Barge speedily to the haven if this streame be stopped or turned another way it will not bee able to carry a Boat because the strength of it runs into another channell so 't is with the streame of providence dammed up and turned another way by distrust Mat. 14.31 when Peter was to walke upon the water all the while he sank not his faith was sure but when a great wave came then hee began to faile the Lord cryes to him Oh thou of little faith not why dost thou sink but why dost thou doubt The word in the originall is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 why art thou divided part of his heart looked to God by faith and so was supported part looked to the waves and feared the greatnesse of them and so was carried downe the streame as plucking himselfe from under the power and providence by which he should have beene supported Reason 3. Unbeliefe indisposeth and unfitteth a man and maketh him uncapable of that mercy he begs and God is willing to bestow Look as it is with a vessell turne the back-side of it to the spout and it will scatter all the water but hold now the hollow side and then it receives it so it is with the soule unbeliefe is the back part of the heart that spils all the mercy and goodnesse that God offers in the promise and will not suffer the least refreshing thereof to come to the heart Jer. 17.5.6 Cursed bee the man that trusts to the arme of flesh and departs from the living God * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he shall be like a naked shrub for so the originall goes and shall never see when good comes Use 1. The first Use is of terrour to dash the comforts and to daunt the hearts of all unbeleeving sinners under the cope of heaven They have no faith they shall never they can never have any thing at the hands of God for their good His pains is to no purpose his labour is lost his prayers spilt like water on the ground without any profit whoever remains in the estate of unbeliefe let him pray God will never answer him let him seek God will never be found of him let him want and beg till his eyes sinke in his head and his tongue faulter in his mouth and his heart faile in him let him not thinke hee shall ever get any good that hee begs at the hands of God nay the Lord cannot give it unlesse he should deny his owne word alter his decree make a new covenant new Scriptures make a new way to bring a company of unbeleeving wretches to heaven which God will never doe Use 2. Gods people may by way of instruction here see what price they should set on faith and what use they may have of it Faith is not onely necessary for the attainment of eternall life and salvation but is necessary also in the whole course of our lives If you pray faith must helpe you if you seeke God faith must guide you if you fast and purpose to speede carry faith with you You have not more neede and use of your breathing then of your beleeving in a Christian course Use 3. Hence the poore servants of the Lord may take comfort to themselves and cheare up their hearts in the midst of all wants that might discourage in the midst of all miseries that doe any way annoy them Let them but pray in faith and they are sure to obtaine what they pray for for all those wants of theirs are sure to bee supplyed all their miseries are sure to bee removed Goe your way and be comforted you blessed spirits You complaine your mindes are blinde your abilities poore your corruptions great your hearts straight your desires weake be it so yet if your desires be of faith God will grant them if your prayers be of faith God will hear them and accept them Ob. Oh but my wants are many my necessities great and need a great deale of mercy to pardon such sins whereof I am guilty I lack a world of wisedome to direct mee in such straights into which I am cast and yet wretch that I am I am unworthy of what I aske and have abused all that I have received Ans Bee it granted yet what ever you bee what ever you lack it skils not be your person never so unworthy or your wants never so many aske but in faith God cannot but give it Such a man cannot but obtaine what he seeks and therefore may therein be comforted because he is sure to bee satisfied abundantly and never bee upbrayded in what he shall receive Use 4. Lastly Wee have here a ground of encouragement for to call in faith and to be confident to speed and to gaine audience whenever wee call and indeede who would not beg when he shall bee certaine to speede Have but faith in prayer and have whatever ye will at the hands of God in nothing doubt and in nothing miscarry Quest. But how may wee fence our hearts and help our selves against this wavering which we see hath been the bane of our hearts and the overthrow of our prayers Ans Wee must be warie and watchfull for which observe two Rules 1. We must be marvellous fearfull that we enter not into termes of contention with the truth and set up falsehoods by cavellings disputings against the promise as when we grow willing to deceive our selves and to invent subtill pleas how wee may object against the promise and defeat it of the proper powerfull work it would have upon our hearts and deprive our selves of the comfort we might have thereby It 's said Acts 11.2 They of the circumcision * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contended with him it is the same word that is used for * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wavering in the text when we by armies of carnall reasonings and cursed cavellings against the truth of the promise set up a company of surmises and jealousies in our soules to keep off and to stop the entrance of the promise into our hearts are apt to say as Nicodemus did unto our Saviour Joh. 3.9 How can these things be and with Sarah who laughed and said Gen. 18.13 Can Sarah have children in her old age 2. A man is said to waver when hee questions the promise though hee doe not dispute against it This we must be as wary of as of the other Act. 10.39 when the Lord had directed Peter in the vision that hee should not count the Gentiles uncleane he professes he came without gainesaying for when the Lord hath promised and the Word hath spoken wee ought not once to question it but conclude undeniably that it wil be Ps 23. Doubtlesse mercy and truth shall follow mee all the dayes of my life Isa 39. He hath said hee will doe it and not one jot nor one tittle of his Word shall faile which may bee a good ground to keepe our faith from failing and our prayers from
that might overwhelme him but hee that hath his eyes in his head can foresee them so wisedome is able to descry inconveniences and helpe us against them Let therefore our owne profit be a meanes to provoke our hearts to get understanding §. 4. Quest WHat was the image of God in the will Ans How ever we see not our soule Of Gods image in the will yet there is a spirituall substance in every man which is immortall and hath two faculties Understanding and Will. Now the faculty of the Will is like the hand that puts away or takes any thing The will is like an unruly horse that casts his rider I will do what I will though reason crosse it This will whereof we now speake was graciously regulated when it came out of the hands of God Now for the Answer Holinesse and righteousnesse were imprinted in the will of Adam Eph. 4.24 The Apostle to the Colossians made knowledge a part of the spirituall image of Adam and now he addes holinesse and righteousnesse which were seated in the will Luk. 1.75 Christ hath redeemed us that we might walke before him in holinesse and righteousnesse all our dayes In the answer are 2. things 1. That holinesse and 2. That righteousness were there Of these in order Quest What is holinesse An. A spirituall power Holinesse what or frame put into the nature of Adam inabling him to doe Gods will and fitting him to love God above all Three things are in this description 1. It is a spirituall power It is not the very nature of the faculty of the will but a frame put into the will that sets it on and carries it out to God for the will of it selfe is not able to close with God but onely so farre as it is carried out to him As it is in the body the tongue is the instrument of tasting of it self it cannot taste but there is a moisture there that makes it taste hence if it be evilly affected it tasteth evill sweet things seeme soure and soure things seeme sweet or as it is with the hand it cannot worke about any thing barely as it is an hand unlesse it receive strength and motion from the vitall faculty for a dead hand or a benummed hand can exercise it selfe about nothing so it is with the will that power of it self cannot rellish the things of life and happinesse but it must be an holy will that can close with an holy God it is not barely the will but there must bee an wholesome constitution put into it and then it can close with an heavenly God having this heavenly frame Hence it is death to the wicked to bee under the ordinances of God The devils have a naturall faculty of will but corruption possesseth it and therefore they abhorre the holinesse of God because they themselves are unholy but Adams will had a spirituall frame of holinesse put into it whereby it was able perfectly to please God 2. There was a readinesse and promptnesse put into his will whereby hee was able easily to bestow himselfe upon and comfortably to bee carried unto the doing of the will of God When the wheels of a clock are rightly ordered they go on speedily Adam was the clocke of God and the maine wheele was the will when the rust of sturdinesse hangs on the will the motion to God-wards is hindered but had our wills this oyle of holinesse they would runne on chearily in the service of God Men slight the means of grace and cannot close with the ordinances of God because their wills are unholy As it is with sin Rom. 7.23 it leads a man captive to the commission of evill it puts a promptnesse into the heart to incline it to evill so holinesse puts a quicknesse into the will which carries it on joyfully to performe the will of God 2 Tim. 2.21 If a man will purge himselfe he shall be a vessell of honour fit for the Masters use and prepared for every good worke While a mans heart is like an uncleane vessell he is not prepared for any good work but when his heart is purged he is fit for every good work Deut. 28.47 Thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulnesse and gladnesse of heart God will be served but with what heart with a joyfull and a merry heart This gladnesse comes from the holinesse that was in Adam 3. He was by this able to love God above all and this was the performance of the first Table and this above all implies three things To love God above all hath three things 1. He did prize God more then what ever God could doe for him nay more then salvation it selfe Psal 73.26 When he was dazeled with the prosperity of the wicked mark what he sayes The Lord is my strength and my portion for ever as if hee should say I esteeme of God above all A man makes an high account of his patrimony so doth David esteeme of God Psa 73.26 If a man love father or mother more then mee Mat. 10.37 hee is not worthy of mee nay a man must love God-better then his life Psal 63.3 Thy loving kindnesse is better then life then the life of my wife then the life of my child nay it it is better then mine owne life 2. He made choice of God above all As a man prizeth a thing so hee will make choice of it When we come into a shop look what commodity wee prize wee will take so was Adams choice of God Psal 73.25 Whom have I in heaven but thee The renewed soule counts all things dung and drosse in comparison of Christ Adam had by vertue of this frame that power that if all the world were offered him yet hee would chuse God above all 3. Hee was able to have his heart carryed with great intention of soule to bestow his minde upon the Lord. When Adam did chuse God above all then hee had power to have his heart carried with greatest extent of strength to him for thus it is commanded by our Saviour to the Lawyer in the Gospel Matth. 22.37 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy might with all thy strength so was Adam carried with the utmost of his strength to close with God If God should have threatned Adam would have trembled if hee should have revealed his goodnesse Adam would have been inlarged in love thereof if hee should have revealed his name Adam would have honoured it This frame of his will made him carry himselfe proportionably to Gods will to the utmost of his strength A man must love his neighbour with his whole heart not with some of it yet not with his whole strength A man may love his neighbour too much but when hee comes to the love of God he must love him as much as he can Adam ought to have loved his neighbour with his whole heart yet it was not required of Adam to love his neighbour as
wavering II. A preparative to the Lords Supper COncerning the preparation to the Sacrament three things are considerable 1. How wee may know whether we have a title to the Sacrament yea or no. 2. How to bee prepared for it 3. Thirdly how to reape and receive the benefit of it being so prepared For the first Whether we have a title to the Sacrament or no we will discover it two waies 1. Wee will shew what doth interest the soul thereto 2. What doth not hinder and consequently what also doth hinder the soule from comming Inverting the order First then What doth not hinder I answer briefely and punctually thus Rule 1. First the want of the sense and feeling either of Gods favour towards us or of the present apprehension to our owne sense of Gods grace in us doth not hinder I say that the want of the sense and feeling either of Gods favour to the soule or of the worke of grace in the soule doth not hinder a man The ground of it is this If hee that hath great interest in Gods love may yet notwithstanding not be assured of it in his owne sense if he that hath a great work of grace may yet not be able to apprehend that worke that God gives nay if a man that walkes exactly before God cannot see the power of grace that helps him so to do it is certain this cannot hinder him from the right of comming to the Sacrament But the former may be ergo c. The Rule is undeniable Rule 2. This is no hinderance from comming to the Sacrament that a man findes a deadish heart within him in the performance of service that a man findes a body of death oppressing of him and lying upon him when hee comes to this duty And the reason is this because the soule sometimes when it is most pestered and the heart most deaded and clogged is then truly in the estate of grace and also walkes most humbly before God and labours to depend upon and seek much more for his mercie and to strive most sincerely against its corruptions all which argue that a man is deepely interessed in Gods love and hath an interest in a great measure to the Lord Christ and his Covenant and so consequently to the Sacrament I dare say this That the worst services of a Christian man to his owne sense and apprehension finde most acceptance with God The poorest duties for the performance outwardly are sometimes most perfect Why Because then the heart is most abased in it selfe and then it sees most neede of Christ and then also doth it crave succour and reliefe from Christ therein In a word as inlargements of heart and great freedome and forwardnesse and sufficiencie many times unto duty is accompanyed often with most falsenesse at least wise with most pride and haughtinesse of heart so deadnesse wearinesse untowardnesse inability is many times accompanied with most humility with most brokennesse with most basenesse with most going out of himselfe unto Christ and with most sincerity in approving the heart unto Christ Rule 3. The third Rule is this Former unpreparednesse unto Gods service and haply sometimes to a mans owne sense unprofitablenesse under the Sacrament in the receiving thereof is not should not bee any sufficient hinderance to any faithfull soule to come yet freely hereunto for it skils not what a man hath beene formerly nor what his failings have been in former times at the duty if now those be amended and hee be humbled for them strive against them yea and for the present doth addresse himselfe unto this duty There cannot but be many failings in each mans performances what then if this sinne might hinder then other sins might hinder also but no sin may hinder a man from comming to Christ for it is a great sin not to beleeve in the Lord yet a mans former unbeliefe as it must not keepe him from comming to Christ no more may it hinder him from comming to the Sacrament of the body bloud of Christ Besides shall unprofitablenesse and unpreparednesse before hinder because it is a sinne that should rather make us take heed that we doe not commit a sinne in not comming to the Sacrament when we should for if unpreparednesse and unprofitableness hinders because it is a sin then not comming when wee should come hinders because it argues a sinner Quest How shall I know whether I have the worke of grace and so consequently title to or interest in the Sacrament Answ The first evidence is taken out of 1 Joh. 5.18 He that is borne of God keeps himselfe that the wicked one touches him not We may discover the truth of grace by the worke of grace this is one That a gracious heart keepes himselfe so that the wicked one doth not touch him So that where there is true grace there is power against all corruption and the soule that is truely wrought upon by Christ is enabled by the spirit of the Lord Jesus to master any distemper Quest Why but a man might here say would you have a man so perfect or shall his grace bee so pure and holy that corruption should not be in him nor lodge in his soule Ans I answer The text doth not say so the text saith this The evill one toucheth him not that is closeth not with him fasteneth not upon him doth not domineere over him this is to keepe a man untouched Quest But how shall a man know that hee is only oppressed and foiled by corruption and that yet he is not touched with it Ans That may be perceived on this manner 1. When the soule cannot master corruption as it would and overcome the unruly distempers thereof yet it will stand in the defence of Jesus Christ and will not plead for a base corruption he will not say Oh it is my infirmity it is my nature alas I cannot amend it c. but a gracious heart will come to this hee sees his sinne and observes his distemper and corruption and the heart saith The Law is holy and good the reproofe is good the admonition is good the duty good yea the soule will freely say I have the vilest heart under heaven but the Law is a blessed Law 2. When the soule observes and hates and loathes and discovers and pursues all manner of traiterous devices and rebellious dispositions in others against the Lord Jesus Christ It is certaine hee did never hate sinne in himselfe that joynes or sides with sinne in another mans heart and life 3. Observe what authority or what value or what excellency the Word hath in the account of the soule namely Is thy soul under the supreme government and soveraigne royalty and authority of the truth if it bee then it is a gracious soule It is one thing for a man to have sufficiencie to the discharge of a dutie with strength and promptnesse and another thing to be under the authority of the truth and to submit himselfe
of his skill upon him So the image of God in Adam is not so much in regard of the being of Adam as in this that hee was able to worke as God hee was partaker of the spirituall vertue of God he was able to know what was needfull and to will what ever he knew agreeable to Gods will Had God taken flesh upon him as indeed Christ tooke flesh upon him he would have so behaved himselfe and so approved of good courses being made after Gods Image as did Christ taking our flesh upon him in whom there was no guile Q. 2. Whether may any creature be said to be created in the image of God beside man Only men and angels made after Gods image An. No Creatures beside Men and Angels It is true that in all the frame of the creatures there is a stampe of the holinesse and power of God left passively there are footsteps of Gods goodnesse left in the creature but no creature is able actively to imitate God to have an holy wil and to walk answerably There is a great difference betweene a mans footsteps in the sand and his picture If his footsteps be in the sand we say A man hath been there but what his stature and proportion is no man can tell Draw a picture of the same man such parts and such lims this discovers what proportion he is of The other concludes the man was there but doth not discover his stature If a man should see that mans sonne just of his stature hee would then say There is the lively picture of his father So it is here in the creation of the World God leaves a foot-step of his attributes that every man may say Wisedome Goodnesse and power hath beene heere Psal 19.1 The Heavens declare the glory of God They as it were speak it and offer it to our consideration Rom. 1.19 That which may bee knowne of God is in them that is the foot-steps of God may bee observed in the creatures But the image of God in Adam was like a picture not a livelesse but a lively picture As the child that does like his father doth discover him somewhat So did Adam God he was able to expresse the vertues of God that had created him 1 Cor. 15.49 As wee have borne the image of the Earthly So we shall beare the image of the Heavenly All the sons of Adam had the image of Adam hee was stubborne so were they Now as we have this image from Adam so the saints have the image of Christ holy as he his holy Joh. 1.16 Of his fulnesse wee have received grace for grace What ever grace is in Christ he puts upon the hearts of his children There is never a letter on the seale but is on the wax So every grace that is in Christ is imprinted upon his Saints proportionably The creatures have three things in them 1. They are the effects of goodnesse 2. They shew them forth to the consideration of others 3. A wise man may see the foot-steps of Gods goodnesse in them The creature cannot be mercifull as God is mercifull the creature doth its nature the fire burnes the water moistens but no creature can expresse Gods goodnesse but Adam and the Angels Qu. What is the difference between the image and likenesse of God Ans The difference is this The one discovers the frame of the heart inwardly The spirituall power Adam had to work we terme the Image The discovery of this or the acting accordingly the Likenesse There is the power of Adam and the execution of this power the latter is Likenesse the former Image Let us make man after our c. As who should say Let us put a frame into Adams heart and then he shall walke answerably to it in all his courses Acts 13.22 it is said I have found a man after mine owne heart which shall doe all my will This is the description of a man after Gods owne heart hee does all his will God hath such an heart as Davids and if he were on earth would do as he did except his infirmities 1 Pet. 1.15 Be holy as your heavenly Father is holy in all manner of conversation He requireth not onely an inward frame but an outward expressure thereof God made Adam thus who as hee had a power in his heart so he expressed it in his life and wrought as God wrought which no creature else could Qu. But why did God make Adam thus Ans There is no reason on mans part but it was onely Gods will The Lord is an understanding agent therefore he workes all things for a good end And the reasons why God imprinted this Image in Adam are two Reasons why God made man after his image 1. That he might fit him for spirituall and heavenly worship God would have one creature neere to him one of his Privie Councell that might performe spiritual worship to him Now unlesse God had created Adam in his image he could not have performed spirituall worship to him as it was requisite God should make some creature so to doe John 4.24 God is a spirit and must bee worshiped in spirit and in truth None can approach to God but in a spirituall manner The trees grow and the beasts serve man they do their nature and grovell on the ground but reach not to God because they are not spirituall nor have they reasonable soules Looke as it is with great Princes though they imploy ordinary persons in ordinary affaires as their under officers Cookes and Groomes c. yet no man must be Secretary of State unlesse he have eminent and excellent abilities without which he cannot close with his Prince nor is fitted for him So it is true that the God of heaven hath all things at command and hee will worke sometimes wonders by them The heavens heare the earth the earth heares the corne and the corne heares Israel but none of these can worship God in prayer or the like but onely Adam who hath the image of God upon him Adam is Gods councellour He reveales his secrets to the righteous An holy man can close with an holy God they have union one with another No other creature can come to God but only man All creatures serve man that he may serve God The heavens heare the earth and the earth heares the corne and the corne heares man that man may serve the Lord. The text sayeth God seeing that in the frame of heaven and earth there was not a fit companion for man did therefore make woman such another as himselfe to be with man So neither had God one for his turne when Sun Moone and Stars and all things else were made therefore Father Sonne and holy-Ghost consult to make one that might be acquainted with the businesses of Heaven Againe God purposes to cōmunicate himselfe and his image to one creature that he serving God might be blessed of him God would communicate happiness to a creature and
and the beasts of the field were all under his dominion hee had knowledge to order them all to the ends to which they were appointed for We that have lost this image understand almost nothing How often are wee at a stand in common things Esa 59.10 Wee grope at noone day as if wee had no eyes Among the Saints which have received some of this knowledge that which they know is the least part of that they know not so that the accusation of Job is against us Job 26.14 What a little part doe we know of God But Adam met with no difficulty but he was able to search into the depth of it there was no meanes usefull for him but hee was able to order and dispose them for his good 2. The perfection of Adams knowledge consists in the certainty of it Hee knew things according to truth not erring or mis-judging he did not onely perceive the truth of things but he judged according to righteous judgement How often are wee cozened with the affaires of this world and the devices of Sathan The eyes of our understandings are like the mans in the Gospel who saw men like trees but it was not so with Adam there was no web in his eye no filme upon his understanding but he was furnished with the perfection of knowledge Ob. But if Adam was able to discover deceits how came he to be deluded by the Serpent Ans The cause of his errour was not because he could not discerne but because he did not bestow his mind upon it and improve his wisedome he had wisedome to discover Satans sleights had he kept his minde and thoughts to a consideration thereof Let a mans eye be never so cleare yet if he consider not of the object it may bee hard by him and he perceive it not a friend stands by and wee know him not because wee look not settledly upon him so though Adam was able to discern the deceits of Sathan yet his not attending made the devill put a cheat upon him 3. The perfection of Adams understanding consisted in this that he could understand all things clearly without doubting This is a weaknesse that wee finde Many things wee doe not know many things that wee know we mistake and those things wee mistake not we see at peradventures Looke what is the difference between the light of the sunne and starre-light In starre-light if a thing be subtill or small we doubt of it but when the sunne comes we can perceive every thing undeniably such was the knowledge of Adam whereby as by the light of the sunne he could discerne without staggering the things that were offered to his view but a naturall man walkes in darknesse or at most but by the starre-light of reason The best Saint hath but twilight wee know in part and understand in part Use The use is double 1. Of instruction Ignorantia non excusat à toto sed à tanto From hence wee learne that ignorance will acquit no mans person God made Adam perfect in knowledge therefore the scales of ignorance will not acquit thee Wee that have received so much from God it is requisite we should repay something to God againe Must men think they must be pardoned because of their ignorance Alas say some Schollers should know but as for us who have had no education I hope God will not require wisedome at our hands No Why will not God looke for his owne at every mans hands Nay unlesse thou wilt have God wrong his justice God doth expect that thou that hast received a weighty talent from him shouldst returne it to him again improved Be it known to you therefore that God will knocke at every mans doore and say Where is that knowledge that I gave thee Therefore our ignorance cannot excuse us it will condemne us rather That it is thus consider 1. Ignorance makes men strangers from the life of God Eph. 4.18 How comes it to bee so Through ignorance An ignorant heart is a stranger to life and happinesse when all the mercies of God and his holinesse are propounded it never prevailes with an ignorant heart 2. Consider what undoubted plagues it brings with it Hos 4.14 The people that understand not shall not onely stumble but fall that is perish totally Jer. 10.25 Lord correct mee not in thine anger Whom shall I correct then saith God Oh poure downe thy wrath upon the people that know thee not those are people prepared for ruine All you ignorant creatures thinke of this which the Prophet speaketh God gave us knowledge ignorance therefore cannot excuse us but accuse us rather Use 2. The second use is of exhortation Labour to recover thy lost wisedome we ought to bee moved to recover our losses The former truth should provoke us to get to that high pitch of understanding which is so excellent This the wise man presseth effectually Pro 2.2 Incline thine eare to wisedome if she will not come then cry mightily after her if shee will not heare thee then seek for her as for hid treasure The excellency of wisdome should be argument enough to force every man to an earnest eager pursuit after her How doth the covetous man toile to get his wealth about him because it is excellent because wisedome is much more excellent let us labour more to get it Let never a covetous man outbid us let never a merchant outgoe us in seeking of the riches of India when wisedome is better then the gold of Ophir Pro. 4. Above all thy gettings get understanding as if hee should say You will be getting but when you finde your selves quickened in the pursuit of these things remember this of the wise man Above all paines let me labour to get wisdome Every man labours to imitate that in another which most excels If it bee but a fashion if the best have it every one labours to imitate it here is the excellentest piece of all by wisedome we come to be like God What wouldest thou excell in such a man may bee would bee something more then ordinary Wouldst thou excell in wealth the golden mines have more then thou canst have wouldst thou have strength the oakes of Basan have more than thou canst attaine to wouldst thou have pleasure the beasts have more then thou canst injoy but wouldst thou excell in all other things get spirituall knowledge and thou shalt be above all and like to him that is excellencie it selfe Dan. 5. when Belshazzar had had experience of Daniels wisedome marke what a price hee sets upon him The wisedome of the Gods is in thee as if hee should say Thou art a God-like man What greater argument can bee alledged to get wisedome then this It makes us like God And as it is most honourable so it is marvellous usefull Eccles 2.14 The wise mans eyes are in his head The excellencie of wisedome is that it makes a mans course easie The poore blind man observes no inconveniences
Doth holinesse fit a man to love God above all and wouldest thou know whether thou hast an holy heart Try it from the former truth Where ever holinesse is it fits the heart to love God above all Canst thou doe this which holinesse enables a man to doe then if there be holinesse in heaven it is also in thine heart I doe not meane that any man should have the exactnesse that Adam had in creation but what hee had in perfection wee must have in desire Thou must have an heart enlarged to love God above all though thou hast many weaknesses with it Many for want of this are cast out as not being partakers of this saving worke Namely Those that never had any readinesse to this saving work of God further then shame or disgrace provokes them for most that live upon the face of the earth must have some constraining power to force them to the performance of Gods service they say as those in Malachi What a wearinesse is it Mal. 1.13 The word of God and his ordinances are a burden the sabbaths are tedious men come to Gods worship as a Beare to a stake or a captive to prison how willing are they to bee freed from these duties whereas holinesse ever brings willingnesse with it Ob. But doe not the Saints finde a great deale of awkwardnesse Ans I confesse it is true but there is a great deale of difference between these and the other The Saints willingly oppose their corruptions that clog them but a carnall heart joynes sides with the flesh hee desires means and occasions to withdraw him from the love of God hee is glad to finde a pretence to travell on the Lords day or to neglect prayer in his private family But the Saints are weary of their untowardnesse and awkwardnesse to holy duties Matth. 26.41 the Disciples were overcharged with wearinesse and fell asleepe Christ addes the reason The spirit is willing but the flesh is weake Rom. 7. The law is holy and the commandement holy but sinne tooke occasion by the commandement c. It is not I but sinne that dwelleth in me as if hee should say It is good to please God and I will labour after it but I confesse I have a wilfull wretched heart within mee which opposeth this yet there is a sparke of holinesse in this heart and with that I love thee though my flesh oppose thee §. 5. Quest WHat is righteousnesse Righteousnesse what it is Answ The second part of the spirituall image put into Adam whereby hee could love himselfe as hee ought and his neighbour as himselfe In the description there are three things 1. It is the second part of Gods image in the will Holinesse fitted Adam to goe to God yet of it selfe it could not fit him to love his brother therefore hee must have another frame that is of righteousnesse Againe it is beyond the power of the soule to performe spirituall love to his brother therefore it must have this part of Gods image in it 1 Joh. 4.7 Love is of God to love another holily is beyond the power and faculty of nature Indeed a man may love another carnally as adulterers and naturally as creatures but to love another spiritually hee must have power from God There is a double cunning of the hand as David useth the word a cunning to play on an instrument Psa 137. and a cunning to write now the cunning of the one will not make a man skilfull in the other so there is a double cunning put into the heart of Adam the first Of holinesse whereby hee could love God above all the second Of righteousnesse whereby he could love himselfe as hee ought and his neighbour as himselfe 2. The second part of the description was By this he was fitted to love himselfe as he ought The ground of all lawfull love comes from self-love if it be pure There is a selfe-love required nay if it be right it is the standard of all love to another He that loveth himselfe as he should will be disposed to love another Love lookes first at that which is most good to me as to my honour which is a greater good to me before the honour of another man It is true what was said of David 2 Sam. 21. Thou art better then ten thousand of us that was in regard of his place and office but take a man as a particular person and my good is better to me then another mans Quest How should a man love himselfe Ans This love is bounded by three things Selfe-love how to be bounded by a right Order Measure Manner 1. A man must love himselfe in a right order and that you must understand in three rules Rule 1. He must love himselfe in the second place God in the first Pro. 3.9 Honour the Lord with the first fruits of thy increase Mat. 6.33 First seeke the kingdome of heaven all else must be served after God In the old law it was required that God should have the first fruits of a mans vintage We must bestow the chiefest of our love and delight on God we must love Gods honour in the first place our owne in the second Mat. 22.38 This is the first and greatest commandement To love God with all our heart The second is like unto this Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy selfe 2. He must love himselfe with a subordinate degree of love but in the love of God he must put forth the utmost of his strength In the old law hee that brought a sacrifice was to bring a male Mal. 1. ult Cursed be the man that hath a male in his flocke and offereth a female to the Lord The male is the stronger the female the weaker All our prayers and services unto God must bee male but female love and desire will serve our selves God required in the old law that the sacrifices should not be shorn our sacrifices are our duties to God they are the males we must offer we may not sheare our joy and delight but let them go with their fleeces on that is in their full strength to God but when we come to our selves we may sheare our love 3. A man is to love himselfe in God and for God Adam was to love Gods image in himselfe as a step to conveigh him more speedily to the love of God What wouldest thou love in thy selfe thine honour Get thee to a wise and glorious God and love his glory more Dost thou love thy life Oh love the life of God who is a living God Rom. 9.3 I could wish to bee Anathema for my brethren c. Seeing that the Jewes would fall to the dishonour of God hee did so prize the honour of God that he could wish himselfe to be accursed that they might stand This was the cause hee loved the glory of God above all Adam had power to love himselfe in a right measure This I referre to all those
Marvellous well without any disparagement to the image of God nay he could be no other It was no sinne in Adam to be mutable but that he abused all when hee might have used it to Gods glory It was so farre from being a blemish to Adams nature that it agreed very conveniently with it Herein appeares the difference betweene Adams estate the estate of the Saints glorified and the wicked now damned Adam was to trade for an immutable condition therefore could not have it put into his hand at first The Saints that have fought the fight of faith are established and never shall doe evill because they have performed obedience unto God through Christ The damned because they have sinned against God and have withdrawne themselves from his authority are immutably evill for God hath separated himselfe all his holinesse and the meanes of grace from them and delivered them up to the power of sinne as who should say Take them all ye crue of cursed abominations and carry them headlong to will evill eternally and perish everlastingly Adam was to trade for this immutable condition before he could have it first he was to fight before he could conquer And as he was not immutably good so hee could not be immutably evill As it is with a man that hath an estate left him if he will trade with it he may live if hee spend it he may lye in prison so it was with Adam Again had God established and confirmed Adam he should have prevented all opportunities of the manifestation of his justice in condemning and of his mercy in pardoning Had hee been immutably good none could have been punished because none had offended none could have beene pardoned because none had sinned Quest. But why was this freedome to doe good imprinted on Adam Answ Because without it Adams obedience could not have beene acceptable The Lord loves as a cheerfull giver 2 Cor. 9.7 so a cheerfull performer of service It is the Apostles rule The Lord accepts a willing minde If a man grudge to give to a poore man God flings his gift into his face a willing minde makes the service acceptable All Gods servants must be Volunteers not prest As Deborah Jud. 5.4 My soule is with those that offer themselves willingly We abhorre it in our servants when they come to their worke as a Beare to the stake and will God accept it at our hands All the offerings of God must be freewill offerings Thus our Saviour did that knew how to please God Psal 40.8 I am delighted to doe thy will O my God and thy law is within my heart He comes not off with murmuring Joh. 4.34 but saith It is my meat and drinke to doe thy will When you are at a feast you can sit at it houre after houre so if our duties be as our meat and our drinke they will not be tedious to us Eph. 6.7 Wee must serve God with a goodwill It is an unseemely thing to cause God to distraine for his service God will have his praise out of a proud heart but then God honours himselfe we honour him not The Devill himself will do duties after this fashion In Job 1.6 it is said the Devill came also He would have been ranging and raging about the world but God made him come also Mar. 5. We know that thou art the Son of God God wrested a confession out of him It is not acceptable when we are haled to duty the Devill doth so the service that God accepts is done willingly Thou shalt serve the Lord with a glad heart and be carried on full sayle in the wayes of godlinesse 2. Had not Adam had a freedome to good he could not have beene punished for sinne for he that constraines another to do an evill action is to be condemned If a man should compell another to strike a man hee that forced him ought to be blamed a man cannot be blamed for what he cannot avoid Now that Adams sinne might bee punished and his service accepted it was necessary hee should have ability to chuse good and refuse evill wherefore the fault was Adams in falling and not Gods Justifie God concerning Adams fall Use 1. Hence we learne to justifie the Lord and let the fault of Adam lye upon himselfe and his posterity 〈◊〉 owne fault The Lord 〈◊〉 Adam ability to doe whâ—â— he should if therefore he did not what hee might he is to be condemned the Lord to be justified It is in vaine for thee to plead that thou canst not doe thy duty The Lord knowes I carry a body of death about me I confesse it is so but whose fault is it Esa 3.11 Say unto the wicked it shall goe evill with him for hee shall receive the reward of his owne hands Your owne hands framed your owne ruine Prov. 1.28 They shall call but I will not heare they might reply This is a hard chapter But what saith the Text they would none of my counsell therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own waies This must cut off all pleas remember Adam had liberty and thou in him Thou shalt bee satisfied with the fruit of thine owne planting and God will fill thee with the fruit of thine owne devices The malicious man shall have malice enough in hell and shall for ever hate God and for ever be tormented Againe it should still our repinings against God vaine it is to snarle against the Lord. The Lord did not assist Adam yet there was no fault in God for Adam had freedome of will without any opposition and thou in him therefore thy bloud be upon thine owne head God is to be justified You sought out inventions if therefore you have what you seek the fault is your owne Psal 51.4 I was shapen in iniquity and in sinne hath my mother conceived me Thou O Lord art cleare it is my iniquity that deserved it Matth. 13.21 Whence came those Tares The enemy hath done this So say thou I confesse my mind is blind mine heart is corrupt whence came these Tares the Lord sowed good seed if therefore I am uncleane the envious man hath done it therefore acquit the Lord for ever Hence wee may see Use 2. To know whether Gods image be restored whether we ever had this image reprinted and restored Where ever the Image of God is there is freedome If ever sound grace bee in thee thou shalt find thine heart unshackled and set at liberty to close with the Lord. 2. Corin. 3.17 Where the Spirit is there is freedome and an heart carried willingly to do the service God requires It was that that our Saviour proclaimed Isaiah 61.2 an acceptable yeare it was that was typified in the old Law by the yeare of Jubilee when the servant was free from his Master the Debter from his Creditour so Christ came to preach the yeare of Jubilee that all poor drudges that have been slaves to Sathan and indebted to Gods justice should be
Will imbraced that and the Affections yeelded serviceably to the command of Reason and Holinesse Herein appeared the difference between these affections in Adam and in other creatures The creature is carried by the rule of appetite the horse rusheth into the battell the wild asse snuffeth up the winde The Psalmist saith Psal 32. Bee not like the horse and mule which have no understanding Psal 32. Here was the excellency of Adam that wisdome that God had imprinted in his understanding that holinesse that hee had implanted in his will commanded his affections and they did sweetly yeeld thereto Adams soule was like a well-tuned instrument all the strings the affections being rightly tuned make a sweet harmony In a well governed common-wealth the Councel directs the King enacts lawes and the subjects obey so there was wisdome in Adams understanding and that counselled there was holinesse in the will and that commanded and all the affections were like loyall subjects imbracing what reason and holy will commanded In this common-wealth there were no traitors no in Adams heart there were no tumultuous disorders as now we finde but what the reason said and the will chused that the affections embraced Quest Wherein doth this subjection discover it selfe How shall wee see Adams affections submitting to reason Ans In foure particulars Wherein the affections submitted to reason 1. The affections of Adam were willing to entertaine every command which wisedome and holinesse gave The affections are but so many servants that attend on the understanding 1 Pet. 5.9 Bee sober and watch There is a sobriety required in the soul namely a man should not lavish out his affections on other things and so unfit himself to be under the subjection of the Truth This sobriety was abundant in Adam he had a sweet easinesse and softnesse of affection like waxe to take the print of Gods Seale whereas it is with our affections as with drunken servants who when their Masters call them are not themselves for there is a drunkennesse in mans heart when it is inordinately carried with too eager a pursuit after vaine things though reason commands yet it obeyeth not Adams affections were in a sweete frame for if God revealed any command love embraced it Ephes 6.15 Having your feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace The feet are the affections the shooing of the feet is the preparing of the affections to entertaine all the conditions of the Gospel of peace A man that is shod is fit to goe a journey so when the affections are thus shod they are fit to walke in any way that God requires Since Adam lost this sobriety of affections what awkardnesse doe wee finde to duty when a man should love an enemy how hardly is hee brought to it when a man ought to reforme a sinne what a difficulty is there in it 2. They were speedy in the performance of what was injoyned them A wise understanding could no sooner reveale a duty to be done but they ecchoed answerably This all of us would have Psalm 40. mark how speedy Christ was in performing of duty Behold I come thy law is within mine heart And Psal 27.8 The Lord saith seek yee my face and his affections answered Thy face Lord will I seeke Also in Psal 119.4 5. Gods voice saith I charge you diligently keepe my Commandements and they eccho again Oh that our wayes were made so direct that we might keep thy Statutes 1 Pet. 1.13 Gird up the loyns of your mind And in Luk. 12.35 it is said Let your loynes bee girded about and your lights burning The loynes of our mindes are our affections They are compared to loose garments such as they wore in the East Countries which they girded up when they went on a journey Our affections hang like loose garments about us wee must gird them up that we may with more speed goe in the pathes of Gods Statutes Thus David prayeth Set mine heart at liberty that I may runne the wayes of thy commandements But we find the contrary for though many times the minde so yeelds that the course is holy yet what a base wearinesse hangs on the heart what slow hearts have we how doe we draw our loyns after us We feele this and the ground of it is the want of Gods image 3. They continued in the speed they made Adams affections were to hold themselves in an holy bent without warping Wee finde the contrary In Gal. 6. the Apostle saith Bee not weary in well doing Sometimes a man is hot at first and then his affections coole this is the bane of Religion Hee was holy so they may say of a man-devill 2 Cor. 11.14 an Angell of light But Adam was able to hold himselfe in a right pitch This David prayed for Psal 51.12 when he had wounded his affections Oh stablish mee with thy free spirit as if he should say Time was when I did love thy Word mine heart did feare evill and I did hate uncleannesse but now how unstedfast are my affections therefore stablish mee with thy free spirit If you finde your hearts giving way to any base lusts you shall finde them easily giving back from holy duties Rev. 2.31 Thou hast forsaken thy first love O woe to that declining condition that those who heretofore expressed forwardnesse in a good course and could cry for mercy as for life are now key-cold But Adams affections were able to keep themselves in full strength and so did the Saints of God Num. 14.24 Caleb followed God fully Psalm 63.9 My soule followes hard after thee Hee pursued God with eagernesse as the creature the prey David stands not still nor delayes but pursueth and as the phrase is Esa 51.1 follows after righteousnesse Thou that hast a stubborne heart by nature if thou beest once righteous thou wilt then follow after meeknesse 4. His affections were in an orderly tractablenesse to the rule of reason and holinesse Reason and holinesse gave not only direction to the affections but moderation in all things and upon all occasions The affections would not bee carried out of order nor measure upon any thing nor stay longer then they should upon any object An Embassador goes no farther then his Commission stayes no longer then his Commission gives leave so reason and holinesse were the commanders of Adams affections they received a command therefrom and went no further then reason and holinesse allowed them It is lawfull for a man to love the world but no more then reason and holinesse allowes if God should say I will take away these things from thee love and joy should willingly part with them The souldier if he be loyall when the Commander biddeth battell hee goes when hee soundeth a retrait he returnes home againe so the reason and will sanctified were the commanders of Adams course When reason and holinesse saith it a man may delight in the things of this life but when they say grieve no
more for the losse of them the affections should yeeld to the command of reason It is quite contrary in us a mans affections though they are set upon a lawfull object yet they goe so amaine like unruly colts that they cast the rider delight and desire out-bid reason and sometimes transgresse the bounds of honesty most commonly of holinesse It is marvellous hard to have our affections at command Lot goes into Sodom and God could not get him out againe but that the Angel was faine to carry him out by force so when a man gets into Sodom le ts loose his affections on shoppe or children or the like oh what an hard matter is it to say No more of that But Adams affections were so ordered that if reason should say Love that now and then leave it hee would love it now and leave it then Philip. 4.12 I know how to abound and how to bee poore his meaning is if God would bestow these things he had an heart to love them if hee would take them away he was content to leave them Job 1.21 The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken away blessed be the name of the Lord whereas wee sit Rachel-like disquieted because our comforts are not Use 1. The first Use is of examination By order in thy affections esteeme what grace thou hast A man may here plainely perceive what measure of grace hee hath and whether hee hath any or no See what tractablenesse there is in thy affections to submit unto the authority of holinesse So much boysterousnesse as thou findest against the evidence of reason and frame of holinesse so much corruption there is in thy heart I speak this the rather to take off the conceit of many who use to commend a man in this manner Hee is an holy man but that hee hath one fault hee is as dogged as may be it is but a poor commendation So much boyling as is in thine heart so much want of grace is there He is a good Christian they will say but wonderfull outragious surely then there is but little good in him The servant is stubborne against his Master the master againe is quarrelsome for every word if there bee grace in these it is well yet there is a great deale of the want of Gods image upon such a soule 1 Cor. 3.3 When there are strifes and envyings amongst you are ye not carnall When the heart is boysterous and full of envie is it not carnall There is a great deal of rubbish in thy heart which grace if it were there would remove The Philosopher observes that all stormes are here below in these baser bodies there is none of them in the highest heavens so hadst thou an heavenly heart all thunderings and lightenings all crosse dogged and malicious distempers would bee gone there would bee no newes of them The fruits of the Spirit are love Gal. 5.22 meeknesse c. But when men runne abreast the Master his way and the Servant his way where are the fruits of the Spirit Are ye not carnall Ob. But may not a man by education or misery bee tempered and cooled from these things Answ Yes he may have the ruggednesse of his affections smoothed and the edge of furiousnesse blunted But though a man may have these somewhat abated and want grace yet if a man have these it is somewhat suspicious whether hee have grace There may bee a root and yet no blossomes and yet it is certaine where there are blossomes there is a root If a man expresse envie in his life there is sure a treasure of it in his heart If there be so much filth in the streames there is more in the fountain if there be good in thee there is but a little Here we may also see whether wee have any truth of grace judge of it by the works No fire but will burn fire will heate the whole house so grace will frame the whole soule Art thou able to tame those jarring affections and to stifle them Art thou able when they would transport thee to allay them and bring thy soule to a calme frame Then it is a signe thou hast grace God is the God of order not only in the Church but in the house and every where If thou canst master those boysterous affections that they may be subject unto wisdome and holinesse then it is certaine there is some grace in thee Quest But are not the best men troubled with passions and distempers Differences of distempers in the godly and others Answ There are such in the best upon whom the Lord hath beene pleased to look graciously but they are in a farre different manner in them then in the wicked Their spots are different Deut. 32.5 Their spot is not like the spot of my children as who should say the Saints have their spots and the wicked have their spots but they are not the same The spots of the purples are dangerous but the spots of the plague are deadly The wicked have the spots of the plague the Lord have mercy on them they are but dead men Though a Common-wealth bee subject to conspiracies yet a wise Kng can discover them but when there is no King as in Israel every man doth what he list so in the heart of an ungodly man corruptions do what they list they make him as proud and as covetous as they list The Saints have many mutinies in their hearts yet they have a wise King a gracious will that quels these and submits to God and the power of his grace The difference betweene the distempers of the Saints and the wicked appeares in three particulars 1. The Saints make those distempers and unruly affections which lye upon them their greatest burthen it is their heart-smart though other sins are greater and the reason is because they break the union between God and the soule and they breed a distance between Gods good Spirit and it 2 Cor. 12.7 God suffered Sathan to buffet St. Paul which was some distemper and provocation to sin now this made him grone and sigh to the Lord yea it brought him on his knees thrice As it is with an enemie if his use bee to come suddenly upon a Towne a wise Captaine will gather his forces together to hinder his designes So must the Saints because their corruptions surprize them suddenly These make them cry out This will be my bane the least sin will damne me as well as the greatest I shall perish one day by the hand of Saul c. 1 Sā 27.1 whereas a carnall man maketh nothing of these but beares all with a Pish it is not such a great matter as some make it I confesse I am passionate and cholerick but I would I had no worse to answer for and the like Oh how doth this argue a gracelesse heart that can thus digest gracelesse courses A toad will feede upon poison but if a man take two or three drops it
will kill him it is a signe thou hast a toadish nature that canst digest these lusts Gen. 15. ult Esau went away carelesly when hee saw that hee lost his birthright I confesse it is possible for a carnall heart to grieve for these distempers but it is either when a man hath monstrously befooled himselfe or when conscience flies in his face What you go to heaven Therefore a man on these termes may crouch not because of sin but of disgrace or the sting of conscience that lies in his bosome 2. The Saints when they are thus it is but a pang they come to their cold temper againe and they then will welcomly entertain the word and desire that it would discover their sinne A gracious heart cares not what the man bee that discovers his sinne whether he bee friend or enemy whether a good man or a bad man Hee lookes not at the man but at the goodness of the command 1 Sam. 1.17 Eli when he had been indulgent and the Lord threatned him for it hee saith to Samuel 1 Sam 3. Hide nothing from mee Jonah being in a sullen fit forsakes Gods command but this is but in a push in cold blood hee is otherwise David that had the heart of a Lyon he would not leave a man alive in Nabals house yet Abigail a woman makes him say Blessed be thou Chap. 25. thy counsell here was a gracious heart that could submit to the counsell of so mean a person But a wicked man cannot abide to have his corruption crossed they are so incorporated into it that they cannot live without it This was it that made the young man go away sorrowfull They murmure against their instructers as the Hebrew said to Moses Exod. 2.14 What wilt thou slay mee as thou didst the Egyptian yesterday Let every cup stand upon his owne bottome what have you to doe with mee c. A wicked man may bite the lip for the present and say I thanke you for your counsell yet he will goe away and fit you an evill turne But the godly come and acknowledge plainely These passages and grace cannot stand together and therefore they will submit to the truth with all their heart A wicked man will use all means to undermine the truth and misconstrue it and if any man will joyn side with him hee will fly out desperately but if hee cannot avoid it hee will like the dogge bite the stone if hee cannot have his will of the man hee will owe him a grudge The Saints will say The Word of the Lord is good strike here at this sin Esa 39.8 smite home 3. The Saints are not only carefull to have their sinnes outwardly mortified but their lives reformed they do not complain of this and that and yet maintaine it no hee that is burthened with sinne will part with it Luk. 2.8 When Christ came crooked things were made straight not onely mountaines were brought low but rough things were made smooth So in the Saints of God there is not onely a new tongue to talke of religion but a new heart and new affections It is possible for a godly man by the power of tentation to bee led aside yet you shall alwayes finde him on the mending hand and so in conclusion forsakes sin I do not say he will bee now and then drunk and the like for we doe not read of those that after they accustome themselves to gross sins do ordinarily rise again but I speake of some boysterous distemper which breaks out yet I say hee will bee of the mending hand As a man in an Ague when nature growes strong his Ague will leave him so if a man bee overtaken with these if grace grow strong hee will leave them else hee erres from the nature of true repentance You know what God calls for when hee requires repentance Isa 1.24 Cease to doe evill learne to doe well Jer. 26.3 Isa 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the imaginations of his heart This is repentance this the Saints have done as holy Job speaks chap. 34.32 If I have done iniquity I will doe so no more Psalm 18.23 I have kept my selfe from mine iniquity Gal. 5.24 They that are in Christ have crucified the flesh with the lusts thereof the flesh is sin the lusts thereof are the violent distempers thereof hee that hates sinne kils these Can any man kill the roote and the blossome flourish so can the root of sinne bee killed and the fruit thrive It cannot be Again morality can make a man somewhat qualified and cannot grace much more shall a Heathen bridle himselfe and not a gracious man That cannot be But a wicked man gives way to and continues in his course without any amendment and that 's the reason why they fall to day and fall to morrow and continue in it Jer. 8.6 He takes fast hold of iniquity and rusheth into it as the horse rusheth into the battell for a man customarily usually to bee transported with these boysterous distempers this is the spot of the wicked no righteous man can alwaies bee thus for hee hath not that depth of wickednesse in him yet upon some occasion hee may and doth fall into sin You see how the godly are and how the wicked behave themselves The wife railes and the husband out of a kind of sottish Nabalnesse if any thing fall crosse makes the wife and child pay for it This is ordinary these are the plague-sores of our townes also the servant if hee be admonished then hee flies out and warning must bee given presently to be gone These are the spots of profession now-adaies Use 2. It is a word of instruction Grace ordering the affections brings the most quiet life That a gracious heart brings most quiet to a mans life that takes away the greatest troubles that is most peaceable Nothing can trouble a gracious heart unlesse hee trouble himselfe It is not the blowing of the winde that shakes the earth but the wind is got into some hollow of the earth and the shaking comes from within so when there is envie malice within these breed hatred without and these shake our holds whereas were these removed were a man quiet at home hee should never be troubled from without It is not a mans condition but his corruption that breeds discontent therefore St. Paul saith I can abound and be poor hee had quiet within him Looke as it was with our Saviour Math. 8. when the winds arose hee commands them to cease so it is in the Lords power to rule these distempers nothing under heaven can quiet a man thus enraged but grace Goe to God to take away thy unrulinesse Grace makes a man on Gods side and therefore there can bee no dissention if God takes away any thing the good soule is content if hee will have any thing the soule yeelds it and so here is no trouble §. 8. Quest WHat was the image of God in
is called the heavenly treasure looke as it is with wicked men Rom. 2.5 They treasure up wrath against the day of wrath the more sinne they commit the more punishment will lye upon their soules so doth a good man lay up a treasure of holinesse Should a man bring all the treasure of Dives all the honour of Ahashuerus they would doe him no good Wilt thou appeare and say Lord I have cozened so many poore and by this means I have gotten so much wealth No the onely commodity that will go off is holy services Rev. 14.13 Blessed are they that dye in the Lord their works follow them nothing in the world but works can follow a man The services that come from a sincere heart will go with thee to thy grave therefore as Factours purchase things that will bee saleable when they come home so let us now lay up that provision that will stand us in stead hereafter 2. Hence we see how to carry our selves towards others Love those best who are best As good children let us imitate our father God loves men that obey Let the same minde be in us Psalme 119.63 I am a companion of those that love thee Hee saith not I am a companion to those that haunt evill places but to such as love God Psalm 103.6 Mine eyes shall be upon the faithfull in the land 2 Chron. 15.2 The Lord is with you while you are with him The Lord keeps company with them that keepe company with him in holy duties Let us be of the same affection towards our brethren and let nothing breed division but only the sins of others Zach. 8.23 Tenne men shall take hold on the skirt of a Jew saying Wee will goe with you for the Lord is with you I say let nothing breed jarres between us and others but only their sins §. 11. NOw wee proceed to the second part of the Covenant Of life promised to Adam if obedient What God promises to Adam Hee that doth these things shall live For the opening of this wee must treat of three particulars 1. What life is 2. Wherein lies the sweetnesse of the promise 3. The universality of it 1. What is meant by life Life naturall Life is double naturall and spirituall eternall life is nothing but spirituall life made perfect Naturall life is the motion of the creature issuing from the joyning of the body and soule together according to the kind thereof The life of a tree is to grow of a reasonable creature to discourse This is not meant here for Adam did thus live before and after he brake the Comandements of God And spirituall 2. There is a spirituall life which belongs to the soule in holy duties it is called life by a similitude and it is those spirituall workes which proceed from the whole man the soule being united to God As the union of the body and soule causeth life so the union between the soul and God causeth spirituall life Gen. 2.7 God breathed into his nosthrils the breath of life so the Lord breathes assistance and this is spirituall life here meant which may bee discovered in three particulars 1. Adam Spirituall life discovered in 3. things out of his speciall liberty hee had was able to put himself under the streame of Providence and so to bee carried on to holy duties God would have assisted Adam but hee must first put himselfe under the streame of Providence as the boat upon the streame so would the Providence of God have conveyed Adam All things were made for man and man is next neighbour to God Had Adam looked towards Gods wisedome hee should have been quickned in wisedome and so he might have received strength from any Attribute if he would submit his heart to the streame of it Joh. 1.16 From Christ we receive grace for grace What letters are in the seale the same are in the waxe so when by faith wee look upon Christ there is grace in him and it is conveighed to us Psalm 86.11 Unite my soule to thee first the soule must be united and then it acts from that union John 6.68 Thou onely hast the words of eternall life as if hee should say By thy vertue only wee must bee strengthened By this time God and Adam are met 2. The soule of Adam being met with God hence followed spiritual actions namely Adam was able to worke like God according to his manner the boat and rower and streame goe all one way In 1 Pet. 4.6 a good man is said to live according to God This is spirituall life when a mans will and desire is answerable to God but wicked men Ephes 4.18 are strangers to the life of God Col. 4.12 The Apostle prayeth that they might stand perfect in the will of God Psalm 119.144 Give mee understanding that I may live A man doth not live thus because hee seeth as the beasts doe or growes as the trees do or reasons which the devils can do but because hee hath an understanding to live the life of God When Adam is at God hee is where he would be Rom. 14.18 The kingdome of heaven consists not in meats and drinks that is in outward actions they are in themselves neither good nor bad but when a man is led by God to performe holy duties hee then pleaseth God in them 3. Hee had power to hold out this blessed will of God to others that they might love it Phil. 1.20 St. Paul prayeth that in life and death God might be magnified Adam did hold out the glory of God that all the world might see how glorious hee was Quest. Wherein lyes the pith of this promise what should Adam reap from this The sweetnesse of the promise of life wherin Answ It lies in this That God would so continue good to Adam that if hee would obey God hee would so support him with his grace that hee should have pleased him for ever as if God had said If thou will doe what I command I will unchangeably supply life to thee I will expresse it by the contrary Thus it befell Adam hee broke the law and therefore was vnder the power of sinne to bee led by the force of it to sinne eternally and perish everlastingly The Lord said Thou shalt not eate Adam did eate so going against the command the Lord puts him under the authority of corruption and this is spirituall death So then it is not the law of God that rules thee but the vanity of thy minde that domineers over thy soul and members of thy body Contrariwise had Adam pleased God he should have been under the power of holinesse and never have sinned For God thus said to Adam If thou will keep my Lawes I will support thee and thou shalt never bee subject to any evill As it is with the damned they can doe nothing but sinne and depart from God daily so contrariwise had Adam performed Gods laws God with a
the last daies so that all wise men should store up against an evill day To redeeme is to purchase or to buy The time that is a season not a distance of many houres but a season and that is the convenience or meeting of many helps together As winde and tide makes a season to saile in so when there is a faire day and the sun shines tha't 's a season of travelling When there is no winde nor tide there are indeed so many houres but it is not a season so in the night there are so many houres but not a season no sun-shine or light and therefore not a fit time or season for travelling But that is a season when there are helps afforded of doing good 2. What is it to redeeme the time It is no where read but it signifies thus much To buy in the market as tradesmen do So should the children of God while time and meanes and health and life and liberty is afforded unto them store themselves with faith and ability against evill daies The Doctrine hence is this Doct. Improve gracious occasions for good It is a point of spirituall wisedome to purchase the opportunities of grace and salvation at any rate Where helps are there are opportunities of doing good For the further explication of this Doctrine there are 3. questions to bee propounded 1. What are the seasons of grace and salvation 2. What wee must part withall for them 3. What course wee must take for to purchase them Quest 1. What are the opportunities of grace Opportunities of grace what Answ They are either generall or speciall Generall are such as men take in the time of their life here is the time of working here is the time of doing and getting for In the grave there is no wisedome nor counsell Eccles 9.10 and there is no hope neither for as death leaves us so shall judgement finde us Eccles 3. 2. There are speciall opportunities for every business a time to plow and sow and reap so there is a day of salvation a day of grace These seasons may bee divided into three heads 1. When we have matter to worke upon Then is a season when God calls us to do good Sometimes the Lord casts us among the poore that wee should relieve them the ignorant that wee should instruct them the wicked that wee should reprove them Sometimes the Lord lets us bee wronged that is a time to use patience and suffers us to be disgraced that is a time to use humility and to trample all reproaches under feet 2. Sometimes there are speciall meanes of doing our selves good as upon the Lords day which is the market day for our soules wherein God sets out his wares to sell if men have hearts to come and buy and such are the Sacraments and communion one with another See how men do in worldly matters so do you in spirituall one man sels cloth another man corne so should Christians Thou shouldst give thy brother a word of humiliation he should give thee a word of comfort as thou standest in need of the same 3. When the Lord enlarges the hearts of his children as hee doth many times that is another opportunity take hold of it when the Lord strikes strike thou when the Lord moves move thou As when thou hearest the Word and art convicted by it and thy heart begins to move oh then that 's a season Make hay while the sun shines follow the blow and breake thy heart and humble thy soule for that is a speciall and a spiritual opportunity for good to thine own soul Or sometimes when thou art in thine owne private chamber and the door shut and the candle out and the curtaines drawne about thee then call thou to minde thy sinnes and the many abominations thou hast committed oh then humble thy soul and break thine heart and blesse the Lord for that opportunity Quest 2. What must wee give for these opportunities of grace and salvation Answ With what wee must part for them What will you bestow This is Gods market day if you will bid like a chapman you are like to have them I will tell you what you must give and I will set downe the price in three particulars 1. A man must part with all his sinnes and corruptions and a man may doe that upon as reasonable termes as may be for a mans sins will never doe him good but hurt and therefore he ought to forsake them 2. If it please God to set his commodities at so high a rate then wee must forsake all the comforts of this life rather then lose salvation Not only pleasures and profits and delights but meate drinke and apparrell if God will have his wares so deare Wee must part with all kindred friends and all yea life it self if occasion should serve But sometimes the Lord is so mercifull and the market goes at so low a rate that a man may have both the comforts of this life and the means of grace and salvation too but if the Lord require these then we must let all go Phil. 3.7 8. I count all things drosse and dung yea 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dogs-meat in comparison of Christ Wee must part with all for Christ and bee willing to suffer for him if God require I count all dogs-meat saith S. Paul I count all these things nothing A Pharisee of the Pharisees a Jew circumcised the eighth day yet I account all these but dung Mat. 19.27 There when Christ called his Disciples unto him Peter said Master we have left all and have followed thee What therefore shall bee to us Hee answered Yee that have followed mee in the regeneration when the Sonne of man shall sit upon the Throne of his glory even yee shall sit upon the twelve thrones c. So that you that are content to part with all house and land silver and gold friends and acquaintance and follow Christ in the regeneration all things shall be restored unto you Christ saith unto the young man Follow me I pray saith he suffer me to bury my Father No no saith Christ Let the dead bury their dead but follow thou mee So when our hearts hang after commodity and profit and wee are loath to part with them which indeed are but dead commodities dead profits they say they will heare and attend afterward oh I say Let the dead burie their dead attend thou here 3. Wee should bestow the best of our labour and our continuall endeavour about these things Wee must not think that the Lord brings us up for nothing but to live as we list and to spend our time about what we please no he will make us seek for mercy and downe on our knees and beg for it and make us be glad that wee can have it too and bee wonderfully thankfull for it Phil. 3.13 One thing I doe but leave all the rest forgetting that which is behind and pressing forward to
that they would resolve hee should bee theirs whatsoever he cost them oh that our hearts were thus set upon the means When the Lord hath shewed thee the necessity of them and God hath revealed himselfe oh I say hold fast there let not that opportunity goe it will be a marvellous folly if thou dost and it will deprive thine heart of much benefit nay thou maist lose thy soule by such dallying when you have time and opportunity and yet lose it sure it is for want of attendance Likewise the children of God must pray privately besides this for they have private sins as well as other sins Attend not looke not after temptations but attend upon the means Many men when they come to market wil fall about their homely occasions that which they should doe at home they doe in the market just so it is here when the Minister is preaching then they are reading or praying or conferring oh this is a sinfull thing you must doe your owne businesse at home and not neglect the opportunity before you 3. Wee must lay aside yea lay by those that are the best commodities and most necessary Wee see Trades-men need many things but those things that are most profitable and necessary they will be sure to have and if their purse will reach and hold out they will buy other things afterward Hee will buy bread now on the one side and cloth on the other side bread hee must have for his family to feed them and cloth hee must have to cloath them and if his money will hold out then haply hee will buy some lace or a rattle for his child So I say you have the choyce of all favours and of all mercies now provide that which is most necessary First seek the Kingdome of God and the righteousnesse thereof Mat. 6.33 This is the maine thing it is of necessity that the soule should be saved What is here meant by the Kingdome of God Some say It is the kingdome of glory others the kingdome of grace but how can a man seek the kingdome of glory but first hee must have the kingdome of grace before that of glory And how shall a man attaine to this The Lord hath vouchsafed it to none but to those that do seek it in his ordinances it is to bee had by the preaching of the Gospel of grace Was there ever any man ordinarily converted but by the Word of God Rom. 10.17 for Faith comes by hearing c. This Word is the word of the Kingdome first seeke that by which faith is bred by which Christs righteousnesse is made ours make this sure to thy soule for this is that you cannot be without this is that which David desired Ps 27.4 This is that I will require Lord saith hee that I may dwell in the house of the Lord and see thy face in the beauty of holinesse You make little of the preaching of the Gospel and never regard it but David was glad of it O Lord saith hee One thing I have desired whether I have health or no life or no I care not but one thing Lord I crave that I may see thy face in the beauty c. For this did Christ commend Mary Martha Lu. 10.42 Martha thou art cumbred about many things and much businesse but Mary hath chosen the better part that shall never be taken from her Whether is the soule better then the body A child of God will say The soule is best Whether is prayer better then profit heaven better then earth if prayer and heaven bee the better then let the earth stay let commodity stay let profit stay let heaven and salvation be served first This dashes the dreames of many men that will not stir out of their shops though they may well bee spared will rather lose the Word of God then lose the profit of six pence Oh see now come and lay these things together and see the difference between them Ob. But some will say they will have them but lay them by yet and afterward they will bargaine Answ But deferre not the time Now what will you give for them Me thinks I heare mens soules say O mercy mercy is worth a thousand worlds Oh what availes it to be rich and miserable honourable and accursed You little ones what say you Do not you wish for mercy O mercy mercy without mercy we are for ever wretched oh it is mercy that wee live and are not sent quick to hell But now will you buy it you shall have it cheape enough What will you give Now wee come to the maine You must give as the market goes and on Gods termes for you must not thinke that God will save you with wishing Oh no no he will not But now Will you buy them Then bid faire you must part with all your sinnes away with the proud heart and away with the world and the pleasures thereof Now see how the world replyes First young ones reply We have no wit nor understanding well you must beleeve else you must perish The old man sayes I am weake and feeble well you must get faith or else you must perish too Now you know the price of it you must provide to pay it Mat. 13.44 There it is said The wise merchant when he found the pearl went and sold all that he had to buy it That was a great price Thou must sell all to buy this if thy lust bee as deare to thee as thine eye thou must part with it if thou hast a proud heart thou must downe with it if a man have a faire estate and so many hundreds and such lands and such and such wares in his shop if God require it hee must part with it all The drunkard must part with his cups and the whoremonger with his queans unlesse yee doe part with these ye cannot have Christ this is the price of it Returne to me an answer whether you will have it or no that I may returne an answer to the Lord that hee may preserve it for you See that of Judas Acts 12.24 He would rather have the 30 pence yea he would betray his Lord for it and he had it but hee came againe with horrour of conscience and threw it away and threw away himselfe too for hee went and hang'd himselfe and now hangs in hell for ever It is an easie matter for a man to tell over his money but not so easie to make the heart willing to part with it but if you will not part with it now there will come a time at the day of death and then the covetous man will say Here take my money that I have got by oppression and the drunkard will say Here take my cups Then I say now part with them be wise merchants part with them now and the match is made Then now resolve Is it mercy saith the soule then it is enough Lord take all though I never see a good day
God being snatcht away by so many worldly occasions and so many businesses that their hearts many times come to be deaded and dulled But a man should use them no further but that his heart may bee enlarged to God Looke what good wee finde in our trade let us bee led by that to see what goodnesse is in God who is the fountaine of all good When we see that great good and the commoditie that comes in to us then let us see the riches of God and seeing this is so good what should wee think of the goodnesse of God Let us see his goodnesse in it for unlesse the Lord smile on us what avails it for us to bee rich what to be rich and to be damned this is very pitifull But what is the reason men are so backward in buying these things how shall wee doe to bring men to bid like chapmen The reason to perswade them may bee taken from two grounds 1. The excellency of the commodity 2. The time wee have to purchase it I. To make the first plaine The excellency of the cōmodity to be bought these three arguments are to be taken from the commoditie 1. Because the meanes of grace and salvation is a thing of as great excellencie and price as can bee therefore in reason wee should lay downe a price for them For the better the commodity is all wise men will lay down answerably The price of salvation is a great price because there is nothing better that is or can be desired Pro. 4.7 Wisdome is a precious thing but above all things get understanding The world honours pleasures may be got but Wisedome is best of all therefore get that first For all the things here below are vaine things because they are lying vanities but the Word of the Lord endureth for ever 1 Pet. 1.25 and that will make us endure for ever too if wee are humbled by it The Word of the Lord will stand by us for it is an immortall Word and it will make us immortall also it will stand so by us as it will make us live for ever and it will cheare our soules when nothing in the world will Phil. 2.13 Wee must work out our salvation with fear and trembling Now the manner how wee shall doe this is not by making our selves rich in this world and getting the things thereof but by getting grace that it may goe well with us this is the maine thing that wee may get the love of God to get our soules to be humbled and cast down Now if this bee the best as it is then in all reason it requires the greatest price Is it so that the Word of God will endure for ever will stand by you and save you then if you give a price for any thing give most for that 2. As the meanes of grace is best and of greatest worth so it is most necessary for us What is the reason that men buy commodities Because they have need of them as if a man should say This I must have and I have need of it Gold is better then silver and pearls then both but bread is best of all for all these must be left for it a poor man will part with silver and gold and all for bread for that he must have Now there is nothing so necessary as for the soule to be saved for if a man want any thing else hee may make a shift if he be poor haply his friends be rich and they will relieve him well but if the soule have sinned and is become miserable by reason of sin oh what hope what help but only from God! Therefore that is most needfull without it the soule is starved famish'd And what though you have mony yet your soul may perish and goe downe to hell What 's that to the soul for a man to bee rich or what is that to the soule to have the person applauded and have abundance of all things and the poore soule is starved and famish'd and wants all things Me thinks I heare your soules cry out The body that 's cloathed the house filled and the shop that 's stored oh sayes the soule I shall bee damned all is provided for only I shall smart for it I shall pay for all I shall goe to hell for it I beseech you think of it The time will come when you will prize mercy and cry out for it When thou liest on thy death bed when thou art breathing out thy last breath then one dram of mercy Lord and then one dram of faith Lord then it wil be worth a world to thee Mat. 23. It is said there the foolish Virgins cry out Wee have no oyl oh lend us some oh then Lord open unto us One day the poor soule will have need of mercy You see that it is most necessary then buy it lest you bee forced to borrow and cannot have it So then there is but one needfull thing Luk. 11. ult It is not of necessity to be rich it is not of necessity to be honourable but oh this is of necessity that thy sins should bee pardoned thy person accepted and thy soule saved 3. Here is a point of great christian policy for in getting of grace and salvation you shall get all other commodity with it and all other good things It is the best husbandry to buy that which will bring in most good For all outward comforts and contentments that this life can afford they come all in this As a man that sees such a tree and such an acre of ground if it likes him he will not go to buy that but he will buy the Lordship and then all the trees are his and all the ground is his So this is our misery we stand puddling our selves here for a little honour and for a little riches go I say and buy the Lordship and then all will be made sure unto thee Pro 3.14 15 16. Get wisdome for life and honour are on her right hand and riches and pleasure are on her left hand c. First seek the kingdome of heaven and all other things shall bee cast in upon you So that a good man compares all this outward commoditie to pack thred paper which if a man goes into a shop and buyes wares he shall have into the bargaine for nothing So here get once grace and then all things else you shall have into the bargaine for Godlinesse is great gain it hath the promise of this life and that which is to come 1 Tim. 4. You may sit and sing Care away for all is yours heaven is yours the earth is yours It is a marvellous folly in men who take a wrong course to thrive If you would bee rich then Consider your owne wayes and your hearts and turne unto the Lord Hag. 1.16 for that is the way It is not all the policie and the carping and caring in the world that will make a man rich for
the Lord hath a veine of vengeance to waste this mans estate and a secret plague to plague another mans wealth So now consider your waies Consider how that when you were carelesse of God then the Lord crush'd all you did Where are mens hearts thus to waite upon and to follow God I say where are mens hearts if grace bee the best good then labour herein II. Secondly Time to purchase it is but short See the opportunity that God gives us to get grace From whence we may draw two reasons One from the shortnesse of our life and the other from the shortnesse of the meanes of grace and salvation by reason of our unprofitablenesse It is our wisedome to strike while the iron is hot the means of grace and salvation is short and hee that dies without grace shall never be saved Consider of it this may bee the last time that I ever shall speake or you shall heare for the Lord may take away our lives or the meanes from us Therefore while you have time imploy your time for there is a great deale past and that 's gone and cannot bee recalled againe so that 's none of ours then for the time to come that 's none of ours for we cannot tel whether we shall live or no therefore onely the time present is ours Heare therefore while you have time and means the offer of grace is tendered Oh turn ye turn ye why will ye die But see what became of it the Lord offers commodity but 't is not worth the buying amongst some What saith the Text Mat. 23.37 Oh Jerusalem Jerusalem how often would I have gathered you as an hen doth her chickens but saith the Text ye would not O let us not stand out with God lest hee leave such an heavie doome upon us as hee did on Jerusalem Now your house is left unto you desolate How often would I have received you and you would not O then I say take heed that the Lord doth not say to us O England how often would I but you would not Ye care not now for teaching yee will have no instruction Well you shall not saith God to Jerusalem you shall never see my face more till you can prize it yea till you say Blessed is he that commeth in the Name of the Lord Hosanna in the highest So the Lord may say unto us Oh ye have refused mercy but yee will cry and houle and never shall have mercy more How dost thou know this oh man whether ever thou shalt have the offer of mercy againe You may never have any more offer Luk. 19 41. Christ stood over Jerusalem and wept Oh saith hee that thou hadst known in this thy day the things that belong to thy peace but now they are hidden from thine eyes now they are taken away because ye would not They may have the Word but shall finde no good in it Oh that is the doom of all dooms when the Lord curses his blessings when the Lord gives a man up to the hardnesse of his own heart and to the blindnesse of his owne eyes Who knowes but the Lord may speake to some of us now and that hee will never offer nor worke again Pro. 1.27 They shall call and cry but I will not answer them saith the Lord. Who knowes but that this may bee thy lot This may bee thy share Is there any one whose soule stirres within him and sayes Oh the precious means of salvation that I have had how kindely did the Lord come and I had almost yeelded and yet withstood the Lord Is there any that hath been thus I charge thee take heed lest the Lord set it down upon thy forehead Wel grace hath been offered and it hath been refused it shall never be offered more My Sabbaths they have had but they profaned them well they shall never see Sabbath more of all plagues there is none like to this O fearfull that the Word should never work more and They shall cry but I will not answer Pro. 1.24 A man were better to be torn in pieces with wild horses then to hear that voice Wisdome saith there I will laugh at your destruction When a man is in perplexity and the Lord should see him and laugh at him in his misery and should say This is he that heard the Word and opposed it this is the man come and behold him O Angels come and rejoyce at his destruction this is he let him be accursed this is hee that despised all meanes therefore send him downe quick into utter darknesse then ye will know what it is to oppose grace Time may come that thou wouldest pray and thou mayest have no heart or if thou dost the time may come when God will not hear thee Oh I withstood all means and therefore with what heart can I doe any thing Oh that ye would but think on this thou mayst seek and seek and seek often and that with tears and yet mayst have the repulse Deut. 1.41 The people of Israel began to murmure against the Lord Would to God wee had dyed in Egypt The Lord heard them and made a solemne vow that they should never enter into the land of Canaan Deut. 1.45 Then they returned and wept and prayed but the Lord heard them not Therefore take heed how yee oppose grace and salvation I beseech you for the Lord Jesus Christ his sake think of it How many offers of grace have wee had and then have said wee would labour that our hearts might bee enlarged towards God and wee would be more holy wee have had many Sabbaths how little have wee profited by them If God shut the Israelites out of Canaan for the refusing of one offer feare God I say feare and stand agast Seeing it is so it is the part of wise men to take the offer of grace and salvation whilest it is offered to them MISCELLANIES I. The Prayer of Faith JAMES 1.6 But let him aske in faith nothing wavering for he that doubteth is like a wave of the sea driven with the winde and tossed Let not that man think hee shall receive any thing from the Lord. THE holy Apostle hath pressed the distressed scattered Jewes to the practice of a marvellous heavenly and holy duty but a marvellous hard one and that indeede which might seeme most unseasonable considering the extreme pursuers that then pursued them beyond strength almost The duty was this as it is expressed in the words of the text Ver. 2. Brethren count it all joy when you fall into many temptations Each word carries a weight and a kinde of impossibility to a distressed spirit and a perplexed heart Hee sayes not they should finde this by proofe and that it would appear in issue that temptations would bring them forth pleasant fruits of righteousnesse through the blessing of the Lord but hee bids them account it so before hand when they felt nothing but vexation Now this was not to bee done
house depending upon Gods direction and blessing in the land unto which hee would bring him and where hee had engaged himselfe to blesse him and yet he was not perswaded of that speciall branch of the Covenant that he would give him a childe out of his loynes which should bee an heire to him as the text plainely testifieth Gen. 15.3 Now both these acts of faith are here required and the last is principally intended so that the full sense of the Doctrine seems to be this He that will speed in prayer must put forth the vertue of faith to beleeve in particular the obtaining of that he prayes for Jam. 5.15 The prayer of faith shall save the sick He saith not The prayer of a faithfull man but the prayer of faith as though the Apostle had spoken thus It 's not the man so much that must pray as faith in the man that must frame and follow those petitions which we put up if ever wee speed Mar. 11.33 Whatsoever yee aske praying beleeve you shal receive it that is the very particular which you beg for shall bee given you For the clearing of the Point we will enquire 1. What it is to pray in faith 2. The Reasons why hee that doth begge in faith shall receive To pray in faith according to the sense of the Doctrine implyes 3. things 1. Faith sees and settles upon the fulnesse of the sufficiency and the freenesse of the riches of grace in Christ which is able every way to supply it and to satisfie abundantly all the necessities which can befall the soule and this gives ground and encouragement unto faith to go to God because there is enough to be-had and therefore it 's likely it shall speed of that it would have Thus Abraham Rom. 4.20 Hee beleeved that God who had promised was able to give a childe though his body were not able to beget one being now dead Sarahs wombe was not able to conceive one being now barren therefore he counted it bootlesse to consider of them but being fully assured that God was able was encouraged to go to him to rely upon him by faith This al sufficiency gives footing or foote-hold to our faith 2. As the riches of goodnesse encourageth faith for to pray so in the second place it closeth with the spirit in the promises sets that on worke and fetches vertue from thence whereby it may bee enabled for to pray for it is not faith that of it self puts forth prayer by its owne power immediately but that that closeth w th sets the spirit of Christ in the promise on worke by the lively efficacie whereof the heart comes to bee quickned on and carried forth comfortably to this dutie Hence the Apostle We know not what to aske as wee ought but the Spirit helps our infirmities and it makes request A man must not fetch his prayer from his parts as will memory understanding or abilitie but from the Spirit who is the prayer-maker Jude 18. praying in the holy Ghost 3. Faith by the riches of Gods grace being encouraged and by the spirit enabled and set on worke to prayer carries the heart unto God and holds it with God untill it hath mercy Gen. 32.26 I will not let thee go until thou bless me For 1. Faith puts wings to a mans desires or if you will Faith closing with the Spirit that puts fire to our petitions lifts up our prayers and causeth them to come in unto the Lord and lay hold upon him hope expects and desire longs and the will rests and makes choyce of God and then holds there and so all lie at God dayly that is the first 2. It will not leave God untill it see his power and wisedome faithfulnesse and mercy goe forth to the accomplishment of that that hath been desired faith followes the blow home and rests not untill it see the wisdome of God contriving and his faithfulnesse and power effecting the thing craved jogs the everlasting arme of Gods power and providence and mercy to worke forth good of such whose necessities are pitied jogs the everlasting displeasure and just indignation of the Lord and followes it home to the heads and hearts of the enemies of Christ whose ruine is desired Faith goes not to meanes first but goes to God that he may worke with meanes without means above means against means Faith will not neglect means but faith goes to God to provide means and to goe out with them and to give a blessing to them It befalleth a faithfull man in this case as it doth sometimes a poore tenant oppressed by the injury and cruelty of the steward he repaires to the Nobleman himselfe intreats so much favour from him that he would injoyne his steward to deale equaly and justly with him the honourable personage easily grants so equall a request and therefore bids him tell his steward It is his minde that he should deale fauourably with him the poore man replyes Alas Sir he will not passe for my speech nor respect my words I beseech you let mee have but two words in writing or a token from you and then I am perswaded hee will not dare but do your command and when that is obtained hee knowes his desire will be effected so faith gets a Letter under Gods hand the Lord sends a token of his displeasure and indignation a token of vengeance and terrour by the prayer of faith as by a Post or Pursuivant unto the hearts of the wicked to chide Laban over night to calme the heart of cruell and fierce Esau and then it 's certaine all shall goe well Thus Jacob strove with God and would not away from the promise before hee had it under Gods own hand Thou hast said thou wilt deale well with thy servant and I will not leave thee till thou sendest this message to the heart of Esau that hee may know it is thy minde at last the Lord granted and then all the mischiefe was stopped Thou hast prevailed with God and thou shalt prevaile with man Reason 1. Unbeliefe binds Gods hands as it were that he cannot give and stops the current of Gods kindnesse that he cannot conveigh that mercy wee beg and need for as God hath decreed to give a blessing for any thing so hee hath appointed and decreed faith to bee the means to conveigh it If therefore we will not beleeve we cannot expect what wee desire God cannot give it because hee cannot deny himselfe nor crosse his decree nor alter the word the oath that is gone out of his mouth for marke Hee could doe no great thing because of their unbeliefe Reason 2. Unbeliefe intercepts the blessing upon the meanes that those meanes which God hath appointed for our good God neither goes out with them nor workes by them but the streame of providence is turned another way Asa trusted to the Physician therefore the phisick could not help him Conceive a streame able to carry and conveigh a
to the governement of that good Word There is a passage that sometimes hath been much in my thoughts in Psal 119.29 Take from me the way of lying and grant me thy Law Sin is a way of lying not only a step of lying but a way of lying the whole guise cariage of it is deceitful now when he saith take away the way of lying his meaning is I cannot master it my self but good Lord take it away And the text addeth grant me thy Law as who should say It is the greatest blessing the soul desireth to enjoy in this life For when the soul is cōtent that God should pluck away every corruption from him even the dearest it is a signe of grace Qu. But the question here growes further namely how a man shall understand whether hee be content that God should take from him the way of lying and to part with every beloved corruption Answ You shall observe this in two or three passages 1 Do thus observe either what speciall sinne you have in your soule and what the darling and the secret distemper of the heart is 2. Or if not that then observe what a man is in his calling there be some particular corruptions that sally out upon a man when hee comes to his particular place for sometimes when the sin of a mans nature and constitution hath failed yet the sinne of his calling hath overthrown him and also discovered him to be false 3. And thirdly observe what it is in the world or in any outward contentment a man puts the highest price and the greatest esteeme upon as thus One man he esteemes wealth is not able to endure poverty and another man esteemes his credit and he cannot abide to suffer shame another man the glory of his parts that hee would have a sufficiency above another c. Now I say if yee will trie whether the soule be content that God should take away the sinfulnesse of the heart try it thus 1. By finding out if the soule bee in good earnest content that the Lord should discover all these courses and whatever sinne is in them and should shame him for them 2. If the Lord should take away all these and the Word take place and pull away all these distempers and then the soule findes a restlesnesse untill the Lord pluck them away from him 3. Whether the soule is willing and strives much and contends sadly that it may be content that the Lord should take all that outward excellency from him that is so much prized by him If hee prize wealth to bee content that God should make him a begger if he prize his credit content that God should cover him with shame if hee prize his parts and gifts content that God should make him lye in the dust Whatever the soul is not content to part withall if it be a temporall thing that is a way of lying and he loves it imoderately Oh where is that man that can beare contempt that can beare poverty and is willing to be left under the table and to bee made base in the eyes of the world Hee that would hold any thing that he is not content the Word should take away it is certaine that that is the king and the master and the commander of the heart Now the text adds And grant mee thy Law Whether the heart have this frame is discovered in these three particulars 1. The heart puts the highest price upon the Word and the graces of God therein working and conveighed thereby as namely thus The soule that is addicted to covetousnesse cries Grant mee liberality Lord the soule that is addicted to pride prayes Grant me humility he puts a higher price upon that which is contrary to his sinne then ever his sinne was sweete to him 2. Hee lookes for and is willing also to entertaine the authority of the Word to order him and to carry him out to this way and worke Thirdly and lastly he finds a full sufficiency and contentednesse herein Grant mee thy Law I desire no more Now by this time a man is fully under the authority of the Word though I cannot doe what I would my corruptions being strong my temptations boysterous yet take from mee the way of lying Whether it be my beloved sinne or sinne of my calling or the outward comforts of those things I prize I am content it should be taken away And when it saith Grant me thy Law 1. It most prizeth it 2. It most yeelds unto it 3. It is satisfied therein By this time I say it appeares a man hath a title unto the Lord Christ Touching the fitting of our selves for the Sacrament two things are a little to be attended 1. The necessity of our comming The second is the manner how to prepare our hearts when wee doe come that we may come fitted and as we are necessarily injoyned prepared to this Table of the Lord. For the first severall questions are to bee propounded and answered and then the point will be cleered Quest 1. Is it left unto a mans liberty to come or not to come unto the Sacrament Answ It is not a point of indifferency it is a point of necessity which the Lord layeth upon us as a duty which God expecteth from us if God affords occasion with conveniency it is a sinne in us to doe the contrary I say If God afford occasion with conveniency nothing should detain us from cōming yet some straight may haply lie upon a man that it were neither requisite nor reasonable for him then to presse in to that duty As 1. Were it so that a man could not receive the Sacrament unlesse he should crosse some comfortable assurance of Gods favour towards him in the committing of some sin as to receive it by halfs as the Papists do then he were not bound nay hee ought not to receive it it is not a point of conveniency for no man must doe evill that good may come thereof it is their fault who pollute the holy ordinance in aberring from Christs institution it is not my fault not to receive 2. The second case of inconveniencie is when a man shall occasionally presse into a place and not bee acquainted with the Congregation or give offence unto it because he belongs not unto that Congregation in this case the Lord affords him liberty to depart the reason is because it is a wrong done seeing hee cannot come unto Gods ordinance without being troublesome unto the people where he is which God who is the God of order allowes not nor requires 3. If the Sacrament bee so ordered and so given and celebrated as the occasion of the times carry that haply it is done three or foure times in the weeke by reason of the multitude of the Congregation as now on Easter day Easter munday and Easter tuesday and the like I take it a man is not bound here at all times to come particularly to the Sacrament and the reason
is this because God requires that I should come alwaies to a Congregation when according to the order of the Church it is appointed or celebrated for all but here it is celebrated at severall times for severall persons by reason of the greatnesse of the Congregation And now these cautions premised it is a sin for a man not to take all the occasions in the place where hee lives to partake of Gods ordinance that hee hath appointed for his good Now the grounds of the Point are these 1. Our own necessity might justly require this our sinnes many wee want strength and power against them our abilities small weakenesse of grace great and therefore we had need of all the helps that may encourage us of all the means that might strengthen us of all Gods ordinances that might carry us on with more chearfulnesse and comfort and sufficiency in a Christian course 2. Look wee here to the mercy of God and the richnesse of Gods goodnesse and the bounty and the large provision that God makes for us hee also requires our care and christian attendance unto the enjoyment of the meanes for our good the Lord is the Master of the Feast it is his mercy to provide these means and his free grace to give us liberty to enjoy them then to turn our back unto these ordinances is to cast his kindenesse into the kennell it is an high dishonour to God and an high contempt unto his ordinances Quest. 2. But what if a man bee not prepared for the Sacrament is hee then bound to come Answ No he ought not to come unto the Supper of the Lord but this hee must know His sin is desperate his offence is hainous and high that he is thus unworthy and sinfull and unprepared for to come and therefore he must not rest here in this estate but take it as a marvellous hainous and miserable condition wherein hee must never give himselfe rest untill he get out thereof There is such a peevishnes of distemper in a mans spirit such an idleness in his nature that because he cannot have and do what he would therefore he will neither have nor doe what he should and because his heart is not humbled and the like therefore he will be content to continue in his corruptions and keepe his sinne and cast Gods kindnesse behind him for in effect he saith he will not doe what hee should unlesse the Lord will doe for him what he list A gaine there is also an idle distemper in the heart when a man thinks thus If I should come to the Sacrament I must walke thus strictly and exactly and I must part with my corruption and that is the reason we will not receive the Sacrament Quest 3. But you will say What great sinne is there in this that a man should abstain from comming to the Sacrament wherein appeares it Answ It appeares in this in that the soule loveth his sinne and harboureth his corruption more tenderly and imbraceth it more neerly and prizeth it more highly then he doth the bloud of Christ or the mercy and favour of God in Christ this every man that will not prepare for the Sacrament nor come to the Sacrament shewes by his practice and proclaims in the course of his life The second thing to bee handled was After what maner or how he should be prepared There bee two things here considerable 1. How a man should bee prepared for the Sacrament 2. How he may partake of the benefit and fruit of the Sacrament For the former that a man may bee prepared for the Sacrament two things are required 1. He must have these graces Faith Repentance Knowledge and Love for without these no man can receive good from the Sacrament Ob. But here may some object and say If a man cannot find or feel that he hath grace must he therefore abstaine Ans A mans sense and feeling and the judgement that he passeth upon himselfe out of his weaknesse is no rule to go by in this case The reason is because many times the best Saints are most suspicious and hee that hath most grace in temptation hath least sense and feeling of his grace Qu. Why how then what course must hee take and by what rule must he be judged An. He must openly nakedly plainly and to the full lay open his estate unto some faithfull judicious and holy-hearted Minister and if upon sincere relation of his estate the Minister out of the Word shall answer all the objections that he can make against himselfe and is able to give out of his owne relation arguments to convince him then is hee bound to submit unto the Word and to addresse himselfe unto the partaking of the Sacrament 2. For preparation to the Sacrament it is not enough for a man to have these graces but he must renew them and put fresh colours upon all those spirituall abilities that God hath bestowed upon him hee must not only have faith repentance knowledge and love but hee must renew all these For the renewing of repentance observe this Look what sin thy soule hath over-loved look what staines and blots thy heart hath taken since thou hast received the Sacrament and get thy heart more loosened from every sin then ever it was before the committing of it and never leave it untill it bee come to a right set and frame and as ready to entertaine the grace that is in Christ and to submit thereto as formerly thou hast been nay more then ever thou wast before Also renew thy faith thus Looke what doubtings and staggerings thou hast had since the last Sacrament how thy faith hath been weakned and clouded and renew this grace afresh and to this purpose remember this rule See a greater insufficiencie in thy selfe then ever thou didst formerly and come with greater boldnesse and confidently expect more mercy and favour from the Lord by his ordinances then ever thou didst before And so likewise for renewing of thy love observe this rule See a greater need of the Sacrament then formerly thou hast done and then see a greater strength assistance to be received from the Sacrament every day more and more Now for the second thing which is the way to partake of the good of the Sacrament that is done these waies 1. You must rightly inform your selves of what you must expect from and what you may have in the Sacrament what you come for and what is there to be gotten All spiritual good that your hearts can desire is to be had here The soul can want nothing can desire nothing God hath promised nothing can bestow nothing but it is here to be received The ground is this because Christ is there and all his merits and he that hath the Sonne hath life and in him all things In a word all that the sinner can desire as the pardon of what is amisse in him power for the subduing of all corruptions for him and the quickning
of his heart to the well-pleasing of God are all conveighed and communicated to the soule by the Sacrament and to bee received therein 2. You must understand how this is communicated to the soule in the Sacrament Quest How is pardon and power conveighed unto mee by the Sacrament Ans I answer This comes from a right discerning of the body and bloud of Christ when I can see beyond the outward elements and see the spirit of Christ undoubtedly communicating the spirituall good as I see the outward elements communicating the temporall good when I can see something beyond bread and something beyond wine and something beyond breaking something beyond pouring out something beyond taking and see as certainly the Spirit of God communicating the spirituall comfort unto my soule as the outward elements would do to my body in this case the Spirit of God doth as certainly communicate assurance of Gods favour power against corruption and to walke with God as the bread doth food to my stomack and the wine sweetnesse to my taste and refreshment to my nature I say the Spirit of the Lord doth as undoubtedly give Christ and his merits the fruit and benefit of them in the forgivenesse of sin and strength against corruption as drynesse goes with the bread and moysture with the wine III. The Character of a sound Christian in seventeen markes Mark I. IF thou canst mourn daily for thy owne corruptions and failings committed yet so as to bee thankfull for the grace received Rom. 7.24 Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Ver. 25. I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord c. So then with the minde I my selfe serve the law of God but with the flesh the law of sinne Mar. II. If thou art grieved for the sinnes of the times and places where thou livest Ezek 9.4 And the Lord said unto him goe through the midst of the Citie through the midst of Jerusalem and set a marke upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that bee done in the midst thereof Psalm 119.136 Rivers of water runne downe mine eyes because men keep not thy Law 2 Pet. 2.8 For that righteous man dwelling among them in seeing and hearing vexed his righteous soule from day to day with their unlawfull deeds Mar. III. If when thou mournest for the sinnes of the times thou take heed that thou art not infected with them Phil. 2.15 That yee may bee blamelesse and harmelesse the sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation among whom yee shine as lights in the world Act. 20.40 And with many other words did hee testifie and exhort saying Save your selves from this untoward generation Jam. 1.27 Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this to visit the fatherlesse and widow in their affliction and to keep himselfe unspotted from the world 1 Pet. 4.4 Wherein they think it strange that you run not with them to same excesse of riot speaking evill of you Mar. IV. If thou endeavourest to get victory over thy corruptions art daily more circumspect over thy waies and more fearfull to fall in time to come 1 Cor. 9 27. But I keep under my body and bring it into subjection lest that by any means when I have preached to others I my self should be a cast-away Psal 39.1 I said I will take heed to my waies that I sin not with my tongue I will keep my mouth with a bridle while the wicked are before me Job 40.5 Once have I spoken but I will not answer thee yea twice but I will proceede no further Phil. 2.12 Wherefore my beloved as ye have alwaies obeyed not as in my presence only but now much more in mine absence worke out your owne salvation with fear and trembling Pro. 28.14 Happy is the man that feareth alway Mar. V. If thou canst chide thy owne heart for the coldnesse and dulness of it to good duties and use all holy means for quickning it up afterward Ps 43.5 Why art thou cast down O my soul and why art thou disquieted within me hope in God for I shall yet praise him who is the health of my countenance my God Ps 57.8 Awake my glory awake psaltery and harp I my self will awake early Isa 64.7 And there is none that calleth on thy name that stirreth up themselves to take hold of thee Judg. 5.12 Awake awake Deborah awake awake utter a song arise Barak and lead thy captivity captive thou son of Abinoam Mar. VI. If thou canst be patient under afflictions and better for afflictions Heb. 12.5 And yee have forgotten the exhortation which speaks unto you as unto children My son despise not thou the chastening of the Lord nor faint when thou art rebuked of him Heb. 12.11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous but grievous neverthelesse afterward it yeeldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousnesse unto them that are exercised thereby Ps 119.67 Before I was afflicted I went astray but now I have kept thy words Jer. 5.3 O Lord are not thine eyes upon the truth thou hast stricken them but they have not grieved thou hast consumed them but they have refused to receive correction they have made their faces harder then a rock they have refused to returne Mar. VII If thy conversation bee in heaven that is if thy thoughts and the course of thy life be heaven-wards Phil. 3.20 For our conversation is in heaven from whence also we looke for the Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ Col. 3.2 Set your affections on things above not on things on the earth Heb. 11.15 And truly if they had been mindefull of that countrey from whence they came out they might have had opportunity to have returned Mar. VIII If thou delight to speak with God in thy praiers and that God should speak to thee in his Word Rom. 8. 26. Likewise also the Spirit helpeth our infirmities for wee know not what wee should pray for as we ought but the Spirit it selfe maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered Joh. 8.47 He that is of God heareth Gods words ye therefore hear them not because ye are not of God Mar. IX If thou art as well content to submit thy heart and life to Gods Word in all things even when it crosses thee in thy profits and pleasures as thou art content to come and hear it Isa 2.3 And many people shall goe and say Come ye and let us goe up to the mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Jacob and he will teach us of his waies and we will walk in his paths Ezek. 33.32 And lo thou art to them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument for they heare thy words but they doe them not Mar. X. If thou canst relie constantly by faith on the