hearts Lust and they walked in their own Counsel Oh dreadful Word The same will the Spirit do upon our rejecting or resisting of his Leading He may long strive but he will not always strive Gen. 6.3 If the person led shall once begin to struggle with him that leads him and shall refuse to follow his Guidance what is then to be done but to leave him to himself Continued rooted allowed Resistance to to the Spirit makes him so to cast off a person as to lead him no more His Initial Workings in this are to be closed with or he goes no further That one Act in the Leading of the Spirit viz. his Powerful Inclining of the Heart to comply with what he leads unto secures all the Rest If thou art an Opposer of the Spirit he will not be thy Guide Yield to Him and close with Him and he will not withhold this Grace from thee 4. Let your dependance be upon God and his Spirit for Guidance and Direction Would you have Him to lead you Oh let your Trust and Relyance be upon him and see that you renounce all confidences in yourselves He that thinks he has Wisdom or Grace enough in himself to order his Conversation aright shall never find the Spirit to be a Guide to him The meek will he guide in Judgment the meek will he teach his way Psal 25.9 VVhen a man is brought to this meek humble Frame then he is in the way of the Spirits Leading Prov. 3.5 6. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and lean not to thy own understanding In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths Christian Prudence Caution and Circumspection is our Duty but do we lay the stress of our Confidence upon that The steps of our strength shall be straitned and our own Counsel shall cast us down as he speaks Job 18.7 Mans goings are of the Lord how can a man then understand his own way Prov. 20.24 So long as thou thinkest thou canst go by thy self the Spirit will not take thee by the hand to lead thee 5. Pray much for this Grace of the Spirit It being a free and Arbitrary Act on his part he will be sought to for it and give it forth in that way which best suits with his Soveraignty Psal 25.5 Psal 5.8 Psal 31.3 Psal 139.24 Psal 143.10 How much was David in Prayer to God for this Lead me in thy Truth and teach me Lead me O Lord in thy Righteousness Make thy way strait before my face For thy names sake lead me and guide me Lead me in the way Everlasting Teach me to do thy will for thou art my
God thy Spirit is good lead me into the land of uprightness Oh what a desirable Mercy is this Leading Mercy And Sirs will you not pray and pray servently for it Yea will you not every day make this your request Blessed God and Spirit let me be led by thee this day First he works as a Spirit of Prayer in the Drawing forth of the Souls Desires after this Mercy and then as a Guiding and Leading Spirit And the Former is a good Plea for the latter Psal 143.8 Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk for I lift up my Soul unto thee Oh that we might all follow these Directions and then we should have not the Thing only but a large Measure thereof It may in the Fourth place be quâ—ery'd What Duties are incumbent upon those who are led by the Spirit 4. Enquiry Answ Such as these 1. They should more and more follow the Leadings of the Spirit I hope I speak to some of you who have These and live dayly under them if so what is your Duty Why in an Higher Degree to obey and fall in with them The Following of them as that is Simply and Absolutely considered is to be suppos'd and granted from your being led by the Spirit for the Former is necessarily included in the Latter And therefore 't is not This as considered in it self that I am so much to press upon you as the Manner Degree and Measure of it And in this respect the Best stand in need of Counsel and Quickning for who do so follow the Spirits Leading as they ought VVe have an excellent Guide one that leads us with infinite Wisdom and Faithfulness that directs us to nothing but what is Good and Good for us Ah but here 's our sin and misery we do not carry our selves as we ought in such an Obeying and Following of his Conduct as that requires As to this therefore I would excite you to follow the Spirits Leading thus 1. More Exactly So as to act just as he would have you act to move just as he would have you move to keep pace with him step by step in all his Holy Motions VVhat Israel did to the Cloud At the Commandment of the Lord they journyed and at the Commandment of the Lord they pitched as long as the Cloud abode upon the Tabernacle they rested in the Tents And when the Cloud was taken up in the Morning then they journyed whether it was by day or night that the Cloud was taken up they journyed Numb 9.18 that we should do to the Holy Spirit in the exact Ordering of all our Motions by and according to his Guidance This should be the Aim and Endeavour of every one of us though through weakness and infirmity we cannot Actually and Vniversally come up to it 2. Follow the Spirit more fully God gives this high Character of Caleb that he followed him fully Numb 14.24 Art thou one that art led by the Spirit Oh follow him fully Whatever Truth he would have you believe let it be believed Whatever Duty he would have you practice let it be practis'd whatsoever Sin he would have you mortifie let it be mortifyed As the Scribe said to Christ Master Matth. 8.19 I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest so do you say to the Spirit I will follow thee whithersoever thou leadest me Excite me to Good I 'le do it restrain me from Evil I 'le shun it Blessed are they who thus follow this Leader 3. Do this more Vniformly and Constantly in being more eaven Fixt and Steddy in holy walking 4. More Readily and Freely Oh there should be no Demurring Disputing Consulting with Flesh and Blood hanging back in the Case but a Willing Ready Chearful Complyance with whatever the Spirit leads us unto How well does this comport as with the Nature and Essence so with the Matter and Manner of his Leading 5. Follow him so as to make further Progress in the way wherein he guides you so as continually to be getting nearer and nearer to the End of your Journey 6. And Lastly Follow him with stronger Resolution and Purpose of Heart whatever Difficulties Discouragements Dangers you meet with yet resolve that nothing shall make you leave your Guid or the Holy Course that he has led you to And thus I would perswade you to rise higher and higher in your Following of the Spirit 2. Let it be your great and constant care and endeavour to get the Spirits Leading continued to you You have it pray keep it Can it be well with a Christian when This is suspended or withdrawn from him How does he Wanderand Bewilder himself when the Spirit does not Guid Him How backward is he to good when the Spirit does not bend and incline him thereunto How unable to go when the Spirit does not uphold him What vile Lusts and Passions rule him when the Spirit does not put forth his holy and gracious Government over him Oh 't is of infinite concern to all that belong to God to preserve and secure to themselves the Spirits Leading Take a good Man without this and he 's like a Ship without a Pilot a Blind Man without a Guid a poor Chlid that has none to sustain it the rude Multitude that have none to keep them in any Order What a sad difference is there in the same Person as to what he is when the Spirit leads him and as to what he is when the Spirit leaves him Oh therefore let us always keep him with us I may allude to that passage of Moses to Hobab Numb 10.31 And he said leave us not I pray thee forasmuch as thou knowest howe we are to encamp in the Wilderness and thou mayst be to us in stead of Eyes So let none of us let the Spirit depart or occasion his Leaving of Vs for in the Wilderness he will be as Eyes to us to direct and shew us our way How dismal would the state of the Israelites in the Wilderness have been if there they had not had the Cloud to guide them So 't is in the thing before us But does the Spirit at any time do this to Gods People Object does he ever suspend and withdraw his Guidance from Persons who once liv'd under it Answ Answ Yes too often 'T is what he usually does when his Leadings are not followed This is a thing that grieves him and when he is Grieved he Departs withholds and recalls his Former Gracious Influences though not Totally and Finally yet for a time and in such a Degree As a Guide that is to conduct the Traveller if this Traveller shall refuse to follow him or shall give unkind usage to him what does the Guide then do why he recedes and leaves him to shift for himself 't is thus in the Case in hand If we comply with the Spirit in his Motions and use him tenderly he will hold on in his Leading of us but if otherwise he 'l concern
whom Christ prayed shall obtain all the rich and glorious things which he desired Finally Here is the greatest encouragement for our Prayers that can be desired for hereby it is manifest that whatever we can beg of God which is needful for our Happiness here or hereafter it hath been already prayed for on our behalf by Christ Himself who was not who could not be denyed When we pray for our Relatives or others who are given to Christ but do not yet believe that they may have Faith When we pray for Union with the Father and the Son for the comfort improvement and continuance of this Union When we pray for pardon of sin and the purging of guilt by the grand Sacrifice of Expiation when we pray for Holiness the increase and exercise of it when we pray to be kept from the evil of the World which is all in the World we need to fear from the evil of Suffering or whatever may be destructive to our Souls in a word when we pray for Eternal Glory it is evident by the premisses that all these and what else is necessary for these purposes were on the behalf of those that do or shall believe the requests of the great Mediator who was God and Man in one Person and could no more be repulsed than God can deny Himself in a Prayer that was not lyable to the least exception from Justice or Holiness it self that was in all points exactly agreeable unto the Will of God and infinitely acceptable to the Divine Majesty therefore praying for any or all these things expressed or included in this Divine Prayer as we are required we may be as fully perswaded that they will not be denyed us as we may be confident that the requests of our great Advocate Jesus Christ the Righteous will be granted SERMON XXVIII Quest How we should Eye ETERNITY that it may have its due Influence upon us in all we do 2 COR. 4.18 While we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are Temporal but the things which are not seen are Eternal ETernal What a sound doth this word Eternal make in my Ears What workings doth it cause within my Heart What casting about of Thoughts what word is next to be added to it Is it Eternal World Where For this is Temporal Oh! that Eternal World is now by us unseen and as to us is yet to come But yet my trembling Heart is still solicitous to what other word this word Eternal might be prefixed as to my self or those that hear me this day when they and I who through the long sufferance of God are yet in this present and temporal shall be in that Eternal World Shall it be Eternal damnation in that Eternal World How after so many knocking 's of Christ Strivings of the Spirit Tenders of Mercy Wooings of Grace Calls of Ministers Warnings of Conscience Admonitions of Friends Waitings of Patience All which put us into a fair probability of escaping Eternal damnation O dreadful words can more terror be contained can more misery be comprehended in any two words than in Eternal damnation But we in time are Praying Hearing Repenting Believing Conflicting with Devils Mortifying Sin Weaning our Hearts from this World that when we shall go out of time we might find Life or Salvation added to Eternal Eternal Salvation these be words as comfortable as the other were terrible as sweet as they were bitter What then This word Eternal is the horror of Devils the amazement of damned Souls which causeth desperation in all that Hellish Crew for it woundeth like a Dart continually sticking in them that they most certainly know that they are damned to all Eternity Eternal it is the Joy of Angels the Delight of Saints that while they are made happy in the beatifical Vision are filled with perfect Love and Joy they sit and sing all this will be Eternal Eternal this word it is a loud alarm to all that be in time a serious caution to make this our grand concern that when we must go out of time our Eternal Souls might not be doomed down to Eternal Damnation but might obtain Salvation that shall be Eternal of which we have hope and expectation while we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are Eternal The Consideration of these words may be twofold 1. Relative As they are a reason of stedfastness in shaking troubles as a Cordial against fainting under the Cross ver 16. For which cause we faint not but though our outward man perish yet the inward man is renewed day by day v. 17. for our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory 18. While we look c. Not only the experience of present spiritual good in the inward by the pressing afflictions on the outward man in weakning of sin in purging away our dross in weaning us from the World in humbling us for our miscarriages in reducing us from wandring in emptying us of self-conceit in trying our Faith in exercising our Patiance in confirming our Hope in awakening of Conscience in bringing us to examine our Ways in renewing our Repentance in proving our Love in quickning us to Prayer but also the clear and certain prospect of Glory after Affliction of a Weight of Glory after light Affliction of Eternal Glory after short Affliction of a Weight of Glory far more exceeding all our present Sorrows Burdens Calamities than Tongue can express or Pen describe or the Mind of Man conceive being more than Eye hath seen or Ear hath heard or have entred into the Heart of Man must needs be an alleviation of our Sorrows a lightning of our Burdens comfort in our Grief joy in our Groans strength in our Weakness though we are troubled on every side yet not distressed though perplexed yet not in despair though under Afflictions both felt and seen yet we faint not while we keep our Eye fixed upon the Glorious things in the other World that are unseen and Eternal too 2. Absolute As they set before us the mark and scope we should have in our Eye all the while we are in time viz. unseen Eternal things you stand in time but you should look into Eternity you stand tottering upon the very brink of time and when by Death thrust out of time you must into Eternity and if in any case the old Proverb should prevail it should not fail in this to look before you leap The Analysis of the Text breaks it into these parts 1. The Objects that are before us 1. Things seen 2. Things not seen 2. The Act exerted on these Objects Looking expressed 1. Negatively 2. Affirmatively Not at things which are seen The Men of the World stand gazing at these till their
bodily Eyes yet you do with an Eye of Faith and Love and therefore may rejoyce with Joy unspeakable and full of Glory 1 Pet. 1.8 When you look up unto the Heavens and see and say yonder is the place of my Everlasting abode there I must dwell with God there I must be with Christ and joyfully joyn with Angels and Saints in praising of my Lord and Saviour the foresight of this will make you joyful for the present and pleasant in your looking at it 10. Look fiducially at unseen Eternal things with an Holy Humble Confidence by Jesus Christ upon the performance of the conditions of the Gospel they shall be all your own that by turning from all your Sin by Repentance and Faith in Christ you trust you shall be possessed of them that when you see there are Mansions now unseen there are Eternal Joyes an Immoveable Kingdom an Incorruptible Crown the Eternal God to be enjoyed and for all this you have a promise and you know this promise is made to you by the performance of the Conditions annexed to the promise you trust in time to come unto it or rather when you go out of time into Eternity you shall be blessed in the Immediate Full Eternal Enjoyment of all the Happiness that God hath prepared in Heaven to give you wellcome joyful entertainment in that unseen Eternal World that you so eye that World while you live in this that when by Death you are going out of this World into that you might have this well-grounded confidence to say I have fought a good fight I have finished my course henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of righteousness which the Lord the righteous judge shall give me at that day 2 Tim. 4.7 8. If you get such a sight as this as now hath been set forth before you upon such Eternal Objects as before were propounded to you you will be able from your own experience to answer the third question contained in the general case but yet I will proceed unto that branch Q. 3. What influence will such an Eying of Eternity have upon us in all we do In all we do Will its Influence be so Universal Will the efficacy of such a sight be so extensive to reach forth its virtue in all we do yes in all we do Whether we Eat or Drink or go to Sleep whether we Trade or Work or Buy or Sell. Whether we Pray or Hear or search our Hearts or Meditate or Receive or Study or Preach or Sin or Suffer or Dy it will have a mighty influence upon us in any thing wherein we are active or passive culpable or praise-worthy in any condition be it Poverty or Riches Health or Sickness in any Relation be it of Husband and Wife of Parents and Children of Masters and Servants In any Office and Imployment Sacred or Civil out of such an heap because I am limited I will take an handful and because I have not room to speak of all I will not cast them into method according to their nature connexion and dependance one upon another but take them as they come in some few particulars only 1. Such an Eyeing of Eternity in all we do would make us careful to avoid Sin in any thing we do or however we might fail in all we do yet that we suffer it not to Reign or have Dominion over us Look at Eternity with a believing Eye and you will look at sin with an angry Eye you will cast a deadly look at Sin when you have a lively look at Eternity of Joy or Misery 1. Sin would deprive me of Eternal Life therefore I will be its Death it would keep me from Eternal Rest therefore I will never rest till I have conquered and subdued it nothing in the World would bring upon my Eternal Soul the Eternal loss of the Eternal God his Glorious Son and Holy Spirit of the Company of his Holy Angels and Saints of Eternal Treasures of a Blessed Kingdom and Incorruptible Crownâ— but cursed Sin Poverty Sickness Men Death Devils cannot nothing but Sin therefore I will be its bane that shall not Reign in me that would not suffer me to live in Everlasting Happiness 2. Sin would plunge me into unseen Eternal Torments into Endless Flames and Everlasting Burnings If you could speak with a Soul departed but a Moneth ago and ask him what do you now think of the delights of Sin of sporting on the Sabbath day of your pleasant Cups and Delightful Games of pleasing of the Flesh and gratifying of its Lusts What a sad reply would he return and what a doleful answer would he make you Sin Oh that was it that was my ruine that was it which hath brought me miserable wretch to Everlasting Torment that was it which shut me out of Heaven that sunk me down to Hell O ye foolish Sons of Men that are yet in time be not mad as I was mad and do not do as I did let not the seen pleasures and profits of the World which I have found were but for a time deceive you and bewitch you the Devil shewed me the seen delights of Sin but concealed from me the Extremity and Eternity of the pain that it hath brought me to the pleasure is past and the pain continues and I am lost for ever and all this Sin hath brought me to Let your eyeing of Eternity whilst you are standing in time be instead of ones speaking to you in time that hath been in Eternity for the Eternal God doth tell you as much as any Damned Soul can tell you and would you believe one from Hell and not the Son of God that came from Heaven Oh look and view Eternity in the Glass of the Scripture and firmly believe it and it will make slaughtering work amongst your Sins and destroy that which would damn you 2. Such Eyeing of Eternity would be a mighty help to quiet your hearts under the dispensations of Providence here to Men on Earth When you look at the seen Afflictions Distresses Disgraces Stripes Imprisonments Persecutions and Poverty of the People and Children of God and the Riches Ease Honours Pleasures and the seen flourishing prosperity of the worst of Men that by the Swearing Drinking Whoring hating of Godliness being patterns of wickedness proclaim themselves the Children of the Devil and you are offended and your Mind disquieted except in this you have a better heart than Job cap. 21.6 to 16. or David a Man after Gods own heart Psal 73.2 to 16. or Jeremiah cap. 12.1 2. or Habakkuk cap. 1.13 14. Now amongst the many helps to allay this Temptation the eyeing of the last yea Everlasting things is not the least Look upon these two sorts of Men which comprehend all in the World as going to Eternity and lodged there and then you will rather pity them because of their future Misery then envy them for their present Prosperity What if they have their Hearts desire for a
it shines upon the Soul the Rays and Beams which this Gods Blessed Face diffuses and transmits are supplies of Grace for all the Duties of a dark and stormy Season 2 Cor. 12.7 9. Supports of Spirit under troubles 2 Cor. 1.5 Col. 1.11 12. deliverance from them when most of God may be discovered and most Good brought to pass thereby Psal 34 19. and great Advantages to Souls by such Exercises whilst they abide upon them James 1.2 12. Rom. 5.3 5. 2 Cor. 4.16 18. Rom. 8.18 and so a consequent Emboldning of the Heart and Face towards God others and themselves Psal 86.16 17. 119.41 42. 109.25 27. Proposi VII Good Men can never settle and compose their own disturbed Spirits till they proceed to actual solid Hope in God Psal 146.5 8. Rom. 4.18 21. Here is the Souls only Anchor and Repose from the great God alone there it must expect great things for nothing can be too great for him to give or do if once he be resolved upon it from their God they may look for special and peculiar Favours and Reliefs in just and full agreements with all his Covenant-Relations to them and Engagements for them Zeph. 3.17 Jer. 3.23 Psal 68.20 and Deut. 33.26 29. Isa 25.9 And what have good Men to keep their Spirits up but hope in such a God 't is only his Omnipotence can weigh against the difficulties his Faithfulness against the Improbabilities and his Grace and Promises against the Jealousies and Disheartnings that arise from the delays of their defined and expected Mercies all other expectations and encouragements are but vain these hopes in God have their sure Footing Heb. 6.17 20. Psal 9.10 119.38 41. 23.4 Their hope as he is God is All-sufficient as he is their God he tenderly and compassionately careth for them and he thinks himself concerned both to fulfil and justifie their Hopes And as he is thus theirs by Covenant he will both seasonably and effectually make their chearful Looks to testifie the absolute Satisfactions of their Hearts in their Experienced Accomplishments of all his gracious Promises to them And as he is the health of their Countenance so they account the Sanctuary and Spiritual Unveylings and Returns of his Face to be the Glory and Salvation which they are most concerned and carried out to look for and to Glory in Psal 106.2 4 5. Here therefore they may safely trust and rest themselves who otherwise cannot but be as restless as Noah's Dove whilst from the Ark and as discontented and distracted as wandring Cain under the Execution of Gods dismal Doom and Curse upon him He only that is confident that God is trusty and that so commits himself and all to God as such and this under great expectations that God will keep and answer all his hopes and trust and that here stays and rests his Thoughts and Soul in this that God is certainly his Friend and God and will accordingly befriend him in the best Season and to the highest purpose and advantage He I say only can thus still the Tumults of his own Spirit Proposi VIII Good Mens Hope in God should never be discouraged by any difficulties or unlikelihoods in the way Rom. 4.18 22. Seeing the Patron of their Expectations is so great as God so near as their God and so much in their Eye of 1. Expectation as the Health of their Countenance And 2. Of their Resolution and Design as to make him the Object of their Praises and the Avouched and Adored Author and Giver of their Mercies And 3. Of their Affection and Delight as no ways thinking of such joyful work as Praise till he appear nothing can justifie Dejections where God concerns himself to help Psal 55.22 It is no great matter how things appear within before us or about us whilst God stands well affected towards us and can be truly called our Praise and God Heb. 10.35 37. Isa 8.13 51.12 13. Nothing can change or hinder him and why should any thing discourage His whom Grace hath brought to trust in him Rom. 8.31 39. Proposi IX What ever Gracious Souls expects from God they still determine and refer all to his Praise and Service Luke 1.72 75. Psal 119.7 17. 116.7 9. they neither desire expect nor use any Salvation or Supports ultimately for themselves Ezra 9.13 14. Psal 56.12 13. Gods Excellence is observed in all and his Glory is designed and pursued by all and indeed God is the End and Sweetness of all Mercies Rom. 11.36 And this was resolved upon by Holy David as both his Sanctuary-Honour his House-Enrichment and his Hearts delight The Health of his Countenance must be the Inhabitant of his Praises Thirdly Let us now consider this Text as a Directory to guide us to and in the Resolution of this Case before us The Case is this How may a Gracious Person from whom God hides his Face trust in the Lord as his God Now if you compare the Case and Text together you will find them Paralel in these particulars 1. In the Persons David that Holy Person was concerned in the Text and a Gracious Person is here concerned in the Case That David was a Gracious Person none can doubt that read and mind his Holy Breathings in the Psalms nay they must conclude him to be greatly such for what Raptures Fervours and Appeals what Holy Agonies and Flights of Spirit What Glorious Accounts of God and Providence And what Instances of Holy Confidence in God may you discern 2. In their Cases The One is cast down and disquieted and Gods Face is hidden from the other Now Gods hiding of his Face insinuates mostly some distast taken and thus it hints the Cause to be something neglected or committed or not well managed and performed which therefore God cannot approve of in any of his Favourites for God dislikes all Nonconformity to his Will either in the matter manner principle means or end of any Instance of Deportment towards God our selves or others though sometimes this hideing of Gods Face may be for other purposes not now to be Insisted on The Soul is cast down and disquieted saith the Text And thus we have the terrible Impressions and Effects of this Ecclipsed Face of God upon the Spirit of a Gracious Person the Case is doleful though Gods Design therein be Wise and Merciful for the sensible Tokens of Gods Gracious Face or Presence may be and are often times removed or with-held to try the Soul to awaken dormant Principles and Graces to their most seasonable and advantageous Exercises To prevent some greater Mischiefs which would arise from Divine Consolations unseasonably or unfitly placed To make and to expose to publick View some Monuments of Signal Deliverances Salvations and Supports and to form some Glorious Mirrours and Examples of Signal Patience and Submissions to the Will of God And all this may be done to serve more Glorious Purposes than any Man in Flesh can be aware of and
or make their Requests to God for some Extatide Transports and Enlargements in a Duty or Covet unfit degrees of Gifts or Abilities for Duties taking that to be Grace which may be a gift consistent with a lost Condition and suppose these things never acquested by them must it thence follow That the Face of God is hid from them Oh what a pass must God be at with these Mens Souls when they must take him for their Enemy or for a discontented and distasted Friend unless he will to humour them transgress the stated Methods of his Dealing with Mens Souls If their Natural strength and fervour do but decay through Age or Sickness or other accidental Weaknesses or if God touch them in their Darlings here as Interests Relations Possessions or cast them upon some unwelcome straits though for their good Oh then they think him gone from them in deep Distast and Wrath when as these things rather insinuate Demonstrations and Assurances of Gods Faithfulness and Favour to them than any hard Thoughts of or bad Designs upon them See then that you be sure that God hides his Face from you indeed before you proceed to infer Discouragements or any ways to countenance your own Despondencies and any Jealousies or hard thoughts of God Bâ—t yet 't is to be acknowledged That God sometimes doth hide his Face indeed Isa 64.7 And that either 1. Totally as to the Damned in Hell so as never to shew it more to them again but this is nothing to our present Case or else 2. Partially as to those on Earth who are either 1. Unconverted or 2. Converted Persons The former are not here concerned but the latter and as to Converted Persons such as are truly Gracious God is said to hide his Face from them when he removes his Candlestick from them Rev. 2.5 or when they rather only see than really feel and are bettered by the Light and are scarce sensible of either Savour or Power in Gods Ordinances or of any Improvement in or of themselves thereby or when they have not any free Intercourses with God in Holy Duties but ever find themselves to be deadned and straitned in the Addresses of their Spirits to God in his Holy Ordinances of which their Jealousies are increased by their being Conscious to themselves of much Barrenness Wantoness and Ingratitude under their Sanctuary-priviledges Or when they are terrified with Storms and Tempests in their own Breasts through pressing Fears and multiplied Distractions But here let them consult Gods Word and Providences and their own Consciences together and thus debate this Matter with themselves What makes thee think O my Soul that God now hides his Face from thee Is it what is and hath been common either to Mankind or to the Generation of the Just or something peculiar to my self and unusual to others Is it any thing that can make it Evident that I either yet was never truly Gracious or that Gods Grace is now Extinct in me Have I an Heart for God and hath he none for me Is any thing inflicted on me inconsistent with Gods Saving Love to me Have my Afflictions Deadned me to God and Holiness or cut off the Entail of his Covenant-Favours upon me Are there noe Cases and Instances of Gods Eclipsed Face paralel to or much beyond my own to be discerned in Abraham David Job Lot Christ or others See James 5.10 Heb. 5.7 9. Job's Friends got nothing but Reproofs from God for their inferring Gods Contempt of him from what God laid on him It is much to be Observed That Gods dearest Favourites have had the sharpest Exercises and great Darkness and Disconsolateness on their Spirits at sometimes or other for the sensible Comforts and Refreshments of Religion are seldom found the Daily Fare of the exactest walkers with God under Heaven and yet how often are these Eclipses greatned by their Fancies or Follies And then by their Misrepresentations of God to themselves how oft and much is he Dishonoured by them But let these things be well considered by Gracious Souls 1. God doth not always nor ever totally hide his Face from them whom he hath Changed and Transformed through Grace 2. That when at any time 't is hid from them 't is not hidden in so much Wrath but that Mercy shall prevail at last 3. Nor can it ever be so dark with them but that some Remedies and Refreshments may be had from the Name the Son and the Covenant and from that of God within themselves which they ought not to undervalue overlook or to deny or to quit the Acknowledgments and Comforts of Nay I may boldly say it that at the worst more of Gods Face doth or may appear to them and shine upon them than is at any time hidden from them I mean more of that Face which is discernable here on Earth for otherwise it is but very little of Gods Face that the best Men see at most in this World if compared with what is to be manifested in Eternity unto the Heirs of Glory And therefore is it yet a shameful thing both to be pitied and blamed in gracious Persons that every intermission or retreat of sensible Joys and Favours shall so enrage their Fears and Sorrows as that Gods tenderness and faithfulness shall presently be Arraigned and his most gentle Discipline heavily Censured strangely Agravated extravagantly Resented and most immoderatly Bemoaned by them Yea and that before they have well understood what ails them and unto what degrees their so bemoaned Eclipse hath reached Come then my Soul deal fairly with thy Self and God and tell me what is it that God hath now denied thee How far hath God denied it What of God is it that thou once hast seen but canst not now What hinders the present sight or the recovery of what before hath been thy Strength and Joy Do not mistake Gods Looks and Heart nor in a pet charge God with what he is not guilty of nor say too hastily why better with me formerly than now Direct IV. Let him remove and shun all that provokes God thus to hide his Face Isa 59.1 2. Lam. 3.39 40. no Counsel nor Encouragement will or can avail that Soul for Trust or Conduct which neglects its stated Work and Watch which God enjoyns it to and expects from it The Spots and negligences of Gods own People are displeasing to him and he will turn his Face away from what he loaths and hates Many a dreadful frown and glance from God had David when he had defiled his Soul and Body with Lust and Blood The matter of Uriah left that blot and sting upon him and to his Family which made it evident how unsafe it is for even gracious Souls to play the wantons Complaints and Prayers can neither expiate nor commute for those miscarriages and neglects which God forbids and hates nor will it be found sufficient that we make some enquiries after God or pathetical and mournful declamations against
to God in Prayer 2. They have Faith to urge their pleas they are indeed the only Persons that have true Faith and it is Faith especially makes Men plead with God and improve all the Arguments they can so far as the Word which is the ground of Faith will warrant them so Moses pleads for Israel Exod. 32.11 12 13. And Jeremiah for the Jews in the Case of the Famine Chap. 14.7 8. The more Faith in Prayer usually the more pleading in it And this Prayer is always best because of the Faith that is Acted in it The goodness of Prayer is not to be Judged of by the Curiousness of the Composition the Elegancy of the Stile the Vehemency of the Expression but by the workings of Faith It is the Prayer of Faith that is called for and to which the promise is made James 1.6 3. They urge them with most fervency There is a natural fervency in Prayer which ariseth from natural affections excited and quickned by some pressing trouble or distress and there is a gracious fervency which proceeds from Faith nothing makes Men more earnest and warm in Prayer than Faith doth the more firmly a Man believe the more importunately he asks the greater hope he hath of prevailing the more vehement he will be in begging It was Jacobs Faith made him so importunate in Prayer that he wrestled with God and would not let him go unless he Blessed him Gen. 32.26 for he had a promise of being blest and all Nations in him Gen. 28.13 14. it was the Faith of that Promise stir'd up this Fervency And Matth. 15. that great example of importunity in Prayer the Syrophenician Woman is no less an example of Faith verse 28. O Woman great is thy Faith So that we may conclude the religious of a People Pray best because both with true Faith and spiritual Fervency 3. They Pray to best purpose with most success If ever any Prayer be effectual it is the fervent Prayer of a righteous Man Jam. 5.16 which is the same with the Prayer of Faith verse 15. when God abhors the Prayers of others he hath respect to his when the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to him the Prayer of the upright is his delight Pet. 15.8 He fulfills the desires of those that fear him he hears their cry and saves them Psal 145.19 They Pray according to his Will and he hears them 1 John 5.14 They having most Interest in God as before can prevail most with him and get most of him The Favourites of a Prince will many times prevail with him when the Petitions of common Subjects and much more of rebels are rejected by him The prevalency of godly Mens Prayers is well known and hath been often experienced by their Enemies themselves Pharaoh himself believed it when he desired Moses Prayers Exod. 9.28 and Simon Magus when Peters Acts 8.24 such are conscious to themselves of their want of an Interest in God and their being obnoxious to him and that the truly godly are in favour with him and therefore when their hearts fail them and they have not the Face to look up to God they will beg the Prayers of those that have when they are in great distresses or dangers on sick Beds when Conscience teiseth them Death looks grimly on them Hell gapes for them and Heaven frowns upon them then they must have some good Men to Pray for them they think God is ready to hear such when he is angry with themselves Thus 1 Sam. 15.16 Saul would have Samuel come back and worship with him he thought God was angry with him and would not look to him but Samuel might be accepted It was a good Testimony given by a Queen to the efficacy of the Saints Prayers when she professed her self more afraid of one poor Minister in the Pulpit than of a numerous Army in the Field And a good Bishop once told a great King concerning a godly Gentleman that was under some disfavour for his plain speaking that he had not a better Subject in his Kingdom being a Man that could have what he would of God The Romans themselves took notice of the prevalency of the Prayers of the Christian Legion among them in that great deliverance obtained by them in the time of the Emperour Marcus It is usually a sign of Mercy to a Person or People when God opens and enlarges the hearts of his Servants in Prayer for them When God intends to do them good he puts it into the hearts of such to seek it for them When the time of the Jews return from their Captivity drew neer he set Daniel at work to Pray for it chap. 9.1 2 3. And it is as bad a sign when the hearts of the godly are shut up and straitned so that either they drop others out of their Prayers or cannot be earnest with God for them he doth as it were secretly forbid them to Pray for such he hinders them by withdrawing his Spirit from them The Mercies he gives out to others being frequently at the request of his Saints when he stops those requests it is a sign he hath no Mercy for those for whom they were to be made when a Petition is prevented it is a sign it should not have been granted When God doth not prepare his Servants hearts he doth not incline his own ear Psal 10.17 As on the other side when he intends to hear he stirs up Prayer even as Princes will sometimes give a private intimation to those for whom they design a Favour to Petition them for it To conclude this the summ of all is the Religious of a Nation are upon this account the Strength of it so that they Pray most and with best success for it 3. As they are a means many times to stop the current of wickedness which is ready to overflow a Land with Judgments and to bring swift destruction on it for they are thereby a means to prevent or lessen those Judgments It is the Sin of a People that lays them open to wrath and he that would keep off wrath must endeavour to keep out sin he that would hinder the effect must obviate the cause It is the Devils damnable policy to draw Men into Sin that he may expose them to punishment this he taught his Disciple Baalam who taught the Midianites to cast a stumbling-block before the Children of Israel to eat things sacrificed to Idols and commit fornication Rev. 2.14 he could not otherwise hurt that People than by setting God against them and that he could not do by any means but bringing them to sin against him None are greater Enemies to a People nor can go a readier way to ruin them of which more hereafter than they that draw them into Sin and thereby into Gods displeasure and on the other hand none are greater Friends to them than they that labour most to keep them from Sin for that is the surest way to keep them from
House of Jacob is a Fire and the House of Joseph a Flame and the House of Esau as Stubble Obad. 1.18 God takes notice of the least Injuries done to his Children by their Enemies nay of their very Omissions and Neglects Deut. 23.3 4. The Moabite and the Ammonite were not to enter into the Congregation of the Lord to the Tenth Generation because they met not the Children of Israel with Bread and with Water when they came out of Aegypt and what then will become of them that grudg Gods Children Bread that robs them of their Spiritual Bread and Water of Life would take from them the Allowance their Father hath given them and so would starve their very Souls 3. Whoever shew'd Kindness to the Godly in vain A Cup of Cold Water given to a Disciple in the name of a Disciple or because he belongs to Christ shall not wants its Reward Christ takes the least Respect shewn them as done to himself Visiting the Prisoners Clothing the Naked Releiving the Poor are acceptable Offices and usually followed with some Blessing even in this Life And I wonder wherein are they that this Day Persecute Gods Children the worse for them or for any Countenance they have shewn them Nor are they ever like to be if it be not their own fault by stirring up Gods Jealousie and pulling down his Vengeance upon their own Heads Were but Truth effectually beleived what an alteration would it make upon the Spirits of Men How would those that are at present so unkind to the truly Religious become their Friends and Favourers And the Governours of Judah would say in their Hearts the Inhabitants of Jerusalem shall be my Strength in the Lord of Hosts their God Zech. 12.5 Quest Whether it be expedient and how the Congregation may say Amen in publick Worship SERMON XXXI The Text is Neh. 8.6 And Ezra Blessed the Lord the great God and all the â—â—ople answered Amen Amen OMnipotent and Eternal goodness never wants Instruments to deliver his Church from slavery or reform it from degeneracy All the Empires and Emperors in the World have served the Kingdom of God and been as Scaffolds set up about the House of God to be taken down when that is built up and finished They have been as Gibeonites and Nethamins to the Temple of the Lord. The Assyrian was Gods Rod upon Israels Back Persian was here Gods Shepherd whose Spirit was stirred up to raise up the Jews Alexander was a Servant and the Romans have been but Gods slaves to do his Will against their own The State of the Church at this juncture was the end of a desolation or beginning of a reformation The Jews had weathered out Seventy Years in Captivity wherein multitudes of them were wore off a Remnant being left God raised up Cyrus and moved him to set them free from Babylon according to the Prophesie of Isa 45.1 Two Hundred and Ten Years before Many of the People through lazy worldliness or despondency chose rather still to lie among the Pots in Caldea than return to Jerusalem to build their City and Temple though Cyrus gave them not only liberty by Proclamations but Accommodations for the Work But God raised up the Spirit of Zerobabel Joshuah Nehemiah and Ezra to carry it on This Ezra was a great Man of God one of the great Synagogue a Prophet a Scribe a Priest Some will have it that as Jehoiakim cut and burnt the roll Jer. 36.23 So the Caldeans burned all the Books of the Law and so Ezra restored them as a Prophet by Revelation or his Memory but this is false for Daniel 9.2 understood by Books the expiration of the Seventy Years and Cyrus himself read the Prophesie of Isaiah for Ezra 1.2 he says the Lord charged him to build his House at Jerusalem But he was a Prophet as he was directed by Gods Spirit to compose this History of his and a perfect Scribe living to Malachi's time he wrote the complete Old Testament and made a perfect Copy But here he Officiates as a Priest the Son of Seraiah Ezra 7.1 from Phineas Eleazar and Aaron to serve the Lord. When they had neither Temple nor Tabernacle they set up the worship of the God of Heaven in theopen Heaven which was neither Typical nor Topical but Natural and Evangelical Worship Upon the First Day of the Seventh Month in a Pulpit in the Street the People meeting as one Man Ezra 3.1 he read the Law of God and that distinctly giving the Sence of it verse 8. from Morning to Noon and all the Congregation stood attentively and at Noon probably he Dismissed them with a Blessing according to Numb 6.23 Gods command Bâ—â—â—re at the opening the Book Praying to God and praising him for his good hand over them and his good word before them he Blessed the Lord ere he Blessed the People and Ezra Blessed c. In which words there is 1. The Priests or Ministers Office Blessing And 2. The Peoples Office and all the People answered Amen Amen 3. The great God in the midst of this great Congregation the Object of the Priests Office and the Peoples also whence this Doct. That it is a lawful and laudable Practice for People in the conclusion of publick Prayer or Praysing God to pronounce an Amen This will answer the Question which is whether it be expedient and how the Congregation may say Amen in publick Worship 1. I will explain what is meant by Amen 2. Shew what warrant there is for the Practice 3. Deduce some inference from all 1. Then there is Amen Substantive and that is God himself who is what he is Alpha and Omega Truth it self Isa 65.16 he that blesseth himself in the Earth shall bless himself in the God Amen or of Truth Jesus Christ is God and the Amen the faithful and true Witness Rev. 3.14 he is that God in whom we may bless our selves his Being is of himself as God and he gives being to his Word 2 Cor. 1.20 all the promises of God being in him yeâ— and Amen whether Hebrew or Greek Old Testament or New Promises in him they are compleated and by him they are fulfilled 2. There is Amen Affirmative a Phrase used in the beginning of any momentous Truth as an asseveration what is Amen Matth. 16.28 Luke 9.27 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or verily Our Saviour hath this Phrsae peculiar to himself Amen Amen to give confirmation to the Doctrine and to raise our Attention and Faith or to show that not only Truth is spoken but by him who is Truth it self 3. There is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Optative Amen which is as much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let it be so Blessed be God by us and Blessed be we of the Lord or as Jer. 28.6 It is expounded Amen the Lord do so the Lord perform the words which thou hast spoken This Amen was used to be set to when good was spoken as 1 Kings 1.36 when David
Heart such as that is such he is now if a mans chief work be about his heart to watch that to purifie that to suppress the corruptions of it to reduce it into order and keep it in ordâ—â— to bring it into an holy frame and maintain it in such a frame when he hath so much reason for it it cannot be the effect of Fancy or a meer pretence 4. Let Grace influence you in all you do even in your ordinary Civil actions do all graciously do your common work as your Duty labour in your Callings enjoy your Refreshments visit your Friends make use of your Recreations with a sense of Duty and an eye to God do all as commanded by him and with a respect to his Glory and your own Salvation in a word Interest God in all let all be done by his Grace as the ruling and directing Principle and when ye find it so powerful ye may well believe it to be real 5. Labour to out do all you ever did while in a state of Nature Think what have been the highest actions you have ever been put upon not only by Fancy or humour but by the best Reason you then had by natural Conscience or good Education or legal Convictions or any present impressions from things without and then make it your business to outdo them all labour so to act as nothing less than a settled principle of Holiness in your Hearts could ever make you act living in the Love of God delighting in his wayes rejoycing in Christ Jesus mortifying your beloved Lusts your most secret or most pleasant or most creditable or most profitable Corruptions renouncing all trust in your own Righteousness when yet you do your utmost to work Righteousness are such acts as nor meer nature nor any thing in Nature can reach unto and for any to say that Fancy can put a man upon so acting is it self the veriest Fancy 6. Keep an even Course of holy walking in the most different or contrary Conditions If you can hold on in Gods wayes when most disheartned in them Serve him never the worse for his Afflicting you walk holily when you have least of the Comfort of Holiness not only keep to God when the World is against you but you fear he is himself against you trust in him when you think he is slaying you follow him when he withdraws from you and on the other side not abuse his Goodness not grow wanton with his Smiles not presume upon his Encouragements if the taste of Gods graciousness k 1 Pet. 2.3 whet your desires after him his Comforts do not cloy you nor dull you nor make you grow more loose or slack in his wayes if when you rejoyce most in God ye rejoyce most in his work the Comfort of your Hearts purifies and spiritualizeth your Hearts so that the more ye enjoy of God the more ye do for him and so in a word all Gods dispensations help you forward in his wayes his Rods drive you on his Gifts draw you out and both further your Progress in Faith and Holiness neither his Consolations puff you up nor his Corrections cast you down so as to abate your Affections to him and care of pleasing him you can love the Lord and his Holiness and fear the Lord and his Goodness l Hos 3.5 love him when he Frowns and fear him when he Smiles this will certainly speak the reality of that holy Princiâ—â—â— which is in you nothing not real could ever have so real so great effects upon you 7. Be much in the exercise of those Graces which have least affinity with your Natures least footing in them and in mortifying those Corruptions which your Natures are most inclined to and that will evidence a real change in you and a real Principle Some Graces may be further off from your natural tempers than others be more in the exercise of them and some Corruptions may be more agreeable to them so in some Pride is in others Anger in others Fear be sure exercise your selves especially to beat them down go contrary to the stream and current of your own inclinations it must be something more than a Fancy that can either outdo the best of nature or mend its worst Mans Fancies usually have some foundation in their tempers and dispositions and therefore as their tempers are various so are their Fancies too some carry them one way some another but for the most part it is for the promoting or gratifying some natural inclination and then that which crosseth such inclinations most is most like to be something constant and fixed Fancy will hardly overcome Nature in a wrathful man and make him become meek and gentle nor make one that is dull and phlegmatick active and zealous nor a proud person humble nor a churl liberal though where Grace meets with a good disposition it makes the greater shew as suppose gracious Meekness in one who hath already a natural meekness yet the power of Grace is especially seen in its influence upon such inclinations in mens natures as are most contrary to it when it corrects them regulates them or makes men act most oppositely to them And that which thus rectifies the most crooked dispositions sweetens an harsh Nature moderates a furious one elevates a dull one whatever it be it is more than a Fancy 8. Labour to act to such an height of Holiness and walk so closely with God that ye may have some sensible Communion with him in Duties and Ordinances that you may see his Power and his Glory in his Sanctuary Psal 63.2 May tast his Graciousness 1 Pet. 2.3 David did tast sweetness in the Word Psal 19.10 and why may not you Why may not the spiritual senses of a Believer an enlightned Understanding and renewed Conscience take as real pleasure in spiritual Objects as his natural Senses may in natural ones God may beam in his Love into your Souls shed it abroad in your Hearts m Rom. 5.5 make you tast its Sweetness and feel its Power chearing up your Spirits and filling them with Joy unspeakable and glorious n 1 Pet. 1.8 the Father may come and the Son come and manifest themselves to you and take up their abode with you o Joh. 14.21 23. so that you may say in the joy of your Hearts This is the Lord and we have waited for him this is our God and he will save us p Isa And if you experience this in your selves in your conversing with God in his Ordinances find something you never found any where else and can scarce express or make others understand that have not felt the same like the white stone with the new Name which none knows but he that hath it Rev. 2.17 You will find Gods Consolations carry their own Evidence along with them and speak their own reality they have something Divine in them such a Stamp of God upon them that they will satisfie your Hearts
as to their being no delusions and then let Scoffers scoff on they shall never be able to laugh you out of those Comforts whereof you find such real effects in reviving your Hearts enlivening your Graces breaking the Snares of worldly Temptations abating the force of your Lusts and adorning even your outward Conversations I dare say they may as soon perswade you that Honey is not sweet when yet you tast it Snow not white when yet you see it is or not cold when you feel it so as perswade you either that these Comforts are not real or that holy Principle in you which is attended by them is but Fantastical To these Directions I shall add two general Rules by which you may best judge if you would pass a right Verdict on your selves as to your spiritual State 1. When you would judge of the reality of Grace in your Hearts Judge of your selves by what you are alone in the most secret Duties of Religion Closet-Prayer Meditation Self-Examination c. What men are when alone that usually they are for the main the Heart which may be awed or some way swayed when in Company with others is most apt to discover it self then if ever Grace be working at all it will be at such a time and if none appear then it is odds but there is none in the Heart As some Corruptions may be most apt to shew themselves such is the secret Atheism of mens Hearts and little sence of Gods Presence in secret when men are free from the restraint of Fear and Shame and such like motives which many times give check to and keep them under in the Company of others so likewise Grace may more readily act in secret where men may use such means and take such liberty for the awakening and exciting it as might not in the presence of others be so convenient and be rid withall of some Temptations which at least in some tempers may prove a hinderance to the more free actings of it If you would therefore take the just measure of your spiritual Stature and know what in you is real do it when alone when retired when your Hearts are most like to discover themselves fairly and have least Temptations to deceive you or impose upon you 2. Be curious and diligent in observing not only the inward workings of your Souls but the ordinary settled inclination and main bent of your Hearts observe them therefore as to what they are in the main and not only what they are by fits at some certain times or when it may be under Temptations The Heart of a carnal man may seem to be very good under a pang of Conscience or fit of Conviction or in relation to some more gross and scandalous sin which yet in the general is stark naught Ahab may humble himself and put on Sackcloth when under the apprehensions of threatned Judgments q 1 King 21.27 Pharaoh may cry God mercy when under his hand r Exod. 10.16 17. and Herod may do many things when convinced by John Baptists Ministry Å¿ Mark 6.20 and yet still they may continue the same they were And on the other side the Heart of a Saint may appear very wicked under a Temptation as David's did in the business of Vriah and of Numbring the People in both which Grace was for the present run down by a Lust and so many times Passion or carnal Fears or Distrust may lye uppermost in the Saints when yet there is Grace within and that which at present appears is not the ordinary settled frame of their Hearts and though whatever corruption at any time breaks out you may be sure it is within yet that may not make a discovery of the habitual temper and disposition of your Spirits nor argue that there is no Grace in you Judge therefore of your selves by your course and ordinary carriage and by that you may see what is most prevalent in you and if you find your Souls mainly looking to God and respecting his wayes and best pleased when ye keep closest to him you may be sure there is something more in you than a Fancy or humour you may in some particular go astray like lost Sheep and yet not forget Gods Commandments Psal 119. last 2. The Second part of the Case is How may we Evidence to others that serious Godliness in us is more than a Fancy In this there seems to be more difficulty than in the former we may more easily satisfie our selves concerning our inward workings and the temper of our own Minds than we can others we Judge of our selves by our inward actings and Principles of which by inspecting our own Hearts we have a more immediate knowledge and therefore are less liable to be deceived in our Judgment but when others have to do with us they can judge of what is in our Hearts only by our outward Carriage which is patent to them and so are liable to more Errors in their thoughts about us Here therefore if we cannot give so clear proofs and evident indications of a real Principle in us as may work a full Conviction of it in Gainsayers and Cavillers so as to force them to an acknowledgment of it it may be sufficient if we can go so far as to stop their mouths and put them to silence t 1 Pet. 2.15 that they may not be able reasonably to oppose what yet they are unwilling to grant and if it amount not to a demonstration which may over-power their Reason and compell it to yield us to be real in our Profession yet may as before was intimated lay an obligation upon their Charity to believe us to be so and in this we must especially have respect to that outward carriage of Professors which may make the best discovery of their inward frame and is most obvious to the sence and observation of those that are to be satisfied 1. In general Let men see that you live up to the Faith you profess that your Practice is agreable to your Principles and then they cannot deny the reality of your Faith when it is so powerful nor the reasonableness of your Practice when it is so answerable to it You profess before men to believe there is a God let them see that you walk as before him desire to approve your selves to him dare not sin against him you believe a Christ let your Conversations be an imitation of him Walk as he walked u 1 Joh. 2.6 You believe a future Judgment live as becomes those that would be able to stand in it and give an account of your selves to the Judge Let your carriage be such as not only your own Consciences but your Adversaries when they quarrel with you tell you it ought to be that is such as best suits your Faith and Hope even in their judgment as well as your own What is it makes the profane World question the reality of Godliness in Gods people but
aversation It intimidates the Child destroyes his mettle and courage for any honest or honourable undertaking smothers yea extinguishes all his fire and vivacity transforms him into a meer sot mope dullard block utterly unfit for use and service nay more it often throws him into the deepest gulph of grief and melancholy sickness death and then it may be when too late the unhappy Parent will see cause to relent and abhorr himself for his unjust severity 6. Parents remember they are Children and but Children Their age may be some Apology for them Their Heads are green yours are grey More years may teach them better manners They are your Children your own Flesh Blood Bowels 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Aristotle your Children If the stream be corrupt it derives it from your selves the Fountain Psal 51.5 The young Serpent came from the old Cockatrice 7. Since Severity will not do the feat see what sweetness mildness gentleness holy tenderness and indulgence will do Peragit tranquilla potestas quod violenta nequit The pillow may help to break the flint which the Hammer and Anvil cannot It prevail'd with flinty Saul 1 Sam. 24.16 The cordial may prevail where the corrosive cannot The sight of the pardon more commands the heart of the desperate Traytor than that of the Ax or Gibbet 8. To All these adde Scriptural admonition fervent Supplication Patient waiting on and humble Submission to the Will of God Mic. 7.7 8 9. Thus much concerning Sinful Severity we proceed to the Second and that is Sinful Indulgence Our Apostle knowing right well how apt Parents are to swerve from the golden mean of Parental discipline and whilst they Labour to avoid the Rock of Sinful Severity how prone they are to plunge themselves into the gulph of Sinful Indulgence doth in the same Text prescribe a Soveraign Antidote against that fatal pleurisie of fond Affection in these words but bring them up in the Nurture and Admonition of the Lord. Whilest the severe Parent is breathing a vein in his distemper'd Child he cautions him to take care he doth not pierce an Artery Fathers provoke not your Children to wrath But on the other Hand if the Child labours under an imposthume and needs the Lâ—ncet our Apostle doth here command the discreet use of it and â—â—ll by no means permit that the sinking Child should be sooth'd or stroakt and demulc'd into certain ruine Children must be nurtur'd thô they may not be provok'd Parents must not be cruel Ostrichès and leave and expose their young ones to harm and danger nor yet must they be such fond Apes who are said to hug their Cubs so closely as that they kill them with their embraces And that on this Account because 2. The wickedness of unconverted Children is too too often occasion'd yea and advanced by the sinful Indulgence of their godly Parents Sinful Severity with Saul hath slain it's thousands sinful Indulgence with David it 's ten thousands Poor cocker'd Children when 't is too late find the little Finger of a fond Mother to weigh far heavier and to sink the Soul far deeper than the weighty Loins of a severe Father and at a long run will find more of Sting in a Rod of Roses than in a scourge of Scorpions In the Stating of this case I shall proceed as before and shew you 1. What Sinful Indulgence is not And so 1. Natural ordinate moderate parental Love and such as is mixt with the most yerning bowels most deep and tender compassions is not sinful Indulgence Nay to be without these Natural Affections Rom. 1.31 is not only wretched Stoicisme but sinful cursed and more than brutish astorgy Even the Storks and Sea-monsters will teach us to love our Off-spring Love my Children I may and must 1. With all the sorts and kinds of Love of desire of Union and Communion with them of the sweet enjoyment of them of benevolence and good will willing ready and prepared to desire and wish them all good of beneficence and bounty Tit. 2.4 Gen. 21.19 1 King 3.25.26 1.7 10 18 19. 1 Tim. 5.8 actually endeavouring to do them all good possible both as to their Souls and Bodies All our Spiritual gifts must be for the profit of their Souls for their Direction Consolation Salvation and as for their Bodies their Backs must be our Wardrobes their Bellies our Barns and their Hands our Treasuries And with a Love of Complacency and delight Our Children may and ought to be the joy and rejoycing of our Hearts no greater joy than to see our Children like Olive-plants round about our Table specially if we see and find them walking in the Truth John 2. Ep. 4. John 3. Ep. 4. 2. With all the properties of parental Love viz. Sincere and unfained a Love not in word and tongue only but from the Heart in Deed and in Truth A forward chearful Love not drawn or driven but flowing as from a Fountain An expensive open-handed as well as open-hearted Love A fruitful Love producing not only fair Leaves Buds and blossoms of pleasing smiles and large promises but the mature fruits of beneficial performances An holy just fervent constant Love a most gentle dear tender compassionate Love whereby we are ready to Sympathize with them and forward to succour them in their misery to regard them when they neither regard us nor themselves To take in good part the desires of their Souls when they find not to perform To accept of a sigh in regard of a service a mite instead of a Talent a groan instead of a duty the very stammering of my Child above the eloquence of a Beggar Mal. 3.17 Looking on a returning Prodigal as a Son and pitying as a Father not punishing as a Judge Psal 103.13 14. Remembring their frame and knowing that both they and we are poor dust All this and much more is not sinful Indulgence To carry them in our Bosoms as Moses did the Israelites Num. 11.12 or so in our Hearts as to be willing to impart our very Souls unto them in and for God because they are dear unto us as Paul 1 Thes 2.7 8 11. To Bless them in Gods Name Faith Fear as Jacob did Gen. 49.28 To countenance and encourage them in and reward them for well doing 1 Pet. 2.14 Est 6.3 To Love those most that Love God most to give such Benjamins five messes a double treble Portion an Isaak's Inheritance this is not sinful Indulgence 2. What sinful Indulgence is It stands in the Excess and exuberancy of our Love and affections and in too much slacking and remitting the reins of Government When we do as it were abandon and give up our minds and studies to coax and please and gratifie the humours yea satisfie the Lusts of our foolish Children when we make their Wills our Laws our Rules when the doting Parent is led by the Heart shall I say or Nose by his audacious Child and must be at his
beck at his command When the Child may and must speak or do what he pleases and the Parent either may or dare not say What dost thou let him act what and when and how he pleases he must not be displeased disturbed contradicted in the least When the Child grown insolent and intolerable is too gently treated and born withall when a forced frown or a gentle soft whisper is lookt upon as a smart Rebuke and the lash of a Rod no less than the wound of a Sword When it may be we mildly snip the unthrifty Darling and at the same time that we pretend to chide do fondly adde fuel to his excess This O this is sinful Indulgence A sin of a crimson dye and dreadful consequence More particularly 1. When our extravagant Love prevails with us in too mild and gentle a manner to bear with our wicked Children in contemning of or Rebellion against Gods Laws or our own lawful commands and counsels Isa 3.5 1 Sam. 15.1 to 12. 1 Sam. 3.13 Math. 14.8 2. When our inordinate love to them causes us to counsel them to or encourage them in that which is evil This was a deep blot and indeed the only one I find in that godly Mothers Gen. 25.28 27.6 c. good Rebekah's Scutcheon Gen. 25.28 'T is said that Isaac loved Esau because he did eat of his Venison but Rebekah loved Jacob Isaac being old was too much held by the teeth and too fond of Esau for his Venisons sake but Rebekah her self was not a little in fault Her Jacob by his red Pottage had got the Birthright and now she is resolv'd that he should have the Blessing too On this account she furnishes him with a lye in his mouth and skins on his neck and hands and so in her great love exposes her drest Jacob instead of a Blessing to his Fathers Curse and his own Damnation 'T is true he narrowly escaped and ran away with the Blessing But both Mother and Son had both their Bellies full of the Sauce in which the Mothers Indulgence had sinfully soakt it 'T was this chiefly that made poor Jacob go halting to his Grave 3. When Parents will not endure to see that Natural Fierceness Pride Self-will Impatience that peeps out in their Children to be severely checkt and grubb'd up by the Roots When Children must not be nurtur'd in Truth Modesty Bashfulness Reverence Courtesie Obedience Diligence No no this is Harshness But even whilst little Children scarce out of the shell shall be taught and encouraged to brazen their Foreheads to throw off all humble Shamefacedness all Respect of Superiors to talk and strut and swagger Their Tongue is their own and who is Lord over them Oh intolerable tell it not in Gath publish it not in the Streets of Askelon 4. When we feed our Children with more dainty Fare trick them up with more gorgeous Apparel and even loosen and break the nerves of their Souls and Bodies with too soft and delicate an education no way sutable either to our own Estates or their Condition Which was the serious complaint of Quintilian of old and is the sin and shame of this present Age. This this is that sinful Indulgence here intended This is that that too often occasions yea inflames and heightens our Childrens daring Wickedness and prepares them makes them fit Vessels for Temporal and Eternal ruine Now concerning this I shall give you my thoughts under these two generals 1. I shall lay before you plain Instances of this sinful Indulgence in three Parents all of them Fathers for after a most exact search throughout the whole Scriptures I cannot find one no not one of all the godly Mothers in Israel guilty of or charged with this sin Rebekah only excepted two of these Fathers were beyond all contradiction truly yea eminently godly the third probably so by the tender respect he shew'd the Levite We begin with him 1. That the Indulgence of Parents is the bane of Children a Pandar of their wickedness the Asylum of their vanity How easily is the Thief induced to Steal when he knows his Receiver When the loosness of Youth knows where to find pity and toleration what mischief can it forbear See this in the Levites Concubine or Wife Judg 19.1 2. This Concubine plays the Whore against the Levite whom she own'd at least as an Husband Her guilt makes her fly but whither shall she cause her shame to go whither indeed but to her own dear Fathers House She that had deserv'd to be abhorr'd by her loving and faithful Husband doubts not to find shelter from her fond and indulgent Father his heart and house and bosom she knew would all be open to her Well home she speeds to her Father at Bethlehem Ephratah But doth her good old father receive her what doth he suffer his house to become a Brothel-house to be defiled with an Adulteress though she sprang out of his own Loyns Methinks I hear him in a just indignation thus accosting her Why How now Impudence what makest thou here dost thou think to find my house a shelter for thy sins the Stews are a fitter receptacle for thee Whilst thou wert a faithful Wife to thy Husband thou wert a beloved Daughter to me But now thou art nâ—ither Thou art not mine I gave thee to thine Husband Thou art not thy Husbands thou hast betray'd his Bed Thy filthiness hath made thee thine own and thine Adulterers go seek thine entertainment where thou hast lost thine honesty thy Lewdness hath brought a necessity of shame upon thy abettors How can I countenance thy person and abandon thy sin I had rather be a just man than a sinfully-kind Father Get thee home therefore to thy Husband crave his Forgiveness upon thy Knees redeem his Love with thy Modesty and Obedience When his Heart is once open to thee my doors shall not be shut in the mean time before thou art humbled both before God and man Know I can be no Father to an Harlot Thus methinks I should have heard him say but lo fond Father that he was he treats and caresses her at another rate and seems to bespeak her as Jael did Sisera Judg. 4.18 Turn in my dear Child turn in to me He brings her into his House covers her with a Mantle instead of Water gives her a Bottle of Milk yea he brings forth Butter in a Lordly dish treats her at the Kindest rate and that for four whole Months And now let the most indulgent Parent judge whether this was a just dealing with this Strumpet whose Crime God had long before Sentenced with Death Lev. 20.10 But yet remember that this Courting Jael prov'd a most fatal Executioner The vile Sisera bow'd and fell at her feet Judg. 4.21 5.25 26 27. For ought I know had her Father been more severe he might have prevented her farther defiling and Murder by the filthy Gibeathites Judg. 19.25 28. Indulgence is a Syren that