that needs be to have a soul sharp set even to a ravenous hunger after sin but chain'd up where it can come at nothing it would have to satisfie its lost for a proud wretch that could wish he might dominere over all the world yea over God himself if he would let him to be kept down in such a dungeon as hell is O how it will cut for the malicious sinner whose heart swells with rancour against God and his Saints that he could pluck them out of Gods bosome yea God out of his throne if he had power to finde his hands so manacled that he can do nothing against them he so hates O how this will torment Speak O you Saints whose partial victory over sin at present is so sweet to you that you would choose a thousand deaths sooner then return to your old bondage under your lusts how glorious then is that day in your eye when this shall be compleated in a full and eternal Conquest never to have any thing to do more with sin or Satan Secondly to stand is here to stand justified and acquitted at the great day of judgement The phrase is frequent in Scripture which sets out the solemn discharge they shall have then by standing in judgement Psal 1.5 The wicked shall not stand in the judgement that is they shall not be justified Psal 130.3 If thou Lord shouldest mark iniquity O Lord who shall stand that is who shall be discharged The great God upon whose errand we come into the world hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world by Jesus Christ a solemn day it will be when all that ever lived on earth high and low good and bad shall meet in one Assembly to make their personal appearance before Christ and from his mouth to receive their eternal doom who shall in his Majestick robes of glory ascend the awful seat of Judicature attended with his illustrious traine and guard of Angels about him as so many officers ready to execute and perform his pleasure according to the definitive sentence that he shall pronounce either to conduct those blessed ones whom he shall justifie into his glorious Kingdome or binde them hand and foot to be cast into hells unquenchable flames whom he shall condemn I do not wonder that Pauls Sermon on this subject did make an earth-quake in Felix his conscience but rather that any should be so far gone in a lethargy and dedolent numbnesse of conscience as the thought of this day cannot recover them to their sense and feeling O Sirs do you not vote them happy men and women that shall speed well on this day are not your thoughts enquiring who those blessed soules are which shall be acquitted by the lively voice of Christ the Judge You need not ascend to search the rolls of election in heaven here you may know they are such as fight the Lords battels on earth against Satan in the Lords Armour and that to the end of their lives These having done all shall stand in judgement And were it but at a mans bar some Court-Martial where a souldier stood upon trial for his life either to be condemned as a Traitour to his Prince or clear'd as faithful in his trust O how such a one would listen to heare how it would go with him and be overjoyed when the Judge pronounces him innocent Well may such be bid to fall down on their knees thank God and the Judge that have saved their lives how much more ravishing will the sweet voice of Christ be in the Saints eares when he shall in the face of men and Angels make publike declaration of their righteousnesse O how confounded will Satan then be who was their accuser to God and their own consciences also ever threatening them with the terrour of that day How blank will the wicked world be to see the dirt that they had throwen by their calumnies and lying reports on the Saints faces wiped off with Christs own hand they from Christs mouth to be justified as sincere whom they had call'd hypocrites will not this O ye Saints be enough for all the scorne you were laden with from the world and conflict you endured with the Prince of the world But this is not all Therefore Thirdly to stand doth here also as the complement of their reward denote the Saints standing in heavens glory Princes when they would reward any of their subjects that in their wars have done eminent service to the crown as the utmost they can do for them do prefer them to Court there to enjoy their Princely favour and stand in some place of honourable service before them continually Solomon sets it out as the greatest reward of faithful subjects to stand before Kings Heaven is the royal city where the great God keeps his Court. The happiness of glorious Angels is to stand there before God I am Gabriel that stand in the presence of God Luke 1.19 That is I am one of those heavenly spirits who wait on the great God and stand before his face as Courtiers do about their Prince Now such honour shall every faithful soul have Thus saith the Lord of hostes If thou wilt walk in my wayes and if thou wilt keep my charge I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by Zech. 3.7 He alludes to the Temple which had rooms joyning to it for the Priests that waited on the Lord in his holy service there Or to Courtiers that have stately galleries and lodgings becoming their place at Court allowed them in the Kings Palace they wait upon Thus all the Saints whose representative Joshua was shall after they have kept the Lords charge in a short lifes service on earth be called up to stand before God in heaven where with Angels they shall have their galleries and mansions of glory also O happy they who shall stand before the Lord in glory The greatest Peeres of a Realme such as Earles Marquesses and Dukes are count it greater honour to stand before their King though bare-headed and oft upon the knee then to live in the countrey where all bow and stand bare to them yea let but their Prince forbid them coming to Court and 't is not their great estates or respect they have where they live will content them 'T is better to wait in heaven then to reign on earth 'T is sweet standing before the Lord here in an Ordinance one day in the worship of God is better then many elsewhere O what then is it to stand before God in glory If the Saints spikenard sendeth forth so sweet a smell while the King sits at his table here in a Sermon or Sacrament O then what joy must needs flow from their near attendance on him as he sits at his table in heaven which when God first made it was intended by him to be that Chamber of presence in which he would present himself to be seen of and enjoyed by his Saints in
all his glory I know nothing would have a more powerful yea universal operation upon a Saints spirit then the frequent and spiritual consideration of that blisseful state in heaven which shall at last crown all their sad conflicts here on earth None like this sword to cut the very sinews of temptation and behead those lusts which defie and out-brave whole troops of other Arguments It is almost impossible to sin with lively thoughts and hopes of that glory 'T is when the thoughts of heaven are long out of the Christians sight and he knows not what is become of his hopes to that glorious place that he begins to set up some idol as Israel the Calfe in Moses his absence which he may dance before But let heaven come in sight and the Christians heart will be well-warm'd with the thoughts of it and you may as soon perswade a King to throw his royal Diademe into a sink and wallow with his robes in a kennel as a Saint to sin with the expectation of heavens glory Sin is a devils work not a Saints who is a Peer of heaven and waits every houre for the Writ that shall call him to stand with Angels and glorified Saints before the throne of God This would cheer the Christians heart and confirme him when the fight is hottest and the bullets flie thickest from men and devils to think 't is heaven all this is for where it 's worth having a place though we go through fire and water to it 'T is before the Lord said David to scoffing Michal that chose me before thy father and all his house therefore I will play before the Lord and I will yet be more vile then thus 2 Sam. 6.21 Thus Christian wouldest thou throw off the vipers of reproaches which from the fire of the wickeds malice flie upon thee 'T is for God that I pray hear mortifie my lust deny my self of my carnal sports profits and pleasures that God who hath passed by Kings and Princes to choose me a poor wretch to stand before him in glory therefore I will be yet more vile then thus O Sirs were there not another world to enjoy God in yet should we not while we have our being serve our Maker The heavens and the earth obey his Law that are capable of no reward for doing his Will Quench hell burn heaven said a holy man yet I will love and feare my God How much more when everlasting armes of mercy stand ready stretch't to carry you assoon as the fight is over into the blisseful presence of God You have servants of your own so ingenuous and observant that can follow your work hard abroad in all weathers and may they but when they come home weary and hungry at night obtain a kinde look from you and some tender care over them they are very thankful Yea saith one to shame the sluggish Christian how many hundred miles will the poor Spaniel run after his Master in a journey who gets nothing but a few crumbs or a bone from his Masters trencher In a word which is more the devils slaves what will they not do and venture at his command who hath not so much to give them as you to your dog not a crust not a drop of water to cool their tongue and shall not the joy of heaven which is set before the Christian into which he shall assuredly enter make him run his race endure a short scuffle of temptation and affliction yea sure and make him reckon also that these are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in him FINIS BOOKS lately printed by RALPH SMITH Master Dicksons Exposition on the whole Book of Psalmes in three Books Second Edition Mr. Hutcheson on all the twelve Small Prophets in three Volumns Mr. Cottons Exposition on Ecclesiastes Dr. Spurstowe of the Nature Preciousnesse and Usefulnesse of Gospel-Promises Mr. Rutherford on the Covenant of Grace are to be sold by Ralph Smith Also Mr. Bailies Appendix to the Hebrew Grammer AN ALPHABETICAL Table A. Ability ABilities of minde and body not to be gloried in 202 Accuser Satan an Accuser 116 How to know his accusations from the rebukes of Gods Spirit 117 Affliction Affliction a season Satan chooseth to tempt in 95 The day of affliction an evil day 351 How affliction is evil and how not 352 Afflictions discover the naughtinesse of the heart 354 Wicked men the worse for afflictions 356 Almighty Almightinesse given as the finest hold-fast for faith in straits 24 No easy matter to oppose Almighty Power against sense and reason 25 God very tender of the honour of this Attribute 27 28 A five-fold engagement on Gods Almighty Power for his Saints help 29 30 31 Answer How we put a stop to Gods Answers of prayer how not 47 48 Apostasie The Apostasie of false Christians must not discourage weake Saints 8 Lamentation for the Apostasie of these times 376 The root of final Apostasie is the want of a through change upon the heart 380 Armour What meant by Armour 53 The Saints Armour must be divine in institution 61 The slighty Armour used by Papists and carnal Protestants 62 Our armour must be of divine constitution 67 How to try our armour whether of God or not 69 The necessity of armour for every faculty and sense and why 73 Assurance Assurance lost by declining 336 Attribute Those Attributes of God which comfort Saints speak terrour to the wicked 38 B. Boldnesse The wickeds boldnesse and Saints cowardise alike uncomely 10 C. Christ What a Prince Christ is to his subjects 219 Covenant-relation with Christ See Covenant-relation Christian course Vprightnesse in our Christian course a comfort in the evil day 370 Church A cordial to our fainting faith for the afflicted Church 153 154 Comfort The Saints comfort ebbs or flows as he believes or questions his interest in the power of God 35 Conflict A soules conflict with sin an evidence of grace 169 Conquer Conquest Saints when most tempted cannot be conquered 138 The Saints Conquest at last makes amends for all 390 Conscience Sins against rebukes of conscience very dangerous 365 Contention The contention of Saint with Saint 179 The evil of it 180 Conversation The vanity of pretending to grace without a holy conversation discovered 89 Converts The advantage Satan hath on new Converts 94 Conversion Not necessary to know the time of Conversion 131 Covenant Gods Covenant sure 31 Covenant-relation with Christ How to get into Covenant-relation with Christ 367 Courage Courage necessary in a Saint 4 The want of this one cause of Apostasie 9 Corruption How to improve Gods power when corruption is too strong for us 4O Cunning. The folly of thinking to be too cunning for the devil and who do 112 Curse The curse that lies on the devil and his cause 139 This the cause why he prevailes not over Saints ib. D. Darknesse Sin called darknesse and why 213 Day See evil Death The houre of death
of destroying his faith which he aimes at he is the occasion of the refining of it and thereby adding to its strength Secondly the love of tempted Saints is enkindled to Christ by their temptations and foiles in their temptations Possibly in the fit there may seem a damp upon their love as when water is first sprinkled upon the fire but when the Conflict is a little over and the Christian comes to himself his love to Christ will break out like a vehement flame First the shame and sorrow which a gracious soule must needs feele in his bosome for his sinful miscarriage while under the temptation will provoke him to expresse his love to Christ above others as is sweetly set forth in the Spouse who when the cold fit of her distemper was off and the temptation over bestirs her to purpose her lazy sicknesse is turned to love-sicknesse she findes it as hard now to sit as she did before to rise she can rest in no place out of her Beloveds sight but runs and asks every one she meets for him and whence came all this vehemency of her zeale all occasioned by her undutiful carriage to her husband she parted so unkindly with him that bethinking what she had done away she goes to make her peace If sins committed in unregeneracy have such a force upon a gracious soule that the thought of them though pardoned will still break and melt the heart into sorrow as we see in Magdalen and prick on to shew zeal for God above others as in Paul how much more will the sins of a Saint who after sweet acquaintance with Jesus Christ lifts up the heel against that bosome where he hath layen affect yea dissolve the heart as into so many drops of water and that sorrow provoke him to serve God at a higher rate then others No childe so dutiful in all the family as he who is return'd from his rebellion Again secondly as his own shame so the experience which such a one hath of Christs love above others will encrease his love Christs love is fuel to ours Ex iisdem nutrimur quibus constamus as it gives its being so it affords growth It is both Mother and Nurse to our love The more Christ puts forth his love the more heat our love gets and next to Christs dying love none greater then his succouring love in temptation The Mother never hath such advantage to shew her affection to her childe as when in distresse sick poor or imprisoned so neither hath Christ to his children as when tempted yea worsted by temptation When his children lie in Satans prison bleeding under the wounds of their consciences this is the season he takes to give an experiment of his tender heart in pitying his faithfulnesse in praying for them his mindfulnesse in sending succour to them yea his dear love in visiting them by his comforting Spirit Now when the soul hath got off some great temptation and reades the whole history thereof together wherein he findes what his own weaknesse was to resist Satan nay his unfaithfulnesse in complying with Satan which might have provok't Christ to leave him to the fury of Satan now to see both his folly pardoned and ruine graciously prevented and that by no other hand but Christs coming in to his rescue as Abishai to David when that gyant thought to have flaine him This must needs exceedingly endear Christ to the soul At the reading of such records the Christian cannot but enquire as Ahashuerus concerning Mordecai who by discovering a treason had saved the Kings life what honour hath been done to his sweet Saviour for all this And thus Jesus Christ whom Satan thought to bring out of the soules favour and liking comes in the end to sit higher and surer in the Saints affections then ever CHAP. X. A brief Application of the Point in two Branches Vse 1 THis affords a reason why God suffers his dear children to fall into temptation because he is able to out-shoot Satan in his own bowe and in the thing wherein he thinks to out-wit the Christian to be above him God will not only be admired by his Saints in glory for his love in their salvation but for his wisdom in the way to it The love of God in saving them will be the sweet draught at the marriage-feast and the rare wisdom of God in effecting this as the curious workmanship with which the cup shall be enamel'd Now wisdom appears most in untying knots and wading through difficulties The more crosse wards there are in a businesse the more wisdome to fit a key to the lock to make choice of such means as shall meet with the several turnings in the same On purpose therefore doth God suffer such temptations to intervene that his wisdom may be the more admired in opening all these and leading his Saints that way to glory by which Satan thought to have brought them to hell The Israelites are bid remember all the way that God led them in the wildernesse for fourty yeares Deut. 8.2 The History of these warres Christian will be pleasant to reade in heaven though bloody to fight on earth Moses and Elias talk't with Christ on Tabor an Embleme of the sweet communion which shall passe between Christ and his Saints in glory and what was their talk Luke 9.30 but of his death and sufferings It seems a discourse of our sufferings and temptations are not too low a subject for that blisseful state Indeed this left out would make a blemish in the faire face of Heavens glory Could the damned forget the way they went into hell how oft the Spirit of God was wooing and how far they were overcome by the conviction of it in a word how many turnes and returnes there were in their journey forward and backward what possibilities yea probabilities they had for heaven when on earth were but some hand so kinde as to blot these tormenting passages out of their memories it would ease them wonderfully So were it possible glorified Saints could forget the way wherein they went to glory and the several dangers that interven'd from Satan and their own back-sliding hearts they and their God too would be losers by it I mean in regard of his manifestative glory What is the glory wherein God appears at Zions deliverance those royal garments of salvation that make him so admired of men and Angels but the celebration of all his Attributes according to what every one hath done towards their salvation Now wisdom being that which the creature chiefly glories in and chosen by Satan for his first bait who made Eve believe she should be like God in knowledge and wisdome therefore God to give Satan the more shameful fall gives him leave to use his wits and wiles in tempting and troubling his children in which lies his great advantage over the Saints that so the way to his own Throne where his Wisdome shall at last as well as his mercy sit in
3.8 of Circumcision Every man hath his sword on his thigh because of feare in the night By sword on the thigh they expound Circumcision which they will vainly have given as a charme against evil spirits that affright them in the night But alas the devil cares for none of these no not for an Ordinance of God when by fleshly confidence we make it a spell he hath been often bound with these fetters and chaines as is said of him in the Gospel and the chaines have been plucked asunder by him neither could any man thus tame him He esteems as Job saith of the Leviathan iron as straw and brasse as rotten wood It must be a stronger then the strong man must binde him and none stronger but God the Father of spirits The devil lost indeed by his fall much of his power in relation to that holy and happy estate in which he was created but not his natural abilities he is an Angel still and hath an Angels power Thirdly the number of devils addes to their power What lighter then the sand yet number makes it weighty what creature lesse then lice yet what plague greater to the Egyptians How formidable then must devils be who are both for nature so mighty and for number such a multitude there are devils enough to beleaguer the whole earth not a place under heaven where Satan hath not his troops not a person without some of these cursed spirits haunting and watching him where-ever he goes yea for some special service he can send a legion to keep garrison in one single person as Mark 5. and if so many can be spared to attend one to what a number would the muster-rolle of Satans whole army amount if known And now tell me if we are not like to finde our march difficult to heaven if ever we mean to go thither that are to passe through the very quarters of this multitude who are scattered over the face of all the earth When armies are disbanded and the roads full of debautch't souldiers wandering up and down it 's dangerous travelling we heare then of murders and robberies from all quarters These powers of hell are that party of Angels who for their mutiny and disobedience were cashier'd heaven and thrust out of that glorious host and ever since they have stragled here below endeavouring to do mischief to the children of men especially travelling in heavens road Fourthly their unity and order makes their number formidable We cannot say there is love among them that heavenly fire cannot live in a devils bosome yet there is unity and order as to this they are all agreed in their designe against God and man so their unity and consent is knit together by the ligaments not of love but of hatred and policy Hatred against God and his children which they are filled with and policy which tells them that if they agree not in their designe their Kingdome cannot stand And how true they are to this wicked brotherhood our Saviour gives a faire testimony when he saith Satan fights not against Satan Did you ever heare of any mutiny in the devils army or that any of those Apostate Angels did freely yield up one soule to Christ They are many and yet but one spirit of wickednesse in them all My name said the devils not our name is legion The devil is call'd the Leviathan Isa 27.1 The Lord with his strong sword shall punish Leviathan from their cleaving together of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 compact or joyned together used for the Whale Jeb 4. whose strength lies in his scales which are so knit that he is as it were covered with armour Thus these cursed spirits do accord in their machinations and labour to bring their instruments into the same league with them not contented with their bare obedience but where they can obtain it do require an expresse oath of their servants to be true to them as in witches Fifthly the mighty works that are attributed to these evil spirits in Scripture declare their power and these either respect the elementary sensible or intellectual part of the world The Elementary what dreadful effects this Prince of the power of the aire is able to produce on that see in the Word he cannot indeed make the least breath of aire drop of water or spark of fire but he can if let loose as Reverend Master Caryl saith on Job 1. go to Gods store-house and make use of these in such a sort as no man can stand before him he can hurle the sea into such a commotion that the depths shall boile like a pot and disturb the aire into stormes and tempests as if heaven and earth would meet Jobs children were buried in the ruines of their house by a puffe of his mouth yea he can go to Gods magazine as the former Author saith and let off the great ordnance of heaven causing such dreadful thunder and lightning as shall not only affright but do real execution and that in a more dreadful way then in the ordinary course of nature If mans Art can so sublimate nature as we see in the invention of powder that hath such a strange force much more able is he to draw forth its power Again over the sensitive world his power is great not only the beasts as in the herd of swine hurried by him into the deep but over the bodies of men also as in Iob whose sore boiles were not the breakings out of a distempered nature but the print of Satans sangs on his flesh doing that suddenly which in nature would have required more time to gather and ripen and the demoniacks in the Gospel grievously vexed and tormented by him But this the devil counts small game his great spite is at the soules of men which I call the Intellectual world his cruelty to the body is for the soules sake As Christs pity to the bodies of men when on earth healing their diseases was in a subserviency to the good of their soules bribing them with those mercies suitable to their carnal desires that they might more willingly receiv mercies for their souls from that hand which was so kind to their bodies as we give children somthing that pleaseth them to perswade them to do something that pleaseth them not go to school learn their book so the devil who is cruel as Christ is meek and wisheth good neither to body nor soule yet shewes his cruelty to the body but on a design against the soule knowing well that the soule is soon discomposed by the perturbation of the other the soule cannot but lightly heare and so have its peace and rest broken by the groanes and complaints of the body under whose very roof it dwells and then it is not strange if as for want of sleep the tongue talk idly so the soule should break out into some sinful carriage which is the bottom of the devils plot on a Saint And as for other poor silly soules he gaines little
me again and shew me both it and his habitation Mark not shew me my Crown my Palace but the Ark the House of God Secondly a gracious heart pursues earthly things with a holy indifferency saving the violence and zeal of his spirit for the things of heaven he useth the former as if he used them not with a kinde of non-attendency his head and heart is taken up with higher matters how he may please God thrive in his grace enjoy more intimate communion with Christ in his Ordinances in these he spreads all his sailes plyes all his oares strains every part and power thus we finde David upon his full speed My soul presseth hard after thee Psal 63. And before the Ark we finde him dancing with all his might Now a carnal heart is clean contrary his zeal is for the world and his indifferency in the things of God he prays as if he did not pray c. he sweats in his shop but chills and growes cold in his closet O how hard to pully him up to a duty of Gods worship or to get him out to an Ordinance No weather shall keep him from the market raine blow or snow he goes thither but if the Church-path be a little wet or the aire somewhat cold 't is apology enough for him if his pue be empty when he is about any worldly businesse he is as earnest at it as the idolatrous Smith in hammering of his image who the Prophet saith worketh it with the strength of his armes yea he is hungry and his strength faileth he drinketh not and is faint Isa 44.12 so zealous is the muck-worme in his worldly employments that he will pinch his carcase and deny himself his repast in due season to pursue that The Kitchin there shall wait on the shop But in the worship of God 't is enough to make him sick of the Sermon and angry with the Preacher if he be kept beyond his houre here the Sermon must give place to the Kitchin so the man for his pleasures and carnal pastime he tells no clock at his sports and knows not how the day goes when night comes he is angry that it takes him off but at any heavenly work O how is the man punish't time now hath got leaden heels he thinks all he does at a Sermon is to tell the clock and see how the glasse runs if men were not willing to deceive themselves surely they might know which way their heart goes by the swift motion or the hard tugging and slow pace it stirs as well as they know in a boat whether they row against the tyde or with it Thirdly the Christian useth these things with a holy feare lest earth should rob heaven and his outward enjoyments prejudice his heavenly interest he eats in feare works in feare rejoyceth in his abundance with feare as Iob sanctified his children by offering a sacrifice out of a feare lest they had sinned so the Christian is continually sanctifying his earthly enjoyments by prayer that so he may be delivered from the snare of them Thirdly the Christian is heavenly in his keeping of earthly things The same heavenly Law which he went by in getting he observes in holding them As he dares not say he will be rich and honourable in the world but if God will so neither that he will hold what he hath he only keeps them while his heavenly Father calls for them that at first gave them If God will continue them to him and entaile them on his posterity too he blesseth God and so he desires to do also when he takes them away Indeed Gods meaning in the great things of this world which sometimes he throwes in upon the Saints is chiefly to give them the greater advantage of expressing their love to him in denying them for his sake God never intended by that strange Providence in bringing Moses to Pharaho's Court to settle him there in worldly pomp and grandure a carnal heart indeed would have expounded Providence and imported it as a faire occasion put into his hands by God to have advanced himself into the throne which some say he might in time have done but as an opportunity to make his faith and self-denial more eminently conspicuous in throwing all these at his heels for which he hath so honourable a remembrance among the Lords Worthies Heb. 11.24 25. And truly a gracious soule reckons he cannot make so much of his worldly interests any other way as by offering them up for Christs sake however that Traitour thought Maries ointment might have been carried to a better market yet no doubt that good woman her self was only troubled that she had not one more precious to poure on her dear Saviours head This makes the Christian ever to hold the sacrificing knife at the throat of his worldly enjoyments ready to offer them up when God calls over-board they shall go rather then hazard a wrack to faith or a good conscience he sought them in the last place and therefore he will part with them in the first Naboth will hazard the Kings anger which at last cost him his life rather then sell an acre or two of land which was his birth-right The Christian will expose all he hath in this wotld to preserve his hopes for another Iacob in his march towards Esau sent his servants with his flocks before and came himself with his wives behinde if he can save any thing from his brothers rage it shall be what he loves best If the Christian can save any thing it shall be his soule his interest in Christ and Heaven and then no matter if the rest go even then he can say not as Esau to Iacob I have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a great deal but as Iacob to him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have all all I want all I desire as David expresseth it This is all my salvation all and my desire 2 Sam. 23.5 Now try whether thy heart be tuned to this note does heaven give law to thy earthly enjoyments wouldest thou not keep thy honour estate no not life it selfe to prejudice thy heavenly nature and hopes which wouldest thou choose if thou couldest not keep both a whole skin or a sound conscience It was a strange answer if true which the Historian saith Henry the fifth gave to his Father who had usurped the crown and now dying sent for this his son to whom he said Fair Son take the crown which stood on his pillow by his head but God knowes how I came by it to whom he answered I care not how you came by it now I have it I will keep it as long as my sword can defend it He that keeps earth by wrong cannot expect heaven by right CHAP. XIII An Exhortation to the pursuit of heaven and heavenly things Vse 3 THirdly Is it heaven and all that is heavenly that Satan seeks to hinder us of let this provoke us the more earnestly to contend for them
thee then he will come though these doors be shut and say Peace be to thee my dear childe feare not death or devils I stay to receive thy last breath and have here my Angels waiting that assoon as thy soule is breathed out of thy body they may carry and lay it in my bosome of love where I will nourish thee with those eternal joyes that my blood hath purchased and my love prepared for thee Fourthly earthly things are empty and unsatisfying We may have too much but never enough of them they oft breed loathing but never content and indeed how should they being so disproportionate to the vast desires of these immortal spirits that dwell in our bosomes A spirit hath not flesh and bones neither can it be fed with such and what hath the world but a few bones covered over with some fleshly delights to give it The lesse is blessed of the greater not the greater of the lesse These things therefore being so far inferiour to the nature of man he must look higher if he will be blessed even to God himself who is the Father of spirits God intended these things for our use not enjoyment and what folly is it to think we can squeaze that from them which God never put in them They are breasts that moderately drawn yield good milk sweet refreshing but wring them too hard and you will suck nothing but winde or blood from them We lose what they have by expecting to finde what they have not none find lesse sweetnesse and more dissatisfaction in these things then those who strive most to please themselves with them The cream of the creature floats a top and he that is not content to fleet it but thinks by drinking a deeper draught to finde yet more goes further to speed worse being sure by the disappointment he shall meet to pierce himself through with many sorrows But all these feares might happily be escaped if thou wouldest turn thy back on the creature and face about for heaven labour to get Christ and through him hopes of heaven and thou takest the right road to content thou shalt see it before thee and enjoy the prospect of it as thou goest yea finde that every step thou drawest nearer and nearer to it O what a sweet change wouldest thou finde As a sick man coming out of an impure unwholesome climate where he never was well when he gets into fresh aire or his native soile so wilt thou finde a cheering of thy spirits and reviving thy soule with unspeakable content and peace Having once closed with Christ first the guilt of all thy sinnes is gone and this spoil'd all thy mirth before all your dancing of a childe when some pin pricks it will not make it quiet or merry well now that pin is taken out which robbed thee of the joy of thy life Secondly thy nature is renewed and sanctified and when is a man at ease if not when he is in health and what is holinesse but the creature restored to his right temper in which God created him Thirdly thou becomest a childe of God and that cannot but please thee well I hope to be son or daughter to so great a King Fourthly thou hast a right to heavens glory whither thou shalt ere long be conducted to take and hold possession of that thy inheritance for ever and who can tell what that is Nicephorus tells us of one Agbarus a great man that hearing so much of Christs fame by reason of the miracles he wrought sent a Painter to take his picture and that the Painter when he came was not able to do it because of that radiancy and divine splendor which sate on Christs face Whether this be true or no I leave it but to be sure there is such a brightnesse on the face of Christ glorified and that happinesse which in heaven Saints shall have with him as forbids us that dwell in mortal flesh to conceive of it aright much more to expresse 't is best going thither to be informed and then we shall confesse we on earth heard not halfe of what we there finde yea that our present conceptions are no more like to that vision of glory we shall there have then the Sunne in the Painters table is to the Sunne it self in the Heavens And if all this be so why then do you spend money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which satisfieth not yea for that which keeps you from that which can satisfie Earthly things are like some trash which doth not only not nourish but take away the appetite from that which would Heaven and heavenly things are not relished by a soule vitiated with these Manna though for deliciousnesse called Angels food yet but light bread to an Egyptian palate But these spiritual things depend not on thy opinion O man whoever thou art as earthly things in a great measure do that the value of them should rise or fall as the worlds exchange doth and as vain man is pleased to rate them think gold dirt and it is so for all the royal stamp on it Count the swelling titles of worldly honour that proud dust brags so in vanity and they are such but have base thoughts of Christ and he is not the worse slight heaven as much as you will it will be heaven still and when thou comest so far to thy wits with the Prodigal as to know which is best fare husks or bread where best living among hogs in the field or in thy Fathers house then thou wilt know how to iudge of these heavenly things better till then go and make the best market thou canst of the world but look not to finde this pearle of price true satisfaction to thy soul in any of the creatures shops and were it not better to take it when thou mayest have it then after thou hast wearied thy self in vaine in following the creature to come back with shame and may be misse of it here also because thou wouldest not have it when it was offered VERSE 13. Wherefore take unto you the whole Armour of God that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand THe Apostle in these words re-assumes his former Exhortation mentioned verse 11. and presseth it with a new force from that more particular discovery which he gives of the enemy verse 12. where like a faithful Scout he makes a full report of Satans great power and malice and also discloseth what a dangerous design he hath upon the Saints no lesse then to despoil them of all that is heavenly from all which he gives them a second Alarm and bids them Arme arme Wherefore take unto you c. In the words consider First the exhortation with the inference Wherefore take unto you the whole Armour of God Secondly the argument with which he urgeth the exhortation and that ss double First That ye may be able to withstand in the evil
an houre of temptation 97 Death to be thought of 362 370 Decay Grace subject to decay 78 Declining Saints subject to decline in grace 334 And to take care to recover ib. The wrong a declining Christian doth to God 335 To his brethren ib. To himself 336 How to know whether grace be declining 337 338 How to recover declining grace 343 344 Degrees Further degrees of grace denied that Saints may stir up what they have 45 Despair Temptation to despair from defects of humiliation 121 Devil The devils nature spiritual 250 And what a dreadful enemy he is 252 Distrust To distrust Gods willingnesse lames faith to distrust his power kills it 26 Doctrine Strange doctrine not hastily to be embraced 272 Doing Doing required of Christians 317 Duty When duty too great for us we should not run from it but by faith lay it on God 41 How we do the duties God appoints not as he hath appointed in three particulars 65 Three rules to know whether we eye God in a duty or not 66 Satan cavils at the Saints duties 118 Constant and diligent performance of duty required of Christians notwithstanding they be sure never to fall away 388 Thoughts of heavens glory should quicken to duty 394 E. Earth Earthly Many professe heaven and practise earth 314 Earthly things to be improved for an heavenly end 317 To be pursued with an holy indifferency 318 How to keep earthly things 319 Arguments to call men off from earthly things to heavenly 322 Earthly things are uncertain 325 Election Satan pusles Saints about their Election 130 How to evade his sophistry therin 131 Endeavours God accepts weake endeavours with sincerity as full obedience 373 Envy Envy of others gifts how to get victory over it 282 The evil of envying gifts of others in three particulars 283 Enemy Satans policy to make God and the Saints enemies 146 How God defeats him therein ib. Errour Errour indulgent to the flesh 107 Three lusts from whence most errours spring carnal reason pride and fleshly liberty 108 Satan labours to corrupt the Saints with errour 267 His design therein 268 What need Christians have especially in this age to watch against errour 270 Foure preservatives against errour 271 Evidence Old evidences for our spiritual state carefully to be kept 135 What to do when they are out of the way 136 Evil day How afflictions are called an evil day 373 The evil day to be thought of and provided for 358 362 363 How to provide for the evil day 367 369 Vprightnesse in a Christian course a comfort in the evil day 370 Exercise Why we ought to keep grace in exercise 82 83 Grace must be exercis'd or sinwil 90 Expectation The expectation of believers shall never be disappointed 31 F. Fall Saints falls end in the advance of their grace 144 Gods love to Saints after their fals no encouragement to sin and why 147 c. Why God communicates his love to such 149 Final falling away This doctrine of the Saints final falling away crosseth Gods designe in the Gospel reflects on Christs honour wounds the Saints comfort 385 c. Faith Satan in tempting strikes at the faith 149 How he is disappointed ib. Feare Feare makes uncapable of counsel 3 Of distrustful feares how we shall bear affliction 131 Satans policie in them 132 Three considerations to quiet the heart tempted with them ib. The sin of fearing man because flesh 177 How we may come not to feare flesh 178 A soveraign cordial to weak believers against feare of not holding out to the end 387 Flesh Why sin is called flesh 172 We conflict not with flesh singly but back't by Satan ib. Best policy to disarme our flesh before Satan comes 173 Man is flesh 174 We must not be proud of flesh 175 Nor trust in man because flesh 176 Nor feare flesh 177 G. Grace Gifts are ornaments but grace is armour 60 Grace how it depends on God and why 17 18 Grace left weak that supporting power may be great 47 Better no grace then counterfeit in two respects 68 The concatenation of graces where the whole chaine in 2 Pet. 1.6 7. is drawn out 74 75 Grace to be exercised 82 83 Grace in the Saints lives not endured by those that like a Profession 88 When a soul is proud of his grace 285 'T is no excuse that its grace we are proud of 286 Grace not to be rested on for our acceptance with God 289 Resting on grace hinders its thriving 296 And hinders the soules comfort 297 Grace subject to decline See Decline Without true grace no perseverance 377 Where true grace is that soule shall persevere 381 Gifts The variety of the gifts of the Spirit 275 A double evil of pride in gifts ib. Great gifts without grace yield no solid comfort 277 Saints not to be troubled at the meannesse of their gifts 277 Reasons against pride of gifts 278 Wherein it discovers it self 280 Glory See Heaven Gospel The reason of Satans spight against the Gospel 58 Government See Rule H. Heare People should not be weary of hearing the same truthes often 333 Heart The more of the heart in a sin the greater the sin 262 No sins more made of then heart sins 263 The root of final Apostasie want of a through change of the heart 380 Afflictions discover the naughtinesse of the heart 354 Heaven Heavenly The Saints wrestling life should make him long for Heaven 170 No easie matter to get Heaven and why 203 371 Satans designe to plunder the Christian of what is heavenly 307 How the Christian is heavenly 308 A check to men for refusing Heaven 312 They are the devils agents that hinder from what is heavenly 313 Trials whether we are heavenly 315 To be with God in heaven the highest preferment 394 Thoughts of Heaven how profitable 395 Heresie Heresie why rank't among the deeds of the flesh 271 Holinesse Holinesse in a Saint awful to the wicked 91 Hopes False hopes very dangerous 365 Humble Humility Saints dependance on God a ground of humility 22 To be humble when most afflicted necessary 49 Two particulars discover whether we be so or not ib. Satans arguments to prove a soul not humbled 122 The fallacy of them 124 I. Ignorance Ignorance enslaves a soul to Satan 227 It lets sin in by troops 228 Locks them up in the heart ib. Shuts out the means of recovery 229 The misery of an ignorant state 238 Instrument Why Satan chooseth to tempt by instruments 103 Foure sorts of instruments he useth to seduce others 104 105 Day of Judgement The day of judgement a day of justification to the godly 392 Justification Ignorance in the doctrine of justification the cause of long troubles of conscience 129 K. Knowledge How the knowledge of a natural man differs from a Saints 56 What is required to get divine knowledge 242 243 Three things to be observed in our search after knowledge 245 L. Lazy Against lazy Preachers 333 Light Sinners hate
of God except thou canst prove thy pedigree by this heroick spirit to dare to be holy in spite of men and devils The Eagle tries her young ones by the Sun Christ tries his children by their courage that dare look on the face of death and danger for his sake Mark 8.34 35. O how uncomly a sight is it a bold sinner and a fearful Saint one resolved to be wicked and a Christian wavering in his holy course to see guilt put innocency to flight and hell keep the field impudently braving it with displayed banners of open profanenesse and Saints to hide their colours for shame or run from them for feare who should rather wrap themselves in them and die upon the place then thus betray the glorious Name of God which is called upon by them to the scorne of the uncircumcised Take heart therefore O ye Saints and be strong your cause is good God himself espouseth your quarrel who hath appointed you his own Son General of the field called The Captain of our salvation He shall lead you on with courage and bring you off with honour He lived and died for you he will live and die with you for mercy and tendernesse to his souldiers none like him Trajan 't is said rent his clothes to binde up his souldiers wounds Christ poured out his blood as balm to heal his Saints wounds teares of his flesh to binde them up For prowesse none to compare with him he never turn'd his head from danger no not when hells malice and heavens justice appeared in field against him Knowing all that should come upon him went forth and said Whom seek ye John 18.4 For successe insuperable he never lost battel even when he lost his life he wan the field carrying the spoiles thereof in the triumphant chariot of his Ascension to heaven with him where he makes an open shew of them to the unspeakable joy of Saints and Angels You march in the midst of gallant spirits your fellow-souldiers every one the Son of a Prince Behold some enduring with you here below a great fight of afflictions and temptations take heaven by storme and force Others you may see after many assaults repulses and rallyings of their faith and patience got upon the walls of heaven Conquerours from whence they do as it were look down and call you their fellow-brethren on earth to march up the hill after them crying aloud Fall on and the city is your own as now it is ours who for a few dayes conflict are now crowned with heavens glory one moments enjoyment of which hath dried up all our teares healed all our wounds and made us forget the sharpnesse of the fight with the joy of our present victory In a word Christians God and Angels are Spectatours observing how you quit your selves like children of the most High every exploit your faith doth against sin and Satan causeth a shout in heaven while you valiantly prostrate this temptation scale that difficulty regain the other ground you even now lost out of your enemies hands Your deare Saviour who stands by with a reserve for your relief at a pinch his very heart leaps within him for joy to see the proof of your love to him and zeal for him in all your combates and will not forget all the faithful service you have done in his wars on earth but when thou comest out of the field will receive thee with the like joy as he was entertained himself at his return to heaven of his Father Now Christian if thou meanest thus couragiously to bear up against all opposition in thy march to heaven as thou shouldest do well to raise thy spirit with such generous and soul-ennobling thoughts so in an especial manner look thy principles be well fixt or else thy heart will be unstable and an unstable heart is weak as water it cannot excel in courage Two things are required to fix our principles First an established judgement in the truth of God He that knows not well what or whom he fights for may soon be perswaded to change his side or at least stand Neuter such may be found that go for Professours that can hardly give an account what they hope for or whom they hope in yet Christians they must be thought though they run before they know their errand or if they have some principles they go upon they are so unsetled that every winde blowes them down like loose tyles from the house top Blinde zeale is soon put to a shameful retreat while holy resolution built on fast principles lifts up its head like a rock in the midst of the waves Those that know their God shall be strong and do exploits Dan. 11.32 The Angel told Daniel who were the men that would stand to their tackling and bear up for God in that houre both of temptation and persecution which should be brought upon them by Antiochus not all the Jewes some of them should be corrupt barely by flatteries others scared by threats out of their Profession only a few of fixed principles who knew their God whom they served and were grounded in their Religion these should be strong and do exploits that is to flatteries they should be incorruptible and to power and force unconquerable Secondly a sincere aime at the right end in our Profession Let a man be never so knowing in the things of Christ if his aime be not right in his Profession that mans principles will hang loose he 'll not venture much or far for Christ no more no further then he can save his own stake A hypocrite may shew some mettal at hand some courage for a spurt in conquering some difficulties but he 'll shew himself a jade at length He that hath a false end in his Profession will soon come to an end of his Profession when he is pinch't on that toe where his corn is I meane called to deny that his naughty heart aimed at all this while now his heart sailes him he can go no further O take heed of this squint eye to our profit pleasure honour or any thing beneath Christ and heaven for they will take away your heart as the Prophet saith of wine and women that is our love and if our love be taken away there will be little courage left for Christ How couragious was Jehu at first and he tells the world it is zeale for God but why doth his heart faile him then before half his work be done his heart was never right set that very thing that stirr'd up hâ—s zeal at first at last quench't and cow'd it and that was his ambition his desire of a Kingdom made him zealous against Ahabs house to cut off them who might in time justle him besides the throne which done and he quietly setled he dare not go through-stitch with Gods work lest he should lose what he got by provoking the people with a thorough information Like some souldiers when once they meet with a rich
his Heifer He opens the wombe of the soule to conceive by it as the understanding to conceive of it that the barren soul becomes a joyful mother of children David sate for halfe a year under the publick Lectures of the Law and the wombe of his heart shut up till Nathan comes and God with him and now is the time of life he conceives presently yea and brings forth in the same day falls presently into the bitter pangs of sorrow for his sins which went not over till he had cast them forth in that sweet Psalm 51. Why should this one word work more then all the former but that God now struck in with his Word which he did not before He is therefore said to teach his people to profit he sits in heaven that teacheth hearts When Gods Spirit who is the Head-master shall call a soul from his Usher to himselfe and say Soul you have not gone the way to thrive by hearing the Word thus and thus conceive of such a truth improve such a promise presently the eyes of his understanding open and his heart burnes within him while he speaks to him Thus you see the truth of this Point That the Christians strength is in the Lord. Now we shall give some demonstrations SECT I. Reason 1 The first Reason may be taken from the nature of the Saints and their grace both are creatures they and their grace also now Inesse est de esse creaturae 'T is in the very nature of the creature to depend on God its Maker both for being and operation Can you conceive an accident to be out of its subject whitenesse out of the wall or some other subject 't is as impossible that the creature should be or act without strength from God This to be act in and of himself is so incommunicable a property of the Deity that he cannot impart it to his creature God is and there is none besides him when God made the world it is said indeed he ended his work that is of Creation he made no new species and kindes of creatures more but to this day he hath not ended his work of Providence Hitherto my Father worketh saith Christ John 5.17 that is in preserving and empowering what he hath made with strength to be and act and therefore he is said to hold our souls in life Works of Art which man makes when finish't may stand some time without the Workmans help as the house when the Carpenter that made it is dead but Gods works both of nature and grace are never off his hand and therefore as the Father is said to work hitherto for the preservation of the works of nature so the Son to whom is committed the work of Redemption he tells us he worketh also Neither ended he his work when he rose again any otherways then his Father did in the work of Creation God made an end of making so Christ made an end of purchasing mercy grace and glory for believers by once dying and as God rested at the end of the Creation so he when he had wrought eternal Redemption and by himself purged our sins sate down on the right hand of the Majesty on High Heb. 1.3 But he ceaseth not to work by his intercession with God for us and by his Spirit in us for God whereby he upholds his Saints their graces and comforts in life without which they would run to ruine Thus we see as grace is a creature the Christian depends on God for his strength But further Reason 2 Secondly the Christians grace is not only a creature but a weak creature conflicting with enemies stronger then it selfe and therefore cannot keep the field without an auxiliary strength from Heaven The weakest goes to the wall if no succour comes in Grace in this life is but weak like a King in the Cradle which gives advantage to Satan to carry on his plots more strongly to the disturbance of this young Kings reigne in the soule yea he would soon make an end of the war in the ruine of the believers grace did not Heaven take the Christian into protection 'T is true indeed grace whereever it is hath a principle in it selfe that makes it desire and endeavour to preserve it self according to its strength but being over-powered must perish except assisted by God as fire in green wood which deads and damps the part kindled will in time go out except blown up or more fire put to that little so will grace in the heart God brings his grace into the heart by Conquest now as in a conquered City though some yield and become true subjects to the Conquerour yet others plot how they may shake off this yoke and therefore it requires the same power to keep as was to win it at first The Christian hath an unregenerate part that is discontented at this new change in the heart and disdains as much to come under the sweet government of Christs Scepter as the Sodomites that Lot should judge them What this fellow a Stranger controule us And Satan heads this mutinous rout against the Christian so that if God should not continually re-inforce this his new-planted Colony in the heart the very natives I mean corruptions that are left would come out of their dens and holes where they lie lurking and eat up the little grace the holiest on earth hath it would be as bread to these devourers Reason 3 A third demonstration may be taken from the grand designe which God propounds to himself in the Saints salvation yea in the transaction of it from first to last And that is two-fold First God would bring his Saints to heaven in such a way as might be most expressive of his deare love and mercy to them Secondly he would so expresse his mercy and love to them as might rebound back to him in the highest advance of his own glory possible Now how becoming this is to both that Saints should have all their ability for every step they take in the way to heaven will soon appear First this way of communicating strength to Saints gives a double accent to Gods love and mercy First it distills a sweetnesse into all the believer hath or doth when he findes any comfort in his bosome any enlargement of heart in duty any support under temptations To consider whence came all these what friend sends them in they come not from my own cisterne or any creatures O 't is my God that hath been here and left this sweet perfume of comfort behinde him in my bosome my God that hath unawares to me fill'd my sailes with the gales of his Spirit and brought me off the flats of my own deadnesse where I lay a ground O 't is his sweet Spirit that held my head stayed my heart in such an affliction and temptation or else I had gone away in a fainting fit of unbelief How can this choose but endear God to a gracious soul his succours coming so
this Point will fall in under the next which is CHAP. IV. Of acting our faith on the Almighty Power of God as engaged for our help THat it is the Saints duty and should be their care not only to believe God Almighty but also strongly to believe that this Almighty Power of God is theirs that is engaged for their defence and help so as to make use of it in all straits and temptations SECT I. First I shall prove that the Almighty Power of God is engaged for the Christians defence with the grounds of it Secondly why the Christian should strongly act his faith on this First the Almighty Power of God is engaged for the Saints defence God brought Israel out of Egypt with an high hand but did he set them down on the other side the Red-sea to finde and force their way to Canaan by their own policie or power When he had opened the iron gate of their house of bondage and brought them into the open fields did he vanish as the Angel from Peter when out of prison No as a man carries his son so the Lord bare them in all the way they went Deut. 1.31 This doth lively set forth the Saints march to heaven God brings a soule out of spiritual Egypt by his converting grace that is the day of his power wherein he makes the soule willing to come out of Satans clutches Now when the Saint is upon his march all the countrey riseth upon him How shall this poore creature passe the pikes and get safely by all his enemies borders God himself infolds him in the arme of his everlasting strength We are kept by the Power of God through faith unto salvation 1 Pet. 1.5 The Power of God is that shoulder on which Christ carries his sheep home rejoycing all the way he goes Luke 15.5 These everlasting armes of his strength are those Eagles wings upon which the Saints are both tenderly and securely conveyed to glory Exod. 19.4 There is a five fold tie or engagement that lies upon Gods power to be the Saints life-guard First the near relation he hath to his Saints they are his own dear children every one takes care of his own the silly Hen how doth she bussle and bestir her self to gather her brood under her wing when the Kite appears No care like that which Nature teacheth How much more will God who is the Father of such dispositions in his creature stir up his whole strength to defend his children He said They are my people so be became their Saviour Isa 33.8 As if God had said Shall I sit still with my hand in my bosome while my own people are thus misused before my face I cannot beare it The Mother as she sits in her house heares one shreek and knowes the voice cries out O 't is my childe away she throws all and runs to him Thus God takes the alarm of his childrens cry I heard Ephraim bemoaning himself saith the Lord his cry pierced his eare and his eare affected his bowels and his bowels call'd up his power to the rescue of him Secondly the dear love he beareth to his Saints engageth his power He that hath Gods heart cannot want his arme Love in the creature commands all the other affections sets all the powers of the whole man on work thus in God love sets all his other attributes on work when God once pitch't his thoughts of doing good to lost man then wisdom fell on projecting the way Almighty power that undertook to raise the fabrick according to wisdomes modell All are ready to effect what God saith he likes Now the believing soule is an object of Gods choicest love even the same with which he loves his Son John 17.26 First God loves the believer as the birth of his everlasting counsel when a soul believes then Gods eternal purpose and counsel concerning him whom he chose in Christ before the foundation of the world and with whom his thoughts went so long big brings forth And how must God needs love that creature whom he carried so long in the wombe of his eternal purpose This goodly Fabrick of heaven and earth had not been built but as a stage whereon he would in time act what he decreed in heaven of old concerning the saving of thee and a few more his Elect and therefore according to the same rate of delight with which God pleased and entertained himself in the thoughts of this before the world was must he needs rejoyce over the soule now believing with love and complacency unconceivable and God having brought his counsel thus far towards its issue surely will raise all the power he hath rather then be disappointed of his glory within a few steps of home I mean his whole design in the believers salvation The Lord who hath chosen his Saints as Christ prayes for Joshua their representative will rebuke Satan and all their enemies Secondly God loves his Saints as the purchase of his Sons blood they cost him dear and that which is so hardly got shall not be easily lost He that was willing to expend his Sons blood to gain them will not deny his power to keep them Thirdly God loves the Saints for their likenesse to himselfe so that if he loves himself he cannot but love himself appearing in them and as he loves himself in them so he defends himself in defending them What is it in a Saint that enrageth hell but the image of God without which the war would soon be at an end It is the hatred the Panther hath to man that makes him flie at his picture For thy sake we are slain all the day long and if the quarrel be Gods surely the Saint shall not go forth to war at his own cost Thirdly the Covenant engageth Gods Almighty power Gen. 17.1 I am the Almighty God walk before me There is a League offensive and defensive between God and his Saints he gives it under his hand that he will put forth the whole power of his Godhead for them 1 Chron. 17.24 The Lord of Hostes is the God of Israel even a God to Israel God doth not parcel himself out by retaile but gives his Saints leave to challenge whatever a God hath as theirs and let him whoever he is sit in Gods throne and take away his crown that can fasten any untruth on the Holy One as his Name is so is his Nature a God keeping Covenant for ever The Promises stand as the mountains about Jerusalem never to be removed the weak as wel as the strong Christian is within this line of Communication Were Saints to fight it out in open field by the strength of their own grace then the strong were more likely to stand and the weak to fall in battel but both castled in the Covenant are alike safe Fourthly the Saints dependance on God and expectation from God in all their straits oblige his power for their succour whither doth a gracious soule
flie in any want or danger from sin Satan or his instruments but to his God as naturally as the Coney to her burrough Psal 57.3 At what time I am afraid saith David I will trust in thee He tells God he will make bold of his house to step into when taken in any storme and doth not question his welcome Thus when Saul hunted him he left a city of gates and barres to trust God in open field Indeed all the Saints are taught the same lesson to renounce their own strength and relie on the Power of God their own policie cast themselves on the wisdom of God their own righteousnesse and expect all from the pure mercy of God in Christ which act of faith is so pleasing to God that such a soul shall never be ashamed Psal 9.18 The expectation of the poor shall not perish A Heathen could say when a bird scared by a Hawke flew into his bosome I will not betray thee unto thy enemy seeing thou comest for Sanctuary unto me How much lesse will God yield up a soule unto its enemy when it takes Sanctuary in his Name saying Lord I am hunted with such a temptation dogg'd with such a lust either thou must pardon it or I am damned mortifie it or I shall be a slave to it take me into the bosome of thy love for Christs sake castle me in the armes of thy everlasting strength it is in thy power to save me from or give me up into the hands of my enemie I have no confidence in my self or any other Into thy hands I commit my cause my life and relie on thee This dependance of a soul undoubtedly will awaken the Almighty Power of God for such a ones defence he hath sworn the greatest oath that can come out of his blessed lips even by himself that such as thus flie for refuge to hope in him shall have strong consolation Heb. 6.17 This indeed may give the Saint the greater boldnesse of faith to expect kindly entertainment when he repairs to God for refuge because he cannot come before he is look't for God having set up his Name and Promises as a strong Tower both calls his people into these Chambers and expects they should betake themselves thither Sixthly Christs presence and employment in heaven layes a strong engagement on God to bring his whole force and power into the field upon all occasions for his Saints defence one special end of his journey to heaven and abode there is that he might as the Saints Solicitour be ever interceding for such supplies and succours of his Father as their exigencies call for and the more to assure us of the same before he went he did as it were tell us what heads he meant to go upon in his intercession when he should come there one of which was this that his Father should keep his children while they were to stay in the world from the evil thereof John 17.15 Neither doth Christ take upon him this work of his own head but hath the same appointment of his Father for what he now prayes in heaven as he had for what he suffered on earth He that ordained him a Priest to die for sinners did not then strip him of his Priestly garments as Aaron but appoints him to ascend in them to heaven where he sits a Priest for ever by Gods Oath And this office of intercession was erected purely in mercy to believers that they might have full content given them for the performance of all that God had promised so that Jesus Christ lies Lieger at Court as our Embassadour to see all carried fairly between God and us according to agreement And if Christ follows his businesse close and be faithful in his place to believers all is well and doth it not behove him to be so who intercedes for such dear relations Suppose a Kings Son should get out of a besieged City where he hath left his wife and children whom he loves as his own soule and these all ready to die by sword or famine if supply come not the sooner could this Prince when arrived at his fathers house please himself with the delights of the Court and forget the distresse of his family or rather would he not come post to his father having their cries and groans alwayes in his eares and before he eat or drink do his errand to his father and entreat him if ever he lov'd him that he would send all the force of his Kingdom to raise the siege rather then any of his dear relations should perish Surely Sirs though Christ be in the top of his preferment and out of the storme in regard of his own person yet his children left behind in the midst of sins Satans and the worlds batteries are in his heart and shall not be forgotten a moment by him The care he takes in our businesse appeared in the speedy dispatch he made of his Spirit to his Apostles supply when he ascended which assoon almost as he was warme in his seat at his Fathers right hand he sent to the incomparable comfort of his Apostles and us that to this day yea to the end of the world do or shall believe on him SECT 2. The second Branch of the point followes that Saints should eye this Power of God as engaged for them and presse it home upon their soules till they silence all doubts and feares about the matter which is the importance of this exhortation Be strong in the Lord and in the Power of his might Fortifie and entrench your soules within the breast-work of this attribute of Gods mighty Power made over to you by God himselfe First it is the end as of all Promises to be security to our faith so of those in particular where his Almighty Power is expresly engaged that we may count this attribute our portion and reap the comfort it yields as freely as one may the crop of his own field Walk before me saith God to Abraham I am God Almighty set on this as thy portion and live upon it The Apostle Heb. 13.6 teacheth us what use to make of promises verse 5. I will never leave thee nor forsake thee there is the promise and the inference which he teacheth us to draw by faith from this follows ver 6. So we may boldly say The Lord is my helper We that is every believer may boldly say that is we may conclude God will help not sneakingly timorously perhaps he will but we may boldly assert it in the face of men and devils because he that is Almighty hath said it Now for a Christian not to strengthen his faith on this incomparably sweet attribute but to sit down with a few weak unsetled hopes when he may yea ought to be strong in the faith of such promises what is it but to undervalue the blessing of such promises as if one should promise another house and land and bid him make them as sure to himself as the Law
charge the Gospel gave to the Kingdom of darknesse shak't the foundations thereof and put the legions of hell to the run The seventy whom Christ sent out bring this speedy account of their ambassage Lord even the devils are subject unto us through thy Name and Christ answers I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven As if he had said 't is no newes you tell me I beheld Satan falllng when I sent you I knew the Gospel would make work where it came and therefore no wonder Satan labours to dispossesse the Gospel which dispossesseth him he knows that army is near lost whose magazine is blowen up 'T is true indeed under the very Gospel the devil rageth more in such swinish sinners as are given over of God to be possest of that fiend for rejecting of his grace but he is cast out of others who before the loving kindnesse of God to man appeared in the Gospel were commanded by him serving divers lusts and pleasures But now by the light of the Gospel they see their folly and by the grace it brings are enabled to renounce him This this is that which torments the foule spirit to see himself forsaken of his old friends and servants and this new Lord to come and take his subjects from him and therefore he labours either by persecution to drive the Gospel away or by policy to perswade a people to send it away from their coasts and was he ever more likely to effect it among us What a low esteem hath he brought the preaching of the Gospel unto the price is fallen half in half to what it was some yeares past even among those that have been counted the greatest Merchants upon the Saints Exchange Some that have thought it worth crossing the seas even to the Indies almost as far as others fetch their gold to enjoy the Gospel are loath now to crosse the street to hear it at so cheap a rate And some that come who formerly trembled at it make it most of their errand to mock at or quarrel with it Nay it is come to such a passe that the Word is so heavy a charge to the squeamish stomacks of many Professors that it comes up again presently and abundance of choler with it against the Preacher especially if it fall foule of the sins and errours of the times the very naming of which is enough to offend though the Nation be sinking under their weight What reproaches are the faithful Ministers of the Gospel laden withal I call heaven and earth to witnesse whether ever they suffered a hotter persecution of the tongue then in this apostatizing age A new generation of Professours are started up that will not know them to be the Ministers of Christ though those before them as well in grace as time more able to derive their spiritual pedigree then themselves have to their death owned them for their spiritual fathers And must not the Ark needs shake when they that carry it are thus struck at both in their person and office what are these men doing alas they know not Father forgive them They are cutting off their right hand with their left they are making themselves and the Nation naked by despising the Gospel and those that bring it Vse 3 Consider your deplored estate who are wholly naked and unarm'd Can you pity the begger at your door when you see such in a Winter-day shivering with naked backs exposed to the fury of the cold and not pity your own far more dismal soul-nakednesse by which thou liest open to heavens wrath and hells malice Shall their nakednesse cover them with shame fill them with feare of perishing which makes them with pitiful moanes knock and cry for relief as it is reported of Russia where their poor through extreme necessity have this desperate manner of begging in their streets Give me and cut me give me and kill me and canst thou let Satan come and cut thy throat in thy bed of sloth rather then accept of clothes to cover yea Armour to defend thee I mean Christ and his grace which in the Gospel is tendered to you And do not lightly beleeve your own flattering hearts if they shall tell you you are provided of these already I am afraid many a gaudy Professour will be found as naked in regard of Christ and truth of grace as drunkards and swearers themselves Such there are who content themselves with a Christ in Profession in gifts and in duties but seek not a Christ in solid grace and so perish those indeed are an ornament to the Christian as the scarfe and feather to the souldier but these quench not the bullet in battel 't is Christ and his grace doth that therefore labour to be sound rather then brave Christians Grace embellisht with gifts is the more beautiful but these without grace only the richer spoile for Satan The second Branch of the first general part of the words followes and that is the quality or kinde of that Armour the Christian is here directed to provide It is not any trash will serve the turn better none then not Armour of proof and none such but Armour of God In a twofold respect it must be of God First in institution and appointment Secondly in constitution CHAP. II. Sheweth that the Armour we use against Satan must be divine in the Institution such only as God appoints FIrst the Christians Armour which he weares must be of divine Institution and appointment The souldier comes into the field with no armes but what his General commands 't is not left to every ones fancie to bring what weapons he please this will breed confusion The Christian souldier is bound up to Gods order though the army be on earth yet the Councel of War fits in Heaven This duty ye shall do that means ye shall use and to do more or use other then God commands though with some seeming successe against sin such shall surely be call'd to account for this boldnesse The discipline of war among men is strict in this case Some have suffered death by a Councel of war even when they have beaten the enemie because out of their place or beside their order God is very precise in this point he will say to such as invent wayes to worship him of their own coyne meanes to mortifie corruption obtain comfort in their own mint Who hath required this at your hands this is truly to be righteous over-much as Solomon speaks when we will pretend to correct Gods Law and adde supplements of our own to his rule Who will pay that man his wages that is not set on work by God God tells Israel the false Prophets shall do them no good because they come not of his errand so neither will those wayes and meanes help which are not of Gods appointing Gods thoughts are not as mans nor his wayes as ours which he useth to attain his ends by If man had been to set forth the
zeal will raise on a Saint expressing an act of zeal in his place and calling now grace comes too near him A naughty heart must stand at some distance from holinesse that the beams thereof may not beat too strongly on his conscience and so he likes it Thus the Pharisees the Prophets of old these were holy men in their account and they can lavish out their money on their Tombes in honour of them but Christ who was more worth then all of them he is scorn'd and hated what 's the mystery of this the reason was these Prophets are off the stage and Christ on Pascitur in vivis livor post fata quiescit Vse 3 Try by this whether you have grace or no dost thou walk in the exercise of thy grace He that hath clothes surely will wear them and not be seen naked men talk of their faith repentance love to God these are precious graces but why do they not let us see these walking abroad in their daily conversation surely if such guests were in thy soule they would look out sometimes at the window and be seen abroad in this duty and that holy action grace is of a stirring nature and not such a dead thing like an image which you may lock up in a chest and none shall know what God you worship no grace will shew it self it will walk with you into all places and companies it will buy with you and sell for you it will have a hand in all your enterprizes it will comfort you when you are sincere and faithful for God and it will complain and chide you when you are otherwise go to stop its mouth and heaven shall hear its voice it will groan mourne and strive even as a living man when you would smother him I 'le as soon believe the man to be alive that lies peaceably as he is nail'd up in his Coffin without strife or busle as that thou hast grace and never exercise it in any act of spiritual life What man hast thou grace and carried so peaceably as a fool to the stocks by thy lust Why hang'st thou there nail'd to thy lust if thou hast grace come down and we will believe it but if thou beest such a tame slave as to sit still under the command of lust thou deceivest thy self Hast thou grace and shew none of it in the condition thou art plac't in May be thou art rich doest thou shew thy humility towards those that are beneath thee doest thou shew a heavenly minde breathing after heaven more then earth It may be thy heart is puff't with thy estate that thou lookest on the poor as creatures of some lower species then thy self and disdainest them and as for heaven thou thinkest not of it Like that wicked Prince that said He would lose his part in Paradise rather then in Paris Art thou poor why doest not exercise grace in that condition Art thou contented diligent may be in stead of contentation thou repinest canst not see a faire lace on thy rich brothers cloth but grudgest it in stead of concurring with Providence by diligence to supply thy wants thou art ready to break through the hedge into thy neighbours fat pasture thus serving thy owne turne by a sin rather then waiting for Gods blessing on thy honest diligence if so be not angry we call thee by thy right name or at least question whether we may stile thee Christian whose carriage is so crosse to that sacred name which is too holy to be written on a rotten post Vse 4 Be exhorted O ye Saints of God to walk in the exercise of grace It is the Ministers duty with the continual breath of exhortation and if need be reproof to keep this heavenly fire clean on the Saints Altar Peter saw it necessary to have the bellowes alwayes in his hands 2 Pet. 1.12 I will not be negligent to put you alwayes in remembrance of these things though ye know them and be established in the present truth that shall not take him off as long as he is in this Tabernacle he saith he will stir them up and be putting them in remembrance v. 13. There is a sleepy disease we are subject to in this life Christ though he had roused up his disciples twice yet takes them napping the third time Either exercise thy grace or Satan will act thy corruption as one bucket goes down the other riseth there is a body of sin within which like a malignant party watcheth for such a time to step into the saddle and 't is easier to keep them down then to pull them down Thy time is short and thy way long thou hadst best put on lest thou meanest to be overtaken with night before thou gettest within sight of thy Fathers house How uncomfortable 't is for a traveller in Heaven-road above all other to go potching in the dark many can with aking hearts tell thee And what hast thou here to minde like this Are they worldly cares and pleasures Is it wisdom to lay out so much cost on thy tenement which thou art leaving and forget what thou must carry with thee Before the fruit of these be ripe which thou art now planting thy self may be rotting in the grave Time is short saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 7.29 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The world is near its Port and therefore God hath contracted the sailes of mans life but a while and there will not be a point to chuse whether we had wives or not riches or not but there will be a vast difference between those that had grace and those that had not yea between those that did drive a quick trade in the exercise therof and those that were more remisse the one shall have an abundant entrance into glory while the other shall suffer losse in much of his lading which shall be cast over-board as merchandise that will bear no price in that heavenly countrey yea while thou art here others shall fare the better by thy lively graces Thy cheerfulnesse and activity in thy heavenly course will help others that travel with thee he is dull indeed that will not put on when he sees so much metal for God in thee who leadest the way Yea thy grace will give a check to the sins of others who never stand in such awe as when grace comes forth and sits like a Ruler in the gate to be seen of all that passe by The Swearer knowes not such Majesty is present when the Christian is mealy-mouth'd and so goes on and feares no colours whose grace had it but her dagger of zeal ready and courage to draw it forth in a wise reproof would make sin quit the place and with shame run into its hole Job 29.8 The young men saw me and bid themselves the Princes refrain'd talking and laid their hand on their mouth And doth not God deserve the best service thou canst do him in thy generation Did he give thee grace to lay it
to do them good Surely God will have something for the sweat yea lives of his servants which were worne out in striving with such rebellious ones May be yet sinners your firmament is clear no cloud to be seen that portends a storme but know as you use to say winter does not rock in the clouds you shall have it at last every threatening which your faithful Ministers have denounced against you out of the Word God is bound to make good He confirmeth the Word of his servant and performeth the counsel of his messengers and that in judgement against sinners confirming the threatenings as well as in mercy performing the promises which they declare as the portion of his children But it will be time enough to ask such on a sick-bed or a dying houre whether the words of the Lord delivered by their faithful Preachers have not taken hold of them Some have confessed with horrour they have as the Jewes Zech. 1.6 Like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us so hath he dealt with us Secondly the Spirit strives with men more immediately when he makes his inward approaches to the consciences of men debating in their own bosoms the case with them one while he shews them their sins in their bloody colours and whether they will surely bring them if not look't to timely which he doth so convincingly that the creature smells sometimes the very fire and brimstone about him and is at present in a temporary hell another while he falls a parlying and treating with them making gracious overtures to the sinner if he will return at his reproof presents the grace of the Gospel and opens a door of hope for his recovery yea falls a wooing and beseeching of him to throw down his rebellious armes and come to Christ for life whose heart is in a present disposition to receive and embrace the first motion the returning sinner makes for mercy Now when the Spirit of God follows the sinner from place to place and time to time suggesting such motions and renewing his old suit and the creature shall fling out of the Spirits hands thus striving with him re infectâ as far from renouncing his lusts or taking any liking to Christ as ever This is to resist the Spirit to his face and it carries so much malignity in it that even where it hath not been final poor humbled soules have been so over-set with the horrour of it that they could not for a long time be perswaded but that it was the unpardonable sin Take heed therefore sinners how you use the Spirit when he comes knocking at the door of your hearts Open at his knock and he will be your guest you shall have his sweet company repulse him and you have not a Promise hee 'll knock again And if once he leave striving with thee unhappy man thou art lost for ever thou liest like a ship cast up by the waves upon some high rock where the tide never comes to fetch it off Thou mayest come to the Word converse with other Ordinances but in vain 'T is the Spirit in them which is both tide and winde to set the soule afloat and carry it on or else it lies like a ship on dry ground which stirs not Secondly we wrestle against God when we wrestle with his Providence and that two wayes First when we are discontented with his providential disposure of us Gods carving for us doth not please us so but that we are objecting against his dealings towards us at least muttering something with the fool in our hearts which God heares as lightly as man our words God counts then we begin to quarrel with him when we do not acquiesce in and say Amen to his Providence whatever it is He calls it a contending with the Almighty Iob. 40.1 yea a reproving of God And he is a bold man sure that dare finde fault with God and article against heaven God challengeth him whoever he is that doth this to answer it at his peril He that reproveth God let him answer it v. 2. of the chapter fore-mentioned It was high time for Iob to have done when he heares what a sense God puts upon those unwary words which drop't from him in the anguish of his Spirit and paroxysme of his sufferings contend with the Almighty reprove God Good man how blank he is and cries out I am vile what shall I answer thee I will lay my hand upon my mouth Let God but pardon what is past and he shall hear such language no more O Sirs take heed of this wrestling above all other Contention is uncomfortable with whomsoever it is we fall out Neighbours or friends wife or husband children or servants but worst of all with God If God cannot please thee but thy heart riseth against him what hopes are there of thy pleasing him who will take nothing kindly from that man who is angry with him And how can love to God be preserved in a discontented heart that is alwayes muttering against him Love cannot think any evil of God nor endure to heare anyspeak evil of him but it must take Gods part as Ionathan Davids when Saul spake basely of him and when it cannot be heard will like him arise and be gone When afflicted love can allow thee to groan but not to grumble If thou wilt ease thy incumbred spirit into Gods bosome by prayer and humbly wrestle with God on thy knees love is for thee and will help thee to the best arguments thou canst use to God But if thou wilt vent thy distempered passions and shew a mutinous spirit against God this stabs it to the heart Secondly we wrestle against Providence when uncorrigible under the various dispensations of God towards us Providence has a voice if we had an eare mercies should draw afflictions drive now when neither faire meanes nor foule do us good but we are impenitent under both this is to wrestle against God with both hands Either of these have their peculiar aggravations One is against love and so dis-ingenuous the other is against the smart of his rod and therein we slight his anger and are cruel to our selves in kicking against the pricks Mercy should make us ashamed wrath afraid to sin He that is not ashamed has not the spirit of a man He that is not afraid when smitten is worse then the beast who stands in aw of whip spur Sometimes mercy especially these outward mercies which have a pleasing relish to the carnal part in a Christian hath prov'd a snare to the best of men but then affliction useth to recover them but when affliction makes men worse and they harden themselves against God to sin more and more while the rod is on them what is like to reclaim them few are made better by prosperity whom afflictions make worse He that will sin though he goes in pain will much more if that once be gone But take heed of thus contesting with God
is most personal that corruption which David calls his own iniquity Psal 18.23 This is the skirt which Satan layes hold of observe what it is and mortifie it daily then Satan will retreat with shame when he sees the head of that enemy upon the wall which should have betrayed thee into his hands Secondly the Romane wrestlers used to anoint their bodies so do thou bathe thy soul with the frequent meditation of Christs love Satan will finde little welcome where Christs love dwells love will kindle love and that will be as a wall of fire to keep off Satan it will make thee disdain the offer of a sinne and as oile supple thy joynts and make agile to offend thy enemy Think how Christ wrestled in thy quarrel sin hell and wrath had all come full mouth upon thee had not he coped with them in the way And canst thou finde in thy heart to requite his love by betraying his glory into the hands of sin by cowardise or treachery say not thou lovest him so long as thou canst lay those sins in thy bosome which pluck't his heart out of his bosome It were strange if a childe should keep and delight to use no other knife but that wherewith his father was stabb'd Thirdly improve the advantage thou gettest at any time wisely Sometimes the Christian hath his enemy on the hip yea on the ground can set his foot on the very neck of his pride and throw away his unbelief as a thing absurd and unreasonable now as a wise wrestler fall with all thy weight upon thine enemy though man think it foule play to strike when his adversary is down yet do not thou so complement with sin as to let it breath or rise Take heed thou beest not charged of God as once Ahab for letting go this enemy now in thy hands whom God hath appointed to destruction Learne a little wisdome of the Serpents brood who when they had Christ under their foot never thought they had him sure enough no not when dead and therefore both seale and watch his grave Thus do thou to hinder the resurrection of thy sin seal it down with stronger purposes solemn covenants and watch it by a wakeful circumspect walking Vse 3 This is ground of consolation to the weak Christian who disputes against the truth of his grace from the inward conflicts and fightings he hath with his lusts and is ready to say like Gideon in regard of outward enemies If God be with me why is all this befallen me why do I finde such struglings in me provoking me to sin pulling me back from that which is good Why doest ask The Answer is soon given because thou art a Wrestler not a Conquerour Thou mistakest the state of a Châ—istian in this life when one is made a Christian he is not presently call'd to triumph over his slaine enemies but carried into the field to meet and fight them The state of grace is rhe commencing of a war against sin not the ending of it rather then thou shalt not have an enemy to wrestle with God himself will come in a disguise into the field and appear to be thine enemy Thus when Jacob was alone a man wrestled with him until breaking of the day and therefore set thy heart at rest if this be thy scruple Thy soule may rather take comfort in this that thou art a wrestler This strugling within thee if upon the right ground and to the right end doth evidence there are two Nations within thee two contrary natures the one from earth earthly and the other from heaven heavenly yea for thy further comfort know though thy corrupt nature be the elder yet it shall serve the younger Vse 4 O how should this make thee Christian long to be gone home where there is none of this stir and scuffle 'T is strange that every houre seems not a day and everyday a year till death sounds thy joyful retreat and calls thee off the field where the bullets flie so thick and thou art fighting for thy life with thy deadly enemies to come to Court where not swords but palmes are seen in the Saints hands not drums but harps not groanes of bleeding souldiers and wounded consciences but sweet and ravishing musick is heard of triumphing Victors caroling the praises of God and the Lambe through whom they have overcome Well Christians while you are below comfort your selves with these things There is a place of Rest remains for the people of God You do not beat the aire but wrestle for a Heaven that is yonder above these clouds you have your worst first the best will follow You wrestle but to win a Crown and win to wear it yea wear never to lose it which once on none shall take off or put you to the hazard of battel more Here we overcome to fight again the battel of one temptation may be over but the war remaines What peace can we have as long as devils can come abroad out of their holes or anything of sinful nature remains in our selves unmortified which will even fight upon its knees and strike with one arme while the other is cut off but when death comes the last stroak is struck this good Physician will perfectly cure thee of thy spiritual blindnesse and lamenesse as the Martyr told his fellow at the stake bloody Bonner would do their bodily What is it Christian which takes away the joy of thy life but the wrestlings and combates which this bosome-enemy puts thee to Is not this the Peninnah that vexing and disturbing thy Spirit hath kept thee off many a sweet meale thou mightest have had in communion with God and his Saints or if thou hast come hath made thee cover the Altar of God with thy teares and groans and will it not be a happy hand that cuts the knot and sets thee loose from thy deadnesse hypocrisie pride and what not wherewith thou wert yoak't 'T is life which is thy losse and death which is thy gaine Be but willing to endure the rending of this vaile of thy flesh and thou art where thou wouldest be out of the reach of sin at rest in the bosome of thy God And why should a short evil of paine affright thee more then the deliverance from a continual torment of sins evil ravish thee Some you know have chose to be cut rather then to be ground daily with the stone and yet may be their pain comes again and canst thou not quietly think of dying to be delivered from the torment of these sins never to return more And yet that is not the half that death doth for thee Peace is sweet after war ease after pain but what tongue can expresse what joy what glory must fill the creature at the first sight of God and that blessed company none but one that dwells there can tell Did we know more of that blisseful state we Ministers should finde it as hard a work to perswade Christians to be
had he not been call'd to reside as our Ambassadour and Advocate in heaven with the Father and therefore in his bodily absence he hath intrusted thee and a few more to carry on the Treaty with sinners which when on earth himself began And what can you do more acceptable to him then to be faithful in it as a businesse on which he hath set his heart so much As ever you would see his sweet face with joy you that are his Ambassadours attend to your work and labour to bring this Treaty of Peace to a blessed issue between God and those you are sent to And then if sinners will not come off and seal the Articles of the Gospel you shall as Abraham said to his servant be cleare of your oath Though Israel he not gathered yet you shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord. And let not the private Christian say he is a dry tree and can do nothing for Christ his Prince because he may not bear the Magistrates fruit or Ministers Though thou hast not a commission to punish the sins of others with the sword of justice yet thou mayest shew thy zeal in mortifying thy own with the sword of the Spirit and mourne for theirs also though thou mayest not condemn them on the bench yet thou mayest yea oughtest by the power of a holy life to convince and judge them Such a Judge Lot was to the Sodomites Though thou art not sent to preach and baptize yet thou mayest be wonderful helpful to them who are The Christians prayers whet Magistrates and Ministers sword also O pray Christian and pray again that Christs Territories may be enlarged never go to heare the Word but pray Thy Kingdom come Loving Princes take great content in the acclamations and good wishes of their subjects as they passe by A vivat rex Long live the King coming from a loyal breath though poor is more worth then a subsidy from those who deny their hearts while they part with their money Thou servest a Prince Christian who knowes what all his subjects think of him and he counts it his honour not to have a multitude feinedly submit to him but to have a people that love him and cordially like his government who if they were to chuse their King and make their own lawes they should live under every day would desire no other then himself nor any other lawes then what they have already from his mouth It was no doubt great content to David that he had the hearts of his people so as Whatever the King did pleased them all And surely God took it as well that what he did pleased David for indeed David was as content under the rule and disposure of God as the people were under his witnesse the calmnesse of his Spirit in the greatest affliction that ever befell him 2 Sam. 15.26 Behold here am I let him do to me as seemeth good unto him Loyal soule he had rather live in exile with the good Will of God then have his throne if God will not say 't is good for him CHAP. IV. Of the great power Satan hath not only over the elementary and sensitive part of the world but intellectual also the soules of men SECT I. THis is the Second Branch of the Description wherein Satan is set forth by his might and Power This gives weight to the former were he a Prince and not able to raise a force that might dread the Saints the swelling name of Prince were contemptible but he hath power answerable to his dignity which in five particulars will appear First in his names Secondly his nature Thirdly his number Fourthly his order and unity Lastly the mighty works that are attributed to him First for the first he hath names of great power called the strong man Luke 11.21 so strong that he keeps his house in peace in defiance of all the sons of Adam none on earth being able to cope with this giant Christ must come from Heaven to destroy him and his works or the field is lost He is call'd the roaring lion which beast commands the whole forrest If he roares all tremble yea in such a manner as Pliny relates that he goes amongst them and they stand exanimated while he chooseth his prey without resistance such a lion is Satan who leads sinners captive at his will 2 Tim. 3.26 He takes them alive as the word is as the Fowler the bird which with a little scrap is enticed into the net or as the Conquerour his cowardly enemy who has no heart to fight but yields without contest Such cowards the devil finds sinners he no sooner appears in a motion but they yield They are but a very few noble spirits and those are the children of the most High God who dare valiantly oppose him and in striving against sin resist to blood He is call'd the great red dragon who with his taile wicked men his instruments sweeps down the third part of the stars of Heaven The Prince of the power of the aire because as a Prince can muster his subjects and draw them into the field for his service so the devil can raise the posse coeli aërii In a word he is call'd the God of this world 2 Cor. 4.4 because sinners give him a God-like worship feare him as the Saints do God himselfe Secondly the devils nature shewes his power 'T is Angelical Blesse the Lord ye his Angels that excel in strength Psal 103.20 Strength is put for Angels Psal 78.25 They did eat Angels food Heb. the food of the mighty In two things the power of Angelical nature will appear In its Superiority and in its Spirituality First its Superiority Angels are the top of the Creation man himself made a little lower then the Angels Now in the works of Creation the Superiour hath a power over the Inferiour the beasts over the grasse and herb man over the beasts and Angels over man Secondly the Spirituality of their nature The weaknesse of man is from his flesh his soule made for great enterprizes but weighed down with a lump of flesh is forced to rowe with a strength suitable to its weak Partner but now the devils being Angels have no such incumbrance no sumes from a fleshly part to cloud their understanding which is clear and piercing no clog at their heele to retard their motion which for swiftnesse is set out by the winde and flame of fire Yea being spiritual they cannot be resisted with carnal force fire and sword hurt not them The Angel which appear'd to Manoah went up in the fire that consumed the sacrifice though such hath been the dotage and is at this day of superstitious ones that they think to charme the devil with their carnal exorcismes hence the Romish Reliques Crosse holy water yea and among the Jewes themselves in corrupter times who thought by their phylacteries and Circumcision to scare away the devil which made some of them expound that Cant.
him out of his new way or if that take not by turning their old love into bitter wrath against him for playing the Apostate and leaving him so Or if yet he will not be stopt in his way then he hath his daubing Preachers still like Iobs messengers the last the worst who with their soul-flattering or rather murdering doctrine shall go about to heal his wound slightly Now as ever you desire to get out of Satans bondage have a care of all these harden thy self against the entreaties of carnal friends and relations Resolve that if thy children should hang about thy knees to keep thee from Christ thou wilt throw them away If thy father and mother should lie prostrate at thy foot rather then not go to Christ to go over their very backs to him Never can we part with their love upon such advantageous termes as these And for thy brethren in iniquity I hope thou doest not mean to stay while thou hast their good will then even ask the devils also Heaven is but little worth if thou hast not a heart to despise a little shame and beare a few frumps from prophane Ishmaels for thy hopes of it Let them spit on thy face Christ will wipe it off let them laugh so thou winnest If they follow not thy example before they die the shame will be their own God himself shall spit it on their face before men and Angels and then kick them into hell And lastly scape but the snare of those flatterers who use their tongues only to lick sinners consciences whole with their placentia's soothing doctrine and thou art faire for a Christ ask not counsel of them they may go about to give you ease but all those stitches with which they sowe up thy wounds must be ripp't open or thou diest for it Thirdly Satan labours to while off the sinner with delayes Floating flitting thoughts of repenting he feares not he can give sinners leave to talk what they will do so he can beg time and by his Art keep such thoughts from coming to a head and ripening into a present resolution few are in hell but thought of repenting but Satan so handled the matter that they could never pitch upon the time in earnest when to do it If ever thou meanest to get out of his clutches flie out of his doors and run for thy life whereever this warning findes thee stay not though in the midst of thy joyes with which thy lusts entertain thee As the paper which came to Brentius from that Senatour his dear friend took him at supper with his wife and children and bade him flee citò citiùs citissimè which he did leaving his dear company and sweet cheere so do thou or else thou mayest repent thy stay when 't is too late A vision charged the wise men to go back another way and not so much as see Herod though he had charged them otherwise O go not back drunkard to thy good fellows adulterer to thy Queanes covetous wretch to thy usury and unlawful gaine turne another way and gratifie not the devil a moment The command saith now repent the Imperative hath no future tense God saith To day while it is to day The devil saith To morrow which wilt thou obey God or him Thou sayest thou meanest at last to do it then why not now Wilt thou stand with God for a day or two huckle with him for a penny Heaven is not such a hard pennyworth but thou mayest come up to his termes And which is the morrow thou meanest thou hast but a day in thy life for ought thou knowest where then canst thou find a morrow for repentance but shouldest thou have as many dayes to come is Methuselah lived yet know sin is hereditary and such sort of diseases grow more upon us with our years 'T is with long accustomed sinners as with those who have sate long under a Government they rather like to be as they are though but ill on it then think of a change or like those who in a journey have gone out of their way all the day will rather take any new way overhedge and ditch then think of going so far back to be set right Fourthly Satan labours to comprimise the businesse and bring it to a composition between him and Christ when conscience will not be pacified then Satan for quiets sake will yield to something as Pharaoh with Moses after much ado he is willing they should go Exod. 8.28 And Pharaoh said I will let you go that you may sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wildernesse But then comes in his caution only you shall not go very farre away Thus Satan will yield the sinner may pray and heare the Word and make a goodly Profession so he doth not go very far but that he may have him again at night If God hath the mattins he looks for the vigils and thus he is content the day should be divided Doth conscience presse a reformation and change of the sinners course rather then faile he 'll grant that also yet as Pharaoh when he yielded they should go he meant their little ones should stay behinde as a pledge for those that went Exod. 10.11 So Satan must have some one sin that must be spared and no matter though it be a little one Now if ever you would get out of the devils rule make no composition with him Christ will be King or no King Not a hoofe must be left behinde or any thing which may make an errand for thee afterwards to return Take therefore thy everlasting farewel of every sin as to the sincere and fixt purpose of thy heart or thou doest nothing Paul joynes his faith and his purpose togethes 2 Tim. 3.10 not the one without the other At the promulgation of the Law in Sinai God did as it were give Israel the oath of Allegiance to him then he told them what law he would rule them by and they gave their consent this was the espousal which God puts them in minde of Jerem. 2. in which they were solemnly married together as King and subjects Now mark before God would do this he will have them out of Egypt They could not obey his lawes and Pharaoh's idolatrous customes also and therefore he will have them out before he solemnly espouseth them to be a Nation peculiarly his Thou must be a widow before Christ marry thee he will not lie by the side of anothers wife O that it were come to this then the match would soon be made between Christ and thee Let me ask thee poor soul hast thou seriously considered who Christ is and what his sweet Government is and couldest thou finde in thy heart out of an inward abhorrency of sin and Satan and a liking to Christ to renounce sin and Satan and choose Christ for thy Lord Doth thy soule say as Rebecca I will go if I could tell how to get to him But alas I am here a poore
prisoner I cannot shake off my fetters and set my self at liberty to come unto Christ Well poor soul canst thou groan heartily under thy bondage then for thy comfort know thy deliverance is at the door he that heard the cry of Israel in Egypt will hear thine also yea come and save thee out of the hands of thy lusts He will not as some who entangle thy affections by making love to thee and then give over the suit and come at thee no more If Christ has won thy heart he 'll be true to thee and be at all the cost to bring thee out of thy prison-house also yea take the paines to come for thee himselfe and bring with him these wedding-garments in which he will carry thee from thy prison to his Fathers house with joy where thou shalt live not only as a subject under his Law but as a Bride in the bosome of his love and what can be added to thy happinesse more when thy Prince is thy husband and that such a Prince to whom all other are vassals even the Prince of the world himself and yet so gracious that his Majesty hinders not his familiar converse with thee a poor creature but addes to the condescent thereof therefore God chooseth to mixe names of greatnesse and relation together the one to sweeten the other Thy Maker is thy husband thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel The God of the whole earth shall he be called Isa 54.5 And to usher in those promises with titles of greatest dread and terrour to the creature that hold forth the greatest condescensions of love How can God stoop lower then to come and dwell with a poor humble soule which is more then if he had said such a one should dwell with him for a beggar to live at Court is not so much as the King to dwell with him in this cottage Yet this promise is usher'd in with the most magnificent titles Thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabits eternity whose Name is holy I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit Isa 57.15 and why such titles but to take away the feares which his Saints are prone to take up from them Will the high and lofty One saith the humble soule look on me a poor worme will the Holy God come near such an unclean creature saith the contrite one Isaiah himself cried he was undone at the sight of God and this attribute proclaim'd before him Isa 6. Now God prefixeth these that the creature may know his Majesty and holinesse which seems so terrible to us are no prejudice to his love yea so gracious a Prince is thy husband that he delights rather his Saints should call him by names of love then state Thou shalt call me Ishi and shalt no more call me Baali Hos 2.16 that is my Husband not my Lord. SECT IV. The second point follows Ignorance above other sins enslaves a soule to Satan a knowing man may be his slave but an ignorant one can be no other Knowledge doth not make the heart good but it is impossible that without knowledge it should be good There are some sins which an ignorant person cannot commit there are more which he cannot but commit Knowledge is the Key Luke 11.52 Christ the door John 15. Christ opens Heaven Knowledge opens Christ In three particulars the Point will appear more fully First ignorance opens a doore for sinne to enter Secondly as ignorance lets sin in so it locks it up in the soule and the soule in it Thirdly as it locks it up so it shuts all meanes of help out First Ignorance opens the door for Satan to enter in with his troops of lusts where the watch is blinde the City is soon taken an ignorant man sins and like drunken Lot he knowes not when the tempter comes nor when he goes he is like a man that walks in his sleep knowes not where he is nor what he does Father forgive them said Christ they know not what they do The Apostle 1 Cor. 15. having reproved the sensuality of some verse 32. who made the consideration of death by which others are awed from sinne a provocative to sinne Let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall die he gives an account of this absurd reasoning All have not the knowledge of God An ignorant person is a man in shape and a beast in heart There is no knowledge in the land saith the Prophet Hosea 4.2 and see what a regiment followes this blinde Captain swearing lying killing stealing and what not We reade 2 Tim. 3.5 of some laden with sins here are trees full of bitter fruit and what dung shall we finde at the root that makes them so fruitfull but ignorance silly women and such who never come to the knowledge of the truth Secondly ignorance as it lets sin in so it locks it up and the soule in it such a one lies in Satans inner dungeon where no light of conviction comes darknesse inclines to sleep a blinde minde and a drowsie conscience go together When the storme arose the mariners who were awake fell a praying to their God but the sleeper feares nothing Ignorance layes the soule asleep under the hatches of stupidity God hath planted in the beast a natural feare of that which threatens hurt to it Go to thrust a beast into a pit and it hangs back nature shewes its abhorrency Man being of a nobler nature and subject to more dangers God hath set a double guard on him as a natural feare of danger so a natural shame that covers the face at the doing of any unworthy action Now an ignorant man hath slipt from both these his Keepers he sins and blusheth not because he knowes not his guilt he wants that Magistrate within which should put him to shame neither is he afraid because he knowes not his danger and therefore he playes with his sin as the childe with the waves that by and by will swallow him up Conscience is Gods alarm to call the sinner up It doth not alwayes ring in his eare that hath knowledge being usually set by God to go off at some special houre when God is speaking in an Ordinance or striking in a Providence but in an ignorant soule this is silent The Clock cannot go when the weights are taken off Conscience is only a witnesse to what it knows Thirdly ignorance shuts out the means of recovery Friends and Ministers yea Christ himself stands without and cannot help the creature as such threatenings and promises all of no use he feares not the one he desires not the other because he knows neither Heaven-way cannot be found in the dark and therefore the first thing God doth is to spring in with a light and let the creature know where he is and what the way is to get out of his prison-house without which all attempts to escape are in vain There is some shimmering
for holding the truth in unrighteousnesse Rom. 1.18 the next news you hear of them is that they became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkned ver 21. Thirdly ply the throne of grace Bene orasse est bene studuisse he is the best student in divinity that studies most upon his knee Knowledge is a divine gift all light is from heaven God is the Father of light and prayer puts the soule under the pupillage of God If any one lack wisdom let him ask it of God This is more then naked knowledge wisdome how to use it Study may make one a great Scholar in the Scriptures but prayer makes a wise Christian as it obtains sanctified knowledge without which it is no perfect gift but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a gift and no gift Pray then with an humble boldnesse God gives it to all that ask and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 candidly liberally not like proud man who will rather put one to shame who is weak for his ignorance then take the paines to teach him Thy petition is very pleasing to God Remember how Solomon sped upon the like occasion and promise thy self the same successe Christs School is a free School he denies none that come to him so they will submit to the orders of the School and though all have not an answer in the same degree of knowledge it is not needful that all should be Solomons in knowledge except all were to be Solomons in place yet the meanest disciple that Christ sends forth shall be furnished with saving knowledge enough to fit him for his admittance into heavens Academy Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel and after bring me to glory Fourthly thou must bestow some time for thy diligent search after truth Truth lies deep and must be digged for Since man was turned out of Paradise he can do nothing without labour except sinne this follows his hand indeed but this treasure of knowledge calls for spade and Mattock We are bid search the Scripture and Dan. 12.4 Many shall runne to and fro and knowledge shall be encreased a Metaphor from Merchants who bestirre themselves to get an estate runne to and fro first in one land then in another where-ever they hear of any thing to be got thither they post though to the ends of the earth Thus must the soul runne from one duty to another one while read and anon meditate of what he hath read then pray over his meditations and aske counsel after all What is the meaning of this and how understand you that Non schola Epicuri fecit magnos viros sed contubernium There is more light got sometimes by a short conference with the Preacher then by his whole Sermon Be sure thou compasse all the means for knowledge within the walk of thy endeavour In this thy search for knowledge observe three things First the end thou proposest that it be pure and holy not meerly to know as some do who labour for knowledge as many for estates and when they have got it look on their notions as they on their bags of money but have not a heart to use their knowledge for their own or others good this is a sore evil Speculative knowledge like Rachel is faire but barren Not to be known and admired by others for thy stature in knowledge above thy Brethren verily it is too base an end to aime at in seeking knowledge especially such as is the knowledge of God and Christ To see a Heathen study for knowledge in Philosophy and then carry all his labour to this market and think himself rewarded with obtaining the name for a wise man is though base yet more tolerable but for one that knows God and what it is to enjoy him for such a one to content himself with a blast or two of sorry mans vain breath this is folly with a witnesse look thou fliest higher in thy end then so Labour for knowledge that thou mayest fear God whom thou knowest thus David Psal 119.33 Teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes and I shall keep it unto the end The Word of God is called a light unto our feet not to our tongues meerly to talk of but feet to walk by Endeavour for it not that thou may'st spread thy own name but celebrate Gods As David promiseth when he understands the precepts of God then he will talk of his wondrous works he will trumpet the fame of them and thereby awaken others to enquire after God Secondly when thy end is right set then thou must be constant in thy endeavour after it The mysteries of Christ are not learnt in a day Then shall we know if we follow on to know the Lord Hos 6.3 Some are in a good mood may be and they will look into the Bible and read a chapter or two and away they go for a week and never practise it more like some boyes if at School one day truant all the week after is it any wonder such thrive not in knowledge It is a good speech of Bernard Tantum distat studium à lectione quantum amicitia ab hospitio socialis affectio à fortuit â salutatione The study of the Word and the reading of it differs as much as the friendship of such who every day converse lovingly together doth from the acquaintance one hath with a stranger at an Inne or whom he salutes as he passeth by in the street If you will get knowledge indeed you must not onely salute the Word now and then but walk with it and enter into daily converse with it The three men who were indeed Angels that stood by Abraham as he sat at his Tent-door were reserved and strange till Abraham invited them into his Tent and entertain'd them friendly and then Christ who was one among them as appears by the Name Jehovah given him in several verses and also by what he promised he would do for Sarah ver 10. not what God would do which if a created Angel he would begins to discover himself to Abraham and reveale his secrets to him That soul above others shall be acquainted with the secrets of God in his Word that doth not slightly read the Word and as it were complement with it at his tent-doore but desires more intimacy with it and therefore entertaines it within his soul by frequent meditating of it David compares the Word for sweetnesse to the honey and the honey-combe Indeed it is so full that at first reading some sweetnesse will now and then drop from it but he that doth not presse it by meditation leaves the most behinde Thirdly Be sure thou takest the right order and method Arts and Sciences have their rudiments and also their more abstruse and deep notions and sure the right end to begin at is first to learn the principles he we say is not like to make a good Scholar in the University that never was good Grammar-Scholar And they cannot be solid
when meat is eaten and digested it is not to be found as it was received but the man is cheered and strengthened by it more able to walke and work then before by which you may know it is not lost so you may taste the truths the Christian heard in his spirit see them in his life Perhaps if you aske him what the particulars were the Minister had about faith mortification repentance and the like he cannot tell you yet this you may finde his heart is more broken for sin more enabled to rely on the promises and now weaned from the world As that good woman answered one that coming from Sermon ask't her what she remembred of the Sermon said she could not at present recal much but she heard that which should make her reforme some things as soon as she came home Secondly meditate on what thou hearest by this David got more wisdome then his teachers Observe what truth what Scripture is cleared to thee in the Sermon more then before take some time in secret to converse with it and make it thereby familiar to thy understanding Meditation to the Sermon is what the harrow is to the seed it covers those truths which else might have been pickt or washt away I am afraid there are many proofs turned down at a Sermon that are hardly turned up and lookt on any more when the Sermon is done and if so you make others believe you are greater traders for your souls then you are indeed as if one should come to a shop and lay by a great deal of rich ware and when he hath done goes away and never calls for it O take heed of such doings The hypocrite cheats himself worst at last Thirdly discharge thy memory of what is sinful We wipe our table-book and deface what is there scribled before we can write new There is such a contrariety betwixt the truths of God and all that is frothy and sinful that one puts out the other if you would retain the one you must let the other go CHAP. VI. Of the Spirituality of the devils nature and their extreme wickednesse Against spiritual wickednesse THese words are the fourth branch in the deseription Spiritual wickednesses and our contest or combate with them as such exprest by the adversative particle Against in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 word for word Against the Spirituals of wickednesse which is say some against wicked spirits that is true but not all I conceive with many Interpreters not only the spiritual nature of the devil and the wickednesse thereof to be intended but also yea chiefly the nature and kinde of those sins which these wicked spirits do most usually and vigourously provoke the Saints unto and they are the spirituals of wickednesse not those grosse fleshly sinnes which the herd of beastly sinners like swine wallow in but sin spirituallized and this because it is not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not spirits but spirituals The words present us with these three doctrinal Conclusions First the devils are spirits Secondly the devils are spirits extremely wicked Thirdly these wicked spirits do chiefly annoy the Saints with and provoke them to spiritual wickednesses First of the first SECT I. First they are spirits Spirit is a word of various acception in Scripture Amongst other used often to set forth the essence and nature of Angels good and evil both which are called spirits The holy Angels Heb. 1.14 Are they not all ministring spirits The evil There came forth a spirit and stood before the Lord and said I will perswade him 1 Kings 22.21 that spirit was a devil How oft is the devil call'd the unclean spirit foule spirit lying spirit c. Sin did not alter their substance for then as one saith well that nature and substance which transgrest could not be punish't First the devil is a spirit that is his essence is immaterial and simple not compounded as corporal beings are of matter and forme Handle and see me saith Christ to his disciples that thought they had seen a Spirit a Spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have Luke 24.39 If they were not thus immaterial how could they enter into bodies and possesse them as the Scripture tells us they have even a legion into one man Luke 8.30 one body cannot thus enter into another Secondly the devils are spiritual substances not qualities or evil motions arising from us as some have absurdly conceived So the Sadduces and others following them deny any such being as Angel good or evil but this is so fond a conceit that we must both forfeit our reason and deny the Scriptures to maintain it where we finde their Creation related Col. 1.18 the fall of some from their first estate Jude 6. and the standing of others called the Elect Angels The happinesse of the one who behold Gods face and their employment are sent out to attend on the Saints as servants on their Masters heirs Heb. 1. The misery of the other reserved in chaines of darknesse unto the judgement of the great day and their present work which is to do mischief to the souls and bodies of men as far as they are permitted all which shew their subsistence plain enough But so immerst is sorry man in flesh that he will not easily beleeve what he sees not with his fleshly eyes upon the same account we may deny the being of God himself because invisible Thirdly they are entire spiritual substances which have every very one proper existence and thus they are distinguish't from the souls of men which are made to subsist in a humane body and together with it to make one perfect man so that the soule though when separated from the body it doth exist yet hath a tendency to union with its body again Fourthly they are though entire spiritual substances yet finite being but creatures God only is the uncreated infinite and absolutely simple Spirit yea Father of all other spirits Now from this spiritual nature of the devil we may further see what a dreadful enemy we have to grapple with First as spirits they are of vast intellectual abilities Sorry man while in this dark prison of the body hath not light enough to know what Angelical perfections are that they excel in knowledge all other creatures we know because as Spirits they come nearest by Creation to the Nature of God that made them the heavens are not lift higher from the earth then Angels by knowledge from man while on earth Man by Art hath leatn't to take the height of the stars of heaven but where is he that can tell how far in knowledge Angels exceed man 'T is true they have lost much of that knowledge they had even all their knowledge as holy Angels what now they know of God hath lost its savour and they have no power to use it for their own good What Jude saith of wicked men may be said of them What they
up 't is a sad signe he means not to sowe the seed of grace there O sinners pray as he did request Peter for him that none of these things may come upon you which that they may not take heed thou rejectest not the offers he makes to soften thee Gods hardening is a consequent of and a punishment for our hardening our own hearts 'T is most true what Prosper saith Potest homo invitus amittere temporalia non nisi volens amittere spiritualia A man may lose temporals against hia will but not spirituals God will harden none damn none against their will CHAP. XII Sheweth what the Prize is which believers wrestle against these Principalities Powers and Spiritual wickednesses for In High Places SECT I. THese words contain the last Branch in the description of our grand enemy which have in them some ambiguity the Adjective being only exprest in the Original 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is in heavenlies the phrase being defective our Translatours read it in high or heavenly places as if the Apostle intended to set out the advantage of place which this our enemy by being above us hath of us Indeed this way most Interpreters go yet some both ancient and modern reade the words not in heavenly places but in heavenly things interpreting the Apostles mind to set out the matter about which or prize for which we wrestle with Principalities and Powers to be heavenly things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith Oecumenius is as much as if the Apostle had said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We wrestle not for small and trivial things but for yea for heaven it self and our Adoption as he goes on The same way Chrysostome carries it in coelestibus id est pro coelestibus Dei And after him Musculus and other modern Writers The Reasons which are given for this Interpretation are weighty First the word elsewhere indefinitely set down is taken for things not places Heb. 8.5 nay one observes this word to be used almost twenty times in the New Testament and never for any aërial place but alwayes for things truly heavenly and spiritual the word indeed properly signifies supercelestial and if applied to places would signifie that where the devil never came since his fall Lastly there seems no great argument to render Satan formidable by his being above us in place 't is some advantage indeed to men togain the hill or be above their enemies in some place of strength but none at all to spirits but now take it of things and then it addes weight to all the other branches of the description We wrestle with Principalities and Powers and Spiritual wickednesse and against all these not for such toyes and trifles as the earth affords which are inconsiderable whether to keep or lose but for such as heaven holds forth such an enemy and such a prize makes it a matter of our greatest care how to manage the combate The word thus opened the note will be this SECT II. The chief prize for which we wrestle against Satan is heavenly Or thus Satans main designe is to spoil and plunder the Christian of all that is heavenly Indeed all the Christian hath or desires as a Christian is heavenly the world is extrinsecal both to his being and happinesse it is a stranger to the Christian and intermeddles not with his joy nor grief Heap all the riches and honours of the world upon a man they will not make him a Christian heap them on a Christian they will not make him a better Christian Again take them all away let every bird have his feather when stript and naked he will still be a Christian and may be a better Christian It was a notable speech of Erasmus if spoken in earnest and his wit were not too quick for his conscience Nihilo magìs ambio opes dignitates quà m elumbis equus graves sarcinas He said he desired wealth and honour no more then a feeble horse doth a heavy cloak-bag And I think every Christian in his right temper would be of his minde Satan should do the Saint little hurt if he did bend his forces only or chiefly against his outward enjoyments alas the Christian doth not value them or himself by them this were as if one should think to hurt a man by beating of his clothes when he hath put them off So far as the Spirit of grace prevails in the heart of a Saint he hath put off the world in the desire of it and joy in it so that these blowes are not much felt and therefore they are his heavenly treasures which are the booty Satan waits for SECT III. First the Christians nature is heavenly borne from above As Christ is the Lord from heaven so all his off-spring are heavenly and holy now Satans design is to debase and deflower this 't is the precious life of this new creature that he hunts for he hath lost that beauty of holinesse which once shone so gloriously on his Angelical nature and now like a true Apostate he endeavours to ruine that in the Christian which he hath lost himself The seeds of this warre are sowen in the Christians nature you are holy that he cannot endure Milet feri faciem was Caesars speech when to fight with the Romane Citizens he bade his souldiers strike at their face these Citizens said he love their beauty marre that and marre all The soul is the face whereon Gods image is stamp't holinesse is the beauty of this face which makes us indeed like God this Satan knowes God loves and the Saint is chary of and therefore he labours to wound and disfigure this that he may at once glory in the Christians shame and poure contempt upon God in breaking his image and is it not worth engaging limbe and life in battel against this enemy who would rob us of that which makes us like God himself Have you forgot the bloody Articles of peace that Nahash offered to the men of Jabesh-Gilead no peace to be had except they would let him thrust out their right eyes and lay it for a reproach upon all Israel which how it was entertained reade 1 Sam 11.6 The face is not so deformed that hath lost its eye as the soule is that loseth its holinesse and no peace to be expected at Satans hands except he may deprive us of this Me thinks at the thought of this the Spirit of the Lord should come upon the Christian and his anger should be kindled much more against this cursed spirit then Sauls and the men of Israels was against Nahash Secondly the Christians trade is heavenly the merchandize he deals for is of the growth of that heavenly Countrey Phil. 3.20 Our conversation is in heaven Every mans conversation is suitable to his calling he whose trade lies in the earth minds earthly things and he whose trade is heavenly followes that close Every man mindes his own businesse the Apostle tells us You may possibly finde
others but most of all themselves such may be the worlds Saints but devils in Christs account Have not I chosen twelve one of you is a devil And truly of all devils none so bad as the professing devil the preaching praying devil O Sirs be plain-hearted Religion is as tender as your eye it will not be jested with Remember the vengeance which fell on Belshazzar while he carowsed in the bowles of the Sanctuary Religion and the duties of it are consecrated things not made for thee to drink thy lusts out of God hath remarkably appeared in discovering and confounding such as have prostituted sacred things to worldly ends Jezabel fasts and prayes the better to devoure Naboths vineyard but was devoured by it Absalom was as sick till he had ravish't his fathers Crown as his brother Amnon till he had done the like to his sister and to hide his treason he puts on a religious cloak and therefore begs leave to go and pay his vow in Hebron when he had another game in chase and did he not fall by the hand of his hypocrisie of all men their judgement is endorst with most speed who silver over worldly or wicked enterprises with heavenly semblances of this gang were those 2 Pet. 2.3 concerning whom the Apostle saith Their damnation slumbers not and those Ezek. 14.7 8. to whom God saith I the Lord will answer him by my selfe and I will set my face against that man and will make him a signe and a Proverb and I will cut him off from the midst of my people and ye shall know that I am the Lord. Vse 2 Secondly try whether they be heavenly things or earthly thou chiefly pursuest certainly friends we need not be so ignorant of our soules state and affairs did we oftner converse with our thoughts and observe the haunts of our hearts we soon can tell what dish pleaseth our palate best and may you not tell whether heaven or earth be the most savoury meat to your souls and if you should ask how you might know whether heaven be the prize you chiefly desire I would put you only upon this double trial First art thou uniforme in thy pursuit Doest thou contend for heaven and that which leads to heaven also Earthly things God is pleased to retaile all have some none have all but in heavenly treasure he will not break the whole piece and cut it into remnants If thou wilt have heaven thou must have Christ if Christ thou must like his service as well as his sacrifice no holinesse no happinesse If God would cut off so much as would serve mens turnes he might have customers enough Balaam himself likes one end of the piece he would die like a righteous man though live like a wizzard as he was no God will not deal with such pedling Merchants that man alone is for God and God for him who will come roundly up to Gods offer and take all off his hands One fitly compares holinesse and happinesse to those two sisters Leah and Rachel Happinesse like Rachel seems the fairer even a carnal heart may fall in love with that but holinesse like Leah is the elder and beautiful also though in this life it appears with some disadvantage her eyes being blear'd with teares of repentance and her face furrowed with the works of mortification but this is the Law of that heavenly countrey that the younger Sister must not be bestowed before the elder We cannot enjoy faire Rachel Heaven and Happinesse except first we embrace tender-eyed Leah Holinesse with all her severe duties of repentance and mortification Now Sirs how like you this method Art thou content to marry Christ and his grace and then serving a hard Apprenticeship in temptations both of prosperity and adversity enduring the heat of the one and the cold of the other to wait till at last the other be given into thy bosome Secondly if indeed heaven and heavenly things be the prize thou wrestlest for thou wilt discover a heavenly deportment of heart even in earthly things whereever you meet a Christian he is going to Heaven Heaven is at the bottome of his lowest actions Now observe thy heart in three particulars In getting in using and in keeping earthly things whether it be after a heavenly manner First In getting earthly things If Heaven be thy chief prize then thou wilt be ruled by a heavenly Law in the gathering of these Take a carnal wretch and what his heart is set on he will have though it be by hook or crook A lie fits Gehazi's mouth well enough so he may fill his pockets by it Jezabel dares mock God and murder an innocent man for an acre or two of ground Absalom regnandi causâ what will he not do Gods fence is too low to keep a gracelesse heart in bounds when the game is before him but a soule that hath heaven in its eye is ruled by heavens law he dares not step out of heavens road to take up a crown as we see in Davids carriage towards Saul Indeed in so doing he should crosse himself in his own grand design which is the glory of God and the happinesse of his own soul in enjoying of him upon these very termes the servants of God have refused to be rich and great in the world when either of these lay at stake Moses threw his Court-preferment at his heels refusing to be call'd the son of Pharaohs daughter Abraham scorned to be made rich by the King of Sodom Gen. 14.22 that he might avoid the suspicion of covetousnesse and self-seeking it shall not be said another day that he came to enrich himself with the spoil more then to rescue his kinsmen Nehemiah would not take the taxe and tribute to maintain his state when he knew they were a poor peeled people because of the fear of the Lord. Doest thou walk by this rule wouldest thou gather no more estate or honour then thou mayest have with Gods leave and will stand with thy hopes of heaven Secondly doest thou discover a heavenly Spirit in using these things First the Saint improves his earthly things for an heavenly end where layest thou up thy treasure doest thou bestow it on thy voluptuous paunch thy hawks and thy hounds or lockest thou it up in the bosome of Christs poor members what use makest thou of thy honour and greatnesse to strengthen the hands of the godly or the wicked and so of all thy other temporal enjoyments A gracious heart improves them for God when a Saint prayes for these things he hath an eye to some heavenly end If David prayes for life it is not that he may live but live and praise God Psal 119 175. When he was driven from his regal throne by the rebellious armes of Absalom see what his desire was and hope 2 Sam. 15.25 The King said to Zadock Carry back the Ark of God into the City if I shall-finde favour in the eyes of the Lord he will bring
Had we to do with an enemy that came only to plunder us of earthly trifles would honours estates and what this world affords us stay his stomack it might suffer a debate in a soule that hath hopes of heaven whether it were worth fighting to keep this lumber but Christ and heaven these sure are too precious to part withal upon any termes Ask the Kingdom for him also said Solomon to Bath-sheba when she begg'd Abishag for Adonijah What can the devil leave thee worth if he deprive thee of these and yet I confesse I have heard of one that wished God would let him alone and not take him from what he had here Vile Brute the voice of a swine and not a man that could chuse to wallow in the dung and ordure of his carnal pleasures and wish himself for ever shut up with his swill in the hogs coat of this dunghil earth rather then leave these to dwell in Heavens Palace and be admitted to no meaner pleasures then what God himself with his Saints enjoy It were even just if God gave such brutes as these a swines face to their swinish hearts But alas how few then should we meet that would have the countenance of a man the greatest part of the world even all that are carnal and worldly being of the same minde though not so impudent as that wretch to speak what they think The lives of men tell plain enough that they say in their hearts it is good being here that they wish they could build Tabernacles on earth for all the mansions that are prepared in heaven The transgression of the wicked said in Davids heart that the feare of God was not before them Psal 36.1 and may not the worldlinesse of a muck-worm say in the heart of any rational man that heaven and heavenly excellencies are not before their eyes or thoughts O what a deep silence is there concerning these in the conversations of men Heaven is such a stranger to the most that very few are heard to enquire the way thither or so much as ask the question in earnest what they shall do to be saved The most expresse no more desires of attaining heaven then those blessed souls now in heaven do of coming again to dwell on earth Alas their heads are full of other projects they are either as Israel scatter'd over the face of the earth to gather straw or busied in picking that straw they have gathered labouring to get the world or pleasing themselves with what they have got So that it is no more then needs to use some arguments to call men off the world to the pursuit of heaven and what is heavenly First for earthly things it is not necessary that thou hast them that is necessary which cannot be supplied per vicarium with somewhat besides it self Now there is no such earthly enjoyment but may be so supplied as to make its room more desirable then its company In Heaven there shall be light and no Sun a rich feast and yet no meat glorious robes and yet no cloathes thete shall want nothing and yet none of this worldly glory be found there yea even while we are here they may be recompenced thou mayest be under infirmities of body and yet better then if thou hadst health The Inhabitant shall not say I am sick the people that dwell therin shall be forgiven their iniquiâ—y Isa 33.34 Thou mayest misse of worldly honour and obtain with those Worthies of Christ Heb. 11. a good report by faith and that is a name better then of the great ones of the earth thou mayest be poor in the world and yet rich in grace and Godlinesse with content is great gaine In a word if thou partest with thy temporal life and findest an eternal what doest thou lose by the change but heaven and heavenly things are such as cannot be recompenced with any other Thou hast a heavenly soul in thy bosome lose that and where canst thou have another There is but one heaven misse that and where can you take up your lodging but in hell One Christ that can lead you thither reject him and there remains no more sacrifice for sinne O that men would think on these things Go sinner to the world and see what it can afford you in lieu of these may be it will offer to entertain you with its pleasures and delights O poor reward for the losse of Christ and heaven Is this all thou canst get doth Satan rob thee of heaven and happinesse and only give thee this posie to smell on as thou art going to thy execution will these quench hell-fire or so much as cool those flames thou art falling into who but those that have foredone their understandings would take these toyes and new nothings for Christ and heaven while Satan is pleasing your fancies with these rattles and bables his hand is in your treasure robbing you of that which is only necessary 'T is more necessary to be saved then to be better not to be then to have a being in hell Secondly earthly things are such as it is a great uncertainty whether with all our labour we can have them or not The world though so many thousand years old hath not learn't the Merchant such a method of trading as that from it he may infallibly conclude he shall at last get an estate by his trade nor the Courtier such rules of comporting himself to the humour of his Prince as to assure him he shall rise They are but few that carry away the prize in the worlds lottery the greater number have only their labour for their paines and a sorrowful remembrance left them of their egregious folly to be led such a wilde goose chase after that which hath deceived them at last But now for heaven and the things of heaven there is such a clear and certain rule laid down that if we will but take the counsel of the Word we can neither mistake the way nor in that way miscarry of the end As many as walk by this rule peace be upon them and the whole Israel of God There are some indeed who run and yet obtain not this prize that seek find not knock and find the door shut upon them but it is because they do it either not in the right manner or in the right season Some would have heaven but if God save them he must save their sins also for they do not mean to part with them and how heaven can hold God and such company together judge you As they come in at one door Christ and all those holy spirits with him would run out at the other Ungratful wretches that will not come to this glorious feast unlesse they may bring that with them which would disturb rhe joy of that blisseful state and offend all the guests that sit at the Table with them yea drive God out of his own mansion-house A second sort would have heaven but like him in Ruth
ch 4. v. 2 3 4. who had a minde to his Kinsman Elimelechs land and would have paid for the purchase but he liked not to have it by marrying Ruth and so missed of it Some seem very forward to have heaven and salvation if their own righteousnesse could procure the same all the good they do and duties they performe they lay up for this purchase but at last perish because they close not with Christ and take not heaven in his right A third sort are content to have it by Christ but their desires are so impotent and listlesse that they put them upon no vigourous use of means to obtain him and so like the sluggard they starve because they will not pull their hands out of their bosome of sloth to reach their food that is before them for the world they have mettal enough and too much they trudge far and near for that and when they have run themselves out of breath can stand and pant after the dust of the earth as the Prophet phraseth it Amos 2.7 But for Christ and obtaining interest in him O how key-cold are they there is a kinde of cramp invades all the powers of their soules when they should pray hear examine their hearts draw out their affections in hungrings and thirstings after his grace and Spirit 'T is strange to see how they even now went full soop to the world are suddenly becalm'd not a breath of winde stirring to any purpose in their soules after these things and is it any wonder that Christ and Heaven should be denied to them that have no more mind to them Lastly some have zeal enough to have Christ Heaven but it is when the Master of the house is risen and hath shut to the door and truly then they may stand long enough rapping before any come to let them in There is no Gospel preached in another world but as for thee poor soul who art perswaded to renounce thy lusts throw away the conceit of thy own righteousnesse that thou mayest run with more speed to Christ and art so possest with the excellency of Christ thy own present need of him and salvation by him that thou pantest after him more then life it self In Gods Name go on and speed be of good comfort he calls thee by name to come unto him that thou mayest have rest for thy soul There is an office in the Word where thou mayest have thy soule and its eternal happinesse ensured to thee Those that come to him as he will himself in no wise cast away so not suffer any other to pluck them away This day saith Christ to Zaccheus salvation is come to thy house Luke 19.9 Salvation comes to thee poore soul that openest thy heart to receive Christ thou hast eternal life already as sure as if thou wert a glorified Saint now walking in that heavenly City O Sirs if there were a free trade proclaimed to the Indies enough gold for all that went and a certainty of making a safe voyage who would stay at home But alas this can never be had all this and infinitely more may be said for heaven and yet how few leave their uncertain hopes of the world to trade for it what account can be gi-given for this but the desperate atheisme of mens hearts they are not yet fully perswaded whether the Scripture speaks true or not whether they may relie upon the discovery that God makes in his Word of this new-found land and those mines of spiritual treasure there to be had as certain God open the eyes of the unbelieving world as he did the Prophets servants that they may see these things to be realities and not fictions 't is faith only that gives a being to these things in our hearts By faith Moses saw him that was invisible Thirdly earthly things when we have them we are not sure of them like birds they hop up and down now on this hedge and anon upon that none can call them his own rich to day and poor to morrow In health when we lie down and arrested with pangs of death before midnight Joyful Parents one while solacing our selves with the hopes of our budding posterity and may be ere long knocks one of Jobs messengers at our door to tell us they are all dead now in honour but who knows whether we shall not live to see that butied in scorn and reproach The Scripture compares the multitude of people to waters the great ones of the world sit upon these waters as the ship floates upon the waves so do their honours upon the breath and favour of the multitude and bow long is he like to sit that is carried upon a wave one while they are mounted up to heaven as David speaks of the ship and then down again they fall into the deep We have ten parts in the King say the men of Israel 2 Sam. 19.45 and in the very next verse Sheba doth but sound a trumpet of sedition saying We have no part in David no inheritance in the son of Jesse and the winde is in another corner presently for it 's said Every man of Israel went up from after David and followed Sheba Thus was David cried up and down and that almost in the same breath Unhappy man he that hath no surer portion then what this variable world will afford him The time of mourning for the departure of all earthly enjoyments is at hand we shall see them as Eglons servants did their Lord fallen down dead before us and weep because they are not What folly then is it to dandle this vaine world in our affections whose joy like the childes laughter on the mothers knee is sure to end in a cry at last and neglect heaven and heavenly things which endure for ever O remember Dives stirring up his pillow and composing himself to rest how he was call'd up with the tydings of death before he was warme in this his bed of ease and laid with sorrow on another which God had made for him in flames from whence we hear him roaring in the anguish of his conscience O soule couldest thou get but an interest in the heavenly things we are speaking of these would not thus slip from under thee heaven is a Kingdom that cannot be shaken Christ an abiding portion his graces and comforts sure waters that faile not but spring up unto eternal life The quailes that were food for the Israelites lust soon ceased but the rock that was drink to their faith followed them this rock is Christ make sure of him and he will make sure of thee he 'll follow thee to thy sick-bed and lie in thy bosome chearing thy heart with his sweet comforts when worldly joyes lie cold upon thee as Davids cloathes on him and no warmth of comfort to be got from them When thy outward senses are lock't up that thou canst neither see the face of thy dear friends nor hear the counsel and comfort they would give
embraced the present world O what mischief has Satan done us in these few late years in this one particular what is become of this communion of Saints where are there two or three to be found that can agree to walk together those that could formerly suffer together cannot sit together at their Fathers table can hardly pray one with or one for another the breath of one Christian is strange to another that once lay in his bosome This is a lamentation and shall be for a lamentation CHAP. V. The words opened and what is meant by the evill day That ye may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done c. WE come to the argument with which the Apostle urgeth the exhortation and that is double The first hath respect to the houre of battel that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day The second to the happy issue of the war which will crown the Christian thus arm'd and that is certain victory and having done all stand First of the first That ye may be able to withstand in the evil day But what is this evil day Some take this evil day to comprehend the whole life of a Christian here below in this vale of tears and then the argument runs thus Take to your selves the whole Armour of God that you may be able to persevere to the end of your life which you will finde as it were one continued day of trouble and trial Thus Jacob drawes a black line over his whole life Few and evil have the days of my life been Gen. 47. What day shines so faire that over casts not before night yea in which the Christian meets not with some shower or other enough to deserve the name of an evil day Every day hath its portion yea proportion Sufficient is the evil of the day We need not borrow and take up sorrows upon use of the morrow to make up our present load as we read of daily bread so of a daily crosse Luke 9.23 which we are bid to take not to make we need not make crosses for our selves as we are prone to do God in his Providence will provide one for us and we are bid to take it up but we hear nothing of laying it down till crosse and we lie down together our troubles and our lives are coetaneous live and die together here when joy comes sorrow is at its heel staffe and rod go together Job himself whose prosperity the devil so grudg'd and set forth in all his bravery and pomp Job 1.10 as if his Sun had no shadow heare what account this good man gives of this his most flourishing time chap. 3. 26. I was not in safety neither had I rest neither was I quiet There were some troubles that broke his rest when his bed was to thinking as sort as heart could wish even now this good man tosses and tumbles from one side to the other and is not quiet If one should have come to Job and blessed him with his happy condition and said Surely Job thou couldest be content with what thou hast for thy portion if thou mightest have all this setled on thee and thy heires after thee he would have said as once Luther that God should not put him off with these Such is the Saints state in this bottome that their very life here and all the pompous entertainments of it they are their crosse because they detain them from their crown We need nothing to make our life an evil day more then our absence from our chief good which cannot be recompenced by the world nor enjoyed with it Only this goodnesse there is in this evil that it is short our life is but an evil day it will not last long and sure it was mercy that God hath abridged so much of the terme of mans life in these last dayes wherein so much of Christ and Heaven are discovered that it would have put the Saints patience hard to it to have known so much of the upper worlds glory and then be kept so long from it as the Fathers in the first age were O comfort one another Christians with this though your life be evil with troubles yet 't is short a few steps and you are out of the raine There is great difference between a Saint in regard of the evils he meets with and the wicked as two travellers riding contrary wayes both taken in the rain and wet but one rides from the raine and so is soon out of the showre but the other rides into the rainy corner the further he goes the worse he is The Saint he meets with troubles as well as the wicked but he is soon out of the showre when death comes he has faire weather but the wicked the further he goes the worse what he meets with here is but a few drops the great storme is the last The pouring out of Gods wrath shall be in hell where all the deeps of horrour are opened both from above of Gods righteous fury and from beneath of their own accusing and tormenting consciences Secondly others take the phrase in a more restrained sense to denote those particular seasons of our life wherein more especially we meet with afflictions and sufferings Beza reads it tempore adverso in the time of our adversity Though our whole life be evil if compared with Heavens blisseful state our clearest day night to that glorious morning yet one part of our life compared with another may be called good and the other evil we have our vicissitudes here The Providences of God to his Saints here while on this low bottome of earth are mixt and particoloured as was signified by the speckled horses in Zechariahs vision Red and white peace and war joy and sorrow checker our days Earth is a middle place betwixt heaven and hell and so is our state here it partakes of both we go up hill and down till we get to our journeys end yea we finde the deepest slough nearest our fathers house Death I mean into which all the other troubles of out life fall as streames into some great river and with which they all end and are swallowed up This being the comprehensive evil I conceive to be meant here being made remarkable by a double article 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that day that evil day not excluding those other dayes of tribulation which intervene These are but so many petty deaths every one snatching away a piece of our lives with them or like Pages sent before to usher in this King of terrours that comes behinde The phrase being opened let us consider the strength of this first argument with which the Apostle reinforceth his exhortation of taking to our selves the whole Armour of God and that consists in three weighty circumstances First the nature and quality of this day of affliction it is an evil day Secondly the unavoidablenesse of this evil day of affliction implied in the forme of speech that
you may withstand in the evil day He shuts out all hope of escaping as if he had said you have no way but to withstand please not your selves with thoughts of shunning battel the evil day must come be you arm'd or notarm'd Thirdly the necessity of this armour to withstand As we cannot run from it so not bear up before it and oppose the force which will be made against us except clad with Armour These would afford several points but for brevity we shall lay them together in one Conclusion CHAP. VI. Sheweth that the day of affliction is evil and in what respects as also unavoidable and why to be prepared for IT behoves everyone to arme and prepare himself for the evil day of affliction and death which unavoidably he must conflict with The point hath three branches First the day of affliction and death is an evil day Secondly this evil day is unavoidable Thirdly it behoves every one to provide for this evil day First of the first branch the day of affliction especially death is an evil day Here we must shew how affliction is evil and how not First it is not morally or intrinsecally evil if it were evil in this sense First God could not be the author of it his nature is so pure that no such evil can come from him any more then the Sunnes light can make night But this evil of affliction he voucheth for his own act Against this family do I devise an evil Mic. 3.2 yea more he impropriates it so to himself as that he will not have us think any can do us evil beside himself 'T is the Prerogative he glories in that there is no evil in the City but it is of his doing Amos 3.6 And well it is for the Saints that their crosses are all made in heaven they would not else be so fitted to their backs as they are But for the evil of sin he disownes it with a strict charge that we lay not this brat which is begotten by Satan upon our impure hearts at his door Let no man say when he is tempted I am tempted of God for God cannot be tempted with evil neither tempteth he any man James 1.13 Secondly if affliction were thus intrinsecally evil it could in no respect be the object of our desire which sometimes it is and may be We are to choose affliction rather then sin yea the greatest affliction before the least sin Moses chose affliction with the people of God rather then the pleasures of sin for a season We are bid rejoyce when we fall into divers temptations that is afflictions But in what respects then may the day of affliction be called evil First as it is grievous to sense in Scriprure evil is oft put as contradistinct to joy and comfort We looked for peace and behold no good A merry heart is called a good heart a sad spirit an evil spirit because nature hath an abhorrency to all that opposeth its joy and this every affliction doth more or lesse No affliction while present is joyous but grievous it hath like Physick an unpleasing farewel to the sense Therefore Salomon speaking of the evil dayes of sicknesse expresseth them to be so distasteful to nature that we shall say We have no pleasure in them They take away the joy of our life Natural joy is a true flower of the Sun of prosperity it opens and shuts with it 'T is true indeed the Saints never have more joy then in their affliction but this comes in upon another score they have a good God that sends it in or else they would be as sadly on it as others 'T is no more natural for comfort to spring from afflictions then for grapes to grow on thornes or Manna in the wildernesse The Israelites might have look't long enough for such bread if heaven had not miraculously rained it down God chooseth this season to make the Omnipotency of his love the more conspicuous As Elijah to adde to the miracle first causeth water in abundance to be poured upon the wood and sacrifice so much as to fill the trench and then brings fire from heaven by his prayer to lick it up Thus God poures out the flood of affliction upon his children and then kindles that inward joy in their bosomes which licks up all their sorrow yea he makes the very waters of affliction they float on adde a further sweetnesse to the musick of their spiritual joy but still it is God that is good and affliction that is evil Secondly the day of affliction is an evil day as it is an unwelcome remembrancer of what sinful evils have passed in our lives It revives the memory of old sins which it may be were buried many years ago in the grave of forgetfulnesse The night of affliction is the time when such ghosts use to walk in mens consciences and as the darknesse of the night addes to the horrour of any scareful object so doth the state of affliction which is it self uncomfortable adde to the terrour of our sinnes then remembred Never did the Patriarchs sin look so ghastly on them as when it recoil'd upon them in their distresse Gen. 42.21 The sinner then hath more real apprehensions of wrath then at another time affliction approximates judgement yea it is interpreted by him as a Pursevant sent to call him presently before God and therefore must needs beget a woful confusion and consternation in his spirit O that men would think of this how they could bear the sight of their sins and a Rehearsal Sermon of all their wayes in that day That is the blessed man indeed who can with the Prophet then look on them and triumph over them This indeed is a dark parable as he calls it few can skill of it as Ps 94.3 4. I will open my dark saying upon the harp wherefore should I feare in the day of evil when the iniquity of my heels compasseth me about Thirdly the day of affliction makes discovery of much evil to be in the heart which was not seen before Affliction shakes and royles the creature if any sediment be at the bottome it will appear then Sometimes it discovers the heart to be quite naught that before had some seeming good these suds wash off the hypocrites paint Natura vexata prodit seipsam When corrupt nature is vext it shews it self and some afflictions do that to purpose We reade of such as are offended when persecution comes they fall quite out with their Profession because it puts them to such cost and trouble others in their distresse that curse their God Isa 8.21 It is impossible for a naughty heart to think well of an afflicting God The hireling if his Master takes up a staffe to beat him throws down his work and runs away and so doth a false heart serve God Yea even where the person is gracious corruption is oft found to be stronger and grace weaker then they were thought to be
own Thus do thou consider what thou standest engaged to thy worldly credit profit slavish feare of God and selfish desire of happinesse and when thou hast allowed for all these see then what remaines of thy feare of God love to God c. if nothing thou art nought if any the lesse there be the weaker Christian thou art and when thou comest to be tried in Gods fire thou wilt suffer losse of all the other which as hay and stubble will be burnt up SECT V. Every soule clad with this Armour of God shall stand and persevere Or thus true grace can never be vanquish't The Christian is borne a Conquerour the gates of hell shall nor prevail against him He that is borne of God overcometh the world 1 John 5.4 Mark from whence the victory is dated even from his birth There is victory sowen in his new nature even that seed of God which will keep him from being swallowed up by sin or Satan As Christ rose never to die more so doth he raise soules from the grave of sin never to come under the power of spiritual death more These holy ones of God cannot see corruption Hence he that believes is said in the present tense to have eternal life At the Law that came foure hundred years after could not make void the promise made to Abraham so nothing that intervenes can hinder the accomplishing of that promise of eternal life which was given and passed to Christ in their behalf before the foundation of the world If a Saint could any way miscarry and fall short of this eternal life it must be from one of these three causes 1. Because God may forsake the Christian and withdraw his grace and help from him Or 2. Because the believer may forsake God Or lastly because Satan may pluck him out of the hands of God A fourth I know not Now none of these can be First God can never forsake the Christian Some unadvised speeches have drop't from tempted soules discovering some fears of Gods casting them off but they have been confuted and have eaten their words with shame as we see in Job and David O what admirable security hath the great God given his children in this particular First in Promises He hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee Five negatives in that promise as so many seals to ratifie it to our faith he assures us there never did or can so much as arise a repenting thought in his heart concerning the purposes of his love and special grace towards his children Rom. 11.29 The gifts and calling of God are without repentance even the believers sin against him their froward carriage stirs not up thoughts of casting them off but of reducing them For the iniquity of this covetousnesse I was wroth and smote him I hid me and was wroth and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart I have seen his wayes and will heal them Isa 57.27 28. The water of the Saints failings cast on the fire of Gods love cannot quench it Whom he loves he loves to the end Secondly God to give further weight and credit to our unbelieving and mis-giving hearts seals his promise with an oath See Isa 54.9 10. With everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer this is as the waters of Noah unto me for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should not return over the earth so have I sworn that I will not be wroth with thee Yea he goes on and tells them The monntaines shall depart meaning at the end of the world when the whole frame of the heavens and earth shall be dissolv'd but his kindnesse shall not depart neither shall his Covenant of peace be removed Now lest any should think this was some charter belonging to the Jewes alone we finde it v. 17. setled on every servant of God as his portion This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their righteousnesse is of me saith the Lord. And surely God that is so careful to make his childrens inheritance sure to them will con them little thanks who busie their wits to invalid and weaken his conveyances yea disprove his will if they had taken a bribe they could not plead Satans cause better Thirdly in the actual fulfilling these promises which he hath made to beleevers to Christ their Attourney As God before the world began gave a promise of eternal life to Christ for them so now hath he given actual possession of that glorious place to Christ as their Advocate and Attourney where that eternal life shall be enjoyed by them for as he came upon our errand from heaven so thither he returned again to take and hold possession of that inheritance which God had of old promised and he in one summe at his death had paid for And now what ground of feare can there be in the believers heart concerning Gods love standiog firme to him when he sees the whole Covenant performed already to Christ for him whom God hath not only called to sanctified for and upheld in the great work he was to finish for us but also justified in his Resurrection and Jayle-delivery and received him into heaven there to sit on the right hand of the Majesty on high by which he hath not only possession for us but full power to give it unto all believers A second occasion of feare to the believer that he shall not persevere may be taken from himself He has many sad feares and tremblings of heart that he shall at last forsake God The journey is long to heaven and his grace weak O saith he is it not possible that this little grace should faile and I fall short at last of glory Now here there is such provision made in the Covenant as scatters this cloud also First the Spirit of God is given on purpose to prevent this Christ left his mother with John but his Saints with his Spirit to tutour and keep them that they should not lose themselves in their journey to heaven O how sweet is that place Ezek. 36.27 I will put my Spirit in you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my judgements and do them He doth not say they shall have his Spirit if they will walk in his statutes no his Spirit shall cause them to do it But may be thou art afraid thou mayest grieve him and so he in anger leave thee and thou perish for want of his help and counsel Answ The Spirit of God is indeed sensible of unkindnesse and upon a Saints sin may withdraw in regard of present assistance but never in regard of his care as a mother may let her froward childe go alone till it get a knock that may make it cry to be taken up again into her armes but still her eye is on it that it shall not fall into mischief The Spirit withdrew from Samson and he fell into the
All is done at Christ his cost with whom God indented and to whom he gave the promise of eternal life before the world began as a free estate to settle upon every believing soul in the day they should come to Christ and receive him for their Prince and Saviour so that from the houre thou didst come under Christs shadow all the sweet fruit that grows on this tree of life is thine with Christ all that both worlds have falls to thee All is yours because you are Christs O Christian look upon thy self now and blesse thy God to see what a change there is made in thy state since that black and dismal time when thou wert slave to the Prince of darknesse how couldest thou like thy old Scullions work again or think of returning to thy house of bondage now thou knowest the priviledges of Christs Kingdomes Great Princes who from basenesse and beggery have ascended to Kingdomes and Empires to adde to the joy of their present honour have delighted to speak often of their base birth to go and see the mean cottages where they were first entertained and had their birth and breeding and the like And 't is not unuseful for the Christian to look in at the grate to see the smokie hole where once he lay to view the chaines wherewith he was laden and so to compare Christs Court the divels prison the felicity of the one and the horror of the other together But when we do our best to affect our hearts with this mercy by all the inhancing aggravations we can find out Alas how little a portion of it shalwe know here this is a nimium excellens which cannot be fully seen unlesse it be by a glorified eye how can it be fully known by us where it cannot be fully enjoyed thou art translated into the Kingdome of Christ but thou art a great way from his Court That is kept in heaven and that the Christian knows but as we far countreys which we never saw only by map or some rarities that are sent us as a taste of what grows there in abundance Vse 3 Thirdly this Christian calls for thy loyalty and faithful service to Christ who hath saved thee from Satans bondage Say O ye Saints to Christ as they to Gideon Come thou and rule over us for thou hast delivered us from the hand not of Midian but of Satan Who so able to defend thee from his wrath as he who broke his power who like to rule thee so tenderly as he that could not brook anothers tyranny over thee In a word who hath right to thee besides him who ventur'd his life to redeem thee that being delivered from all thine enemies thou mayest serve him without feare in holinesse all the dayes of thy life And wee it not pity that Christ should take all this pains to lift up thy head from Satans house of bondage and give thee a place among those in his own house who are admitted to minister unto him which is the highest honour the nature of men or Angels is capable of and that thou shouldest after all this be found to have a hand in any treasonable practice against thy dear Saviour surely Christ may think he hath deserved better at your hands if at none besides Where shall a Prince safely dwell if not in the midst of his own Courtiers and those such who were all taken from chains and prisons to be thus preferr'd the more to oblige them in his service Let devils and devillish men do their own work but let not thy hand O Christian be upon thy dear Saviour But this is too litle to bid thee not play the traitour If thou hast any loyal blood running in thy veines thy own heart will smite thee when thou rendest the least skirt of his holy Law thou canst as well carry burning coales in thy bosome as hide any treason there against thy dear Soveraign No 't is some noble enterprise I would have thee think upon how thou mayest advance the Name of Christ higher in thy heart and world too as much as in thee lies O how kindely did God take it that David when peaceably set in his throne was casting about not how he might entertain himself with those pleasures which usually corrupt and debauch the Courts of Princes in times of peace but how he might shew his zeal for God in building a house for his worship that had rear'd a throne for him 2 Sam. 7. And is there nothing Christian thou canst think on wherein thou mayest eminently be instrumental for God in thy generation He is not a good subject that is all for what he can get of his Prince but never thinks what service he may do for him Nor he the true Christian whose thoughts dwell more on his own happinesse then the honour of his God If subjects might chuse what life stands best for their own enjoyment all would desire to live at Court with their Prince But because the Princes honour is more to be valued then this therefore noble spirits to do their Prince service can deny themselves the delicacies of a Court to jeopard their lives in the field and thank their Prince too for the honour of their employment Blessed Paul upon these termes was willing to have his day of coronation in glory prorogued he to stay as companion with his brethren in tribulation here for the furtherance of the Gospel This indeed makes it opera pretium vivere worth the while to live that we have by it a faire opportunity if hearts to husband it in which we may give a proof of our real gratitude to our God for his redeeming love in rescuing us out of the power of the Prince of darknesse and translating us into the Kingdome of his dear Son And therefore Christian lose no time but what thou meanest to do for God do it quickly Art thou a Magistrate now it will be soon seen on whose side thou art if indeed thou hast renounced allegiance to Satan and taken Christ for thy Prince declare thy self an enemy to all that bear the name of Satan and march under his colours Study well thy commission and when thou understandest the duty of thy place fall to work zealously for God Thou hast thy Princes sword put into thy hand be sure thou use it and take heed how thou usest it that when call'd to deliver it up and thy account also it may not be found rusty in the sheath through sloth and cowardise besmeared with the blood of violence nor bent and gap't with partiality and injustice Art thou a Minister of the Gospel thy employment is high an Ambassadour and that not from some petty Prince but the great God to his rebellious subjects A calling so honourable that the Son of God disdained not to come in extraordinary from heaven to perform it call'd therefore the messenger of the Covenant yea he had to this day stay'd on earth in person about it
of Saints falling from grace gives a sad dash to the sweet wine of the Promises the soul-reviving comfort that sparkles in them ariseth from the sure conveyance with which they are in Christ made over to believers to have and to hold for ever Hence called the sure mercies of David Acts 13.34 mercies that shall never faile This this indeed is wine that makes glad the heart of a Saint though he may be whipt in the house when he sins yet he shall not be turned out of doores As God promised in the type to Davids seed Psal 89.33 Neverthelesse my loving kindnesse will I not utterly take from him nor suffer my faithfulnesse to faile and v. 36. His seed shall endure for ever Could any thing separate the believer from the love of God in Christ this would be as a hole at the bottome of his cup to leak out all his joy he might then feare every temptation or affliction he meets would slay him and so the wickeds curse would be the Saints portion His life would ever hang in doubt before him and the fearful expectation of his final miscarriage which he sees may befall him would eat up the joy of his present hope Now how contrary such a frame of heart is to the spirit of adoption and full assurance of hope which the grace of the new Covenant gives he that runs may reade in the Word Vse 2 This truth prepares a sovereign cordial to restore the fainting spirits of weak believers who are surprised with many feares concerning their persevering and holding out to the end of their warfare Be of good cheer poor soule God hath given Christ the life of every soule within the Ark of his Covenant Your eternal safety is provided for Whom he loves he loves to the end Jâ—h 13.1 Hath he made thee willing in the day of his power to march under his banner and espouse his quarrel against sin and hell the same power that overcame thy rebellious heart to himself will overcome all thy enemies within and without for thee say not thou art a bruised reed with this he will break Satans head and not cease till he hath brought forth judgement into compleat victory in thy soule He that can make a few wounded men rise up and take a strong city can make a wounded spirit triumph over sin and devils The Ark stood in the midst of Jordan till the whole Camp of Israel was safely got over into Canaan Josh 3. And so doth the Covenant which the Ark did but typifie yea Christ Covenant and all stand to secure the Saints a safe passage to Heaven If but one believer drownes the Covenant must drown with him Christ and the Saint are put together as co-heires of the same inheritance Rom. 8.17 If children then heires heirs of God and joynt-heirs with Christ. We cannot dispute against one but we question the firmnesse of the others title When you heare Christ is turn'd out of heaven or himself to be willing to sell his inheritance there then poore Christian feare thy coming thither and not till then Co-heires cannot sell the inheritance except both give up their right which Christ will never do nor suffer thee Vse 3 Thirdly this truth calls for a word or two of caution Though there is no feare of a Saints salling from grace yet there is great danger of others falling from the top of this comfortable doctrine into a carelesse security and presumptuous boldnesse and therefore a battlement is very necessary that from it we may with safety to our soules stand and view the pleasant prospect this truth presents to our eye That flower from which the Bee sucks honey the spider draws poison That which is a restorative to the Saints grace proves an incentive to the lust of a wicked man What Paul said of the Law we may truly of the Gospel Sin taking occasion from the grace of the Gospel and the sweet promises thereof deceives the carnal heart and works in him all manner of wickednesse Indeed sin seldome grows so rank any where as in those who water its roots with the grace of the Gospel Two wayes this doctrine may be abused First into a neglect of duty Secondly into a liberty to sin Take heed of both First beware of falling into a neglect of duty upon this score if a Christian thou canst not fall away from grace Take for an antidote against this three particulars First there are other arguments to invite yea that will constrain thee to a constant vigourous performing of duty though the feare of falling away should not come in or else thou art not a Christian what nothing make the childe diligent about his fathers businesse but feare of being disinherited and turned out of doors There is sure some better motive to duty in a Saints heart or else Religion is a melancholy work Speak for your selves O ye Saints is self-preservation all you pray for and heare for should a messenger come from Heaven and tell you Heaven were yours would this make you give over your spiritual trade and not care whether you had any more acquaintance with God till you came thither O how harsh doth this sound in your eares There are such principles engraven in the Christians bosome that will not suffer a strangenesse long to grow betwixt God and him He is under the Law of a new life which carries him naturally to desire communion with God as the childe doth to see the face of his deare father and every duty is a Mount wherein God presents himself to be seen and enjoyed by the Christian Secondly to neglect duty upon such a perswasion is contrary to Christs practice and counsel First his practice Though Christ never doubted of his Fathers love nor questioned the happy issue of all his temptations agonies and sufferings yet he prayes and prayes again more earnestly Luke 22.44 Secondly his counsel and command He told Peter that Satan had begg'd leave to have them to sift them But withal he comforts him who was to be hardest put to it with this But I have prayed for thee that thy faith faile not Sure our Saviour by this provision made for him and the rest means to save them a labour that they need not watch or pray No such matter after this as you may see v. 40. He calls them up to duty Pray that ye enter not into temptation Christs praying for them was to strengthen their faith when they should themselves pray for the same mercy not to nourish their sloth that they needed not to pray Christs prayers in Heaven for his Saints are all heard already but the returne of them is reserved to be enclosed in the answer God sends to their own prayers The Christian cannot in faith expect to receive the mercies Christ prayes for in Heaven so long as he lives in the neglect of his duty on earth They stand ready against he shall call for them by the prayer of faith and
if they be not worth sending this messenger to Heaven truly they are worth little Thirdly consider that although the Christian be secured from a total and final apostasy yet he may fall sadly to the bruising of his conscience enfeebling his grace and reproach of the Gospel which sure are enough to keep the Christian upon his watch and the more because ordinarily the Saints back-slidings begin in their duties As it is with tradesmen in the world they first grow carelesse of their businesse often out of their shop and then they go behinde-hand in their estates So here first remisse in a duty and then fall into a decay of their graces and comforts yea sometimes into wayes that are scandalous A stuffe loseth its glosse before it weares The Christian the lustre of his grace in the lively exercise of duty and then the strength of it Secondly take heed of abusing this doctrine unto a liberty to sin shall we sin because grace abounds grow loose because we have God fast bound in his promise God forbid none but a Devil would teach us this Logick It was a great height of sin those wretched Jewes came to who could quaffe and carouse it while death look't in upon them at the windows Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we shall die They discovered their Atheisme therein But what a prodigious stature in sin must that man be grown to that can sin under the protection of the promise and draw his encouragement to sin from the everlasting love of God Let us eat and drink for we are sure to live and be saved Grace cannot dwell in that heart which drawes such a cursed conclusion from the premisses of Gods grace The Saints have not so learn't Christ The inference the Apostle makes from the sweet priviledges we enjoy in the Covenant of grace is not to wallow in sin but having these promises to cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of flesh and spirit 2 Cor. 7.1 'T is the nature of faith the grace that trades with Promises to purifie the heart Now the more certain report faith brings of Gods love from the promise to the soule the mote it purifies the heart because love by which faith works is thereby more inflamed to God and if once this affection takes fire the room becomes too hot for sin to stay there SECT VI. The fourth note and last is That it will abundantly recompence all the hardship and trouble the Christian endures in this war against sin and Satan that he shall be able when the war is ended to stand In mans wars all do not get by them that fight in them the gaines of these are commonly put into a few pockets The common souldiers endure most of the hardship but go away with little of the profit they fight to make a few that are great yet greater and are many times themselves turn'd off at last with what will hardly pay for the cure of their wounds or keep them from starving in a poor Hospital But in this war there is none loseth but he that runs away A glorious reward there is for every faithful souldier in Christs Camp and that is wrapt up in this phrase Having done all to stand Now in this place to stand imports three things which laid together will clear the point First to stand in this place is to stand Conquerours An Army when conquered is said to fall before their enemy and the Conquerour to stand Every Christian shall at the end of the war stand a Conquerour over his vanquish't lusts and Satan that headed them Many a sweet victory the Christian hath here over Satan But alas the joy of these Conquests is again interrupted with fresh alarms from his rallied enemy One day he hath the better and may be the next he is put to the hazard of another battel much ado he hath to keep what he hath got yea his very victories are such as send him bleeding out of the field Though he repulses the temptation at last yet the wounds his conscience gets in the fight do overcast the glory of the victory 'T is seldome the Christian comes off without some sad complaint of the treachery of his own heart which had like to have lost the day and betrayed him into his enemies hand But for thy eternal comfort Know poor Christian there is a blessed day coming which shall make a full and final decision of the quarrel betwixt thee and Satan Thou shalt see this enemies Camp quite broke up not a weapon left in his hand to lift up against thee Thou shalt tread upon his high places from which he hath made so many shots at thee Thou shalt see them all dismantled and demolished till there be not left standing any one corruption in thy bosome for a devil to hide and harbour himself in Satan at whose approach thou hast so trembled shall then be subdued under thy feet he that hath so oft bid thee bow down that he might go over thy soule and trample upon all thy glory shall now have his neck laid to be trodden on by thee Were there nothing else to be expected as the fruits of our watching and praying weeping mourning severe duties of mortification and self-denial with whatever else our Christian warfare puts us upon but this our labour sure would not be in vain in the Lord. Yea blessed watching and praying happy tears and wounds we meet with in this war may they out at last end in a full and eternal victory over sin and Satan Bondage is one of the worst of evils The baser an enemy is the more abhorred by noble spirits Saul feared to fail into the hands of the uncircumcised Philistines and to be abused by their scornes and reproaches more then a bloody death Who baser then Satan what viler tyrant then sin Glorious then will the day be wherein we shall praise God for delivering us out of the hands of all our sins and from the hand of Satan But dismal to you sinners who at the same time wherein you shall see the Saints stand with crowns of victory on their heads must like fettered captives be dragg'd to hells dungeon there to have your eare bored unto an eternal bondage under your lusts And what more miserable sentence can God himself passe upon you Here sin is pleasure there it will be your torment Here a sweet bit and goes down glib but there it will stick in your throats Here you have suitable provision to entertain your lusts withal Palaces for pride to dwell and strut her self in Delicious fare for your wanton palates houses and lands with coffers of silver and gold for your covetous hearts by their self-pleasing thoughts to sit brooding upon but you will finde none of these there hell is a barren place nothing grows in that land of darknesse to solace and recreate the sinners minds You shal have your lusts but want the food they long for O what a torment must