that Act of his patience no less than his power Now I beseech thee let the power of my Lord be great according as thou hast spoken The Lord is long-suffering c. where you see he makes his patience his power And so it is indeed if you consider what sin is Shall I say no more of it than this which God saith Levit. 26.21 It is contrary to God 1 It is contrary to the works of God 1 Sin contrary to Gods works As soon as God set up and perfected the frame of the world sin gave a shrewd shake to all it unpin'd this frame and had like to have pull'd all in pieces again And had it not been for the promise of Christ all this frame had fallen in pieces again If a man should come into a curious Artificers shop and should with one blow dash in pieces a Piece of Art which cost him many years study and pains the contriving of it How could he bear with it Thus sin did and yet that God should forbear Oh! Omnipotent patience 2. But yet further It is Contrary to Gods nature 2 Sin contrary to Gods Nature God is holy sin unholy God is pure sin is filthy and therefore compar'd still to the most filthiest things in the world to the Poyson of Aspes to Ulcers Soars c. If all the Noysom Pollutions in the world met in one common Stuk it would never equal the Pollution of sin God is good perfect Good Sin is evil universally evil There is good in all other things Plague Sickness Hell it self in a kinde hath a good in it None in sin Sin is the Practical-blasphemy of all the name of God It is the Dare of his Justice the Rape of his Mercy the Jeer of his Patience the Slight of his Power the Contempt of his Love It is every way contrary to God 3. It is contrary to the will of God God bids us Do this 3 Sin contrary to the will of God Sin saith I will not do it Sanctifie my Sabbath I will not sanctifie it Here is Contradiction And who can endure Contradiction It is set down as a great piece of Christs sufferings Heb. 12.3 That he indured the contradiction of sinners against himself certainly it was a great suffering How can a Wiseman indure to be contradicted by a fool And here that Christ who was The Wisdom of the Father should bear with such contradiction from fools here vvas a great piece of Suffering Now sin is a contradiction of God Sets Will against Wisdom and the Hell of a wicked Will against an Heaven of Infinite Wisdom And that God should bear vvith such sinners here is a Wonder You knovv in all the Creatures Contrariety makes all the Combustion It makes all the War in nature it causeth one Element to fight against another Fire against Water Water against Fire It will make very Stones to sweat and burst asunder Travel through the vvhole Creation and you shall not see Any Creature that can bear vvith its Contrary And that God and Sin should be Contrary and yet the Sinner live in the World Here is a Wonder a VVonder of Patience 2 Admire Gods mercy in pardoning sin 2. Is sin so Great an Evil Let us then fall down and Admire the greatness of Gods mercy in pardoning sin You see how the Prophet cryes out and Admires Mic. 7.18 Who is a God like unto thee That pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the Transgressions of the remnant of his heritage It is one of the Greatest works that God doth in the world To pardon sin A work in which he declares All his glorious Attributes His Wisdom his Power his Justice his Mercy his Holiness c. in pardoning sin Men that have cheap and slight thoughts of Gods Pardoning-Mercy have thereby an evident sign They never had a pardon never knew what it was indeed To have a pardon If ever any work in the world did put God to it then this of the Pardon of sin And if ever God do intend thee any good he will instruct thee and rectifie thy judgement in this Touching the Pardon of sin Therefore doth God humble men at their Bringing-in To raise up their esteem of a pardon To advance the greatness of his own Mercy in Pardoning sin And indeed we should not need such great Preparations and Humiliations in coming to Christ if we had but Greater thoughts of the Pardon of sin Men make no more of a Pardon than to Cry God Mercy Swear an oath and then say God forgive me Or say Lord have mercy on me when I dye It was said of Lewis the 11. King of France that He wore a Crucifix in his hat and when he had sinned he would but kiss his Crucifix and then all was done And so the Papists make it no more but a Crucifix and a Confession Ah! my Brethren if ever God mean good to you he will make you Know what a Pardon is Isa 55.7 when God would draw men up to Shew them a Pardon he calls them Above all the World My thoughts are not as your thoughts nor your ways my ways saith the Lord. If they were then I could not multiply Pardons But as the Heavens are higher than earth so are my thoughts above your thoughts and my ways above your ways I am infinite If Gods Creating-mercy were so great as David vvith doubled Admiration sets it out Psal 8.1 and the last verses O Lord our Lord how wonderful is thy Name in all the world who hast set thy Glory above the Heavens What is then his Pardoning Mercy 3. Lastly Is sin so Great an Evil Then see What cause we have to humble our souls before God this day That vve have had such slight thoughts of sin vvho hath thus judged sin to be the Greatest of all Evils What slight thoughts have vve of sin vve can svvallovv it vvithout fear vve can live in it vvithout sense vve can commit it vvithout remorse All vvhich shevvâ— vve have but slight thoughts of sin vve do not apprehend sin to be such an evil as indeed it is Nay Hovv faulty are Gods people themselves here What mean thoughts have they of sin They are not so watchful against it not so Burdened vvith it not so troubled for it as they ought to be All vvhich shevvs that though sin do appear to them to be A great Evil and The Greatest of all other Evils yet they do not apprehend it to be so Great an Evil as it is Now that you may be able to have some suitable conceptions of sin to the greatness of it that you may be able to see sin exceeding sinful I will briefly present it to you in these Six Glasses 1. Look upon it In the Glass of Nature which though it be but a Dim-Glass a Blown-Glass Sin hath dimmed it yet is this able to discover a great deal of the evil of sin The very Heathen themselves have seen and judged many
In the Act of prizing Christ that wee do not mean a bare and naked Estimate of Christ in the Understanding but such an one as prevails with the soul and commands the spirit of a man to do actions consonant and agreeable to that rate the Judgement set on Christ I say by prizing of Christ wee do not mean a bare acts of Dijudication what a man in his Judgement may conclude Christ to bee worth Many bee that will tell you they conclude Christ to bee worth a World who yet will not part with any thing for Christ. But I mean such an act of the understanding as brings up the Heart and the affections to close with Christ in that height which the Understanding rates him at I say such an Act of Appretiation as prevails with a man to do actions consonant and agreeable to the rate it pretends to set on Christ As you see the wise Merchant Hee did not barely judge that the Pearl was worth all hee had but hee did Actions consonant and agreeable to it Seeing hee could not injoy the Pearl without parting withall hee had to compass it hee sells all to compass the Pearl That is the first A soul taken with Christ doth not only barely judge and esteem Christ worth all but will part with all for the compassing of Christ 2. Here is something considerable in the Object Christ prized 1. Wee do not restrain and limit this only to the Person of Christ There is something in the Person of Christ which may prevail with an Unbeleever to esteem of him The dignity of his Person being God-Man having all beauties and excellencies in him This may raise up a kinde of esteem of Christ in the hearts of unbeleevers 2. Neither do wee limit it only to the Benefits of Christ and the great things which hee hath done for man in general in his humiliation death passion c. But wee are to take Christ in the extent of Christ Christ in his whole Latitude Christ in his Holiness Christ in his Laws Christ in his Government Christ in his Truth Totum Christi the whole of Christ Hee that prizeth not Christ in his whole latitude and extent doth not prize Christ at all as hee ought to do As wee say of Faith it doth not eligere Objectum it doth not chuse its Object single out what it will esteem and what not but prizeth of Christ fully in the latitude and extent of Christ of Christ in his Person Christ in his Beauties Christ in his Laws in his Holiness Truth Government And so highly that they sold themselves to gain a Truth lost themselves to save a Truth They have made this brave adventure thrown away themselves that they might keep up a Truth as you see it in Queen Maries daies in point of Transubstantiation So that is the second The soul taken with Christ is taken with All-Christ As all in him is lovely so the soul loves all and prizes and esteems of all of Christ 3. That which is considerable in the Measure is That a soul taken with Christ doth prize Christ above all comforts and contents in Heaven and Earth This Christ commands Mat. 16.24 If any man will come after mee let him deny himself If any It is set down indefinitly Not only you who are poor and have little to lose and deny your selves in but they who have most You that are rich you that have lands possessions have Crowns and Scepters If any poor any rich any beggar any Prince c. Hee must deny himself Not only in things unlawfull but lawfull Hee must yeeld up his sins as a snare his comforts estate and all as a Sacrifice for Christ if hee call for them Mat. 10.37 Hee that loves Father or Mother more than mee is not worthy of mee These relations are expressed but under these are comprized all the comforts and contents on earth And this was not only commanded but it is practised by those whose hearts are taken with Christ You see in Abraham who left all in Moses who prized more of the reproach of Christ than all the treasures in Egypt in David Psal 73.25 Whom have I in Heaven but thee or in Earth in comparison of thee As the World would bee nothing else but Angiae stabulum a noisome sink a prison to a godly man were it not that hee injoys something of Christ here So Heaven it self were but a gaudy Pageant Vanity if God and Christ were not there The Heaven which carnal men do fansy is a Turkish-Heaven an heaven of pleasures delights comforts but fleshly outward They conceive of it according to their Principle But the Heaven of a godly man it lies in God it lies in Christ Indeed That is not Heaven which is by God but that is Heaven which lies in God to a godly man It was the meditation of one Not Heaven O Lord but God Non coelum Domine sed Deus Christus and Christ Rather ten thousand times Christ without Heaven than Heaven without Christ Thus doth the soul that is taken with Christ prize Christ above all the comforts contentments of Heaven and Earth 6. Sign An heart taken with Christ the thoughts are taken up with Christ Such a man hee thinks Christ and hee speaks Christ hee lives Christ You know whatever a mans heart is taken with it is never off his thoughts never off his heart hee is never well but thinking and speaking of that hee loves The thoughts are the character of what the heart is taken withall If thy heart bee taken with Christ thy thoughts are taken up with him Christ is alwayes upon thy thoughts hee lies next to thy heart when thou goest to bed hee is with thee Cant. 1.13 and when thou awakest hee is with thee as David saith Psal 139.18 Indeed Gods people may have swarms of other thoughts but they are not entertained they are not welcome to them they are their burden and trouble They come in as Intruders and are not entertained as Guests A wicked man entertains them as Guests as friends but they come into a godly man as intruders never invited nor finde they welcome This is that Jeremiah speaks Jer. 4.14 How long shall vain thoughts lodge within thee in a wicked mans heart they are Lodgers and entertained as Guests hee keeps doors open spreads a Table for them makes them a bed bids them welcome But in a godly man they crowd in and finde no entertainment And as the Thoughts are taken up with Christ so the Tongue Hee thinks and hee speaks Christ When Christ is in the heart the tongue will discourse and speak of him Whatever is in the heart and the heart is taken withall that a mans discourse is most taken up withall As Psal 37.30 The mouth of the Righteous speaketh wisdome and his Tongue talketh of Judgement And why because the Law of his God is in his heart vers 31. So here on the same ground Thy talk
calls it And of all terribles the most terrible as the Philosopher speaks Unbeleef doth slay the heart with fears A man that knows not what shall become of his soul to all eternity no marvel if hee bee afraid to dye When a man shall lye upon his death bed and knows not whither hee shall go Quo vadam nescio As it was said of Aristotle I go I know not whither Or when a man shall look upon death and Hell behinde it upon the Pale Horse and Hell behinde as wee have it Rev. 6. no marvel if hee bee afraid to dye But when by Faith wee can look upon God a Father Christ a Saviour and can say God is my God Christ is my Christ Heaven is my Inheritance Glory is my portion no marvel then if death bee not terrible no marvel then if hee bee ready to meet death and say with Simeon Lord now lettest thou thy Servant depart in Peace Or with Paul sigh out Cupio dissolvi I desire to bee dissolved and to bee with Christ Men that have not assurance of a better life it is no wonder if they bee loath to leave this they know not where to mend themselves Earth in Possession is better than Heaven in Reversion But when God hath given a man the assurance of a better life when a man hath his hope in his hand his evidences sealed Oh! then death is not terrible There will bee a willing Resignation of the soul into Gods hands I'ts true in some case Hee that beleeves maketh not haste but here the more wee beleeve the more haste wee make to bee with God 4. Faith Stablisheth the heart against the Fear of Hell Faith knows who was in pretium as well as in premium and beholds Christ not only in Premium to intitle us to Heaven but in pretium as the price of our Redemption to free us from Hel. As by his Active Obedience hee answered Gods commanding and remunerative Justice So by his Passive Obedience hee answered Gods condemning and vindictive Justice freeing us from that wrath and misery which otherwise wee should unavoidably have fallen into 5. Faith doth establish the heart against the Fear of Judgement There shall bee no condemnation to such as are in Christ Jesus such as are Beleevers The Judge is our Advocate our Saviour Hee to whom wee are to answer hath answered for us Hee to whom wee are to give satisfaction hath satisfied for us Hee is our Redeemer who hath laid down his life for us Faith knows Christ will bee All in All to the soul not only in life to preserve it but in death to comfort and in Judgement to absolve thee and save thee 2. Faith doth establish the heart against falling 1. Against Total Apostacy 2. Against Final Apostacy 1. Against Total There is not a Total Apostacy Though the Saints fall sadly yet not Totally 1. A Child of God may lose all the comforts of spiritual life yet not spiritual life it self Hee may bring himself into such a sad condition by sin that hee may sin away all the comforts of this life Thus David Psal 51. Restore to mee the joy of thy Salvation Hee had not lost life but the comforts of it and desires they may bee restored A man may out-live the comforts of life this is a sad thing to out-live comforts here but Faith at least layeth the grounds of those comforts that are endless 2. A man may lose all the Vigorous and Powerful Operations of Grace and Life yet not life it self It may bee with a Child of God as with a man in a dead Swoon though there bee life in him yet the operations of life are but little discerned It 's not with him as it was wont to bee Hee thinks to go out as sometimes Sampson in prayer c. but his strength is gone from him as his was But his life is hid with Christ in God as the Apostle hath it Col. 3.3 3. A man may lose some measures and degrees of spiritual life yet not life it self Hee may suffer a great decay in his Faith a great abatement in his Love and Zeal c. and yet life is not lost Thus it was with the Church of Ephesus Rev. 2.5 Remember from whence thou art fallen and repent and do thy first Works Wee are not to think that the Church was fallen from Grace but only from some measures and degrees of Grace And concerning the same Church Rev. 2.4 when it is said Shee had lost her first love it is not meant that shee had lost the Grace of Charity you see the fruits of it in the second and third verses But shee had lost the degrees It was not extinguished but cooled only The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies not that shee did altogether Amittere lose it but somewhat Remittere remit and abate of the fervency of it As one saith of Peter Motum fuit i◠co spiritualis vitae robu◠non amotum con cussum non excussum Gratiam fidei remisit Actum intermisit Habitum non amisit The strength of spiritual life was moved in him but not removed shaken 't was but not shaken off Hee remitted the Grace of Faith intermitted the act of Faith but lost not the Habit. Isa 6.13 Hee shall bee like an Oak whose substance is in him when it casts its leaves so the Holy seed shall bee the substance thereof Like to that is that of 1 Joh. 3.9 Whosoever is born of God sinneth not for his seed remaineth in him neither can hee sin because hee is born of God It may bee with him as 't was with Nebuchadnezzar The Tree may bee hewn down but the stump is bound with a bond of Iron 2 Faith establisheth the heart against final Apostacy Though they fall foulely yet not finally They have the Prayer and Intercession of Christ the Power of Christ the Merit of Christ the Promise of Christ Faith produceth all these Wee are said to bee established by Faith to live by Faith to stand by Faith to bee preserved by Faith as with a guard 1 Pet. 1.5 Wee are kept by the Power of God through Faith unto salvation By Faith wee are said to subdue the flesh to have victory over the World to quench the fiery darts of Satan to bee saved by Faith c. Indeed all ages give reports to us of many who have been eminent in Profession and yet have come to nought Some fallen from Grace to basenesse some fallen from Grace to bitternesse some from Grace to vitiousness some from Grace to malitiousness But these were never true Beleevers A Star fallen is not a Star Stella caden◠non est Stella They went out from us because they were not of us for had they been of us they would have continued with us 1 Joh. 2.19 It is the evil heart of Unbelief that causeth them to depart from the living God Heb 3.12 Where there is true Faith
seems to hide himself or withdraw himself from our souls withholding either his quickening or his comforting Spirit yet trust still You that walk in darknesse and see no light Trust in the Name of the Lord and rest upon your God Isa 50.10 Trust in God in the darkest night of Desertion cast anchor there as the Apostle did What though the soul were as dark as Hell yet God can make it as light as Heaven That God that caused light to shine out of darkness can also shine into our dark hearts What though there bee nothing within thee nothing without thee nothing round about thee to comfort thee yet there is something above thee Cast anchor in Heaven there 's an Almighty God to stay thy soul upon The Name of the Lord is a sufficient prop and rock to rest upon in any condition The Name of the Lord is a strong Tower the Righteous flye to it and is exalted Prov. 18.10 or is in safety There 's safety in the Tower when all other sorts and Bulwarks are gone when Out-works are taken and Walls are scaled there is yet safety in the Tower So here when all Out-works are gone when all our Evidences seem to bee gone when nothing appears to comfort us yet the Name of the Lord is a strong Tower to flye to a rock to rest on whereupon being exalted wee are delivered from danger and set out of gun-shot Hence wee read the Name of the Lord opposed to all staies and props which Faith had to rest on Isa 50.10 Hee that walks in darkness and hath no light let him trust in the Name of the Lord and stay upon his God Here is such a bottom for Faith to rest upon that if Faith should fail All God would fail with it His Mercy His Truth His Wisdome His Power c. Let us then cast anchor here and wait till the time of refreshment come wait till all storms and clouds bee blown over Light is sown for the Righteous and joy for the upright in heart But wee must wait with the Husbandman with patience till the crop bee throughly ripe Thou must not look for clear day so soon as thou hast taken shelter nor a calm so soon as thou hast cast anchor but there thou must abide ride at anchor wait till the time of Refreshment shall come from the Lord. Godly security and apprehension of safety do not ever attend the act of Faith at the heels To trust is the act of Faith and apprehended security is the fruit of beleeving and therefore comes not till afterwards Here is thy comfort as was said before if thou diest whilst thou lyest at anchor having anchored on this rock thou dyest in the ship not in the Sea thou dyest in the Covenant and there is safety though the storm never cease Thy condition is safe and secure though thou do not yet apprehend the safety and security of it Never soul miscarried in a trusting way There is not one example in the Word no not one in the World where ever man trusted in God and was ashamed Psal 22.4 5. Our Fathers trusted in thee They trusted and were delivered God hath ingaged himself hee hath not only set the Sun and the Moon and Stars to pawn not only Heaven and Earth but even himself too Hee hath ingaged his Truth his Mercy his Promise his Wisdome and Power to save and keep them who trust in him All Heaven would sink if that soul that truly leans and trusts in God should miscarry 6. In case of outward Calamity not only Personal but National Other Nations God hath dealt withal as with Jerusalem Hee turned them upside down as a Dish and wiped them 2 King 21.13 Indeed wee have injoyed Peace and Plenty Peace with Plenty and Plenty with Peace How many ships deep laden with Mercy hath the stream of the Gospel brought to our shore But yet our sins may give us occasion to suspect the water heating for us Rods are preparing for us except wee return Would you then bee safe in the evil day Trust in the Lord. Hee that trusts in the Lord Mercy shall compass him about Psal 32.10 Hee shall bee begirt with Mercy Mercy shall imbrace him on every side As Faith doth compass Mercy so Mercy compasseth Faith As the Beleever imbraces Mercy so Mercy imbraces him Hee shall bee begirt with Mercy And not Mercy only but all Gods attributes are for him As whilst a man is an Unbeleever all God is against him All the Power of God the Wisdome of God the Justice of God is against him so if one bee a Beleever all is for him Faith makes all God ours his Mercy ours his Power his Justice c. As Jehoshaphat said to Ahab I am as thou art and my people as thy people 2 Chron. 18.3 So God to a beleeving soul all hee is or hath is for its use Faith doth initiate us into Covenant with God And there being a Covenant All God is for us Well then Let this exhort us all to bee resolute and peremptory in beleeving as Esther If I perish I perish in a beleeving way 3. Let this exhort us to grow up in Trust to grow to Perfection There is a Perfection 1. Of Nature 2. Of Degrees All Beleevers have the same Perfection of Faith for kind but all have not the same Perfection of degrees Well then You have that Perfection in the kind labour for this Perfection of degrees also Grow up from trust of Affiance to the trust of Assurance Let us not ever bee staggering and doubting but come to some grounded perswasion of Gods Love labour to bee rooted and grounded in love labour to work out all doubts and fears whereby wee dishonour God wrong our selves 1. Weakening our Faith 2. Hindring our growth 3. Disabling our selves to work 4. Discouraging our selves in our Christian way 5. Gratifying Satan And let us labour to grow up to higher measures in Beleeving Many incouragements might bee named 1. The more thou growest in Faith the more thou growest in the love and favour of God the more thou win'st his Love There is nothing in the World doth so much win Gods favour as a great degree of Faith Abraham was therefore called the friend of God And therefore though thou mayest bee saved with a less degree yet if thou wouldest grow more in Gods favour grow more in Faith 2. The more Faith the more Grace the more love of God the more Hope the more Patience the more Courage Obedience Repentance Humility Thou weak Christian if thou desirest more brokenness of heart for sin more love to God c. Why the way is to strengthen thy Faith 3. The more Faith the more spiritual Comfort the more Peace Joy and consolation These are the fruits of Faith 4. The more Faith the more strength to prevail with God in Prayer And therefore let this put you on to labour for the increase of Faith Grow from Faith to Faith In Temporals
the Church Cant. 3.4 Christ had withdrawn himself Shee makes inquiry after him but could not hear of him At last after all her trouble Christ appears to her soul And you may read there how exceedingly her heart was taken with his return I found him whom my soul loveth I held him and would not let him go untill I had brought him into my Mothers house Cant. 3.4 3. When the soul doth sit down to contemplate and read over the beauties and loves of Christ when it is in the contemplations of those surpassing excellencies and admired sweetness which is in Christ And Christ whiles the soul is busy in feeding on these thoughts doth make a discovery of himself to the soul makes the soul to see a vision of his glory Oh! how is the heart taken with him it is even drowned and sunk in a Sea of glory Ah! what clasping what imbraces what loves are there then betwixt Christ and the soul It is impossible for mee to express or for mee or you to conceive It is a vision of glory the porch of Heaven 4. When the soul is under outward pressures afflictions prison sickness upon death-bed Then a visit of Christ a discovery of himself doth exceedingly ravish and take the heart Here is kindness indeed riches for the poor liberty for a prisoner a cordial for the sick Here is all in Christs manifestation Well then wouldest thou know whether thy heart bee taken with Christ dost thou know Christ didst thou ever see the face of Christ in a promise what apparitions hath Christ made to thee what manifestations within thee in the work of Grace what manifestations to thee in the beginning of glory You who know not Christ cannot love Christ 2. Sign An heart taken with Christ is not excessively taken with any thing else The sweetness of Christ doth overcome all the sweetness in other things in the Creatures Vincit dulcedo dulcedinem As it is nothing but ignorance which makes men admire any thing here on earth if men knew the excellencie of other things they could not admire such trifles as they do So here it is nothing but ignorance of better things which makes us dote upon things here below Did wee see his beauties all the World would bee blackness Did wee see his fulness all the World were but emptiness I say did wee but know the excellencies and beauties of Christ and the satisfying-sweetness of his love Nothing should have a room in our hearts save hee only The higher wee ascend toward Heaven the lesser will the things on earth appear If you go to the top of the Mountains men would appear but small but if it were possible to go up to the Sun the Mountains would appear nothing The love of Christ hath a raising-power working our hearts as high as Heaven and being there all things here below are of no account and esteem to the soul So saith Paul a man on fire with the love of Christ Yea doubtless I count all but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ And do count them but dung that I may win Christ Phil 3.8 Well then they whose hearts are taken with the Creature taken with the World taken with sin and vanity These are too gross to bee taken with spiritual loves 3. Sign What the heart is taken withall the soul seems to live more in it than in it self Do but examine it in any thing the heart is taken withall whether your comforts your delights your happiness lies not in them The Worldling hee lives in his possessions The Voluptuous man in his pleasures And can no more live out of them than the Fish out of the water the Salamander out of fire So here If thy heart bee taken with Christ then thou livest more in Christ than thou doest in thy self I live yet not I but Christ saith the Apostle Gal. 2.20 Thou canst no more subsist without him than the Beam without the Sun than the spark without the fire Nay no more live without him than the body without meat nay the body without the soul Christ is to the soul as the soul is to the body Now as the body cannot live without the soul So the soul cannot live but in Christ who is Anima Animae the Soul of the Soul for mee to live is Christ I say if thy heart bee taken with Christ thou livest in Christ more than in thy self Thy life thy comforts thy happiness they are all folded up in him As Judah said of Benjamin Jacobs life was bound up in the Lads life Gen. 44.30 So the Soul of Christ my life my joyes my comforts they are all bound up in thee All my fresh springs are in thee saith God of his Church Psal 87.7 And whom have I in Heaven but thee and in earth in comparison of thee Psal 73.25 saith the inamoured soul of God his heart was taken with God and hee lived in God more than in himself It was the speech of Luther who being in a great distress and spirituall trouble had writ about the walls and table in his study in great letters Vivit A friend comes to him and demands the reason Hee replies Vivit Christus si non non optarem unam horam vivere His life was in Christ Hee lived more in Christ than in himself Which makes the life of a Christian so safe none can hurt him and so sweet too being a life in Christ out of himself The best of others lyes in themselves but the best of a Christian those precious things in him lies out of himself and lies in Christ 4. Sign What the heart is taken withall that the comforts of the life are upheld by from day to day Wee have many a weary step to go and can no more go without comfort than Elijah without food Comfort is to the soul as the soul is to the body As the body without the soul is dead so is the soul of men without comfort Now would you know what your heart is taken withall see what the comfort of your life is upheld by from day to day Is Jesus Christ the comfort of your life is hee the joy of your hearts Ex quovis fonte Wicked men have varity of springs If one bee drye they go to another But the Saints have but one Christ And if hee bee gone all is gone 5. Sign An heart taken with Christ hath high appretiations and valuations of Christ It values and esteems him above all the comforts and contentments in Heaven and Earth Psal 73 25. Whom have I in Heaven but thee and in the Earth in comparison of thee Here is the breathing of a soul taken with Christ Hee prizeth Christ above all the comforts and contents in the World For the better unfolding of this sign there is 1. Something considerable in the Act. 2. Something in the Object Christ prized 3. Something in the Measure above all the comforts contents c. 1.
yet here hee that beleeves most and loves most makes most haste The more the soul beleeves and the more the heart is taken with Christ the greater are the desires to bee with him Till Simeon had gotten Christ into his armes hee was unwilling to dye but after hee had Christ in his armes Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace for my eyes have seen thy salvation Indeed here are but the Espousals between Christ and the soul Some Broken-Rings Contracts Espousals betwixt Christ and us But then is the great Marriage-day the Solemnization of our Nuptials to all eternity Here wee do see him but dimly and darkly at the best and there are oftentimes clouds come in and interpose themselves between Christ and us but then wee shall see him face to face and never shall there cloud come between Christ and us to all eternity There wee shall see him in his Glory his full discoveries Here wee injoy him but in part The distance is great betwixt him and us All which distance doth arise from that within us Were it not for sin wee might bee in Glory even in Grace But then wee shall injoy him in fulness Heaven is the place which God hath intended to set forth himself to his People in his Glory to all eternity Where there shall bee no fears no sin never smoak of distrustfull thoughts shall arise more Where there shall bee no sorrow no tears All sighing and sobbing shall pass away and nothing but joy shall keep the house Wee are now the Sons of God But it doth not yet appear what wee shall bee for wee shall see him as hee is 7. Sign A heart taken with Christ thinks nothing too much to do nothing â—â—o much to suffer for Christ You know Love cannot bee posed Wee say there is no difficultie in Love Things impossible to others are easie to them who love And things burthensome to others delightfull to them who love If once thy heart bee taken with Christ thou wilt think nothing too much to do nothing too much to suffer for him As Christ thought nothing too much for us because his heart was taken with us neither shall wee think any thing too much for Christ Wee read how prodigal the Saints have been of their Riches their Blood their Lives for Christ because they loved him 1. They have not accounted their estates too dear for him Heb. 10.34 They took joyfully the spoiling of their goods 2. They have not accounted their lives too dear Rev. 12.11 They loved not their lives to death for him If they must dig in Mines or be cast to bee devoured by Wild-Beasts for Christ as it was the usual sentence of Christians Christiani ad nâ— talla ad Ecstias in the primitive times they were willing to do and suffer it See this in the Virgin of whom Basil speaks who was condemned to death because shee would not worship Idols And the like of old Polycarp and others This is certain A soul taken with Christ knows no difficulty in its love It loves him with an unlimited an uncircumscribed love which no duty no difficulty can pose 8. Sign A heart taken with Christ is exceedingly cast down with the withdrawings and absence of Christ The comforts of the soul are laid up in Christ and when hee is gone all is gone Comfort gone Joy gone the Heart gone with him As Mephibosheth said Take all now my Lord is come back so the soul saith Take all take the World take Riches take Heaven and Glory so far as Heaven and thou are two things That my Lord may return with my soul Datkness is terrible to the soul and this is thick darkness and therefore saith with Absolom let mee see his face mea non prosunt sine te nothing besides thee can either satisfie or profit mee 9. Sign A heart taken with Christ is fully content and satisfied with the injoyments and possession of Christ The possession of the thing beloved doth content the soul so far as there is satisfaction and contentment with it The reason why wee do not meet with full contentments and satisfactions here in the possession or our loves is because they want of fulness But now it is not so with Christ Hee is able to brim the soul to satisfie the spirit to answer all the desires of the heart and therefore the heart taken with him needs must rest satisfied and contented with him Such a gulf of desire is in the soul of men that if God should cast in a thousand worlds there would bee no contentment except Christ bee cast in And Christ is so full contentment that if God bestow him they will neither need nor desire any more And thus much shall serve for the use of tryal wee will now come to an use of Exhortation and conclude this Use of Exhortation 1. To them of his Church 2. To them who are not of the Church 1. To them of his Church Is it so that the heart of Christ is so much taken with his Church and People 1. Direction to them of the Church 1. Walk suitably to this love Dignities and suitable walkings to dignities must go together Now this suitable walking wee will express in these five things 1. Walk chearfully 2. Walk thankfully 3. Walk humbly 4. Walk watchfully 5. Walk obediently 1. Walk chearfully Walk as Heirs of such a Mercy Here is a truth speaks comfort when all the world speaks nothing but terrour 2. Direction to them of the Church 2. Beware of abusing this love Precious things are committed to us by a word of Caution This is a precious Truth and therefore let mee adde to it this word of Caution Beware of abusing this Love of Christ Christs Love are his bowels and hee will never indure to have his bowels injured his love abused You know a man will not have his Love injured the abuse of his power of his wisdome greatness doth not touch a man so nearly as the abuse of his Love This is an injury men cannot indure So to speak after the manner of men Christ can least indure his Love should bee abused There is no abuse like it Therefore beware of it Now this Love of Christ is injured these wayes and beware 1. When wee slight the intreaties reject the tenders cast aside the offers and beseeches of his Love When love stoops to you when the mercy and goodness of Christ doth as it were come on its knees to you and intreats you to do this or not to do that And yet you will stop your ears pull back your shoulder slight the intreaties This is an abuse 2. When the Love of Christ doth slacken our hearts to duty loosen our ingagements makes us more remiss to or in service This is to abuse his Love Wee should reason from Mercy to Duty and not from Mercy to Liberty Abundance of Grace calls in for abundance of Duty The Love of Christ should constrain us as
made the Spouse of Christ Christ doth en-noble his Spouse Christ doth adorn and beautifie his Spouse Ezek. 16.10 11 12 13. I cloathed thee with broidred work and shed thee and covered thee with silk I decked thee with Ornaments c. Wee shine with the beams of his Justice Holiness Riches Graces Christ is made to us Wisdome Justification Sanctification and Redemption 1 Cor. 1.30 Of his fulness wee all have received and Grace for Grace Joh. 1.16 Nay 5. Faith makes us the Members of Christ who is such an Head as doth en-noble his Members Christ throws more Glory and Honour upon the meanest Member of his Body than all the World is able to make us heirs of It were better to bee the meanest Member of Christ than to have all the Glory of the World out of Christ better to bee the meanest twig in this Vine Meliùs non â—â—se quà m sine Christo esse than to bee the most glorious branch in the World out of Christ Better it is not to bee at all than not to bee in Christ 3. Faith puts us upon Soul-in-nobling imployments It puts a man upon Prayer Holy exercises Communion with God which are noble Imployments above the World Faith makes the soul live high above the World above the Earth Faith carries the soul to Heaven makes it live were it had its First breath and being makes our way to lye above our Conversation to bee in Heaven our joyes to bee there our affections there our hearts there By Faith Enoch walked with God hee conversed with God had to do with God daily the great God of Heaven and Earth daily in supplications and meditations and holy conversation All which are noble imployments The higher the person wee have to do withall the more noble are the imployments And they are such as do in-noble the Soul No man hath to do with God in any way but hee is in-nobled by it Moses face shone when hee had been conversing with God God doth shed Glory upon all those who have to do with him None have to do with a glorious God but are made glorious None with an Holy God but are made holy If you have to do with him in Prayer or any of his Ordinances hee sends you still better away 4. Faith doth intitle us unto a Soul-in-nobling Inheritance unto Heaven unto Glory It makes us not only Sons of God but Heirs Every Son is an Heir nay and a Joint-Heir with Christ unto that eternal inheritance of Glory Rom. 8.17 Hence the Apostle 1 Joh. 3.2 Now wee are the Sons of God but it doth not yet appear what wee shall bee but wee know when hee shall appear wee shall bee like him for wee shall see him as hee is Then when Christ who is our life shall appear wee shall also appear with him in Glory Col. 3.4 Wee shall bee Citizens of Heaven Faith doth intitle us to Crowns of Glory To that House not made with hands eternal in the Heavens 2 Cor. 5.1 To an inheritance incorruptible and that fadeth not reserved in Heaven for us 1 Pet. 1.5 To a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory 1 Cor. 4.17 Which Inheritance is so certain by Faith to Beleevers that the Apostle saith Wee sit together with him in heavenly places Ephes 2.6 wee sit now with him in respect of our Union by Faith and shall sit with him hereafter in our Communion with his Glory when wee shall bee invested with those Royal Robes of Glory Thus you see Faith is a Soul-in-nobling-Grace It makes God a Father Christ a Brother Angels fellow-servants Heaven our Inheritance It brings a man into a noble kindred a noble family the family of Heaven and makes all the family of Heaven our kindred It brings a man unto noble acquaintance puts a man upon noble imployments intitles a man unto a noble inheritance invests us with in-nobling Priviledges and begets us a noble spirit a spirit suitable to all these suitable to our Father our Kindred our Acquaintance our Imployments our Inheritance The whole frame of Christianity turns upon the hinge of Faith As the Bloud through the veins so Faith runs through every vein of the whole body of Religion It is the staff of our strength the support of all our comfort and the life of our soul In my discourse of which I have though indeed the Priviledges of Faith requires an Angel rather than a Man to make relation of it yet I say I have adventured to lay down diverse Royalties and Priviledges of this Grace wherein all that I have said or can say falls short of the excellency of it When I have told you what I can you may say as the Queen of Sheba when shee found the Truth to exceed the Relation that the one half hath not been told you Coelum Deus so Coelum fides non patiuntur Hyperbolen I cannot here Hyperbolize I cannot play the Mountebank to set down more in the Bill than is in the Physick more in the Relation than is in the Balsome All I can say will fall short of the preciousness of Faith Yet mistake mee not whatever I have said or shall say of Faith I speak not of Faith absolutely but of Faith relatively The Act with its Object Wee will not make a Christ of Faith nor raise up Faith any higher than wee may set up Christ with it by it above it Well then to proceed wee have laid down diverse glorious Priviledges or Royalties of Faith wee have yet more remaining such as these Twelfth Royalty 12. Faith is a Soul-fatning-Grace The beleeving Christian is the thriving Christian 12. Royalty of Faith In a Soul-fatning-Grace It is such a Grace as doth nourish and strengthen the soul It weakens corruption but strengthens Grace It starves the flesh but fattens the spirit It is indeed a sin-starving-Grace Faith will not feed and fuel lust It will neither entertain nor maintain corruptions Faith will abridge sin of that nourishment those dainty bits which it met withall in an unbeleeving heart It will not lay in provision for lust Unbeleef is the Caterer and the Provider for sin Sin hath its full desire in an unbeleeving heart whatever it lusts after it shall have nothing shall bee wanting to feed lust If a man bee addicted to the lust of uncleanness there is nothing the lust doth desire but an unbeleeving heart will make a supply of It shall have Books Ballads Plaies for the purpose It shall have obscene objects and pictures to gaze upon There shall bee nothing wanting for the fomenting and cherishing of the corruption nothing shall bee denied that may oile and increase the flame of lust All a man hath all his power all his riches his estate shall bee laid out for the fewelling of his corruption and so I might shew in other lusts But now Faith it starves sin it will not hold out the dugg to nourish a corruption It will not provide
souls that they are Beleevers go with a spark in stead of a flame And as you live so you will dye without Comfort if you do not take care to evidence this to your souls And this were a sad condition Whatever a man hath in this life yet when hee comes to dye hee would willingly have all the Comfort possible Though a man may bee content to go Quarter-sail and Quarter-wind here in this life yet when hee comes to dye hee would willingly go Full-sail to Heaven Lesse Comfort may serve a man to live by than to dye by because whiles a man lives other things come in to make up the want of Comfort every thing casts in something to make the soul a stock of Comfort But if this will not do if a man cannot peece up his Comforts with other things yet whiles a man lives there 's hope and expectation still of more Comfort But when a man comes to dye that hope is gone There 's no hope then of ever getting more And this is a sad condition And My Brethren It is a thing which God doth often deny at death because wee have been no more solicitous to clear our Evidences in our life I say God doth now withhold the Comfort of Faith because wee have neglected to clear our Evidence of Faith which is a sad condition Though the condition of the soul bee never the less safe yet the condition is less comfortable to our souls 2. It 's necessary in respect of our more lively obedience The knowledge of this will make us lay out our selves for God It will make us industrious and active in all holy Obedience It will make us burn out not smother out wear out not rust out It will make a man a Volunteer in Gods work to sweat and take pains in the Vineyard of the Lord. It 's false what the Popish Doctors say That the knowledge of our good condition should slack the hand make a man Supine and remiss in holy Obedience As much as it will make a Travailer slack his pace because hee knoweth hee is in his way and that by making speed in it hee shall come to the end of his journey Oh then Is it a thing possible to bee attained Is it necessary why then are wee so injurious to our selves to rob our selves of that Comfort which the Knowledge of our Faith would contribute to our souls afterward Do you delight to know all things else and bee ignorant of your selves will you prove all things else and not your selves you will prove your Gold you will prove your Silver you will prove your Evidences and will you not prove your selves There 's nothing of worth that a man will take upon trust without tryal Do you delight to bee kept upon the rack of fears and perplexities of spirit do you delight to hang between Heaven and Hell As Absolom between Earth and Heaven and not know what shall become of your eternal souls to all eternity Why if you do not thus then take some pains in the search and examination of your selves Prove your selves whether you are in the Faith or no Thus having premised this upon which I have on purpose insisted the more largely in respect of the Necessity of this duty of Self-Examination wee will now come to lay down some Rules whereby wee may discover to them who are willing to take pains in the search of their own hearts whether they have Faith or no. In the laying down of which that I may not erre I shall desire to go by these two Rules 1. The grand Rule is the Word of God The Book shall try you That Book that shall save or damn you at the last day shall try you now whether you have Faith or no. And I hope if the Word convince you that you have not Faith you will subscribe to the conviction If the Word say it I hope you will conclude it But whether you will or no That which the Word saith is true That conviction which the Word doth fasten upon you shall lye upon you at the great day if now you get it not off 2. The Second Rule I shall desire to go by is this to lay down such Evidences as are universal and belong to all Beleevers weak as well as strong the least degree of saving Faith as well as the highest measure of it I shall desire so to comfort the strong as not to discourage the weak so to satisfie the strong as I may also establish the weak For I conceive There 's a great Error committed in the laying down of Evidences to take an Evidence from the highest degree of Faith As when wee should lay down an Evidence of Faith wee take our Evidence from Assurance This is a great Error By this means wee shall cast out many thousands who are true Beleevers and yet want Assurance And yet my care shall bee as not to quench the smoaking flax so not to cherish a false flame as not to discourage the meanest so not to encourage the strongest if false as not to discountenance a true so not to countenance a false But that the false may have no Comfort the true no discouragement Now the Method that I will observe to evince this to your souls whether you have Faith or no shall bee some Evidences taken 1. From the usual manner of Gods working of this Grace of Faith in the hearts of Unbeleeving men 2. From the Grace it self wrought in the soul 1. From the manner of Gods working this Grace which is this 1. God doth use to discover sin to the soul Awakens a mans conscience makes a man to see his sin and his misery by reason of sin that hee lies under the wrath of God by reason of sin and that there 's an utter impossibility in him to winde or free himself out of this condition This is the first work Men will not beleeve nor come over to Christ till they first bee humbled till they see and feel the want of Christ. This you see in the Prodigal in the Woman with the Bloody Issue It was Misery brought them home Men must bee cut off their own stock before they can bee ingrafted upon another Thrown off their own bottom before they can cast themselves on Christ the true Foundation The Termes of Mercy are too hard the Yoke of Christ is too strait for such men who were never humbled What! To deny themselves to cut off their right hand to forsake their beloved sins But Mercy upon any Termes to the humbled is desireable No Potion can bee too bitter for the Recovery of a dying man No hard hold too sharp for a drowning man to take hold of So no Termes too hard for an humbled sinner Whereas before a man bee humbled the Proposition of Mercy and Pardon is but all lost labour Hee makes Light of Mercy Light of Christ Light of a Pardon as they did that were invited to the Supper It 's said They made
it hath in Adherence Ask any who are weakest in Faith whether they would sell their part in Christ for a World whether they would deny Christ to gain a World and they will quickly answer it with an earnest Negative as Naboth did Ahab when hee would have bought of him his Vineyard 1 King 21.2 3. Whereas a temporizing Faith doth hold to Christ for want of a temptation as the Weather-cock that stands this way for want of another wind A true Faith though weak will hold to Christ out of Love nothing shall take it away in the midst of all temptations It is of the Nature of true Faith though never so weak to adhere and cleave to Christ Rom. 3.8 Thou hast but a little strength yet thou hast kept my Word and hast not denyed my name A little Strength a little Faith will hold to Christ will not give up Christ I say not but Gods people may fall and in some respect forsake Christ as Peter did But this may arise from the violence of temptation the strength of corruption which over-powers Faith It is as said of the Nature of Faith to cleave to Christ Well then to conclude with a word to them that are weak you that can clear this to your own hearts that You have Faith though it bee weak Bee not yee discouraged bee not troubled though it bee weak Consider 1. That the smallest degree of Faith is true is saving Faith as well as the greatest A sparkle of fire is as true fire as any is in the Element of fire A drop of water is as true water as any is in the Ocean So the least grain of Faith is as true Faith and as saving as the greatest Faith in the World 2. Though it bee weak yet it is a growing Faith As all the works so all the Graces of God begin in weakness The tallest Cedar was at first but a sprig The strongest Oak at first was an Acorn The greatest fire at first was a spark so the greatest measure of Faith at the first was but as a little seed It had a beginning Those things God intended not for growth hee made perfect at first as the Sun the Moon c. But those hee intended for growth hee at first makes imperfect as Men Beasts Plants c. Christ compares Faith to a grain of Mustard-seed Not to a stone but to a seed Stones are not capable of growth but seeds are Hee compares it to a Mustard-seed which though it bee the least of seeds yet grows up highest And such a seed is thy Faith Though it bee small though weak bee not discouraged the Mustard-seed will grow 3. The weakest Faith doth give the Soul Union with the strong Redeemer as well as the strongest The smallest measure of Faith if never so little if it bring but the soul over to Christ it ingrafts thee into him as well as the stronger makes thee a Member of this Body a Branch in this Vine 4. The weakest measure of Faith gives thee Communion with Christ as well as the strongest Wee know the least bud draws sap from the Root as well as the greatest bough so the weakest measure of Faith doth as truly ingraft thee into Christ and by that draw life from Christ as well as the strongest The weakest Faith hath communion with the Merits and Blood of Christ as well as the strongest hath communion with the Spirit of Christ the Graces of Christ as well as the strongest Though thou art weak Christ is strong His strength is thine as well as the strongest Thou art impure Christ is pure His Purity is thine as well as others Thou art ignorant Christ is wise His wisdome is thine Thus the soul hath a communion with Christ in all his Graces The least Faith marries the soul to Christ And where there is this union there is a communion also with all of Christ The least Faith ingrafts into Christ and being once ingrafted the soul draws sappe and spiritual life sense and motion from Christ 5. Aequè licet non aequaliter The weakest Faith hath as equal share in Gods Love as the strongest Wee are beloved in Christ And the least measure of Faith makes us members of Christ The least Faith hath equal right to the Promises as the strongest And therefore let not our souls bee troubled discouraged for weakness There is difference betwixt Want and Weakness canst thou clear this to thy soul That thou hast Faith though it bee a weak Faith Yet therein rejoyce and bee comforted The least Faith sets as wide a difference between thee and unbeleevers as is between Heaven and Hell And therefore study to bee thankful for the least degree of Faith if it bee true Faith Do not so much look as to over-look So look for more as to over-look what thou hast received Neglect not that Comfort your present Faith affords by reaching after more Now having thus laid down the Evidences of a weak Faith wee shall now proceed to lay down the Evidences of a strong Faith Now where there is a strong Faith there is 1. An high prizing of Christ which yet a weak Faith partakes of 1 Pet. 2.7 Unto you that beleeve hee is precious The soul doth rate and value Christ above all the Comforts and contentments Riches and Happiness in Heaven and Earth Thus you see David Psal 73. Whom have I in Heaven but thee and there is none in the Earth that I esteem in comparison of thee Though hee esteemed of other things yet Christ was the first figure The estimate which his soul set on Christ did infinitly exceed the rate which hee set upon any thing besides Christ As Paul said They were all but drosse and dung in comparison with Christ The most excellent things were loss and vile in respect of Christ There are two things which make Christ precious to a man 1. The Knowledge of Christ 2. The Apprehension of our Interest in him 1. The Knowledge of Christ and that 1. Of the Want of Christ 2. Of the Worth of Christ 1. The Want of Christ When the soul apprehends the Necessity of Christ in respect of Pardon Purging Grace Glory When the soul sees hee is under the guilt of sin and stands in need of Christ for Justification Hee is under the filth of sin and stands in need of Christ for Sanctification Hee is under the power of sin and stands in need of Christ for the subduing and mortification of sin His person and performances are unclean and filthy and stands in need of Christ to wash and sprinkle him This makes Christ precious sets a rate upon Christ 2. The Knowledge of the Worth of Christ It is not the worth of things that makes things precious to us but our Knowledge of the worth of them What is it that doth commend the Jewel to the Lapidary but his knowledge of the worth of it By others that know it not it is not valued nor esteemed So that
God do wonders for his Church Then let us fall down and adore this God who can do wonders for us Who would not fear thee O King of Nations saith the Prophet Jer. 10.7 It was the speech of an Heathen King when hee had seen the Wonders that God had done Let all men fear and tremble before the God of Daniel Dan. 6.26 When Christ had done that great wonder in calming the rage of the sea the Text tels us They all fell down at the feet of Jesus and worshipped him Gods wonders for us call out for our Worship of him Fall down then at the feet of this God and Worship him Fall down at the feet of his Power and dread it Fall down at the feet of his Mercy and adore it Fall down at the feet of his Wisdome and admire it Admiration is sutable to Wonders It is said Hee shall bee admired in his Saints When wicked men tremble do you fall down and admire and blesse that God adore that God who alone doth wonders 7. Use Doth God do wonders for his Church 7 Use and are wee now in a sad condition A people that shall bee made a wonder unlesse God do a wonder for us Oh! then let us carry our selves in such a deportment and demeanour as is sutable to such who are expectants that God should do wonders for us Oh! that wee could put our selves in a posture fit for mercy and deliverance Seeing you look for a new Heaven and a new Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness saith the Apostle what manner of persons ought you to bee So seeing you look you expect that God should do wonders for you Oh! What manner of persons ought you to bee in Holiness of Life how holy how humble how spiritual ought you to bee in all manner of conversation Oh! take heed of sinning in the face of mercy in the face of deliverance Lye not swear not c. It was a sad aggravation of Israels sin They provoked God at the Red-Sea even at the Red-Sea it is doubled to put a greater Emphasis on it Psal 106.7 It is nothing but our sins which hinders the current and stream of Mercy if these were removed mercy would come amain Whereas on the contrary sin will not only make our but even the good purposes of God to become abortive to us You see it in Jer. 18.9 10. At what time I shall speak concerning a Nation or a Kingdome to build and to plant it If it do evil in my sight that it obey not my voice Then I will repent of the good wherewith I said I would benefit them Many buds and many blossoms of future deliverance have appeared Oh! it were a sad thing if our sins should blast all these and rob us of the fruit of our hopes of our prayers and tears Our sins put obstructions to all Gods proceedings of Mercy And therefore you see when the Temple was to bee built and great things were to bee done for them The Prophet by way of necessary preparation exhorts the people to repentance to cast away their sins Hag. 1.6 knowing this that though God had begun yet if they continued their sins they would quickly make a stop of Gods mercy God would soon repent of his mercy to them God had brought Israel out of Egypt and brought them near Canaan yet their sins comming betwixt them and Canaan turned them back again into the Wildernesse and there they walk in a Round forty years before they could finde admission into Canaan God is gone out before us triumphing in the greatnesse of his strength preparing a way hewing down difficulties levelling mountains turning all our oppositions into good But if you do not leave your sins you will make God quickly to leave you so to work your own confusion Well then You are all expectants of Mercy let every one of you labour to put himself into a posture fit to receive mercy Let every one walk and demean himself as such as looks for great things from God And then that God that hath begun will assuredly make an end Hee that hath laid the foundation and is laying stone after stone upon it every day will not desist till the building bee perfected 8 Use 8 Use Is it so that God doth wonders for his Church then learn 1. To trust in God You see Hee is a God doing wonders And as Christ said Learn 1 To trust in God Mark 9.23 If thou canst but beleeve All things are possible to him that beleeveth Wonders are possible There is nothing too hard for God to do if there bee nothing too hard for you to beleeve There is nothing difficult but to beleeve Hee that hath conquered and overcome his own unbeleef hath done all All things are possible to the Beleever Do not you stick at beleeving and God will not stick at doing wonders for you Heb. 11.33 34. By Faith they subdued Kingdomes stopped the mouthes of Lions quenched the violence of fire c. As Unbeleef doth imprison Gods power mercy and goodnesse It is said Hee could not do much because of their unbeleef And they limited the holy One of Israel So Faith sets God at liberty sets the power of God at liberty Nay it puts on the power and mercy of God Therefore exercise Faith The time of our trouble should bee the time of our trust As Mordecai said to Esther God set her up for such a time as that So I may say of Faith God set up Faith for such a time as this When means fail when there is nothing but weaknesse below when sense and reason are put to it then is it Faiths work to come in And therefore exercise Faith Let not any difficulty undermine Faith Let not any seeming discouragement come between your souls and the promise Zach. â— 6 Things marvelous to you are familiar with God things wonderful to you are easy to God You have Bibles Oh! that you had Faith to make use of them you would there finde all things are possible with God and therefore nothing impossible to Faith 2. Bee incouraged to Prayer This is the great work of our times 2 To pray to God Faith and Prayer will do wonders Faith and Prayer have had an hand in most of the wonders that ever were done in the Earth These will set the great God on doing wonders for us A Prayer made up of promises and put up by Faith will shew wonders in Heaven and in Earth You read what wonders Gods people have wrought by Prayer They have dryed up the Sea Exod. 14.21 brought fire from Heaven 2 King 1.10 Caused the Sun to stand still Josh 10.13 Vanquisht the enemy Exod. 17.12 Praying-Moses did more than fighting-Joshua The day would fail to tell you of all See what wonders followed upon Davids Prayer Psal 18.6 In my distress I called upon the Lord I cryed to my God hee heard my voice out of his Temple my cry came unto his
ears See what followes vers 7 8 13.14 Then the Earth shook and trembled The Lord thundred in the Heavens and the highest gave his voice Hailstones and coals of fire Hee sent out his arrows and scattered them hee shot out his lightenings and discomfitted them And an excellent place you have Isa 54.15 When the enemy shall come in like a flood the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him That is shall both defend from his violence and put him to flight And it is an observable phrase The Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard That is saith one The Spirit of Prayer is lift up When trouble and evil are threatned the enemie comes like a flood irresistably then the Spirit of the Lord stirring up Prayer in his peoples hearts shall lift up a standard against them bee your defence and chase them away When God doth intend to bestow great things on his People first hee gives them the Spirit of Prayer the Harbinger and Forerunner of mercy Jer. 3.19 But I said How shall I put thee among the Children and give thee a pleasant land As if hee had said I have purposes of mercy to thee I have thoughts of deliverance I think to bring thee into thy own land again and do wonders for thee But what way shall I go to effect and bring about this And I said thou shalt call mee my Father As if hee had said I have now bethought mee of a way I will poure a spirit of Prayer upon thee and thou shalt call mee Father and so I will put thee among my Children 3. Bee incouraged to hope as well as to pray Hope 3 Incouragement to hope in God Heb. 6.19 it is called the anchor of the soul sure and stedfast that takes sure hold and then breaks not in the greatest tempest at such an anchor wee may ride in the most overgrown storm They say Clement was cast into the Sea with an anchor fastened to him and could not drown wee shall not in the deepest Waters if wee bee fastened to this anchor for God delights in them who hope in his Mercy Psal 147.11 and whom God delights in enemies shall not delight over his mercy shall prevent their utterly undoing-misery Hope is the Daughter of Faith therefore when Faith hath brought forth the birth of Prayer let it bring forth the other Twin also of Hope And then also 4. To wait on God 4. Bee incouraged to wait For as long as we hope we will wait and no longer as long as you expect and hope your friend will come to you so long you will stay and wait for him but give over hoping once and then you will together give over waiting Hope hath two acts it expects that a Mercy will come and then it waits till it do come as it is confident of Gods goodness and truth that in his due time hee will shew mercy so it is conscious to its own duty and therefore humbly and patiently waits Gods leisure till that time come and this although many cross Providences and greatest dangers should come between yea in the way of thy Judgements O Lord have wee waited for thee saith the Church Isa 26.8 and well they may seeing by experience they ever finde that the Lord is good unto them that wait for him to the soul that seeketh him Lam. 3.25 And then when you have learned these lessons of trusting in God praying hoping and waiting on him Then you shall say with the Church Isa 25.9 Loe this is our God wee have waited for him and hee will save us This is the Lord wee have waited for him wee will rejoyce and bee joyful in his salvation There are many glorious wonders which God is now to do at the latter end of the World for his Church This time is reserved for a time of Wonders And who knows but this may bee one of the Wonders which God now doth for his Church at this time Could wee but remove 1. Our Unbeleef 2. Our Unthankfulness 3. Our Neglect of Duty 4. Our Unworthy Walking Could wee but 1. Beleeve more Strongly 2. Pray more Fervently 3. Live more Holily And God would do Wonders for us I tell you the way to ingage God to do Wonders for England is 1. To Beleeve more 2. To Pray more 3. To Reform more 1 Would you ingage God to do Wonders for England Beleeve Set Faith on work and you will work in the bowels of a Promise nay in the bowels of God pitch Faith upon God Let Faith have her full and perfect work And there is No Temptation so strong but Faith will conquer No Affliction so great but Faith will master No Prison so strait but Faith will open No Danger so great but Faith relieves us in No Misery so unsufferable but Faith will deliver us out Do but beleeve saith Christ and thou shalt see the wondrous works of God As if hee had said God will do no wonders John 6.4 if you will not beleeve Indeed God can do wonders as Christ said Hee could not do much because of their unbeleef Though unbelief take no Power no Wisdome from God For as the Apostle saith God is faithfull whether men beleeve or no So I may say God is Powerfull God is mercifull God â—â— Wise c. though wee beleeve not But though our unbelief do not weaken the Power of God yet it straitens and limits it Though it rob God of no mercy yet it robs us of all Though he hath mercy yet hath he none for us Well then that is the first Beleeve You have to deal with a God and this God is a God of Power and this God and this power is yours in Covenant And by vertue of that all for your good Let Faith now stirre Mark 9.23 If you can but beleeve all things are possible wonders are possible To Beleeve is difficult but to him that Beleeveth nothing is impossible If you had but faith as a grain of mustard-seed say to this mountain bee thou removed hence and bee cast into the sea and it shall bee done Though Faith bee but weak though but small A grain yet if it bee but lively if a grain of Mustard-seed Acris Fervida if it have Acrimonie and Vivacity in it as Mustard-seed hath one grain shall bee able to remove a mountain That is whatever may bee to the glory of God and the good of his Church be it never so difficult the least Faith if true Faith will effect it and bring it about You shall read in Heb. 11.33 what wonders Faith hath wrought It hath the same Power and the same God of power to deal with still Incouragements to Faith I have given you diverse in the former discourses from the Power from the love of God from all those former experiences that both ourselves and generations before have had of Gods goodnesse As I have shewed at large 2 Would you ingage God pray to
fearful in praises doing wonders IN trouble God charges us with two things 1 Faith p. 335 2 Prayer Ibid. In deliverance with two things 1 Thankfulnesse p. 356 2 Obedience Ibid. The words opened Ibid. and p. 357. Doctrin The wonderful God doth do wonderful things for his Church and People The Doctrin proved and illustrated p. 358 1 That God doth great wonders Ibid. 2 That God hath done great wonders and that either p. 359 1 With small means Ibid 2 Without means p. 360 3 By contrary means Ibid. 2 Querie Is the Grounds and Reasons 1 Because he is a wonderful God p. 361 2 To get himself a wonderful name Ibid. 3 As to get so to uphold his great name p. 362 4 Reason God doth wonders for his People that hee might inherit wonderfull praises from his People p. 363. 5 Reason To add torture to the Devill and his Children p. 363. 6 Reason That so our selves and the Generations to come might bee stirred up to trust in him p. 364 365. 7 Reason Because his love and ingagements move him to it 4. Ingagements 1 They are his p. 366 2 He hath promised p. 366 367 3 They trust in him p. 368 4 They seek him ibid. 3 Query VVhat are those wonders God doth for his Church and People p. 369 1 Wonders for their souls p. 369. to 373 2 Wonders for their outward man p. 373 374 375 4 Query When is the time which God takes to do VVonders for his Church 1 When God shall get him most glory of the enemies p. 375. 2 VVhen God shall get most praise from his People p. 375 376 3 When God can â—â—â—â—e Church most good and work the compleatest â—â—â—â—â—erances p. 376 4 VVhen thâ—â—â—emies of the Church are carried with most 〈◊〉 â—nd promise themselves most successe p. 376 377 5 â—â—en Gods people are brought most low â— Two times Gods time Mans time p. 377 378 6 VVhen God holds up a spirit of Prayer p. 378 379 7 VVhen the glory of God is mightily concerned p. 379 5 Query How shall wee know God will work wonders for us if God do not wee shall bee made three wonders to all Nations ibid. 1 Of folly and madnesse 2 Of scorn and hissing 3 Of misery p. 380 Grounds of Fear that God will rather make us a wonder than work a wonder for us first Spiritual grounds 1 Universallity of sin p. 380 2 Impudency of sin p. 381 3 Obstinacy of sin amongst us ibid. Second natural grounds of Fear 1 The opposition of wicked men against indeavours of reformation ibid. 2 The schismes and divisions among us 382. 3 The wilful blindnesse and security among us 4 Missing of opportunities amongst us ibid. Two Grounds of hope first From God 1 From the goodnesse of his nature ibid. 2 Because Gods glory is much concerned p. 383 Two Grounds of Hope from the Church of God the good of most of the reformed Churches in the Christian world doth depend upon the welfare of England ibid. Three Arguments taken from our selves 1 Sins are not National nor untenanced by Law p. 383 384 2 Wee are now in reforming of them p. 384 3 From the beginnings of mercy p. 385 4 The stock of prayers laid up p. 386 5 God hath drawn out the graces of his people ibid. Four Arguments taken from our enemies 1 Their former wickednesse which shall hunt them and finde them out p. 387 2 Their present sinfulnesse ibid. Object God hath given up the godly into the hands of wicked men Four answers to this Objection p. 388 389 Five Arguments to induce us to hope that God will do wonders for us is taken from the consideration of those great things that God hath promised to do for his Church and People in this latter end of the World 389 to 393 Vse of Information To inform us of the greatnesse of our God 1 Of his Power 2 Wisdome 3 Mercy 4 Truth 394 2 It informs us of the happy condition of the Saints 3 How precious the Saints are in the esteem of God 4 That the condition of the Church is many times sad because a wonder must bee expressed for their relief p. 395 5 They must not thereby dispair of help p. 396 6 There is no ground for wicked men to insult p. 397 7 What ingagements lye upon them that God hath done wonders for ibid. 8 Information What grounds there is for us at this time 1 To trust in God 2 To pray to him 3 To hope in him 4 To wait upon him 1 From the Experience of God p. 398 399 2 From the Power of God 399 9 This informs us what is the reason that God lets wicked men bring up their designs to ripenesse because hee can do wonders p. 400 401 Second use of Advice to wicked men p. 401 402 403 Third Use for incouragement of Gods People 1 There is no cause of fear p. 403 Fear is unbeseeming 1 A Christian which is the souldier of Christ 2 Religion which is the cause of Christ p. 404 2 There is lesse cause of discouragement p. 405 406 407 Fourth Use To teach three lessons 1 Thankfulnesse p. 407 2 Obedience p. 408 3 Dependence p. 408 409 Two great enemies of Dependence upon God 1 Obliterating the notions of God p. 410 2 Burying the remembrance of his works p. 411 Fifth Use Then it is good being on the Churches side p. 412 Sixth Use Let us fall down and adore this great God who can do wonders Seventh Use Let us carry our selves in such department as is sutable for such as are Expectants that God should do wonders for them p. 413 Eight Use Doth God do wonders for his Church then learn 1 To trust in God unbeleef imprisons God faith sets him at liberty p. 414 2 Bee incouraged to Prayer Faith and Prayer have had a hand in most wonders p. 415 3 Bee incouraged to hope ibid. 4 Bee incouraged to wait p. 416 1 Would you ingage God to do wonders beleeve p. 417 The excellency of Faith in four Particulars Let no difficulty undermine your Faith no nor discouragement put you off from seeking p. 418 Supplication is nothing without Reformation p. 419 420 SUch was his Out-side But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That once within Thou may'st not yet behold For fear of Sin It 's Dan. 12 3. Dazeling Glory Mortal would amaze And make thee Idolize It 's * Sun-bright raies Thy Sin would Crucify what Grace hath Crown'd And Thou with shame It 's Glory quite Confound No Stay a while First Get to Heaven And than Gaze-on And view the In-side of the Man Then Love Adore Admire Triumph And Sing Eternal Hallelu-jahs to thy King That Pious Soul Rev. 19.10 22.9 disclaims thy Worship He Thy Fellow-Saint will worship God with thee But is there left no Tran-script here beneath Of that Fair-Copy Rent from us by Death Yes Turn these Pages Reader Thou wilt see His every-line Breaths Immortality Ferd. Archer SINNE THE GREATEST
sins to be the greatest of evils Though Spiritual sins were hid from them their light was not able to discover Infidelity and Gospel-sins yet Moral-sins they have discovered and have avoided them and would hazard themselves nay and suffer too rather than they would commit such sins The examples of Plato Scipio Cato and many others will clear this And all this was discovered by the Glass of Nature done by Nature but not by meer Nature fallen but by Nature well-husbanded by Nature improved by the implantation of Moral Principles together with Restraining Grace and other common gifts of the Spirit The Greatness of their Hatred against sin the Greatness of their Care to avoid sin the Greatness of their Sufferings rather than they would commit sin might be enough to discover to us the Greatness of the Evil of sin But pass by this 2. The second Glass wherein you may see the greatness of sin is The Glass of the Law A Glass which discovers sin in all its Dimensions the Guilt Demerit Filthiness and Sinfulness of sin Hence the Apostle Rom. 7.7 saith I had not known sin but by the Law that is I had not known sin so hainous as it is I had not known sin in the wideness and latitude of it I had not known the sinfulness of sin if it had not been for the Law if the Law had not been a Glass to have discovered sin to me This discovered sin in its Greatness David Psal 119.96 I have seen an end of all Perfection but thy Law is exceeding broad that is by revealing the compass of sin in proportion to its Wideness and Greatness Oh! This will discover to thee more nakedness in one sin than all the world can cover more indigency in one sin than all the Treasures of created righteousness in heaven and earth are able to supply more obliquity and injustice in one sin in a very wandring thought than all the Deaths of men and Annihilations of Angels are able to Expiate Search into the Law and thou shalt discover Thousands of sins which fall under Any One Law of God Oh! Here is A Glass 3. Look upon sin in The Glass of the Griefs Woundings Peircings and Sorrows which the Saints have found 1. In their Admissions and first Entrance into the state of Grace 2. In their Relapsings and Turnings again to folly 1. For the first See what Groans Humiliations they have indured in their first admissions into an estate of Grace in Manasseth 2 Chron. 33.12 in Paul Acts 9. in the Converted Jews Acts 2.37 when the nails which peirced Christ now stuck in their hearts as the arrow in the stags side How many of the Saints have there been who have been cast into a bed of miserable sorrow lain bed-rid under the stroke of Justice perhaps for many years And all this for sin No age is without a Thousand examples of it 2. Look upon the sorrows and breakings which the Saints have indured upon their Relapsing into sin See in Peter in David Read what sad expressions he hath in Psalm 6. from vers 1. to vers 7. and in Psalm 32.3 4 5 verses So Psalm 51. How doth he complain how his Soul is troubled his bones are broken his eyes are consumed with sorrow his bed swims with tears And all this for sin Here is a Glass wherein you may see the Evil of sin to be the Greatest Evil. Yea and the least sin when God sets it on will do all this 4. Look upon sin in Adam and there see the greatness of it That one sin of Adam hath brought All the Miseries Sickness Death c. upon All his Posterity since that time It hath been the Damnation of thousands of millions of men and still it runs on Gods justice is still unsatisfied if it were there would be a stop We should Dye no more Be sick no more c. Oh! Here you may see sin sin in its Extensiveness 5. Look upon sin in Christ See there what Humblings what Breakin gs what Woundings what Peircings what Wrath it brought upon Christ himself It was that which mingled that Bitter Cup with such woful ingredients which had we but fipt of it when it was so tempered would have laid our souls under more wrath than All the damned in Hell do suffer Christ did Bear Pure Justice for sin Nay it made him who was God as well as man sanctified by the Spirit to that work strengthned by the Deity To sweat drops of blood and even to struggle and seem to draw back and pray against the work of his own Mercy and to decline the business of his own coming into the world Ah! none knows but Christ nor is a finite understanding able to conceive what Christ underwent when he was to Bear sin and with that To wrestle with the infinite wrath and justice of the infinite God the Terrors of death and the Powers of the world to come Here is a Glass wherein you may see The greatness of sin The wideness of sin The guilt of sin The demerit of sin All which are set out to the life in the Death Sufferings Breakin gs and Woundings of the Son of God You that make light of sin go to Christ and ask him How heavy it was even that which you make so light of which pressed him down to the ground And the least sin would have pressed thee and all the pillars of heaven to the Bottom of Hell for ever 6. A sixth Glass Look upon sin in the Damnation of the soul for ever that nothing would satisfie the justice of God but the Destruction of the Creature No Sickness no Prisons no Blood no Sufferings but the Sufferings of Hell And those not for a Time but for Ever Ah! see here the greatness of sin which might be further amplified by the consideration of the preciousness of the soul which yet sin ruines to all eternity And therefore would you know sin Quaere Damnatos Ask the damned what sin is Lay thy Ear to Hell and hear those Skreechings those Howlings those Roarings of the Damned And all this is for sin Oh they are dear-bought pleasures which must be thus payed for with everlasting pains Thus you see what sin is by all these Glasses And therefore Oh! how ought we to be Humbled for our slight thoughts of sin which is so great an Evil USE Now if it be so Then see what need we have to Aggravate sin to the utmost in our confessions of sin because all we can say of it will fall infinitely short of the Haâ—nousness of sin You can aggravate no sin so high as to raise it above it selfe as to make sin greater than it is You can have No Magnifying Glass to greaten sin above the Greatness of it You have such Glasses to make greater other things above their own higness which are able to present small things great mean things of vast bigness But you have no Glass to multiply sin and make sin
Peculiar Pure-Mercy a mercy that came from the Bowels of mercy the Heart of Mercy 3. This is the Freest Mercy of all other Pardon of sin 1. There was nothing to ingage God to do it 2. Nor was there any thing we could do to purchase it All our Prayers our Tears our Services could not purchase the Pardon of one sin If for the Active Part we could do as much and for the Passive part we could suffer as much as all the Saints put together have done from the beginning of the world to this day If we should weep as many Tears as the Sea holds drops if we should humble our selves as many days as the world hath stood minutes from the creation c. All this were Too short to purchase us the Pardon of one sin though vve did all vvithout sin But Alas All that ever vve can do is so far from striking off any Former score that we do but set our selves further in debt thereby So far are we from purchasing a Pardon that we do but increase our Treason Operamur non in justificationem sed ex justificatione we must not work that we may be justified but we are justified that we may work So that it is the Freest-Mercy And therefore in Scripture you read it all attributed to Grace Tit. 3.7 We are justified freely by his Grace Rom. 3.24 Being justified freely by his Grace Rom. 4.5 God justifies the ungodly There is no motive in us All is from God And you shall see it plain one place for two In Isa 43. Verse 23 24 25. Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money nor hast thou made me drink with the fat of thy Sacrifices But thou hast made me serve with thy sins thou hast wearied me with thy iniquities I I am he that putteth away thy iniquities for my own names sake and will not remember thy sins Would a man have expected this this sheweth freeness when not onely no deservings as it is v. 23. and former part of v. 24. Thou hast not c. but contrary deservings Thou hast wearied mee with thine iniquities Oh infinite oh freest mercy God is mercifull only because hee will bee mercifull 4 It is an Intituling Mercy A Mercy that Intitles you to more Good than I am able to express or you able to conceive It is a Mercy that doth interest you in all other Mercies It Intitles you to all the Good on Earth to All the glory of Heaven Nay it is a Mercy-making-Mercy A mercy that makes all other things Mercy to you 1. Good things are mercies Your Riches your Greatness your Possessions your Husbands your Wives Children c. all these things are no Blessings till they be joyned with a Pardon and that makes them all blessings Nay not onely Good things But 2. Evil things are Mercies to you Pardon of sin makes Poverty Afflictions Sickness Death it self a Mercy Like the Unicorns horn it takes away the venome and poyson of every Water Like the Philosophers-stone it turns All into Gold So saith the Apostle All things work together for good unto them that love God A Sanctified-Cross is better than an Unsanctified Comfort A loss in Mercy is better than an enjoyment in Wrath. You are never able to make it good that God doth bestow any thing in mercy till sin be forgiven Guilt of sin upon you doth turn the nature of things and makes those things which are good in themselves evil to you 5. It is an irrevocable-mercy God may give in other mercies and call for them again Indeed other things are rather lent than given Lent Husband Lent Wife c. Hence they are said to be but Talents in our hands and we Stewards of them for a time God may call for them when he pleaseth or we may forfeit them and lose them How often do we forfeit and lose good things because of our unworthy walking in the enjoyment thereof Hos 2.8 9 I will take away my corn in the time thereof my wine and my flax in their season Mine It was Gods And would you know the reason see in the former verse Because they did not acknowledge him as the giver of them but bestowed them on Baal as though he had given them But now this Mercy is an irrevocable Mercy A mercy that God never recals A Mercy God never repents of The gifts and graces of God are without repentance And it is a Mercy never forfeited We may forfeit the sense of a pardon we may forfeit the comfort of a pardon nay we may forfeit the knowledge of a pardon I say you may sin away the sense the comfort the knowledge of a pardon as it was with David But we shall never forfeit a pardon Quod Scripsi Scripsi If all this foreseen could not hinder God from giving out a pardon neither can it make God repent of a pardon when he hath given it Now the Stability of the Mercy is that which addes a great deal of worth to the Mercy As things that are Evil so much more things that are good are heightned from the consideration of the continuance of them the Stability and Lastingness of them Now this is a Stable Mercy Take but one Place Isa 54.8 9 10 For this is as the waters of Noah unto me For as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth So have I sworn that I will not be wroth with thee nor rebuke thee Yet further For the mountains shall depart and the hills shall be removed but my kindeness shall never depart from thee nor shall the Covenant of my peace be removed This is the difference betwixt the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace The one is Temporary the other is Eternal It is a Temporary Covenant though an Eternal Rule The other is Eternal and Immutable 6. Pardon of sin is an Universal Mercy the Womb of Mercy a Productive-Mercy all other mercies grow upon this Tree of Forgiveness of sin It is a Tree the Root whereof is in Christ and the Fruit thereof are All good things on Earth and Glory in Heaven There are Seven glorious Fruits of Pardon of sin which I will but name and so come to the Last Use 1. Reconciliation with God 2 Cor. 5.19 Admission into his favour He who before was an Enemy is now become thy Friend for nothing makes God an Enemy but sin And such a Friend he is who will be a Friend in life a friend in Death when all other Friends forsake and a Friend after death 2. Adoption of Children which followeth upon our pardon in justification 3. Access to God as to a Father with childe-like boldness Sin was that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that great Gulf betwixt God and us Sin the Partition-wall betwixt God and us now sin being pardoned this Partition-wall is taken down and there is Access to God and Access with boldness 4. Acceptation of our Services Till sin be pardoned
weary of the exercise of his Mercie and therefore hee goes on to adde Mercy to Mercy Wee say the Bee gives Hony naturally the sting only when shee is forced to it So God it is natural to him to shew Mercy but hee is provoked to exercise Judgement Hence hee is called the Father of Mercies begets Mercy Mercy is the Issue of God most natural to God and being so hence Mercy pleaseth him Actions of Nature are Actions of Delight God is never so well pleased with any carriage towards his Church as those which are in the wayes of mercy Nay if hee do afflict his Church it is to shew Mercy Mercy is the end of all his dealings towards his Church and therefore Mercy being so natural so pleasing and that the Mercy of God is the ground of his expressions of love to us as it is though our sins may draw out the expressions of his Justice yet his Mercy doth arise from himself Hence wee may have a ground to expect yet greater things than ever 6. Consectary If the heart of Christ bee so much taken with his Church Then see with what confidence wee may pray for the good of the Church of Christ Christs heart is taken with it A man may pray for himself and doubt of hearing because hee is not able to make out his particular interest in Gods Love But if a man pray for the good of the Church hee is sure to have hearing because the heart of Christ is taken with it Let us then make use of all our interest and acquaintance in Heaven in the behalf of the Church at this time 1. It is a thing which God commands 2. A thing which God expects 3. A thing which God rewards 4. A thing which God threatens the neglect of Much might bee said to move you Your good and your evil lies in the Churches As Jeremy used this as an argument why to pray for the civil estate of Babylon because in the peace thereof they should have peace if theirs in Babylons how much more ours in Sions 7. Consectary If the heart of Christ bee so much taken with his Church Then what will become of those who are enemies to his Church and People Is the heart of Christ so much taken with his Church and People Then woe bee to them that offend his Church If you touch them you touch the apple of his eye Gods People are dear to God They are his Spouse his Children his Members purchased with the price of his bloud his inheritance his Portion all his commings-in Those hee dyed for shed his bloud for one drop whereof is worth a thousand Worlds And therefore those whom hee was content to shed his bloud for certainly hee doth more esteem than all the World besides Wee say whiles the Iron is in its own nature you may handle it and meddle with it but if once the nature of fire bee added unto it if you touch it it will burn you So whiles the Children of God are but the Children of men you may deal with them as with other men but if once the nature of God bee stamped on them the Image of Christ bee drawn upon them it will bee dangerous for you to meddle with them least fire break out of their mouth to devoure you Wee read Zach. 12.3 God said hee would make his Church a burthensome stone c. St. Jerom on that place saith it was a Metaphor taken from the custome of the Jews who to try their strength had at the gates of the City great stones if they could lift them well and good but if not they crushed themselves with them So God will make his Church a burthensome stone Whoever lifteth at it shall crush himself whoever seeks to hurt it shall ruine himself You see it in Pharaoh Haman Achitophel Julian Haman lifted so long at this stone that it fell on him at last and crushed him Pharaoh followed the Children of Israel so long that hee could not return at last but was overwhelmed in the Waters Julian attempted it so long till at last himself was overthrown Hee that shoots in a Peece over-charged strikes down himself not that which hee aimed at Hee who intends evil against the Church shoots in a Peece over-charged and is sure to bee struck down with his own recoil Wee see it in our dayes They who have digged pits for us have fallen into them themselves They who laid snares for us in them is their own foot taken They have but made Rods for their own backs paved a way to their own destruction digged graves to bury themselves in seeking our ruine The Scepter of Christ hath been too strong for the Principality of Satan hee hath a Rod of Iron a Scepter of Power Eris sub pedibus an arm of strength to crush in peeces all his enemies And therefore as Pilates wife said of Christ Have nothing to do with that just man So I to thee seest thou a godly man beware of having any thing to do with him by way of offence For their Angels alway behold the face of their heavenly Father 8. Consectary If the heart of Christ bee so much taken with his Church Then see here the Ground of Acceptation of the services of his people God being taken with the Persons is taken with the performances of his People Hee had respect to Abel and then to his Offering Christ his heart was taken with the person and then with his performance Hence Christ saith to his Church Cant. 2.14 Let mee see thy Countenance let mee hear thy voice for thy Countenance is comely and thy voice is sweet Indeed if Acceptation should arise from the worthiness of our duties wee should never look to bee accepted There is so much sin in our services so much evil in our good so much coldness in our best heats so much formality in our chiefest power so much deadness in our best life so much of the World so much of our earth in our imployments for Heaven And if Acceptation should arise from any worth in them wee should bee sure to miss of it But arising from his good will and Mercy to us his heart being first taken with us is taken with our performances Hence the Assurance of Acceptation Nay and not only of our purest and perfectest services but even of our poor and imperfect duties such as wee throw away for dead and cast prayers Cant. 5.1 Hee drinks the Milk as well as the Wine Wee look upon a prayer accompanied with deadness distraction as a cast prayer Oh! say wee how can God accept of such impure imperfect services But hence it ariseth not from the excellency of your prayers but from the indulgency of his Grace It is the voice of his Spouse though never so weak It is the cry of a Member of his though never so faint And hee can put his odours his incense to them though never so impure and make them acceptable Rev. 8.4
shall bee of Christ of his beauties his love c. because Christ is in thy heart What the heart is taken withall the Tongue will discourse on 1. And indeed wee cannot have a fuller Subject to discourse on Other Subjects they are empty subjects quickly barren Talk of what you will you will bee quickly at an end The bottome of other things are quickly sounded But Christ is a full Subject Whatever you fall upon is fulness in Christ An everlasting spring which affordeth fresh supplies of matter New and unconceiveable discoveries do arise afresh to bee matter of supply to all eternity 2. You cannot have a sweeter subject Christ is All-sweet A Rose without prickles A Rose for sweetness without prickles for content And nothing is so but Christ All the things of the world since the fall have been Roses beset with thorns Though there bee many sweets in the World yet they are not all-sweet they are beset with thorns crosses with comforts and afflictions with affections Christ is All-sweet and nothing but sweet Tota pulchra as hee said of his Spouse Thou art all-fair Beauty without spot Sweet without prickles Hee is a Garden full of flowers full of sweets You can light of none but you may lade your thighs and go home satisfied 3. You cannot have a more delightfull subject Christ is the delight of all both in Heaven and Earth Hee is Gods delight his heart is taken with him hee lies in his bosome And his Son in whom hee is wel pleased hee is the delight of the Angels whose delight it is to study Christ and desire to learn and hear further discoveries of Christ by his Church as Peter hath it 1 Pet. 1.12 4. You cannot have a more profitable subject A subject which in conversing upon wee are transformed into his Glory 2 Cor. 3.18 into the glory of him who is the subject of the discourse Have you not been kindled with heavenly fire have not your hearts burned in the converses of him as well as in the converses with him Indeed wee cannot converse of him aright but in some measure wee converse with him Doth it not sometimes fetch up your souls to glory and leave you in Heaven Do you not finde it profitable to quicken you to raise you to comfort you to inflame you to humble you to melt you to transform you Doth not a discourse of his love quicken you when you are dead comfort you when you are dejected raise you when faln humble you when proud inflame you when cold Inlarge you when straitned and pent within your selves Oh! That such worthless subjects should so often take up our Tongues and Thoughts And Christ so full so sweet so delightfull so profitable a subject which shall bee matter for our souls discourse to all Eternity shall bee thrown aside as if not worth taking up You whose hearts are taken with Christ declare it to your own comfort and the good of others In this let your thoughts bee taken up with him let your discourses bee more of him shew your selves to love him by thinking Christ speaking Christ living Christ more 6. Sign An heart taken with Christ thirsts after communion with and nearer conjunction to Christ You know whatever your hearts are taken withall you desire and thirst after communion and converses withall So it is here betwixt Christ and the soul The soul taken with Christ longs to bee with him and thirsts after communion with him 1. In Grace here 2. In Glory hereafter 1. In Grace here Oh! How the soul once taken with Christ desires converses with him in prayer in hearing in meditation Isa 26.8 9. The desire of our soul is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee With my soul have I desired thee in the night yea with my spirit within mee will I seek thee early And this is the Genius of a soul taken with Christ that duty doth not content him if hee finde not Christ in duty If the end of a duty have left him on this side Christ it hath left him so far short of comfort Others indeed though they do a duty yet as their hearts seek not Christ in the duty so their souls can rest content without him when the duty is done but it is otherwise with a right-born-soul 'T was the speech of Bradford that hee could never leave a duty till hee had found communion with Christ in the duty till hee had brought his heart into a duty-frame Hee could not leave confession till hee had found his heart touched broken and humbled for sin nor Petition till hee had found his heart taken with the beauties of the things desired and carried out after them nor could hee leave thanksgiving till hee had found his spirit inlarged and his soul quickened in the return of praises And it was the happiness of Bernard a Heaven upon Earth that hee saith of himself I never went from thee without thee Nunquam abs te absque te recedo Coelum extra Coelum Hee found God in every duty hee had communion with God in every prayer which indeed is Heaven on this side Heaven Thus hee whose heart is taken with Christ thirsts after communion with him and no duty contents him wherein hee hath not found either his quickening or his comforting-presence either communion with his Grace or communion with his comfort 2. As hee thirsts after communion with him here in Grace so doth hee desire communion with him in Glory To bee with the Lord as the Apostle Whiles the soul is here it sees the distance too great betwixt Christ and it that shee cannot injoy that sweet communion with him As the Apostle saith Whiles wee are present in the flesh wee are absent from the Lord. And therefore the soul breaths after him desires to bee with him Cupio dissolvi saith the Apostle I desire to bee dissolved and to bee with Christ The like of David Psal 42.1 2. As the Hart panteth after the water-brooks so panteth my soul after thee O God My soul thirsteth for God for the living God When shall I come and appear before God! Hee had tasted the sweetness of Christ and did not fear the bitterness of death Vitam in Patientia mortem in Desiderio Hee had Life in Patience Death in Desire because by death hee should bee carried to more sweet and intimate conjunction with Christ It was the speech of Augustine Lord I will dye that I may injoy thee Eja Domine mortar ut te videam nolo vivere Volo mori I will not live but I will dye I desire to dye that I may see Christ and refuse to live that I may live with Christ And this disposition you see in the Spouse here Her heart being taken with Christ shee could not brook the distance betwixt Christ and her and therefore cryes out Cant. 8.1 Make haste make haste my beloved Though in one sense it is true hee that beleeves makes not haste
the Apostle 2 Cor. 5. This should make us live more humbly more actively more studious to please more diligent to obey more carefull to serve him This should make us live at higher rates for Heaven more spiritual more heavenly minded It is a Cord let down from Heaven to fetch our souls up thither And doth this cause us to bee more remiss more careless Doth this which should quicken slacken our hand to duty Oh base ungrateful neglect of Love 3. when wee take heart to sin thereby Grow more loose careless This is an high abuse of this Love Because God is Good wilt thou bee Evil because hee is Merciful wilt thou bee sinful because hee is Gracious wilt thou bee impious What fearful abuse of Love is this This is to wound Christ in the house of his friends To return good for good is but Humane To return evil for good is Wicked To return good for evil is Christian-like But To return evil for good and the greatest evil for the greatest good Sin for Love this is devilish Were you his enemies hee knew how to deal with you hee could revenge himself and the abuses of his love upon you but you are his friends and those bowels which you wrong are stirred in him when hee goes about to punish you Oh Ephraim How shall I give thee up how shall I deliver thee Israel my bowels are turned within mee My repentings are kindled together Hos 11.8 The greatness of God prevails with wicked men that awes them often that they dare not sin against him But the goodness of God this should prevail with us There is mercy with thee therefore thou art to bee feared It is set down as the Principle in such with whom the heart of Christ is taken Hos 3. ult They shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter dayes None but venimous spirits will suck poison from such a sweet as thence to draw incouragements to sin from that which is the great incouragement to service The Love of Christ had so prevailed with Chrysostome that hee used to say Ego sic censeo sic assidue praedicabo And Anselme That if on the one hand hee should see sin and on the other the torments of Hell hee had rather chuse to fall into Hell than fall into sin 4. When wee stagger and doubt give way to misgiving thoughts of Christs Love and unbeleevings of our own hearts wee abuse this Love What is it possible that Christ should do or suffer more than hee hath done and suffered to perswade your hearts of his Love If Christ should ask the question of you who doubt most of his Love What shall I do to answer your scruples to satisfie your souls for ever in this that I love you could you rationally desire more than what hee hath expressed in his words and to your heart and if notwithstanding all bee in vain 1 Sam. 25.21 may hee not justly say as David of Nabal Surely in vain have I done all this when this all commeth to nothing 3. Direction to them of the Church 3. Bee much in the contemplation of this Love of Christ Dwell upon this This Love of Christ will bee matter of eternal perusal in Heaven Wee shall do nothing but read over this Love Oh! let us not bee strangers to it now View it in the 1. Fulness 2. Freeness 3. Bounty 4. Perpetuity thereof 1. Measure it in the Fulness of it It is a Love which reacheth to every necessity A love able to make you holy and able to make you happy Thou art under guilt and sin thou art terrified by the one and ashamed and confounded because so loathsomely defiled by the other Why It is a pardoning a purging a sanctifying Love it is a Love as large as himself though the persons beloved bee finite 2. Read it over in the Freeness of it 1. It was an undeserved 2. It was an unsought-for Love 1. It was an undeserved Love Wee may provoke him to anger but wee cannot tempt him to love Amat Deus non aliundè hoc habet The former doth arise from our sins the latter from himself His chusing justifying adopting saving love all are free 2. It was an unsought-for Love Never a prayer put up for it I am found of them that sought mee not Isa 65.1 3. Read it over in the Bounty and Expressions of it 1. What hee did 2. What hee suffered 3. What hee hath given to his Church 4. Look upon it in the Perpetuity Permanency and continuance thereof A Love which reaches from Eternity to Eternity From Eternal chusing to Eternal glorifying An unchangeable Love Let us then peruse this Love Read it over in all the Dimensions Dwell upon the thoughts of it till your hearts bee Humbled melted inabled in-nobled winned quickened comforted c. The Thoughts of this Love are 1. Soul-humbling Thoughts Nothing layes the soul lower than Love The consideration of this will vile a man to Hell Ezek. 36.25 to 33. where you may read some expressions of love how it affects These would bee 2. Soul-melting Thoughts They will not only humble but melt not only break but dissolve the heart Nothing doth melt the soul more than Love The Law may break us but it is as the breaking of a flint every dust retains hardness but it is the Gospel that melteth us The thoughts of Gods Justice do stone the heart make it more hard but the thoughts of Gods Mercy do melt the heart You know you never mourn indeed till Love till Mercy do melt you Every drop of tears sticks like an hailstone and congeals in the eyes but when Love comes in then all the springs are opened and a man is dissolved into waters So much apprehensions of this Love of Christ so much godly sorrow They are like the Fountain and the Stream whereof the one doth rise no higher than the other The thoughts of this Love have 3. A Soul-inabling Power It will not only ingage us to service as the Apostle The Love of Christ constrains mee But it will inable us to service make us pray and pray with affections pray with life make us hear and hear with strength This puts us upon work and puts life vertue and vigor into our actions No actions stronger than those that come from Love Things incredible and impossible to others are yet easy to them who love See what the Saints have gone through what they have done what they have suffered Let but the thoughts of this love lye on your spirits a little and you will finde that Love is strong as death Cant. 8.6 and will mightily carry us through that which otherwise may seem impossible They will bee 4. Soul-innobling thoughts They will make you like themselves Whatever the soul feeds on the soul is digested into the nature of it So here feed on the thoughts of this love and your spirit will bee digested into it Whiles wee behold as in
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. These fourscore and six years I have served Christ and hee hath never hurt mee all this time and how then can I blaspheme my King and Saviour The like of Cyprian who being desired to consult with himself before hee should suffer Fac quod tibi praeceptum est replies Do your office In so just a thing as this there needs no Consultation The like of that rich Virgin which Basil speak of who being condemned to the fire was offered her life and estate if she would renounce her Faith shee returns Valeat vita pereat pecunia c. Let my mony perish my life cannot and though I lose this life I shall have a more enduring a more abiding a more abounding life in Christ To these many more might bee added to shew how Faith doth furnish the Soul with suffering Resolutions as that of Chrysostome who said if you take away my goods c. 3. Faith begets suffering graces courage magnanimity patience humility self-denyal contempt of the World high prizing of God It sets God above all the comforts and contentments in Heaven and Earth It gives adherence to the Truth by which the Soul is inabled to undergo any thing 4. It laies in suffering-strength strength from God strength from the Promise which saith When thou passest through the water it shall not overflow thee when thou passest through the fire it shall not kindle upon thee c. Isa 43.2 It fetcheth strength from Christ who like Simon of Cyrene helps to bear part of every Cross Thus Faith goes out of it self stands upon anothers bottome leans upon anothers power rests upon anothers strength whereby the Soul is inabled to go thorow any thing All this is conveyed by this Instrument of Faith 5. It propounds to the Soul suffering rewards That For these light afflictions which are but for a moment wee shall receive a far more exceeding and eternal weight of Glory That for the loss of temporals wee shall gain eternals That If wee suffer with Christ wee shall reign with Christ. That No man shall lose Father or Mother or Wife or Children or Lands or Houses or Brethren or Sisters for his Names sake but hee shall receive an hundred fold more here and shall inherit everlasting life Matth. 19.29 God will bee all this to thee Nay God will bee more than all this to thee More than Riches more than Friends more than Life it self unto thee All which considerations do exceedingly inable the Soul to undergo sufferings and tryals Eleventh Royalty 11. Faith is an Heart-in-nobling-Grace That which sets one man above another 11. Royalty of Faith It s a Soul-in-nobling-Grace That which doth raise up and exalt one man above another in Gods esteem is Faith that which doth put a difference between man and man is Faith or nothing Acts. 15.9 1. Faith is such a Grace as sets us above others our Persons above others A Grace which makes us Kings and Priests unto God which raises us and sets us out of the croud They are noble whom God doth in-noble honourable whom God doth honour God is the King of Kings the Fountain of all Honour who can exalt whom hee pleaseth and throw down whom hee pleaseth who can in-noble whom hee pleaseth and abase whom hee will And this honour have all his Saints This hath God thrown upon the poorest Beleever hee hath made him a King and a Priest Rev. 1.6 1 Pet. 2.5.9 2. Faith sets our performances above others Our prayers our duties our obedience Faith raises them above others Heb. 11.4 By Faith Abel offered to God a more excellent Sacrifice than Cain Cain offered Sacrifice as well as Abel but Faith put the difference betwixt them By Faith hee offered a more excellent a more noble Sacrifice than Cain Faith puts a difference betwixt the works of Christians and the works of Heathens Though there were no difference for the matter yet Faith puts a vast difference for the manner Faith puts a difference betwixt the Abba-Fathers of a Childe of a Saint and the Ave-Maries of a superstitious Papist betwixt the Prayers of a Saint and the Devotions of a sinner betwixt the cryes of a Saint and the howlings of an Hypocrite But to return Faith is an Heart-in-nobling-Grace 1. It begets in us Soul-in-nobling-Principles Principles like our selves It is such a Grace as doth sublimate a man begets high glorious and heavenly Principles in the soul By this wee are made partakers of the divine nature It is an Heart-spiritualizing-Grace Whereas Unbeleef doth sensuallize a man beasts a man as Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 5.20.21 Hence wee read An Unbeleeving heart is called a gross heart make their heart gross so Faith doth raise up a man spiritualizes a man A Beleeving heart is a fine heart a spiritual heart It refines the soul Faith doth raise up a man as high above reason as reason doth raise a man above meer sense It sets a man as high above a man as Reason doth a man above a Beast Faith is the Spirit of Grace Not only a spiritual Grace but the Spirit of all our spiritual Graces It hath nothing but spirituality in it and hath to do with nothing but spiritual things with God with Christ with Heaven with Justification pardon of sin All which are spiritual things far above sense nay and Reason too their objects reach not so high which things though they bee Real and none more Real yet they are spiritually Real not sensually Real to Faith not to sense nor to Reason neither And therefore unbeleeving men do esteem these things either meer-nothings or they are next door to nothing in their thoughts Imaginary things Notiones secundae which have no foundation in Being no existence in the World 2. Faith doth implant us into Soul-in-nobling-Relations 1 It makes us Servants to the great God of Heaven and Earth who though it were Hyperbollically said of Tyrus Merchants yet may it truly bee said of God makes all his servants Kings Gods service is an honourable a noble service Nay it makes us not only Servants but 2. It makes us friends of God Abraham a Beleever was call'd Gods Friend nay not only Friends but 3. It makes us Sons and Daughters of God Gal. 3.26 You are the Children of God by Faith Wee may glory in our Pedegree A Beleever is best born nobly born Jam. 1.18 Of his own Will begat hee us by the Word of Truth Joh. 1.13 Born of God Nay 4. It makes us the Spouse of Christ who is such as Husband as doth en-noble his Wife Wee know among men The Wife is honoured with her Husbands honour The Lawyers have a speech Mulier fulget Radiis Mariti The Wife shines with the Husbands Rayes shee shines with his brightness If hee bee honourable whatever shee was before yet now shee cannot bee base If hee bee noble shee cannot bee ignoble because hee confers and throws all his honours upon his Wife So here by Faith being
5. Not able to perfect it when it is begun to our hands Isa 26.12 Lord thou hast wrought all our works in us or for us So Rom. 7.18 To will is present with mee but how to perform that which is good I finde not There is a partial impotency in the hearts of the best and this is more or less according to the vigor and power of corruption in us As you see in Rom. 7.18 For I know that in mee that is in my flesh dwels no good thing for to will is present but not to perform But there is a total universal impotency in unregenerate men Every Imagination motion figment of his heart being evil only evil every day But admit wee could do any thing could make as many prayers as stars in Heaven weep as many tears as the Sea holds drops Nay could wee do as much as the tallest Angel in Heaven all this would be too short to winde us out of our misery that sin casts us into 2. Wee are not able to suffer and by our sufferings to help our selves out of this If wee should macerate and afflict our bodies suffer all the miseries in the world in way of satisfaction for the least sin Alas all would bee too little too short would not amount and come up to the least debt But what do I speak of this If wee could suffer as many thousand millions of years torments in hell as the World hath stood minutes from the Creation Nay and God should widen the capacities of the Soul make a man more strong and able to bear more wrath make a man a larger vessel to receive more torments that so in time the springs of his Justice may bee drawn dry the treasures of his wrath might bee expended and a full satisfaction bee made yet there would bee no time no eternity of torment wherin there would bee enough endured as a full satisfaction for the least sin for the least oath thou hast ever sworn for the least idle thought thou hast ever conceived c. The reason is all this is but finite and therefore cannot come up to satisfie for an offence of infinite demerit Thus Faith empties a man not only of opinion of Righteousness in himself but of opinion of helping himself by any strength of his own out of this Faith will tell thee There is an eternal Law violated and thou canst not make up that there is guilt of sin and thou art not able to satisfie for that God is an enemy and thou art unable to make him thy friend God is angry and thou art unable to appease him thou art liable to wrath and not able to avoid it thou art under the Curse and art unable to undergo it art cast into debt and art unable to make payment All which being discovered to the soul the soul falls down at Gods feet and saith not with him in the Gospel Have patience with mee and I will pay thee all But Have mercy upon mee for I am unable to pay God bee merciful to mee a sinner Oh! This will make a soul fall down at the feet of God and implore that mercy of God that hee would cancel all the obligations reverse all his Proceedings cross all Books pardon all debts between him and the soul Fourteenth Royalty 14. Royalty of Faith It s an Heart-inriching-Grace 14 Faith is an Heart-inriching and filling-Grace When Faith hath once emptied a man of himself makes him a fit receptacle then it fills his soul with Christ when it hath strip'd a man of his own rags then it puts on the Garments of Christ when it hath made a man poor in himself it inriches the soul with Christ when wee are nothing in our selves then Christ is made all to us Cor humile est vacuum spirituale Wisdome Justification Sanctification and Redemption 1 Cor. 1.30 An humble empty heart is the vessel of all Grace So much Emptiness so much Grace Because humility doth empty the heart for God to fill it If the heart bee emptied once it must needs bee filled Non datur vacuum Nature abhors emptiness Grace much more Faith doth inrich the soul with all the merits of Christ with the Spirit of Christ Christ imputed Christ imparted Christ infused with the Righteousness of Christ for Justification with the Holiness of Christ for Sanctification Faith will not want it if Christ have it Faith will not bee poor if Christ bee rich will not bee empty if Christ bee full Ego non sum meriti inops quamdiu ille non est inops miserationum Bernard I cannot bee poor saith Bernard so long as God is rich his Riches are mine Of his fulness I receive Grace for Grace Christ indeed is a Fountain but hee is a Fountain sealed up Hee is a Treasure but hee is a Treasure lockt up to an unbeleeving heart Faith is the Key that unlocks this Treasure opening the Treasuries of Heaven making an inlet of all the Glory of Christ Faith gives the soul communion with all the Riches of Christ So far as it is possible for Christ to bee communicated hee is made ours by Faith by it there is a conveyance made of all the great revenues of Christ. The great stock which Christ did purchase by his Blood is passed over to the beleeving soul There is a Deed of Gift made to such wherein I say Not the whole Righteousness of the Mediator Non tota Justitia Mediatoris sed Justitia tota Mediatoria his essentiall and incommunicable Righteousness but his whole Mediatory Righteousness that Righteousness which Christ purchased for us as Mediator the Righteousness of his active and passive obedience by the one doing our services by the other bearing our scourges by the one as was said before answering Gods commanding Justice by the other answering Gods condemning Justice the one in Praemium to free us from wrath the other in Pretium to intitle us to Glory all this is made ours As Boaz said to his Kinsman Marry the Woman and the Field is thine So when once by Faith wee are married to Christ his Blood is ours his merits ours his Spirit ours all are ours Faith gives us a propriety in all Tu vita mea ego mors tua Tu coelum meum ego gehenna tua Tu Justitia mea ego pâ—ccatum tuum Tu divitiae meae ego paupertas tua So that Faith may break forth into this rapture with that Father Lord I am thy death thou art my life I am thy Hell thou art my Heaven I am thy sin thou art my Righteousness I am thy poverty thou art my Riches And all the Riches which Christ did purchase with his Blood and sit down and think what the Blood of Christ the Blood of God as the Apostle calls it by communication of Properties what this might buy out at the hands of a Father why all this is made thine by Faith So that you see Faith
Peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom also through Faith wee have access into this Grace wherein wee stand rejoycing under the hope of the Glory of God Rom. 15.13 The God of Hope fill you with all Joy and Peace in Beleeving Where there 's Faith there 's Joy If Faith of Evidence Ubi Fiducia ibi Laetitia there Joy doth naturally result and arise from it If but Faith of Adherence there Joy is hid and secret though it doth not appear The seed of Joy is hid as yet under the Clods of Faith but in time it will break forth and appear Joy is there though it bee not seen There may bee a divorce between Faith and actual rejoycing for a time but there can bee no divorce between Faith and the Matter and Ground of Rejoycing not between Faith and the Affection of Joy My Joy shall none take from you Thus you see Faith is an Heart-chearing-Grace It fills the soul with such a Joy as nothing is able to bereave the soul thereof It is not Losses Crosses Poverty Sickness Prisons Persecutions which are able to take away this Joy of Faith 1. Faith will inable a man to rejoyce in Bonds to rejoyce in Tribulations and Sufferings for Christ as the Apostle saith As Sufferings abound the Consolations shall superabound As if all the floods of Consolation did issue from the spring of Sufferings 2. It will inable a man to rejoyce in sicknesse Faith will bee our best Cordial and let in such a beam of Gods love into the Soul as will chear and comfort the heart in this condition warm and inlighten it not only inlighten but warm the heart in this condition 3. It will inable a man to Rejoyce in Poverty in Calamity in Famine You see Habakkuks confidence Hab. 3.17 18. Although the Figtree do not blossome nor shall there bee fruit in the Vines though the labour of the Olive shall fail and the field shall yeeld no meat though the sheep bee cut off from the Fold and there bee no Bullock in the stall yet I will rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my Salvation Though the waters of Calamity should rise so high as to drown up all his comforts yet hee could rejoyce in God In the absence of all worldly comforts Faith can let in springs of Consolation from God to rejoyce the Soul If God if Christ if Glory can rejoyce the heart Faith will not want matter of Joy in the saddest condition It is an Heart-chearing Grace Faith will present to man Soul-rejoycing-grounds There are these five grounds of Rejoycing 1. Our Election Hence Christ saith Rejoyce that your Names are written in the Book of Life 2. Our Redemption 3. Our Justification 4. Our Sanctification 5. The Promises and Hopes of Glorification And Faith presents all these grounds of rejoycing It makes a discovery to the soul that wee are Gods chosen such as hee hath elected that wee are his Redeemed ones such as hee hath purchased that wee are his Justified ones such as hee hath pardoned that wee are his holy ones such as hee hath sanctified and shall bee hereafther glorified And when such a report is made to the soul from Heaven when Faith hath been in Heaven and brings this news down to the soul how can it bee but the Soul must rejoyce and bee filled with all Consolations Object But alas you will say Who are more sad who are more disconsolate than Beleevers are And therefore how is Faith an Heart-chearing-Grace Ans 1. Beleevers may rejoyce and thou not discern it It is a Joy which is not known but by experience Hence the Apostle saith It is a Joy that passeth all understanding None know it but they who feel it A stranger doth not intermeddle with this Joy As they cannot feel it so they cannot see it and therefore are no Competent Judges whether Gods people are joyfull or whether they bee sorrowfull 2. But to answer further You say Beleevers are sad and disconsolate people 1. All Beleevers are not so They are such as are 1. Under some present cross and affliction Gods hand is gone out against them though for good For all things work together for good to them that love God and are chosen according to his purpose But I say some present evil is upon them and this may sadden the spirits of the best for a time though this may bee their infirmity Paul had learned in all estates therein to bee content and if to bee content then to rejoyce unless it were Contentation by force sure not well pleasing to God If indeed their comfort did lye in the presence and injoyment of these outward things then no marvel if in the absence of them they were cast down I say If the floods of their comfort were maintained by such springs as these then no marvel if these being taken away they bee bereave of their Joy But seeing these things are too short either to breed or feed either to beget or fuel a Christians Joy why should the deprival of them so much affect the heart as to take away their Joy Have you not still the ground of Joy you have lost your goods but not your God You are deprived of your Comforts not of your Christ And therefore except you do make Gods of the Creature prize them too highly in your Judgement ingage your hearts and affections too much to them why should your Joy bee taken away You see Paul had learned in all estates to bee content and the Prophet Habakkuk before mentioned and why not you 2. Such they are as for the present are under some sad and sore Temptation combate with Satan and for the present their spirits are sadned and cast down 3. Such as are in deserted conditions God having withdrawn himself and hid his face from the Soul Than which there is no sadder condition in the World when not a Star but the Sun it self is rent from the Sky when not a single Comfort but the universal Comfort seems to bee gone This may sadden the spirit of Gods people for a time All Jobs crosses did not so much affect him as this The loss of his Goods of his Possession of his Children came not so neer him as the apprehension of the loss of his God Hee could lift up his head under all the other but here hee was ready to sink Such a Condition Gods people may bee in which may cause sadness of spirit as was David Heman Hezekiah and others 2. So secondly for those of Gods people that are thus sad and disconsolate it is not as they are Beleevers but as they are Doubters Their Trouble ariseth from Doubting not from Beleeving It is not Faith but the want of Faith which is the cause of their uncomfortable walking If Gods people would live more out of themselves and more in Christ if they would live more the Life of Faith and less the Life of Sense if they would
live more in the Heaven of Promise they would not bee so much cast down The more trust the less Trouble Faith would bring Christ into the Soul and there is chear enough with Christ Faith would bring Heaven into the soul and there is Comfort enough in Heaven Faith would open a way for the Love of God to enter and that would thrust out all other grievances But I will not go about to excuse uncomfortable walking with God Why should I give indulgence to mens Passions Gods people are to bee exceedingly blamed for their unchearful walking with God They are the shame of a good God and give occasion to men to think hee is an hard and rigid Master They wrong a good Cause and discourage the hearts of others from entring into the wayes of God Sure I am There is no Condition that Gods people can bee in but they have alwayes ground and cause of Rejoycing Either A Rebus exhibitis from things bestowed Or A Rebus promissis from things promised Either From things in hand and possession Or From things in hope and promise And therefore how blame-worthy are they who disquiet themselves with needless perplexities and lay the burden of sorrow on themselves which God doth not Let us examine the grounds of these sorrows and arraign them before the Bar of right Reason What is it that troubles thee 1. Is it thy former sins why should these trouble thee God hath pardoned them And wilt thou bring the old guilt upon thy conscience again which God hath cleared and pardoned wilt thou binde when God hath loosed condemn when hee hath absolved 2. Is it thy present Corruption God hath promised to subdue it Sin shall have no more dominion over you Hee hath promised to purge to purifie Hee came with Refiners fire and Fullers sope Mal. 3.3 3. Is it thy Imperfections That there is so much formality so little power so much coldness so little heat c why God hath promised to pass by infirmities to hide and cover imperfections 4. Is it because thou art in some present Afflictions why hee hath promised that All things shall work together for good to them that love God and are chosen according to his purpose 5. Is it because thou art under some present Temptations why St. James saith Count it exceeding joy great joy when yee fall into diverse temptations There is matter of Joy as well as of Sorrow if by Faith thou wouldest but see what God aims at 1. It may bee for trial of Grace as in Abrahams and Jobs case whose temptation was of purpose to try and justifie his Graces 2. It may bee For exercise of Grace of Faith of Patience c. 3. It may bee for discovery of sin nay for destruction of sin 4. It may bee to make us more humble as Paul more prayerful c. 6. Is it because thou art under some present Desertion Yet if by Faith thou look upon the firmness of the Promise the stability of the Covenant in the absence of sense thou shalt finde matter of Comfort Thus you see David did Psal 77.10 Hee was in a great Desertion hee cryes and prayes Hee prayes and cryes Hee renews his former evidences and experiences yet gets hee no comfort At last By Faith hee looks upon the truth of Gods Promise and the stability of the Covenant And then his soul revived I remembred the dayes of old the years of ancient times I called to minde my songs in the night I communed with my own heart my soul made diligent search Will the Lord absent himself for ever c And I said this is my infirmity Yet I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High c. Do but in this sad condition behold these dealings of God as the waies of a Father to thee which are alwaies of Love of Mercy and Truth to them that keep his Covenant and his Testament Whether Gods end bee for Chastisement as it was in David Or for Tryal as it was in Job Or whether it bee for Prevention as it was in Paul lest hee should bee puffed up yet all is in love and therefore cause of rejoycing So that there is no condition so sad but Gods people have still cause of rejoycing in it Thou canst think of nothing if thou bee a Beleever that can minister just cause of trouble to thee And therefore why art thou so cast down If there were more Trust there would bee less Trouble I dare bee bold to say that all the troubles all the disquiets of Gods people do arise from want of Faith Were there more Faith there would bee more Comfort And therefore as David physicked his soul when it was cast down and discouraged Why art thou cast down O my soul and why art thou disquieted within mee Trust in God So let us exercise our Trust and all our Troubles will vanish all our disquiets will dis-appear and bee gone Let Faith come in and discover the Promises of God made to thee in this thy sad condition Hee hath promised it shall not bee too great 1 Cor. 10.18 There hath no temptation taken you but what is humane and God is faithful and will not suffer you to bee tempted above what yee are able but will with the temptation give an issue that you may bee able to bear it Hee hath promised it shall not bee too long Rom. 16.20 The God of Peace shall tread Satan under you feet shortly Hee will not contend for ever Hee hath promised to deliver us when in the day of trouble wee call upon him Psal 50. Seventeenth Royalty 17. Royalty of Faith It s an Heart guiding-Grace 17. Faith is an Heart-guiding-Grace Faith is the eye of the soul to direct and guide us Faith is to the soul as the Pole-star to the Mariner to direct the Mariner which way to steer his course And the soul is like the Needle in the Compass which ever looks towards God for direction It is as it were the Pillar of fire to us in the Wilderness of this World to direct our steps to our Heavenly Canaan Our life is called a Way And not only a strait Way but a difficult Way Wee shall meet with many turnings in this Way And if Faith doth not guide us wee shall either stand still and not go forward or wee shall go into wrong wayes the way to Death My Brethren wee shall meet with many exigents in our way to Heaven And if Faith do not guide wee are sure to go amiss You see what an Exigent Esther was put unto Either to neglect duty or to endanger her life Shee put her life in her hand for the good of the Church of God If shee had now consulted with flesh and blood if shee had followed the guidance of Reason shee had been mis-led No doubt but sense and Reason would have told her that it had been best not to hazzard her self and put her life in jeopardy but
which doth commend Christ the worth and preciousness of Christ to the soul it is this our Knowledge of the Worth of Christ By others who know him not hee is a disallowed stone not worth the owning 1 Pet. 2.8 2. The second thing which doth commend Christ to a soul is The Apprehension of the souls Interest in him When the soul can look upon Christ as his own then hee esteems him when hee knows hee hath a Propriety in Christ a part in Christ Now a strong Beleeâ—â—r hee 1. Knows the Want of Châ—ist Hee sees hee cannot live without Christ The more Faith the more apprehension and sense of our wants 2. Knows and sees the worth of Christ Hee sees those excellencies and beauties in him which to others lye hid and are not discovered To others hee is an Orient Pearl in an heap of Sand a Mine of Gold covered over with rubbish and earth They are not able to behold his beauties 2. Hee sees and apprehends his own interest in him And this makes the soul to prize him Hee can say Christ is mine His Righteousness mine to justifie mee His Holiness mine to Sanctifie mee His Sufferings mine to save mee And upon this there ariseth an high prizing of Christ. Quest But you will say Doth not every man prize Christ who doth not value and esteem of Christ Ans You may say you do so But there 's no such matter If Christ were precious in thy eyes then 1. Thou wouldst not care what pains thou tookest for the compassing of Christ You see a worldly man to whom the World is precious what pains hee takes for the attaining of the things of the World Eccles 4.8 the like and greater pains wouldest thou take for the things of Christ if hee were to thee alike precious 2. Thou wouldest not care what thou partest withall for the compassing of Christ Thou wouldest count Christ thy greatest gain and all loss in comparison of him Phil. 3.7 8. Hee is not valued at all it hee bee not valued above all 3. Were Christ precious to thee thou wouldest never think thy self to have enough of Christ Drink yea drink abundantly O Beloved Cant. 5. the more the soul tastes and drinks the more it thirsts till it drink it new in the Kingdome of Heaven Thus where Christ is precious there would bee actions sutable to that rate and esteem the soul sets on him Now when you will take no pains for the getting of Christ when you will part with nothing for the keeping of Christ when you will not heap up in most abundance whatever Christ is to others write upon it to you it is not precious 4. Where Christ is precious indeed all of Christ is precious Hee is not only precious in his Person in his Natures in his Benefits but all of Christ is precious Christ in his Holiness Christ in his Lawes Christ in his Government Christ in his Truth The soul looks upon all these as prizes of Christ Hee who prizeth of Christ doth prize of all these As wee say of Faith It doth not eligere Objectum it doth not chuse its Object single out what it will beleeve and what it will not beleeve but beleeves all that God saith So I may say of this prizing of Christ True prizing of Christ doth not single out its Object Thus much of Christ I will prize and thus much not But there is a full prizing of all Christ Christ in his Holiness Lawes Government Truth All. All which are parts of Christ and are all to bee prized if ever you would clear this that you prize of Christ truly And without question Gods people have seen so much Beauty in the Laws Government and Holiness of Christ that they have lost all rather than they would lose their Obedience And it was said of Christ Vitam perdidit ne Obedientiam perderet Hee lost his Life rather than hee would lose his Obedience so may it bee said of them They have taken up naked Obedience with the losse of all They have seen so much beauty in a Truth that they have hazarded and lost all rather than they would lose a Truth They have made this brave adventure to lose themselves to save a Truth as you see in Queen Maries dayes in point of Transubstantiation In these particulars a weak Faith shareth stakes with a strong But for what is more peculiar to a strong Faith 1. Strong in Faith and strong in Grace According to the proportion of Faith such is the measure of all Gods Graces in us As weak in Faith weak in Grace So strong in Faith strong in Grace So much Faith so much Love so much Hope so much Patience so much Humility Wee will single out some 1. Strong in Faith and strong in Affection and Love to Christ There are two things which make the soul to love Christ 1. The discovery of the Beauties and excellencies of Christ. 2. The Apprehension the soul hath in the interest it hath in this Christ Now both these are in a strong Faith 1. There is a full discovery of the Beauties and Excellencies of Christ The Beauties of his Person the Beauties of his Nature c. And that in a larger measure than is made known to a weak Beleever A weak Faith sees the Excellencies of Christ in puncto in a narrow room as wee see the World in a Map But a strong Faith it sees all the Excellencies of Christ in circumferentiâ Hee sees a larger and fuller draught hath a fuller discovery of it to his soul And who can see it but hee must needs love him who is all lovely who hath all Beauties That Eye of Faith which beholds the Beauties and Excellencies of Christ will bee a Burning-Glass to the heart to set the heart on fire and kindle strong affections there 2. There is in a strong Faith a strong apprehension of the souls interest in Christ That Christ is his and hee is Christs His Blood and Merits his for Pardon for Justification His Grace and Holinesse his for Sanctification His Wisdome his for Direction And therefore the soul must needs love him Propriety wee see in things makes us love them Wee love our own Husbands our own Wives our own Children The ground is this the propriety wee have in them So when the soul once sees Christ made over to him that hee hath a propriety in him an interest in him needs must the soul love him So you see then where there is a strong Faith there is a strong Affection to Christ strong Love to Christ Such a love as no duty is too hard to undertake for Christ no task too great to pose his love to Christ. It was said of Jacob that hee indured many years servitude for Rachel yet hee thought the time short all was nothing because hee loved her So all wee can do for Christ all will bee nothing if wee once love him Nay not only all wee can do but all wee can suffer
him but positively inflicting of his displeasure upon his soul yet all that Satan could do by himself all that hee could do by his friends who joyned with Satan in the battel could not make him unsay what his heart and the Spirit of God had so often said nothing shall make him to eat his own words Nothing shall cause him to deny his integrity The root of the matter was still in him and hee will live and dye with this in his heart with this in his mouth that notwithstanding all this God is his God God is his Father his heart hath been sincere before him And this was a strong Faith that would bee thus resolute in beleeving when hee had so much reason on the other side to bear him down 4. A strong Faith will trust in God in difficulties in difficult cases in exigents Here is the tryal of Trust It will trust in God 1. With small means 2. Without means 3. Against means 1. With small means Strong Beleevers know full well bee the means never so small if God bid them to bee effectual they shall do the work As Jeremy was drawn out of the Dungeon with old rotten Raggs so God can make use of weak and contemptible means to effect his own purposes to draw thee out of the Dungeon of affliction Faith knows God can help with few as well as with many with a small hand as well as with a great all is one to him It was that that Asa said to God when Zera the Ethyopian came against him with such a great hoast that hee seemed to bee but a Centry in the midst of a large circumference 2 Chron. 14.11 Lord it is nothing with thee to help with many or with few Help us Lord for wee trust upon thee and in thy name wee go out against this great multitude And the day was theirs But in another hee was overthrown when the difficulty was less because hee trusted not on the Lord. The like wee read of Jehoshaphat 2 Chron. 20.1 2 3 4. and many others 2. Strong Faith will trust in God without means Zeph. 3.12 I will leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people a people stripped of all means and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. So 2 Cor. 1.10 11. Wee had the sentence of death in our selves wee saw no help no means and all this was That wee should not trust in our selves but in God which raiseth the dead 1 Tim. 5.5 Shee that is a Widdow in deed and desolate Trusts in God c. Thus you see strong Faith will trust in God in the absence of means when all means are wanting It knows God is able to do his purpose without as well as with means A strong Faith makes God all its confidence And therefore when all means fail when all props are taken away yet confidence is not Unbelief will trust God no further than it sees means to bring about the thing it desires You see the unbeleeving Noble Man when the Prophet Elisha told him in that great famine that the next day there should bee such great plenty What! saith hee If God could open the windows of Heaven how could this bee Though there were a famine on earth hee had no reason to think there was a dearth in Heaven God was able to do it his hand was not shortened But here it was Hee saw no means whereby this might bee effected and therefore hee could not beleeve it God may work wonders and yet in an ordinary way You see here in this Famine A wonder it was that they should have such plenty in so short a time And it was too big for the noble mans Faith to beleeve But yet you see it was a wonder wrought in an ordinary way The like you see in the Israelites Psal 78.19 20. Can God furnish a Table in the Wilderness Indeed hee smote the Rock and the waters gushed out But can hee provide flesh for his people also One would have thought that the former experience of Gods power should have satisfied them in this that they that granted the one could not have denyed the other that God was able to do that also But the former was over and here was a new strait they were in and they saw no means how it should bee effected therefore they could not beleeve it The like of Ahaz Isa 7.11 12. God told him that his enemies that were come against him should not prevail against him God would fight for him And that hee might bee certain of this hee bids him Ask a sign in Heaven or in the deep for the confirmation of his Faith But saith Ahaz I will not tempt God What 's that I will provide for my self I will not trust in the want of means I should tempt God in so doing And many such Ahazes wee have in the World They think to trust in God in the absence of means is to tempt God What say they doth God work wonders that hee should do this without means Why God can do wonders and yet in an ordinary way Thus strong Faith will trust without means God is not trusted at all if not trusted alone If wee take in any thing with God in our trust wee trust not God at all as wee ought When men are brought to the lowest strait they are nearest to the highest God And then will Faith work best when it works alone and then is God nearest to help when mans strength is small Mans extreamity is Gods opportunity The ancient Tragedians when things were brought to that pass that they saw no possibility of humane help they used to bring down some of their Gods Hence that Proverb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Not much unlike that Proverb among the Jews In the Mount of the Lord it shall bee seen 3. A strong Faith will trust against means in the opposition of all means Such know that hee that can help without means can help if hee please against all means Is any thing too hard for the Lord Thus Moses trusted in God when the Red Sea was before them the Egyptians behinde them and the Mountains on each side of them Fear not stand still behold the salvation of the Lord c. Thus David when the people would have stoned him The Text saith David comforted himself in the Lord his God Thus Daniel and the Three Children Abraham also both in the receiving and offering of his Son Isaac 5. Strong Faith is accompanied 1. With much Peace 2. With much Joy 1. VVith much Peace Strong Faith lives in the upper Region above all storms There 's much variety of weather here below now calms now storms but if a man were above there 's a continual serenity and clearness Strong Faith lives in Heaven above all storms and therefore there 's nothing but calmness and quiet Rom. 5.1 Being justified by Faith wee have Peace with God Isa 26.3 Thou wilt preserve him in perfect Peace whose mind
David cryes Psal 42.1 2. As the Hart panteth for the Water-brooks so panteth my soul after thee O Lord. My soul thirsteth for God when shall I come and appear before God! 2. Strong Faith hath strong desires that Christ would come to Judgement It is not well contented there should bee a distance betwixt Christ and it And therefore cryes with the Spouse Cant. 8.14 Make haste my Beloved VVhy are the Chariots so long in comming Though in another case it bee true that the Prophet saith Hee that beleeves makes not haste yet in this case Hee that beleeves most makes most haste Here are but some broken Rings passing betwixt Christ and us Here is but the contract and espousals made betwixt Christ and the soul But the day of Judgement is the great solemnization of the marriage As the espoused Bride longs for the marriage day so the soul that is espoused to Christ longs for the consummation of this blessed marriage Weak Faith desires the comming of Christ but yet would fain bee fitter and readier for him as the Wife desires the presence of her Husband but yet would have her house in order before hee come so they But a strong Faith hath all in readiness and desires nothing more than a consummation of these daies of sin and the eternal fruition and injoyment of her best Husband Use of Exhort Wee are now fallen at last upon the last use the Use of Exhortation wherin I shall exhort you 1. To get Faith 2. To exercise Faith 3. To grow in Faith 1. Let mee exhort you to labour to get Faith Let the chief of your pains and choice of your indeavours bee for the getting of Faith It is a thing to bee lamented how men do labour and toil for earthly things and how they neglect Heavenly Oh! That men should rise up early and go to bed late and eat the bread of carefulness for the compassing of earthly things But in the mean time the things of Heaven are neglected no man labours for them Faith and Grace are the great druggs of the World they lye upon our hands they will not off no man bids mony for them no man indeavours the compassing of them Oh! that men should care for the Body and neglect the Soul feed the Body and starve the Soul cloathe the Body and the Soul go naked That men should labour after other things and never set themselves to the indeavour and compassing of this one thing necessary Shall I urge some motives 1. Consider the greatness of this sin of Unbelief 2. The Necessity of Faith 3. The Excellency of it 1. Consider the greatness of the sin of Unbelief It is such a sin as offers injury and wrong to All-God It wrongs all the attributes of God As Faith doth honour all Gods attributes It is said of Abraham that Hee gave glory to God by beleeving Rom. 4.20 Hee honoured his Mercy his Wisdome his Power c. So on the contrary unbeleif is such a sin as wrongs all The Wisdome Power Mercy Truth and Justice of God 1. You wrong the Wisdome of God you slight and undervalue the Glorious thoughts of his Wisdome Rejecting the Counsel of God against your selves Luk. 7.30 2. You wrong the Mercy and Love of God even the most precious thoughts of Mercy that ever his breast did conceive towards sinful men the most glorious expression of love Angels wonder 3. You wrong the Power of God you straiten and limit his Power Psal 78.41 They tempted God and limited the holy one of Israel in the wilderness by their Unbelief So wee read in the Gospel Mark 6.5 Christ could not do any miracles in that place because of their Unbelief 4. You wrong his Truth As Hee that beleeves hath put to his seal that God is true that his Word is true his Promise true hee will save sinners so on the contrary Hee that beleeves not makes God a Lyar 1 Joh. 5.10 Indeed God is true and whether wee beleeve or beleeve not God is faithful as the Apostle hath it 2 Tim. 2.13 But inasmuch as in us lies wee make God untrue make him a Lyar. Our unbelief doth give God the real lye in all And of what a fearful nature then is Unbelief God hath promised the pardon of sin and hath annexed his Oath to his Promise and his Seal to his Oath and if wee beleeve not Uae nobis si nec juranti Deo credimus wee make him untrue in his Promise his Oath his Covenant c. 2. Unbelief is a Mother-sin it is a Root-sin the summum genus of sin such a sin as hath all sins folded up in the bowels of it a catholick sin And therefore the Apostle expresseth sinners of all sorts under this general Children of Unbelief which is as much as Children of all ungodliness such as had all sin in them Unbelief is the Womb of sin If you could rip up Unbelief you shall finde all sin in the bowels of it There is Pride Prophaneness Rebellion contempt of God contempt of his Word hardness of Heart love of the World Covetousness There is all all sins lye in the belly of this monster Unbelief An unbeleeving man is a proud Person an unbeleever is an hard-hearted person an unbeleeving person is a prophane spirited person a rebellious man hee is all Unbelief is both the Entertainer and Maintainer of sin It is not only the Mother but the Nurse of sin Every sin doth suck the dug of Unbelief It is a sin-succouring a sin-nourishing sin Not only the Breeder but the Feeder of sin Not only the Begetter but the Nourisher of sin It is such a Root as doth nourish and succour all the branches of sin There is nothing holds up the Kingdome of sin but Unbelief If men would beleeve the Kingdome of sin would totter and come down But whiles men beleeve not the hands of sin are strengthened the kingdome of sin is held up in us Sin goes to Unbelief for protection and there it hath it Unbelief will bee a shield to keep off any blow that is given to sin Sin goes to Unbelief for security and unbelief secures and warrants sin sin dwelleth where unbelief keeps the house sin sits down securely under the shadow of unbelief Let curse and Hell bee threatned against sin yet unbelief will secure it It makes but childes-play of all the threats of God Sin keeps the house and unbelief bars the door and keeps out all that would indanger sin It will secure it Sin goes to unbelief not only for defence but for maintenance and unbelief will maintain sin it will fetch in provision for lust It is not only the Entertainer but the Maintainer of sin It shall want no morsels unbelief will furnish it 3. Unbelief is a soul-killing-sin a Soul-damning-sin It is a controversy among many Whether Negative unbelief damn men But wee will not enter on the controversy For Positive unbelief of which nature ours is now
and thereupon have gotten some peace and quiet in your souls and you seek no further This is to lick your selves whole And how often how ordinarily doth these things stand between us and Christ between us and the Promise if wee found no peace nor satisfaction in these then wee should go over to Christ but finding this on this side Christ therefore are wee slow of heart to beleeve Now to take away this you must know that that peace which is not setled upon the heart by a promise by beleeving that peace will never do you good a true trouble were better It is not works but Christ not praying but beleeving not the Law but the Gospel Christ the Promise that brings true peace into the soul Indeed the other may give a man some ease for the time but this will never work a sound and substantial peace You read in the Wilderness there was no plaister for the stung Israelite but looking up to the brazen Serpent So there is no remedy for a stung sinner of which the former was a type both in the malady and in the remedy but looking up unto Christ beleeving in him And you see how Christ doth parallel them in Joh. 3.14 15. As Moses lift up the Serpent in the Wilderness c. If the stung Israelite had made a confection of the best herbs in the Wilderness a plaister of all the soveraign ingredients in the World and applied with it Mountains of Prayers Seas of tears yet this would not have helped him if with all he had not looked upon the brazen Serpent God had set up that way and nothing else should do the cure So let the stung sinner make what plaister hee will of duty of prayers for the salving of conscience the healing of the wound yet if hee do not look up beleeve never healed never I grant it to prevent an objection that these duties may do something for the stay of a mans spirit and the quieting of conscience for a time because being such things as God hath commanded and in Gods way they may have some influence into a mans conscience for the quieting and stilling of it for present But these are all too short to bring a sound and substantial peace into the soul it is not working but beleeving not duty but Christ that must do that If God had intended this for thy cure if these had been sufficient what need had hee to have sent Christ into the World what need had Christ to have dyed and shed his bloud God might have given man ability to have performed duty and all had then been done But the sending of Christ into the World and the shedding of his bloud shews it was a greater work to redeem souls Indeed these things are subservient to the plaister to the cure but these things are not the plaister not the cure By Prayer wee seek and beg for a plaister in a wounded condition and by Prayer wee praise God when the plaister hath been applied but this is not the cure this is not the plaister God never intended that So by hearing wee have discovered to us where the plaister is to bee had and by hearing afterward wee do but discover our willingness to know more of Gods will that wee might obey him but this is not the plaister So by works and obedience before healing wee do but carry our selves in such a deportment and demeanure as they should do who wait for such a mercy from God and by works and obedience afterwards wee do but declare our thankfulness to God when the cure is wrought but this is not the cure being justified wee work wee do not work that wee may bee justified And therefore though you should get some obvious refreshment by the performance of duties in the pursuit of Christ yet let not this slacken but quicken you in your way bee thankfull for it quickened by it and still remember to arise this is not your rest Hee who rests on this side Christ will rest on this side Heaven All your duties will bee but ropes of sand like chains of glass too brickle to draw your souls to Heaven Though naturall conscience may get some satisfaction from these springs the performance of duties yet these are too shallow to satisfie the thirst of a gracious heart They are neither full nor are they pure nor are they permanent and lasting springs As I might shew you not full because wrought out of our selves not pure because mingled with our imperfections muddy springs our justifying righteousness is perfect but our sanctifying righteousness is imperfect nor are they constant Drought will come the time will come when these will bee too short to reach comfort into thy soul that if God lead thee not to a spring at last thou art undone The Brook Cherith did supply Elijah for a time but at last it dryed up and could afford him no Water and had not God brought him then unto a spring hee had perished So there are many who lye a long time by the springs of duty the streams of performances and they get some refreshment there which keep them off from going to Christ but the time will come that these waters will fail and if then thou hast not a fountain a Christ to go to thou wilt perish for all this Where on the contrary here in the greatest drought thou shalt finde waters enough Jer. 17.7 8. Blessed is the man who trusteth in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is for hee shall bee as a tree planted by waters and shall not see when drought commeth his leaf shall bee green and hee shall not bee carefull in the years of drought Years of drought hee shall never see never bee sensible when heat commeth his leaf shall bee green And thus much for the second ground why wee are so slow of heart to beleeve 3. Ground why wee are so slow of heart to beleeve is taken from others 1. Their heights 2. Their depths 1. We look upon the heights of others We see others of the Saintâ— eminent in Grace shining with holiness adorned with gifts and gracious indowments they can pray they can command their passions And then reflecting upon our selves and seeing our own imperfections our frowardness of spirit our untowardness of heart our weakness and deadness wee are thereupon discouraged and kept off from the Promise of life c. I told you the last day that wee look upon the best of others and the worst of our selves upon the best not the worst of others You look upon their inlargements not their straits their graces not their corruptions their heights not their depths their comforts not their troubles their victories not their foils This is the difference between you and wicked men they look upâ—n the worst of the Saints and by that draw incouragements to sin or if not yet make use of their imperfections to countenance their deadness but you look upon the best of others and
destruction of Ahabs house Though hee cryes out Come see my Zeal for the Lord. However Gods ends were brought about also in the ruine of Ahabs posterity as hee had threatned So here Though it bee not the end of corrupt hearts in the doing of holy actions Prayer Preaching Exhortation c. to bring God any Glory to do good to others they have their own ends Yet still Gods work goes forward in it God hath his ends as well as they theirs God gets Glory as well as they credit God makes sin the Devil himself to serve his Glory Otherwise hee would not suffer nor Devil nor Sin to bee in the World So that hee makes them in aiming at themselves to bring about his Glory As an unsound spirit doth serve his turn of God so God again serves his turn of them hee is even with them God oftentimes useth such to bee instruments to do others good who are bad themselves to work upon others though they themselves remain unwrought upon to bee a Bridge to help others over To hold out the Lanthorne to others and go in the dark themselves As it often fareth with them who hold the Lanthorne they go most in the dark themselves they serve others direct and guide others in the night with their light not themselves So if God do not bring light into their hearts there are none who are more in darkness than such as hold out the light to others yet Another may receive good by that Sermon which the Preacher himself is never the better for another warmth by that prayer whereby hee himself that prayes is never the hotter And so in the rest And therefore it may stand with Gods ends that corrupt hearts should abound in duties 2. God suffers corrupt hearts to abound in duties to maintain an holy jealousy and watchfulness in the hearts of his own people Why will they reason if men may do thus much and yet bee unsound what need have wee then to bee jealous over our own hearts watchful over our spirits in the midst of our performances Oh! this will make a man jealous of himself with a godly jealousie not to trust too much to himself when hee 's at best when hee doth most abound in duties And this holy jealousie is of special use to keep us humble to make us watchful exact in our wayes to fense our hearts against Hypocrisie It was never known that a jealous heart was a false heart An holy jealousie over a mans spirit was never accompanied with an unsound spirit 3. A third End It is to make us see there is something in duty more than duty which sets a value upon duty and makes it of worth If all were sound who did duty wee should then think duty it self to bee all whereas now it makes us look after something else above duty This will make a man look to the Manner as well as to the Matter when wee see the Matter is nothing worth without the right Manner do accompany it This will force a mans heart above duty God never made Duty the end of Duty If all were sound that did Duty wee should rest upon a bare performance of Duty and look no higher But now seeing it is possible for a man to abound in Duty and yet bee unsound this will force a mans heart above the Duty 4. To tell us that there are other things to bee done of a Christian than meerly to pray hear c. If a man may do all and sink into Hell when hee hath done then sure there is more required of those that must bee saved All Religion doth not lye in a few Prayers Hearing of Sermons Though this must bee done they have not so much as a shew of goodness who neglect these yet there are other things to bee done too if ever wee would come to Heaven 5. God suffers corrupt hearts to abound in duty to make his people more sollicitous after surer more stable and proving evidences than these are If these anchors should alwayes hold men would never labour to cast out better If all that did dutie nay that did abound in duty had been sound wee should never have sought out for better evidences than these are Whereas this being discovered that a man may abound in duty and yet for all this bee unsound this will make a man to look out for better evidences A man that is bent for Heaven indeed will never suffer his soul to rest till hee hath gotten some such evidences as are incompatible to a man out of Christ Why will hee say May a man hear and go to Hell pray and perish do duty and yet bee damned at last Then these are not sufficient bottomes for mee to build the weight of my everlasting soul upon I must either get a better bottome surer evidences than these or both I and my prayers may sink together at last Whatever another man may do or have and yet bee unsound will not bee sufficient to him to clear that hee doing or having that is sound And this now fires them out of their formalities makes them look out for such evidences as do accompany salvation As the Apostle saith Heb. 6.9 2. As it may stand with Gods ends to the good so it may stand with Gods ends to the bad 1. His Merciful ends 2. His Judicial ends His Merciful ends to bring in those who belong to the Election of Grace making them often serviceable to these purposes His Judicial ends towards such as are Cast-awayes and that for the further strengthening of the prejudice and rooted dislike that wicked men have against the wayes of God Why will wicked men say others who have been as forward in profession as great Prayers and as great Hearers as you are they have proved unsound discovered themselves to bee Hypocrites and so are you and all the rest of you And thus you see it turns to them as an occasion of offence and further strengthening of their dislike of the wayes and people of God Men whose hearts are set against the wayes of God shall bee furnisht with matter enough to bring them into further dislike daily If you desire to have arguments against Gods wayes you shall have enough of them to your cost You shall bee furnisht with them but to your further hardening If you will keep a rooted dislike of the wayes of God you shall finde enough in the World to nourish it If you bee willing to bee offended you shall have offences enough to your further hardening If you bee willing to stumble at the wayes of God you shall have stumbling stones enough Christ himself who was the Corner stone Elect Precious yet to the Disobedient hee was a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence A stone as well for the Fall as for the rising of many in Israel 1 Pet. 2.8 Isa 8.14 Rom. 9.33 Luk. 2.34 Men that are willing to take offences shall have them Those who will bee blinde shall
is moved but doth not move hee is carried about with weights as a Clock or Watch hee hath no inward Principle of life to move him A Clock you know doth move or rather is moved but it is not from any Principle of Life It is the weights which carry it about Take off them and the Clock stands still so here They are moved but not by any Principle of Life within There are two great weights which carry him about 1. Fear of Hell 2. A Hope of Heaven Which weights if you take off then hee stands still Thus I have at last done with the Doctrinal part That it is possible for a man to do much in the wayes of God and yet have an unsound spirit and fall short of Heaven at last I come now to Application 1. Use If a man may do thus much and yet fall short of Heaven What then shall become of them who do nothing If a man may pray and perish hear and go to Hell do duty and bee damned then what shall become of them who swear and blaspheme I know it is the ordinary vaunt of carnal and unregenerate men who have no taste nor savour of the things of God They will say I thank God though I pray not so many Prayers nor hear so many Sermons as others do yet my heart is as sincere as the best of them all Alas poor man Though it bee possible for a man to do all this and yet not bee sincere yet it is impossible a man should bee sincere if hee do them not These things may bee done without sincerity but sincerity cannot bee without these Sincerity lies in labouring not in loitering in working not in lazying Where the heart is sincere it will put a man upon working and will make a man to work with all his strength to abound in the work of the Lord to eye the Manner as well as the Matter the Circumstance as well as the Substance It will put a man upon Prayer and make a man pray fervently faithfully humbly It will put a man upon hearing c. And therefore thou art mistaken Though a man may do these duties and not bee sincere yet thou canst not bee sincere if thou dost them not Though hee may do these things and perish yet thou must pray hear do duty Otherwise thou shalt perish These things are Necessary 1. Necessitate Praecepti God hath commanded them 2. Necessitate Medii they are the way to life You must not look to come to the end if you do not walk in the way Object But you will say This discourageth us If a man may do thus much and yet fall short of Heaven then it is as good to sit still and do nothing Ans I must tell you this is a sign of a low spirit to argue after this manner Wee should argue thus Because I may do all this and yet not bee sincere Therefore I will labour to bee sincere in the doing of them These things must bee done though all that did them fell short of Heaven God commands these things to bee done and his will must stand out against all If all that hear read pray c. do fall short of Heaven yet thou must hear read pray upon account of obedience to God The fault it lies in the Persons not in the Duties in the Workmen not in the Work The fault is not in the Matter but in the Men and the Manner of performance And mans fault must not cause us to neglect our duty Wee have an expression Micah 1.7 Is the Spirit of the Lord streightened do not my words do good to them who walk uprightly As if the Prophet had said The fault is not in the Word but in you who are the hearers of it You hear and hear and yet get no good by hearing And will you charge God with that will you blame the Word Others get good and Gods Spirit is not streightned to you more than to others You would finde good as well as others if you came with honest hearts Do not my words do good to them who walk uprightly And what wee say of this wee say of other Ordinances The fault is not in Prayer nor in Fasting but it is in you You walk with corrupt hearts in Gods wayes And therefore you get no good by them You have a sad place but full for this purpose Hos 14. verse last the last words of the book hee shuts up the Prophesy with it Whoso is wise shall know these things for the wayes of the Lord are right and the just shall walk in them but the transgressors shall fall therein A good heart shall stand and walk in holy wayes but a bad heart a corrupt heart shall fall and perish in them An unsound spirit shall fall in the wayes of duty in the wayes of prayer in the wayes of profession 2. Use If it bee possible for a man to do much in the wayes of God and yet bee unsound yet miss of Heaven Then this may discover to us the sandiness and unsafeness of these bottomes to rest a mans soul upon How many thousands who have no better evidences for Heaven than the bare performance of duties They come to Church they hear the Word they pray c. And therefore they hope all is well My Brethren It is true If the bare performance of duties were sufficient evidences to conclude our good condition then whoever did abound most in these things they had the surest bottomes to rest upon But alas You see it is possible for a man to abound in duty and yet his heart bee unsound And therefore the doing of these things will not bee sufficient to evidence to your selves that your condition is good If these Anchors should ever hold you need not to beat out any better Anchors for your souls But seeing these do not hold out ever you had need seek out for better Else you may miscarry at last These may hold in a Calm when they are put to no stress but will bee sure to break in a storm You see the house built upon the Sand it stood well enough and the structure was fair the sandiness of the foundation was not discovered whiles there was a Calm But saith Christ When the Rain fell and the Winds blew and the Waves did beat when the Storm arose then was the sandiness of the foundation discovered the house fell for it was built upon the Sand. So here While you have a Calm while you are in health injoy peace c. These bottomes seem firm enough you do not discover the sandiness of these foundations But a Storm doth arise when you come upon your sick-beds when you come to the day of death then you shall see the unsoundness of your bottomes All your buildings your fair structures all your works and walkings upon this foundation will bee surely blown down they will never abide the tryal And therefore let mee stir you up you who are
way As the wind sometimes it blows up rain sometimes it blows away rain So the Spirit of God which bloweth where and when and how it listeth sometimes blows up rain comes into the soul in an heart humbling and breaking way And sometimes it blows away rain and comes into the soul in a cheering and heart comforting way In both these the soul hath communion with God in joys and tears in mournings as well as comfortings And that in the general to answer the mistake of weaker Christians Quest And now to the answer of the question How a man shall know when he hath had communion with God in a duty 1 I Answer 1 In general then thou meetest with God and hast communion with God in duty when God hath inabled thee to act grace in a duty An unregenerate man may act parts and gifts in a duty but he cannot act grace hee hath none to act If then God do inable thee to act grace in a duty to act thy faith to close with promises to act thy repentance for sinne to act love to God All or any of these graces thy soul hath then communion with God in duty 2 Again When the performance of a duty doth lead the soul in better frame a more humble frame or in a more watchful frame when the heart is more quickned or more broken When the heart is farther set against sin more resolved to walk with God and obey him when the frame of a mans spirit is changed or bettered in any of these ways it is a sign that thou hast had communion with God in duty though God hath not come in with fulness of comfort with chearings or joys In this life most of our communion lyes in quickning grace In the life to come our communion is risen up to full comfort our life then is all joy And so much shall serve for the third Character and the answer to the Objection 4. Character A heart sincere in Prayer doth rise up praying from Prayer hee goes away with the affections of and affections to prayer after the Prayer is done The Duties of an unsound heart they come but from a cistern his devotion is a stinted devotion When the Prayer is done his affections are done also the water is all run out his affections are then done also perhaps before But the Duties of a godly man they arise from a spring a fountain and his heart is not runne out with his Prayer hee hath affections of Prayer when the Prayer is done hee riseth up praying from Prayer The much hee hath done is but a little of that which his soul desires to do An unsound mans actions are as big as his heart perhaps larger but for a sincere spirit the heart is still bigger then the action all he doth is but a little of that hee desires to do I say where there is sincerity there is a desire of more all is but a little of that abundance that is in his heart When hee hath mourned for sinne hee wisheth still he could mourn more Hee hath an affection of sorrow within him larger than any expression of sorrow hee can shew So you see David Rivers of tears runne down mine eyes because men keep not thy law Not that David had so much moisture within him as to swell a river poor man hee had not so much moisture in him but he had such an affection of sorrow that if hee had had as many tears as would have swelled a River made a Sea they should all have been laid out for sin And indeed if a man had wept a sea of tears and his affections of mourning did end with his expressions of sorrow hee had not yet wept at all nor shed one true tear of godly sorrow for sin So again when hee hath prayed still his heart is above his action and hee riseth up praying from prayer with a praying spirit affections when the Prayer is done This was that which made Christ commend the poor Widdows charity shee gave but two mites and yet hee saith shee had given more than all the rest Her heart was bigger than her action her affections than her expressions of charity Others they gave but their purses were larger than their hearts they emptied their hearts but not their purses Shee her heart was bigger than her purse shee emptied her purse but not her heart thus shee gave more So this is the fourth a sincere heart is larger than his duty hee riseth up praying from Prayer all hee doth is but a little of that hee desires to do but a little of that abundance that is in his heart Others their actions are as large nay larger than their hearts they have little heart to the duty and their heart is gone hath done before the duty bee done A wicked man doth sin out of the abundance of his heart as Christ saith out of the abundance of the heart come c. Mat. 12.34 Hee is never weary of sinning hee hath a fountain for that but though hee sin out of the abundance of his heart yet hee doth not pray out of the abundance of his heart his heart â—s done before his Prayer is done if not they end together Well think of it hee who yet hath not this Principle which I speak of hath not yet a Gospel Principle though hee do neveâ— so much hee is not yet under the conditions of Grace and Mercy These are the lowest terms of the Gospel 5. Character A heart sincere in Prayer doth eye it self in Prayer it is a heart that diligently observes it self in the duty views all the workings of the soul and takes notice of all the imperfections of the spirit in duty As to gather comfort and praise God if right so to bee humbled and afflicted if amiss And indeed our sincerity is as much discovered in lamenting the imperfections of a work as in the most perfect performance of it Where then the heart is sincere the soul takes notice of the imperfections that do accompany it and when the duty is done falls a lamenting the imperfections of its Faith of its sorrows the deadness of its desires Ah! it now laments that hee hath beheld so much sin with no more sorrow looked upon so many abominations with no more mourning That hee hath had no more Faith to close with the Promises of pardon of Grace of purging That hee hath had so barren so shallow so sleight thoughts of Gods love That hee hath been so cold in his affections again towards God That he hath had so sleight conceptions of sin and no more sorrow for it That his heart hath been no more affected with the miseries of others nor no more inlarged to seek God for them That there hath been so much earth in Heaven so many carnal thoughts so much distractions in his spiritual imploiment Ah! my Brethren a good heart sits down when duty is done and goes and mourns over all his Prayers weeps over all
the world Thou wouldest think it no mercy if God should grant thee what thou prayest for Thou prayest for Faith but wouldest thou have it no such matter why faith purifies the heart faith sanctifies the soul it will not suffer one corruption one lust to bee in thy heart and now dost thou desire faith no such matter Assure your selves if at any time you desire grace it is not grace under a right notion of grace It is not grace in the extent of grace nor grace in the power of grace It is again not a spiritual but a naturall desire of grace thou desires it but in some present distresse it may be when thou lyest on thy death bed and seest there is no comming to heaven without it Thou cannot desire it for it self 2 Thou prayest for the subduing of thy lusts 2 In desire â—â— Power against lust and corruptions but dost thou desire what thou praiest for wouldst thou think it if God should answer thee to be a mercy I am confident that till thy heart bee changed thou wouldst think the answer of such a request no mercy Would the Drunkard think it a mercy to bee rid of his cups The Covetous man would hee think it a mercy to be rid of his Mammon of unrighteousnesse No there is no such matter I dare be bold to say there is not that lust which a wicked man would think it a mercy to be rid of Alas Thou dost not desire to be rid of thy lusts thou canst not live without them thou canst not subsist without them when thou dost pray against them thou dost but dissemble with God there is no such matter thou dost not desire it If at any time thou dost desire it it is when thou hast done with it or it is in a storm only and then not because thou hatest it Non sub inâ—uitu mali sed minoris boni but because thou darest not keep it as you know the Merchant casts away his goods not because hee judgeth them evil in themselves but because if hee keeps them he cannot preserve a greater good his life Hee doth not part with them out of hatred to them for he even throws over his heart with them but because hee sees the keeping of them cannot stand with his present safety for after the storm and danger is over hee would bee glad to get them again if he could There are many who thus part with their sinnes as the Merchant with his wares only in a storm when they lye on their sick beds or under some wrack of Conscience for fear of hell or as Jacob parted with Benjamin because otherwise hee should starve necessity drove him to it or as Phaltiel parted with Michal because otherwise hee should loose his head hee did not part with her out of hatred but out of fear the King sent for her and if hee had detained her it might have cost him his head therefore out of fear hee parted with her though hee wept after her 3 In desire of heaven Extrema Christianorum desiderantur quamvis non Exordia 3 You Pray for heaven and one would think you did desire this wee say the end of a Christian is desirable though not the beginning the rest though not the labour you see Balaam hee wished hee might dye the death of the righteous though he had no heart to live their lives So that one would think they did desire heaven But indeed as long as thy heart is corrupt and unregenerate thou dost not desire heaven if thou knowest what heaven is If a man should ask thee thou who sayest thou desirest heaven what dost thou think heaven is it would I think pose thee But it may bee thou wilt say thou conceives heaven to bee a place of pleasure and delight a place free from all miseries and troubles and the like For this is the utmost heaven thou canst desire Thou lookest on it and desires it A place free from paenal not from sinful evils as a place of peace and rest not of grace and holiness If I should now tell thee that heaven is to be rid of all thy lusts and corruptions I beleive heaven would not be so desirable to thee Thou desirest heaven but t is under a false notion a heaven suitable to thy self and that 's the least of heaven I have told you not long agoe abstract and take from heaven what a corrupt heart doth see and think to bee heaven and that 's heaven indeed to a godly man To what I have said of another subject I will now adde this That didst thou know the company of heaven Heaven not desirable to corrupt hearts for its 1 Company the imployments of heaven the injoyments of heaven thou canst never desire heaven thy heart being corrupt 1 The company of heaven shall I tell you there 's none of your mind there And it is no great happiness to bee in such a place where they are all of different minds from you Two cannot walk together saith the Prophet they cannot-live together take delight together unless they bee agreed Now there is no agreement between the company of Heaven and thy spirit as it is corrupt See what the company of Heaven is enquire what they are First There is God and do you think there is any agreement betwixt God and you why hee is holy and thou art unholy hee is pure thou art impure c. and without holiness no man can see God Secondly There is Christ there are the glorious Angels all these are thine enemies as thou art in a natural condition Thirdly There are the blessed Saints and those are such as thou hast despised such as thou hast persecuted here in the World such as thou couldest never indure upon Earth but flye from and avoid is this company desireable in Heaven no such matter If they bee now hatefull to thee while they have something of thy self in them they have corruptions in them as well as thou though not under the power of them as thou Oh how hateful would they be when these corruptions are removed when they are better and thou worse But what 's this to torment thee in comparison of the presence of God in them is but the spark of holiness in God those eternal fires of holiness and if the spark bee a torment what is the fire As the Prophet speaks Who shall dwell with everlasting fires 2. Look upon the imployments of Heaven 2 Imployment and see if those bee desireable to thee in thy natural estate There is keeping of an eternal Sabbath there is praising and glorifying God to all eternity and would not this bee a tedious thing to thee canst thou indure to praise God for ever when now a staff of a Psalm is burdensome to keep an eternal Sabbath when a duty is tedious to thee 3. Adde to this the injoyments of Heaven 3. For its injoyments and here I can name nothing
which thou wouldest think it a mercy to injoy Them wee branch into four particulars 1. Shall I say you shall injoy God there 1. God who though happiness to a gracious heart yet a torment to a corrupt spirit I have read of the Irish Earth that no venemous creature can indure to live upon it that if a man should make a circle of Irish Earth and put a little English Earth in the midst of it for a center if a Toad or any venemous Creature were upon the English Earth it would dye there rather than come upon the Irish ground I tell thee the Irish Earth will better brook a Toad than Heaven a sinner or a sinner Heaven 2. You shall injoy freedome from sin never sin more 2. Freedome from sin Not to sin is here our Law hereafter it shall bee our Nature And is this a mercy to bee rid of sin sin which is meat and drink now what can the Drunkard be willing to be rid of his cups the unclean person of his Dalilah the covetous man of his bags can hee think an eternall divorce from such things hee loves so dear a mercy 3. You shall injoy perfection of Grace to bee swallowed up with holiness 4. An eternal Sabbath And these are things which certainly a corrupt heart doth not desire And so you see it is possible for a man to pray for those things which hee hath no desire were granted Therefore the Character is firm that it is the sign of a sincere heart in prayer when hee doth truly desire the thing prayed for And thus much for the sixth Character 7. Character The seventh and last A sincere heart in Prayer doth not only desire but truly indeavour the compassing of the thing prayed for Oculum ad sidus manum ad clavum As the wise Mariner hee hath not only an eye to the Star but his hand also upon the Helm or as the Plow-men of Sparta they had one hand up to Ceres whom they feigned the Goddesse of Corn and the other upon the stilts of the Plow they joyned plowing with praying So here a sincere heart hee doth not only pray lift up his heart to Heaven but hee puts also his hand to the work to compasse what hee prayes for doth hee pray for pardon of sin hee labours to get his Faith more strengthened in assurance of pardon Desires hee subduing of corruption hee makes use of Christ c. Desires hee grace hee is carefull in the use of all means c. Psal 5. I will direct my Prayer and look up 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The words are very emphatical there are two military words used in that place the first to set or put an Army in array So hee would order his Prayers and then hee would look up and stand sentinel Gods power and grace must not exempt us from the use of the means but make us more diligent in the use of all means to have our desires accomplished Exod. 17. Wee read that Joshuahs sword and Moses prayer were to go together if the sword had gone out without Prayer if they had fought and had not prayed they had not prevailed for God will not bee neglected if the Prayer had gone up and the Sword had not gone out had they prayed and not fought they had not had successe for God will not bee tempted but both these went together and then Gods blessing was on them So here should wee indeavour and not pray wee can look for no good wee go out in our own strength and cannot prevail and should wee pray and not indeavour wee may expect the same successe God will neither bee tempted nor neglected But if wee joyn them both together if the hand back the heart indeavours second our desires wee may expect Gods blessing on us This is the last Character A sincere heart is conscionable in the use of all means for the accomplishing the things prayed for 3. Part. Clear sincerity in matter of mourning There is yet a third Particular wherein to clear the sincerity of your hearts and that is in matter or mourning I told you that it was possible for a man not only to pray but to seem to mourn too and yet his heart bee unsound You read of the Israelites they did not only pray but they joyned fasting to prayer as you see in the next words to my Text but more plainly Zach. 7.5 When yee fasted and mourned in the fifth Month did you at all fast to mee saith the Lord There was fasting and mourning joyned to fasting yet hearts unsound There is false mournings as well as true Crocodile tears false tears as well as false prayers And therefore it behoves us to try the sincerity of our hearts in mourning for sin Wee will lay down these Characters of it 1. Character Characters of sincere mourning A sincere mourning is a deep mourning a sad and serious sorrow for sin Such a sorrow as doth deeply affect the heart with the thoughts and apprehensions of the burthen and bitterness of sin A sincere mourner hath sad and deep apprehensions of the nature demerit and filthiness of sin he looks upon sin as an offence against a just a pure a holy God as the breach of a pure a holy and an eternal Law as a wounding and crucifying of Christ as a grieving and sadding of the spirit of Grace as a wounding and undoing his own soul for ever Which deep and inward thoughts of the nature of sin work deep and inward mourning for sin The heart is wounded the soul humbled and grieved his spirit melted and peirced within him for sin which hee hath committed against God It is not his tongue only that repents in expressing and confessing his eyes in weeping but his heart in deep and inward mournings for sin Another may make more noise more cryings roarings howlings but his sorrow is more inward more secret more still and yet more deep As you know the deepest waters run the stillest so the deepest sorrow makes least noise So that is the first a sincere mourning is a deep mourning An Hypocrite his mournings are but shallow mournings hee hath but shallow and fleeting thoughts of the nature and demerit of sin hee may say with Pharaoh I have sinned or cry out in a strait Lord have mercy upon mee or hang down his head like a bulrush for a day or roar upon the present rack of trouble for a time but he never hath any deep and serious thoughts of sin as sin His prayers are howlings and his mournings are roarings Gods people they mourn like Doves wicked men they bellow like Bulls under the apprehension of sin 2. Character A sincere mourning is an universal mourning hee mourns for all sins A sincere mourning is an universal mourning hee mourns for all sins As hee hates all small and great so hee mourns for all yea for such sins is his heart affected which another mans light doth
it and you came trembling to this Ordinance fearing lest you should prophane it and by that eat and drink your own Condemnation But now the custome of prophanation hath taken away the terror of prophaning this Ordinance now you come and tremble not So for the word time was when Conscience was green and tender that the word came with more majesty more authority on your spirits Every command came with power every threat came with trembling but now you can sit under the most powerful quickening convincing awaking dispensations of it and your souls never moved And hence is it that your custome with the Ordinances in a customary way takes off the life and power and workings of Ordinances As custome in sin doth harden the heart and makes the heart more difficult to bee wrought upon so custome in duty if it bee done in a formal customable way I would rather deal and should have more hopes of doing good to him who is openly prophane notoriously wicked than such a man who lyes soaking under Ordinances and goes on in a formal and customable performance of these dutys without any spirit or life in the doing of them Thus you see the first 't is a difficult cure 2 It is a painful cure It is a painful cure It will cost thee much pain many gripes and greifs many Prayers and tears much humiliation and sorrow before it can be wrought Nay t is a cure wrought by undoing all that thou hast done thou must unravel all unpray thy prayers undo thy services Thou must not go forward in the way wherein thou art but must come back all the way thou hast gone and go another way if ever thou come to heaven And this will cost a man some pain Suppose a man were going to some place and had gone much of his journey were now come as hee thought near his journeys end and one should come to him and tell him Sir you are clean out of the way you must go back again unride all this way you have come c. O! how irksome how hardly would this down with a man at the end of his journey especially the way being pleasant wherein hee was and full of delight but the other rough and foul in which hee was to go Alas would hee say is there no way but turning back is it not possible to strike over this is irksome Why so is it with a man here it may be thou hast set out for heaven and thou hast gone all thy life in a fair smooth way and art now come as thou thinkest even to the end of thy journey And will it not bee a hard thing for a man to turn back to begin in another way and that a straiter a rougher and a deeper way Why I tell thee this must bee done before ever thou come to heaven It is with a sound Christian and an Hypocrite as it is with two men at the top of two houses in a narrow street one would think that they could easily come to one another easily reach but the truth is hee must come down the height where hee is before hee can go up to him A grosse and open sinner is nearer to him than a formal hypocrite As Christ saith Easier for Publicans and Harlots c. And now judge is it not a very hard thing and difficult for a man to undoe all hee hath done to give up all for lost to come down from the height to which hee hath attained not without much pains To turn back that way wherein hee hath ridden with much difficulty This is a hard thing c. what flesh and blood can bear this So that it is not only a difficult but a painful cure 1 In respect of the medicines that are to bee applyed hard physick humbling lancing cutting dismembring cutting off right hands c. 2 In respect of the distemper wherewith these medicines are to encounter 3 In respect of the pains gripes griefs you must endure in the cure But this I cannot insist upon The truth is the cure is so painfull that your spirits would rather continue the disease than submit to the plaister But now though the cure be difficult 't is possible 't is easy with God though hard to us And if God have given thee a heart to desire a cure and a spirit willing to submit to any means may bee used it is a fair way towards the cure Well then to come to the cure it self Having searched thy spirit and upon diligent search discovered Hypocrisy Means of cure 1. Labour to convince thy heart of the evil and mischief of an unsound spirit It is a thing which makes thy person thy performance odious unto God hee hates thy person hee hates thy prayers as you see Isa 1.14 Your new Moons and your Sabbaths and your appointed feasts my soul hateth them which yet were high extraordinary services And now judge what a fearful thing it is to stand under the hatred of the great God of Heaven and Earth What dost thou think will bee the end of thee why you shall see Matth. 24. and the last Thou shalt bee cast into the lake which burnes with fire and brimstone and not only cast in but into the hottest place where there shall not bee a drop of water to a lake of fire For it is said of all other sinners that they shall have their portion with Hypocrites The Hypocrite shall have the largest portion hee is the top of that black crew of damned souls For the present thou losest all the good in Earth which others do injoy and for the future thou losest all the good in Heaven which others shall injoy Nay and thou gainest sorer sharper more unsupportable damnation than others shall have Thy duties thy prayers thy hearings which would have ministred comfort to thee if they had been right do now aggravate and increase thy torment being unsound Every Sermon Prayer Duty is but as another stick carried to that structure of fire to make it hotter and greater for thee because done with an unsound spirit 2. Consider there is a God 2. Means Atheisme is a great ground of Hypocrisy and there is no man more an Atheist than an Hypocrite Well then think there is a God I tell thee the very beleef of this would strike down many base ends which thou hast in thy service of him And think him to bee such a God as hee is That this God is an all-seeing God one who searcheth the heart who tryeth the reins One who knows the secret turnings and windings of thy deceitful soul Though thou mayest dissemble it with men bee one thing upon the stage another thing in the tyring house one thing in action another thing in heart and affection Yet thou canst not dissemble with God before whom thou liest open cut up to the back bone anatomized all thy internals are seen as the Word signifies in Heb. 4.13 This thought brought home and
hand of man that they may fall into the hand of God The Justice of men that the Justice of God who is a punisher of sin a consuming fire might at once bee revenged of them But I shall only give you two things to consider of Consider then 1 The Persons against whom they are 2 The Persons who are against us 1 The Persons against whom they set themselves And that is against his Church his People his Saints his Mourners his Sighers his Prayers his Members his Treasures his Jewels Such as are as dear to him as the apple of his eye such as hee hath said hee will give men for and people for their life Yea and therefore are they enemies to these because they are friends to God because they run not out with them in the same excess of Riot as the Apostle saith 2. Look upon the persons who are against us They are such as are declared to bee Papists Atheists scorners and contemners of God and his waies such as are proud prophane cruel and bloody-minded-men haters of God blasphemers of his Name by new and hel-born oathes such as have made themselves obnoxious to the stroak of Justice Many of whom have escaped the hand of man that they may I hope fall into the hand of God and the justice of man that the justice of God might discover them and finde them out who will bee a sad avenger of these things Thus doth the wickedness of the enemy speak deliverance to the Church of God when the Devil drives his servants so furiously it is a sign they will quickly bee at their journies end VVhen Satans rage is violent it is not long Rev. 12.11 Woe bee to the Inhabitants of the Earth that is to the wicked and the ungodly But rejoyce yee Heavens that is yee Saints and People of God why For the Devil is come down having great wrath But can this bee a matter of rejoycing Yea saith the Text Because hee hath but a short time VVhen the Devil comes down with great wrath it prognosticates his time is not long VVhen men are grown so hellish in their malice their oathes and Blasphemies that they are become an abhorring and abomination to men Then will God certainly ease himself and unburden a Nation of them You have something to this 2 Tim. 3.8 9. when their wickedness of whom the Apostle speaks there was abhorred of all men Then saith hee they shall proceed no further Object But you will tell mee that this will not bee enough to perswade with us that God will do a wonder for us For wee sometimes read that God hath given up the godly into the hands of wicked men to bee punished as you read ordinarily in Scripture And Habakkuk complains of the like Hab. 1.17 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil and canst not look on iniquity Wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than himself Answ It is true God hath sometimes given up a people to others who have been greater sinners than themselves Hee hath given up one wicked Nation to another that was more wicked than they But wee do not read that God hath given up the good of one to the evil and wicked of the same Nation But then 2. VVhen God hath done this it hath been when hee was highly displeased with his people after hee hath sent Prophets to warn them to humble and reform them and yet they would continue obstinate in their evil wayes and would not bee reformed as hee tells us at large 2 Chron. 36.15 16. 3 VVhen God hath done this it hath been when his own people have been so involved and inwrapped with them that there was no separating between them And thus oftentimes the Saints may bee involved in the same general calamities with the bad because of that politick union and conjunction that is between the Members of a state and Common-wealth So in a Common-wealth universally sinful a few righteous men may as parts of that sinful society bee justly subject to those temporary evils which the sins of that society have contracted upon them 4 VVhen God hath done this it hath been when his own people have had communion with the sins of them with whom they live VVhen there is a communion with the evill of sin wee must look for a communion with the evil of punishment Oneness of sin brings Oneness of sufferings But none of these are our case For 1 VVee are not to bee delivered up to another Nation but to those who are Vipers in our own and the good to the bad 2 Though wee were involved together yet they have separated themselves from us which if it had not been done wee might suspect that such Jona's would raise storms Indeed the way for wicked men to bee preserved is to body themselves with the Saints is to abide by them whiles the VVheat and â—ares grew together the Tares were preserved The Tares had not been preserved if they had not been in the field with the Wheat But being there God would not pluck up the Tares lest the Wheat also should bee destroyed But when the Wheat is gathered in or if the Tares shall separate themselves from the Wheat bundle themselves together against the Saints it is the ready way to their own destruction that is the way to have no mercy when God may deal with them single and there bee none with them to bear off the blow 4. Gods People have not communion with them in their sins 1. They do not approve of them in their Judgements 2. They do not consent to them in their wills 3. They do not act them in their lives This is to have Communion No but further 1. They are grieved with them as Lot was his soul was grieved with the sins of Sodom 2. They are grieved for them not only with them but for them They are matter of their mourning Thus David shed rivers of tears because the wicked kept not Gods law Ezek. 9.4 A mark was to bee set on the foreheads of them who were Sighers and mourners for the sins of Jerusalem 3. They are not only grieved with and grieved for but they Pray down Preach down mourn down live down the sins of this sinful Common-wealth which may bee an argument to us that God will preserve us from that overflowing scourge that devouring deluge which he may bring upon wicked men 5. Argument 5. The fifth Argument to induce us to hope that God will now do a wonder for us is taken from the Consideration of those great things which God hath promised to do for his Church and People in this latter end of the world Indeed God hath done much for his People in all ages of the World you may see his Wonders upon record But all these are nothing in comparison of those which hee hath ingaged himself to do for them hereafter The World
shall not bee VVee read that Ulisses when hee was to pass the Coast of the Syrens hee caused his men to stop their ears that they might not bee inchanted by their musick to destroy themselves But for himself hee would only bee bound to the Mast that though hee should hear yet their musick might not bee so strong as to allure him to destroy himself and leap into the Sea There are some of Gods people who are weak in Faith And when they see Gods outward proceedings of Providence seemingly contrary to his Promises they are apt to bee charmed from their own stedfastness Now as for these it were good for them to stop their ears and to shut their eyes to the works and look altogether upon the VVord of God But there are some that are stronger and therefore may look upon the outward proceedings of God But withall let them binde themselves fast to the Mast the VVord of God lest when they see the seeming contrariety of his proceedings to the Promise they bee charmed from their own stedfastness to the wounding of their own souls God hath promised that Antichrist shall fall Hee hath promised to make his Church glorious And though in outward proceedings hee should seem to uphold the one and evil intreat the other yet let not this weaken our Faith in beleeving the truth of what God hath promised If you put a streight stick into the water yet sense will render it to bee crooked it will appear so to the eye but reason corrects it and tells you though it appear to bee so yet it is not so you put it in streight and so it is Doth reason prevail against sense and why should not Faith prevail against Reason when to outward appearance God seems to bee against us why should not wee by Faith conclude that God is for us even for us when hee seems to bee against us The outward face of things may bee such as may possesse the Church with fear when God hath a purpose to do great things for his Church So you read in Joel 2.21 Fear not O Land bee glad and rejoyce for the Lord will do great things for you It was a time of Joy in respect of Gods purpose and yet a time of fear in respect of their present apprehensions God had a purpose to do great things for them and yet the face and outward appearance of things were such as did at that time possesse the Church with fear It was so but it should not have been so You see what Christ saith in Luk. 21.25 There shall bee signs in the Sun in the Moon in the Stars and upon the earth distresse of Nations the Sea and Waters roaring mens hearts failing them for fear and for looking after the things that shall come upon the Earth for the Powers of Heaven shall bee shaken Could there bee a sadder appearance And yet saith Christ when these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh Here you see Christ doth turn the saddest and sorest perplexities that ever the world shall see into a Doctrin of Comfort to his Church because all these things were but a preparatory to the redemption of the Church One would think this to bee a strange consequent deduced from such an Antecedent A Consequent so comfortable from an Antecedent so terrible that so terrible a Doctrin should afford us an use of Consolation Yet so it is Bee the premises what they will the conclusion is good Bee his Providences what they will his Promise is good and those promises shall turn all those Providences to good And this is the admonition I give you that whatever oppositions whatever troubles whatever evils wee meet withall in the way of deliverance Bee not troubled let not your hearts bee discouraged for this is the way whereby God will do you good making all your evil and trouble subservient to good VVhat the Apostle saith of his Bonds I may say of all oppositions Phil. 1.12 The things which have happened to mee have fallen out to the furtherance of the Gospel His prison was the Gospels liberty his straits and bonds the Gospels inlargement his abasements the Gospels advancements As wee say the choicest blessings come out of the fire of afflictions so the greatest deliverances come out of the greatest oppositions And thus much for that VVee will now come to Application Uses First of Information and that of diverse particulars 1 Information touching the greatness of God 1 It informs us of the greatness of our God 1. Of his Power 2. Of his Wisdome 3. Of his Mercy 4. Of his faithfulness toward his people For all these Attributes are visibly declared in every wonder God doth for his Church 1 His Power 1 God discovers the greatness of his Power in every wonder hee doth for them If a man were able to do it it were no wonder Hence hee is said to make bare his arm to reveal his Power And it is attributed to his right hand to his out-stretched arm c. 2 His Wisdome 2. God discovers the greatness of his Wisdome 1. Wisdome in the Manner In relieving in such a way as could not bee conceived 2. Wisdome in the Time In helping in such a time when things are desperate or in such a time when hee gets himself most glory and doth us most good 3. Wisdome in the means by relieving of us 1. By such means as wee never thought of or 2. By such as if wee had thought of would have been judged too small to have wrought so great a deliverance 3. Or by such which wee should rather have judged a means of ruine than of raising us yet Gods wisdome seeth more than wee can 3 Gods Mercy 3 God discovers abundance of Mercy yea and Free Mercy Every deliverance of his Church being wrought out of his own bowels and compassion Psal 136. which is a Psalm of praises for wonders You see at the foot of every verse a declaration of Mercy Hee brought his People out of Egypt for his Mercy indureth for ever Hee divided the Red-Sea for his Mercy indureth for ever Hee overthrew Pharaoh and his Host for his Mercy indureth for ever 4 Gods Truth 4. God discovers his Truth and Faithfulness to his Church God hath ingaged himself by many precious promises to do wonders for them And all the deliverances of God they are performances of promises They may bee all subscribed at the foot of the promise as so many particular instances and experiences to prove the truth of the promise and to discover the faithfulness of the Promiser to us They are so many witnesses to both By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall bee established saith the Apostle It is true it is spoken of the word or man not of the Word of God God is Truth it self You may beleeve him without a witness But yet God hath not