their faith as is by the power of it alone they were able to stand against all blasts resist all temptations for though it 's an excellent grace yet it 's but a creature and imperfect too and therefore in sense and distrust of our own weakness we have need to cry to God that he would shield us with his grace and support both us and our faith by his power Lastly it follows hence Vse 6 that faith doth not justifie by any valour vertue dignity of its own neither as an habit or quality nor as a work but as it is a means or instrument of obtaining that for which we are justified it s not the gift of Faith dwelling in the Heart nor the act of believing as the Novellers teach but the thing holden and possessed by believing which is our Righteousness For that thing by which we are in proper sense absolutely and as I may say formally justified and presented spotless before God must be perfect yea expiate infinite guiltiness answer the Justice of God but this faith cannot do because it is imperfect as we see The second Instruction or Conclusion to be drawn out of these words is Christians must desire the accomplishment and perfection of Faith above all other Graces doct 2 The reason is because Faith of all Graces which exist in us is the noblest for excellency and of necessity it hath the preeminence whether we consider the Glory it brings to God or Profit to Man First Reason 1 no grace exalteth and honoureth God as faith doth For 1. In the cause of Justification and Salvation Faith utterly annihilates man tramples under foot all the glory of nature all goodness all privileges all works of man seeks righteousness and life onely from Gods grace in Christ when a poor sinner seeth himself a condemned rebel and traitour feels nothing in himself but darkness unworthiness wrath and death hath nothing to bring to God but shame and misery Faith leads him to the Throne of Grace and makes him bold to beg and expect pardon in Christs blood for no other cause but because God is gracious yea when his many mighty ugly sins discourage and terrifie him to cleave still to the free and everlasting goodness of God acknowledging the Lords mercies infinitely to surpass his iniquities Thus Faith gives the whole praise of mans salvation to the grace of God 2. Faith believes God upon his bare word if God have revealed or promised this or that though all the world say it cannot be though reason cannot comprehend how or why it should be though many reasons appear why it should not be beleeved none at all why it should but this that God hath spoken faith will still all contrary surmises and subscribe to Gods testimony as more stable and stedfast than the foundation of the earth Thus faith highly honours Gods truth 3. Faith proclaims God to be able to effect whatsoever he hath promised and believeth that though a thousand difficulties stand in the way the overcoming of which flesh and blood judgeth not only a thing improbable but impossible it 's as sure as if it were done already Rom. 4.20 21. Thus it gives glory to the power of God 4. Faith causeth a man denying and renouncing his own judgment wisdom will as foolishness to bless God as well when he denies or takes away as when he gives as well for the worst as the best and to rest perswaded that the worst estate is the best for him when God is the Author of it that poverty is better than abundance when God will have him poor restraint than liberty when God will have him restrained c. that it 's greatest gain to lose all things for Christ that God loves in smiting heals by wounding exalts by humbling thorow the gates of death brings unto life Thus faith extols the wisdom of God 5. Faith makes man justifie God in all his decrees judgements dealings subscribe to the equity of them all even when he conceives not of them adore the unsearchableness of them reverently submit unto them yea when they thwart his desires pronouncing approving all his ways to be pure and righteous when he neither seeth nor asketh any reason thereof but Gods will Is not this a great honour which faith gives to Gods righteousness 6. It beholds him that is invisible every where present perswaded that he seeth and knoweth all things and so glorifieth him in respect of his omnipresence In a word that I be not too long in multiplying particulars Faith if I may so speak gives unto God his whole Divinity and of all graces most sanctifies his Name by acknowledging and confirming as it were by seal all those excellent properties and perfections which the Scripture ascribeth to him Indeed other graces also as love fear joy and the rest do honour God nor do I mean to rob them of their due praises but neither primarily for the cause and foundation of all that honour is in faith nor yet in such ample and full manner as faith Seeing then nothing is so glorious to God as Faith and consequently the more faith any man hath the more he glorifies God doth it not stand every Christian in hand above all graces to labour for perfection of Faith Secondly Reason 2 No Grace is more useful more profitable to man than Faith whether we consider life spiritual or natural For spiritual life 1. Faith espouseth and conjoyneth man to the Son of God in whom he findeth and obtaineth the dignity or prerogative of Son-ship and justification of life which things the better they are known the more they are felt and sealed up in the Soul by believing the more is the heart refreshed with unspeakable comforts 2. Faith purifieth and sanctifieth because 1. Being a gift of an holy and heavenly nature descending from above it will oppose and fight against corruption as light expels darkness heat cold and antidote poison 2. Laying hold on Christ it draweth and deriveth from him the Fountain Vertue and Power whereby corruption is mastered and mortified as a leaden pipe brings water from the spring wherein vessels are washed and cleansed 3. Faith is the mother and root of all other holy graces in a Christian and therefore as faith increaseth the rest will increase the more perfect that Faith grows the nearer the persection is the whole cluster of heavenly gifts in the children of God the more a man knows and believes the love of God to him the more fervently he will love God the more reverently he will fear him burn with zeal of his glory patiently hope earnestly desire to be with him in heaven and so of the rest 3. Faith strengthens 1. To obey God in leading an holy life in performing all duties and doing all the good works he requireth of his people so as they may please him in all things 2. To fight against and foil all spiritual enmity faith makes a poor soul able to resist the Devil
shall in the life to come If therefore we know but imperfectly we must needs trust imperfectly Experience in our selves and other Christians may partly teach us the necessity of this consequence Do we not perceive this to be or have been one special cause of the failing of our faith that either vve know not this or that promise or were not sufficiently acquainted with the faithfulness and goodness of the promiser or did not so evidently behold the good things God had begun in us as from them we could conclude our selves to be heirs of the promise Secondly there are many enemies which oppugn a Christians faith from without Satan by his temptations sometimes more subtil sometimes more violent in his own bosom carnal vvisdom and reason natural slowness or untowardness of heart to that which is good inordinate affections and passions for grace doth not wholly expel and root out these Canaanites though it brings and keeps them under the yoke of the spirit Novv these sometimes dim the light of faith by raising mists and fogs of objections and doubts sometimes cast her into a slumber sometimes as it vvere by a sudden vehement blow astonish her and in a vvord by many means hinder the efficacy and working of faith No marvel therefore if sometimes the best faith stagger and waver This doctrine confuteth 1. The Papists vvho to the end they may vvith more probability maintain and perswade the possibility of fulfilling the Law in this life teach that faith and charity are perfect in this life 2. Some in our Church at home vvho hold that a man never doubts after he is a true believer It seems these men think faith to be like certain little bones in mans head of vvhich the Doctors of nature vvrite that they are of the same bigness in an old man and in a child 3. Our common people and silly ignorants vvho brag their belief is so strong as nothing can shake it no company can hurt no Devil prevail against them they never sound in themselves any want or vveakness of faith they never distrusted God in all their lives they can believe as stedfastly as they lift From their own vvords their faith is evinced to be nothing but an idle sancy for the child of God seels such craziness in his faith as vvrings from him many deep sighs bitter cries dolorous complaints before his heavenly father who seeth in secret He who never groaned under sence and conscience of great infidelity is yet in the state of infidelity and death and hath no more true faith than the Devil But is it possible may some say that any man should be so deceived and mistaken object as to perswade himself he is rich in faith vvhen he hath none at all I answer answ Yes very easily For 1. the heart is naturally very full of strong presumption vvhich these men because of the ignorance that is in them not being able to distinguish from saith do therefore take and rest in the one instead of the other 2. Being full of darkness destitute of spiritual light they see not that mighty mass that sink that sea of unbelief vvhich is in them they knovv not what infidelity is nor what are the proper symptomes and effects of it and therefore though it be continually stirring yea ruling in them and breaking out so as others may discern it yet they see it not themselves because they know not themselves nor what is in them as one bodily blind or going into a dark night without a candle into a room cannot discern what filth and baggage is â—n it 3. All unconverted are in a deep and deadly sleep for repentance is called awaking therefore we need not think it strange or impossible they should dream of great riches when they have nothing of eating and drinking while their souls are empty 4. The Devil will do his best to keep such from doubting for fear of losing them for well he knows that to doubt one hath gone wrong is a step to returning and to fear ones heart is faithless and graceless a step to believing Secondly Let the child of God take heed of numbring himself among unbelievers and concluding that he is void of faith because sometimes he finds his heart trembling and shaken with doubtings and fears Indeed Satan will encounter a Christian with this sophistry Thou hast experience oâ— much wavering thou art not stedfast and rooted in faith therefore thou art not found in the faith but vve must ansvver the tempter boldly If this reason be good all the generation of the just must be condemned none of vvhich vvere exempted and priviledged from knovving vveaknesses and failings of faith If it be objected object Christ prayed for every believer as vvell as for Peter that his faith should not fail I ansvver sol faith may be said to fail either in regard of habit vvhen it s utterly lost and extinguished and this failing doth not shall not befall a true believer according to our Saviours prayer and the true meaning of it or in regard of act and operation vvhen in time of danger some grievous fall or temptation it fainteth svvouneth vvorketh not or but very vveakly and in this sense and manner the best mans faith may fail as Peters did for his denial proceeded from such a cause as strength or lively povverful vvorking of faith expelleth viz. predominancy of carnal fear neither did our Lord Jesus pray that his elect might be preserved from it If it be objected again object Abraham believed without staggering I answer 1. True sol when God promised Isaac but it doth not hence follow that he never at any time staggered 2. This example teacheth what a strong faith ordinarily can do and what every Christian should labour to do but not that every one who reacheth not Abrahams measure is an hypocrite I speak this for the comfort of true believers not to nuzzle up any in their doubts if any man shall hence take occasion to please himself in a floating uncertainty hanging between hope and fear and neglecting to try or labour for more strength of faith because he hears the best faith hath weaknesses he perverts and wrests the word of God to his own destruction But may some man say seeing a good Christian may be troubled quest and tossed with doubts shall not I conclude I am the child of God and in an happy case if I feel doubtings Take heed of this deceit answ A right believer may doubt and he may doubt that never was believer The difference between them is this First The doubts of a wicked man touching his salvation are caused or confirmed by the light and power of Gods word rightly divided and applied discovering his unsoundness and so convincing his conscience that its forced to give sentence against him and roundly to tell him he is not qualifred like one that shall inherit the promises and enjoy the salvation of God they come not from Satan ordinarily for his
these things bringeth out their host by number and calleth all by their names by the greatness of his might who can do what he will and hinder what he pleaseth who never fainteth nor is weary hath undertaken to finish their faith by that effectual working whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself As soon shall God fail as the Faith of the Elect utterly fail till the Almighty be overcome they can never perish Thirdly Vse 3 Believers who complain of weakness of faith are here taught to follow the Lord with importunate and earnest requests that he would by his out-stretched Arm uphold them in believing to the end and accomplish their faith by the same power whereby he first brought them to Faith Do we sometimes feel our selves so near swouning that we are ready with David to cry out My flesh and my heart faileth me let us cry unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of Faith Heb. 12.2 that he would strengthen us and perfect that which he hath wrought in us Let us look up unto him Joel 3.16 Ps 68.35 who is the strength of the children of Israel who gives strength to his people power to them that are faint and to them that have no might increaseth strength let us lay hold upon his strength who is the God of all Power the rock of our hearts and of our faith the worker of all our works in us and for us who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us to him be glory for ever and ever Amen Fourthly It seemes to me Vse 4 we may rightly conclude from this point that Faith shall not cease in the life to come For that which God will accomplish shall not be abolished else God should perfect and accomplish a most excellent Habit in vain and to no purpose which standeth not with his Wisdom Because the assertion may seem strange and new though indeed it hath worthy Authors these reasons may further confirm it 1. Were it not harsh and absurd to say the glorified Saints have no confidence in God 2. No Man can doubt that the spirits of just and perfect Men now in Heaven do believe and wait for the redemption of their bodies therefore faith and sight are not so opposed as they cannot stand together 3. If there shall be a word in Heaven then faith but there shall be a word not this written or printed Bible but the substance of that Doctrine which is contained in the Bible and consequently all those Promises which speak of the Eternity of that glorious Estate reserved for Believers in Heaven shall be written in their hearts So that if any ask what use shall there be of Faith when now they enjoy the Lords promised Salvation I Answer they shall believe that God will perpetuat and continue those joys and pleasures that blessed condition to them for ever and ever 4. I suppose this is found Doctrine which hath hitherto gone for currant among our Divines unless 〈◊〉 that late Controversie whether fai◠or repentance hath precedency ◠have received some affront Faith is the root foundation original of holiness Doth the root wither when the tree and branches flourish more than ever 5. In the day of Judgment the Lord shall pronounce all the sins of the righteous eternally forgiven the sentence of absolution remission shall be openly and fully declared and confirmed as Divines teach Shall they not believe what Christ speaketh 6. Why may we not say that as the godly in this world believe things past as the creation the incarnation death resurection of Christ so shall they in the life to come These arguments sway me to this opinion as most probable that Faith in God is an eternal gift abiding in the Heavens tho some Operations of it shall cease in Heaven whereof there shall be no number The matter is not of such weight that I would contend with any man about it Let the Prophet judge and instruct him better if he err who in points of this nature suspecteth his own judgment as much as any other and is more desirous to learn than to teach Lastly from this instruction its easie to gather that we must seek unto and rest upon God as well for the finishing as beginning of our salvation Should the beginning be Gods work the accomplishment ours so wise an Apostle would not have spent nor by his own example taught us to spend so many prayers for it This is to be marked as meeting with the Papists they will have God lay the foundation of mans salvation by Predestination redemption free remission of sins but afterwards they will not be much beholden to him they can now perfect the building themselves for they can merit increase of justice and eternal life so that in effect they say to God as a man sometimes to his neighbour when he would have this or that work done do but set me in and I shall do well enough But that doctrine which suffereth us not with the Apostle to pray while we live Lord accomplish in us weak and worthless Vessels by thine own power the work of faith and all the good pleasure of thy goodness is not from heaven but from men and the Devil Hitherto we have unfolded the special requests which the Apostle made unto God for the Thessalonians There now remaineth only the end why or for which he thus intercedeth with God and moveth him for the forenamed blessings and its double 1. Principal respecting Christ 2. Subordinate respecting the Thessalonians themselves The former is set down in these words that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you that is that Christ himself by this means may be honoured in you and by you in this present world As if he should say I do the rather beg these things for you because they mainly tend to the promoting of the glory of Christ among the sons of men which thing I am sure your souls earnestly wish and desire Observe from these words to instructions First doct 1 that the scope of Christians must be the glorifying of Christ The Apostle testifieth of himself in another place that he desired nothing more than that Christ might be magnified in his frail body Phil. 1.20 whether by life or death and professeth that he made this the only end of his life the mark at which he aimed in his whole Ministry all his actions and passions to bring glory to Christ For so I expound those words for to me to live is Christ and generally of all true believers he saith elsewhere Whether we live we live unto the Lord or whether we die we die unto the Lord. And good reason For First Reas 1 Christ is the Author both of their being and conservation From him they have I se and sustentation natural and spiritual Col. 1.16 For by him all things were created do subsist
a Grammarian to speak incongruously a Musitian to play or sing unskilfully how great a shame is it in the sight of God and his holy Angels for one to profess and make shew of Christianity and yet so grosly to fail in observing and obeying the rules of it that his own works condemn him in the gate What a shame is it lastly that those who by their lives ought to condemn the unclean world as Noah did by his obedience and all ought who hope to be assessors or benchers with Christ in judging the world should give the world just cause to condemn their lives I would gladly take off mine hand and make an end but the point holdeth me as if it were loth to leave you till you were perswaded I befeech you set your hearts to all these words which I testifie unto you this day and let them sink down into your ears yea into your souls Let your conversation be such as becometh the Gospel of Christ walk worthy of God who hath called you to his Kingdom and glory that you may by a real demonstration of the power of Religion stop the mouths of foolish and ignorant men who would be barking against Religion by practise and expressions of holiness muzzle or make ashamed the slanderous brood of Antichrist who charge us to deny or contemn inherent holiness Solomon said once Goe to the Pismire so say I Go the little Bees consider their ways and be ashamed of irregular lives of ill composed manners when you see their little cels or hony-combs so artificially and accuratly framed Consider remember often that your Christian calling calls for requires great circumspection watchfulness great purity and uprightness See you not how careful some Men are when they walk or ride in a fair new suit to keep it from spotting So must you your heavenly vocation Speak do nothing but that which beseems your calling and you shall not easily offend in word or work What shall I say no more but this let 's either be such indeed as our names import and report to others or else cast away the names and call our sesves from the masters we serve and the Lord grant that whosoever heareth or readeth may be perswaded or this doctriue may put a sting into his conscience never giving him rest till he resolve to lead the life of a Christian And so I pass on to The third instruction A Christians walking worthy of his calling is from God All ability in believers to grace and adorn their profession is Gods gift Therefore doth the Apostle beg this grace at the hands of God for the Thessalonians And there is good reason for it First no man is of himself sufficient to think much Iess to accomplish that which is good This that great Apostle who was taken up into the third heaven confesseth and confirmeth in himself therefore all the sufficiency of the faithful must needs be from that Father of lights from whom descendeth every good and perfect gift Secondly God gives the first grace whereby they begin both to deny ungodliness to renounce all that spiritual uncleanness of sin which is contrary to their calling and to do those good works to which they are called to bring forth new fruits of holiness and righteousness a greeable to their new calling Thirdly he continues and confirms this grace or gracious work by a subsequent upholds them in their integrity stablisheth their hearts in holiness gives wisdom to espie and shun the snares of the tempter Delivers from every evil work and consequently preserves from shameful fals disgracing their calling waters them as a garden that they may be fruitful in good works which are a comely ornament to their profession Lastly he limiteth or restraineth their adversaries spiritual corporal whether solliciting to defection from the faith or tempting to sin in conversation suffers them not to assault his children when where with what weapons with what force and fury they would or else ministreth strength to withstand and overcome them Now he that curbs or puts to flight the enemies which would draw us to dishonourable acts must needs be the cause of our honourable standing in the day of battel and consequently of our winning credit to our calling First then hast thou escaped many dangerous pit-falls and quick-sands in which others have been overthrown many foul sins of youth of age which have foiled others and defiled both them and their profession Hast thou as a brave Souldier of Jesus Christ warded or repelled those blows of temptation which have brought others on their on knees or driven them from their station Hast thou purchased the name and repute of a worthy Christian by a godly harmless meek sober peaceable conversation gained honour not only to thy self but to the general calling of Christianity and so sent abroad the smell of the ointment of thy graces that others have been thereby induced to speak honourably of Religion for thy sake Be not proud of it its Gods work in thee ascribe the glory of it wholly to him who keeps back his children from evil and confirms them in good without whom we have no stedfastness no power to live well or hold out in good courses but should certainly after we have begun in the spirit end in the flesh It s truly said of an Enemy the least temptation if God forsake us and suffer the Devil to work as powerfully as he can will be intolerable invincible Secondly Vse 2 Dost thou desire to honour thy Christian calling by walking as beseems the Gospel Do for thy self what Paul did for his Thessalonians send every day post to the Court of heaven none other but thine own heart on the winged horse of Prayer Spread thy petition as Hezek his letter before the Lord say unto him Lord as thou hast made me partaker make me also worthy of the heavenly calling give grace that whiles I live I may shew such behaviour as is sitting the honourable condition to which thou hast brought me Let me die rather than I should admit or commit any thing which might impair the reputation of Religion and cause Christianity to find worse entertainment in the world Guide me therefore by thy counsel till thou receive me to glory hold me by thy right hand strengthen me with thine own might turn from me shame and contempt order my steps in thy word and let no iniquity have dominion over thy servant keep my spirit ever waking and watchful against sin stablish my heart in thy fear my feet in the way of thy precepts enable me to continue holy and faithful unto death and lead me in the way everlasting to the land of righteousness This is the way to obtain this excellent grace and he that perseveres earnestly begging it adding thereunto holy endeavours making the matter of his prayer the matter of his practise shall be preserved from opprobrious evils The second petition of Paul followeth wherein such things are
Secondly Reason 2 as God in the first creation made and adorned this spacious and specious world not in a moment which to him had been as easie but successively in six days space partly that man might learn by his example to take more time leisurely and distinctly to meditate of his works partly to help man the better to conceive of his workmanship and in what order the parts of the building were joyned together whence many profitable considerations arise whereof this is not the least the admirable power of the builder appears in causing light and day before there was any Sun grass before rain and the like which we should not have seen if all had been dispatcht in an instant so in the reparation of the world he perfects sanctification in his children gradually by little and little that he may lead them to a more distinct and punctual notice-taking of all his graces in themselves and the foot-steps of the worker that is the sundry wonderful waies and passages of his providence and administration in the perfecting of them Whence they gather much sweet experimental knowledge that he may give occasion more fully to observe deeply ponder and highly praise his wisdom and power which shine forth more conspicuous and illustrious in his making a small grain of grace to prevail against a world of corruption and bringing them thorow so many weaknesses battels seas of troubles and temptations falls and foiles every of them threatning death to compleat holiness and happiness than if he had made them perfect at their conversion Thirdly Reas 3 the Lord will have his children wrestle for a time in a state of imperfection that he may train them up in humility Let them see their own impotency and that all their strength is in him and from him quicken them to pray and earnestly desire the coming of the kingdom of glory teach them to ascribe their salvation wholly to him duly to value and esteem his graces the want whereof hath so pinched them the keeping and increase whereof costs them no small care strugling and contention Our first father received all his portion at once an exceeding great stock of grace but he quickly forgetting both God and himself spent it and proved a bankrupt Wherefore our heavenly Father thinks fit to give us ours by little and little that we may know and all the days of our life acknowledg our selves to be beggers depend upon him for a continual subministration of new grace learn better to husband and improve that little which he hath put into our hands First Vse 1 this Doctrine confutes all those that dream of perfection attainable in a short moment As 1. Papists teaching that in Baptism the soul is made inherently as pure spotless glorious as the Sun and grace infused by which a man is made able to fulfil the Law Alas no marvel men roave strangely speak absurdly and ignorantly of the state of grace and the saving workings of the holy Ghost when they have no experience of these things in themselves 2. Familists and such like fanaticks who boast of such a fulness of holiness that they need no further purging ging who if their confident affirmations may be believed have so much joy that they need or desire no more in heaven brag that they are past the doctrine of the hearts deceitfulness never crave pardon of sin and deridingly tell them that do they have their pardon on their back acknowledge no use of the Law after justification feel no need of preaching prayer Sabbaths use these things rather least they should give offence than for any necessity professing to the same purpose this to be their opinion that the new man may be so strong as it shall not need any means and to this height they are mounted in a few months I might truly say days even by hearing one or two Sermons Well we need no other argument if we be wise to perswade us to stop our ears against such erroneous spirits but this that they boast of and arrogate to themselves the possession of such things as Paul the greatest of the Apostles had not attained many years after his conversion not many before his death as appears by his complaint to the Romans his confession to the Philippians Secondly this must comfort and stay those righteous souls who are much dejected because they find much corruption and great want of grace in themselves I forbid them not to deplore and grieve for their spiritual defects not to seek to the fountain for supply and perfecting his work in them only I exhort them not to be dismaied nor to conclude they have no grace because they have not the measure they desire Thy case is the common case of all the godly not one of them but hath his wants to complain of not one of them but feeleth in himself much emptiness great weakness of holiness much ignorance vanity unbeliefe hardness deadness inordinacy of affections nay evil motions and inclinations yea the better any man is the more he discerneth and groaneth under these things and confesseth himself far short of perfect fulness Look not the Lord should deal otherwise with thee than with all the sons he brings to glory Be content therefore first to be a babe in Christ for so thou must before thou canst be a tall man be content that the seeds of grace do first poorly peep up and sprout in the mould of thy heart which in time will grow to be great herbs and fill the whole garden If thou wert recovering of a great sickness though health should return very slowly wouldst thou not be glad and praise the Author of life Do here in like manner rejoyce and bless God that thou art begotten again and come into the new World of new Creatures though thou wantest much of that strength which some have attained The third instruction is doct 3 Christians should defire a full measure of all graces or spiritual gifts That which Paul beggeth for his Thessalonians every believer ought to desire for himself but Paul desireth that God would accomplish in them all good things needful for their salvation This is further confirmed in those places in which the Apostle prays or testifies that he prayed for them to whom he writes Ephes 3.19 c. That they might be filled with all knowledge of Gods will abound more and more in knowledge and in all judgment be filled with the fruits of righteousness yea with all the fulness of God made perfect in every good work to do his will those places also which exhort to such things as Be ye perfect even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect be ye filled with the Spirit and such like And good reason For first Reas 1 there is a certain fulness attainable in this life which appeares because 1. God hath promised to replenish and satiate the hungry soul to poure his Spirit abundantly on his people to fill the earth with
death be turned into a stone like Nabals which is much to be feared you shall curse your selves in the dark dungeon of hell and say Fie upon us idiots more brutish than the beasts of the field we never lived the life of men or reasonable creatures before God because in so many years we never began to mind or do what we were born to mind and do above all things In the mean time I wish you to consider that he cannot be Gods child who contents himself with Gods basest blessings Did you see one in a Gentlemans kitchin feeding upon scraps or the coursest food in the house you would not doubt to conclude this is none of the children but some scullion or one that belongs not to the family apply this to your selves and you shall find just cause to fear that you are but vessels of dishonour slaves that must not abide in the house for ever 2. Prophane Protestants are here to be taxed Ezek. 9.9 who are or strive to be full of wickedness and perverseness like Jerusalem of mischief and subtilty Act. 13.10 Matth. 23.28 Rom. 1.29 Act. 13.45 c. like Elimas of hypocrisie and iniquity as the Pharisees af all unrighteousness as the Gentiles of envy and wrath as the unbelieving Jews have mouths full of cursing and deceit eyes of adultery tongues of deadly poyson who in a word take the high way to be filled with the spirit of Satan As Abner said to Joab so I to these Know you not that it will be bitterness in the latter end When for every sugred morsel of sin which now goes down so pleasantly you shall receive a double portion of the sowre sauce of vengeance The more you fill your selves with the liquor of hell the more will the Lord fill you with the dregs of the wine of his indignation and dash you like bottles one against another the more pains you take to fulfil the lusts of the flesh the more you fill up the measure of your sins and take heed lest God accomplish his fury and fulfil the good pleasure of his justice in your condemnation 3. Many of better proficiency are to be censured who finding in themselves some seeds and elementary rudiments of godliness let fall the sails of their desires and sit down well contented I wish this Corinthian and Laodicean-like fulness be not a sickness too common among Christians but I fear too many not of the worst sort of our hearers if once they have but thus far profited in Christianity that they can thank God they are much reformed in mind and life or perswaded of the truth of their conversion think themselves rich enough they have gotten grace sufficient to save their souls and now they are well-satisfied they will not trouble themselves to labour for any more This is to manifest our own consciences being witnesses we have no questions we feel no poverty of spirit we complain of no wants our secret sighs and fervent longings for grace are dried up and withered the temper of our spirits is cold and dead as the winter season our affections are grown flat and frozen we please our selves in a conceit or self-sufficiency and that more holiness than we have already attained is superfluous But brethren if we be so easily so quickly satisfied and glutted with Gods dainties which make true believers more hungry I testifie unto you we may justly fear that we never rightly tasted at least never kindly digested them but have all this while dreamed and been deluded by Satan and consequently doubt of our conversion Assure your selves when God shall call us to an account such a time will come and how soon we know not we shall have small comfort in looking back and recounting what a long rich spiritual seed-time and harvest we have enjoyed wherein manifold means and opportunities of getting a fair stock of grace have been plentifully afforded and we in the mean time like loitering sons of shame dallying with Gods bounty and neglecting to redeem the season have gathered little Secondly Vse 2 if the godly must desire it followeth that in the use of all sanctified means they must labour for the accomplishment of all Gods gracious pleasure in themselves all gifts accompanying salvation We must not rest in any measure of holiness but press after persection of every grace and never rest till we see yea feel powred upon our heads all the goodness that God hath promised to shew his children in this life Truly as the heathen King is reported to have wept when he heard a Philosopher speak of more worlds than one because himself had not yet conquered one so it s a thing much to be lamented that whereas God hath provided for his children even in this world such a liberal portion of grace as might make their lives an heaven upon earth the most of us enjoy and receive so little the reason whereof is because we are not covetous enough we beg not in good earnest or else second not our prayers with suitable endeanours we aim not at a great measure Alas that we should be so poor and have a father so able so willing to enrich us I beseech you therefore if there be any consolation in Christ if ever you have tasted how good the Lord is stick not in begiunings call upon your selves to strive and endeavour after the highest degree of mortification and power to resist and conquer remnants of corruptions the highest degree of all positive graces knowledge faith love joy fear c. the highest degree of chearful and constant obedience of lively and fruitful walking before the Lord the highest degree of peace and comfort of strength stedsastness boldness The means in which we must strive are 1. A constant attending upon publick ordinances especially the Word preached and the Lords Supper which God hath sanctified for perfecting the Saints and by which he is wont more and more to convey his graces into the souls of those who use them with pure and prepared hearts 2. Feeding much upon Christ by application of he promises drawing and keeping near him in our spirits taking all occasions of looking up and speaking to him often bringing and baring your hearts before him as husbandmen do the roots of their trees before the Sun the reason is because he is not onely the fountain of goodness who makes the spirits of those that delight in approaching to him and walking with him watered gardens but also that Sun of righteousness whose sweet and quickening heat doth enliven regenerate renew impregnate with spiritual graces and fruits the invisible world of believing souls and advance the same to perfection spiritually as this visible Sun doth creatures in this visible world naturally the more communion any one hath with this fountain this Sun the more grace he shall be sure to have 3. Plying God with fervent prayers springing from spiritual hunger and deep sense of our own beggery intreating him by the wind
custom is and he knows its for his profit to apply false comfort to hypocrites when God hath terrified and wounded them not to tempt them to unbelief I mean still about the matter of their salvation except when he gets them at a dead lift as in the hour of death or in some great extremity wherein he hopes to push them headlong into desperation because then he should minister occasion of seeking that precious faith of which himself is as much afraid as the Lion of fire and consequently should be divided against himself his own enemy But the doubts of a sound Christian come principally from Satan yet not without the help of natural ignorance and infidelity by means whereof he hath great advantage to work whose policy is when he cannot keep the child of God from grace then by aggravating his sin and unworthiness by extenuating or hiding from his eyes the good things God hath given him to hold and deter him from beleiving to make him if it were possible wholly to cast away his hope or else to languish in an heavy uncomfortableness greatly displeasing and dishonourable to God But how may one know that his doubts are from Satan 1. If after a diligent privy search in the closet of his soul he finds such signs of faith as certainly declare its there present though the comfort of it be not presently felt and discerned as namely a turning of the streame and bent of the thoughts and affections after heavenly things an ingenuous and lovely melting of the heart into sorrow for offending to the Lord strong desires of honouring and pleasing God with resolutions of cleaving to and following him though he should never receive comfort from him an hearty hatred of joyned with a serious strife against secret hypocrisie and carnal ends in well-doing and the like 2. If he feel that the spirit in the ministry of the Word fights against his doubts sweetly perswades and draws him to believe comforteth and rejoyceth his heart not beatting and battering down his confidence as ordinarily it doth the hypocrites but bettering and strengthening it for hereby it appears that his doubts are the enemies of Gods Word and Spirit and therefore not the eccho of the word nor the just verdict of conscience speaking from the word but the voice of Satan Secondly a believer finding doubts in himself is exceedingly grieved for them bewails want of Faith as his greatest misery willingly accuseth and condemneth himself for these pangs and qualms of unbelief as for greatest sins they are very burthensome to him chiefly because they rob God of his glory and make him less cheerful in rendring unto the Lord praises and other obedience But the hypocrites doubts trouble him and he wisheth to be rid of them only because they are attended with inward disquietness terrours fears of the Lords judgments not because they are sins against God whereof this is a sufflcient proof that if he enjoy a kind of peace and perswasion that he is the Child of God though his evil heart full of infidelity secretly deny or call into question an hundred things in divinity one after another he relents not he is not troubled tush these are but flitting motions nor worthy check or controlement Thirdly doubts drive a true believer first to God by earnest requests for the discovering and diminishing of his unbelief strengthening of his faith then into himself by a more exact and impartial scrutiny of his own Conscience and estate they quicken him unweariedly and constantly to go forward in resisting and subduing them in seeking and lamenting after Christ and never to sit down till God have brought his heart into the harbour of a stablished assurance till he see feel and as it were handle eternal life in himself till he know Christ and all the treasures of grace and glory in Christ as undoubtedly to be his own as his apparel money house lands till the Holy Ghost have signed sealed and delivered the heavenly inheritance in the Court of conscience in a word till he have gotten such a faith as can glory in God insult over Hell Death Devil Sin the Curse of the Law and out-wrestle all difficulties but the unsound Christian either builds himself a Castle of imaginary assurance upon the sand of false grounds or lies under his doubts irrecoverably giving over seeking before he receive a sound certain and satisfactory answer from the Lord either out of sloth or despair of obtaining or because he hath learned the strongest faith is subject to some faintings and therefore judgeth it needless to strive any longer or labour for more faith seeing that which he hath will serve his turn and it s no otherwise with him than it is with a true Christian Thirdly We must hence be admonished not to disdain or condemn such Christians as sometimes bewray some feebleness of faith in word or work Thou seest or hearest thy brother is impatient in affliction fears poverty shrinks at the approach of persecution or death is discouraged by reproaches and slanders not so zealous and valiant in maintaining Gods glory and cause as it were to be wished for fear of the wrath of Man omits some necessary good defiles himself with the doing of some evil do not now think or say such a one is a faithless temporizer take heed of such judgment lest thou be judged seeing the truly faithful have done as much thou shalt do well to be sparing in thy censures till thou canst shew a persect faith Fourthly Vse 4 see the reason why sometimes the lives of very godly men are blemished with some faults Alas the tree is imperfect therefore the fruits must needs be so for nothing can give that it hath not Though the godly by the grace of God may be free from notorious sins yet they cannot obey perfectly because they believe but in part Why then do carnal men if they spie but a spot in a godly mans face a frailty in his conversation though it be but a moat in comparison of their beams Why do they presently cry out These that make so much profession are naught they are naught all of them they are dissemblers they are not what they seem c. Absurd unreasonable men do you expect they should be perfectly holy when they are but imperfectly faithful If one of your children have a slow or unseemly pace by reason of lameness or debility in some member you think he is rather to be pitied than upbraided If you will not learn to judge mercifully of the godly when they fall and to impute their slips rather to the imperfection of their condition than the hypocrisie of their hearts and naughtiness of their disposition you shall but prove your selves to be haters of your brethren and he that hates his brother is a murtherer 1 John 3.15 and no murtherer hath eternal life abiding in him Fifthly hence we are taught Vse 5 that believers must not trust to the strength of