what shall we do No Stubborness of mans will can stand when God hath absolutely said the contrary shall-come can make them come as doves to their windows The Lord spake unto Manasseth and to his people by the Prophets but he would not hear no he would not but shall Manasseth come off thus no he shall not Therefore he being also one of those whom the Father had given to the Son and so falling within the bounds and reach of shall-come At last he comes indeed He comes Bowing and Bending He humbled himself greatly and made Supplication to the Lord and prayed unto him and he was intreated of him and had mercy upon him 2 Chro. 33. The Thief upon the Cross at first did rail with his fellow upon Jesus Christ but he was one that the Father had given to him and therefore shall-come must handle him and his rebellious will And behold so soon as he is dealt with all by vertue of that absolute promise how soon he buckleth leaves his railing falls to Supplicating of the Son of God for mercy Lord saith he remember me when thou comest into thy Kingdome Mat. 27. 44. Luk. 23. 40 41 42. Object 4. They shall come say you but how if they be blind and see not the way for same are kept off from Christ not only by the obstinacy of their will but by the blindness of their minde now if they be blind how shall they come Answ. The question is not Are they blind but are they with in the reach and power of shall come if so That Christ that said they shall-come will find them eyes or a guide or both to bring them to himself If they shall-come they shall-come no impediment shall hinder The Thessalonians darkness did not hinder them from being the Children of Light I am come said Christ that they that see not might see And if he saith See ye blind that have eyes who shall hinder it Ephes. 5. 8. Joh. 9. 39. Isa. 29. 18. Chap. 43. 8. This promise therefore is as I said abig-bellied promise having in the bowels of it all things that shall accur to the compleat fulfilling of it self They shall-come But 't is objected that they are blind well shall-come is still the same and continueth to say they shall-come to me Therefore he saith again I will bring the blind by a way that they know not I will lead them in paths that they have not known I will make darkness light before them and Crooked things straight these things will I do unto them and not forsake them Isa. 42. 16. Mark I will bring them though they be blind I will bring them by a way they know not I will I will and therefore they shall-come to me Object 5. But how if they have exceeded many in sin and so made themselves far more abominable They are the Ring-leading Sinners in the County the Town or Family Answ. What then Shall that hinder the execution of shall-come It is not Transgressions nor Sins nor all their Transgressions in all their sins if they by the Father are given to Christ to save them that shall hinder this promise that it should not be fulfilled upon them In those days and at that time saith the Lord the iniquities of Israel shall be fought for and there shall be none and the sins of Judah and they shall not be found Jer. 32. 30. Not that they had none for they abounded in Transgression 2 Chron. 33. 9. Ezek 16. â—8 but God would pardon cover hide and put them away by vertue of his absolute promise by which they are given to Christ to save them And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity whereby they have sinned against me and I will pardon all their iniquity whereby they have Transgressed against me And it shall be to me for a name of joy a praise and an honour before all the Nations of the Earth which shall hear of all the good that I do unto them and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and all the prosperity that I procure to it Jer. 33. 8 9. Object 6. But how if they have not Faith and Repentance how shall they come then Answ. Why he that saith they shall-come shall he not make it good If they shall-come they shall-come and he that hath said they shall-come if faith and repentance be the way to come as indeed they are then faith and repentance shall be given to them for shall-come must be fulfilled on them First Faith shall be given them I will also leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. There shall be a Root of Jesse and he shall rise to raign over the Gentiles and in him shall the Gentiles trust Zeph. 3. 12. Rom. 15. 12. Secondly They shall have repentance He is exalted to give repentance They shall come weeping and seeking the Lord their God And again with Weeping and Supplication will I lead them Acts 5. 30 31. Jer. 31. 9. Chap. 50. 5. I told you before that an absolute promise hath all conditional ones in the belly of it and also provision to answer all those qualifications that they propound to him that seeketh for their benefit And it must be so for if shall-come be an absolute promise as indeed it is then it must be fulfilled upon every of those concerned therein I say it must be fulfilled if God can by Grace his absolute Will fulfil it Besides since Coming and Believing is all one according to Joh. 6. 35. He that cometh to me shall never hunger and he that believeth in me shall never thirst Then when he saith they shall come 't is as much as to say they shall believe and consequently repent to the saving of the Soul So then the present want of faith and repentance cannot make this promise of God of none effect because that this promise hath in it to give what others call for and expect I will give them an heart I will give them my spirit I will give them repentance I will give them faith Mark these words If any man be in Christ he is a new Creature But how came he to be a new Creature since none can Create but God why God indeed doth make them new Creatures Behold saith he I make all things new And hence it follows even after he had said they are new Creatures And all things are of God that is all this new Creation standeth in the several operations and special workings of the Spirit of grace who is God 2 Cor. 5. 17 18. Object 7. But how shall they escape all those dangerous and damnable opinions that like rocks and quick sands are in the way in which they are going Answ. Indeed this age is an age of errors if ever there was an age of errors in the world but yet the gift of the Father laid claim to by the Son in the Text must needs
bin but Fools bables about instead of a sufficient salve to so weighty a Question as this was Wherefore since this poor wretch lacked Salvation by Christ I mean to be saved from Hell and Death which he knew now was due to him for the sins that he had committed Paul bids him like a poor condemned sinner as he was to proceed still in this his way of self-seeking saying Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shall be saved Acts 16. 30 31 32. I know that afterwards thou wilt desire to glorifie Christ by walking in the way of his precepts but at present thou wantest life the avenger of blood is behind thee and the devil like a Lyon is roaring against thee well come now and obtain life from these and when thou hast obtained some comfortable perswasion that thou art made partaker of life by Christ then and not tell then thou wilt say Bless the Lord O my Soul and all that is within me bless his holy name Bless the Lord O my Soul and forget not all his benefits Who forgiveth all thine iniquities and healeth all thy diseases who redeemeth thy life from distruction and Crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies Psal. 103. 1 2 3 4 5. Objection 3. But I cannot believe that I come to Christ aright because sometimes I am apt to question his very Being and Office to save Thus to do is horrible but may'st thou not Judge amiss in this matters How can I Judge amiss when I Judge as I feel Poor Soul thou maist Judge amiss for all that Why I think that these questionings come from my Heart Answ. Let me answer That which comes from thy heart comes from thy will and affections from thy understanding Judgement and Conscience For these must acquiess in thy questioning if thy questioning be with thy heart And how say'st thou for to name no more dost thou with thy Affection and Conscience thus question Answ. No my Conscience trembles when such thoughts come in to my mind and my affections are otherwise inclined Then I conclude that these things are either suddenly injected by the devil or else are the fruits of that body of sin and death that yet dwels in thee or perhaps from both together If they come wholly from the devil as they seem because thy Conscience and affections are against them or if they come from that body of death that is in thee and be not thou curious in enquiring from whether of them they come the safest way is to lay enough at thy own door nothing of this should hinder thy coming nor make thee conclude thou comest not aright And before I leave thee let me a little query with thee farther about this matter First Doest thou like these wicked blasphemies Answ. No no their presence and working kills me Secondly Doest thou mourn for them pray against them and hate thy self because of them Answ. Yes yes but that which afflicts me is I do not prevail against them Thirdly Dost thou sincerely chuse mightest thou have thy choice that thy heart might be affected and taken with the things that are best most heavenly and holy Answ. With all my heart and death the next hour if it were Gods will rather than thus to sin against him Well then thy not liking of them thy mourning for them thy praying against them and thy loathing of thy self because of them with thy sincere chusing of those thoughts for thy delectation that are heavenly and holy clearly declares that these things are not countenanced either with thy Will Affections Understanding Judgement or Conscience and so that thy heart is not in them but that rather they come immediatly from the devil or arise from the body of death that is in thy flesh of which thou oughtest thus to Say Now then it is no more I that doth it but sin that dwells in me Rom 7. 16 17. I will give thee a pertinent instance In Deut. 22. Thou mayest read of a betrothed damsel one betrothed to her beloved one that hath given him her heart and mouth as thou hast given thy self to Christ yet she was met with as she walked in the field by one that forced her because he was stronger than she Well what judgment now doth God the righteous judge pass upon the damsel for this The man only that lay with her saith God shall die but unto the damsel thou shalt do nothing there is in the damsel no sin worthy of death For as when a man riseth against his Neighbor and slayeth him even so is this matter he found her in the field and the betrothed damsel cryed and there was none to save her Deut. 22. 25 26 27. Thou art this damsel the man that forceth thee with these blasphemous thoughts is the devil and he lighteth upon thee in a fit place even in the field as thou art wandering after Jesus Christ but thou cryest out and by thy cry did'st shew that thou abhorrest such wicked leudness Well the Judge of all the earth will do right he will not lay the Sin at thy door but at his that offered the violence and for thy comfort take this into consideration also That he came to heal them that are oppressed with the devil Acts 10. 38. Objection 4. But saith another I am so heartless so slow and as I think so indifferent in my coming that to speak truth I know not whether my kind of coming ought to be called a coming to Christ. Answ. You know that I told you at first that coming to Christ is a moving of the heart and affections towards him But saith the Soul my dulness and indifferency in all holy Duties demonstrate my heartlesness in coming and to come and not with the heart signifies nothing at all Answ. The moving of the heart after Christ is not to be discerned at all times by thy sensible affectionate performing of duties but rather by those secret groanings and complaints which thy soul makes to God against that sloth that attends thee in Duties Secondly But grant it to be even as thou say'st it is that thou comest so slowly c. yet since Christ bids them come that comes not at all surely they may be accepted that come though attended with those infirmities which thou at present groanest under He saith And him that cometh he saith not if they come sensibly so fast But And him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out He saith also in the Eighth of the Proverbs As for him that wanteth understanding that is an heart for oft-times the understanding is taken for the heart Come eat of my bread and drink of the wine that I have Mingled Thirdly Thou may'st be vehement in thy spirit in coming to Jesus Christ and yet be plagued with sensible sloth So was the Church when she cryed Draw me we will run after thee And Paul when he said When I would do good evil is present with me Song 1.
4. Rom. 7. The works strugglings and oppositions of the Flesh are more manifest than are the works of the Spirit in our hearts and so are sooner felt than they What then let us not be discouraged at the sight and feeling of our own infirmities but run the faster to Jesus Christ for Salvation Fourthly Get thy heart warmed with the sweet promise of Christs acceptance of the coming sinner and that will make thee make more hast unto him Discouraging thoughts they are like unto cold weather they benumb the senses and make us go ungainly about our business but the sweet and warm gleads of the promise are like the comfortable beams of the Sun which liven and refresh You see how little the Bee and Flye do play in the Air in Winter why the cold hinders them from doing of it but when the Wind and Sun is warm who so busie as they Fifthly But again he that comes to Christ flyes for his life now there is no man that Flyes for his life that thinks he speeds fast enough on his Journey no could he he would willingly take a mile at a step Oh I come not fast enough say'st thou Oh my sloth and heartlesness say'st thou O that I had wings like a dove for then would I flee away and be at rest I would hasten mine escape from the windy storme and tempest Psal. 55. 6 8. Poor coming Soul thou art like the man that would ride full gallop whose horse will hardly trot now the desire of his minde is not to be judged of by the slow pace of the dull jade he rides on but by the hitching and kicking and Spurring as he sits on his back Thy flesh is like this dull Jade it will not Gallop after Christ. It will be backward though thy soul and heaven lies at stake but be of good comfort Christ judgeth not according to the fierceness of outward motion Mark 10. 17. but according to the sincerity of the heart and inward parts Joh. 1. 47. Psal. 51. 6. Mat. 26. 41. Sixthly Ziba in appearance came to David much faster than did Mephibosheth but yet his heart was not so upright in him to David as was his T is true Mephibosheth had a Check from David Why wentest thou not with me Mephibosheth said he but when David come to Remember that Mephibosheth was Lame for that was his plea Thy Servant is Lame 2 Sam. 19. he was content and concluded he would have come after him faster than he did And Mephibosheth appealed to David who was in those days as an Angel of God to know all things that are done in the earth if he did not believe that the reason of his backwardness lay in his Lameness not his mind Why poor coming sinner thou canst not come to Christ with that outward fierceness of Carrear as many others do but doth the reason of thy backwardness lie in thy mind and will or in the sluggishness of the flesh canst thou say sincerely The Spirit truly is willing but the flesh is weak Mat. 26. 41. yea canst thou appeal to the Lord Jesus who knoweth perfectly the very inmost thought of thy heart that this is true then take this for thy comfort he hath said I will assemble her that halteth I will make her that halteth a remnant and I will save her that halteth Mich. 4. 6 7. Zeph. 3. 19. what canst thou have more from the sweet lips of the Son of God But. Seventhly I read of some that are to follow Christ in Chains I say to come after him in Chaines Thus saith the Lord the labor of Egypt and the Merchandize of Ethiopia and the Sabeans men of stature shall come over unto thee and they shall be thine They shall come after thee in Chaines shall they come over and they shall fall down unto thee they shall make Supplication unto thee saying surely there is none else to save Isa. 45 14. Surely they that come after Christ in Chaines come to him in great difficulty because their steps by their chaines are straightened And what Chaines so heavy as those that discourage thee thy Chain which is made up of guilt and filth is heavy it is a wretched bond about thy neck by which thy strength doth fail Lam. 1. 14. chap. 3. 17. But come though thou comest in chaines 't is glory to Christ that a sinner come after him in Chaines The blind man though called surely could not come apace to Jesus Christ but Christ could stand still and stay for him True he rideth upon the Wings of the Wind But yet he is long Suffering and his long Suffering is Salvation to him that cometh to him Mark 10. 49. 2 Pet 3. 9. Eighthly Hadest thou seen those that came to the Lord Jesus in the days of his flesh how slowly how hobblingly they come to him by reason of their infirmities and also how friendly and kindly and graciously he received them and gave them the desire of their hearts thou wouldest not as thou dost make such Objections against thy self in thy coming to Jesus Christ. Objection 5. But sayes another I fear I come too late I doubt I have stayed too long I am afraid the Door is Shut Answ. Thou canst never come too late to Jesus Christ if Thou dost come This is manifest by two instances First By the Man that came to him at the Eleventh Hour This Man was Idle all the day long He had a whole Gospel day to come in and he play'd it all away save only the last hour thereof But at last at the Eleventh Hour he came and goes into the Vineyard to Work with the rest of the Labourers that had born the Burden and heat of the day Well but how was he received of the Lord of the Vineyard Why when pay day came he had even as much as the rest yea had his mony first True the others Murmured at him but what did the Lord Jesus Answer them Is thine Eye Evil because mine is Good I will give to this last even as unto thee Mat. 20. Secondly The other instance is The Thief upon the Cross He came late also even as at an Hour before his Death yea he stayed from Jesus Christ as long as he had liberty to be a Theif and longer too for could he have deluded the Judge and by lying words have escaped his Just Condemnation for ought I know he had not come as yet to his Saviour but being Convicted and Condemned to Die yea fastned to the Cross that he might Die like a Rogue as he was in his Life behold the Lord Jesus when this wicked one even now desireth Mercy at his Hands tells him and that without the least reflexion upon him for his former Mis-spent Life To Day thou shalt be with me in Paradice Luke 23. 43. Let no Man turn this Grace of God into Wantonness my design is now to encourage the coming Soul Object But is not the Door of Mercy Shut against
Christ and when he shall see him there is no Beauty that he should desire him But he lies This he speaks as having never seen him But they that stand in his House and looks upon him through the Glass of his Word by the Help of his Holy Spirit they will tell you other things But we say they all with open Face beholding as in a Glass the Glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image from Glory to Glory 2 Cor. 3. 17 18. They see Glory in his Person Glory in his Undertakings Glory in the Merit of his Blood and Glory in the Perfection of his Righteousness yea Heart-affecting Heart-changing Glory Indeed his Glory is veiled and cannot be seen but as discovered by the Father Matth. 11. 27. It is veiled with Flesh with Meanness of Descent from the Flesh and with that Ignomy and Shame that attended him in the Flesh but they that can in God's Light see through these things they shall see Glory in him yea such Glory as will draw and pull their Hearts unto him Moses was the Adopted Son of Pharoah's Daughter and for ought I know had bin King at last had he now conformed to the present Vanities that was there at Court but he could not he would not do it Why what was the matter Why he saw more in the worst of Christ bear with the Expression than he saw in the best of all the Treasures of the Land of Egypt He refused to be called the Son of Pharaoh's Daughter choosing rather to suffer Affliction with the People of God than to enjoy the Pleasures of Sin for a Season Esteeming the Reproach of Christ greater Riches than the Treasures in Egypt for he had respect to the Recompence of Reward He forsook Egypt not fearing the Wrath of the King But what emboldened him thus to do Why he endured for he had a Sight of the Person speaking in the Text He endured as seeing Him who is Invisible But I say would a Sight of Jesus have thus taken away Moses's Heart from a Crown and a Kingdom c. had he not by that Sight seen more in Him than was to be seen in them Heb. 11. 24 25 26. Therefore when he saith Shall come to Me he means They shall have a Discovery of the Glory of the Grace that is in Him and the Beauty and Glory of that is of such Vertue that it constraineth and forceth with a Blessed Violency the Hearts of those that are given to Him Moses of whom we spake before was no Child when he was thus taken with the Beauteous Glory of this Lord He was Forty Years old and so consequently was able being a Man of that Wisdom and Opportunity as he was to make the best Judgement of the Things and of the Goodness of them that was before him in the Land of Egypt But he even he it was that set that low Esteem upon the Glory of Egypt as to count it not worth the medling with when he had a Sight of this Lord Jesus Christ. This wicked World thinks that the Fancies of a Heaven and a Happiness hereafter may serve well enough to take the Heart of such as either have not the Worlds good Things to delight in or that are Fools and know not how to delight themselves therein But let them know again that we have had Men of all Ranks and Qualities that have been taken with the Glory of our Lord Jesus and have left All to follow Him As Abel Seth Enoch Noah Abraham Isaac Jacob Moses Samuel David Solomon and who not that had either Wit or Grace to savour Heavenly things Indeed none can stand off from Him nor any longer out against Him to whom he Reveals the Glory of his Grace And him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out By these Words our Lord Jesus doth set forth yet more amply the great Goodness of his Nature towards the Coming Sinner Before he said They Shall come and here he declareth That with Heart and Affections he will receive them But by the way let me speak one Word or two to the Conditionality of this Promise with which now I have to do And him that cometh to Me I will not cast out Where it is evident may some say That Christ's Receiving us to Mercy depends upon our Coming and so our Salvation by Christ is Conditional If we Come we shall be Received if not we shall not for that is fully intimated by the Words The Promise of Reception is only to him that Cometh And him that cometh I Answer That the Coming in these Words mentioned as a Condition of being Received to Life is that which is promised yea concluded to be effected in us by the Promise going before In those latter Words Coming to Christ is implicitly required of us and in the Words before that Grace is positively promised to us It is as if he should say All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Heaven and him that cometh to Heaven I will in no wise cast out thence We come to Christ because it is said We Shall come because it is given to us to Come So that the Condition which is expressed by Christ in these later Words is absolutely promised in the Words before And indeed the Coming here intended is nothing else but the Effect of Shall come to Me. And him that cometh To speak to these Words 1. In general 2. More particularly In general They suggest unto us these four Things First That Jesus Christ doth build upon it that since the Father gave his People to him they shall be enabled to Come unto him And him that cometh As who should say I know that since they are Given to Me they shall be enabled to Come unto Me. He saith not If they come or I Suppose they will Come but And him that cometh By these Words therefore he shews us that he addresseth himself to the Receiving of them whom the Father gave to him to save them By which as I said he concludeth or buildeth upon it that they shall indeed Come to Him Secondly Christ also suggesteth by these Words That he very well knoweth who are given to him not by their Coming to him but by their being Given to him All that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me And him that cometh c. This Him he knoweth to be one of them that the Father hath Given him and therefore he Receiveth him even because the Father hath Given him to Him I know my Sheep saith he Not only those that already have Knowledge of him but those too that yet are ignorant of him Other Sheep have I said he which are not of this Fold Not of the Jewish Church but those that lie in their Sins even the Rude and Barbarous Gentiles Therefore when Paul was afraid to stay at Corinth from a Supposition that some Mischief might befal him there Be not afraid said the Lord Jesus to him but speak
come For because he could swear by no Greater he swore by Himself That by Two Immutable Things in which it was impossible that God should Lie we might have a strong Consolation who have fled for Refuge to lay hold on the Hope set before us Heb. 6. 15 16 17 18. Sixthly Neither is it for want of great Examples of God's Mercy that have come to Jesus Christ of which we Read most plentifully in the Word Therefore it must be concluded It is for want of that which follows First It is for want of the Knowledge of Christ Thou knowest but little of the Grace and Kindness that is in the Heart of Christ Thou knowest but little of the Vertue and Merit of his Blood Thou knowest but little of the Willingness that is in his Heart to save thee And this is the reason of the Fear that ariseth in thy Heart and that causeth thee to doubt that Christ will not receive thee Unbelief is the Daughter of Ignorance Therefore Christ saith O Fools and slow of Heart to Believe Luk. 24. 25. Slowness of Heart to believe flows from thy Foolishness in the Things of Christ This is evident to all that are acquainted with themselves and that are seeking after Jesus Christ The more Ignorance the more Unbelief the more Knowledge of Christ the more Faith They that know thy Name will put their Trust in thee Psal. 9. 10. He therefore that began to come to Christ but the other day and hath yet but little Knowledge of him he fears that Christ will not receive him But he that hath been longer acquainted with him he is Strong and hath over-come the Wicked One 1 Joh. 2. VVhen Joseph's Brethren came into Egypt to buy Corn it is said Joseph knew his Brethren but his Brethren knew not him What follows Why great Mistrust of Heart about their speeding well specially if Joseph did but answer them Roughly calling them Spies and questioning their Truth and the like And observe it So long as their Ignorance about their Brother remained with them whatsoever Joseph did still they put the worst Sense upon it For instance Joseph upon a time bids the Steward of his House bring them Home to Dine with him to Dine even in Joseph's House And how is this resented by them Why they were afraid And the men were afraid because they were brought into their Brother Joseph's House And they said He seeketh occasion against us and will fall upon us and take us for Bond-men and our Asses Gen. 42. Chap. 43. What! Afraid to go to Joseph's House He was their Brother He intended to Feast them to Feast them and Feast with them Ah! but they were ignorant That he was their Brother And so long as their Ignorance lasted so long their Fear terrifyed them Just thus it is with the Sinner that but of late is coming to Jesus Christ He is ignorant of the Love and Pity that is in Christ to Coming-Sinners Therefore he doubts therefore he fears therefore his Heart mis-gives him Coming-Sinner Christ inviteth thee to Dine and Sup with him He inviteth thee to a Banquet of Wine yea to come into his Wine-Cellar and his Banner over thee shall be Love Revel 3. 20. Song 2. Chap. 5. But I doubt it sayes the Sinner But 't is answer'd He calls thee invites thee to his Banquet to his Flaggons Apples to his Wine and to the Juyce of his Pomgranate O I fear I doubt I mistrust I tremble in Expectation of the contrary Come out of the Man thou Dastardly Ignorance Be not afraid Sinner only Believe He that cometh to Christ he will in no wise cast out Let the Coming Sinner therefore seek after more of the good Knowledge of Jesus Christ Press after it Seek it as Silver and dig for it as for hid Knowledge This will embolden thee This will make thee wax Stronger and Stronger I know whom I have Believed I know him said Paul And what follows Why And I am perswaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him against that Day 2 Tim. What had Paul committed to Jesus Christ The Answer is He had committed to him his Soul But why did he Commit his Soul to him Why because he knew him He knew him to be Faithful to be Kind He knew he would not fail him nor forsake him And therefore he laid his Soul down at his Feet and committed it to him to keep against that Day But Secondly Thy Fears that Christ will not receive thee may be also a Consequent of thy earnest and strong Desires after thy Salvation by him For this I observe That strong Desires to have are attended with strong Fears of missing What a Man most sets his Heart upon and what his Desires are most after he oft-times most fears he shall not obtain So the Man the Ruler of the Synagogue had a great desire that his Daughter should live and that Desire was attended with Fear that she should not Wherefore Christ saith unto him Be not afraid Mark 5. 36. Suppose a Young Man should have his Heart much set upon a Virgin to have her to Wife If ever he Fears he shall not Obtain it is when he begins to love now thinks he some body will step in betwixt my Love and the Object of it either they will find Fault with my Person my Estate my Conditions or somthing Now thoughts begin to work she doth not like me or something And thus it is with the Soul at first Coming to Jesus Christ thou lovest him and thy love produceth Jealousy and that Jealousy oft-times beget Fears Now thou fearest the Sins of thy Youth the Sins of thine old Age the Sins of thy Calling the Sins of thy Christian Duties the Sins of thy Heart or somthing thou thinkest somthing or other will alienate the Heart and Affections of Jesus Christ from thee thou thinkest he sees somthing in thee for the sake of which he will refuse thy Soul But be content a little more Knowledge of him will make thee take better heart thy earnest desires shall not be attended with such burning Fears Thou shalt hereafter say This is mine Infirmity Psal. 77. Thou art Sick of Love a very sweet Disease and yet every Disease has some weakness attending of it yet I wish this Distemper if it be lawful to call it so was more Epidemical Dye of this Disease I would gladly do 't is better than Life it self though it be attended with Fears But thou cryest I cannot obtain Well be not too hasty in making Conclusions If Jesus Christ had not put his Finger in at the Hole of the Lock thy Bowels would not have been troubled for him Song 5. Mark how the Prophet hath it They shall walk after the Lord he shall Roar like a Lyon When he shall Roar the Children shall Tremble from the East They shall Tremble like a Bird out of Egypt and as a Dove out of the Land of Assyria
of Gods people I will say that Temptations come to do us good and I will say also that there is a difference betwixt growing worse and worse and thy seeing more clearly how bad thou art There is a man of an ill-favoured countenance who hath too high a conceit of his beauty and wanting the benefit of a glass he still stands in his own conceit at last a Limner is sent unto him who draweth his ill-favoured face to the life now looking thereon he begins to be convinc't that he is not half so handsome as he thought he was Coming sinner thy Temptations are these painters they have drawn out thy ill-favoured heart to the life and have set it before thine eyes and now thou seest how ill favoured thou art Hezekiah was a good man yet when he lay sick for ought I know he had some what too good an opinion of his heart and for ought I know also the Lord might upon his recovery leave him to a Temptation that he might better know All that was in his heart Compare Isa. 38. 1 2 3. with 2 Chron. 32. 31. Alas we are sinfull out of measure but see it not to the full untill an hour of Temptation comes But when it comes it doth as the Painter doth it draweth out our heart to the life Yet the sight of what we are should not keep us from coming to Jesus Christ. There are two ways by which God lets a man into a sight of the Naughtyness of his heart One is by the light of the Word and spirit of God and the other is by the Temptations of the Devil But by the first we see our naughtiness one way and by the second another By the Light of the Word and Spirit of God thou hast a sight of thy naughtyness as by the light of the Sun thou hast a sight of the spots and defilements that are in thy house or raiment Which light gives thee to see a necessity of cleansing but maketh not the blemishes to spread more abominably But when Satan comes when he tempts he puts life and rage into our sins and turnes them as it were into so many devils within us Now like prisoners they attempt to brake through the prison of our body they will attempt to get out at our eyes mouths ears any ways To the Scandal of the Gospel and Reproach of Religion to the darkning of our evidences and damning of our souls But I shall say as I said before this hath oft times been the Lot of Gods people And No Temptation hath over-taken thee but such as is common to man and God is faithfull who will not suffer thee to be tempted above what thou art able 1 Cor. 10. 13. See the Book of Job the Book of Psalms and that of the Lamentations And remember further that Christ himself was tempted to blaspheme to worship the devil and to Murder himself Mat 4. Luk. 4. Temptations worse then which thou canst hardly be over-taken with But he was sinless That is true And he is thy Saviour and that is as true Yea it is as true also that by his being tempted he became the Conqueror of the tempter and a succourer of those that are tempted Col. 2. 14 15. Heb. 2. 17. chap. 4. 15 16. Quest. But what should be the reason that some that are coming to Christ should be so Lamentably cast down and buffetted with Temptations Answ. It may be for several causes First Some that are coming to Christ cannot be perswaded untill the Temptation comes that they are so vile as the Scripture saith they are True they see so much of their wretchedness as to drive them to Christ but there is an over and above of wickedness which they see not Peter little thought that he had had Cursing and Swearing and Lying and an inclination in his heart to deny his Master before the Temptation came But when that indeed came upon him then he found it there to his sorrow Joh. 13. 36 37 38. Mark 14. 36 37 38 39 40 68 69 70 71 72. Secondly Some that are coming to Jesus Christ are too much affected with their own graces and too little taken with Christs person wherefore God to take them off from doteing upon their own Jewels and that they might look more to the person undertaking and merits of his Son plunges them into the ditch by Temptations And this I take to be the meaning of Job If I wash me said he with snow-water and make my self never so clean yet wilt thou plung me in the ditch and mine own clothes shall abhor me Job 9. 30 31. Job had been before a little too much Tampering with his own graces and setting his excellencies a little too high as these Texts make manifest Job 33. 8 9 10 11 12. chap. 34. 5 6 7 8 9. chap. 35. 2 3. chap. 38. 1 2. chap. 40. 1 2 3 4. chap. 42. 3 4 5 6. But by that the Temptation was ended you find him better taught Yea God doth oft-times even for this thing as it were take our graces from us and so leave us almost quite to our selves and to the tempter that we may learn not to love the Picture more than the person of his Son See how he dealt with them in the Sixteenth of Ezek and the Second of Hosea Thirdly Perhaps thou hast been given too much to Judge thy brother to condemn thy brother because a poor tempted man And God to bring down the pride of thy heart letteth the tempter loose upon thee that thou also mayest feel thy self weak For pride goeth before destruction and an haughty spirit before a fall Pro. 16. 18. Fourthly It may be thou hast dealt a little too roughly with those that God hath this way wounded not considering thy self lest thou also be tempted and therefore God hath suffered it to come unto thee Gal. 6. 1. Fifthly It may be thou wast given to slumber and sleep and therefore these Temptations were sent to awaken thee You know that Peters Temptation came upon him after his sleeping then instead of watching and praying then he denyed and denyed and denyed his Master Mat. 26. Sixthly It may be thou hast presumed too far and stood too much in thine own strength and therefore is a time of Temptation come upon thee This was also one cause why it came upon Peter Though all men forsake thee yet will not I. Ah! that 's the way to be tempted indeed Joh. 13. 36 37 38. Seventhly It may be God intends to make thee wise to speak a word in season to others that are afflicted and therefore he suffereth thee to be Tempted Christ was tempted that he might be able to succour them that are tempted Heb. 2. 18. Eighthly It may be Satan hath dared God to suffer him to tempt thee promising that if he will but let him do it thou wilt curse him to his face Thus he obtained leave against Job wherefore take heed tempted soul lest