Heb. 11. That is faith in Christ made him to chuse grace before the things of this world but it was not thus with the other he chose it not out of faith as Moses did that is he saw not Gods Commandments carnal men they do many things but they do them not to this end for then and not till then is a spiritual man strong when he will let life riches honor pleasure liberty and all go for Christ which he cannot do without faith The natural man will never do this this is the only property of faith which is a supernatural work in the soul and therefore the Holy Ghost saith they suffered with joy the spoiling of their goods that is they let them willingly go life and liberty and all shall go before Christ shall go A noble Romane may do some thing for his country and for himself but there is a by end in it that is he doth it not in a right manner to a right end but the spiritual strong man doth all things in a spiritual manner to a saving end the one doth it for vain glory but the other in uprightness of heart For in faith there is a double work First it empties a man that is as a man that hath his hands full cannot take another thing till he hath let his handful fall so when faith enters into the heart of a man it empties the heart of self-love self-will that is it purgeth out the rubbish that is naturally in every mans heart and lets all go to get hold on Christ all shall go then life and honour profit and pleasure and he is the truely spiritual man that can thus lose the world to cleave to Christ and miserable are they that cannot and by emptying himself of himself he is filled with the power of Christ. Secondly As it empties the heart of that which may keep Christ out of the soul so in the second place he seekes all things in God and from God that is he first seekes Gods Love and Gods blessing upon what he doth enjoy and then he goes unto secondary means and useth them as helpes but a man that wanteth faith he will not let all go for Christ he will not seek first unto God in any thing but unto secondary means and then if he fails that is if he want power to supply then it may be he will seek unto God and hence it is that he will not lose his life or liberty or honour for Christ because he sees more power and good in the creature then in God Again this makes the difference between the Christian and Christian namely Faith and hence it is that some are weak and others are strong hence it is that some are more able then others for the greatest duties of Religion as for example Caleb and Ioshua can do more then the rest of the people and what is the reason but because they were stronger in the faith then others And so Paul said of himself that he could do more then they all because Paul had a stronger faith for the truth of a mans strength is known by his strength of faith that he hath it discovers whether he be naturally strong or spiritually strong for this is the first work of the spirit after Humiliation in the conversion of a sinner namely to work faith in him and no sooner faith but assoon strength and the promise followes faith He that believeth and is baptixed shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned Mar. 15. 15. And this is the course that we take first we preach the Law unto you and we do it to this end to humble you and to break the hard disposition of your hearts that so they may be fit to receive Christ And when we have thereby humbled you then we Preach unto you the Gospel beseeching and exhorting you to believe in Christ for the pardon of sins past present and to come and to lay down the arms of Rebellion which you have taken up against Christ and you shall be saved And yet notwithstanding how few are either humbled by the one or perswaded and provoked by the other but are as the Prophet saith having eyes and see not ears but they hear not that is seeing they do not see and hearing they do not hear as for example when a man is shewed a thing but yet he mindes it not that is the eye of the mind is upon another object that man may be said to see and not to see because he doth not regard it or a man that hath a matter pleaded before him hears it but his mind being otherwise imployed he regards it not in that respect he may be said to hear and not to hear because he mindes it not And what is the Reason that we Preach the Law and the judgements of God so much unto you and what is the Reason that we beseech and intreat you so often to come in and receive Christ and you shall be saved time after time and day by day and yet we see how little efficacie the word hath what is the reason that the word wants this effect in you as not to humble you what is the reason that you are not more affrighted with the judgements of God then you are what is the reason that you remain as ignorant and careless as ever you were but because you do not believe that is you want a true saving and applying faith for if you had the word would work other effects in you then it doth as for example if one should tell a man that such a benefit or Legacie is befaâ—n him that would raise him to great honour though before he lived but in a mean condition if this man did but believe it surely he would be affected with it and rejoyce So truly if you did but believe that Christs Grace and Salvation were so excellent and that Holiness and the strengthening of the Inward man would bring you to so happy a condition and estate as to be the heirs of Heaven you would rejoyce in Christ and grace onely Again if you did but believe that the word of God is true and that God is a just God I say if the drunkard did but believe that the drunkard shall be damned or if the Adulterer did believe that no Adulterer should inherit the Kingdom of God and of Christ or if the prophane person and the Gamester did but know that they must give an accompt for all their mispent time and idle words and vain communication they would not sport themselves in their sins as they do Again if we did but believe that God calleth whom and when he pleaseth and that many are called but few are chosen that is if a man consider that though here be a Church full of people yet it may be but a few of them shall be saved I say if a man did but believe this surely they would not defer their repentance That
purse he cannot abide to let it be tryed but if it be sound and good he is not affraid to bring it to the touchstone God in this case will take nothing for currant but what hath his own stamp upon it The word of God hath that in it that will try us let us therefore every one deal sincerely with our own hearts as in the sight and presence of Almighty God that so we may know whether we have this blessed Grace of Faith or no. But before we come to this let us consider these grounds First That all that live under the Gospel have if not though it be called the word of Faith and be the very meanes to beget Faith For this look 2 Thess. 3. 2. where it is given as a reason why those that truly receive the Gospel are so reproached and hardly dealt withall by the world even because all men have not Faith for if all had Faith then could all be of the same minde and Holinesse Righteousnesse and Love would be their delight Secondly That this triumphing Faith which upholds a man and opens his mouth to speak upon grounds of Faith is so far from being a common giâ—t to all that but few indeed have it It is a special and peculiar grace that makes a man triumph over condemnation That this was hard to be found the Prophet complains in his dayes Isa. 53. 1. Lord Who hath believed our report And that not among the heathen onely but even among the people of God The like complaint Christ takes up in the very words of the Prophet Iohn 12. 38. Rom. 10. 16. He admires at the paucity of true believers So now the sound of the Gospel hath come to all of us but who shewes this faith of Gods elect in them This also we may see in the parrable of the sower wherein is set forth the estate of the visible Church Where there is but one sort of the four kinds of hearers that bring forth this fruit Three sorts come to hear some but for fashion sake or compelled thereunto some to get knowledge onely some to carpe scoff or catch somewhat to run to rulers with or to judge that which shall judge them one day This triumphing faith it ariseth from an Immortal seed of Gods word alone Thirdly That though there be but few that have this faith yet not the poorest and meanest of Gods children if they have any true hope of Gods mercy but in his time shall come to it Act. 13. 48. As many as were ordained to eternal life believed whosoever is Gods childe shall have this faith and therefore Titus 1. 1. it is set out to be a pecular grace and gift of God that onely belongeth to the elect Gal. 3. 6. all are said by faith in Christ to be Gods sons Iohn 10. our Saviour shewes as none will so none can believe but such as are Gods sheep that is his elect even those that are chosen in Christ to eternal life The fourth thing we are to consider as a matter to bee believed is That those that have this faith that will save their souls they may know they have it Which is against Bellarmines reasons of diffidence and doubting First They may know it to themselves for their comfort and next they may make it known to others by the fruits thereof 1 Cor 2. 12. That we may know saith the Apostle the things which are given us of God in Christ which is spoken in common to all that truly believe and not onely to any special person the true beleever hath such a light going along with his faith that he comes to know though not perfectly yet truly and infallibly that God hath chosen Adopted and sanctified him c. He takes hold of the promise of Salvation upon Gods commandment Faith is that which receiveth the word and promise and cherisheth himself in a special manner in the Word and Sacrament The Devils works are in darknesse God gives his in light and therefore his children are called Saints in light Col. 1. 12. and Iohn 15. 10. He that believes in the Son of God hath the witnesse in himself So that thou needest not have others tell thee that thou dost believe for if thou hast faith indeed t is not so hid and buried in thy heart but that thou mayest know it Secondly Others also may know it as it manifests it self in the fruits Rom. 1. 8. Their faith was spoken of far and near which was known by their wonderful change they were become new creatures such as were now of a holy life and conversation for which Paul thanks God and desires to be with them to be comforted with their faith and his own Nâ—xt to this considâ—r that this triumphing faith wheresoever it is kindled it will endure the tryal even the fire of Gods spirit it will endure also the fiery tryal of affliction 1 Cor 3. 13. It is not a chaffie or counterfeit faith that all the troubles or temptations can blow away But being begotten by the word it pacifies the conscience and stablishes the heart in the bloud of Christ And purges the heart to make it fit for the Holy Ghost to dwell in also it works by love and makes a man not churlish and froward but loving and that even to his very enemies for Christ sake thy heart will tell thee thus much and make thee say I thank God I have this faith in me Lastly seeing it is thus namely that it is the duty of all every one that lives under the Gospel to prove his heart and search it to the bottom 2 Cor. 13. 5. Examine your selves whether you be in the faith this shewes that it is not a thing to be taken as granted that we have this faith except we find that we have it indeed but to search and try our selves for it Because else we are in a great danger even in the state of reprobates Therefore examine thy self and if thou hast it bless God that ever thou wert born to be brought to such a blessed state wherein thou mayst thus triumph Now for the notes whereby thou mayest try thy self they may be these The first is taken out of Rom. 8. 15. yea have not received the spirit of bondage to fear again but the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abbâ—… Father Thou hast found thy self before to have bin in an estate of bondage as those believing Romans there who were accepted in an estate of fear and bondage under the curse of the Law and condemnation even in despair of themselves the spirit of Bondage for that time shews us the law that condemns us and makes it to triumph over a man so long as it lasts try therefore if thou hast felt thy conscience set on thee and found thy self to be condemned for thy sins Thus all Gods children truly converted indeed have felt though some more some less and lyen under it some a longer
Rom. 6. 1. the Apostle abhors even so much as to think of his former conversation to live in the corruption of it They that have this faith indeed there is an uproar as it were in their hearts against sin and when they are overtaken and stumble 2 Cor. 7. oh how careful are they to repent and pray to God to be washed from their sins And all this may serve to shew what kind of persons they be even the most fearful to sin and careful to please God of all others Paul after he was converted would rather never eat then he would justly offend his Brother and all because God had given him this triumphing faith This care and fear should be in all of us for he that is bold in sin say what he will he finds not this faith nor can triumph in it Sixthly It a man have this then is he the most forward unto and fruitfulness and abounding in good works above all others in the world for this faith it transplants and sets us being by nature wilde olives into Christ the true Vine who is no barren root but fruitful 2 Cor. 9. this we may see in the believing Corinthians charity he speaks of there and in the woman that cast all that she had into the Treasury and in Zacheus that gave half his goods to the poor faith opened his heart that before was nigardly and so Iohn 12. how did Mary pour out the ointment and that good woman Act. 9. 36. so full of chastity so also Acts 2. 4. they were now content all should be for Christ. Now these examples with many more are all set down for our learning and imitation if we will find indeed such a faith as will save our souls another day Seventhly he that hath this insulting faith he doth already conquer his enemies he finds the power of it dayly in giving him victory in some kind over his in-dwelling sin and strengthening him against the world and temptations leading him to sin though he find them not fully conquered yet is not his heart so fully and altogether taken up but that he hath some freedom in the midst of all the affairs and businesses of this world to set some time apart for Divine exercises to honour God he is not a slave to the world 1 Iohn 1. 5. this faith lifts him so up as he is above the dominion of the world though he may be often foiled yet gets he up again and gets ground of lusts daily and is not as many that are led away and made slaves to their pleasures profits c. This faith gets victory over the immoderateness of recreations and delights in some sort Lastly This faith 't is no phantasie of a mans brain but that which Gods Word is the ground of and therefore he that hath it it makes him receive the Ministers testimony to Gods Word which is true Now this faith it carries life in it whereby a man may know he hath it the Scripture is manifest for this Gal. 2. 20. The life that I live is by faith in the Son of God Hab. 2. 4. The just shall live by his faith and that righteousness which brings into Gods presence and favour it hath a light within which consists 1. In that if thou hast this triumphing faith then thou hast a sweet apprehension of Gods favour by an inward feeling of a reconciliation with an angry God whom thou hast so offended 2. In some peace of Conscience 3. Unspeakable joy in the Holy Ghost even when the world sets against thee and sorrows oppress thee 4 In a change a new creature the Dâ—vils image defaced and the Image of God that was lost restored 5. It shews it self also in warranting thy actions and letting thee see that the thing thou dost in regard of the substance is good also it covers the defects of thy actions in Christ and tells thee that God accepts of thy poâ—r endeavours in him and hereupon it is that Gods children when they find God reconciled to them and themselves once brought into his favour are so stirred up to good works and prayer also in afflictions that it is which keeps the heart close to God in his promises neither tying God to time means nor manner but waiting patiently for deliverance This faith also it hath his sence an eye an ear a hand c. likewise its voice both inward and outward when God sayes believe it makes a man find a spirit within sayâ—ng Lord I believe indeed it makes him also outwardly with the Publican confess his sin and wretchedness as also how doth a true believer pray he not onely speaks but even speaks because he doth believe Now of the lets to this faith there are a world of hindrances the Devil blows into the brains of men by ordinary conceits arising in their imaginations to hinder and keep them from such a faith as may assure their hearts that there is no condemnation belonging to them and so go on cheerfully about their business having all their wants supplied And there is indeed no Christian that is in Christ that can possibly be clean without them onely the difference is some have more some less but let us all well weigh them and they will appear all but conceits and to have no reality and truth in them 1. Now the first of these is That it is presumption which is a conceit the Papists take up and is in us all so far as we are naturally Popish we think this faith is but a presumption yet this is but a meer conceit for if we have faith it assures us through Christ that nothing can destroy us All presumption is either upon a mans own merit or Gods mercies as Divines acknowledge Now that faith doth neither of these it is plain for he first that knows Christ according to his Word layes hold on Christs merits and Gods mercy in him and so applies and rests thereupon before God labouring to bring forth fruit and so is assured of Gods love And this is no presum tion for he relies not upon his own merits but Christs 2. This faith builds not on Gods mercy at large but on his mercy in Christ he believes on him that hath satisfied Gods justice and therefore knows that God cannot but must needs shew mercy If this were presumption who would seek after it to lose his labour but this the Lord commands and therefore it is no presumption but obedience and duty to do it Nay if thou shouldst not seek after this faith and assurance it were a neglect and contempt of the Commandement of God A second impediment that keeps men from seeking this faith is a conceit that it is impossible ever to get it and this sticks too much in our unbelieving hearts and is strongly rooted in our ignorant Protestants that give themselves to other Books but not to the careful and conscionable reading of Gods Book
where there is nothing so beaten upon both in Old and New Testament as that we should trust in God and not upon our selves and that this which belongs to every child of God that shall be saved is no conceit of impossibility but this faith belongs to every child of God therefore not impossible to be attained and this is plainly proved Gal. 3. 26. where it is said Ye are all the Sons of God by faith there is none the Son of God but by believing in the Son of God and Act. 13. 40. So many as were ordained to eternal life believed which shews that all such shall have this faith that is a true and a saving faith not the counterfeit faith of the world for it is a gift common to all Gods children without which a man cannot be a Son of God A third hindrance is a conceit that it is very hard and difficult though not impossible a man may labour will some say seven years and never attain thereunto But admit it be hard as it is indeed so to flesh and blood to which every good course is irksom yet consider that the first point in Christianity is to deny our selves and to go to Christ alwayes knowing that whatsover the first Adam lost the second Adam Christ Jesus hath it for thee Nâ—w Christ he hath bidden thee to take upon thee his yoâ—k and that is part of it even this conquering and triumphing faith and whatsoever belongs to Christs yoak it is easie Iohn 14 1. Ye believe in God believe also in me saith Christ where he commands thee to believe and Mat. 11. 28. Christ calls thee to come to him if thou be heavy laden and weary of thy sins Why shouldst thou then fear any thing when he can make all things easie to thee Go therefore to God in Christs Name he hath promised to give thee above all thou canst ask or think This conceit of difficulty in obtaining such a faith it belongs onely to sluggish and slothsul Christians who yet notwithstanding for the things of this world will sit up all night and ride and run through thick and thin Be not thou less careful and diligent for thy soul this faith this excellent thing will quit all thy pains if thou dealest not in thine own wisdom and strength but goest out of thy self and seekest it of Christ which if thou doest then shalt thou find it no hard thing but easie because God will give it thee in the use of the means if thou be constant therein Let not therefore this misconceit by any means hinder thee A fourth let or hindrance is a conceit that it is either needless or at least not of such absolute necessity but that a man may do well enough though he come not to such assurance and confidence in his faith as to insult and triumph therein And this is a conceit that hinders those that are more forward in profession then others and in the performing of some duties more careful yet go not home to God so throughly as they should but keep their souls aloof as it were from God but without this faith it is impossible for them to know whether they be elect or reprobates hypocrites or the true children of God indeed and therefore let such know it is of absolute necessity 2 Cor. 13. 5. Know ye not that they are in the faith saith the Apostle except ye be as reprobates Let not therefore any such conceit still possess thee but seeing this saith is of absolute necessity as the truth of Gods Word shews pluck up thy heart and go to God for it A fifth impediment is a conceit that this is the onely way to open a gap to all licentiousness but who are they that say thus surely none but Athiests that fear neither God nor man or else Papists that are blinded themselves and would blind others Oh that such learned men as many of them be should be so grossly ignorant of Gods truth Indeed they that have not this faith may open a gap to all licentiousness but no true believer that hath found this conquering and insulting faith for he is the most fearful man of all other to commit sin and before this a man never makes conscience of sin Act. 15. 9. and Act. 26. 15. when this once comes it opens his eyes and makes him pry into his own heart to see what a dunghil it is and so makes him labour to cast out all his filthy affections and sinful lusts and to endeavour after holiness and righteousness so far is this from making a man licentious for it is the very roâ—t from whence all holiness of heart and life flows and therefore let no man suffer this conceit to hinder him from seeking this faith We shall be kept to the possession of that salvation we once believed and hoped for if we could quite lose it again then must there be something stronger then the power of God but we know that cannot be for God onely hath power to consume all things from the earth in a moment with the breath of his nostrils and therefore there is nothing above his power O then in how blessed an estate are they above all the world whom the Lord hath pleased to set in such an estate as once to be assured of this faith and walk in it Beware therefore of conceits a conceit had almost made the Iaylor to kill himself Acts 16. 27. 2 Kings 7. 19 20. a conceit hindered the Prince go thou therefore by sound judgement from the Word of God false suppositions and conceits make men so differ as they do All conceits at last will fall on thy head and thou with thy false conceits as chaâ—t be blown away labour thou therefore for truth and right in all things that will be a Buckler which will defend thy head but make account the Devil will hinder thee herein what he can for he knows well enough if thou once get this thou wilt soon be gone out of his Kingdom Now come we to consider the means which God hath appointed to work this faith and encrease it in our selves which be indeed abundant but the main means of all is the lifting up the standard The preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ And therefore we are diligently to attend at wisdoms posts to hear Gods word Rom. 10. 14. It is that which opens the heart and so lets in Christ who by his spirit doth inable us from an inward light and power to say Lord I believe and therefore am assured of my salvation This faith leaves not a man with his sins about him to go on in the course of this world still doubting for he can tell how he came by his faith and it is not a common but a true substantial faith that will never fail when hee comes to stand most in need of it and is no conceit or bare imagination gotten by contemplation but a settled perswasion arising from Gods
should be the deeper yet know this till thou art in Christ all is abominable before God and but lâ—st labour Phil. 3. 5 6. Paul he had a zeal enough in him before he came to believe in Christ and not only a good meaning but thought he did more and better then others and for his righteousness towards man he was unrebukeable none could come neer him but after he came to see it was a hindrance for that it was without Christ and so made him to run so far out of the way and therefore we must cast off all our own righteousness before we can be in Christ. This Paul saw and that made him come to Christ and say that he counted all loss yea but dung that he might win Christ and be found clothed in that righteousness which is by faith in him which before he could not attain unto notwithstanding he might have stood upon his priviledges and have boasted of the excellent things he had done yet was he fain to cast away all his confidence in the flesh that is his prerogatives righteousness and zeal c. and so must we cast away all our own righteousness and goodness and fetch all from God and serve God according to his wil and not after ourown phantasies or the prescripts of man dealing also truly with every one we have to do withall 'T is not our own righteousness but the relying on it that hinders and keeps a man from faith without which all is but abominable even our eating drinking and whatsoever we do is odious before God untill we come to get this true faith to triumph over condemnation A man when he is naked in in himself is then the fitter to be cloathed with Christs robe every thing is then sweet to him and so he comes to desire and say Come Lord Iesus A fourth means is a poor spirit and beggarly that is such a one as hath neither comfort within nor without when nothing will now so comfort him as the thinking of his present estate will humble him And this will make a man poor indeed though he be never so rich and bring him with David to say I am poor and needy Lord help me Psal. 70. 5. This will let him see that he is a poor Lazer begging at the gates of God who is rich in mercy And it is a further degree to bring him to Christ and make Christ to enrich him That which hinders many from coming to Christ is that they are full enough these whatsoever they say in words they indeed cast off Christs righteousness because their spirits are not cast down to beg at Gods hand if they have children honour wealth and professions tell them of condemnation they are proud and think themselves well enough they will tell you that they hope to be saved as well as the best But let such know all fulness dwells in Christ none at all in us in the matter of salvation Get Christ first to raign in thee that thou mayest after come to raign with him in glory A fifth means is the fair free large and great offer of Grace made in the Gospel where are they now that say they would and so would indeed believe Iohn 3. 16. God so loved the world c. Here is a means to bring thee to believe indeed A strange thing that the Judge and partie offended should thus offer to every soul to whom the Gospel comes his Son that God himself should offer a pardon who would not strive with himself and sigh and groan yea even burst his heart in pieces to believe This is one of the specialest means of all to bring a man to believe that God himself the party offended should come and say here is my Son take him unto thee Labour therefore to get him lay fast hold on him and he will bless and comfort thee for ever If thou doest open thy heart and let him in he offers his son to thee to believe in And why Is it because thou art such a beautiful and great person c. No it comes from the love of his own heart and therefore it is free As thy righteousness cannot further it so thy sins cannot hinder it if thou lay but hold on it The offer is not onely to noble rich young c. But to all whosoever believes though never so mean poor old may take him go away with him and live with him for ever Many think they should have something of their own No God looks at his own love and so do thou that his love mercy grace may be magnified in thee Let us therefore stir up our sevâ—s and look and seek to God He will give his spirit to all his at one time or another A sixth means is to know that there is not onely a free offer but also a commandment to enjoyn us not to refuse and neglect Gods offer that is the greatest blessing that can be to have him come unto thee to raign over thee and subdue thy sin It is the spirit of God that would draw thy heart to believe open therefore and receive it Consider for this 1 Ioh. 3. 23. This is his commandment that we should believe on the Name of his Son Iesus Christ And search thy heart to try if thou hast gotten such a faith God commands thee to believe and therefore it is not indifferent whether thou hast it or no or to think onely that thou hast it And this is a further means and that which leaves us without all excuse if we obey not A man oft times will do a thing upon command that else he would not do A Seventh means is to remember the fearful threatnings Ioh 3. 18. He that believeth not is condemned because he hath not believed in the Name of the onely begotten Son of God God sees all is little enough we have such carnal hearts consider that well and it will awaken thee out of thy security and make thee see thou canst not tell what to do if thou dost not get this faith which except thou dost seek to God for and get even this that here hath been said shall stand up in Judgement against thee another day Now to encourage thee hereunto know this that God hath promised that though thou canst not do it yet if thou seek to him he will help thee Go to God therefore upon his promise if thou wouldest not have thy portion with the condemned Devils He that will not believe hath nothing to uphold him against the guilt of conscience then the which there needs no more He that hath the wrath of an infinite God to wrestle withall cannot but be condemned The care of this therefore ought to be above all other care for wife children or any thing else in the world whatsoever But you are very strict and hard may some possibly say If thou think strange of this think strange of God for here is nothing spoken but from
believe how doth he rejoyce on the contrary if we tell one of an evil about to happen to him as if a Physician should tell a man he should die presently if he should believe it it would make him sad if one told another of a good course of life if he did believe it to be so he would take it so if there be any promise in the word if it were believed it would make a man to rejoyce if we did believe any threatnings we would fear them more then any cross if we did believe any direction we would follow it faith is the pen that writes the word in the heart to wit in the will which hath an influence in the whole man therefore God mâ—kes his convenant that he will write his word in their hearts Fifthly It must be received with an honest heart Luke 8. 15. it is required and it is the quality of the fruitful ground to receive the seed of the word into an honest heart that is when a man comes with resolution to do whatsoever he sees to be Gods will And it stands in two things First To be easy to be convinced of a truth to be hard to be convinced of an untruth is a sign of an honest heart Ier. 4. 3. 2 These that Ieremy told they should not go into Egypt would not believe but said he spake falsely and the reason was because they were unwilling to staâ— in Iudea whence it is plain that if the will be bent to do a thing the understanding will hardly hold the contrary Let reasons be brought out of the Scriptures to prove usury unlawful and to prove that sabboths must be kept holy if men will not be kept in or will not be so straight laced they will not be convinced the spirit must convince them Otherwise for the Minister to speak without the spirit is as it were to bring a letter 〈◊〉 written without a candle to read being dark For the Minister may bring reasons but if the spirit light us not to read them they will not profit us nor convince us Secondly It stands in doing whatsoever we are convinced of See an example of an honest heart to be considered in Cornelius Act. 10. 33. we are here present saith he to Peter to hear whatsoever is commanded of God to hear viz. to obey See in Nathaniel behold a true Isralite in whom there is no guile This is guile in a mans heart when he makes a shew to do many things and deceives himself in doing them See in Paul when he was strucken down to the earth Act. 9. he said Lord what wilt thou that I do and I will do it And so he did not onely in doing but suffering for him and such a heart is in every man after conversion for till then he will not give his shoulders to the yoke See an example of an honest heart seemingly in Iohanan Ier. 42. where he bids Ieremy to go to God and see if they should go down into Egypt there he made a shew that he would do whatsoever God commanded yet after he tells him he intends it not unless the word should run with the streams of his affections Ezech. 14. 3. these men saith God have set up idols in their heart yea and a stumbling block before their faces So that there is an Idol in the hearts of many when they come to hear and that hinders their profiting by it and hearing by accident that makes it worse as we see in Physick impurum stomacum quo magis nutrieris eo magis laseris an impure stomack the more it is nourished the worse it is because the stomack is of that nature that either it assimulates the meat into nourishment or else rejects it but unto an unhonest heart the word is a reproach and therefore when in the Word it meets with admonitions it swells and is moved at them as if it were provoked by a defamation This concerns Ministers onely if the words of a Minister must be wholesome then Ministers must behave themselves accordingly And there are six advertisements for them First That concerns the act of doing and the five other the manner First If the words of a Minister must be wholesome then he must be diligent because his words must be health and Physick if he neglect this then he hinders them both of the profit of health and Physick And as none must do this so especially not those that have a flock depending on them For if he be worse then an infidel that provides not temporal food for his family what is he then that provides not spiritual food for them that depend on him asmuch as a family doth upon a master if he loves not his brother that hath this worlds goods and seeth him want and gives not to him how then doth he love God that hath spiritual food and seeth others want and gives it not As we count rich men cursed who are hoarders up of corn when the year is plentiful by not bringing it into the markets So there is no famine of the word knowledge doth abound as water in the sea yet a famine is made because Ministers bring it not out into the congretions that the people may feed thereof and live As any thing has more in nature so it communicates more to others The greatest luminary gives the greatest light the fullest fountain the most water the most fruitful soil brings forth the most fruit so ought we in good things to do as the preacher did Eccl. 12 9. The more wise he was the more he taught the people knowledge The Word is Physick therefore they are the Physicians and must heal them least they take that complaint Ier. 8. last Is there no balm in Gilead is there no Physitian there Why then is not the health of my people recovered Let us make up the similitude a little the word is balm the Ministers the physicians the people patients now we reckon him no better then a murtherer that being sent to a sick man should take his fee and all this time he is with him spend his time in sporting and let his patient die so if the people that are sick for knowledge send for a Physitian a Minister and give him his fee and he neglect them and they perish he is a murtherer Though many perish ex morbo non ex defectu medici by reason of the disease and not the defect of the Physician yet this is the fault in most Again if the word be food then the Ministers are shepherds and a shepherd must not feed himself with ease and pleasure not but that these may be conveniently taken but he must not spend his time in them See if this induction be not made Ezech. 34. 23. Wo to the shepherds that feed themselves should not the shepherds feed the flock they eat the fat and clothe them with the wooll they kill them that are fed by other But here because they
Christ said to his Disciples Let these sayings c. that is these works mark what I have done what you see you have an experiment of my power and then he gives the reason For the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men c. but they understood not these sayings You will say how could this be understood it seemeth hard Let those sayings sink down into your ears for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men As if he should have said remember now you have an experiment of my power and Godhead let it be a means to strengthen you for the dayes will come when your faith will be put to the tryal when I shall be delivered into the hands of men when you shall see me crucified and then you will be ready to stagger and waver in your hearts Therefore now when you see an experiment of my power and ability lay it up in your hearts that you may be stablished in that day So in divers places in the Psalms David took that course when he was in trouble and fear and perplexity he brings out of his Treasury ancient things pledges of Gods love and so he recovered himself So if a man can but get hold of a promise of God he may work himself and wind himself into the Armes of God for this is like a rope or a line taken out from him if a man take hold of it by Faith and depend upon it That is the power of the Word of Truth Isay 50. 9. I said not to Iacob seek my face in vain but I the Lord declare faithful things I declare faithful words So when God I say hath given a man a promise that he will not leave him nor forsake him First there is in every promise of that nature there is a spiritual truth in it and in the heart of a man that is a believer there is a spirit of Faith likewise and these two know one another Now the spirit of Faith in the man meets there with the spirit of truth and power in the Word in regard it comes from God these joyn together and draw a man close to God So though a man see not God yet he rests his soul and stayes upon him because he leans on that promise As as a Mariner at Sea that casts an Anchor that holds the Ship he sees not the Anchor that falls to the bottom yet he knows the Cable will hold it safe the Ship may tosse the length of it but no further So the Anchor that the soul hath in the promises of God it is fixed now though a man see him not stand by and strengthen him in the tryal yet he hath the Word of truth for it And these promises though it be a long time ere they speak yet at such times as these then they speak Before then they are sealed up and it is not known perfectly what treasure is in them whether they be empty or any thing worth but when there comes a day of tryal now is the the time the Lord hath made such promises for such a day And here I must give you a caveat concerning this means If you will be strong in the Lord make not haste that is the phrase that is used he that believeth maketh not haste That is he gives the Lord liberty he lets him move round in his sphere he is not ready to snatch deliverence out of his hand but let the Lord take his own leisure for then he will do things best And this is an item that must be understood The Lord notwithstanding those promises that are plentifully made for the safety and preservation of his yet many times he deferres the fulfilling of them to the last cast Many times he will use all that liberty that he hath left himself for indeed therefore it is left he may use it when it seems good in his eyes I mean a liberty in regard of the means how he will help and of the time when he will help us but further we know he hath left himself no liberty but hath bound himself and it is impossible he should deceive us if we rest and rely on him for this and cast our selves in the armes of God Nay we make no question as long as we have the promise of God and keep our hearts and our faith close cleaving to that we are sure the Lord in his own time will remember us and come to us to deliver us Remember that which is said Psal. 9. Salvation belongs to the Lord. Therefore if it belong to him let us take heed that we ascribe it to him not to be strong in any other Even as the making of any thing in Art belongs to such and such a Trade shoos to a shoo-maker there are none makes them but those of that trade and so for other things so Salvation belongs to the Lord there is nothing in heaven or earth that can work salvation but he all the help that is done in the earth he doth it himself Now the onely way for a man to make him his friend that is able to work it is to ascribe it to him to acknowledge it belongs to him that he hath been the doâ—r of it from the foundation of the World and so will continue this blessed trade and gracious manner of working and doing for his So much now for the fift means be strong in the Lord. A sixth means is this Wee must likewise compell and work our hearts to take this cordial you have it Rom. 8. 28. We know saith Saint Paul that all things work together for the best to those that love God I say let us have this perswasion in our hearts ready that all things shall work together for the best therefore they shall not hurt thee Now he saith they work together that is to be marked the Apostle saith not that this or that thing alone worketh for good to the servants of God As now there are divers ingredients in a receipt if a man take one or two or three they may poyson and kill and be deadly but altogether being tempered by the Physician are a preservative and save life So if a man stay Gods leisure as before I said to adde one thing to another to do that he hath to do as well as that he hath done when you put all together and make the up shot of all you shall see and acknowledge it for the best David saith It was good for him to have been in adversity Now certainly whatsoever hath been true in regard of the time past hath been true for the present then as now It was as true for David when he was in adversity to say it is good for me to be afflicted as well as after when he was come out of it to say it was good that he had been for if it were not good then it was never good Therefore in regard of this the assurance
and that a man doth easily but to seek the things of Jesus Christ that is above nature and then there must be much intention a man must have something in him to move him to mind it most and above all other things When a boat goes against the streame and against the wind you know there must be much labour to drive it on So to seek the things of Christ it being above the the stream of nature there must be anintention from above you must beseech God to keep it in the intention of your hearts Now again to these two when a man hath given up himself to Christ and when he doth mind it and intend it and pray for it you must add to this faith without which no man can do it for this objection presently cometh what must I seek the things of Jesus Christ and not mine own what will then become of me how shall I provide for my self or for my family and those that depend upon me Now there must be faith to give this answer the Lord will provide for thee For till a man think that there is another that hath will and power to take care for him and to provide for him it is impossible that he should seek the the things of that other but believe this once that God will take care for thee and then thou wilt be content to deney thy self As if a Master should say to his servant be you diligent in my service I will take care for your meat and drink and clothing and when your apprentiship is out I will give you sufficient to live upon if the servant believe this he will be willing to neglect all other things and to seek his Masters profit and to intend his Masters business So here we should seek the things of Jesus Christ for saith he I will provide for you I will take care for you you shall want nothing in this present life you shall have all things necessary and when your appentiship is at an end I will provide an inheritance for you If you will believe these things and these promises you will then seek the things of Jesus Christ and not your own things You have a promise for this Mat. 6. seek ye first the Kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof that is mind this one thing seek not your own things seek the Kingdom of God and then all things else shall be ministred unto you that is God will undertake to provide for you the things of this life you shall have enough of them Now to believe this promise this faith in the promise is that which prepares and enables the heart not to seek its owne things but the things of Christ. Now you must have not onely faith in the promise but faith in the providence of God for a man may believe the promise but because he doth not believe the particular providence of God that he is not onely able but that he doth bring things to pass and that all things are guided by him he is ready to doubt and to fear a loss if he seek the things of Jesus Christ. As Iacob and Rebecka they had both faith in the promise but because they had not a faith in the particular providence of God about the bestowing of the blessing therefore we know how they missed So Moses had faith in the promise that God would provide meat for a moneths time but he knew not how therefore you see how many objections he brought shall all the fishes of the sea be brought together and all the beasts of the field c. Therefore I say put these together when a man hath faith in both that is in the promise of God and in the particular providence of God that enableth a man not to seek his own things You shall see them joyned together 2 Tim. 3. for I know saith the Apostle whom I have trusted and I am perswaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him to that day Mark it as if he should say do not wonder at me that I am willing to lose my liberty and my ease or to endure so much cold and nakedness to expose my self to so many perills as I do for I trust God I believe God I have committed my safety and my life and my health and all that belongeth to me to him and I know he is able to keep it So I say now when you are about any business of Christ in which there is any difficulty or any hardness or any likelyhood of losing any thing except thou believe the particular providence of God and canst commit that which thou hast to God and say I dare trust him and I know that he will keep it for me thou wilt never be able to deny thy self and to do the things of Jesus Christ but if thou think that what thou losest for God God will keep it for thee thou wilt say thus wiâ—h thy self I will commit this unto God I know it shall be reserved for me and therefore whatsoever becomes of these things I will do the work I will do the business of Christ I will imploy my self in his service this makes a man bold in the most difficult cases So David I will lay me down saith he and sleep because the Lord sustaineth me That is I care not for any thing I have committed my self and my safety and all unto God and therefore when his heart was quieted and setled upon this that he knew whâ—m he had trusted he had faith in God in his promise and in his providence he had ground enough for rest This is the third thing that prepares us to give up our selves to Jesus Christ. Now fourthly Wee must adde to our faith Love for Love enableth a man to seek the things of Jesus Christ. Therefore 1 Cor. 13. it is said that Love seeketh not her own things If you would bring your hearts not to seek your own things but the things of Christ get Love That is you must know that self-love seeks its own things and the more self-love is in any man the more respect he hath to himself the more he seeks his own things which tend to his own advantage but the love of another makes a man seek the things of another it makes a man bountiful as Saint Paul saith I am ready to be bestowed for your sakes And therefore you have that saying that love edâ—fieth that is it makes the magistrate to take care for the good of the people the Minister for his charge c. The Mother and the nurse where they love you see what pains they take what neglect they expresse of themselves and all that they may do good to the Child for that is the nature of love And therefore when we do not seek the things of Christ it is an argument that we want the love of Christ and the love of God You see the
what abundance of peace and wealth is for even these things we most esteem but this is not the thing for here we need no exhortation Secondly Spiritual mercies those are they we do not hunger after we are backward enough to desire them and therefore we have so few of them Therefore that which I must press upon you is to desire earnestly these spiritual mercies if you desire them much you shall have much of them for you must know before you have them God will teach you to know how precious they are for if he hath commanded us not to cast pearls before swine he himself will not cast the riches of his mercy before those that prize and regard them not As for instance forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God this is a spiritual mercy this if you would hunger much after you should have it yea and according to the measure of your desires but when you prize it not that is it which keepeth it back you may say the like of all other mercies therefore prize them much that is be sensible of your misery without them call your sins to remembrance go over them summe them up and let your hearts stay and dwell upon the meditation of them give not over till you be touched with them and do this often we might be more humbled if we would take pains with our hearts but we slight it and do it overly as being an exercize needless and tedious but do it not so lâ—bour to get a sense of your sins that will make you prize the mercies of justification and reconciliation for this cause many thousands misse of the forgiveness of their sins it is not a thing they esteem much they do not strive and contend with God for it as a matter of such great moment whereas it is the preciousest mercy of all other it is the immediate door that openeth into the favour of God which is the cause of all other mercies and then no good thing can be withholden from you foâ— it is your sins that keep good things from you now if your sins were taken away what need you fear either diseases or death or revilings and disgraces for your profession or imprisonment or poverty if you had the forgiveness of your sins you might enjoy the prosperity you have freely and as for crosses either you shall be freed from them or else they shall be as serpents without a sting or as great bulks without burthen and weight this you should have if you had the forgiveness of your sins consider all this labour to sâ—t a price upon it and so for â—ll other mercies work your hearts to this to esteem the Mercies of God Again labour to see an excellency in them The same as I said of forgiveness the same may you say of love or of patience see the preciousness and excellâ—ncy of them the more you prize them the more you shâ—l have of them If you could beg for forgiveness as for life if you could reckon other things but as dross and dung in comparison of that as Saint Paul did which was nothiâ—g but the forgiveness of his sins you would be sure to have these mâ—râ—iâ—s but men do it not men live in prosperity in health and wealth and abundance of all things and such mercies as these they regard not forgiveness of sins reconciliation the gospel of Christ this they despise but we should prize these even then when they are nakedly propounded to us The reason we do it not is because we have not the sense of our misery What careth the innocent man for a pardon What careth a whole man for a medicine Mercy is the medicine of misery labor therefore to be sensible of your misery that you may partake of this mercy All the promises runne upon this condition all that are weary and heavy laden shall find rest Math. 11. The more weary any man is the more rest he shall have and so again the poor saith Christ receive the Gospel the more poor he is the more he shall receive and so he that hungreth and thirsteth after righteousness shall be filled the more you hunger and thirst the more you shall be filled In a word the more you desire the more you shall have The reason you have not these mercies is because you desire them not or else your desires are not strong for strong desires would bring forth strong endeavours and these would take spiritual mercies by force as it is said of the kingdom of heaven that it suffereth violence even so these violent desires would extort it from God by an holy earnestness A 2d way to be made partakers of the riches of Gods mercy is to believe them Adde to your desires a belief for believing is that which openeth the hand of God to give and openeth your hearts your hands to receive put but these two together to desire the mercies of God and to believe that God will give them and then open your mouthes wide God will fill them This I shal manifestly shew from these folowing places of scripture as we finde them often Go thy way thy faith hath made thee whole when Christ bestowed any mercy upon men that is added in the Gospel thy faith hath done it thy faith hath made thee whole if they were forgiveÌ„ they might thank their faith for it as it is the instrumental means to obtain the mercies of God the more faith the more mercies for we shal alwais find that by faith men obtained mercies and the want of faith missed them It is certain God is a merciful God you should finde him so if you could believe him to be so for the believing that he is merciful makes you partakers of the riches of his mercy because it is his pleasure to put it upon that condition he might have put it upon other conditions but this is his pleasure to say if you believe you shall have these and these mercies for faith knitteth us to him faith makes us to know him and makes us give him the glory of the mercies we have faith ascribes it wholy unto him it makes it every way to be his work faith makes us righteous now the righteous obtain mercy this faith is imputed for righteousnes God reckoneth every man the more righteous as he aboundeth in faith therefore the way to fill your selves with the riches of Gods mercy is to believe much and as you grow in faith so you shal grow from mercy to mercy if Christ could say to us as he did to the woman O woman great is thy faith we should be sure to have great mercies my meaning is this that beleiving is nothing else but this To be perswaded that God will be kinde and favourable to you that hispromises belong to you that he will pardon your sins and receive you into grace and favour with him that he loveth you and is your friend that he is ready to bestow
for his mercy it is a sign that he would have his mercy to be his glory and excellency but I will stay no longer upon the proving of this point let us now make some use of it First If the mercies of God be his glory doubt not then but that when you come to ask at his hand any request that is meet for you he will be ready to grant it for it is his glory to shew mercy and God loveth his glory now if so be to shew mercy be his glory doubt not then I say of obtaining what you desire at his hands for glory is nothing else but the manifestation of some excellency to the view and knowledge of man When a thing is excellent and beautiful and is shut up we say it is beautiful but not glorious except it be explicated and spread abroad to the view of others as a peacock is then said to be glorious when he spreadeth abroad his feathers and the Sun is said then to be in his glory when he shineth in his brightness when Ahasuerus made that great feast he did it for the glory of his kingdom because in the feast his riches and potency was manifest therefore it made him glorious So doth the Lord if all his perfections were shut up in himself they were excellent but not properly glorious for glory is when any excellency is made manifest to the view of others therefore God iâ— said to be glorious when he manifesteth his mercy If therefore this be his glory then doubt not but that he will be ready to shew mercy to men that is not onely to be merciful in himself but to shew mercy to you learn hence now to strengthen your faith and to come with more boldness to the throne of grace and beseech God to grant you what you ask that he might glorifie himself when you have therefore occasion to ask any grace any help or any succour in temptation this will help to prevail with him Lord if thou shuttest thy hand and keepest thy mercy within thy self what glory wilt thou bring to thy self but if thou openest thy hand and manifestest thy mercy thence will glory redound to thee Secondly if Gods mercy be his glory or his excellency then let us praise him for his mercy let us give him the glory of it for that he looks for at our hands on Gods part there is but this to make him glorious viz. an explication or shewing of his mercy on our part it is required that we see it and take notice of it be inwardly perswaded that he is merciful Seeing now God hath done his part in making manifest his mercy let us also do our dutie and give him what is required on our part even to praise him for his mercy that is it which he looks for from his Children whatsoever others do Wisdom is justified of her children whatsoever others do let the Saints and children of God justifie him for his mercy let them say that he is merciful Others will not say it or at least they do not think it but as those wicked men that were devoured with fire that came from God brake cut into this speech who shall dwell with everlasting burnings even so every evil man thinketh God a cruel master thinkes him a severe judge this secret thought hath every evil man in him but yet let his children justifie him for his mercy let him say as David did yet God is good to Israel c. that is though he afflict them often yet he is good to Israel and to them that are of a pure heart Let us be readie to say as the Seraphims in Isay 6. holy and holy is the Lord of hostes it is spoken upon this occasion The prophet Isaiah was sent forth upon this errand to make the hearts of the people heavy this seemed a strange judgement God seemed to be very cruel to make their hearts heavy that seeing they might not see and hearing they might not understand yet they justified God notwithstanding that hee was holy so let us do though we see not the reason of all his wayes yet let us justifie him and say he is glorious and give him the praise of his mercy that is let us be perswaded of it our selves that he is merciful that he is not hard to the wicked that he is an indulgent father to his children and when we have don let us be ready to speak of it to others and indeed when we our selves have the sence of his mercies then we will be ready to speak of them to others then speeches will come from us easily naturally and plentifully but contrariwise when we are not inwardly perswaded of the mercies of God our selves our speeches of them come forcibly and sparingly and truly my brethren this is the reason we are so little in praising the Lord because our selves are not touched with a sence of his mercies we are not perswaded he is so exceeding merciful as he is we think better of men then we do of him therefore if any thing greive us we are readier to complain unto men then unto God and for matter of mercy we are exceeding in praising of those men that are merciful to us but we are not perswaded of the exceeding mercifulness of God for if we were we would be speaking of his praise we would be exhorting others to serve the same master but we are short in this and the reason is because we are not perswaded of the riches of his mercy our selves I will now add but one word more fully to convince you of the glorious riches of mercy that is in God because you may object Is God so merciful what is the reason then that he doth so sharply afflict even his dearest children why doth he afflict evil men with such a great affliction as hell iâ— selfe why are so many damned and why do so many perish while it is in his power to save them Lastly is he not an hard master to condemn many that could not be saved as the Gentiles that came not to the knowledg of the Gospel before Christs time and since also doth not God exact that at their hands which they could not perform and doth he not look to reap there where he did not sow how can we therefore be perswaded of his exceeding mercifulness I will answer all these breiflly For the first I answer that though God indeed be exceeding rich in mercy yet that doth not contradict his other Attributes though he be rich in mercy yet it contradicteth not his wisdom therefore he afflicteth his children otherwise he were not wise as you have heard heretofore at large Secondly though he be rich in mercy yet that contradicts not his juâ—…ice therefore he must deal with the wicked according to their sins for he holdeth not the wicked innocent their punishments therefore are great because their sins are great Thirdly for the multitude
do not strengthen the Inward man wicked thoughts will get strength in your hearts and evil actions in your hand swere it not better to be strong in the Inward man and to have Holiness and grace in the heart let this therefore move you to strengthen the Inward man Thus much for the first motive The second motive to move you to strengthen the inward man is this if you labour to strengthen the Inward man you shall thereby please God that is if a man had never so much strength yet if it be not the strength of the Inward man he cannot please God That is he cannot perform any holy duty in such a holy manner as God will approve of And therefore the Prophet saith that God doth not delight in any mans leggs that is he cares not for any mans strength be it never so great or excellent except it be the strength of the Inward man and on the contrary he regards the holy man with his strength though outwardly weak as in Isai. 57. I will dwell with him that is of an humble and a contrite heart That is he that is of a contrite spirit he is spiritually strong therefore I will dwell with him What is the reason that men seek so much the favour of Princes and great men but because they may be exalted unto honour Wherefore then should we not much more labour to have favour and to be in familiaritie with God who is the Kings of Kings and Lord of Lords who hath power to exalt one and to pull down another Now if we would but bring our hearts to believe this that instrengthning the inward man we should get and grow in favour with God then men would be stirred up to set upon this work But withall you must know that by the strength of this Inward man you do not please God by the way of merit for so Christ onely and none but Christ pleased God But when you strengthen the Inward man you please God by way of object you chuse grace and favour and holiness above all things Merit was the Argument that Christ useth unto his Father to glorifie him Iohn 17. Father I have glorified thee on earth I have finished the work therefore glorifie me That is I have merited this at thy hand that thou shouldst glorifie me because I have perfectly pleased thee in doing thy will Again it is the Argument that Christ useth to his Disciples in Iohn 14. Herein is my Father glorified in that you bring forth much fruit That is when you grow strong in the Inward man and can bring forth fruit according to his will you please God and therefore it is that the Scripture sets forth the members of Christ by the Olive tree and to sweet oil the one full of fatness the other full of sweetness so the Inward man makes a man fat that is rich in grace and like oil as the nature of it is to cheer and beautifie the countenance so doth grace it sweetneth the soul and makes it beautiful unto God therefore let this move you to strengthen the Inward man that thereby you may please God The third Motive to perswade you to strengthen the Inward man is this because this inward strength drawes on the outward strength more prosperous Now who would not thrive in the things of the world but if you turn it the contrarie will not hold so for the outward strength will not draw on the inward strength therefore our Saviour saith Seek ye first the Kingdom of Heaven and the Righteousness thereof and all other things shall be added unto you That is the way for you to thrive in the outward man is to get strength in the Inward man first seek you first Christ and grace and Holiness and then the effect will follow all things That is whatsoever you shall stand in need of shall be given you And in the 48 of Isaiah 18. as the Lord saith Oh that my people had but a heart to consider That is oh that my people would but be wiâ—e first to strengthen the Inward man and then as it followes your Prosperitie should be as the floods That is then your outward strength should abound like floods Again in Prov. 22. the wise man saith that the reward of Holiness is riches and honour and life That is be that is strong in the Inward man shall have whatsoever may be necessary oâ— good for the outward man and therefore we should strive to grow strong in the Inward man That is to be full of grace and spiritual wisdom especially against evil dayes that when they come we may have strength to bear them Now the inward man will bear a mountain of affections and reproaches which will presse and squeise the outward man to powder A sound heart will bear his infirmities but a wounded conscience who can bear That is if the inward man be weak who can bear the burthen of afflictions and the like but if the Inward man be strong then the will will bear a part and the affections will bear a part with the Conscience and so the burthen will be the lighter but if you be not strong in the Inward man it is impossible that you should bear them therefore let us not busie our selves about Phantasies and vain things that will stand us in no stead but let us labour to strengthen the inward man The fourth Motive to perswade you to strengthen the inward man is because a man is that which he is in the Inward man A man without the Inward man is but a scabberd without the sword that is worth nothing and therefore the wise man saith that The righteous man is more excellent then his neighbour That is the excellencie wherein he doth exceed him is the Inward man and therefore Christ in the Canticles when he would set forth the excellencie of his spouse he saith that She was fairer then the daughters of men That is shee is fairer because she is more excellent to the inward man she is All glorious within Psa. 45. That is the holy man doth as far exceed the natural man in beauties as pearls do exceed pebble stones as gold excels brass or silver copper I know that every one doth desire to be in some excellencie I say it is a propertie in nature to seek for some excellency Then is it not the best wisdom to seek it in the best things that is in the inward man Now as there is means to be rich in the outward man so there is means to be rich in the inward man Therefore I beseech you use the means that you may be rich in grace and Holiness In the Prov. 30. 4. The wise man sets forth the excellencie of that man that is strong in the Inward man There are four things saith he that are excellent a Lion a hee goat a grey Hound and a King before whom there is no standing first he
Christian like walking and holy conversation And this is the same the Apostle speaks of when he would assure them of their resurrection to life in Rom. 6. If you die with Christ you shall also rise with him again That is if your actions be the actions of the spirit proceeding from the inward man and have some resemblance of Christ then you shall rise again and live with him And in Rom. 8. he comes to the works of the spirit So many saith he as are led by the Spirit they are Sons of God That is they are led unto all holy actions and the duties of sons and then he comes in Galat. 5. unto the fruits of the spirit The fruits of the spirit are love joy and peace c. well then examine whether you have the spirit by the actions of the spirit and by the working and fruits of the spirit and by the teaching of the spirit For it is the Spirit which is the doctor of the soul that teacheth it all spiritual and saving knowledge and therefore the Lord saith you shall not need to be taught of any other for you shall be all taught of God that is mens teaching will never be effectual to work grace and holiness in you except God teach by his spirit Now you must know that there is a two fold teaching First there is a teaching of beast by man that they may be serviceable unto men by this to put men in mind of the spiritual teaching God hath put such a power in the creatures that they cannot chuse but they must do it there is a necessitie laid upon them by God in the very instinct of nature So when the spirit comes into the heart of a Christian it openeth another light in the minde and therefore the Apostle saith that you need not teach you to love for you are taught of God to love one another That is there is a necessitie laid upon you and therefore you must needs love I grant that sometimes a thief may be in the high way but it is for a bootie and a holy man may be out of the way That is slipt aside but here is the difference the one sets himself of purpose to do evil and the other is inforced unto evil unwillingly And you shall know the difference between these two in these 2. things If a holy man have gone besides the way as soon as the passion or temptation is overpast he will return again into the right way he will not go forward nor stand still but he will return But the other though in some sence he knowes it and is told he is besides the rule yet he cares not he will go on forward Therefore examine what fruits of the spirit you bring forth and what wayes you delight in Are you in the way of holiness do you delight to pray to hear to receive do you love God and Christ and the Communion of Saints Then it is a sign that you have the Spirit But on the contrary if you follow drunkenness and uncleanness and prophaning of the Sabbath in gaming and in sporting and idleness you never had the Spirit Again consider what are your walkes that is do you follow your old evil haunts now as fast as ever you did it is a sign that you have not the Spirit Again think not that it will excuse you to say that whatsoever your actions be yet you have good hearts for you must know that your hearts are far worse then your actions as I said before for if you had the Spirit it would not be idle in you but as it makes the heart holy so it sends forth holy speeches and actions in the life The working power of the spirit is excellently set forth in that passage between Eliah and Elizeus in the Kings It is said that Eliah cast his mantle about Elizeus presently he cries out let me go first saith he and take leave of my Father and then I will go with thee Eliah might well have reasoned thus with him what have I done unto thee or what have I spoken unto thee that thou shouldest thus reply unto me as if I tied thee unto the contrary Said I any such word unto thee that thou mightest not go But there was a necessitie laid upon Elizeus by the spirit to go with him and therefore he could not chuse but break out into these words That is the spirit now entred into his heart that he was not now his own man he must now go where the spirit would have him and do that which the spirit bid him and so we see in Act. 4. 20. when the Jewes came to Peter and commanded that he should not preach Christ unto them he answereth that he cannot chuse but he must preach Christ And in the beginning of the chapter you shall see the reason of it They had received the holy Ghost and they spake boldly Therefore you see the spirit is not idle but marvellous working and operative Therefore examine what power you have what actions you have and what fruit you bring forth But you may say that sometimes the spirit seems to be dead in the heart therefore it is not alwayes working To this I answer that the propertie of the spirit is alwayes to work and it doth alwayes work but he may sometimes withdraw his actions of growing as when a Temptation comes which before you have resisted but now you are taken with it then the spirit seems to absent himself by withdrawing his power but notwithstanding he works still for in the instant there is lusting and labouring in you against it and afterwards he gives you power to return again Again it is not alwayes thus with you but sometimes onely Thus much for the first use The next use stands thus if the holy ghost doth strengthen us in the inward man then let me above all things exhort you to seek the spirit because it will strengthen you in the inward man For what would a man desire either for the outward or inward man but if he have the spirit he shall obtain it Would a man be enabled to pray would a man be enabled to bear losses and crosses would a man master particular lusts is a man in bondage and would be set at liberty from sin is a man spiritually dead and benummed is a man spiritually affrighted with sin would a man walk as a Christian man ought to walk would a man be enabled to every good work would a man love in a word would a man do any thing that is holy and good Let him get the Spirit and he shall do these and much more Thus much for the general what the spirit can do for a Christian. Now I come unto the particulars what the spirit will do unto them where he comes and those I will reduce in these four particular things The first benefit is this which a Christian gets by enjoying
which are means for the getting of the spirit Neglect none of the means because you know not in which nor when the spirit will come it may be he will come now and not another time it may be he will breath upon you at such a ordinance and not at another In Acts 9. whilest Peter was Preaching unto them The holy Ghost came upon them that heard him So be diligent in waiting upon the means and the holy Ghost at one time or other will come Again he could have sent the spirit to Cornelius without the sending for Peter in Acts 10 But Peter must be sent for and he must Preach unto him and then he shall receive the holy Ghost Thus much for the means and for this time CHRIST the best INHABITANT Text EPHES. 3. 17. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by Faith I Have chosen this Text by reason of this Sacramental occasion which doth represent Christs dwelling in us and it is the second head of Pauls Prayer The first was That they might be strengthened in the inward man This That Christ may dwell in their hearts by faith Having in the former discourse opened the words I shall not need to adde any thing here The point hence arising is That it is a great prerogative of which all the Saints are partakers that they have Christ to dwell in their hearts The Apostle prayeth for it being directed by the spirit of God in his prayer and therefore we should esteem of it as of a great priviledge And as of that of which all the Saints are partakers because it is necessarie to salvation none are saved without it Now for the better understanding of it I will first of all shew you these two things 1. What it is to have Christ dwell in our hearts 2. What benefits we receive by his dwelling in them For the first what it is to have Christ to dwell in our hearts To this I answer That then Christ dwells in our hearts when as he works in them in another manner then he did before he hath other works and we see other effects then formerly First he shewes himself kinde and favourable to us inlightning giving comfort refreshing framing and ruling ouâ— spirits that beâ—ore he did not and he doth not in others he is said to dwell in the Temple because his eyes are upon it his ears are there open to hear the prayers of men his mercy seat is there T is true God fills heaven and earth yet he is said to dwell in the Temple because there he manifesteth his peculiar presence so the phrases of the Scripture are to be understood Go not up for God is not with you That is he will not assist you God dwells where he assists he dwells not where he helpes not That you may understand this consider these four particulars First where a man dwells he must come to the house and abide in it so Christ comes into the hearts of believers in whom he dwells and unites himself to them and their hearts to him And that is done by a double act of the Spirit First he humbleth and convinceth men of sin he makes some alive and us to be dead the way to life is death as the corn dies that it may live And this the spirit of bondage doth by putting an edge to the Law by making men desirous of Christ. Secondly the Spirit of adoption that unites us that perswades us that Christ is ours Love makes the union Faith is the agent in this union but it doth it by love as fire is said to heat though the qualitie doth it immediately when after sound humiliation we believe reconciliation with Christ there is a love to Christ then there is a union That is the first word he unites himself to the heart and it to him Secondly It is not enough for a man to come to the place to be conjoyned to it for a time but he must continue there else he dwells not there but is a stranger a dwell â—r must continue Christ abides with us for ever according to that everlasting Covenant which he hath made with 〈◊〉 Is 55. 3 He hath made an everlasting Covenant with us even the sure mercies of David He never seperates himself from us after he comes he continues for ever But it may be objected though Christ will not depart from us yet we may depart from him To this I answer that he will not suffer us to depart from him Ier. 32. 4. I will make an everlasting Covenant with them That is I will not turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me we are knit together without separation he never departs from us nor we from him The reason why we continue in the state of grace is not because grace is of an unsatiable nature for it is a creature and may vanish as all other creatures do But it never failes because it is in Christ and supported by his arm of omnipotencie The light in the air may quickly perish but if the sun be ever with it it never perisheth â—o the water of a stream may fail but if there be a spring to supply it it never fails grace may perish as it did in Adam but men ingrafted into the second Adam can never fall because Christ is never severed from them we have his word for it he keeps us by his power There is an everlasting Covenant on both sides The Sacrament se ls this unto us That God hath made a Covenant that he will never depart from it and we set our seal by it that we will never depart from him Gal 5. 3. He that is circumcised is bound to keep the whole Law So he that receives the Sacrament is bound he engages himself to keep the Law of faith and he receives that oath when he was baptized Thirdly where a man dwells there he must delight else he is not said properly to dwell there a man that is imprisoned is not said to dwell in the spirit because he delights not in it Now Christ is said to dwell in us because he delights in us Esai 62. 4. Thou shalt no more be called forsaken but Hephsebah because the Lord delighteth in thee presence argues delight God delights in the Saints therefore he dwells in them he works in them that which is pleasing to them Artifex amat opus proprium He loves his own workmanship Thus First God delights in them as in those that are beautiful Cant. 4. 1 2 3. Thou art beautiful my Love thou art fair Thou hast Doves eyes thy teeth are like a flock of sheep which are shorn which came up from washing thy lips are a thread of Scarlet thy Temples like a piece of Pomegranate Secondly as one delights in a garden so God delights in them Cant. 4. 12. because he hath
word even the root of all good works that can possibly be accepted in Gods sight And the first means whereby to come to such a faith is to see consider and take to heart what estate we are in without believing in Christ this is the first step thereunto and before this a man can never come truly to believe and so to be knit to Christ in the mariage bond of Grace Now what estate we are in before may easily appear by these particulars as That we all in Adam are fallen away and so have lost the image of God Are wholy under the guilt of sin The children of Gods wrath In the power and snares of the Devil Under the curse of the Law howsoever we may bless our selves and the world think us blessed c. And lastly guilty of eternal condemnation and so endangered to be swallowed up of the gulfe of Hell when we are dead without we get this faith Now by all this we may see what need we have to get into the rock Christ it being the estate of every child of Adam Kings Emperors c. even all and every one by nature Which when the poor soul strucken with the word comes to understand aright and feel it as in the presence of God then he comes To think how he shall be brought to God again How he may be born again being of such a sinful case How he may get the heavy curse removed How he shall come to get out of the power and snares of the Devil How to come to be a child of Gods love To think how he shall be freed from the gulfe of Hell when he dies Now when a man sees this and is convinced throughly thereof in his judgement hee cannot be quiet until he hath sought some remedie then hath he set the first step to this blessed estate of true saving faith Examples hereof we have Act. 2. In those three thousand that were converted at one Sermon who having their case layed open cryed out what shall we do to be saved and that was the first step to their believing for after that they came to believe so likewise Act. 16. 30. The Iaylor when he came in trembling and desired to know by what means to come to salvation then the Doctrine of faith took place even so we before we can attain to this faith that triumphs against condemnation we must go out of our selves and run to God onely in Christ without whom we perish And the reason many find not this faith is because they have a general and conceited faith wherewith they content themselves which makes them to slubber over all things and so live and die in the same even because they come not soundly to understand by the word of God their woful and lamentable estate by nature the true and effectual knowledge whereof is the first step to true saving faith A second means is when a man not onely sees it soundly and so doth effectually go out of himself but also resolveth to cast away that sin he sees in himself a man may come to consider his estate deeply and yet go on in wicked courses But when he can desire with all his heart to bee rid of all his sinne and cast it off it is a special meanes and a further step to this faith at least to the manifestation of it to us Repent and believe is the voice of the gospel No man can believe except he repent and cast off sin so no man can repent except he believe and have some hope that his sins may be pardoned Many see their sins yet cast them not away and therefore the conscience beats them off and will not let them believe It tels them that Christ and such a soul cannot stand together The door is shut if thou makest not account in thy affection and conversation to leave all sin 1 Io. 3. 6. whosoever saith the Apostle sinneth hath not seen God So that the soul hath a second step to believe when a man truly repents of all his sins 2 Cor. 6. 17 18. Then God offers himself as a father to a man when he casts off such as are lin be as it were of Satan and of the fellowship of darkness that is when a man casts off his evil company and all sin that may defile his soul and make him unworthy to be Gods child and therefore when a man casts off sin and the instruments of sin then is he fit to believe and God will be ready to shâ—w himself unto him not a judge but a father Rev 3. 19. When a man begins to be zealous for God and amend his sinful wayes and courses and leaves cherishing those abominable sins that before he hath lived in and for want of this resolution to take Christs part against sin it comes to pass a mans heart and conscience will not let him come to lay hold of Christ even because he harbors Christs enemies that will not suffer him to come in A third means is when a man renounces as well his own righteousness as his sinnes It is Christs righteousness that must make us righteous before God that is our justification to eternal life There is to say the truth no righteousnesse before a man comes to be in Christ onely 't is call'd an outward righteousness and is so taken before men and therefore if thou wilt come to this faith thou must cast off all not conceit of righteousness but thine own righteousness indeed For that cannot further thee in this point as thine own sins cannot hinder thee What hindred the Jewes and Papist and thousands of Protestants at this day from faith that should uphold their souls but a conceit of their own righteousness The Jewes they would perform obedience to the law and venture their salvation upon that righteousness Rom. 10 2â— And therefore they could not believe So the Papists now they do still in part stick upon their own righteousness whereas there is none in himself righteous but God alone Iehouah who is righteousness as he proclaims himself We lost all in Adam and recover all again in Christ. Many ignorant Protestants and some that have knowledge also will not stick to say that if a man have a good meaning dealing righteously and serving God he shall be accepted all which is nothing without Christ for the more a man goes on in good intentions before he be in Christ by faith all his performances are but cursed abominations and so further off from faith and that which God hath most severely punished as he did Saul his good intention without obedience unto him But may some say if it be so then it is better to sin and not do good works â—t all Not so for then thou encreasest thy punishment thy sin is the less if thou hast a good meaning because thou thinkest that thou dost that which is good if thou knewest and thoughest otherwise thy condemnation
God A eighth and a chief means is the word preached Rom. 10. 17. Faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word of God Therefore be careful to come as thou oughtest to the word and bring others under the sound of the Gospel which is the word of faith submit thy self to it and God will not fail thee this do and it shall com it will come yea it must needs come because God is faithfull and unchangeable stumble not therefore at any thing that is said by the faithful Ministers of Gods word if any weakness pass bear with it and take all in the best part If thou get this â—aith thou shalt eat and drink and slâ—ep and trade and live in the world with more comfort then ever thou didest and after live with the Lord Jesus for ever The last means is prayer which serveth as bellows to blow up all pray that thou mayest see consider and take to heart thy woful and lamentable estate by nature then will thy sighs and groans bestrong and powerful with God Pray with all that God will be pleased to humble thee and inable thee to do all as aforesaid To stir thee up to this lay thine ear and hear how the damned souls in Hell that neglected and refused grace do roar yell and howl that now would give worlds if they had them to enjoy the time that the Lord affords thee to repent in consider these things wisely and the Lord give thee understanding in all things CHRIST THE FOUNTAIN OF STRENGTH to all his SAINTS 2 TIM 2. 1. Thou therefore my son be strong in the grace which is in Christ Iesus NOw that we are met together to receive the Lords supper and to be partakers of that holy Sacrament we are seriously to consider what we are to do When we draw near to the Lord in such a holy business you shall find that there are two things to be done One is that every man is to examine himself that is to try whether there be any grace in his heart or no any beginnings of grace because if there be no grace a man eats and drinks his own damnation or judgement to himself Another thing is if there be any grace then the end of the sacrament is for the confirmation and the strengthening of this grace and to build him up further therefore we must consider how we should grow in that grace This text will help us in both these For in this inquisition whether there be anygrace in our hearts or no we must examine it by some characters of grace Now the principal character is that it makes a man strong grace giveâ— a man power and strength which is intimated in this Thou therefore my son be strong in the grace which is in Christ Iesus And then for the growth of grace the question is where we shall have it Surely it is to be drawn out of the fountain that is in Iesus Christ be strong in grace that is the grace that we receive from Iesus Christ. Now we do not take it immediately from him we do not come so near to the well-head but we draw it by certain conconduit-pipes there are certain veins and arteries that convey this grace from Christ to the heart of a Christian certain duggs by which we suck it from him and those are the Lords Ordinances the word and sacraments This text will give us opportuuity of both these The scope briefly is this when the Apostle had told Timothy what his own sufferings were how many difficult cases he had passed through saith he thou art my son thou must go in the same steps thy father hath gone before thee thou must also suffer persecution thou hast also the ministery of grace committed to thee therefore be strong in the Lords work But how shall he be strong Saith the Apostle nothing strengtheneth but grace be strong through the grace or in the grace c. that is it is onely grace that strengtheneth in the inner man that makes a man able to do spiritual and holy duties But whence shall we have this grace Saith he be strong in the grace which is in Christ Iesus that is the grace which is received from Christ Jesus not onely that which is received at our first conversion but which we receive continually As the Air receives light from the Sun by a continual influxion so there is a continual influence of grace from Christ. Adam had grace originally inherent in him but it is not so with us there is not that inherency though there be that also yet it differs from the other because the grace that we have now is wholly received from our conjunction with Christ Jesus We should therefore presently lose all if there were a disjunction between Christ and us And that is the ground why we cannot fall from grace because we cannot be divided from Christ. Now I say in these words you shall see a character or property of grace Thou my son be strong in the grace which is in Christ Iesus This point then you see doth first offer it self to us evidently That It is the property or nature of grace to make us strong to make us able to perform the duties of new obedience So that now when you are to come to the Sacrament and to consider whether you have grace that is a business in which you may occupy your minds to consider whether you have this character of grace that it make you strong and able to do the work of the Lord. For the opening of this point I will do two things First I will shew you what grace is what is signified by this word Grace that we may understand what is meant by it Secondly I will shew you the reason why it makes us strong First of all grace it is a supernatural peculiar quality wrought in our hearts by the Holy Ghost whereby we are enabled to please God in all things First I say grace is a quality for you must know there is a double grace mentioned in the Scripture There is the grace of justification which is a thing in God alone it is his favour to us whereby he accepts us in his Son Rom. 6. 14. Sin shall have no dominion over you for you are not under the Law but under grace that is you are in the state of grace or favour with God so in Rom. 3. Ye are justified freely by his grace that is of his meer favour not of debt or due not by works But now there is mention made likewise of grace in other places where you shall see it is taken for an inherent quality as in Heb. 12. the last verse but one Seeing we have such a kingdom let us have grace in our hearts to serve him with godly fear and reverence Mark it Let us have grace to serve him that is let us labour to have this holy quality of grace wrought in our hearts that it
hereditary As for example take the grace of faith I do not say that it heals all infidelity and doubting but it overcomes it so that it hath the mastery and prevalency over it faith is predominant above infidelity For it is a rule that the School-men have and a true one faith doth not exclude all doubting but faith overcomes doubting that is the nature of it though it be assaulted with doubttings yet it overcomes them and as it is the nature of faith so of every saving grace it is prevalent and powerful So is the grace of knowledge it comes with a full evidence and demonstration of the Spirit and brings every thought into subjection to it though it suffers ignorance and some other errors it may be to remain yet it overcomes ignorance And so spiritual love it brings under and eats up and swallows all other loves and spiritual fear brings under all other fears True desire subjugates all other inordinate desires whereas on the contrary when grace is not true you shall have a kind of faith and a kind of knowledge and some good purposes and desires and some fear of God but these though they be in the heart they are not commanding and prevailing objects that bring the heart into subjection they lie there glowing as a coal in the dark but they do not overcome the darkness but still their foolish heart is full of darkness as the Scripture saith Rom. 1. So that you must remember that it so heals these diseases that yet still it gets the victory over the disease though it doth not altogether take away the disease not that it dries up the fountain of these issues so that they are no more but the meaning is that it gets the dominion over them it masters them and brings them down that they have not the prevailing force as formerly for it is the nature of sincerity that it gets the mastery Sincerity is of that quality that though it be the least of all graces in the beginning yet it grows the strongest of all other So I say grace heals after that manner as for example when a man is recovered out of his sickness take the least degree of health this least degree hath the victory over the whole disease it hath overcome it We say it hath not overcome it fully and totally yet that little degree of health runs through the whole man and it over comes the disease and at length grows stronger and stronger So wheresoever these healing qualities of grace come they have so much power as to get the mastery over corruption Though the natural corruptions byass us and draw us aside yet I say they are healed For mark that by the way there is a great deal of difference between that unevenness and inconstancy that comes from the natural corruption of a man unsanctified and that that proceeds from the remainder of those corruptions that are left in the soul after saving grace In the one there is an unevenness of the kind in the other the unevennesâ— of degrees As for example a man that hath not his heart sanctified he hath his corruptions exprest by fits this we say is an unevenness of kind when a man sets himself in holy courses and presently gives over himself to all his lusts This is that unevenness spoken of Iam. 1. such a man is unstable in all his wayes the meaning is such a man hangs between two objects that he knows not whether he shall chuse this or that like a man that hath two wayes before him and knows not whether of them he shall go either this way or that but sometimes he is for God another time he is for his lusts his mind hangs in such an aequi librio that he hath nothing to sway him such an unevenness there is in a natural man Now this double-mindedness is opposed to singleness of heart when a man is resolved to chuse one in such a manner that he subjugates and leaves his choice and leaning to the other So it is when grace is come into the heart when it heals corruption it brings a man to such a pass that he chuseth the wayes of God he chuseth to serve God with all his heart with uprightness and he chuseth it in a fixed resolved manner And though he may be byassed and drawn aside through the weakness and sickness that is left yet behind yet I say he is pitched upon one object therefore he is not said to have the inconstancy of kind he is not instable in his wayes so that though he may be sometimes carried out of his way yet because he hath set himself wholly to serve the Lord we may say that he hath a single heart for grace doth not take away all unevennes The holiest men that have the most grace yet that grace is subject to ebbing and flowing it is sometimes in a greater degree somtimes in a less You see a bowl that is cast out of a mans hand so far as the strength of the man lasts it carries the bowl along to the place which he aims at notwithstanding the bias be at it were contrary so it is here the bias of corruption that is left within us is not quite cut off or taken away but yet the strength of grace with which the soul is first acted it keeps us along and carries us in the wayes of righteousness notwithstanding that biass that is within us that inclines to the contrary Hence it is that sometimes the Saints are carried aside in their wayes with some unevenness but it is the unevenness of degrees I say not the unevenness of kind This I add that as we should exclude those that have no grace notwithstanding they have some good intentions towards God so we must be careful that we discourage not those that have some failing and some expressions of their corruptions yet the bent of their soul is set aright This then is one thing wherein you shall see the evident power of grace when it is in the heart it heales the hereditary diseases of the heart Therefore let every man examine himself by that whether that grace which is in him hath so much power in it as to cure those natural diseases whereunto he is subject Now I say it doth not onely cure the diseases of the soul but it elevates and raiseth common nature to do more then that which otherwise it could do That is herein the power of grace is seen that it makes you able to do that which no man else can do and that which thou thy self couldest never do before As for example for a man to delight in the commandments of God it is more then any natural man in the world can do because delight as we say ariseth from a suitableness in the subject to the object Now unless there be a suitableness between the wayes of God and the heart of a man there cannot possibly be any delight in the
add further that as all grace is from him so in him there is enough grace to be had We all of his fulness receive grace for grace that is we receive the variety of graces that he had grace for grace As the child receives limb for limb or as the wax receives of the seal character for character print for print so we receive the quantity of grace that we have from that fulness that is in him But how is this grace received from Christ We take it not immediately out of the fountain but it is derived to us by certain conduit-pipes therefore take heed of that of expecting to receive grace from Christ without these means Again we must not think that these means will do it without him we must not break off the conduit-pipes from the Well-head as we must not go to the Well-head without them Now the means whereby we receive grace is by the Word and Sacraments we are not born of him by carnal generation as Adam but instead of that generation when we have taken him there is a spiritual relation instead of it in Gods sight and by vertue of that we receive grace and strength from him Therefore if ye would receive more grace increase of grace labour to draw near him and then you drawn near him when your will is brought to a greater degree of willingness to have him for your husband But yet in general we must know that grace is received from Christ as we receive corruption from Adam the old man he doth not more powerfully communicate corruption and sin to us then the new man is powerful to communicate grace and life So that when we are once in Christ as we are in Adam we are sure to have grace from him and then we are in Christ when we have taken him and are matched with him and united to him As a man may be matched to his wife after the match is past in a greater degree of will when there is a greater degree to have such a woman for his wife or a women to have such a man for her husband The will may be wound to a higher degree and peg of willingness Therefore our business is when we come to receive the Sacrament to labour to increase that willingness to labour to add to that resoluâ—ion of taking Christ. Now that is done by a distinct and clear apprehension of Christs willingness to match with us we must know that the gift of righteousnes is freely offered there is nothing required but that we be willing to take it there is nothing required but sincerity on our part Now this false opinion that there is more then that required is that which keeps us asunder Now to bring our hearts nearer to Christ for when we are near him then we receive most grace from him first I say the apprehension of that must be clear Then secondly we must labour to be divorced from all other husbands when the mind is weaned from all earthly things to which they are too much wedded to have those lingrings cut off when we affect riches or pleasures too much or whatsoever the heart is taken up aboâ—t in what measure a man is earthly minded in that measure his heart is disjoyned from Christ. Now the way to bring our hearts nearer is to be divorced from these But when is this love inordinate Then you may know it is inordinate and adulterous love when it is a let of your love to your Husband God gives you leave to take and to use outward comforts you may rejoyce in them he commands you so to do onely this you must take care of that your love to your Husband be not lessened If a man be so busie in his calling and business that he find himself more indisposed to draw near to his Husband the Lord that he is more unfit to pray and to holy conference it is an adulterous occupying of himself about the works of his calling So when he loves his children or friends his sports and recreations whatsoever his mind is occupyed about look how far it lessens his love to God and daunts and hinders and interrupts that in the same measure it is adulterous Therefore if you would draw near to Christ consider how your affections run out for he looks on you with a jealous eye And you must take pains with your hearts to labour to have those lusts mortified you must reason out the mattâ—r with your selves for there is no man that loves any thing inordinately but it ariseth from deceit and there is nothing so good but we must let it go and cleave to Christ and if we cannot do it with ordinary pains we must do more then ordinary There are some lusts as some Devils that will not be cast out without fasting and prayer Now when we loose our hearts from these things that is a means to draw near the Lord. Lastly to add to this consider the need we stand in of Christ and to that add the vertues of our Husband what need we have of him and what benefit we have by him Consider thy need of him thou art in such a case that when thou art out of him thou art subject to an extent and to be laid in prison but when thou hast him for thy Husband thou art under cover But you will say I hope I am past this Thou must know that thou hast continual need of it thou hast need of him every day thou hast need of him to redeem thee from every evil that thou escapest from day to day thou hast need of him to help thee to every comfort thou hast need of him to assist thee to every duty thou performest And withal consider when thou feest thy need for therfore we do not prize Christ because we know him not and we know him not because we know not our selves how impotent and weak we are without him we are able to do nothing without him I say when we have considered what our need is of him then let us consider the vertues of our Husband and the portion we have with him Consider the vertues of our Husband we are all too short in this consider the excellency that is in Christ the beauty that is in him to draw us near to him Thou must look on him as one full of beauty the fairest of ten thousand as we do with men that we converse with if it be a man that hath worth in him that you daily converse with now you see one excellency and then another now one spark appears and then another so learn to know Christ by experience continually And then as we must know him by the description of himself in his Word so to know him by his actions by all his carriage to see what a one he is There is no Husband so kind as he there is no master so bountiful as he there is no friend so loving as he
thee and keeps in thy affections that searcheth thy heart and thine inward intentions that requireth other aims and ends It is another thing to do this it is a very hard thing for a man to cross himself to deny himself Let any man examine himself in those things to which he is strongly enclined when he shall find in himself that he hath such and such opportunities in such and such companies in such and such occasions how hard a thing it is for him now to stick to the rule and to subdue and mortifie his sinful lusts I say the power of godliness doth this And again it doth not suffer you to do holy duties in a customary manner but you do them in another manner you do not onely pray but your prayers will be frequent and fervent And so for hearing your hearing will be in another manner it will be hard and difficult though the form be easie And because it is easie therefore it is that men content themselves onely with a form of Religion but deny the power of it Again Thirdly another cause of it is this Satan resists you not when there is but a form nor the world opposeth against thee when there is but a form For Satan knowes that the form of Godliness alone will never hurt him and therefore he doth not trouble men nor is he busie to withdraw men out of that form by any temptation but now when he comes to a man that sets upon godlinesse indeed there he will not be idle but be ready to betray him every way and will leave no temptation unattempted because he knoweth that the power of godliness plucketh a man out of the power of Satan And as Satan resists not so the world doth not much resist it because it doth not much cross the world for the world will surely resist that which crosseth it By the world I mean the multitude of men the common sort of men I say such as these resist not the form of godliness because it crosseth them not Indeed the power and life of godliness is very cross to the World those that are strict to practise indeed according to their knowledge that have Religion not onely in shew but in truth that walk exactly and precisely according to the Rule these men go a contrary course to the world they go against the crowd and against the stream of the world and therefore the crowd of the world goes against them for the world loves her own now a form of godliness may be notwithstanding a man may be the worlds own but when a man hath the power of godliness he is not the worlds own but he is anothers and therefore is it that men hate and oppose and cry down the power of godliness Hence it is too that men are so discouraged in labouring after the power and that it is so rare among men because the world so opposeth and hates it And not onely so this is not all but the flesh resists it the flesh doth not much resist the form because there is no great contrariety between the form and the flesh therefore you see carnal men Papists c. that know not the power of godliness they will be very exact in all formal performances of duties But now the flesh resisteth the power of godliness it runs with a strong stream against it it fighteth against it So that hence it is you see that the power of godliness is so rare because that the devil the world and the flesh resist the power and they do not so to the form And this is the third cause why the form is so common and the power and life is so rare and seldom found amongst us We will add yet one cause more of this general disease why we have the form without the power that is because in men there is a common light which will go so far as to approve of the formality of Religion but they want so much light as to distinguish of the power and life of Religion to approve that I speak now of a mans own heart not of others There are two things in Religion there is a formality a common care of worshipping God a form of godliness And there is besides this the life and the power that which is called the new creature that which is called regeneration that which is called the change of the heart Now a man that hath the common light that is not yet sanctified he can go so far as to approve the first to say it is good in me and it is good in others it is fit that God should be worshipped something should be done A man hath as much light as the moral Law and as a common illumination can afford him And therefore we see men that are not yet regenerate that are not acquainted with the life of Religion they can approve of moral honesty of just dealing between man and man of a common care of serving of God which indeed is good and excellent onely we find fault with this that there is no more if there be no more it is but a form Now I say the common light which every man hath will go so far as to approve this But come now to the life and power there is required a sanctified light a peculiar light which is given but to few no man hath it till he be regenerate and born again till God hath put it into him by his holy Spirit Now because this light is rare it is but thin sown hence it is that there are but few that find out the beauty and excellency of the power of godliness but rather dislike it and disapprove it because they have not light enough to see it But the common light is frequent and ordinary and hence it is that the form of godliness is common whereas the life and power is rare And you may add this to it that is the reason why men are so shie of it every man wonders at it as things that are rare every man wonders at them as we do at new fashions as men gaze at new Stars and Comets The form because it is common it is therefore approved it passeth amongst men without wondring but the other is rare and seldom found and therefore it is gazed at and wondred at and pointed at But though this be common among men and brings men but to the form of godliness yet the Lord requires the power of godliness it is not the form alone that God regards And what need we add any reason for this you know men regard not complements and shews they look to reallities Therefore we will rather hasten to make some use of it If this be so that the form of godliness is so common without the power let every man look the more carefully to it that it be not his case In epidemical diseases that run over a people or a City or a Country if a man have but the beginning of
we find it is powerful whereas the form is weak and powerless and inefficatious having a form of godliness saith the Apostle but denying the power So that if you would know whether it be right godliness indeed that you have consider whether it have the power of godliness or no whether it be strong in you for if it be weak and inefficatious that it is able to do little certainly it is not godliness And therefore you may know it by the strength of it it is powerful As you may see by all that which makes up godliness The Word of God is a powerful Word that Word that begets this godliness Therefore the Apostle saith 1 Thess. 1. 5. The Gospel came to you not in word but in power And St. Paul speaking of it in another place he saith It is the power of God to salvation I say it is a powerful Word that doth the thing for which it is sent It hath such a power to heal the soul of a man that is sick to death As we say of Medicines that they are good when they are powerful to do the thing that they are applied for So this Word is powerful to work this change to beget godliness So the Holy Ghost is a spirit of power and therefore Act. 10. 38. It is said that Iesus Christ was anointed with the Holy Ghost and with power That is wheresoever the Holy Ghost is there is much power accompanying of it therefore you have them commonly put together the Holy Ghost and Power Till you be indued with power from on high that is till you receive the Holy Ghost that shall make you powerful Even so certainly it is that as the Word and the Holy Ghost which make up godliness in the hearts of men are powerful and mighty so is godliness it self very powerful You will say powerful in doing what It is powerfull in bringing all into subjection to it it brings every thought and every lust and every unruly affection into subjection It is as a powerful Kingdom set up in the heart of a man for there is a Kingdom of Christ which is set up in the heart of the regenerate and he rules by his Scepter the rod of his mouth his word and that Kingdom is powerful to bring all into subjection As it is 1 Cor. 4. 19. 20. The Kingdom of God is not in word but in power That is the Kingdom of God whereever it is found whereever it is set up in a mans heart that is regenerate it not onely teacheth him what he shall do consisting in word but it powerfully ruleth there it brings all into subjection there it makes a man strong to bring down all his lusts to mortifie all his corruptions That as we say of a good rider he is powerful to master and to break the horse he is powerful to guid and to over-rule him Such a thing is godliness in a mans heart Let a mans heart be never so rebellions yet when this Kingdom comes it is a Kingdom of power it brings all into subjection So again it is powerful in enabling us to perform not onely to purpose and intend well but it enableth us to do also it doth not only breed in us good conceptions as oft-times men have but when the children come to the birth there is no power to bring forth So many times men have good purposes and desires but there is no power to bring them into execution But now this godliness enableth us to do to perform all that we purpose Again it enableth us to resist When a temptation cometh a weak man is not able to stand out the bankes are too weak for the stream they are not able to resist the billowes the tempest but godliness makes a man powerful to do all this The form is but weak it makes you able to desire or to purpose and resolve it may be but it doth not bring the thing to act it doth not overcome and overmaster your unruly lusts it brings not all things into subjection It enableth you to take good purposes to your selves but you have not ability to perform those good purposes They are in a weak heart like new wine in old vessels they are weak they last not they continue not there So it is where there is this form onely and no more men purpose well but have no strength to bring them forth And so again where there is but a form you are weak in resistance you are not able to stand out against temptations but when you are assaulted with sutable temptations agreeing with your own lusts when the occasion is present and the temptation is strong you are able to do nothing by way of resistance when there is but a form But where there is true godliness there is a power and ability You see these two things then It is true and not counterfeit whereas the form is counterfeit Secondly where there is godliness indeed there is a power but where there is a form onely there is weakness and no power I will but name the rest Thirdly Where there is true godliness there is substance where the other is onely there is but a shaddow of it You will say what is the substance The substance is that reality in every duty As for example to receive the Sacrament to receive it after a common fashion as men do it that come to it out of custom with some kind of slight and overly preparation but they fail in the substance the substance of receiving is to receive it with faith and love And so again to hear the word to hear it negligently in a common fashion is but the shaddow of hearing there is something like to hearing which carrieth a resemblance of it but the substance of hearing is to hear so as to practise to hear and obey to hear so that the word may work powerfully upon your hearts this is the reality and substance of it And so to pray in a customary manner is the shaddow to do it in an humble and holy fashion is the substance and reality Godliness if it be right it is substantial It is not a meer shaddow and resemblance But I can but point at things Again Fourthly Godliness wheresover it is indeed it goes through with the work it brings the thing to pass but where there is onely a form it sits down in the middle it gives over it holds not out Fifthly And lastly to conclude all the form is but partial but true godlines is total and universal it makes a man do every thing it makes a man able to suffer every thing Where there is but the form onely it makes a man but partial in the duties of godliness he is but here and there in it These things I should have enlarged but so much shall serve for this time and for this Text. A PATTERN OF Wholesome Words OR Pauls Charge to Timothy IN A Treatise on 2 Tim.
For in many things we sin all but the course of life contrary to the profession as some flashes of goodness make not a good man so some slips make not an evil man therefore in thus speaking they speak against Christians It is not to be expected that Religion should be spoken against under the name of Religion For if the Devil could speak against it he would not speak against it under the name of Religion but Hypocrisie when therefore these words are so general and he that speakes them knowes they will not be so taken it is a sign that Religigion is spoken against under the name of hypocrisie and religious men under the name of Hâ—pocrites They say they speak against the shewes cannot men be religious say they in secret but they must hang out flags of it and be so much in appearing Where the truth of Religion is there will be showes painted Religion and painted fire cannot heat break â—orth or ascend but if it be true fire or true Religion it will break forth and shew it self as they say in the Spanish proverb three things cannot be kept in fire love and a mans cough so I may add grace as a fourth As there cannot be a candle in a Lanthorn but it may be seen through the horn so there cannot be true grace but there will be shewes so that shewes cannot be separated from Religion which is true no more then light from the Sun or heat from the fire Shews are commanded as well as substance for as the Glory of a King is in the multitude of his Souldiers so the Glory of Christ is in them that profess his Name we are commanded as well to confess in mouth as to believe in heart What need speaking against shewes in these blasting times which have nipt them in the head when all that can be said is not enough to keep men from denying of Christ. They say although they know not what to call it yet they love religion and religious men therefore they mean not them and they think it much uncharitableness to be so judged of Many while they thus speak that they conceive it not to be religion that they speak against I may say of them as Peter said of them that crucified Christ they did it of ignorance for had they known that they would not have crucified the Lord of life so if they knew it were religion they spake against they would not speak thus But it is their misery that they know it not and it is but a little excuse to say I was a blasphemer saith Paul but I did it out of Ignorance and zeal so Christ saith the Jews knew not what they did and yet his blood shall be required of them Yea it is upon them as we see at this day and Iude saith they spake evil of the things they knew not and yet their sentence is they shall be reserved to the blackness of darkness So though they know not that it is religion that they speak against yet they are persecutors and God accounts them so Saul heard a voice saying Saul Saul why persecutest thou me when he himself thought he had done well And if they say Lord we know it not I will answer them that in as much as they did it to these they did it to me In other cases there is a difference and some plead for ignorance as if a man kill another man in stead of a stag he is no murtherer but if a man strike at Religion with his tongue though he knew it not he is a blasphemer because he is bound to know for if a man be brought up among hereticks he is an heretick because he is bound to the contrary Let these therefore that have used these speeches kick no more against pricks least they bring that curse on them which was on them that brought an ill report upon the holy-land viz. that they should not enter into it The second use is for hearers that they have a part in this exhortation as well as Ministers as they must deliver nothing but that which is wholesome so they must receive none else and there are two duties for them First As the Minister must not mingle any thing in his preaching but that which is sound so hearers must be careful not onely that they do not here gross points of heresie but if there be any tincture of error in the points they hear they must not maintain them As one that hath an Antipathy with a thing as with a serpent will not onely be affraid of it whilest it is alive but he is loth to handle the skin of it though it be stuft with hay So hearers should be afraid of the tincture of the skin of heresie A man cannot be too curicus of infectious things for as he will not come into the house where they are so he will not touch the cloth of those that have them For we ought to hate the garment spotted with the flesh First Hearers must be rightly disposed to receive that which is wholesome and therefore three duties in scripture are commanded to hearers 1. To be able to discern that which is wholesome that which is not 1 Thes. 5. 21. prove all things 1 Ioh. 4. 1. try the spirits that is get spiritual tasts whereby you may judge of it for as the pallat or the taste diserns corporal food so there is a faculty in every regenerate soul for this end that it may discern betwixt that meat which is wholesome and that which is not As a natural mans taste is a signe of natural life so a spiritual taste is a signe of a spiritual life and it is certain that they whose pallats are not vitiated with corrupt humors can judge of their meat Rom. 12. 2 be transformed in the renewing of your mindes to try as a Toutch-stone doth the silver what is the acceptable will of God from that which is not And they that finde not this taste in them either they have no spiritual life or else their pallats are vitiated with corrupt humors If therefore we want this discerning taste we must labour to get it if we be sick and our pallats do corrupt we must labour convalescere to wax whole that so we may judge a right For as the best hearers love the purest word so the hearers whose hearts are full of corruption love the froth of eloquence Secondly To desire that which is good 1 Pet. 2. 2. As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word As if he should have said there are no babes but they will desire the dugge Perhaps you may keep them quiet with apples a while but they will cry for it at length And if you have once tasted of the sweetness of the Word you will desire it when you have found out what meat is nourishing then desire it that is chuse the savourest meat read the books that are must
profitable delight in them above others and if we were truly thirsty and hungry we would do so A thirsty man stands not to look at the carving of the cup but drinks off the wine and a hungry man had rather have a good meals meat then hear a whole noise of musicians and he will not stand commending but he will fall to his meat though this be too little practised for many when the Word is delivered finde no relish in it but are ready to complain of the plainness and simplicity of the spirit which to do is to do as children that bites the nipples of the teats that gives the sweetest milk And this secondly shews their vanity for when they meet with a Sermon partly good partly not wherein Heterogenies are mixed for otherwise I know not how better to call them this is sure to go into their table books I mean not sound and wholesome points but pretty sayings and frothy matters and these are not unfitly compared to our sileing bowls that let all the milk run through but retain the hairs and that which is nought that sticks in them for how choise soever their eloquence is it is but as hairs in that case although they be flowers in an oration yet are they but weeds in a Sermon Thirdly To hold that which is good to retain and keep it in memory 1 Thess. 5. 21. The Greek word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is hold it fast let it stay in your affections comprehend it when you have heard it keep it let it not slip away but practise it and this is to hold it Now this is done by recalling and by repeating the Word after it is delivered This is commended in Mary that shee laid up the Word in her heart she laid it as one that layes a thing up to have it to use against another time Why is this Word recorded if not to be imitated suppose they were the words of Angels are not Ministers the Angels of God So it is said that the Holy Ghost brought to the disciples mindes all the things that he had told them Now the Holy Ghost would do no unnecessary thing and doth not Christ speak as well to us as he did to them onely with this difference to them he spake immediately but to us by his Ministers What other was the fault of the first ground the seed lay on a while whilest the â—ower was by but after it was stollen away by the Devil because it was not repeated and wrought in the memory so when a Sâ—rmon is done if it be soon forgot as we have a natural proneness thereunto the Devil hath a hand in it and this hath brought Gods Judgements on many therefore take heed saith our Saviour how you hear Luke 8. 18 when Christ delivered any thing in publick the Disciples repeated it in private and came to Christ and asked him of such things they doubted of Act. 17. 11. The men of Berea searcheth the Scriptures whether these things were so which they had heard which they could not do without repeating Where there is a double duty performed First they did repeat it Secondly they tryed it To make this evident consider these four things First not repeating the Word of God after it is preached doth quench the spirit and that is sin 1 Thess. 5 24. Now it is quenched thus In the time of preaching for that is the time when the Holy Ghost breaths into our hearts as he did into Cornelius when he stirs up motions and we let them die and recall them not we quench and grieve the spirit for then it is a mercy of God to trouble us the time of healing being nigh if he step in as it was in the pool of Bethesda while the heart is soft therefore put in the plough and join with God for we must not be like those that are Sea-sick while they are on the Sea they are troubled but as soon as they get to shore out of the Church door they are well enough If God at any time breaths his Word into us we must do as Mariners do who because they have not winde at their call when it doth blow they hoise up sail and go on their Journey the Word and Spirit blow when it listeth therefore we must take opportunity to set our souls in the way of Heaven to recall the motions which have been stirred up in the inner Chamber of our hearts and to make use of them lest by often neglecting them the Spirit grow wearie and cease to strive any more It is despising of prophesie which is a pearl Mat. 7. 6. Christ will not have him admonished that before contemptuously refused it because he will have no pearls be cast before swine If admonitions be pearls then much more instructions if a private admonition be a pearl then sure publick instructions Now that is despising of prophesie which is made plain thus Suppose a man give another a pearl while the giver is by he looks on it and beholds the beauty of it but when he is gone he casts it away and trampleth it under his feet So it is if while the Word is delivering we attend to it and when Sermon is done reject it and look no more on it but cast it away is not this a despising of prophesie It is food of the soul and therefore not to recal it is as it were children to take meat of their parents hands and perhaps taste of it but after cast it away or it is as if sheep should tread their fodder under their feet So it is when the Word is delivered for it is the food of the soul to receive it and after to cast it away It will not profit us except it be remembred and hid in our hearts we shall get no good by it meat though it be eaten yet if it stay not with us it will not nourish us unless therefore we labour to gather something from it and retain it it will not breed succum sanguinem nourishment in us as it ought But this is much neglected of among men for as many go into Gardens some to see the variety of flowers some to smell of them but onely it is the Bee that fastens on them and gets Honey out of them So many come to Church some to see what variety the Minister hath some get sweetness for the time but onely they that do insidere notare lay them up and minde them get profit by them See this in other things let a man hear a Philosophy Lecture or Logick never so long if he recals not what he hears it will be long enough ere he be an Artist and are not Gods Ordinances much more to be respected Not respecting of it takes Gods name in vain and the Judgement of it is fearful viz. He will not hold him guiltless And that which is a taking of Gods Name in vain is plain thus The
creatures are made known by many things that are not their names as by qualities and accidents but whatsoever God is made known by is his Name therefore to abuse his creatures oâ— the works of his mercy since he is made known by them is a taking of his Name in vain and these that do so God will not hold them guiltless if not those that take his Name in vain in other things much less in this therefore the Word is like Ionathans Bow it never returns home empty it is like the Sun that softens wax but hardens clay so that if the Word light on a muddy heart it makes it worse if on good it softens it and makes it better There is not a Sermon which is heard but it sets us nearer Heaven or Hell On the contrary not repeating is the cause that many are alwayes learning but never come to the knowledge of the Truth Suppose all that is delivered be not profitable mind that which is and know there is a necessity laid on these If a man be convinced of the truth let him take heed how he omits it for if he do he shall be beaten with many stripes because sinne grows out of measure sinful If whatsoever be delivered be meat to nourish Physick to heal then we must learn to esteem it much What is the reason that men account of the Phylosophers Stone so much if it could be got Why do men labour all their lives for it and spend their Estate to get it when they see so many before them to have lost their labours It is true it heals all the diseases of the body but this heals all the diseases of the soul and this may be attained the other cannot Let us therefore as Salomon bids us buy the truth that is beat any pains for it lose outward contentments for it and when we have got it sell it not for pleasure idleness or things that will not profit us and this we would do if we were as sensible of spiritual diseases as of bodily for then we would turn the Word over and over and find plaisters for our sores If a man be troubled with the Stone or Gout whither will he not go and what will he not give for remedy so if a man have but the least grain of grace in him he shall find spiritual diseases as sore as temporal If we did see our diseases we would to the Word and get them healed we would gather reasons and apply them in particular 1 Suppose a man have a disease like a Feaver an inflamation of lust see what reasons the Word hath against it and apply them in particular First if they take their pleasure they shall lose their profit in God for an hours pleasure eternity of pain This consideration caused Iob to make a Covenant with his eyes not to look on a maid Secondly consider what great punishments are to the works of sin and iniquity Iob 31. 3. strange sins have strange punishments Thirdly sweet sins have bitter punishments this sin of lust or any other pleasing sin is sweet therefore the punishment must be bitter as sweet as honey at first but as bitter as gall after as soft as oyle but as sharp as a raisor Fourthly it is an irrecoverable disease they that go into it return not again neither take hold of the wayes of life that is ordinarily they do not Make a plaister of these reasons and apply them and they will heal 2. Suppose a man hath a swelling of pride see what the Scripture saith of it First God resists the proud he sets himself against him think then that God is thy enemy the mighty God that doth what he will in Heaven and Earth Secondly God sends the proud empty away he may fill him with honour and things that may do him more hurt but he sends them away empty of good things Thirdly God knows him afar off Fourthly it brings destruction when a wall swells it is nearer breaking so when the heart is puâ—t up it is nearer destruction apply these reasons and they will prick the bladder of pride and make it flat and will bring down the pride of the heart Suppose a man hath a Paralysis or a Palsie of anger that a man would be quiet and cannot Consider first Anger rests in the bosom of fools all anger comes of folly else when a mans anger is over why doth he repent him of what he hath done Secondly it comes from pride cure pride and heal anger Thirdly it is a shame to be angry for a fool is known by his anger but a wise man covers his shame It is a shame to be drunk so to be angry for anger distempers the soul as drunkards doth the body for all these are as drunkenness and the actions that proceed from them as vomits Suppose a man hath a leturgy of idleness consider first it brings beggery secondly it makes our Sacrifices dead our prayers cadaverosa sacrificia carcases of sacrifices and have neither life nor soul in them as the carcase hath the lineaments of the body but wanting soul none delight in it so prayers have the lineaments of a dury but wanting life God abhors them Apply this medicine and it will quicken us and make us shake off this disease Suppose a man hath a humor of vain glory see what the Scripture saith of it First he hath his reward his applause is the reward and he shall have no other And will it not be a terrible thing when a man hath performed a duty and hath applause of men and no more for God to say to him thou hast thy reward Secondly it is an empty thing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like a bubble with a mans breath it is soon broken Suppose he hath a plurisie of security consider first I Prov. 32. ease slayeth fooles it s an ordinary thing whereby fooles forget God Secondly it brings sudden destruction as a plurisie brings present death if a man be not let blood Esa. 47. 11. Evil comes and he knowes not the cause of it mischief falls on him and he knowes not how to put it off desolation comes suddenly and he knowes it not labor therefore to be let blood speedily Lastly suppose a man have an unfavoury breath of evil speeches First pray with David Psal. 141. 3. Set a watch O Lord before my mouth and keep the door of my lips Secondly as unsavoury breath comes from unsound lungs So evil speeches come from an unsound heart therefore preserve good things in thy heart and the speeches that come from it will be good For out of the aboundance of the heart the mouth speaketh What goods are in the work-house are brought in the Shop Let therefore this plaister be laid to the sore and abide there for so it must si morbus sit contumax if the disease be violent As the word healeth those that be sick so it nourisheth and strengtheneth babâ—s and
and that is done by delivering the signs of the vice we reprove In diseases we see not the Radices but the Symptomes of it so we see not sin in the heart but in the practice Therefore signs are good 4. Let reproof be renewed not naked as it is drawn from the Text but with other reasons to make us afraid of committing it as from the danger the consequents the effects and Gods judgements on such sins and here if speeches be edged with Rhetorick to make a division between the marrow and the bones it shall be fitly done 5. The secret reasons must be answered that keep men in the practice of sin for if there be but one objection unanswered the reproof will not fasten on them for no man sinneth but by false reasons therefore they are called deceitful lusts and this is required 2 Cor. 10. 4. The weapons of our warfare are spiritual casting down imaginations the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 6. Let such medicable rules be prescribed as may keep men from it 4. In exhortation to some vertue or to the performance of some duty this is absolved in five degrees 1. Let the vertue exhorted be commended to the people and set forth in the beauty of it that so they may be stirred up to love and like it 2. Let it be shewed how defective men are in practise of it for men are as ready to arrogate in that as to derogate in other things to think they have it when they have it not And this is done two ways First by bringing down that duty to particulars more motes are seen in a little of the Sun-shine then in the whole shade Secondly by describing the particular speeches and actions of men shewing the difference between them and this discovereth the disagreement in the minds of men 3. Let exhortations be renewed not simply but with motives to stir up to embrace the vertues and to this it is needful that we use a cloud of arguments let the speech be framed with such figures as becomes it So that First it be with gravity secondly with concealing of art 4. Let the false reasons be shewed that keep us from embracing of it for either we think the practice of it brings into danger or difficulty therefore let these be done away 5. Shew them the way the means how they may go on as if it be demanded what ground of Scripture for this I answer for interpreting and dividing the Word we have precepts the working of it is from example only let these cautions be added First In all points this kind of handling is not to be used for sometime Explications Reasons or Consectary may be omitted as occasion serve these transitions are not alwayes manifested but so the right rule be known we may put them together as it seem good I should have added several other directions but I must defer them till another time AN ANTIDOTE AGAINST HEART-FEARS JOHN 14. 1. Let not your hearts be troubled THe point that we delivered out of these words was this That It is the will and advice of Christ our Lord and Master that our hearts should be established and not be troubled in the day of fear Now after we had delivered the reasons of this point we came then to set down some means how we might be capable of this advice and instruction that our Lord and Saviour perswades us unto Some of the means I have already opened unto you four we handled in the fore-noon The first was to set our selves another task another employment and so divert our thoughts and affections from fears about these outward things This point we opened at large and shewed what effect it took in the case of Saint Paul and other Christians Heb. 10. In Abraeham and his family in removing out of the Land where he had possessions being he was mindful of another possession in Heaven and regarding not the possessions he left Again a second means we delivered was this to get a clear light to burn by us that so we be not mistaken in the apprehension of things for this ground was here delivered that nothing works upon the heart and affections of a man according to the truth of it but evermore according to the apprehension Indeed if the apprehension be joyned with truth then it works according to the truth of it or else the apprehension stirs up the affections As in that example Mark 6. 49. The disciples were troubled when they saw Christ himself supposing that he had been a spirit A third means that we delivered and opened at large in the fore-noon was to take heed of promising our selves great matters from the things of this world for this is a truth when a mans hopes lift him up to Heaven if he be disappointed of this home he is thrown down to Hell Therefore we should use the things of the world as if we used them not according to Saint Pauls exhortation then when a man useth them as if he used them not he will be as if he had them not Other things I added for the opening of this point Fourthly The last thing that I touched in the fore-noon it was this to labour to be humbled labour I say to be humbled under the hand of God for as it is said a froward proud heart finds nothing good nothing that it is contented with but it will pick quarrels with God measure out what portion he will So on the contrary a spirit that is truly humbled finds nothing but that which is good Whatsoever God affords a man that is truly humbled he takes it for a great savour and mercy I opened that place Isay. 49. the Lord saith the pastures of his people should be in the High wayes and on the tops of the Mountains There is the poorest feeding of all the grass is the shortest there is nothing to be gotten yet sheep will live and do well with such feeding where the fat oxen would be starved so a poor and mean Saint will pick a contented life where a proud heart gets nothing but vexation and trouble We proceed to a fifth means for there are three more The fifth means we must add which ought to take place before any other and that is it which the Apostle speaks of Ephes. 6 10. be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might What is that that is account and esteem the power of the Lord as your own Now if a man had so much strength and power of his own as the Lord hath he would make no question that any man should be able to encounter with him or any trouble or temptation in the world Now if we were perswaded that the power and strength that God hath were ours that he would be ready to put it out for our comfort and deliverance that would stablish our hearts as David saith be strong and he shall stablish your hearts be
his power no question to strike dumb the swearer as soon as the blasphemy is out of his mouth and to strike the Adulterer yet these are wrapt up in silence they hear no news from heaven of anger What is the reason of this because God hath made a day of great assize a more honourable day and he hath reserved this honor for that day to make that a notable day as the Scripture calls it Secondly I answer to the last objection and that is more pertinent and comfortable to the heart when we question how we shall do in the mean time till deliverance be sent if we be put upon hard service and tryals I answer it is a most usual and common thing in the providence of God and the dispensation of his goodness to his Church when men are at the lowest ebbe in the world and outwardly then he makes a more plentiful supply of the inward comforts and consolations of his spirit Mark and remember for now it is not a thing thaty ou must look to find till there be occasion A man cannot know whether this be true or no till he have experience that the world leave him when he hath little comfort in the world then he shall find the truth of this You heard that place opened at large in the forenoon 2 Cor. 5. 16. though our outward man perish our inward man is renewed day by day He saith not there after our outward man is perished when God hath pulled down the old building he will build a new house no but in the while he takes the ruins a pieces the timber of the outward man and builds a new house he makes it up in other comforts so in 2 Cor. 1. 3. 4. blessed be God the father of Christ c. Who comforteth us in all our tribulations he saith not that comforteth us after tribulation but in the time of tribulation so in 2 Cor. 11. When I am weak then I am strong This sounds as a riddle that is when I am full of infirmities when I am compassed with heavy dangers I am at the best pass and strongest in the inward man So David Psalm 94. 14. he saith there in the midest of my sorrowes and troubles thy comforts refreshed my soul. David stayed not till his sorrow was past but then when his troubles were about him the Lords hand was to comfort him And so diverse other places you shall find to the like purpose Now if you look you shall find examples of this When had Abraham the father of the faithful those frequent apparitions and revelations from God was it not after he had left his countrey When he was in his own land among his possessions there was nothing but silence but after he was abroad the Lord appeared to him from time to time And so in one place after this As long as Lot was with him to comfort him there is no mention that the Lord revealed himself to him but that is the particular expression Gen. 18. 6. Then saith he after Lot was departed from him the Lord came to Abraham and fell a talking with him and renewed that great promise that in him all the Nations of the world should be blessed So Iacob in his journey when a man would have thought he had had the hardest nights lodging that ever he had since he was man upon the earth when he had nothing but heaven for his Canopy and a hard stone for his pillow he had the most glorious and blessed vision of the ladder that had the top of it in heaven and the foot on earth So Hagar she never had an Angel to comfort her till she wept by the well and was cast out of her mistresses house And so in the story of Ioseph we shall not finde it expresly said that God was with him till he was in prison and there you shall find these very words Not to name all passages to this purpose in Dan. 3. Those three children as they are called they never had the familiar presence of the fourtâ— man till they were cast into the furnace They might have gone long enough and served God and faithfully too and yet never have had that interview that presence in a visible manner of the Sonne of God standing by them if they had not been cast into the furnace So Christ himself till he sweat drops of blood we read not of Angels sent from Heaven but then they were present to comfort him Luke 23. 43. And so in the history of the Acts we shall find still the Apostles when they were brought to any danger any trouble any imprisonment or the like evermore there were messengers sent from Heaven to them So we may assure our selves out of all these promises and experiences of the Saints of God that then we are likeliest to have the quickest commerce and the clearest interview between Heaven and us we are like to hear oftest from Heaven and have more plenty of comforts from God when we are deepest in trouble when we are plunged in troubles in the World then the Lord reacheth most plenty of joy from Heaven Therefore as Christ saith Iohn 16. concerning his presence with his Disciples It is expedient that I go the Comforter cannot come else but if I go I will send him to you So I say it is true it is expedient for us that God depart from us in outward things for till he leave us in these the comforts of the Holy Ghost come not so purely to us I say there is need that they should leave us that we may have those comforts This is the sixth means for us to assure our selves and know this with Saint Paul that all things shall work for the best There is onely one more remains that is that which must go along with all the rest Prayer You know there is a large Charter granted to prayer but besides that general oue Whatsoever we ask according to his will we shall receive there are special particular promises in this case that if any man be driven to a strait and necessity if he send this messenger into the presence of God he shall have a guard sent down presently to him Look in that place Phil. 4. 6. In nothing be careful saitâ— the Apostle but let your prayers and requests be made known to the Lord. And what follows The peace of God which passeth understanding shall keep your hearts and mindes in the Love of God through Christ Iesus As if he should say do but this if you be in any extremity or distress trouble not your selves and your thoughts about it but this is your course your onely wisdom is let your requests be made known to God with thanksgiving I told you before we must give thanks whatsoever the case was because light is working out for us as David saith Light is sown for the righteous therefore a man hath cause to thank God
as well when he sowes as when he reaps therefore the work must begin with thanksgiving and then assure your selves that the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and mindes through Christ Iesus The word in the Original is properly a warlike guard that saveth from the assault of an enemy Implying that if we make our case known to God and be thankful then he will send such a safe guard such a garison of peace about your souls that you shall enjoy your selves and think your selves in a happy condition Now because we are apt to enquire but in what manner how shall we finde our selves in such a case What constitution of soul shall we have Saith Saint Paul this is more then I can tell you it is a peace which passeth understanding I cannot explain it and tell you that what manner of peace it is but this you shall have this is the operation the nature and benefit of it that it will guard your hearts through Christ that peace that comes first from Jesus Christ shall keep your hearts and minds from being troubled So our Saviour layes the same ground in another place Iohn 14. 27. My peace I leave you my peace I give unto you not as the World gives so give I Let not your hearts be troubled As if he should say I leave you that which will preserve your souls in peace peace of conscience assurance of the favour of God therefore since you have that means to keep you and save you never let your hearts be troubled In one place Christ speaketh thus to Peter saith he Thinkest thou not that I can pray to my Father and he will send me more then twelve Legions of Angels but how then should the Scripture be fulfilled So I say on the contrary think you if you pray to your Father in Heaven that he will not send this peace to guard your souls how should the Scripture else be fulfilled For there is one and the same authority of Scripture that if none for Christs sake shall be frustrate or falsefied much more if there were any difference is it true of every particular promise of grace and mercy made to those that belong to God So now you have the seventh and last means whereby to establish and strengthen our hearts in the day of fear But now happily you will object and say It is true these things that you deliver may be good and to purpose but alas I find little strength in my heart I am the same man I was I find no great courage or resolution wrought in me To this I answer First my brethren you must first gather sticks and make a fire before you can warm your selves you must first gather these and the like savoury meditations out of the Word of God before you can find the strength and vertue of them upon your souls and consciences It is an old report concerning the Phenix it is no matter for the truth of it it concerns us not when it is about to die she gathers in Arabia plenty of spices that are odouri erous Calamus and the like and the Sun sets fire on them and the bird burns her self to ashes in the midst of the perfume so my brethren if in the dayes of peace and health we gather sweet meditations and considerations out of the Word of God we shall find in the day of need the Holy Ghost will come and set all on fire as it were and so whensoever you offer your sacrifice to God whether it be your life or estate or whatsoever it will not onely be a savour of a sweet smell in the nostrils of God but in your own souls you will find it a sweet and comfortable thing to offer up your sacrifice in the midst of those strong and sweet perfumes Again whereas you say you have not that great strength of spirit wrought in you It is no great matter for the present the Lord doth not call you to these troubles he puts you not upon that service You must know that such things as these that strengthen the spirit God gives them not to boast of If a man had them now what would he do he would boast of them such excellent gifts as these are not for this purpose but for our use and Gods glory We must look for this to be done in the day of necessity when we have need of it Then we shall be just in the case of Sampson Iudg. 16. after his hair was cut off the Lord departed from him and he was as another man yet when the Lord had another piece of business for him at that time the Lord restored his strength and so he pulled the beams and supports and pillars of the house upon the Philistines heads So the Apostles of our Lord and Saviour Mat. 10. It is said In that very hour when you are brought before Rulers be not careful what you shall answer for in that hour it shall be given you Now if a man had come before that hour and time surely the Apostles had been but like other men they could have said no more for themselves they could no more have convinced their adversaries c. but the Lord promised to give it in that hour So brethren this is a ground of comfort God will work strength in that hour in the time of affliction the Lord sees we may do him service in that day and therefore he will make us strong But still you will reply you are sure it is not so with you you have found experience of the contrary you have had far less tryals and afflictions then happily may befall you or are like to befall you and you have found your selves much distempered You will say I was not able to run with the foot-men how shall I hold out with the horse To this I answer divers things First it may be a mans strength may increase more afterwards then iâ— was at the first then the same burden is not the same when there is a disproportion of strength and enabling to bear it As Abraham Gen. 12. you shall find that he was another manner of man then he was Gen. 22. for when the tryall was but little he began to falter when he went into Egypt but when he came to offer Isaac he was couragious and stuck close to God Again secondly I answer there may be another reason why there may be a less affliction and it may be born with much impatience when a great and heavy one may be born with more patience and more comfort The reason hereof is this because when a man hath but one particular loss when a man hath but a light cross this serves onely to provoke and stir up corruption in him and then a man as it were is armed against God then he is ready to fight against him but now if the temptation or tryal be a sore
in the right way and a good man may sometimes miss the the right way and go out of it therefore you must observe what your constant course is For the constant course of a mans life ariseth from the inward root and bent of his disposition and look what the inward bent of his disposition is in that he will be constant Sometimes he may do the contrary yet he will return again As you see waters that are naturally sweet if brackish waters break in to them they grow salt indeed yet if the nature of that water be sweet it will work out that brackishness and return to its former sweetness So here let a mans disposition be good let his heart be regenerate let him be renewed in the spirit of his mind though sin break into him yet he purgeth it out he cleanseth himself from it though sometimes he be stopped in a good course yet he breakes over this damme and falls to his former course that is to those holy wayes that he was wont to walk in So it is on the other side take but an evil man whose course is to do evil though he may be stopped sometimes and may have some good purposes and desires yet his heart works them out and he returns to his old byass And therefore you muâ—…try your selves by your constant course Take a swine put him into a clean medow he keeps himself clean but let him come into a durty lane and he will wallow in the myre and if you wash him again yet if he come near such a puddle again he will do the like and why because his swinish nature is not washed and so long as his nature remains his constant course will be suitable So it is with the unregenerate man when his nature is not changed his constant course will be evil God may sometimes hedg a man in and when a man is put into a way where there is a hedg on either side so long as that lane lasts he must keep on but if he be at liberty when he is at the end of that lane he turns aside So I say God oft times hedgeth in the wayes of men So he hedged in Ioash so long as Iehoiada lived it is said he did that which was upright in the sight of the Lord but after when this hedge was taken away when he died he fell to Idolatry So much for this time SELF-SEEKING Opposite to CHRISTS INTEREST PHILIP 2. 21. For all men seek their own and not the things that are Iesus Christs THe occasion of these words you shall see in the two verses going before them The The Apostle tells the Philippians to whom he wrote that he would send Timothy to them which saith he will be much for your advantage and he gives them this reason of it for saith he in the words before he will be very diligent to do you any good to take care of your matters which he sets out comparatively saith he I have no man like minded who will naturally or faithfully take care to your things Now he gives a reason why he saith he had no man like minded to Timothy that would faithfully and naturally take care for their matters for saith he this is the condition of men this I have found by experience every man seekes his own things and not the things of Iesus Christ. So you see these words containe a complaint of that common condition that common frailty that generall desease and corruption to which all men are subject every man is apt to seek his owne things every man is apt to it and for the most part doth it he seekes his own things and not the things which are Jesus Christs The words are so plain that I need not to analyse or open them or stand long upon the exposition These three things you shall see may very easily be observed out of them First Whereas the Apostle complaines of it as a great fault and a sin that men seek their own things and not the things of Jesus Christ one conclusion hence then is that It is every mans duty or every man ought to seek the things of Iesus Christ and not his own This you know must needs be a conclusion arising from hence for if it be the complaint of the Apostle of the corruption that is in men in this kind then by the contrary rule it must be every mans duty to seek the things of Jesus Christ. Secondly Though this be the duty of every man yet when we look to the execution and performance of this duty every man is ready to do the contrary every man seeks his own things and because every man doth the contrary therefore the duty is the more precious When a man denies himself because there are so few that deny themselves that makes self denial to be the more regarded and esteemed God makes the more account of it for he hath no need of such men as will not deny themselves and seek the things of Jesus Christ. There is scarce any man but seeks his own things therfore you need not wonder why all the world is ready to go in a wrong way a man in this business hath so few to keep him company It is a thing that alway hath been every man is apt to seek his own things Therefore let not a man be discouraged with it it is no more then hath been it is no more then you are 〈◊〉 look for for the most seek themselves and their own things Those that will seek the things of Jesus Christ the world accounts them busie-bodies because they are occupied about things that the world likes not of it hath been the custom of all times to seek their own things and it is in every mans nature thus to do he that doth best and doth deny himself yet he hath the same nature with the rest so then that is the second observation that every man doth it he seeks his own things And lastly from this opposition every man seekes his owne things and not the things of Jesus Christ there is this third conclusion that for the most part our owne things and the things that tend to Jesus Christ and his advantage they are contrary and opposite one to the other for our natures are contrary there is an enmity between Christ and us that which we do for Christ must needs be contrary to our selves that which is for the advantage of Christ for the most part is for our disadvantage And the reason is I say because of the contrariety between our natures and the nature of Jesus Christ and his wayes Now we will begin with the first that It is the duty of every man not to seeke his owne things but the things of Iesus Christ. It is not only the duty of every man but it is best for every man to do it It is a thing that you are all perswaded of that you ought not to seek your
debt And the strength of the argument is thus If Christ had not risen again but been still in the power of the grave and kept under by the enemy of our salvation the poor believer might have been justly afraid his debt had not been paid but Christ being risen and out of hold he is out of doubt As when the debtor sees the Kings Son that was his surety at liberty and in the Kings Court he fears not but his debt is paid so when the poor believer sees Christ set free from the power of the grave c. he knows God hath accepted the payment he hath made as sufficient for him Let us therefore look upon our selves as having a part in Christ and know whatsoever he did it was for us even for every true believer so that he rising again we rise again which being so it manifests that God hath accepted Christ his payment if any thing could hinder it must be death and the grave but Christ being risen they have lost their power and so none able to condemn Rom. 6. 9. Christ rose for us never to dye again and therefore that we should never dye eternally A third reason is taken from the sitting of Christ at the right hand of God which puts all out of question that he paid our debt when he laid down his life in that he is risen and ascended up to his Father Now God would never have admitted him to sit at his right hand had the work been unfinished but now being ascended to the right hand of his Father where he is advanced to the highest pitch of honour glory and Majesty and that in our Nature sitting in full authority King of heaven earth there for ever by his spirit to gather and guide all his children and quell the power of their enemies it is apparent that our Sureties payment is accepted so that now nothing can condemn a Believer not his conscience nor any thing else can condemn him and therefore he may triumph over all accusations In the fourth place add unto all this that Christ doth not onely sit at Gods right hand but so as that he also maketh intercession for every true beleever having not onely power but even the same good will and mind that ever he had to do them good consider this well whether thou beleeving needest to fear the face of any enemy whatsoever The poor man that was indebted to the great King For whom the Kings son was pleased to undertake and satisfie when he sees him come out of prison set at liberty in his fathers Court in greater honor and not onely so but highly favoured of the King his father and continually requesting him for that poor man What needs he now care for all his enemies He need not be affraid to look all officers in the face c. Is this the secure and happy estate of every true believer out of himself in Christ. Then see the necessity of using all those means and that constantly whereby Christ our Blessed Redeemer is pleased to communicate himself and this his grace unto us Faith is a special gift and grace and comes from God in Christ and Christ he comes onely in the meanes which are channels and conduit-pipes Therefore if thou wouldest have this grace and be strengthened and increased therein even as thou wouldest have thy soul thus dignified use carefully all the means As The word which is the Scepter of Christs Kingdome submit thy soul to it If thou wilt have an excellent spirit such a one as Ioshua had pray to God for it and take heed of grieving the spirit of God by continuing in the practice of any known sin which is as water that quenches the fire but rather cherish thy faith and put fuel unto it by constant consionable hearing reading prayer meditation receiving the Sacrament holy conference and watching over thy heart For if thou put fuel to thy faith and keep away that which may quench it thou shalt clearly see this blessed truth and find the power of faith in this that hath been said Therefore as thou wouldest have this confidence and comfort in thy heart and soul use the means for it The dilligent hand becomes rich in Gods ordinary providence and so mayst thou in this grace if thou use diligence there is no way else Therefore whilst thou hast time use the means give attendance to the word and all those heavenly meanes before mentioned It s true indeed Christ hath freed himself by dying rising again and bring at the right hand of God and this I believe saith the poor soul in the midst of his fears temptations and troubles of mind but how should I bee comforted in knowing that I am freed from all that danger and condemnation which my sins do deserve Yes upon this ground every beleeving soul and so thou if thou doest believe mayest be sure to be freed as Christ himself is freed and that even because Christ undertook and did all this for the poor believing soul and he had not done it but for him Esai 9. 6. Toâ—us a child is born to us a Sonne is given All he did was for us and for our Salvation so that if Christ hath any happiness thou believing in him mayest be assured of it as Christ himself All Gods intentions towards thee are founded in love else how should that be true Iohn 3. 16. God so Loved the world c. Christ also took all upon him for our sake even to redeem and save us he needed not have done it for himself for he was God in glory c. lift up therefore thy heart by faith and beleeve this and thou shalt find it true though we miserable wretches are unworthy of any such mercies yet is God worthy to be believed Look on Christ and consider who he is and reflect it upon thy self and if thou canst believe the Lord Jesus hath done all this for thy sake To help and strengthen thee to this First Consider Christ did it for us that believe as a surety we were all bannk-rupts in the law of God for want of obedience thereunto now Christ the surety of mankind comes and undertakes for us and hath done iâ— Hebrews 7. 22. He was made surety of â—a better testament Therefore think on him alwayes as thy Surety in glory Christ there is said to be a Surety of better things then the legal Rites were even of the New Testament wherein whatsoever is contained it is for us and there it is treasured up ask and thou shalt have seek and thou shalt find All he did he did as my Surety all the evil he took away and all the good he purchased it was for me A second means or help to strengthen thee if thou art one that art humbled for sin and desirest more and more to believe is to know that God hath bound himself and sworn to it and he is true though every man
is a lyar now that he should swear to that Testament of Christs blood it is even because we should have hearts strengthened to believe and therefore now it is a shame if we have not more faith obedience and holiness then heretofore Certainly if we had faith instead of our presumption what abundance of peace of conscience and sweet and comfortable joy might we have because Christ hath done so much for us as we have heard and all that nothing might hinder the salvation of a poor believing soul. Now to handle this point as it is contrary to the erronious doctrine of the Church of Rome Who can condemn none This is the speech of the Apostle in the person of every true believer as well as those to whom he then wrote at Rome Onely those that have but a weak faith the weaker assurance yet all shall find the truth her oâ— if they believe both weak strong this then may serve in the next place against that tormenting and racking Doctrine of doubting so much maintained by Bellarmine t is true indeed saith he we doubt not of Gods mercy and the merit of Christ nor of the efficacy of the Sacrament c. but in regard of our own indisposition infirmities unworthiness and sins in respect of these we ought to doubt and fear And so by a counsel hath the Romish Church accursed all such as say they are assured of their Salvation though here every believer is enjoyned to believe it assuredly But as the Psalmist saith he that loves cursing it shall enter into his own bowels But what are Bellarmines reasons against assurance First Saith he because of our unworthiness But to this I answer to what purpose should the Apostle speak that which he doth here if our own unworthiness or sins could condemn But if they stand upon unworthiness we will say as much of our selves as they can possible But seeing Christ hath undertook as our surety in our stead and God through his grace gives power to believe he takes away our unworthiness and gives us Christs righteousness to go out and in as he hath done and so we make all our challenge in Christs name not in our selves and so our unworthiness obliges us more strongly to rest our selves upon Christ. In which case we resemble the vine that goes up layes hold on that which is stronger then it self so we in our selves weak close with Christ in whom God looks on us not as we are in our selves but in him in whom he is well pleased So we stand not upon nor look unto our righteousness but to God in Christ by whom our sins are washed away in his bloud and our persons covered with his righteousness I but saith he the promises of Salvation are made conditionally if we repent and beleeve now in regard of our selves we cannot beleeve and therefore we are to doubt To this the Apostle shall answer Though the promise of Salvation be conditional yet every on that truly beliveth his faith hath from God a light in it that makes him believe and repent 1 Cor. 2. 12. Wee have received saith the Apostle not the spirit of the world but the spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are freely given us of God So that the true believer hath received such a light from the word which letteth him see and know in some measure that hee hath faith and repentance Then what can hinder him from believing in Christ that hath done all this for him he may know he is chosen in that he is effectually called he may know he is effectually called in that he hath true repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus and therefore he may be assured of his Salvation I but who can tell saith he that he hath sufficient faith and sufficient repentance Our assurance depends not upon the sufficiency that is upon the measure but the truth of our faith and repentance As our faith is true and strong so is our assurance though it be but as smoaking flux yet if it be true Christ will not quench it It stands not upon this how much or how little we believe but how truly Acts 16. 31. Beleeve in the Lord Iesus and thou shalt be saved They said not believe thus much I but saith he a true believer hath many secret sins how can he then be assured The true believer though he do fall into sin yet if he be in Christ and Christ raign over him then sin raigns not over him and so long there is no condemnation to him as it is Rom. 8. 1. Seeing that sin doth but dwell though it trouble so it raign not it hinders not but he may have assurance Assurance may stand with secret sinnes that a man confesseth and humbles himself for but if a man be given up to any sin he cannot be assured else he may howsoever sin may trouble him much Lastly He saith we must doubt in regard of our selves because all we have is but natural assurance A man may hope well that he grants but he cannot be certainly assured Romanes 5. verse 5. He that hath sound hope is assured That I soundly hope I know for I truly believe which shews what the Doctros of the Romish Church are Though greatly learned yet fearfully given over to delusion for all true hope is grounded upon present faith So that if a mans hope be sound his faith is sound and therefore the true believer may have assurance A true Christian he looks not on himself but upon Christ what he hath done for him utterly disclaiming his own merits Now we have heard this great Doctors reasons and confuted him by scripture let us hear the instances he brings out of Scripture to maintain doubting There are three examples Bellarmine brings of holy and righteous men in Scripture that saith he durst not stand upon assurance where is then that man saith he that dare presume of his assurance The first is Iob. 27. 6. where he saith my heart shall not reprove me all my dayes I have lived so as in the main I have had a care to please God therefore â—…t my friends say what they will I will never forsake my righteousness Now saith Bellarmine If a man can say thus and yet fear as he doth Iob 9. 20. saying If I would justifie my self my own mouth shall condemn me If I would be perfect he shall judge me wicked Though I were perfect yet I know not my soul. Who then dares stand upon assurance For answer hereunto we must understand and know that justification is double First from Faith Secondly from the fruits of faith namely that righteousness we receive by his grace the Imputative righteousness that is by faith in Christ that Iob there speakes not of so that we go not about to free our selves by our own righteousness or any thing that we can do but by Christ.