As the Publicans God be merciful to me a sinner Thirdly There is conceived prayer and prescribed prayer Fourthly There is publick or private prayer These hints may suffice as to this wherein we speak to God in Faith Humility Sincerity and Fervency of Spirit through the Mediation of Christ begging those good things that we and others want deprecating that we and others fear and giving thanks for that we and others have received Prayer is a speaking to God face to face it is Iacobs Ladder by which the soul climbs up to Heaven it is Noahs Dove that goes and returns not till it brings Assurance of Peace But not to please you with notions you must remember that that Prayer that accompanies Salvation is such Prayer as hath in it all the requisites of Prayer Now there are four requisites in Prayer First The person must be righteous Iam. 5. 16. The fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much John 9. 31. God heareth not sinners The Jews urge it as a Proverb An unclean person polluteth his own Prayers Good motions from a bad heart make no musick in Heaven the sweet words that drop from a Lepers lips are but lies in the account of God Hosea 11. 12. I have read of a Jewel that being put in a dead mans mouth loseth all its vertue Prayer in the mouth of a wicked man that is dead God-wards Christ-wards Heaven-wards and Holiness-wards is a Jewel that loseth all its vertue Psal 50. 16 17. But unto the wicked God saith What hast thou to do to declare my Statutes or that thou Quid prodest voce invocare quem operibus negas Jerom. What availeth it to invocate him with thy voice whom thou deniest in thy works shouldest take my Covenant into thy mouth Seeing that thou hatest instruction and castest my words behinde thee Bias an Heathen being at Sea in a great storm and perceiving many wicked wretches with him in the ship calling upon the gods O saith he forbear Prayer hold your tongues I would not have the gods take notice that you are here they will sure drown us all if they should You are wise and know how to apply it The second requisite in Prayer is It was both a prophane and blasphemous Speech of that Atheistical wretch that told God he was no common beggar he never troubled him before with prayer and if he would hear him that time he would never trouble him again Heil Mic p. 376. this viz. The matter of your Prayer must be good 1 John 5. 14. And this is the confidence that we have in him That if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us The Favorits of Heaven have no further the ear of the King of Kings in Prayer then the matter of their Prayer is good and agreeable to his will Rom. 8. 27. The matter of your Prayer must fall under some particular or general precept or promise or else God will never own it nor honor it with acceptance You must not pray as Augustine prayed before his Conversion he prayed for continency with a Proviso Lord give me continency saith he but not yet Such Hypocrisie is double Iniquity and God will deal with such sinners accordingly Thirdly As the matter of your Prayer must be good so the manner of your Prayer must be right God regards not so much the matter as the manner of our Prayer God loves Adverbs better then Nowns not to Criton pray onely but to pray well Non bonum sed benè agere not to do good but to do it well Now for the better and further clearing of this truth I shall shew you by Divine Assistance what it is to pray in a right manner and that I shall do in the following particulars First To pray in a right manner is to pray understandingly to pray knowingly 1 Cor. 14. 15. I will pray with understanding He that doth not pray understandingly doth not pray but prate as that Parrot in Rome that could distinctly say over the whole Ignorat sanè improbus omnis saith Aristotle Ignorance is the source of all sin the very well-spring from which all wickedness doth issue Creed John 4. 22. Ye worship ye know not what sayes Christ So many pray they know not what Without knowledge the minde cannot be good Prov. 19. And can the Prayer be good when the minde is bad A blinde minde a blinde Sacrifice and a blinde Priest are abominable to God It was a good saying of one God heareth not the words of one that prayeth saith he unless he that prayeth heareth them first himself And verily God will never understand that Prayer that we do not understand our selves Secondly To pray in a right manner is to pray believingly Heb. 11. 6. He The Philosopher could say Qui timiâ—è rogat docet negare He that craveth fearfully draweth on a denial that cometh unto God must believe that he is that is that he is really as good as gracious as glorious as excellent as constant c. as his word reports him to be And that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him Mark 11. 24. Therefore I say unto you what things soever ye desire when ye pray believe that ye One of the Ancients describes Prayer thus It is saith he Ascensus mentis ad Deum a climbing up of the heart to God which cannot be done but by the power of Faith receive them and ye shall have them In the Greek it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Present-tense Ye do receive them to shew the certainty of receiving them You shall as certainly receive the good things that believingly you ask in Prayer as if you had them already in your hand God will never let the hand of Faith go empty away in Prayer Faith is Gods darling and he never fails to give it a worthy portion a Benjamins portion a Hannahs portion a double portion Iam. 1. 5 6 7. If any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him But let him ask in faith nothing wavering for he that wavereth is like Unbelief is virtually all ill therefore fight especially against it a wave of the Sea driven with the wind and tossed For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. He that prayeth doubtingly shuts the Gates of Heaven against his own Prayers It is reported in the life of Luther that when he prayed it was Tanta reverentia ut si Deo tanta fiducia ut si amico with so much reverence as if he were praying to God and with so much boldness as if he had been speaking to his friend Faith in Prayer makes a man divinely familiar and bold with God in Prayer That Prayer that hath not the image and stamp of Faith upon it is no Prayer in Divine account The sweetest flowers of Paradise are onely
the day Dan. 3. 28 29 30. of their sufferings O the sight of so noble a spirit in the Saints cause others Dan. 6. 25 26 27. to admire God to lift up God to fall in love with God and to glorifie God for owning his people and for being a light to them in darkness a joy to them in sorrow and a pallace to them in a prison God is very sensible of the many praises and prayers that he should lose did he not cause his love and his glory to rest upon his people in suffering times There is Isa 48. 11 nothing that God is so tender of as he is of his glory and that his heart is so much set upon as his glory and therefore he will visit them in a prison Gen. 39. 20. ult and feast them in a dungeon and walk with them in a fiery furnace and shew kindness to them in a Lyons den that every one may shot and cry Dan 6. Grace Grace God loves to act in Zech 4. 7. such ways of Grace towards his suffering ones as may stop the mouths of their enemies and cause the hearts of his friends to rejoyce Fourthly Believing times are times Reas 4 wherein the Lord is graciously pleased to lift up the light of his countenance upon his people when his children are in the Exercise of Faith then the Lord is pleased to make known his goodness and to feal up to them everlasting happiness and blessedness Eph. 1. 13. In whom ye also trusted after that ye heard the Word of Truth the Gospel of your Salvation In whom also after that ye believed ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of promise or In whom believing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vide Beza and Calvin ye were sealed that is As you were in the very Excrcise and Actings of Faith upon the Lord Jesus Christ the Spirit of the Lord made sure and sealed up to you your Adoption your Reconciliation your Pardon and everlasting Inheritance Him that honors Christ by believing by fresh and frequent actings of Faith upon him him will Christ certainly honor and secure by setting his seal and mark upon him and by assuring of him of a Kingdom that shakes not of riches that corrupt not and of glory that fades not Ah Christians you wrong two at once Christ and your own souls whilest you thus reason Lord give me first assurance and then I will believe in thee and rest upon thee whereas your great work is to believe and to hold on believing and acting of Faith on the Lord Jesus till you come to be assured and sealed up to the day of Redemption This is the surest and the shortest way to assurance That is a remarkable passage of the Apostle in Rom. 15. 13. Now the God of hope fill you with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Shall fill you from signifies to be filled with joy and peace as the sails of a ship are fillâ—d with wind all joy and peace in believing that ye may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost The God of hope saith the Apostle shall fill you with all joy and peace in believing that is whilest you are in the Exercise and Actings of Faith the God of hope shall fill you with that joy that is unspeakable and full of glory and with that peace that passes understanding Faith is the Key that unlocks paradise and lets in a flood of joy into the soul Faith is an appropriating Grace it appropriates all to it self it looks upon God says with the Psalmist This God is my God for ever and Psal 63. 1. 48. 14. ever it looks upon Christ and says My beloved is mine and his desires are towards Can. 7. 10. me it looks upon the precious promises and says these precious promises are 2 Pet. 1. 4. mine it looks upon Heaven and says Henceforth is laid up for me a Crown of 2 Tim 4 8. Righteousness and this fills the soul with joy peace Faith hath an influence upon other graces it is like a silver thred Tantum possumus quanium credimus that runs thorow a chain of Pearl it puts strength vivacity in to all other vertues it made Abraham to rejoyce and it made Noah sit still quiet in the midst of a deluge Faith is the first pin that moveth the soul it is the spring in the Watch that sets all the Golden Wheels of Love Joy Comfort and Peace a going Faith is a root of Grace from whence springs all the sweet flowers of joy peace Faith is like the Bee it will suck sweetness out of every flower it will extract light out of darkness comforts out of distresses mercies out of miseries wine out of Judg. 14. 14. water honey out of the rock and meat out of the eater 1 Pet. 1. 8. Whom having not seen ye love in whom though now ye see him not yet believing ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory Upon the Exercise of Faith their hearts are filled with joy with unspeakable joy with glorious joy Faith sees in Christ Plenitudo abundantiae There is in Christ not onely plenitudo vasis but plenitudo fontis the fulness of a vessel but the fulness of a fountain and this makes the heart of a Saint leap when he sees it by an eye of Faith and plenitudo redundantiae a fulness of abundance and a fulness of redundancy and this fills the heart with glorious joy Ah Christians believing believing is the ready way the safest way the sweetest way the shortest way the onely way to a wel-grounded assurance and to that unspeakable joy and peace that flows from it as the effect from the cause the fruit from the root the stream from the fountain There is such assurance and such joy that springs from the fresh and frequent actings of Faith that cannot be exprest that cannot be painted no man can paint the sweetness of the honey comb the sweetness of a clustre of Canaan the sweetness of paradise the fragrancy of the Rose of Sharon As the being of things cannot be painted and as sweetness of things cannot be painted no more can that assurance and joy that flows from believing be painted or expressed it is too great and too glorious for weak man Rom. 4. 18. to paint or set forth When Abraham believed in hope against hope and when in the face of all dangers and difficulties he put forth such noble and glorious acts of Faith as to conclude That the Lord would provide himself a Gen. 22. 8. Dominus providebit the Lord will provide was Maximilians pious Motto and should be every Saints Motto in straits and troubles Lamb for a burnt-offering and that in the Mount he would be seen God is so taken with the actings of his Faith and the effects of it that he swears by himself That in blessing he would bless him that is I will
souls as makes them bid defiance to the greatest dangers and as Crowns them Conquerors of the greatest difficulties Ah says a soul that hath walked some turns in Paradise what is dross to gold what is darkness to light what is Hell to Heaven no more is all difficulties and oppositions to me who have found As they said once of the Grecians in the Epigramme whom they thought invulnerable we shoot at them but they fâ—ll not down we wound them and yet not kill them c. the sweetness of Divine Grace and have had the happiness to lie in the bosom of God Dioclesian the worst and last Persecutor in all the Ten Persecutions observed That the more he sought to blot out the name of Christ the more it became legible and to block up the way of Christ the more it became passible and whatever of Christ he thought to root out it rooted the deeper and rose the higher in the hearts and lives of the Saints among whom he had scattered the beams of his love and the rich pearls of his grace Such souls as have once been in the arms of God in the midst of all oppositions they are as men made all of fire walking in stubble they consume and overcome all oppositions all difficulties are but as whetstones to their Fortitude The Moon will run her course though the Dogs bark at it so will all those choice souls that have found warmth under Christs wings run their Christian race in spight of all difficulties and dangers The Horse neighs at the Trumpet the Leviathan laughs at the Spear so does a Saint under the power of assurance laugh at all hazards and dangers that he meets with in the Lords service The sense of Gods love and goodness makes him to triumph over the greatest difficulties Fourthly and lastly God gives his Reas 4 people some tastes of his love when he puts them upon hard and difficult services that the mouths of the wicked may be stopt should God lay heavy burdens upon his peoples shoulders and not put under his finger to give some ease should God double their tale of brick and yet deny them straw should God engage them against a potent enemy and then desert them should God send them upon some weighty embassage and not give proportionable encouragements to them what would the world say would Exod. 32. 12. Num. 14. 12 13 14 15 16. they not say That he is a hard Master and that his ways are not equal would they not say Verily they are lyers that say he is glorious in power and wonderful in counsel and infinite in mercy and admirable in goodness and rich in grace and unsearchable in his understanding for surely were he he could not he would not put his children upon such hard and dangerous services but he would own them and stand by them he would assist them and smile upon them he would be as careful to bring them bravely off as he hath been ready to bring them freely on O he could not see them in garments rouled in blood but his bowels would yern towards them and he would arise and have compassion on them Then thirdly Waiting times are times wherein God is pleased to give his people some sweet tastes of his love and to lift up the light of his countenance upon them I waited patiently Psal 40. 1 2 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the Lord saith David and he inclined unto me and heard my cry Waiting I waited He brought me up also out of an horrible pit or out of a pit of noise out of the miry clay and set my feet upon a rock and established my goings And he hath put a new song in my mouth even praise unto our God After God had exercised Davids patience in waiting he sweetly breaks in upon him and knocks off his bolts and opens the prison doors and takes him by the hand and leads him out of the pit of noise and confusion in which he was and causes his love and goodness so to beam forth upon him as causes his heart to rejoyce and his tongue to sing So after devout Simeon had waited for the consolation Luke 2. 25 to 33. of Israel that is for Christs coming the Holy Ghost falls upon him and leads him to a sight of Christ in the Temple and this makes the good old man sing nunc dimittas Now let thy servant depart in peace Ah says Simeon I have lived long enough now I have got Christ in my heart and Christ in my arms who is my light my life my love my joy my crown let me depart according to thy Word Ah Saints I appeal to you have not many of you found by experience the sweet breathings of Christ upon you even whilest you have been waiting at the door of Mercy while you have been weeping and waiting hath not the Lord Jesus come in and said Peace be to you waiting souls be of good cheer it is I be of good cheer your sins are pardoned surely you have Hath not God made that word good unto you Wait Psal 37. 14. on the Lord be of good courage and he shall strengthen thine heart Wait I say on the Lord yes And hath he Isa 49. 23. These words Shall not be ashamed in the Hebrew Dialect do not simply import that such shall not be brought to shame or shall not perish but that he shall be advanced to great dignity and glory to everlasting happiness and blessedness Isai 30. 18. Lam 3. 25. not made that good to you They shall not be ashamed that wait for me that is they shall not be deceived or disappointed of their hopes and expectations that wait for me yes And have you not found that word made sweet to your souls Therefore will the Lord wait that he may be gracious blessed are all they that wait for him Yes And hath not the Lord made that word good to you The Lord is good unto them that wait for him to the soul that seeketh him Yes Waiting souls remember this assurance is yours but the time of giving it is the Lords the Jewel is yours but the season in which he will give it is in his own hand the Gold Chain is yours but he onely knows the hour wherein he will put it about your necks Well wait patiently and quietly wait expectingly wait believingly wait affectionately and wait diligently and you shall finde that Scripture made good in power upon your souls Yet a Heb. 10. 37. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hab. 2. 3. Mal 3. 1. little little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry he will certainly come he will seasonably come he will suddenly come as the Prophet Malachi speaks Behold I will send my messenger and he shall prepare the way before me and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his Temple even the messenger of the Covenant whom ye delight in Behold he
with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour for to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins And as they are pardoned freely so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The gracious gift of God Charisma signifies a gift flowing from the free-grace and favor of God John 10. 28. they shall be saved freely Rom. 6. ult For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Thus you see O despairing souls that all is of free-grace from the lowest to the highest round in Jacobs Ladder all is of Grace Christ is a Donative the Covenant of grace is a Donative Pardon of sin is a Donative Heaven and Salvation is a Donative Why then O despairing souls should you sit down sighing under such black sad and dismal apprehensions of God and your own state and condition Verily seeing all happiness and blessedness comes in a way of free-grace and not in a way of doing not in a way of works you should arise Revel 21. 6. 22. 18. O despairing souls and cast off all despairing thoughts and drink of the waters of life freely What though thy heart be dead and hard and sad what though thy sins be many and thy fears great yet behold here is glorious grace rich grace wonderous grace matchless and incomparable riches of free-grace spread before thee O let this fire warm thee let these waters refresh thee let these Cordials strengthen thee that it may be day and no longer night with thee that thy mourning may be turned into rejoycing and that thy beautiful garments Isa 52. 1. may be put on that so the rest of thy days may be days of gladness and sweetness and free-grace may be an everlasting shade shelter and rest unto thee Again tell me O despairing souls do you understand and most seriously and frequently ponder upon those particular Scriptures that do most clearly sweetly and fully discover the mercies of God the bowels of God the grace and favor of God to poor sinners as that Psal 86. 5. For thou Lord art good and ready to forgive and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee Gods mercies are above all his works and above all ours too his mercy is without measures and rules All the acts and attributes of God sit at the feet of mercy the weapons of Gods artillery are turned The Rainbow is signum gratiae foederis into the Rainbow a Bow indeed but without an Arrow bent but without a string The Rainbow is an emblem of mercy it is a sign of grace and favor and an assurance that God will remember his Covenant it is fresh and green to note to us that Gods mercy and grace to poot sinners is always fresh and green Again tell me O despairing souls have you seriously pondered upon Nehe. 9. 16 17. But they and our Fathers dealt proudly and hardned their necks and hearkned not to thy Commandments And refused to obey neither were mindful of the wonders that thou didst among them but hardned their necks and in their rebellion appointed a Captain to return to their bondage but thou art a God ready to pardon gracious and merciful slow to anger and of great kindness and forsookest them not Thou art a God says he ready to pardon or rather as it is in the Original and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou a God of pardons There is a very great emphasis in this Hebraism a God of pardons it shews us that mercy is essential unto God and that he is incomparable in forgiving iniquity transgression and sin Here Nehemiah sets Micah 7. 18. him forth as one made up all of pardoning grace and mercy as a circle begins every where but ends no where so do the mercies of God When Alexander did sit down before a City he did use to set up a light to give those within notice that if they came forth to him whilest that light lasted they might have quarter if otherwise no mercy was to be expected O but Luke 13. 7. Jere. 3 1. to 15. such is the mercy and patience of God to sinners that he sets up light after light and waits year after year upon them When they have done their worst against him yet then he comes with his heart full of love and his hands full of pardons and makes a proclamation of Grace that if now at last they will accept of mercy they shall have it Why then O despairing soul dost thou make thy life a hell by having such low and mean thoughts of Gods mercy and by measuring of the mercies and bowels of God by the narrow scantling of thy weak and dark understanding Again tell me O despairing souls have you seriously pondered upon those words in Isai 55. 7 8 9. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Veish Aven The man of iniquity i. e. One that makes a trade of sin man or rather as it is in the Original the man of iniquity his thoughts And let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon or as it is in the Original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He will multiply to pardon or he will increase his pardons as the sinner increases his sins He will multiply to pardon For my thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your ways my ways saith the Lord. For as the Heavens are higher then the Earth so are my ways higher then your ways and my thoughts then your thoughts Turn O despairing souls to these Scriptures Numb 14. 19 20. Exod. 34. 6 7. Micah 7. 18 19. Isai 30. 18 19. Psalm 78. 34 to 40. 103. 8. to 13. Jere. 3. 1. to 12. Luke 15. 20. to 24. 1 Tim. 1. 13. to 17. and tell me whether you have seriously and frequently pondered upon them O how can you look so much grace and mercy so much love and favor and such tender bowels of compassion in the face as appears in these Scriptures and yet rack and tear your precious souls with despairing thoughts O there is so much grace and goodness so much love and favor so much mercy and glory sparkling and shining thorow these Scriptures as may allay the strongest fears and scatter the thickest darkness and chear up the saddest spirits c. Again tell me O despairing souls do you not do infinite wrong to the 1 Pet. 1. 19. precious blood of the Lord Jesus Three things are called precious in the Scripture the blood of Christ is called precious blood and faith is called precious 2 Pet. 1. 1 4. faith and the promises are called precious promises Now what a reproach is it to this precious blood that speaks better things then the blood of Abel Heb. 12. 24. for you to faint and sink under the power of delpair what doth this speak out O doth it not proclaim to all
Morning is faln from the top of Glory to the bottom of misery and therefore he strives to make all as miserable and unhappy as himself Ah Christians have not you need It is a true Maxime He findes his enemy strong at a dear rate who contemns him as weak to seek Assurance with all your might who have to do with so mightie an adversary who cares not what torments he heaps upon himself so he may prove your tormentor by keeping your souls and assurance asunder O that this very consideration might make you restless till you have got this White Stone in your bosoms The fifth Motive to provoke you to Motive 5. get a wel-grounded assurance is this Consider that a wel-grounded assurance is a Jewel of that incomparable value it is such a Pearl of price as will abundantly recompence the soul for all the cost and charge it shall be at to enjoy it I the enjoyment of Hujusmodi lucri dulcis odor The smell of this gain is sweet to many then what is assurance it self c. assurance in that hour when the soul shall sit upon thy trembling lips ready to take her leave of thee and all the world will richly recompence thee for all those prayers tears sighs and groans that thou hast breathed out in one place or another in one service or another Surely the Gold in the Mine will recompence the Digger the Crown at the end will recompence the Runner the Fruit in the Vineyard will recompence the Dresser the Corn in the Barn will recompence the Reaper and the increase of the Flock will recompence the Shepherd so Assurance at last will abundantly recompence the soul for all its knocking weeping and waiting at Mercies door God will never suffer the Seed Isai 45. 19. of Jacob to seek his face in vain There is a reward not onely in keeping Psal 19. 11. but also for keeping of his commands Joseph for his thirteen years Matth. 25. 34 to 41. Revel 3. 11 12 imprisonment had the honor to reign fourscore years like a King David for his seven years banishment had a glorious reign of forty years continuance Daniel for his lying a few hours among the Lions is made cheif President over a hundred and twenty Princes The three Children for taking a few turns in the Fiery Furnace are advanced to great dignitie and glory Ah doubting souls pray hard pull hard work hard for Assurance the pay will answer the pains Christ will sooner or later say to thee as the King of Israel said to the King of Syria I am 1 Kings 20. 4. thine and all that I have I am thine O doubting soul sayes Christ and Assurance is thine and Joy is thine my Merit is thine my Spirit is thine and my Glory is thine all I am is thine and all I have is thine O this is Alvearium Divini Mellis an Hive full of Divine Comfort O this will recompence thee for all thy wrastling and sweating to obtain Assurance Augustine in his Confessions hath this notable expression How sweet was it to me of a sudden to be without those sweet vanities and those things which I was afraid to loose with joy I let go for thou who art the true and onely sweetness didst cast out those from me and instead of them didst enter in thy self who art more delightful then all pleasure and more clear then all light Ah Christians do but hold up and hold on and assurance and joy will come and thou shalt after all thy working and waiting sit down and sing it out with old Simeon Mine eyes have seen thy Salvation my heart hath found the sweetness of Assurance and now Lord let thy servant depart in peace The sixth Motive to provoke you Motive 6. to get Assurance is this Consider what labor and pains worldlings take Scripture and Histories abounds with instances of this kinde as all know that know any thing of the one or of the other to make sure the things of this life to them and theirs Ah what riding running plotting lying swearing stabbing and poysoning is used by men of this world to make sure the poor things of this world that are but shadows and dreams and meer nothings How do many with Samson lay heap upon heap to make their Crowns and Kingdoms sure to make the tottering glory of this world sure to themselves what bloody butchers do they prove they will have the Crown though they swim to it thorow blood Men will venture life and limb to make sure these things that hops from man to man as the Bird hops from twig to twig O how should this stir and provoke us to be up and doing to labor as for life to make sure spiritual and eternal things Is Earth better then Heaven is the Matth 6. 19 20. The laborious the active Christian is tempted but by one Devil but the idle slothful Christian is tempted by all saith one It is very sad when worldlings are a reaping that Saints as to spirituals should be slumbering and sleeping glory of this World greater then the glory of the World to come Are these riches more durable then those that corrupt not that are laid up in Heaven where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt and where theeves doâ—not break thorow nor steal No. O then be ashamed Christians that worldlings are more studious and industrious to make sure Pibbles then you are to make sure Pearls to make sure those things that at last will be their burden their bane their plague their hell then you are to make sure those things that would be your joy and crown in life in death and in the day of your account Pambus in the Ecclesiastical History wept when he saw a Harlot dressed with much care and cost partly to see one take so much pains to go to Hell and partly because he had not been so careful to please God as she had been to please a wanton lover Ah Christians what great reason have you to sit down and weep bitterly that worldlings take so much pains to make themselves miserable and that you have taken no more pains to get assurance to get a pardon in your bosoms to get more of Christ into your hearts The seventh Motive to provoke you Motive 7. to get Assurance is To consider that Assurance will inable you to bear a burden without a burden As in Heb. 10. 34. For ye had compassion of So Moses and all those Worthies in the eleventh chapter me in my bonds and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods knowing in your selves that ye have in Heaven a better and an enduring substance Here you see that assurance of Heavenly things makes these Worthies patiently and joyfully bear a burden without a burden So the Apostles knowing that they 2 Cor. 5. 1. 6. 8 9 10 11. had a house not made with hands eternal in the Heavens went thorow honor and dishonor
assurance and less money will serve your turns get but more assurance and less places of honor and profit will serve your turns get but assurance and then you will neither transgress for a morsel of Bread nor yet violently pursue after the Golden Wedge c. Fourthly Assurance will exceedingly heighten you in your communion with God and it will exceedingly 1 John 1. 1 2 3 4. sweeten your communion with God Assurance of a mans propriety in God raises him high in his fellowship with God There are none that have such choice and sweet communion with God as those that have the clearest assurance of their interest in God as may be seen thorowout the whole Book of Solomons Song My beloved Cant. 2. 16. is mine and I am his saith the Spouse I am assured of my propriety in him sayes she and therefore he shall lie all night betwixt my Brests and upon Chap. 1. 13. Chap 7. 5. this account it is that she holds King Jesus in the Galleries that she is sick of love that she is raised and ravished with his kisses and embraces His left Chap. 2. 6. hand is under my head and his right hand doth embrace me None had more assurance of her interest in Christ then she and none higher and closer in communion with Christ then she The Wives assurance of her interest in her Husband sweetens and heightens her communion with her Husband The Childes assurance of his interest in his Father sweetens his commerce and fellowship with his Father So the Believers assurance of his interest in God will exceedingly heighten and sweeten his communion and fellowship with God Assurance of a mans interest in God sweetens every thought of God and every sight of God and every taste of God and every good Word of God God is as Habet omnia qui habet habentem omnia He hath all that hath the honor of all sweet to the assured soul when he hath a sword in his hand as when he hath a Scepter when he hath the rod of indignation as when hee hath the cup of consolation when his garments are rowled and dyed in blood as when hee appeares in his VVedding Robes when hee acts the part of a Judge as when hee acts the part of a Father c. Fifthly Assurance will be a choyce preservative to keep you from backsliding from God and his wayes Ah Assurance will glue the soul to God and his wayes as Ruth was glued to her Mother Naomi It will make a man stand fast in the Faith and quit himself like a good Souldier of Christ 2 Pet. 1. 10 11. Wherefore the rather Brethren give Luther writing to his friend Melancthon troubled with fears saith Si nos ruimas ruit Christus If we fall saith he Christ falls diligence to make your calling and election sure for if yee doe these things yee shall never fall Stumble yee may and hee that does but stumble gets ground by his stumbling Assurance will keep a man from falling foully and from falling utterly Verily the reason why there is so many Apostates in these days is because there are so few that have a wel-grounded assurance in these days Pliny speaks of some fishes that swim back-ward Ah many Professors Pulchrior inpralio occisus miles quam fugâ salvus Better be slain in the Bed of Honor then be safe by running away in these days swim back-ward they swim from God and Christ and Conscience yea they swim from the very principles of morallity and common honesty Believe it Friends it is not high notions in the Brain but found assurance in the heart that will keep a man close to Christ when others back-slide from Christ An assured Christian will not exchange his Gold for Copper he knows that one old peece of Gold is worth a thousand new Counters One old truth of Christ is worth a thousand new errors though cloathed with glistering Robes and therefore he will prize the truth and own the truth and keep close to the truth when others that want a sound assurance make merchandize of Christ precious 2 Pet. 2. 3. truths and of their own and others immortal souls Get assurance and thou wilt stand when seeming Cedars fall want assurance and thou canst not but fall to the breaking of thy bones if not to the utter loss of thy precious soul Sixthly Assurance will very much imbolden the foul with God it will make a man divinely familiar with God it will make a man knock boldly at the door of Free-grace it will make a man come boldly before the Mercy-seat it will make a man enter boldly within the Holy of Holies Heb. 10. 22. Let us draw neer with a true 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Such full assurance as fills all the sails of the soul heart in full assurance of Faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water Assurance makes the soul top and top gallant it makes the soul converse with God as a Favorit with his Prince as a Bride with her Bridegroom as a Joseph with a Jacob. Luther under the power of assurance le ts fall this transcendent rapture of a during Faith Fiat mea voluntas Let my will be done and then falls off sweetly Mea voluntas domine quia tua My will Lord because thy will It is the want of assurance that makes the countenance sad the hands hang down the knees feeble and the heart full of Heb. 12. 12. fears and tremblings O therefore get assurance and that will scatter your fears and raise your hopes and chear your spirits and give wings to Faith and make you humbly bold with God You will not then stand at the door of Mercy with a may I knock with a may I go in with a may I finde audience and acceptance but you will with Esther boldly adventure your selves upon the Mercy and Goodness of God Now verily I think saith one speaking of Christ he cannot despise me who is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh for if he neglect me as a brother yet he will love me as a husband that is my comfort Assurance will remove all strangeness from between Christ and the Soul of two it will make Christ and the Soul one Seventhly Assurance will sweeten the thoughts of death and all the Nemo ante sâ—nera fâ—lin Solon aches pains weaknesses sicknesses and diseases that are the fore-runners of it yea it will make a man look and long for that day it will make a man fick of his absence from Christ it makes a man smile upon the King of terrors it makes a man laugh at the shaking of the Spear at the noise of the battel at the garments of the Isa 9. 5 6. Nazianzen said to the King of Terrors Devour me devour me Death cures all diseases the aking head and the unbelieving heart Ultimus morborum medicus mors Warriors rolled
more in grace 2 Pet. 1. 5. to 11. Add to your Faith vertue and to vertue knowledge c. to v. 11. for so an enterance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdome of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ By enterance into the everlasting Kingdome of Christ is not meant a locall enterance into Heaven for Heaven is no where called the Kingdom of Christ but the Fathers Kingdome the opposition ver 9. sheweth clearly that it is meant of Assurance Now the way to full Assurance is by adding grace to grace The Greek word that is here rendred adde hath a greater emphasis it signifies to link our graces together as Virgins in a Dance doe link their hands together O we must be still a joyning grace to grace we must still be adding one grace to another We must still be a leading up the dance of graces Great measures of grace carry with them great evidence If moral vertue saith Plato could be seen with mortal eyes it would soon draw all hearts to it self O how much the more should our hearts be drawn out after the highest measures of grace the least dram of grace being more worth then all morall vertue of truth little measures carry with them but little evidence great measures of grace carries with them the greatest evidence of the soules union and communion with Christ and the more evident your union and communion with Christ is the more cleare and full will your Assurance be Great measures of grace carries with them the greatest and the clearest evidences of the glorious indwellings of the Spirit in you and the more you are perswaded of the reall indwellings of the Spirit in you The higher will your Assurance rise Great measures of grace will bee a fire that will consume and burn up the drosse the stubble the fears and doubts that perplex the soule and that causes darknesse to surround the soule Now the more you are rid of your fears doubts and darknesse the more easily and the more effectually will your hearts be perswaded that the thoughts of God towards you are thoughts of love that you are precious in his Jere. 32. 41. eies and that he will rejoyce over you to do you good for ever c. The eighth Means to gaine a wel-grounded Means 8. Assurance of your everlasting happinesse and blessednesse is to take your hearts when they are in the best and most spiritual frame and temper God-wards Heaven-wards and Holinesse-wards Times of temptation and desertion c. are praying times hearing times mourning times and beleeving times but they are not trying times they are not seasonable times for doubting soules to set themselves about so great and so solemn a worke as that is of searching and examining how things stand and are like to stand between God and them for ever Be diligent and constant be studious 2 Cor. 13 5. and consciencious in observing the frame and temper of your owne Our hearts are ponderous multum trahit de terra de carnum multum therefore we had need take them when they are in the best temper c. hearts and when you find them most plain most melting most yeelding most tender most humble most sweetly raised and most divinely composed then O then is the time to single out the most convenient place where thou mayst with greatest freedom open thy bosome to God and plead with him as for thy life that hee would shew thee how things stand between him and thee and how it must fare with thy soule for ever And when thou hast thus set thy selfe before God and opened thy bosome to God then wisely observe what report God and thy owne renewed conscience do make concerning thy eternall condition I wil hear what God the Lord wil speak saith Psal 85. 8 9. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 David for he will speak peace unto his people and they shall not return to folly so the Hebrew may be read O so must thou stand still when thou hast sincerely unbowelled thy selfe before the Lord and listen and hearken what God will say unto thee Surely he will speak peace unto thee he will say Son be of good chear thy sins be forgiven thee thy heart is upright with me my soul is set upon thee I have already blest thee and I will hereafter glorifie thee I have read of one who was kept A good conscience is mille testes a thousand witnesses therefore make much of its testimony from destroying of himself being much tempted by Satan thereunto by remembring that there was a time when he solemnly set himself in prayer and self-examination before the Lord and made a diligent enquiry into his spiritual condition and in the close of that work it was evidenced to him that his heart was upright with God and this kept him from laying of violent hands upon himself O a wise and serious observing what that testimony is that God Conscience and the Word gives in upon solemn Prayer and self-examination may beget strong consolation and support the soul under the greatest affliction and strengthen the soul against the most violent temptations and make the soul look and long for the day of desolution as Princes do for their day of Coronation Lastly The last Means to gain a Means 9. wel-grounded Assurance is To make a diligent enquiry whether thou hast those things that do accompany eternal salvation Heb. 6. 9. But beloved we are perswaded better things of you and things that accompany salvation or as it is in the Greek that have salvation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as it were in the very bowels of them that comprehend salvation and that touch upon salvation O Beloved If you have those things that accompany salvation that comprehend salvation you may be abundantly assured of your salvation But you may say to me What are those things that accompany salvation To this Question I shall give this answer viz. That there are seven special things that accompany salvation and they are these First Knowledge Secondly Faith Thirdly Repentance Fourthly Obedience Fifthly Love Sixthly Prayer Seventhly Perseverance First Knowledge is one of those special things that accompanies salvation John 17. 3. And this is life eternal Vide Piscat on the words that they may know thee the onely true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent Divine Knowledge is the begining of eternal life it is a spark of glory It is called Eternal life Quia radix erigo vitae In legend is libris non quaeramus scientiam sed saporum Bern. In reading Books let us not look so much for Science as a Savoriness of the tâ—uth upon our own hearts it works life in the soul it is a taste and pledge of eternal life 1 John 5. 20. And we know that the Son of God is come and hath given us an understanding that we may know him that is true And we are in him that
it doth not make all the things of Christ to be very precious in thy eyes it will at last make thee the more vile in Christs eyes A little knowledge that divinely affects the heart is infinitely better then a world of that swimming knowledge that swims in the head but never sinks down into the heart to the bettering to the warming and to the affecting of it Therefore strive not so much to know as to have thy heart affected with what thou knowest For heart-affecting knowledge is the onely knowledge that accompanies salvation that will possess thee of salvation Fifthly That Knowledge that accompanies 2 Cor. 5. 16. Divine knowledge made the Apostle easily overlook all the world as a man doth easily over-look other things that looks to finde a Jewel a Peal of price c. Salvation is a world delpising a world crucifying and a world contemning knowledge it makes a man have low poor mean thoughts of the world it makes a man slight it and trample upon it as a thing of no value That Divine light that accompanies salvation makes a man to look upon the world as mixt as mutable as momentary it makes a man look upon the world as a lier as a deceiver as a flatâ—erer as a murderer and as a witch that hath bewitched the souls of thousands to their eternal overthrow by her golden offers and proffers Divine knowledge put Paul upon trampling upon all the bravery and glory of the world Phil. 3. 4 to 9. I shall onely transcribe the seventh and eighth verses and leave you to turn to the rest But what things were gain to me those I counted loss for Christ Yea doubtless and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord For whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dicuntur quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 micae quae canibus projiciuntur dogs dung or dogs meat course and contemptible that I may win Christ Divine knowledge raises his heart so high above the World that he looks upon it with an eye of scorn and disdain and makes him count it as an excrement yea as the very worst of excrements as dogs dung as dogs meat Of the like import is that of Heb. 10. 34. For ye had compassion of me in my bonds and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods knowing in your selves that ye have in Heaven a better and an enduring substance Divine knowledge will make a man rejoyce when his enemies makes a bonfire of his goods This man hath bills of exchange under Gods own hand to receive a pound for every penny a million for every mite that he looses for him And Matth. 19 27 to ult this makes him to rejoyce and to trample upon all the glory of this world as one did upon the Philosophers Crown It was heavenly knowledge that made Moses to disdain and Heb. 11. 24 25 26. Greek Grown a great one scorn the pomp and pleasures the bravery and glory the riches and advantages of Egypt and Ethiopia too as some Writers observe So when a beam of divine light had shined upon Zacheus O how doth it work him to Luke 19. 2 to 10. part with the world to cast off the world to slight it and trample upon it as a thing of naught And Zacheus Many Turks and Heathens will rise in judgement against those Professors that act not as Zacheus did stood and said unto the Lord Behold Lord the half of my goods I give to the poor and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation I restore him fourfold And Jesus said unto him This day is Salvation come to this house for so much as he also is the son of Abraham Before the Candle of the Lord was set up in Zacheus soul he dearly loved the world he highly prized the world he eagerly pursued after the world he would have it right or wrong his heart was set upon it he was resolved to gather riches though it was out of others ruines I but when once he was divinely enlightned he throws off the world he easily parts with it he sets very light by it he looks with an eye of disdain upon it His knowledge lifts him up above the smiles of the world and above the frowns of the world the world is no longer a snare a bait a temptation to him he knows that it is more to be a son of Abraham that is to be taken into covenant with Abraham to Rom 4. 12 16. 9 1. tread in the steps of Abrahams faith as children tread in the steps of their fathers and to lie and rest in the bosom of Abraham as sons do in their fathers bosoms then to be rich great and honorable in the world And this made him shake hands with the world Isa 30. 22. Hos 14. 8. and say to it as he to his Idols Get you hence for what have I more to do with you Verily that light that knowledge will never lead thee to Heaven it will never possess thee of salvation that 1 John 2. 15. Jam. 4. 4. leaves thee under the power of the world that leaves thee in league and friendship with the world If thy knowledge doth not put the world under thy feet it will never put a crown of glory upon thy head The Church hath the Moon under her feet Revel 12. 1. that is cloathed with the Sun and that hath a Crown upon her Head Ah knowing Souls knowing Souls do not deceive your selves verily if you are cloathed with the comeliness and righteousness of the Sun which is Jesus Christ and have a crown of victory and glory upon your heads You will have the Moon under your feet you will tread and trample upon the trash of this world all the riches glories and braveries of this world will be under your feet in respect of your non-subjection to it and your holy contempt of it If thy knowledge doth not inable thee to set thy feet upon those things that most set their hearts thou art undone for ever thy knowledge will be so far from lifting thee up to Heaven that it will cast thee the lower into Hell Therefore let no knowledge satisfie thee but that which lifts thee above the world but that which weans thee from the world but that which makes the world a foot-stool This knowledge this light will at last lead thee into Everlasting Light Sixthly That Knowledge that accompanies salvation is Soul-abasing soul-humbling knowledge it makes a man very very little and low in his own eyes as you may see in the most knowing Apostle Ephes 3. 8. Unto me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Comparative made of a Superlative who am less then the least of all Saints is this grace given that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of
times it was very much taken notice of by the very Heathen That in the depth of misery when Fathers and Mothers forsook their Children Christians otherwise strangers stuck close one to another their love of Religion and one of another proved firmer then that of nature They seem to take away the Sun out of the World said the Orator who take away friendship from the life of men And we do not more need fire and water then constant friendship Ninthly That Love that accompanies Salvation doth manifest and shew it self by working the Soul to be quiet and still under Christs rebukes John 21. 16 17 18 Peter sits down quiet under a threefold reproof Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee So Eli It is 1 Sam. 3. 18. the Lord let him do what seems good in his own eyes And Aaron holds his peace Levit. 10. 3. when he saw the flames about his sons ears So David I was dumb I opened Psal 39. 9. not my mouth because thou didst it The lovers of Christ are like the Scythian that went naked in the Snow and when Alexander wondered how he could endure it he answered I am all forehead O the lovers of Christ are all forehead to bear the rebukes of the Lord Jesus The Lovers of Christ know That all his rebukes are from love whom he Revel 3. 19. loves he rebukes they can see smiles thorow Christs frowns They know that to argue that Christ hates them because he rebukes them is the Devils Logick They know that all the rebukes of Christ are in order to their internal and eternal good and that quiets them They know that all the rebukes of Christ are but fore-runners of some glorious manifestations of greater love to their souls Psal 71. 20 21. Thou which hast shewed me great and sore troubles shalt quicken me again and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the Earth Thou shalt increase my greatness and comfort me on every side They know that it is the forest judgment in the world to go on freely in a way of sin without rebukes Ebhraim is joyned to Idols let him alone Hos 4. 17. And therefore they keep silence before the Lord they lay one hand upon their mouthes and the other upon their hearts and so sit mute before the Holy One. Tenthly That Love that accompanies Salvation shews it self by working the heart to be affected and afflicted with the least dishonors that are done to Christ Love is curious of little things it is as much afflicted with an idle word or with an impure dream as lovers of Christ are with adultery or blasphemy David did but cut off the lap of Sauls Garment and his heart â—mote him 1 Sam. 24. 5. Though he did it to convince Saul of his false jealousie and his own innocency Love will not allow of the least infirmity Rom. 7. 15. That which I do I allow not Love will make a man aim at Angelical purity and perfect innocency love will be getting up to the top of Jacobs Ladder love can rest in nothing below perfection Love makes a man look more at what he should be then at what he is it makes a man strive as for life to imitate the highest examples and to write after the choicest copies Love fears The sin and the coat of the sin is to be hated saith Ambrose every Image of offence it trembles at the appearance of sin it doth not it cannot allow it self to do any thing that looks like sin it hates the Garment spotted with the flesh it shuns the occasions of sin as it shuns Hell it self This is the Divine curiosity and glory of a Christians love Love says Melius mori fame quam Idolothytis vesci Aug. Marcus Arethusius in Julians time It is better to die with hunger then to eat that which is offered to Idols I have read of a holy man who out of his love to Christ and hatred of Idolatry would not give one half-penny toward the building of an Idols Temple though he was provoked thereunto by intollerable torments Love The Nieene Fathers would not gratifie Arrius no not in one tittle knows that the least evils are contrary to the greatest good they are contrary to the Nature of Christ the Commands of Christ the Spirit of Christ the Grace of Christ the Glory of Christ the Blood of Christ Love knows that little dishonors if I may call any sin little make way for greater as little Theeves unlock the door and make way for greater Love knows that little sins multiplied become great As love knows that there is nothing lesser then a grain of Sand so love knows that there is nothing heavier then the Sand of the Sea when multiplied Eleventhly That love that accompanies Salvation will shew it self by keeping the doors of the heart shut against those treacherous lovers that would draw the heart from Christ Love is a Golden Key to let in Christ and a strong lock to keep out others Though many may knock at Loves door yet Love will open to none but Christ Cant. 5. 6. I opened to my Beloved 8. 7. Many waters cannot quench love neither can the floods drown it If a man would give all the substance of his house for love it would utterly be contemned Bon Jabuzu contemning it would be contemned When the world would buy So did Luther Galeaciouâ— that noble Italian his love he cryes out with Peter Thy money perish with thee Love makes a man look with a holy scorn and disdain upon all persons and things that attempt either to force or flatter her out of her love and loyalty to her Beloved It is neither force nor fraud it is neither promises nor threatnings it is neither the Cross nor the Crown the Palace nor the Prison the Rod nor the Robe the Hempton Halter nor the Golden Chain that will make love embrace a stranger in the room of Christ Go says Divine Love offer your Gold and empty Glories to others your Pleasures and your Treasures to others put on your Lyons skin and fright others As for my part I scorn and contemn your golden offers and I disdain and deride your rage and threats Love makes a man too noble too high too gallant and too faithful to open to any lover but Christ to let any lie between the Brests but Christ Cant. 1. 13. A bundle of myrrhe is my welbeloved unto me be shall lie all night betwixt my Brests When Basil was Plato saith Pliny took as much delight and glory in those dignities and honoâ—â— he denied as he did in those he did enjoy It â—s just so with the Saints tempted with money and preferment he answers Pecuniam da quae perma neat ac continuo duret gloriam quae semper floreat Give money that may last for ever and glory that may eternally flourish Love makes a man cry out when tempted Let
not any man think that he will embrace other mens goods to forsake Christ who hath forsaken his own proper goods to follow Christ Love makes a man cry out when tempted as that worthy Convert did Ego non sum ego I am not the man that I was When my heart was voide of Divine Love I was as easily conquered as I was tempted O but now he hath shed abroad his love in my soul I am not the man that I was I had rather die then flie or fall before a temptation Twelfthly That Love that accompanies Salvation shews it self by secret kindnesses by secret visits by secret expressions of love A Soul that truly loves Christ loves to meet him in a corner to meet him behinde the door to meet him in the clefts of the Cant. 2. 14. Matth. 6. 6. Rock where no eye sees nor no ear hears nor no heart observes Feigned love is much in commending and kissing Christ upon the stage but unfeigned love is much in embracing and weeping over Christ in a Closet The Pharisee loved to stand praying in the Matth. 6. Market-place and in the Temple but Nathaniel was with Christ under the John 1. 48. Fig-tree and Cornelius was at it in the Acts 10. corner of his house and Peter was at it on the Leads and the Spouse Cant. 7. 11. was at it in the Villages Souls that truly love Christ are much in secret visits in secret prayer in secret sighing in secret groaning in secret mourning c. True love is good at bolting of the door and is always best when it is most with Christ in a corner The secret discoveries that Christ makes to souls do much oblige them to closet services Arcesilaus in Plutarch visiting his sick friend and perceiving his necessity that he wanted and yet his modesty that he was ashamed to ask that he might satisfie the one and yet salve the other secretly conveyed money under his Pillow which his friend finding after he was gone was wont to say Arcesilaus stole this So Christ steals secret kindnesses upon his people and that draws them out to be much in secret in closet services Thirteenthly That Love that accompanies Salvation shews it self by breathing after more clear evidence and full assurance of Christs love To the soul Divine love would fain have her drop turned into an Ocean her spark into a flame her penny into a pound her mite into a million A soul that truly loves can never see enough nor never taste enough nor never feel enough nor never enjoy enough of the love of Christ when once they have found his love to be better then Wine then nothing will satisfie them but the kisses of his mouth Cant. 1. 3. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth Not with a kiss but with the kisses of his mouth A soul once kissed by Christ can never have enough of the kisses of Christ his lips drop myrrhe and mercy no kisses to the kisses of Christ The The more a Virgins love is drawn out to another the more she desires to be confirmed and assured of his love to her more any soul loves Christ the more serious studious and industrious will that soul be to have the love of Christ discovered confirmed witnessed and sealed to it That is a sweet word of the Spouse Cant. 8. 6. Set me as a seal upon thy heart as a seal upon thy arm for love is strong as death Set me as a seal upon thy heart that is Let me be deeply engraven as a seal into thy heart and affections Let the love and remembrance of me make a deep impression in thee and set me as a seal or signet on thy arm 1. The seal you know is for ratifying confirming and making sure of things O sayes the Spouse establish and confirm me in thy love and in the outward expressions and manifestations of it 2. Seals among the Jews were used not as Ornaments onely but as Monuments of love that were continually in sight and remembrance O says the Church Let me be still in thy sight and remembrance as a monument of thy love In the Old Law you know Exod. 28. 11 12 21 29. compared the High Priest did bear the names of Israel engraven on stones upon his heart and shoulder for a memorial Ah says the Church Let my name be deeply engraven upon thy heart let me be alwayes in thy eye let me be always a memorial upon thy shoulder 3. Great men have their signets upon their hands in precious esteem Jere. 22. 24. As I live saith the Lord though Coniah the son of Jehojakim King of Judah were the signet upon my right hand yet would I pluck thee thence Ah sayes the Spouse O highly prize me Lord Jesus highly esteem of me O let me be as dear and precious unto thee as the signet that thou carriest about with thee or as signets are to great men that wear them Lastly That Love that accompanies Salvation shews it self by working a true lover of Christ to commit his richest Treasures his choicest Jewels to the care and custody of Christ Where we love we will trust and as we love we will trust Little trust speaks out little love great trust speaks out great love The lovers of Christ commend to Christs Psal 31. 15. So Job so Paul 2 Tim. 1. 12. 4. 7 8 Micah 7. 8 9. Dan 6. 22. care their Pearls of greatest price their Names their Lives their Souls their Crowns their Innocency their All. It was a notable saying of Luther Let him that died for my soul see to the salvation of it Caesar received not his wounds from the swords of enemies but from the hands of friends that is from trusting in them Oh! but the lovers of Christ shall never receive any wounds by trusting in Christ by committing their choicest Jewels to his care for he hath a powerful hand and a wise and loving heart Christ will hold fast whatever the Father or the Saints put into his hand And thus I have shewed you what that Love is that doth accompany Salvation I come now in the sixth place to shew you what Prayer that is that doth accompany Salvation But I see that I must contract what remains into a narrow room lest I should tire out both the Reader and my self Which that I may not I shall endeavor by Divine Assistance to minde brevity in what remains Now that Prayer doth accompany Salvation I have formerly shewed Now I am briefly to shew you what Prayer that is that doth accompany Salvation and that I shall do in these following particulars First Prayer is a Divine Worship The matter of Prayer may be reduced to these heads 1. Petition 2. Deprecation 3. Intercession 4. Expostulation There are other distinctions in regard of the manner As first Mental Prayer which is the inward lifting up of the heart to God Secondly Vocal which is uttered by words
acceptable to God as they are tendered to him by a hand of Faith Augustus when a poor man came to present a Petition to him with his hand shaking and trembling out of fear the Emperor was much displeased and said It is not fit that any should come with a Petition to a King as if a man were giving meat to an Elephant that is afraid to be destroyed by him Verily Iehovah loves to see every one of his Petitioners to come to him with a stedfast Faith and not with a trembling Hand Christ gets most glory and the Soul gets most good by those Prayers that are accompanied with the actings of Faith Thirdly To pray in a right manner is to pray intensly servently earnestly So Jam. 5. 16. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Faith is an omniporent grace it works wonders in Heaven in the Heart and in Earth Such working-prayer as sets all the faculties of the soul and all the graces in the soul at work alwayes speeds it fails not of winning the day of carrying the Crown or as the Greek hath it The working Prayer that is such Prayer as sets the whole man a work the word signifies such a working as notes the liveliest activity that can be As Physick kills the body if it work not so doth Prayer the soul if it be not a working-prayer As a painted fire is no fire a dead man no man so a cold prayer is no prayer In a painted fire there is no heat in a dead man there is no life so in a cold prayer there is no omnipotency no devotion no blessing It is not cold but working-prayer that can lock up Heaven three years and open Heavens gate at pleasure and bring down the sweetest blessings upon our heads and the choicest favors into our hearts Cold Prayers are as Arrows without heads as Swords without edges as Birds without wings they peirce not they cut not they flie not up to Heaven Cold Prayers do always freeze before they reach to Heaven So Jacob was earnest in his wrestling with God Let Gen. 32. 24 25 26 27. me alone sayes God I will not let thee go except thou bless me sayes Jacob. Jacob though lamed and hard laid at will not let the Lord go without a blessing Jacob holds with his hands when his joynts were out of joynt and so as a Prince prevails with God Jacob prayes and weeps and weeps The Jews have a saying That since the destruction of Jerusalem the door of prayers hath been shut But the door of tears was never shut saith One. and prayes and so prevails with God Hos 12. 4. Yea he had power over the Angel and prevailed he wept and made supplication unto him c. It is not the labor of the lips but the travel of the heart it is not the pouring forth a flood of words but the pouring out of the soul that makes a man a Prince a prevailer with God A man that would gain victory over God in Prayer must strain every string of his heart he Rom 15. 30. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word signifies to strive to the shedding of blood Luke 18. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Buffet me or beat me down with her blows as wrestlers beat down their adveâ—saries with their fists or clubs must in beseeching God besiedge him and so get the better of him he must strive in Prayer even to an agony he must be like importunate beggars that will not be put off with frowns or silence or sad answers Those that would be masters of their requests must with the importunate Widow press God so far as to put him to the blush they must with a holy impudence as Basil speaks make God ashamed to look them in the face if he should deny the importunity of their souls An importunate soul will never cease till he speed he will devour all discouragements yea he will turn discouragements into incouragements as the woman of Canaan did till Christ sayes Be it unto thee O Soul as thou wilt As a body without a soul much wood without fire a bullet in a gun without powder so are words in Prayer Oratio brevis penetrat câ—lum saith one without fervency of Spirit The hotest Springs send forth their waters by ebullitions I have read of one who being sensible of his own dulness and coldness in Prayer chid himself thus What The Jews write upon the walls of their Synagogues this sentence That Prayer without the intention of the minde is but as a body without a soul You know how to apply it doest thou think that Ionah prayed thus when he was in the belly of Hell or Daniel when he was in the Lyons den or the Thief when he was upon the cross And I may adde or the three Children when they were in the fiery furnace or the Apostles when they were in bonds and prisons O that Christians would chide themselves out of their cold Prayers and chide themselves into a better and a warmer frame of spirit when they make their Supplications before the Jerom speaks of certain holy women in his time That they seemed in their fervent affections to joyn with the holy company of Heaven Lord. An importunate Soul in Prayer is like the poor begger that prayes and knocks that prayes and waits that prayes and works that knocks and knits that begs and patches and will not stir from the door till he hath an alms And verily he that is good at this will not be long a begger in grace God will make his heart and his cup to overflow Fourthly To pray in a right manner is To pray aâ—â—iduously constantly as well as fervently Luke 18. 1. And he spake a parable unto them to this end that men ought alwayes to pray and not so faint or as it is in the Greek not to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 id est non deâ—atigati Cornel a Lap. To pray alwayes is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to pray in every opportunity shriâ—k back as sluggards in work or cowards in war Now men pray always first when their hearts are always prepared to pray or in a praying frame Secondly When they do not omit the duty when it is to be performed or when they take hold on every opportunity to pour out their souls before the Lord. 1 Thes 5. 17. Pray without ceasing A man must always pray habitually though not actually he must have his heart in a praying disposition Semper orat qui benè sâ—mpeâ— agit To pray always is to pray omni tempore in all estates and conditions in prosperity and adversity in health and sickness in strength and weakness in wealth and wants in life and death So in Ephes 6. 18. Praying alwayes with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all Saints Our daily weaknesses our daily wants
appear that Hope doth accompany Salvation it doth boarder upon eternal life The second thing that I am to shew you is What Hope that is that doth accompany Salvation that comprehends Salvation and that I shall do with as much brevity and perspicuity as I can in the following particulars First That Hope that accompanies Salvation is A grace of God whereby Spes est expectatio eorum quae verè à Deo promissa fides credidit Calvin 1 Tim. 6. 17. This very title The God of Hope may serve as a soveraign antidote against the blackest and horridest temptations for why should any despair of his mercy who hath proclaimed himself to be the God of Hope Spes est virtus qua inclinamâ—r ad expectationem eorum quae Deus nobis promisit Perkins we expect good to come patiently waiting till it come First I call it a Grace of God because he is the donor of it and therefore he is called the God of Hope Rom. 15. 13. Now the God of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing Now God is called the God of Hope because he is objectivè the onely object of our Hope and he is effectivè the onely Author and Worker of Hope in the Soul Hope is no natural affection in men men are not born with hope in their hearts as they are born with tongues in their mouthes Hope is nobly descended it is from above it is a heavenly Babe that is formed in the soul of man by the power of the Holy Ghost And as Hope is no natural affection so Hope is no Moral vertue which men may attain by their frequent actions but Hope is a Theological vertue that none can give but God Secondly I say it is a Grace of God whereby we expect good to come I say good not evil for evil is rather feared then hoped for by any The object of this Hope hath four conditions 1. It must be Bonum good 2. Futurum future 3. Possibile possible 4. Arduum hard or difficult to obtain Thirdly I say Hope is a Grace of God whereby we expect good to come patiently waiting till it come Hope makes the Soul quiet and patient till it comes to possess the good desired and hoped for Rom. 8. 25. But if we hope for that we see not then do we with patience wait for it The Hebrew word Kavah that is often translated Hope signifies a very vehement intention both of body and minde a stretching forth of the Spirit or Minde in waiting for a desired good 2 Cor. 4. ult Hope fates well it keeps a Princes Table it lives upon Honey and Milk Oyl and Wine it sives upon the sweet meats the delicates of Heaven as God Christ and Glory Psal 31. 24. 33. 22. 38. 15. 42. 5. 43. 5. 39. 7. 71. 5. 65. 5. Secondly That Hope that accompanies Salvation is alwayes conversant about holy and heavenly objects as about God and Christ 1 Tim. 1. 1. Paul an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour and Lord Jesus Christ which is our Hope In these words Christ is set forth as the chief object of our Hope because by his merits and mercy we hope to obtain the remission of our sins and the eternal Salvation of our souls Sometimes Hope is exercised about the Righteousness of Christ Gal. 5. 5. For we through the Spirit wait for the Hope of Righteousness by Faith Sometimes Hope is exercised about God the Father 1 Pet. 1. 21. Who by him do believe in God that raised him up from the dead and gave him glory that your faith and hope might be in God Jere. 14. 8. O the Hope of Israel the Saviour thereof in time of trouble Chap. 17. 13. O Lord the hope of Israel all that forsake thee shall be ashamed Vers 17. Thou art my hope in the day of evil Sometimes Hope The Jewish Rabbins were wont to say That upon every Letter of the Law there hangs Mountains of profitable matter Ah then what abundance of comfort and sweetness may hope finde yea does hope finde in the Promises is exercised and busied about the Word and Promises Psal 119. 49. Remember the word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to Hope Vers 81. My soul fainteth for thy Salvation but I hope in thy Word Verse 114. Thou art my hiding place and my shield I hope in thy Word Psal 130. 5. I wait for the Lord my soul doth wait And in his Word do I hope Psal 119. 74. They that fear thee will be glad when they see me Because I have hoped in thy Word Verse 147. I prevented the dawning of the morning and cryed I hoped in thy Word Hope in the Promise will keep the head from aking and the heart from breaking it will keep both head and heart from sinking and drowning Hope exercised upon the promise brings Heaven down to the heart The Promises are the Ladder by which Hope gets up to Heaven Hope in the Promise will not onely keep life and soul together but it will also keep the soul and glory together Hope in Psal 4â— 5. 119. 49 50. compared Hol. 6. 1 2. the Promise will support distressed souls Hope in the Promise will settle perplexed souls Hope in the Promise will comfort dejected souls Hope in the Promise will reduce wandering souls Hope in the Promise will confirm staggering souls Hope in the Promise will save undone souls The Promise is the same to Hope that Rom. 8. 24. The Promises are Hopes rich Magazin Hope is to the Soul the Promise is the Anchor of Hope as Hope is the Anchor of the Soul Look what the Brests are to the Childe and Oyl is to the Lamp that are the Promises to Hope Hope lives and thrives as it feeds upon the Promises as it embraces the Promises The Promises are the sweet-meats of Heaven upon Heb. 11. 13. which Hope lives And every degree of Hope brings a degree of joy into the Soul which makes it cry out Heaven Heaven Again Hope is exercised about the glory and felicity the happiness Psal 16. ult Tit. 3. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Looking for Christs coming as earnestly as men look and long for the coming of some special friends or as Inn-keepers do for special guests and blessedness that is at Gods right hand Tit. 2. 13. Looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. Hope makes a man stretch out his neck and put forth his hand and look as earnestly for the glorious appearing of Christ as Sisera's Mother did for the happy return of her Son The hoping Soul is often a sighing it out Why are his Charriot Wheels so long a coming Col 1. 5. For the hope which is laid up for you in Heaven Hope in this place So in Rom. 8. 24 25. Col. 1. 27. Rom. 5. 2
man a servant to sin that breeds a contempt of Ordinances a neglect of holy Duties a carelesness in walking with God And from those hissings of the old Serpent O Lord deliver my Soul and the Souls of all thy servants that put their trust in thee Ninethly and lastly Assurance is a Jewel a Pearl of that price that God onely bestows it upon renued hearts The Spirit never sets his Seal upon any but upon those that Christ hath first Revel 2. 17. Ezek. 36. 25 26 27. compared printed his Image upon God gives to none the white stone but to those from whom he hath taken the heart of stone Christ never tells a man that his Name is written in the Book of Luke 10. 20. Life till he hath breathed into him Spiritual Life Christ never sayes Son be of good chear thy sin is pardoned Luke 5. 18 19 20. till he hath first said Be thou healed be thou cleansed Christ never gives a man a new name that is Isa 56. 5. 2 Cor. 5. 17. better then the names of Sons and Daughters till he hath made them new Creatures Of Slaves Christ first makes us Sons before we cry Abba Rom 8. 15. Ephes 2. 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20. Father Of Enemies he first makes us Friends before he will make us of his Court or Counsel Christ will never hang a Pearl in a Swines snout nor put new Wine into old Bottles nor his Royal Robes upon a leprous back nor his Golden Chain about a dead mans neck nor his glistering Crown upon a Ephes 1. 13. Traytors head The Spirit never sets his Seal upon any but upon those that Christ hath first seâ— as a Seal upon his Cant. 8. 6. heart The Spirit onely bears witness to such as hate sin as Christ hates it and that love Righteousness as Christ Psal 45 7. loves it that hate sin more then Hell and that love truth more then life A Soul sealed by the Spirit will pull out right eyes and cut off right hands for Christ such a Soul will part with a Benjamin and offer up an Isaac for Christ And this is to be seriously minded against those deceived and deluded Souls that remain yet in their blood and that wallow in their sins and yet boast and brag of the Seal and of the witness and testimony of the Spirit And thus I have shewed you the difference between the whisperings of the Spirit and the hissing of the old Serpent between a true testimony and a false CHAP. VII Containing Answers to several special Questions about Assurance BUt me thinks I hear some precious Souls saying Sir Quest 1 we have after much praying weeping and waiting gained this Pearl of price Assurance But O how shall we do to strengthen it How shall we do to keep it Satan will labor to weaken our Assurance and to rob us of this Jewel that is more worth than a world what means must we use to strengthen our Assurance and to secure it c. Now to this Question I shall give these following Answers First If you would have your Assurance strengthned and maintained then keep close to Soul-strengthning The old Rule was Hoc age ways be serious and sincere be diligent and constant in the use of those means and ways wherein you first gained Assurance as Prayer the Word breaking of Bread Communion of Saints c. A conscionable and cordial A cool spirit is always a losing spirit the doing heart the diligent heart turns the spark into a flame the mite into a million c. use of holy and heavenly means is blessed not onely with a preservation of Assurance but likewise with an addition and increase of it The ways of God and his goings in the Sanctuary have wrought wonders upon thee when thou wast dead how much more will they work upon thee and for thee now thou art by Grace made alive He that will not apply himself to Gods strengthning methods will quickly finde his Assurance weakned if not wholly wasted He that thinks himself too good for Ordinances will quickly grow weak in his Assurance The choicest Prophets and highest Apostles if I may so speak that had attained to the fullest Assurance kept close to the ways and precious institutions of Christ Verily those that pretend to live above Ordinances and yet live below them never knew by experience what a mercy it was to have a wel-grounded Assurance or else they have lost that blessed Assurance that once they had c. Secondly If you would strengthen and maintain your Assurance then dwell much upon your Spiritual and Eternal Priviledges viz. Your Adoption Holy and heavenly priviledges are the food by which Assurance is cherished and maintained Justification Reconciliation c. 1 Pet. 2. 9. This you will finde by experience will mightily tend to the strengthning and maintaining of your Assurance He that neglects this Rule will quickly finde his Sun to set in a cloud his Harp to be turned into mourning and his Organ into the voice Job 30. ult of them that weep Thirdly If you would strengthen and maintain your Assurance then look that your hearts and thoughts run more out to Christâ— then to Assurance to the Sun then to the Beams to the Fountain then to the Stream to the Root then to the Branch to the Cause then to the Effect Assurance is sweet Cant. 1. 13. but Christ is more sweet Assurance is lovely but Christ is altogether lovely Cant. 5. 16. Prov 3. 15. Assurance is precious but Christ is most precious Though Assurance be a flower that yeelds much comfort and delight yet it is but a flower Though Assurance be a precious Box yet it is but a Box. Though Assurance be a Ring of Gold yet it is but a Ring of Gold And what is the flower to the Root what is the Box to the Oyntment what is the Ring to the Pearl No more is Assurance to Christ therefore let thy eye and heart first most and last be fixt upon Christ then will Assurance bed and board with thee otherwise thou wilt quickly finde thy Summer to be turned into Winter Fourthly If you would strengthen and maintain your Assurance then look that your hearts are more taken up with Christ then with your Graces Though Grace be a glorious Creature Christ is the pot of Manna the Cruse of Oyl the bortomless Ocean the most sparkling Diamond in the Ring of glory c. yet it is but a Creature therefore let Grace have your eye but be sure that Christ have your heart Christ will not allow your very Graces to be corrivals with him He that mindes his Graces more then Christ or that sets his Graces upon the Throne with Christ will quickly finde what it is to lose the face and favor of Christ Your Grace are but Christs Servants and Handmaids you may look upon them but you must not match with
are among the precious Sons and Daughters of Zion that have lost this Pearl of price and after waiting weeping and wrestling have found it again therefore be not discouraged O sighing losing Souls In the loss of emporals it is a great support to mens spirits that their loss may be made up and why should it not be so in spirituals also The fourth Support to keep their Support 4 hearts from sinking and breaking that have lost that sweet Assurance that once they had is seriously to consider that your loss is no greater nor no sadder then what the noblest and the choicest Saints have sustained as you may see by comparing the Scriptures Psal 30. 6 7. 51. 12. Job 23. 8 9. Isa 8. 17. in the Margent together Those that were once the Worthies of this world and are now triumphing in that other World among the Princes of glory have lost that sweet Assurance and sense of Divine love and favor that once they enjoyed therefore let not your spirits faint and fail In temporal Acts 16. trials it is a comfort and a support to have companions with us and why should it not much more be so in spirituals The fifth Support to bear up their Support 5 spirits that have lost that sweet Assurance that once they had is for them to remember and seriously minde that though they have lost Assurance yet they have not lost the blessed breathings and sweet influences of the Spirit Cant. 3. 5. Micah 7. 7 8 9. compared Isa 8. 17. Isa 50. 10. upon them witness their love to Christ their longing after Christ their fear of offending Christ their care to please Christ their high esteem of Christ and their mourning for the dishonors that by themselves or others are done to Christ c. A man may enjoy the warmth heat and influence of the Sun when he hath lost the sight of the Sun David had lost his Assurance he had lost the sight of the Sun and yet he enjoyed the warmth and influences of it upon his heart as is evident in the One and fiftieth Psalm Though thy Sun O Christian be set in a cloud yet it will rise again and in the interim thou hast and dost enjoy the warmth and influences of the Sun therefore sorrow not mourn not as one without hope Those warm influences that the Sun of Righteousness hath now upon thy heart are infallible evidences that he will shine Psal 42. 5 7 8 11. forth and smile upon thee as in the days of old therefore let thy Bowe still abide in strength The sixth Support to keep their Support 6 hearts from fainting and sinking that have lost that sweet Assurance that once they had is seriously to consider that it will be but as a day but as a short day before the loss of thy Assurance shall be made up with a more clear full perfect and compleat enjoyment of God ere long O mourning Soul thy Sun shall rise and never set thy joy and comfort shall be always Isa 57. 18 19 20. fresh and green God shall comfort thee on every side it shall be night with thee no more thou shalt be always in the bosom of God Psal 71. 20 21. Thou which hast shewed me great and sore troubles shalt quicken me again and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the Earth Thou shalt increase my greatness and comfort me on every side The day is at hand O perplexed Soul when thou shalt have smiles without frowns light without darkness day without night wine without water sweet without bitter and joy without sorrow The year of Jubile is at hand thou Levit 25. Psal 126. 5. Isa 35. 2. now sowest in tears thou shalt shortly reap in joy yea Everlasting joy shall be upon thy head and sorrow and sighing shall flee away therefore faint not The third Question is this viz. Quest 3 What means must Souls use to recover Assurance when it is lost I shall give a few short Answers to this Question and so draw to a cloze First If thou wouldst recover Assurance Austin saith Humanum est peccare diabolicum perseverare Angelicum resurgere It is a humane thing to fall into sin a devilish to persevere therein and an Angelical or supernatural to rise from it then thou must labor diligently to finde out that sin that Achan that hath robbed thee of thy Wedg of Gold of thy Assurance surely it is not for infirmities but enormities that God hath put out thy candle and caused thy Sun to set at Noon surely thou hast been feeding I say not tasting of forbidden fruit that God hath stript thee of thy robes and taken the crown from off thy head and turned thee out of Paradise But this is not all Therefore in the second place weep Reve. 2. 4 5. When ancient Rome was Heathenish if the Malefactor brought to be whipped sell upon his knees at his feet whom he had offended it was held as a sin if he suffered him to be whipt much mourn much over the Achan over those wickednesses that have turned thy day into night thy rejoycing into sighing c. David doth thus in that One and fiftieth Psalm and God takes him up from his knees and restores to him the joy of his Salvation Though God be displeased with your sins yet he is wel-pleased with your tears The promise is that he will revive the spirit of the contrite Isa 51. 15. It is said of Adam that he turned his face towards the Garden of Eden and from his heart lamented his fall Ah losing Souls turn your faces towards Heaven and from your hearts lament your fall lament your loss nothing puts God to it like penitent tears No sooner doth Ephraim weep over his sins Jere 31. 18 19 20. It is an excellent expression of Basil It grieves it irks it is tediâ— is to our most munificient great glorious King If we ask any thing little of him he would have us ask great things of him but the bowels of God are stirring towards him and God cannot hold but he must proclaim to the world that mourning Ephraim bemoaning Ephraim is his dear son his pleasant childe and that he will surely have mercy on him or as the Hebrew hath it Rahhem arahhamenu I will having mercy have mercy on him or I will abundantly have mercy on him When our hearts are set to weep over our sins God will so act in ways of love towards us that it shall not be long night with our Souls God will never suffer them to be drowned in sorrow that are set upon drowning their sins in penitential tears The Jews have a saying That since the destruction of Jerusalem the door of Prayers hath been shut but the door of tears was Psal 39. 12. Job 16. 20. Mark 9. 24 25 c. never shut saith one God hath by promise engaged himself That those that sow in tears shall reap
compleat satisfaction if thou wilt cast thy eye upon the particulars I doubt not but thou wilt finde that profit and content that will recompence More to that point I cannot easily say thee for thy pains And this I thought more convenient to hint to thee then to write over the same things that there thou wilt finde to thy delight and settlement The fifth Impediment to Assurance 5. Impediment is their grieving and vexing the Spirit of grace by not harkning to his voice Nil nisi sanctum a sanct◠spiritu prodire potest Nothing can come from the holy Spirit but that which is holy by refusing his counsel by stopping the ear by throwing water upon that fire he kindles in their souls and by attributing that to the Spirit that is to be attributed to mens own passions and distempers and to the Prince of Smoak drives away Bees and an ill savor drives away Doves Sin is such a smoak such an ill savor as drives away this Dove-like spirit darkness and his associates By these and such like ways they sad that precious Spirit that alone can glad them they set him a mourning that alone can set them a rejoycing they set him a grieving that alone can set them a singing and therefore it is that they sigh it out with Jeremiah Lam. 1. 16. Behold he that should comfort our souls stands afar off Ah doubting souls if ever you would have Assurance you must observe the motions of the Spirit and give up your selves to his guidance you must live by his Laws and tread in his steps you must live in the Spirit and walk in the Spirit you must let him be chief in your souls This is the way to have him to be a sealing Spirit a witnessing Spirit and an assuring Spirit to your hearts Believe it souls if this be not done you will be far off from quietness and settlement The word that in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The soul will not quite leave wrangling till it be quiet in the bosom of Christ 1 John 3. 19. is rendred assure signifies to perswade to note to us that our hearts are very froward and peevish and apt to wrangle and raise objections against God against Christ against the Scripture against our own and others experiences and against the sweet hints and joyings of the Spirit and this they will do especially when we omit what the Spirit perswades us to omissions raises fears and doubts and makes work for Hell or for the Spirit and Physitian of souls or else when we do that which the Spirit disswades us from If you be kinde and obedient to the Spirit it will not be long night with your souls but if you rebel and vex him he will make your Isai 63. 10. life a hell by withholding his ordinary influences by denying to seal you to the day of redemption and by giving you up to conflict with horrors and terrors c. Therefore be at the Spirits beck and check and assurance and joy will ere long attend you The sixt Impediment to Assurance 6. Impediment is doubting souls making their Sense Reason and Feeling the judges of their Spiritual Conditions Now so long as they take this course they will never reach to Assurance Reasons arm is too short to reach this Jewel Assurance This Pearl of price is put into no hand but that hand of Faith that reaches from Earth to Heaven What tongue can express or heart conceive the fears the doubts the clouds the darkness the perplexities that will arise from the souls reasoning thus I finde not that the countenance Gen. 31. 5. of God is towards me as before therefore surely my condition is bad I feel not those warmings those quicknings those cheerings those meltings as before I am not sensible of those secret stirrings and actings of the Spirit and Grace in my soul as before I do not hear such good news from Heaven as before therefore certainly God is not my God I am not beloved I am not in the state of Grace I have but deceived my self and others and therefore the issue will be that I shall die in my sins c. To make Sense and Feeling the Judges of our Spiritual Conditions what is it but to make our selves happy and miserable righteous and unrighteous saved and damned in one day I in one hour when Sense and Reason sit as Judges upon the Bench Hath God made Sense and Feeling the Judges of your Conditions No. Why then will you Is your Reason Scripture is your Sense Scripture is your Feeling Scripture No. Why then will you make them Judges of your Spiritual Estate Is not the Word the Judge by which all men and their actions shall be judged at last The word that I have spoken John 12. 43. says Christ shall judge you in the last day To the Law and to the Testimony Isa 8. 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if they speak not according to this Word it is because there is no light or no morning in them Why then O doubting souls will you make your Sense and Feeling the Judge not onely of your conditions but of the truth it self What is this but to dethrone God and to make a god of your Sense and Feeling What is this but to limit and binde up the Holy One of Israel What is this but to toss the soul to and fro and to expose it to a labyrinth of fears and scruples What is this but to cast a reproach upon Christ to gratifie Satan and to keep your selves upon the rack Well doubting souls the counsel that I shall give you is this Be much in believing and make only the Scripture the judge of your condition maintain the judgement Inclinavit Deus Scripturas ad infantium lactentium capacitatem saith one God hath bowed down the Scriptures to the capacity even of Babes and Sucklings Id agit tota Scriptura ut credamus Deum esse misericordem Luth. Psal 119. 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Word against the judgement of Sense and Feeling and if upon a serious sincere and impartial comparing of thy heart and the Word together of thy ways and the Word together the Word speaks thee out to be sincere to be a Nathanael to be a new Creature to be born again to have an immortal seed in thee c. Cleave to the Testimony of the Word joy in it rest upon it and give no more way to Fears and Doubts Let thy countenance be no more sad for nothing can speak or make that soul miserable that the Word speaks out to be happy Constantine would have all differences and disputes in the Nicene Councel ended by the Bible O doubting souls look cheerfully to this That all differences and controversies that arise in your hearts be ended by the Word there is danger in looking beside the Scripture or beyond the Scripture or short of the Scripture or upon sense
and feeling so much as upon the Scripture therefore let the Word be always the man of thy counsel No way to assurance and joy to settlement and establishment like this If you are resolved to make Sense and Feeling the Judge of your conditions you must resolve to live in fears and lie down in tears The seventh Impediment to Assurance 7. Impediment is Mens remisness carelesness laziness and overliness in Religious Services and in the Exercise of their graces Ah how active and lively are men The active Christian goes to Heaven Alacri animo ac plena fiducia in pursuing after the world but how liveless and unactive in the ways of Grace and Holiness Ah doubting Christians remember this That the promise of Assurance and Comfort is made over not to lazy but laborious Christians not to idle but to active Labor omnia vincit Christians not to negligent but to diligent Christians John 14. 21 22 23. He that hath my Commandments and keepeth them he it is that loveth me And he that loveth me shall be loved of Non amat qui non zelat Aug. my Father and I will love him and will manifest my self to him Now Judas saith unto him not Iscariot Lord How is it that thou wilt manifest thy self unto us and not to the world Jesus answered and said unto him If any man love me he will keep my words and my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him So in that 2 Pet. 1. 10 11. Wherefore the rather Brethren 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a significant word it signifies all manner of earnestness scriousness and continuance in doing Also it signifies a speedy and swift putting of things in execution give diligence to make your Calling and Election sure For if you do these things ye shall be ministred unto you abundantly into the Everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ A lazy Christian shall always want four things viz. Comfort and Content Confidence and Assurance God hath made a separation between Joy and Idleness between Assurance and Laziness and therefore it is impossible for thee to bring these together that God hath put so far a sunder Assurance and Joy are choice Donatives that Christ gives onely to laborious Christians The lazy Christian hath his mouth full of complaints when the active Christian hath his heart full of comforts God would have the hearts of his children to be hot in Religious Services be fervent or seething hot as it is in the Rom. 12. 11. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies seething hot Original in spirit serving the Lord. That service that hath not heavenly heat that hath not Divine fire in it is no service it is lost service A lazy spirit is always a losing spirit O! Remember lazy Christians that God is a pure act therefore he loves activeness in Religious services Remember the Angels those Princes of Ezek. 1 6. Marth 18. 10. glory are full of life and activity and they always behold the Fathers face in glory Remember he that will finde rich Minerals must dig deep he that Prov. 2. 4 5 6. will be rich must sweat for it he that will taste the Kirnel must crack the shell he that will have the Marrow must break the bone he that will wear the Garland must run the race he that will ride in triumph must get the victory so he that will get Assurance must be active and lively in duty It is onely fervent prayer that is effectual Jam â— 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The working prayer prayer it is onely the working prayer that works wonders in Heaven and that brings down wonderful Assurance into the heart Cold prayers shall never have any warm Answers God will suit his returns to our requests liveless services shall have liveless Answers when men are dull God will be dumb Elias prayed earnestly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He prayed in prayer or as it is in the Greek He prayed in prayer and God answered him Most men have more heat in their brains then in their hearts and services and therefore it is that they walk in darkness that they want assurance Many there be that pray but they do not pray in prayer they are not lively and earnest with God in prayer and therefore Justice shuts out their prayers When one desired to know what kinde of man Basil was there was saith the History presented to him in a dream a Pillar of fire with this Motto Talis est Basilius Basil is such a one all on a light fire for God Ah lazy doubting Christians were you all on a light fire in hearing in praying c. It would not be long before the Windows of Heaven would be open before God would rain down Manna before he would drop down Assurance into your bosoms My advice to you lazy Christians is this Cease complaining of the want of Assurance and be no more formal slight and superficial in Religious God shot Anastasius the Emperor to death with a thunder-bolt for his lukewarmness saith the Historian services but stir up your selves and put out all your might and strength in holy actions and you shall experimentally finde that it will not be long before you shall have such good news from Heaven as will fill you with joy unspeakable and full of glory The eighth Impediment to Assurance 8. Impediment is Mens living in the neglect of some Ordinance or in the omission Omission of Diet breeds diseases and makes the life uncomfortable yea sometimes a burâ—en to a man So the omission of holy duties and services breeds many fears doubts and questions in the soul about its own sincerity about its interest in Christ about its finding audience and acceptance with God and so makes the life of a Christian very uncomfortable yea a burden to him of some Religious duties they seek Christ in some of his ways but not in all they wait upon him in this and that Ordinance but not in every Ordinance Are there not many doubting souls that wait upon God in hearing the Word of Life and yet neglect and make light of waiting upon Christ in breaking the Bread of Life Are there not many that are very careful daily to perform Family duties and yet are very rarely found in Closet services Some there be that are all ear all for hearing and others there be that are all tongue all for speaking and praying and others there be that are all eye all for believing all for searching all for enquiring into this and that and others there be that are all hand all for receiving the Lords Supper c. And seriously when I consider these things I cease wondering that so many want Assurance and do rather wonder that any obtain Assurance considering how few there be that are conscientious and ingenuous in waiting upon God in every way and service wherein he
Christ Pauls great light makes him very little though he was the greatest Apostle yet he looks upon himself a◠less then the least of all Saints Of all the Evangelists John was most sharp-sighted John in the Hebrew signifies The grace of God This Barbarian said the Philosopher hath comprised more in three lines then we have done in all our volumnious discourses Matth. 11. 9 10 11. Christ wonderfully extols John Sayes Christ he is a Prophet yea and more then a Prophet yea a greater is not born of women But the greatest wonder of all is that John is so low in his own eyes most Eagle-eyed he had the clearest sight of Christ he lay most in the bosom of Christ he knew most of the minde of Christ he had the fullest manifestations and revelations of Christ and yet O how little how low is John in his own eyes John 1. 26 27. John answered them saying I baptize with water but there standeth one among you whom ye know not He it is who coming after me is preferred before me whose shooes latchet I am not worthy to unloose In this phrase John alludes to the custom of the Hebrews those among them which were more noble then others had Boyes who carried their shooes and untied them when they laid them by O sayes John I am a poor weak worthless Creature I am not worthy to be admitted to the meanest to the lowest service under Christ I am not worthy to carry his shooes to unloose his shooes After Peter had been in the Mount and instructed and enlightned by Christ he cryes out Depart from me O Lord for I am a sinful man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A man a sinner a very mixture and compound of dirt and sin of vileness and baseness as you may see in comparing Matth. 17. 1 2 3 4. with Luke 5. 8. Abraham under Gen. 18. 27. all his light and knowledge acknowledges himself to be but dust and ashes Jacob under all his knowledge Gen. 32. 10. acknowledges himself to be less then the least of all mercies David under Psal 22. 2. 73 22. all his knowledge acknowledges him self to be a worm and no man he acknowledges himself to be foolish and ignorant and as a beast before the Lord. Job under all his knowledge Job 42 1 2 3 4 5. acknowledges that he hath much reason to abhor himself in dust and ashes Agur was very good and his knowledge very great and yet under all his knowledge O how doth he villifie yea nullifie himself Surely saith he I am more bruitish then any man and Prov. 30. 1 2 3 4. have not the understanding of a man I neither learned wisdom nor have the knowledge of the holy The Evangelical Prophet Isaiah under all his knowledge Isa 6. 1. to 8 c. and visions which were very great and glorious acknowledges himself to be a man of unclean lips and to dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips Divine and heavenly knowledge brings a man The light that the Moon borrows from the Sun discovers her own spots and makes them the more conspicuous Isa 6. near to God it gives a man the clearest and the fullest fight of God and the nearer any man comes to God and the clearer visions he hath of God the more low and humble will that man lie before God None so humble as they that have nearest communion with God The Angels that are near unto him cover their faces with their wings in token of humility Divine knowledge makes a man look inwards it anatomizes a man to himself it is a glass that shews a man the spots of his own soul and this makes him little and low in his own eies In the beams of this heavenly When a beam of Divine light had shined upon Augustine he cryed out Teneo in memoria scribo in charta sed non habeo i◠vita Gal. 6 3. Many in these days are like the Chineses who use to say That they onely did see with two eyes all others but with one light a Christian comes to see his own pride ignorance impatience unworthiness conceitedness worthlesness frowardness and nothingness That knowledge that swells thee will undo thee that knowledge that puffs thee will sink thee that knowledge that makes thee delightful in thy own eyes will make thee despicable in God and good mens eyes 1 Cor. 8. 1 2. Knowledge puffeth up that is Notional knowledge Speculative knowledge Knowledge that ripens a man for destruction that will leave him short of salvation this knowledge puffs and swells a man and makes him think himself something when he is nothing And if any man thinketh that he knoweth any thing he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know saith the Apostle Will not that Philosopher rise in judgement against many of our high-flown Professors who swell who look big and talk big under their notional knowledge who said under all his knowledge which was very great Hoc tantum scio quod nihil scio This onely do I know that I know nothing Well if that knowledge thou hast be that knowledge that accompanies salvation it is a soul humbling and a soule abasing knowledge if it bee otherwise then will thy knowledge make thee both a Prisoner and a Slave to the Devill at once Seventhly That Knowledge that accompanies salvation is an appropriating knowledge a knowledge that appropriates and applies spiritual and heavenly benefits to a mans own particular soul As you may see in Job my Job 19 25. and 16. 19. Redeemer lives and my witnesse is in Heaven and my record is on high So David the Lord is my portion in Psal Psal 16. 5. 18. 2. he useth this word of propriety eight times together The Lord is my rock and my fortresse and my deliverer my God my strength in whom I will trust my buckler and the horn of my salvation and my high Tower So the Spouse my Beloved is mine and I am Cant. 2. 16. John 20. 28. his So Thomas My Lord and my God So Paul I am crucified with Christ neverthelesse This is the pith and power of heavenly knowledge to appropriate Christ to a mans selfe I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who hath loved me and gave himself for me Applicatory knowledge is the sweetest knowledge it revives the heart it chears the spirits it rejoyces the soul it makes a man go singing to duties and go singing to his grave and singing to Heaven Whereas others Those that have a blemish in their eie think the Skie to be ever cloudy and nothing is more common to weak spirits then to be criticizing and contending c. though gracious that want this applicatory knowledge have their hearts full of fears and their lives full of sorrows and so go sighing and mourning
to Heaven But lest any precious soule should turn this Truth into a sword to cut and wound himselfe let me desire him to remember that every Beleever that hath such knowledge that accompanies salvation hath not It is commonly said of knowledge non habet inimicum praeter ignorantem that it hath not a greater enemy then ignorance c. this applicatory knowledge that makes so much for the souls consolation and that doth accompany some mens salvation I say not all mens salvation if thou findest thy knowledge to be such a knowledge as is before described in the six former particulars though thou hast not attained to this applicatory knowledge yet hast thou attained to that knowledge that accompanies salvation and that will my soule for thine give thee a possession of salvation This applicatory knowledge that accompanies salvation is onely to bee found in such eminent Saints that are high in their communion with God and that have attained some considerable assurance of their interest in God Many mens salvation is accompanied with an applicatory knowledge but all mens salvation is not accompanied with an applicatory knowledge of a mans particular interest in Christ and those blessed favors and benefits that comes by him thy Soule may bee safe and thy salvation may bee sure though thou hast not attained unto this appropriating knowledge but thy life cannot A man doth not attain to health by reading Galen or Hippocrates his Aphorisms but by the practical application of them 〈◊〉 move his diseases You know how to apply it be comfortable without this appropriating knowledge Therefore if thou hast it not labor for it as for life it is a pearle of price and if thou findest it it will make thy soul amends for all thy digging seeking working sweating weeping c. Eightly and lastly that Knowledge that accompanies salvation is accompanied and attended with these things First that Knowledge that accompanies salvation is attended with holy indeavors and with heavenly desires thirstings and pantings after a further knowledge of God after clearer visions of God Prov. 15. 14. The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 knowledge but the mouth of fools feedeth on foolishnesse The Hebrew word that is here rendred seeketh â—ebakkesh is in pihil and signifâ—es an earnest and diligent seeking to seek as an hungry man seeks for meat or as a covetous man for gold the more he hath the more he desires or as a condemned man seeks for his pardon or as the diseased man seeks for his cure The word in the Text is from a root 〈…〉 ash that signifies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to seek studiously laboriously industriously to seek by sâ—ing praying enquiring and walking up and downe that we may find what we seek So in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Prov. 18. 15. The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge and the eare of Seeketh as men do for hid treasure c. the wise seeketh knowledge A man that divinely knows will set his heart and his ear his inward and outward man to know more and more Divine knowledge is marvellous sweet pleasing comforting satisfying refreshing strengthening and supporting and soules that have found the sweetnesse and usefulness of it cannot but look and long breath and pant after more and more of it The new-born 1 Pet. 2. 2 3. Babe doth not more naturally and more earnestly long for the brests then a soul that hath tasted that the Lord is gracious doth long for further and further tastes of God David under all Psal 119. 18 19. his knowledge cryes out I am a stranger in the Land hide not thy Commandments from me Open mine eyes that I may behold wondrous things out of thy Law Job under all his knowledge Job 34. 32. which was very great cryes out That which I see not teach thou me if I have done iniquity I will do no more A second thing that attends and accompanies that knowledge that accompanies salvation is holy endeavors The way to get more knowledge is to communicate that we have according to that Habenti dabitur to edifie others to instruct others to enlighten and inform others in the knowledge of spiritual and heavenly things Heavenly light cannot be hid under a bushel you may as easily hinder the Sun from shining as you may hinder a gracious soul from diffusing and spreading abroad that knowledge and light that God hath given him Divine light in the soul is like a light in a bright Lanthorn that shines forth every way or like a light in a room or on a Beacon that gives light to others A Christian that divinely knows is like the Lamp in the story that was always burning and shining and never went out So in Gen. 18. 17 Thus did Philip of Bethsaida John 1. 45. Thus did the woman of Samaria John 4. 28 29. Thus did the Spouse Cant. 5. 10. to ult Thus did that Scraphical Preacher St. Paul Acts 26. 29. 19. And the Lord said shall I hide from Abraham that which I do for I know him that he will command his children and his houshould after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord to do justice and judgement that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him He that communicates his knowledge to others shall be both of Gods court and council he shall lye in the bosome of God he shall know the secrets of God Prov. 15. 7. The lips of the wise disperse knowledge but the heart of the foolish doth not so The Hebrew word that is here rendred disperse is a metaphor taken from Seedsmens scattering abroad of their seed in the furrows of the field Heavenly Augustine accounted nothing his own that he did not communicate to others knowledge is very spreading and diffusive it is like the Sun the Sun casteth his beams upward and downward upon good and upon bad so divine light in a gracious soul will break forth for the advantage and profit of friends and enemies of those that be in a state of nature and of those that be in a state of grace Acts 4. 18 19 20. And they called them and Opposition is the black angel that dogs the Gospel at the heels Divine knowledge is like new wine it must have vent it is heavenly fire that will break forth Jer. 5. 14. 20. 9. commanded them not to speak at all nor teach in the Name in Jesus But Peter and John answered and said unto them Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more then unto God judge ye For we cannot but speak the things that we have seen and heard The Bee doth store her Hive out of all sorts of flowers for the common benefit so a heavenly Christian sucks sweetness out of every mercy and every duty out of every providence and out of every ordinance out of every promise