way to the Father before they clearly knew him to be the way John 14.5 And the best of us know it but in part and must wait for the perfect knowledge of it in another World One great Mystery is that the holy frame and disposition whereby our Souls are furnished and enabled for immediate Practice of the Law must be gotten by receiving it out of Christ's fulness as a thing already prepared and brought to an existance for us in Christ and treasured up in him and that as we are justified by a righteousness wrought out in Christ and imputed to us so we are sanctified by such an holy frame and qualifications as are first wrought out and compleated in Christ for us and then imparted to us and as our natural corruption was produced originally in the first Adam and propagated from him to us so our new nature and holiness is first produced in Christ and derived from him to us or as it were propagated So that we are not at all to work together with Christ in making or producing that holy frame in us but only to take it to ourselves and use it in our holy Practice as made ready to our hands Thus we have fellowship with Christ in recovering that holy frame of Spirit that was originally in him for fellowship is when several Persons have the same things in common 1 Jo. 1. This Mystery is so great that notwithstanding all the Light of the Gospel we commonly think that we must get an holy frame by producing it a new in ourselves and by forming and working it out of our own Hearts Therefore many that are seriously devout take a great deal of pains to mortifie their corrupted Nature and beget an holy frame of Heart in themselves by striving earnestly to master their sinful lusts and by pressing vehemently upon their Hearts many motives to Godliness labouring importunately to squeeze good qualifications out of them as Oyl out of a Flint They account that tho' they be justified by a righteousness wrought out by Christ yet they must be sanctifi'd by a holiness wrought out by themselves And thô out of humility they are willing to call it infused Grace yet they think they must get the infusion of it by the same manner of working as if it were wholly acquired by their endeavours On this account they acknowledge the entrance into a Godly Life to be harsh and unpleasing because it costs so much strugling with their own Hearts and Affections to new frame them if they knew that this way of entrance is not only harsh and unpleasant but altogether impossible and that the true way of mortifying sin and quickning themselves to holiness is by receiving a new nature out of the fulness of Christ and that we do no more to the production of a new nature than of original sin tho' we do more to the reception of it If they knew this they might save themselves many a bitter agony and a great deal of mispent burdensome labour and employ their endeavours to enter in at the strait Gate in such a way as would be more pleasant and successful Another greater mystery in the way of Sanctification is the glorious manner of our Fellowship with Christ in receiving an holy frame of heart from him It is by our being in Christ and having Christ himself in us and that not meerly by his universal presence as he is God but by such a close union as that we are one spirit and one flesh with him which is a priviledge peculiar to those that are truly sanctified I may well call this a mystical union because the Apostle calleth it a great mystery in an Epistle full of Mysteries Eph. 5.20 intimating that it is great eminently above many other Mysteries it is one of the three Mystical Unions that are the chief Mysteries in Religion the other two are the Union of the Trinity of Persons in One Godhead and the Union of the Divine and Human Natures in One Person Jesus Christ God and Man Though we cannot frame an exact Idea of the manner of any of these Three Unions in our Imaginations because the depth of these Mysteries is beyond our Comprehension yet we have cause to believe them all because they are clearly revealed in Scripture and are a necessary Foundation for other Points of Christian Doctrine particularly this Union betwixt Christ and Believers is plainly in several places of Scripture affirming that Christ is and dwelleth in believers and they in him Joh. 6.56 and 14.20 And that they are so joyned together as to become one Spirit 1 Cor. 6.17 And that Believers are Members of Christ's Body of his Flesh and of his Bones and they two Christ and the Church are one flesh Eph. 5.30 31. Furthermore this Union is illustrated in Scripture by various resemblances which would be very much unlike the things which they are made use of to resemble and would rather seem to beguile us by obscuring the Truth than instruct us by illustrating of it if there were no true proper Union betwixt Christ and Believers It is resembled by the Union betwixt God the Father and Christ Jo. 14.20 and 17.21 22 23. betwixt the Vine and its Branches Joh. 15.4 5. betwixt the Head and Body Ephes 1.22.23 betwixt Bread and the Eater Joh. 6.51 53 54. It is not only resembled but sealed in the Lords Supper where neither the Popish Transubstantiation nor the Lutherans Consubstantiation nor the Protestants spiritual Presence of Christ's Body and Blood to the true Receivers can stand without it and if we can imagine that Christ's Body and Blood are not truely eaten and drunk by Believers either spiritually or corporally we shall make the Bread and Wine joyned with the Words of Institution not only naked Signs but such Signs as are much more apt to breed false Notions in us than to establish us in the Truth And there is nothing in this Union so impossible or repugnant to Reason as may force us to depart from the plain and familiar sence of those Scriptures that express and illustrate it Though Christ be in Heaven and we on Earth yet he can joyn our Souls and Bodies to his at such a distance without any substantial Change of either by the same insinite Spirit dwelling in him and us and so our Flesh will become his when it is quickned by his Spirit and his Flesh ours as truly as if we did eat his Flesh and drink his Blood and he will be in us himself by his Spirit who is one with him and who can unite more closely to Christ than any material Substance can do or who can make a more close and intimate Union betwixt Christ and us And it will not follow from hence that a Believer is one Person with Christ any more than that Christ is one Person with the Father by that greater mystical Union Neither will a Believer be hereby made God's but only the Temple of God as Christ's Body
is not in vain in the Lord 1 Cor. 15.5 They that are perswaded of the Free-grace of God toward them in Christ are not indeed sollicitous about earning their Salvation by their own legal Works and Satan is ready to suggest to them that this is a sinful Carelesness and tendeth to Licenciousness but they that will believe this false Suggestion of Satan shew plainly that they do not yet know what it is to serve God in Love and that they are held in to all their Obedience by the Bit and Bridle of slavish Fear as the horse and mule that have no understanding Psal 32.9 Thirdly Beware of thinking so highly of this Assurance as if it were inconsistent with any doubting in the same Soul A great Reason why many Protestants have receded from the Doctrine of their Ancestors in this Point is because they think there can be no true Assurance of Salvation in any that are troubled with Doubtings as they find many be whom they cannot but own as true Believers and precious Saints of God True indeed this Assurance must be contrary to Doubtings in the nature of it and so if it be perfect in the highest Degree it would exclude all Doubting out of the Soul and it doth now exclude in some Degree But is there not Flesh as well as Spirit in the best Saints on Earth Gal. 5.17 Is there not a law in their members warring against the law of their minds Rom. 7.23 May not one that truly believeth say Lord help my unbelief Mark 9.24 Can any on Earth say they have received any Grace in the highest Degree and that they are wholly free from the contrary Corruption Why then should we think that Assurance cannot be true except it be perfect and free the Soul from all Doubtings The Apostle accounts it a great Blessing to the Thessalonians that they had much Assurance intimating that some true Assurance might be in a less Degree 1 Thess 1.5 Peter had some good Assurance of Christ's Help when he walked on the Water at Christ's Command and yet he had some Doubtfulness in him as his Fear shewed when he saw the Wind boisterous He had some Faith contrary to doubting though it were but little as Christ's Words to him shew O thou of little faith wherefore didst thou doubt Matth. 14.29 30 31. It is strange if the Flesh and the Devil should never oppose a true Assurance and assault it with Doubtings A Believer may be sometimes so overwhelmed with Doubtings that he may not be able to perceive an Assurance in himself he is so far from knowing his Place in Heaven already as some scoffingly object that he will say that he knoweth not any Assurance that he hath of being there and needeth diligent self-examination to find it out yet if at that time he can blame his Soul for doubting Why art thou cast down O my soul why art thou disquieted within me hope thou in God for I shall yet praise him Psal 42.11 If he can condemn his Doubtings as sinful and say with himself This is mine infirmity Psal 77.10 These Doubtings are of the Flesh and of the Devil if he still endeavour to call God Father and complain to him that he doubteth whether he be his Father and pray that God will give him the Assurance of his Fatherly Love which he is not sensible of and dispel those Fears and Doubtings I say that such an one hath some true Assurance though he must strive to grow to a higher Degree for if he were not perswaded of the Truth of the Love of God towards him he could not rationally condemn his Fears and Doubts concerning it as sinful neither could he rationally pray to God as his Father or that God would assure him of that Love that he doth not think to be true Do but grant that it is the Nature of saving Faith thus to resist and struggle with slavish Fears of Wrath and doubting of our own Salvation and you grant in effect that there is and must be something of Assurance of our Salvation in Saving faith whereby it resisteth Doubtings and you are in effect of the same Judgment with me in the Assertion however strange my Expressions seem to you If this that I have said concerning our Imperfection in Assurance as well as in other Graces were well considered this ancient Protestant Doctrine would be freed much from Prejudice and gain more Esteem among us Fourthly In the last place let it be well observed that the Reason why we are to assure our selves in our Faith that God freely giveth Christ and his Salvation to us particularly is not because it is a Truth before we believe it but because it becometh a certain Truth when we believe it and because it will never be true except we do in some measure perswade and assure our selves that it is so We have no absolute Promise or Declaration in Scripture that God certainly will or doth give Christ and his Salvation to any one of us in particular neither do we know it to be true already by Scripture or Sense or Reason before we assure our selves absolutely of it yea we are without Christ's Salvation at present in a state of Sin and Misery under the Curse and Wrath of God Only I shall prove that we are bound by the Command of God thus to assure our selves and the Scripture doth sufficiently warrant us that we shall not deceive our selves in believing a Lie but according to our Faith so it shall be to us Matth. 9.29 This is a strange kind of Assurance far different from other Ordinary kinds and therefore no Wonder if it be found weak and imperfect and difficult to be obtained and it be assaulted with many Doubtings We are constrained to believe other things on the clear Evidence we have that they are true and would remain true whether we believe them or no so that we cannot deny our Assent without rebelling against the Light of our Sences Reason or Conscience but here our Assurance is not impressed on our Thoughts by any Evidence of the thing but we must work it out in our selves by the Assistance of the Spirit of God and thereby we bring our own Thoughts into Captivity to the Obedience of Christ None but God can justly require of us this kind of Assurance because he only calleth those things that are not as tho they were Rom. 4.17 He only can give Existence to things that yet are not and make a thing to be true upon our believing it that was not true before He only can make good that Promise What things soever ye desire when ye pray believe that ye receive them and ye shall have them Mark 11.24 Who is he that saith and it cometh to pass when the Lord commandeth it not Lament 3.37 Therefore this Faith is due to God only and greatly redowndeth to his Glory Men will often require a Believing something like it as when one says I will forgive your Offence
Person cannot receive inward Comfort from outward things as from worldly Estate Wife Husband Friends c. except it chuse them as good and count them his own by a Right and Title This is the only rational way whereby the Soul can actively lay hold on Christ and take actual Possession of him and his Salvation as he is freely offered and promised to us in the Gospel by the Grace of Faith which God hath appointed to be our great Instrument for the receiving of him and closing with him If we do not make choice of Christ as our only Salvation and Happiness or if we be altogether in a slate of Suspence and doubting whether God will be pleased to give Christ to us or no it is evident that our Souls are quite loose from Christ and have no Holdfast or Enjoyment of him They do not so much as pretend to any actual receiving or laying hold or choosing of him neither are they fully satisfied that it is lawful for them so to do but rather they are yet to seek whether they have any good Ground and Right to lay hold on him or no. Let any rational Man judge whether the Soul doth or can put forth any sufficient Act for the Reception and Enjoyment of Christ as our Saviour Head or Husband while it is yet in Doubt whether it be the Will of Christ to be joyned with us in such a near Relation can a Woman honestly receive any one as her Husband without being assured that he is fully willing to be her Husband The same may be said concerning the several Parts of Christ's Salvation which are to be received by Faith It is evident that we do not aright receive the Benefit of Remission of Sins for the purging of our Consciences from that Guilt that lyeth upon them unless we have an assured Perswasion of God's forgiving them we do not actually receive into our Hearts our Reconciliation with God and Adoption of Children and the Title to an everlasting Inheritance until we can assure our selves that God is graciously pleased to be our God and Father and take us to be his Children and Heirs We do not actually receive any sufficient Strength to encourage our Hearts to Holiness in all Difficulties until we can stedfastly believe that God is with us and will not fail nor forsake us Hence then we may firmly conclude that whoso seeketh to be saved by Faith and doth not seek to have Assurance or Confidence of his own Salvation doth but deceive himself and delude his Soul with a mere Fansie instead of saving Faith and doth in effect seek to be saved in his corrupt Natural state without receiving and laying actual hold of the Lord Jesus Christ and his Salvation Sixthly It is also a great and necessary Office of Saving Faith to purifie the Heart and to enable us to live and walk in the Practice of all holy Duties by the Grace of Christ and by Christ himself living in us as hath been shewed before which Office Faith is not able to perform except some Assurance of our own Interest in Christ and his Salvation be comprehended in the nature of it If we would live to God not our selves but by Christ living in us according to Paul s Example we must be able to assure our selves as he did Christ loved me and gave himself for me Gal. 2.20 We are taught that if we live in the Spirit we shall walk in the Spirit Gal. 5.25 It would be high Presumption if we should endeavour to walk above our natural Strength and Power by the Spirit before we have made sure of our living by the Spirit I have shewed that we cannot make Use of the comfortable Benefits of the Saving Grace of Christ whereby the Gospel doth engage and encourage us to an holy Practice except we have some Confidence of our own Interest in those saving Benefits If we do not assuredly believe that we are dead to Sin and alive to God through Christ and risen with Christ and not under the Law but under Grace and Members of Christ's Body the Temple of his Spirit the dear Children of God it would be Hypocrisie to serve God upon the Account of such Priviledges as if we reckoned our selves to be Partakers of them he that thinks he should doubt of his Salvation is not a fit Disciple for this manner of Doctrine and he may reply to the Preachers of the Gospel if you would bring me to Holiness you must make Use of other more essectual Arguments for I cannot practice upon these Principles because I have not Faith enough to believe that I have any Interest in them some Arguments taken from the Justice and Wrath of God against Sinners and his Mercy towards those that perform the Condition of sincere Obedience would work more powerfully upon me O what a miserable worthless kind of saving Faith is this that cannot fit a Believer to practice in a Gospel manner upon the most pure and powerful Principles of Grace but rather leaveth him to work upon Legal Principles which can never bring him to serve God acceptably out of Love and as such a Faith faileth wholly in the right manner of obeying upon Gospel Principles so it faileth also in the very matter of some great Duties which are of such a nature that they include Assurance of God's Love in the right Performance of them such are those great Duties of Peace with God rejoycing in the Lord always Hope that maketh not ashamed owning the Lord as our God and our Saviour praying to him as our Father in Heaven offering up Body and Soul as an acceptable Sacrifice to him casting all our Cares of Body and Soul upon him Contentment and hearty Thanksgiving in every Condition making our Boast in the Lord triumphing in his Praise rejoycing in Tribulation putting on Christ in our Baptism receiving Christ's Body as broken for us and his Blood as shed for us in the Lord's Supper committing our Souls willingly to God as our Redeemer when ever he shall be pleased to call for us loving Christ's Second Appearance and looking for it as that blessed Hope when we fall into any sudden Doubting whether we are in a state of Grace already when we are called to any present Undertaking as to partake of the Lord's Supper or any Duty that requires Assurance to the right Performance of chem we must relieve our selves by trusting confidently in Christ for the present Gift of his Salvation or else we shall be driven to omit the Duty or not to perform it rightly or sincerely can we judge our selves already in a state of Grace by the reflect Act of Faith if we do not find that we perform these Duties at least several of them sincerely or if we do not find that we have such a holy Faith as doth enable or incline us to the Performance of them And can we be thus enabled and inclined by any Faith that is without some true Assurance of
foregoing Directions That Faith in Christ is the Duty with which a holy Life is to begin and by which the Foundation of all other holy Duties is laid in the Soul It is before sufficiently proved That Christ himself with all Endowments necessary to enable us to an holy practice is received actually into our hearts by Faith This is the uniting Grace whereby the Spirit of God knitteth the knot of mystical Marriage betwixt Christ and us and maketh us Branches of that noble Vine Members of that Body joyned to that excellent Head living Stones of the spiritual Temple built upon the precious living Corner-stone and sure Foundation partakers of the Bread and Drink that came down from Heaven and giveth Life to the World This is the Grace whereby we pass from our corrupt natural State to a new holy State in Christ also from Death in Sin to Life in Righteousness and whereby we are comforted that so we may be established in every good Word and Work If we put the Question what must we do that we may work the works of God Christ resolveth it That we believe on him whom he hath sent Joh. 6.28 29. He putteth us first upon the work of believing which is the work of God by way of eminence the work of works because all other good works proceed from it The scope of the present Direction is to put you upon the performance of this great work of believing on Christ and to guide you therein for which end you are to consider distinctly four things contained in it 1. The first is you are to make it your diligent endeavour to perform the great work of Believing on Christ Many make little Conscience of this Duty It is not known by Natural Light as many moral Duties are but only by supernatural Revelation in the Gospel and it is foolishness to the natural Man These are sometimes terrified with apprehensions of other sins and will examine themselves concerning them and it may be will write them down to help their Memories and Devotion but the great sin of not believing on Christ is seldom thought of in their self-examinations or registred in the large Catalogues of their sins and even those who are convinced that Believing on Christ is a Duty necessary to Salvation do neglect all diligent endeavours to perform it Either because they account that it is a motion of the heart which may be easily performed at any time without any labour or diligent endeavour or on the contrary because they account it as difficult as all the works of the Law and utterly impossible for them to perform by their most diligent endeavours except the Spirit of God work it in them by its mighty power And that therefore it is in vain for them to work until they feel this working of the Spirit in their Hearts Or because they account it a Duty so peculiar to the Elect that it would be presumption for them to endeavour the performance of it until they know themselves to be elected to Eternal Life through Christ I shall urge you to a diligent performance of this Duty notwithstanding all these Impediments by the following consideration It is worthy of our best endeavours as appeareth by the preciousness excellency and necessity of it already discovered If the Light of Nature were not darkned in the matters of Salvation then it would shew us that we cannot of our selves find out the way of Salvation and would condemn those that despise that Revelation of the way of Salvation that God hath given us in the Gospel declared in all the holy Scriptures The great end of Preaching the Gospel is for the Obedience of Faith Rom. 1.5 that so we may be brought to Christ and all other Obedience yea the great end of all revealed Doctrines in the whole Scriptures is to make us wise to Salvation by Faith that is in Christ Jesus 2 Cor. 3.15 The end of the Law given by Moses was for Righteousness to every one that believeth Rom. 10.4 and Christ was that end for Righteousness The moral Law it self was revealed in order to our Salvation by believing on Christ or else the knowledge of it had nothing availed fallen Man that was unable to perform it Therefore they that slight the Duty of Believing and count it foolishness do thereby slight despise and villisie the whole Counsel of God revealed in the Scripture The Law and the Gospel and Christ himself are become of none effect to the Salvation of such the only fruit that such an one can attain to of all the saving Doctrines of the Scripture is only some hypocritical moral Duties and slavish performances which will be as filthy rags in the sight of God in the great day However many mind not the sin of unbelief in their self-examinations and write it not in their Scrouls yet let them know that this is the most pernicious sin of all All the sins in their Scrouls would not prevail to their Condemnation yea they would not prevail in their Conversation were it not for their unbelief This one sin prevailing maketh it impossible for them to please God in any Duty whatsoever Heb. 11.6 If you will not mind this one main sin now God will at last mind you of it with a Vengeance For He that believeth not on the Son shall not see Life but the wrath of God abideth on him Joh. 3.36 The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven in flaming fire taking Vengeance on those that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ 2 Thes 1.5 2. Believing on Christ is a work that will require diligent endeavour and labour for the performance of it we must labour to enter into that rest lest any man fall by unbelief Heb. 4.11 we must shew diligence to the full assurance of hope to the end that we may be followers of them who through Faith and Patience inherited the promises Heb. 6.11 12. It is a work that requireth the exercise of Might and Power and therefore we have need to be strengthned with might by the Spirit in the inward Man that Christ may dwell in our hearts by Faith Eph. 3.16 17. I confess it is easie pleasant and delicious in its own nature because it is a motion of the heart without any cumbersome bodily Labour and it is a taking Christ and his Salvation as our own which is very comfortable and delightful and the Soul is carried forth in this by Love to Christ and his happiness which is an Affection which maketh even hard works easie and pleasant yet it is made difficult to us by reason of the opposition that it meeteth withall from our own inward Corruptions and from Satans temptations It is no easie matter to receive Christ as our happiness and true Salvation with true confidence and lively affection when the guilt of sin lyeth heavily upon the Conscience and the wrath of God manifested by the Word and terrible Judgments especially when we have been
the testimony of a good conscience 1 Joh. 3.19 21. that so our Hearts may be more strongly comforted by Faith and established in every good work and that if our ways be evil we may turn from them to the Lord our God through Christ without whom none cometh to the Father Lam. 3.40 Joh. 14.6 But your great care in this work of Self-examination must be to perform it in such a manner that it may not hinder and destroy the Life of Faith as it doth in many instead of promoting it Therefore beware lest you trust upon your Self-examination rather than upon Christ As some do that think they have made their Peace with God meerly because they have examined themselves upon their Sick-Bed or before the Receiving of the Lords Supper though they have found themselves Stark Naught and do not depend on Christ to make them better but on their own deceitful Purposes and Resolutions Think not that you must begin this Work with doubting whether God will extend Mercy to you and save you and that you must leave this a Question wholly under debate until you have found out how to resolve it by Self-examination This is a common and very pernicious Error in the very foundation of this Work which is hereby laid in the great Sin of Unbelief which as soon as it prevaileth doth by its great Influence Dash and Obscure all inward gracious Qualifications of Peace Hope Joy Love to God and his People before they be at all tryed whether they can give any good Evidence for their Salvation And it makes People willing to think their own Qualifications better than they are lest they should fall into an utter Despair of their Salvation and thus it wholly marreth the good work of Self-examination and maketh it destructive to our Souls For to them that are defiled and unbelieving there is nothing pure Tit. 1.15 You should rather begin the work with much assurance of Faith that though you find your Heart never so wicked and reprobate at present as many of God's choicest Servants do often find yet the Door of Mercy is open for you and that God will certainly save you for ever if you put your trust in his Grace through Christ I have formerly shewed that this confident Persuasion is of the nature of saving Faith and that we have sufficient Ground for it in the Free Promises of the Gospel when we walk in Darkness and can see no Light shining forth in our gracious Qualifications If we begin the work with this Confidence it will make us impartial and not afraid to find out the worst by our selves and willing to judge that our hearts are deceitful above all things and desperately wicked beyond what we can find out Jer. 17.9 And if we have any holy Qualifications this Confidence will preserve them in their Vigour and Brightness that they may be able to give clear Evidence that we are at present in a State of Grace Mark well the difference betwixt these Two Questions whether God will graciously accept and save me though a vile Sinner through Christ as before was said and whether I am already brought into a State of Salvation The former of these I say is to be resolved affirmatively by a confident Faith in Christ the latter only is to be inquired into by Self-examination Mis-spend not your time as many do in poring upon your Hearts to find whether you be good enough to trust on Christ for your Salvation nor to find whether you have any Faith before you dare be so bold as to act Faith in Christ But know that though you cannot find that you have any Faith or Holiness yet if you will now believe-on him that justifyeth the ungodly it shall be accounted to you for righteousness Rom. 4.5 And if you love Christ and your own Soul mis-spend not your time in examining whether you have committed the unpardonable Sin against the Holy Ghost except it be with a full Purpose to assure your self more and more that you are not guilty thereof for any Doubtfulness in this Point will but harden you in Unbelief Remember well that the Question to be resolved is Whether you be at present in a state of Grace and to resolve it you must be willing to know the best by your self as well as the worst And you must not think that Humility bindeth you to overlook your good Qualifications and to take notice only of your Corruptions But your great work must be to find whether there be not some Drop of saving Grace in the Ocean of your Corruption And it will consist well with Humility to take notice of and own any Spark of true Holiness that is in you because the Praise and Glory of it belongeth not to you but to God Phil. 1.11 And you must try inherent Grace by the Touch-stone not by the Measure by its Nature not its Degree not denying any Lustings of the Spirit in you because of the strong Lustings of the Flesh against the Spirit nor denying that you are Spiritual in some degree and Babes in Christ because you find your selves carnal in a more prevailing degree and the old man bigger than the new Gal. 5.17 1 Cor. 3.1 Especially you are to examine and prove whether you be in the Faith for if you make sure of this you make sure of all the things that pertain to Life and Godliness and if you doubt of this you will certainly doubt of the Truth of any other Qualifications and will suspect them to be meerly Carnal and Counterfeit because it is a known Truth that to the Vnbelieving there is nothing pure and that all that have not truly received Christ by Faith are at present in an unregenerate State though they seem never so Pure and Godly 2 Cor. 13.5 Tit. 1.15 And let not the Issue of this Tryal depend at all upon your Knowledge of the time when or of the Sermon Conference or Place of Scripture by which you were first converted to the Faith though that is good to know too if it may be And some who have formerly lived in gross Ignorance or in a manifest Opposition to true Faith and Holiness may know such Circumstances of their Conversion and may reflect upon them comfortably as the Apostle Paul did who was turned of a suddain from his Persecuting Rage to be a Disciple and an Apostle of Christ yet others sincere Believers may be wholly Ignorant of them as John the Baptist who was filled with the Holy Ghost from his mothers Womb Luk. 1.15 and they that have been trained up religiously and known the Holy Scripture from their Childhood as Timothy 2. Tim. 3.15 Yea and many that are first turned from gross Ignorance and Profaneness to some external Reformation and then in process of time brought nearer to the Kingdom of Heaven by insensible Degrees before they be really new begotten by the Spirit of Faith There are also some that deceive their Souls by imagining that
But the right manner of this Duty is chiefly to be noted and here 1. Trust not upon the Melody of the Voice as if that pleased God who delighteth only in the Melody of the Heart Col. 3.16 Neither let the recreating your Senses be your end which is but a carnal work Non Musica Chordula sed Cor. This spiritual Musick was typifyed by musical Instruments of old 2. You must use it for the same end as Meditation and Prayer according to the nature of what is sung i. e. to quicken Faith 2 Chron. 20.21 22. Act. 16.25 26. and joy and delight in the Lord glorying in him Psal 104.33 34. and 105.3 and 149.1 2. and 33.1 2 3. You are never right until you can be heartily merry in the Lord to act Joy and Mirth holily Jam. 5.13 Eph. 5.19 and also to get more Knowledge and Instruction in heavenly Mysteries and in your Duty teaching and admonishing Col. 3.16 Many Psalms are Maschills as their Title is i. e. Psalms of Instruction thus we are to sing such Psalms as speak in the first Person though we cannot apply them to our selves as words uttered by our selves concerning our selves And in this we do not lye David speaks of Christ as of himself as a Patern of Affliction and Vertue to instruct others and we sing such Psalms not as our words but words foâ— our Instruction and therein we do not lye anâ— more than the Levites the Sons of Corah or Jâ—duthun or other Musicians bound to sing theâ— Psal 5. and 39. and 42. Though it be good personate all good that we can yet we have much liberty in the use of Psalms that thoâ— we cannot apply all to our selves as speaking and thinking the same yet we shall answer the end if we sing for our Instruction as in Psal 6. 26. 46. 101. 131. And Psalms have a peculiar fitness for teaching and instructing because the pleasantness of Metre said or sung is very helpful to the memory See Deut. 31.19 21. And there is a Variety of curious Artifice in the placing of words in the Psalms upon this Account and there are some Alphabetical Psalms as Psal 25. 34. 37. 111. 112. 119. 145. And by the Melody of the Sound the Instruction comes in with delight as a Physical Dose sugar'd and Sorrow is naturally allay'd to fit the mind for spiritual Joy and distemper'd Passions appeased 2 Kings 3.15 1 Sam. 16.14 15 16. So that Orpheus Amphion and others were famous for Civilizing rude barbarous People by Musick 8. Fasting is also an Ordinance of God to be used for the same purpose and end and is commended to us under the New Testament Mat. 9.15 and 17.21 1 Cor. 7.5 And we have Examples of it Acts 13.2 3. and 14.23 Under the Old Testament there were frequent Commands for it and Examples chiefly upon occasion of extraordinary Afflictions 1 Sam. 7.6 Neh. 9.1 Dan. 9.3 and 10.2 3. 2 Sam. 12.16 Psal 35.13 2 Sam. 3.31 Joel 2.13 beside the Anniversary great day of Atonement Lev. 16.29 31. when every one was to Fast on pain of cutting off There is a Prophecy of the same for the times of the New Testament Zech. 12.12 It was used most on extraordinary occasions and it is a help to Holiness by Faith because it is a meet help for extraordinary Prayer and Humiliation Joel 1.14 and 2.12 But the great matter is to use it rightly as followeth 1. Trust not in it as Meriting or Satisfying as Papists and Pharisees do Luke 18.11 putting it in the place of Christ or as a means of its self conferring Grace and mortifying Lusts as many do who may sooner kill their Bodies than their Lusts or any purifying Rite yea or in or for it self acceptable to God 1 Tim. 4.8 Heb. 12.9 Col. 2.16 17 20 23. Imagine not that Prayer is not acceptable without it for this is against Faith Fasts as well as Feasts are no substantial parts of Worship because not Spiritual but Bodily Tho under the Old Testament they were parts as instituted Rites figurative and teaching but that Use is now ceased as that on the day of Atonement and so many significative Rites adjoyned to Fasting as Sackcloth Ashes Rending Garments pouring out Water lying on the Earth the Kingdom of God consists not in these things Rom. 14. the Soul is hardned by trusting in them Isa 58.3 6. Zech. 7.5 10. 2. Use them as helps to extraordinary Prayer and Humiliation that the mind-may not be unsuited for it by Eating Drinking or bodily Pleasures Joel 2.13 Isa 22 12-13 Zech. 12.10 14. It is good only as a help to the Soul removing Impediments The best Fast is when the Mind is taken off from delights as in John the Baptists Case Mat. 3.4 when Heaven and Godly Sorrow takes off the Soul Zach. 12.10 14. 3. Use it in such a measure as may be proper for its End without which its worth nothing If Abstinence divert your mind by reason of a gnawing Appetite then you had better eat sparingly as Daniel in his great Fast ch 10. Some have not enough of spiritual-mindedness to give up themselves to Fasting and Prayer without greater distraction and such had better eat than go beyond their strength in a thing not absolutely necessary which produceth only a slavish Act as in the Case of Virginity 1 Cor. 7.7 8 9 34 35 36. Christ would not have his weak Disciples necessitated to the Duty Mat. 9.14 15. In the mean time such should strive to be sensible of the weakness and carnality that hinders their use of this excellent Help 4. You may expect here something to be spoken of Vows but I shall only say this of them Think not to bring your selves to good by Vows and Promises as if the strength of your own Law could do it when the strength of Gods Law doth it not We bring Children to make promises of amendment but we know how well they keep them The Devil will urge to Vow and then to break that he may perplex your Conscience the more 8ly Another great means is Fellowship and Communion with the Saints Acts 2.42 1. This means must be used diligently Whomsoever God saveth should be added to some Visible Church and come into Communion of other Saints and if they have not opportunity for it their Heart should be bent towards it Sometimes the Church is in the Wilderness and hindred from Visible Communion and Ordinances But they that Believe in Christ are always willing and desirous so to add and joyn themselves Acts 2.41 44 47. and they continued stedfastly in fellowship 1 Joh. 2.19 And God binds his People to leave the Fellowship and Society of the wicked as much as may be 2 Cor. 6.17 And so far as we are necessitated to accompany with them we ought to shew Charity to their Souls and Bodies 1 Cor. 5.9 This Communion with Saints is to be exercised in private Converse Psal 101.4