that speech Iohn 16.9 it is the cause why our Saviour Christ doth challenge that sin where hee saith I will send the Comforter to the earth and when he is come he shall convince the world of sinne because they beleeved not on him a Minister may haply convince a man of his drunkennesse and the Magistrat may convince him of his swearing but the Lord from heaven by that almightie power of his must set downe the heart and convince it of this sinne or else a man cannot see that he beleeves not nay let a man goe from pole to pole and aske all the drunkards and all the vile rakeshames and tell them thus You are a drunkard a swearer and the like they say I confesse it is true it is my infirmitie and I confesse it but tell them of unbeleefe and they will not acknowledge that but this fine spun wickednesse and this spirituall wickednesse of the soule is a meere turning off from God and so from Christ and the truth and the promise and therefore not easily discerned Reason 2 Secondly as it is hard to see the want of this grace of faith so it is marvellous difficult to see the use and need and benefit and helpe that will come from this grace nay wee are more ready to bee perswaded of the need and benefit of any grace naturally than of this grace of faith as an ignorant man and a weake man when he is asked a question and a point of dispute hee saith Oh that I had learning and were able to dispute the reason is because hee is sensible of his want of knowledge in that kinde and when a poore Christian comes to joyne in prayer and in conference with others it may be his abilities are small and when he heares such a man pray so holily and able to give such wholesome counsell hee saith Oh that I had that gift in prayer and those parts and abilities what a happy man should I be he is sensible that hee wants the power of prayer and abilities to conferre and all this while he saith not a word of his unbeleefe he complains not of that the reason is because all those abilities that carrie a man to his duty towards men we are more sensible of the want of them because that our credit and respect lies upon them because a man thinkes if he want these it is a discredit and hee shall want that respect that he might have therefore because these carry a man to his duty towards man and make for our credit wee are sensible of the need and use of them but faith in the next worke of it is to close with God and to fasten upon him and to rely upon the precious promises all these are beyond the reach of the world â—nd unbeleefe is the withdrawing of it selfe from God and Christ now because unbeleefe doth not so much hinder us in our duties towards man and because faith I meane in the next worke of it for faith doth fit us for duties and the like but because faith in the next worke of it doth not so much furnish us with abilities to carry us outwardly towards man and also because unbeleefe hinders us not in the same therefore wee are not sensible of the need and use of faith nor of the hurt and the danger of the other Reason 3 Thirdly hence it followes undeniably that as a poore sinner is hardly brought to see the want of faith and sees lesse need of faith than of any other grace because hee hath lesse need of it outwardly in the next worke of it therefore a Christian bestowes least care and time about faith and hath small and feeble desires after it and little care to get it but it is plainly proved before that a Christian is hardly convinced that hee wants faith and seeth lesse need of faith naturally than of any other grace and therefore hee hath lesse care to get it for that which a man seeth but little need and use of that he hath least care to get this I desire to make use of and so I desire my fellow brethren and Ministers this is the common course of the world take a sinner whose eyes God hath opened and revealed his sinnes and corruptions to him and let him see his wrath from heaven against him and drives a man to a stand so that hee saith if this be so then I am a damned man and so he is even staggering now in this extremitie marke the behaviour of this poore soule hee will doe any thing but beleeve and seeke for any thing but for faith hee will confesse and crie out of his sinne and resolve amendment and the drunkard loathâ— his old company and the adulterer will not goe after his lusts any more and the covetous mâ—â— in the horrour of conscience will rid his hands of all his ilâ— gotten goods and send for one man and call for another and make restitution and all this while not one word of faith nor of going our of himselfe to a Christ for mercie and succour for him â—ay those that have beene desperat persecutours of God and of his much and grace upon their death-beds they will turne to God and love his people and now those will pray which formerly have scorned prayer and they will doe this and that and yet all this while not one word of this precious faith the reason issues from the â—wo former things because they are not convinâ—ed that they want faith and doe not see the â—eed and use of faith and therefore doe not desire nor looke after it so gather up all and the summe is this if all men by nature are marvellous â—ardly convinced that they want faith and see the â—â—rtle and if all men bestow least care how to get his faith then the case is cleare and it is no marâ—ell though the most men want faith now wee have laid the inditement and it is marvellous â—aire you see and you cannot but confesse it for 〈◊〉 is against reason to deny it as some stuâ—dy hyâ—ocrites doe that will beleeve nothing but what â—hey list and yet they will be beleevers too Now let us come to plead the inditment â—ow mee thinkes every mans heart should tremble within him and â—â—e thinkes your very countenances doe suggest what your hearts doe desire let every man cast his head up and downe and paâ—ly wiâ—â— himselfe in this manner and saâ— Good Lord is it so that many families in the kingdome are unbeleevers and many people in the bosome of the Church want faith then why not my family too if most parents want faith thâ—â— why not my parents too and if many children want faith then why not my children too and if many soules want faith then why not my soule too nay it is ten to one that many that heare the word of God this day and many that liveâ—â— the bosome of the Church want faith mee thinkes I heare some say and am not
he that now is accused condemned shall now be hanged so here Others beare their hopes and sustaine their hearts upon the privileges that God bestoweth upon them and the meanes they have and in regard of the duties they doe discharge and though they thinke they have faire hopes and great hopes of heaven why say they God will powre downe his wrath upon those that know not God and that call not upon his name but what doe you make of us are we heathen are not we Christians have not wee beene baptized and the Lord hath inabled us to doe something wee call upon his name and seeke him by fasting and prayer and therefore he that hath done so much for us and hath done so much to us sure hee will give us heaven I answer that this bottome is not sufficient to beare up this hope all the privileges thou hast all the meanes ordinances thou enjoyest unlesse thy heart be humbled and thy soule brought to Christ all these will fall under thee and thou wilt goe to hell Rom. 2.28 He is not a Jew that is a Jew outwardly the Jewes they bragged of this they were circumcised and the Heathen were not circumcised they were the seed of Abraham but the Heathen were not Paul vilifieth all this he is not a Jew that is a Jew outwardly thy baptisme thy praying and thy hearing there is no profit by them no comfort in them if thou maintaine a wicked life and a naughty heart therefore this will not serve the turne you know it and the Scripture speaketh it Iudas an Apostle Iudas called by Christ he sat with our Saviour and dipped his hand in the dish he was a Devill then and is with the Devils now the foolish virgins had a trim profession as well as the others thou professest and hearest and prayest thou wilt lye too and cousen too and sweare too thou art naught and this bottome will never beare thee up When they see all this will come to nothing then they make a shift to plead mercy and they hope that will stand then in stead and doe them good when nothing else will and therefore you shall heare carnall wicked men confesse themselves naught their sinnes many and they vile but there is mercie enough in God to releeve them and they hope that will save them Brethren I confesse mercie is able to save thee and if thy hope can lay hold upon it it will save thee if thou be so within the reach of mercie mercie is able to save thee and will save many other besides but thou art not capable of this mercie thou art not within the roome and compasse of mercie what availeth it to talke and speake and hope for mercie and to see a great deale of mercie in Christ a great deale of merit in Christ a great deale of vertue in Christ able to save thee and a thousand more and yet thou not in the compasse of mercie not capable of mercie but sinkest in thy owne sinnes before thou gettest any mercie from God Isa 27.11 hee that made them will have no mercie upon them as who should say it is true here is abundance of mercie mercie enough mercie that saved a poore company of poore Jewes that crucified the Lord Jesus Christ mercie that saved Paul a persecutour Manasses an Idolater but I will shew no mercie unto thee he that confesseth and forsaketh his sinnes shall finde mercie mercie owneth those mercie doth good unto those but unto thee that lovest thy sinnes that embracest thy sinnes that hidâ—st thy sinnes the text saith it thou shalt never finde mercie delude thy selfe thou mayst but thou never shalt have mercie Luke 14.24 there was a marriage made and a rich marriage feast enough to have fed many thousands but those that were bidden did not come they shall not so much as taste of them they shall have none of them so there are sweet comforts strong consolations admirable refreshings able to sustaine a thousand soules but you that would keepe your sinnes and have the pride of your hearts but you that stand it out with the world and will not yeeld to the authoritie of the truth heare what the Lord saith from heaven he that is the God of comfort thou shalt never be comforted he that is the Authour of salvation saith it thou shalt never be saved thou shalt never have a crum of these dainties nor a drop of these sweet wines of spirituall consolation what a world now of men are shut out by these trials that are found guilty of these particulars you poore ignorant creatures doe not many of you lift up your heads full high and many a poore presumptuous hypocrite beare up themselves upon rotten hopes Object but I tell you when you come to the day of judgement all this will faile you but you will say in the former use you laboured us from despaire and incouraged us to hope and yet now you take away all our hopes why if neither creation may comfort us nor the experience of Gods kinde dealing with us may incourage us nor the afflictions that wee have endured in this world nor the privileges that we have enjoyed nor the mercie of themselves may give us any hope to receive mercie why then it seemeth you would have us despaire and cast away all hope of any good Answer The truth is as I must not make the way broader than it is so I must not make it narrower than I ought therefore know these two things As long as thou retainest and keepest a proud stubborne unconverted heart there is no hope in heaven or earth that God should ever shew mercy unto thee and save that hard stonie impenitent unbeleeving heart of thine unlesse thou thinkest that God will bring all thy pride all thy loosenesse and sinfull delights unto heaven God cannot shew thee mercie unlesse he will deny himselfe and crosse his holinesse follow peace and holinesse without which no man shall see God God taketh a corporall oath of it an unbeleeving man that liveth under grace despising it and contemning it God taketh an oath he shall never be saved now the oath of God shall ever stand there be two immutable things namely himselfe and his oath himselfe cannot be changed his oath cannot be broken now the Lord sweareth such a man shall not enter into his rest a man may be saved that cannot keepe the law fully of himselfe but a man cannot be saved that will not humble his soule before the Lord and receive mercy from him and hence Ephes 2.12 Without God without Christ without hope the Lord hath said the Lord hath sworne it that an unbeleeving an unrepenting sinner shall never come unto heaven he cannot save thy soule untill he hath humbled thy soule hee cannot save thy soule as long as thou retainest an unbeleeving soule This is that which you must take notice of that I may let in a little crevise of comfort to every naturall man that I
may set open a peepe-hole of mercy know therefore this that though the Lord will not nay the Lord according to his oath cannot save a continuing unbeleever yet here is all the hope thou hast and blesse God for it and bee thankfull that thou hast it though whilest thou art an unbeleeving creature thou canst have no mercy from God yet God can make thee a beleever he can breake that heart he can make thee good therefore I say blesse God that thou art yet in the land of the living and say good Lord this is mercy that I am on this side hell if I had died I had as certainly gone to hell as the coat upon my backe hath not the Lord said it did not the Minister speake it and the Word reveale it that as long as I had a proud naughty stubborne wretched heart I should never finde mercy unlesse I should thinke that God would make new Scriptures turne the course of his providence to save a company of base wretched creatures Oh my brethren you that are yet in the gall of bitternesse and bond of iniquity proud before and proud still that live and lie in your sinnes I say every morning and every evening that yet you live thinke with your selves Hath God given me this hope this liberty and that my life is continued why now bestirre your selves to get mercy I beseech you thinke oâ— it if you be not wrought upon by the Word if Heaven and Earth should meet together to save thee and an Angell from Heaven would speake comfort unto thee all would faile therefore you see by this time in what case these are goe aside and mourn for your selves and neighbours this say if you will continue proud and wicked there is no hope for you all the hope is this you are yet alive the Lord may humble that heart hee may enlighten your eyes he may worke upon thy soule else there is no mercy for thee Vse 2 It is an use of consolation and I hope you will be content to heare that I beseech you therefore to observe what I say take notice here that every poore broken hearted sinner may take some ground here to stay his soule though much disquieted though exceedingly perplexed when the soule seemeth to be aloofe off from the Lord when the Lord doth not shine abroad the sweetnesse of his mercy upon the soule when the Lord withdraweth himselfe and his grace in assisting and comforting his Saints when thou hast no sense no feeling thou canst not bee perswaded of it or thy heart beleeve it canst thou but looke up to God and hope I say thy condition is good thou art a good scholler in the Kingdome of the Lord Jesus Esay 40.18 The Lord waiteth upon his Saints to doe them good but marke what the Text saith Blessed is every man that waiteth upon the Lord he doth not say blessed is the man that hath sense of Gods favour blessed is the man that hath assurance of Gods mercy but blessed is that man that waiteth upon the Lord thou saist thou canst not doe this and thou canst not doe that I say if thou canst but wait and hope for the mercy of the Lord I say thou art a rich Christian if a man hath many reversions though he hath them not for the present men that judge of his estate will not judge him for his present estate but for his reversions which hee shall have haply thou hast not for the present the sense and feeling of the assurance of Gods love away with that feeling doe not dote upon it thou hast reversions of old leases ancient mercies old compassions such as have beene reserved from the beginning of the world and know thou hast a faire inheritance this is observable Rom. 8 28. We are saved by hope now hope that is seene is no hope for why should a man hope for that which a man hath wee are saved through hope now if you would have hope to be seene you have no hope in conclusion though thou hast it not in thy eye yet if thou dost hope it is enough that hope will save thy soule It is the folly of our sinfull proud hearts that sometimes in the sense of our owne sinnes and sight of our owne unworthinesse we almost disdaine to looke upon what God hath done for us and we consider not the kindnesse of the Lord. That place in the Psalmist The eye of the Lord is upon them that feare him and wait for him it is the wretched distemper of the soule we can fall out with heaven and our selves because we cannot have what we would nay we quarrell against the means of grace what availe meanes and helpes as long as I have such a stubborne naughty heart Psal 174 1â—1 The Lord taketh pleasure in those that feare him and wait for his mercy alas brethren out of the pride of your owne spirits you fall out with God and your selves and so deprive your selves of this comfort Object But you will say were my hopes of the right stampe and of the right coyne then a man might comfort himselfe therein though he wanted the sense of Gods love and the assurance of his mercy but there are many false hopes flashy hopes leane hopes how shall a man know that his hope is sound and good and will comfort him Ans You may know it by these foure particulars The first is this a grounded hope it hath a peculiar certainty in it it doth bring home unto the soule in speciall manner the goodnesse of God and the riches of his love in Jesus Christ this same grounded hope doth not stand upon Ifs and And 's but it saith it must be undoubtedly it must certainly bee mine and this you must know it is the nature of hope to make a thing to be certaine Hope maketh things infallible and undoubted and withall there is a kinde of speciality a bringing home of Gods goodnesse unto the soule in a peculiar manner hope alwayes if sound it hath something to say for it selfe alwaies it hath a ward to hang and hold upon Psal 130.5 I wait upon the Lord and I hope in his Word and so Rom. 15.4 All things are written for our instruction that through the comfort of the Scriptures wee might have hope here is hope not through your conceits imaginations and dreames but through the Scripture we might have hope a grounded hope is a Scripture hope it is a word hope and therefore those that cannot bring a word and give a reason for their hope I would not give a rush nor a farthing token for a hundred cart load of such hopes No it is Law hope it is Gospell hope Scripture hope Word hope so that the soule can say the Word saith the Lord came to save those that are lost why I finde my selfe to be lost and therefore I hope the Lord will seeke mee though I cannot seeke him I hope the Lord will finde me though I cannot
will overcome all corruptions that mercy that will pardon all our sinnes then saith the will content it shall be so and this makes up the match for now the match commeth to bee made when the will saith Amen to the businesse and this is that great worke of the will the spawn and the seeds of faith went before now faith is come to some perfection now the soule reposeth it selfe upon the Lord and Divines say that here commeth in faith what the minde hath knowne and hope expected and desire longed for and love embraced then commeth in the great wheel the great commander the will which saith I will have it Goe no further it is the best match wee can make you saw the seeds of faith before in the affections but now you shall see the root of faith and the full growth of faith in the will So from hence the point of Doctrine is this Doctrine The will of a poore sinner humbled and enlightned comes to bee effectually perswaded by the Spirit of the Father to rest upon the free grace of God in Christ that it may bee interested therein and have supply of all Spirituall wants from thence For the better clearing of this Doctrine consider these foure particulars First the worke must be in an heart humbled and enlightned Secondly the will must be effectually perswaded by the Spirit of the Father Thirdly by the power of this perswasion it casts it selfe upon the rich grace and free mercy of God in Christ Fourthly the end of it that it may bee interested into all the good that is in the promise For by faith wee come to have a title to all that ever Christ purchased and God hath prepared for his people and as by infidelity wee went from God so now by faith we come again to God Particul in the doctr 1 For the first passage this grace of faith the root whereof is seated in the will it is in an heart humbled and enlightened if either of these two bee wanting it is not possible that ever sound saving faith should be in the soule I doe not now dispute of the measure of these how farre a man must bee humbled and how much enlightened these I have handled before I abate a man of the measure and leave that to the good pleasure of God but the heart must bee truly humbled and soundly enlightened First The heart must be humbled that is loosed from sinne and from selfe if the soule be not thus truly humbled there is no roome for faith for the worke of humiliation cleeres the coast â—nd clenseth the roome for if the soule of a poore sinner be not loosened from sinne and made weaâ—y of it but takes fast hold of it as Ieremie saith Ierem. 8.5 They hold fast to deceit and would not returne so when a man will hold his pride and his corruptions that man is carelesse of Christ and not onely so but also opposit from going to Christ he will not goe to Christ that he may receive power for â—he subduing of his corruptions because he is resolved to keepe his sinne still and therefore know â—hat it is not possible to receive Christ and to â—leave to sinne too Secondly suppose the soule be truly burdened â—nd the heart be surcharged with sinne and the â—eart seeth an absolute necessity of a change and â—e saith if this be certaine then I am a miserable â—an and either I must reforme my way or else perish in my way now when the soule is come to this if the heart will yet shift for it selfe and thinke to recover it selfe seeing it must needâ— change it will change it selfe it will hinder faith for whatsoever it is that keepes a man in himselfe that alwayes hinders the worke of faith for faith ever goes out to another for grace and power to ease him of corruption and for strength to subdue his sinnes if the soule say either I need not change or if I must change I will change my selfe and save my selfe what need have I of a Saviour these hinder faith therefore if ever faith be there the heart must have thiâ— wrought he must see himselfe in a lost condition that is that by all the meanes under heaven heâ— cannot succour himselfe this is the meaning of that phrase Luke 19.10 The Lord Iesus came 〈◊〉 seeke and to save that which was lost a lost man indeed every man is lost under the power of sinne and dominion of Satan but he must see himselfe lost how the guilt of sinne is condemning him and therefore lost in regard of pardon to save him and also how he is polluted and therefore lost in regard of power to subdue corruptions and when he seeth this indeed that nothing can helpe him but a Christ then the soule makes out for a Christ this is the meaning of that place Iohn 1.12 To as many as received him he gave c. so that we must receive a Christ when we are gone oâ—â— of our selves by humiliation then are we fit to goe to God by vocation Quest But may not a man beleeve and is it not lâ—â—full to beleeve unlesse a man be thus humbled Answ It is lawfull at any time if thou canst but I say it is impossible for thee to beleeve untill thou be thus humbled as Iohn 4.44 the Lord Christ comes to the Pharisees and saith I know you will not come to mee that you may beleeve nay in the next place he saith How can ye beleeve that receive honour one of another how canst thou beleeve in the Lord Jesus Christ to subdue thy lusts and yet wouldst bee uncleane still and live in thy lusts still how canst thou beleeve in Christ to master thy rebellious heart and yet wouldest be rebellious still it is impossible heaven and earth cannot meet together no more can these two stand together therefore set your hearts at rest a man must be truly humbled and broken hearted â—f ever he beleeve Secondly the soule must be enlightened I â—oyne these two together in this clause for though faith be above reason yet it is with reason it is not that colliers faith of the Papists â—hat put out his owne eyes to see by another mans this is a delusion and an implicite faith â—herefore I say a man must be inlightened to see â—he grace and mercie and freenesse of Gods love â—n Christ as Psal 119.10 They that know thy name â—hall put their trust in thee it is against common sense that the soule of a man that is reasonable â—hould fall upon any thing and rest it selfe there â—nd yet never seeth whether it bee a sufficient helpe or no this is by the way of preparation Particul in the doctr 2 It is effectually perswaded by the Spirit of the Father to rest it selfe c. this I adde in the second place upon the same ground because a man hath no legs of himselfe to bee carried to the Lord Jesus Christ to beleeve in him further
from the Lord and his grace and his mercy and it preferres sinne and the Devill before the Lord and all that sufficiency of good that is in him and therefore the Prophet wisheth the Heavens to bee astonished at this weake things naturally incline to that which may strengthen them and heavy things will not rest untill they come to the earth because that will sustaine them Oh what a basenesse is this the Heavens are weary of a base wretch that will trust to his owne corrupt heart and renounce grace and Christ and happinesse and all this is the first passage Secondly unbeleefe it makes all means to bee unprofitable that is when a man is setled upon his folly and is resolved to rest upon his rebellious will and to bee ruled by that hee will not looke out nor attend nor give entertainment to whatsoever is revealed to the contrary This makes all meanes unprofitable bee the meanes never so precious and powerfull and though they have done never so much good in quickning the hearts of others yet they never doe these men good this unbeleefe makes all meanes to be spilt upon the ground and they never doe good to an unbeleeving heart as Heb. 4.12 let us feare therefore lest at any time by forsaking the promise of entring into his rest any of you should seeme to be deprived of the grace and mercy of God for the word was preached first to us as also unto them but it did not profit them that heard it because it was not mixed with faith there is the cause be the reproofes and threatnings never so fierce that it would almost affright the heart of a Devill and the comforts never so sweet and the heart of a poore Minister never so enlarged to worke upon the hard-hearted yet infidelity is as the buckler that beares off all and he saith I will never beleeve it all his words fall to the ground and enter not unto the heart no reproofe terrifies no exhortation prevailes the heart is unbeleeving it beats backe and shuts out all this is the reason why the Devill labours to make up this fortresse above all the rest because he knowes if any man have an unbeleeving heart it will make all meanes unprofitable the Devill is content that men have parts and gifts and these will carry a man to hell that hath an unbeleeving heart and therefore many wicked men that are the Devils factours and schoolmasters the first lecture they read to a poore soule that is comming on because they feare that hee will bee wrought upon by the word and the light of the word is come into his minde and his eyes are inlightned and hee saith If this bee true that the word saith then hee saith I am a miserable man the Lord be mercifull to me now see what the carnall wretch that is the Devils familiar saith to him I hope you have more wit than to bee perswaded of whatsoever he saith he speakes out of passion and he must say something and threatned men live long c. thus nothing workes upon him and the Minister had as good speake to the pillars for all comes to nothing and we finde it in nature thus that the not beleeving of any thing keepes the heart from being affected with it as for example thus let there bee never so many threatnings as that the Spanyard hath an invincible navie of so many ships set out the merchant that understands any thing knowes that the Spanyard cannot make such a navie and therefore they beleeve it not but in eighty eight every mans heart begins to shake and every man begins to bestirre himselfe nay let the promise be never so faire and sweet yet if wee are not perswaded of it we never care for his kindenesse and we looke not after it and say these are good words and faire words make fooles faine but wee beleeve it not just thus it is with an unbeleever when hee comes to receive all the meanes of grace from the Lords hands and when all judgements are denounced from heaven and the wrath of God against sinne and the word saith Be not deceived God is not mocked if you soâ— to the flesh and walke after it you shall reape everlasting perdition and againe No adulterer nor drunkard shall enter into the kingdome of heaven they heare these and consider of them and make a small mater of it and will not beleeve it and therefore they tremble not at it and are not affected with that cursed condition in which they are Deut. 29.18 19. when the Lord had denounced all the judgements that could be expressed all the mercies that could bee revealed in the end he saith Take heed lest there be in any of you any root of bitternesse so then when yee heare the words of this curse yee blesse your selves in this estate and say I shall have peace though I walke in mine owne wayes as if he had said if any man come to this that hee can heare all the flashes that come from hell and see hell gaping for him and here the thundering of Gods judgements and beleeves nothing but blesseth himselfe and saith the Prophets and Ministers must say something and they must have leave to speake but yet I shall bee blessed for all this this wipes of all the authority of the truth of God looke as it is in nature that physick which the stomack is not able to retaine though it bee never so good it will never purge and the meat though never so comfortable yet if the stomack cannot take it downe and digest it it will never nourish a man so be the word never so physicall and cordiall yet if a man have 〈◊〉 unbeleeving hâ—â—â—t that he will not take downe the truth it is marvellous certaine that that word cannot profit an unbeleeving heart and thatâ— the cause of that curse which Ieremiah speakes of chap. 17.5 Cursed bee the man that trusts in man and hee that maketh flesh his arme and withdraweth his heart from the Lord for hee shall bee like the barren heath in the wildernesse that it shall not see when good commeth as it is with a barren heath though the seed bee never so good and the seasons never so comfortable and though the sunne shine never so fairly upon it and though the dewes come from heaven never so sweetly yet there will not be a graine of good corne because it is a barren heath so it is with that unbeleeving heart of thine thy heart shall be like a barren heath and thou shalt never see when good commeth much good will come to thy family it may be there will one childe be humbled and it will come to the same chamber one servant is hardened and another saved the wife converted and the husband is hardned and the husband is converted and the wife is wayward and froward still now though the dewes of heaven bee never so comfortable so that one poore soule is strengthened and
doe this though they can doe nothing else they cannot pray they cannot understand they cannot remember they cannot subdue their corruptions but they shall be taken away with company and fall into that sinne but they can beleeve in Christ with all their hearts thus we see that every man thinkes it in his power and within the compasse of his abilitie naturally to rest upon Christ Now marke what followeth why should a man desire that hee hath why should he seeke for that he hath attained why should he labour to be possessed of that which is in his owne power and he is possessed of already if I can beleeve naturally if it be in my power to goe to Christ when I list why shall I use all meanes and receive abilitie to doe that which I can doe by my owne power and this I take to be one maine ground why the endevours of men are taken off from attending and why the labours of Christians are taken off from seeking often this blessed precious grace of faith there are many grounds why men are driven to this kinde of conceit there are many reasons that make way for this conceit As first to beleeve is a spirituall thing betweene God and thy owne soule to pray and reforme belongs to the outward practice but to beleeve is a closure of the heart with an entertaining of the Lord and his truth and the giving way of our soules thereunto now because men cannot see their faith therefore no man will yeeld but he doth beleeve Secondly men conceive that it is an easie matter to take of mercie from Christ and say they is there any man that will not have mercie is it such a hard matter to receive favour offered or to take a gift when it is tendered unto us Thirdly these doe apprehend that the assenting to the Gospell of Christ wherein is revealed the riches of Gods mercie is all that is required in faith when the Lord saith He hath sent his Sonne into the world that he hath prepared salvation in him and wrougt redemption through him they acknowledge and assent to the truth and conceive this is whole to beleeve upon this ground poore creatures thinke it is in their power to beleeve and take grace and helpe from Christ though they cannot helpe themselves therefore they labour not to get grace from God to doe this worke because they thinke they can performe this worke by their owne abilitie and power The cure of this hindrance is this and it lieth specially in these three meditations First see thy selfe and convince thy owne heart how thou art cozened and thy conscience how thou art deceived in common sense when such thoughts creepe into thy minde and reason thus were it in my power alone to beleeve or in any mans power else would any man goe to hell for want of beleeving if it were in my power or any mans power else to get faith would any man perish for want of faith Take a little experience from those that lie on their death beds A riotous wretch that hath run headlong against the Lord and his truth a man that hath lived stubbornly and stoutly under the means of grace and hath taken up armes against God and his grace he lieth gasping and then hee lookes to Heaven and considers what shall become of him The Minister saith he must renounce himselfe and apply Christ and his promises to his soule Oh saith he I cannot beleeve the Lord will save mee and pardon me and comfort me I cannot rest upon the promises of God What I such a sinner and saved what I such a sinner and comforted I cannot beleeve it if all the Angels in Heaven tell it me is it in this mans power to beleeve now when he sees Hell open before him and the devils ready to receive him doe you thinke hee would rush into Hell if hee could beleeve and escape it Secondly looke into the depth of thine owne heart and weigh seriously thine owne weaknesse by the ballance of the Sanctuary and thine owne infirmities by the blessed Word of the Lord and see that thou must not onely have a gift from God to take it God must not onely give a man a gift but power to receive it Ioh. 3.27 No man can receive any thing unlesse it be given him from above therefore judge your owne abilities not according to your owne conceits and overweening imaginations but judge by the Word and judge righteous judgement that a man can receive no good thing unlesse God give him power The gift must come from above and the power must come from above whereby hee must receive it Thirdly consider and settle thine owne heart in this same determination and resolution that there must be a supernaturall power put forth to make thee beleeve or else all the power under Heaven cannot furnish thee with sufficiency thereunto a man is able to doe the condition of the first covenant as to observe the condition of the second covenant he is as well able to keepe the Law as to beleeve the Gospell unlesse there be a power to inable him Iames 1.18 Her hath begotten us according to his owne will by the Word of truth a childe cannot beget himselfe So it is here spiritually as there naturally the Lord doth beget us according to his owne will it is not in our owne will to beget our selves as the Pelagians dreamed it is not in our will to dispose of our hearts to take Christ when we will to let him stand at doore so long as we see fit and take him in when we see fit but it is the Will of the Lord that must beget us and not our will that can beget our selves Therefore that faith that groweth upon the ground of thy owne naturall abilitie it is a fancy it is no sound faith God must come down from heaven to thy soule before thou canst goe up to heaven againe faith must be first wrought in thy soule before thou canst be carried to God by faith there must bee a power in all means above all means there must be a spirit in all endevours above all endevours to helpe us to beleeve or else wee shall never beleeve while the world standeth therefore avoid those proud imaginations of heart when men thinke they may refuse grace take grace when they list shut Christ out of doores over night and take him in the morning it is against sense and there is nothing more crosse and contrary to the power of grace No goe secretly betweene God and thine owne soule and confute it what I Lord and my parts Lord what in my will Lord to beleeve and in my power and so forth no if all men and Angels should conspire together and all the Ministers under Heaven joyne together to work faith in my soule it will never bee the power of Angell Men or Word will never worke it but it must bee the power of the Lord that must worke it
soule why should I not have that mercie supply and succour saith justice thou art a sinfull wretch and thou hast wronged me saith anger thou hast deserved to be plagued and thou shalt rather bee corrected by me Now faith layes hold upon the riches of the freenesse of Gods mercie in Christ and in him justice is satisfied and anger appeased for all and now mercie is purchased and mercie triumpheth over justice and faith layes hold upon and overcomes God himselfe as I may say with an holy humble basenesse of heart You know what the Lord did to the woman of Canaan when shee had striven with him a great while and would take no deniall at last he saith O woman great is thy faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt take what thou wilt if thou wilt have life for thy child peace for thine own conscience and joy in the holy Ghost take it for it is all thine he as it were turnes her loose to all her treasury if she had gone away at the first or second deniall she had found no help but because shee held out shee had all her hearts desire God would have us wrastle with his Majestie that hee may be overcome in mercie and goodnes I might here have taken some of the most desperate cases that could be that you might have seen what faith would have done in the midst of the want of all meanes and in the greatest extremity that could have befalne a poore sinner but I will not stand about it now at this time now therefore consider what hath been said lay these things up and have them ever by you and practise them and by often writing learn to write and by often living learn to live many people live poorly and make a poore shift to go to heaven but I would not have a Christian to live so but be the master of his art know and see your way and use the meanes and labour to get good thereby that you may have sap and sweet of the promises and goe singing and rejoycing triumphing up to heaven Now that which I conclude withall is this you see how far the Lord hath brought us how the soule hath beene prepared and cut off from sin and himselfe if fitted for the Lord Jesus by contrition and humiliation and that the soule comes to see that there is no hope in the creatures nor any succour in heaven but the Lord Jesus Christ and so at last the sinner comes and lies at the foot-stoole of the Lord Jesus Christ and knowes that either he must be another man or a damned man now when he sees that prayer and all other meanes will not profit and the power of the meanes yet prevaile not and the power of his corruptions is not yet mastered then he looks up to Christ and is contented that he should doe what he will with him now when the Lord Jesus Christ sees him lie wearied then with his corruptions then the Lord gives speciall notioâ— to his soule that it is his purpose to do him good and there is mercie for that broken heart of him with that hope is stirred and saith is it possible is it credible shall all this wretchednesse of mine he pardoned desire is kindled and longs for that dâ—â—â— O that I might once see the funerall of all my saâ—â— and then love joy are cheared to entertaine this mercie and saith O how is the soule bound to the God that offers free undeserved grace to a 〈◊〉 borne rebellious hearted sinner at last the wilâ— saith Amen to the promise and saith O that mâ—â—cie I will have thus the soule is come home to 〈◊〉 by vocation now the prodigall is come home to his father and the fathers heart leaps within hâ—â— brest when he sees him lie at the doore and as the father rejoyceth so the Angels in heaven reiâ—â—â—â— and all the faithfull should rejoyce and say O my husband O my father or my child is come hoâ—â— againe and my wife that was a sinfull woman 〈◊〉 come home againe to her first and best husband you that have found it thus in your selves be comforted you that know it in others rejoyce the 〈◊〉 have heard how the soul is ingrafted into the sâ—â—â— Christ Now afterward if the Lord lend life and liberty we shall come to shew what the soule â—â—ceives from the stock consider what I have saiâ— and the Lord give you understanding FINIS
the Father and the Sonne he can nay he doth make knowne the Counsels of both and so removes all objections and cleares all cavils it is a point of consideration to you that are weake ones satisfaction is by the meanes of Christ the Sonne layeth downe the price and doth satisfie the Spirit doth certifie it unto the soule that the Son hath satisfied for the neglect of what God ever required at our hands and for the committing of what ever God hath forbidden now the soule is fully satisfied As for example Take a creditor to whom the debtor oweth money haply the debtor is arrested for his not paying the debt the surety he comes and layes downe the debt now the debtor is unacquainted with this unlesse there be a messenger that brings a certificat under the hand of the creditour that he is paid and the surety hath discharged the debt and hee is quitted when he heares this his heart is fully quieted So here the Lord Jesus is the Surety the Father is the Creditour our soules are the debt now the Spirit of God he is the Messenger and he brings under the hand of God of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ an acquittance to our soules that what ever sinnes wee have committed are pardoned through Christ and this fully contents the soule Marke 1 Cor. 2.10 yea the deepe things of God as who should say how can you tell that Gods minde is towards us and that hee will pardon why these are secrets aye but the Spirit of the Lord knowes and searcheth the deepe things of God that which eye never saw that which the Angels in heaven cannot tell you that which all the men in the world cannot reveale unto you without God be with them that your names are written in the Booke of Life you shall bee accepted these are deepe things but the Spirit reveales them This is the first Reason the Spirit onely knowes the minde therefore it only can give notice thereof unto the soule Reas 2 The Spirit only can break thorow al those mists and clouds of ignorance and blindnesse that are in our minds which oppose this worke nay it can beare downe all those distempers and discouragements which make us unfit and unable to receive the evidence of Gods love and goodnesse in the Lord Jesus Christ for these two things are in the heart of a sinner that marvellously oppose the evidence of Gods favour unto the soule Hindr. 1 That every man hath a veile of ignorance over his heart 2 Cor. 3.15 Now the veile of ignorance no hand can rend it none can remove it but only the Spirit of God The god of the world blindes the eyes of the wicked why then it must be the Spirit of God the Spirit of another world I meane the Spirit of Christ that must open the eyes and take away the veiles and clouds and mists that the god of the world casts before the eye Hindr. 2 Are desperate discouragements when a poore sinner is plunged in the apprehension of all the evill which he hath committed and in the aggravation of all those sins whereby God hath beene dishonoured when the soule observes this hee thinkes and sayes This proud heart will never be humbled this unregenerate heart will never be sanctified the Lord never intends good to my soule it is impossible that so many corrections so long continued should ever be pardoned here the soule sinkes downe in desperate discouragements now there is none but the Spirit of God that can let a light into the soule there is none but the hand of the Lord that can rend and pluck and pull a poore fainting despairing dying sinking heart under the burthen of his manifold abominations none but the Almighty hand of an Almighty God can doe this when it is night all the candles in the world cannot take away the darknesse so all the meanes of grace and salvation all the candle-light of the Ministery they are all good helps but the darknesse of the night will not be gone before the Sun of Righteousnesse arise in our hearts Hence it comes to passe that it is a very difficult matter to give comfort to a poore distressed soule Psal 40.1 Marke what a coâ—le there is to give comfort all the world cannot comfort them and perswade them I shall one day perish say they I shall one day goe downe to hell let all the Ministers under heaven say what they will Comfort yee comfort yee saith the Lord as who should say they will not be comforted they will not thinke nor be resolved of it I mercy and I comfort it is a likely matter it will never be it never can be I shall never see that day will the Lord pardon me I doe not thinke it I cannot beleeve it God is a just God and a righteous God and I am a vile wicked wretch it is mercy that I have despised and trampled under my feet and I mercy no certainly there is no such matter this makes the Lord have such a doe Comfort yee comfort yee the third time and yet they will receive none We Ministers of the Gospell observe by experience that we meet with some soules that are gone to the bottome of hell sometimes by their distempers and wee make knowne the promises propound arguments lay downe reasons but nothing takes place nothing prevailes all is presently forgotten and you had as good say nothing all is forgotten therefore none but Gods Spirit can doe it hee must come from heaven and say Comfort yee comfort yee my people let me therefore speake to you that are Ministers you doe well to labour to give comfort to a poore fainting soule but alwayes say Comfort Lord say unto this poore soule thou art his salvation Lord speake comfort and say to such a one his sinnes shall be pardoned mercy shall bee bestowed upon him his iniquities are forgiven it is that wee observe in the policie of Satan Satan hath two Policies Policie 1 First if he can hee will keepe a man that hee shall never see his sins therefore hee labours to doe away all plagues and judgements from the apprehension of the soule and therefore when the Minister comes home to the conscience and saith What you have heaven what proud and profane and oppose God and his ordinances and you goe to heaven No no such matter marke what the Devill suggests take thy pleasure it is but halfe an houres work when you lie upon your death-bed if you can but then cry to God for mercy and for forgivenes it is enough this is the first Policie to keepe a man from seeing his sins and thus the soule is content to carry hel-gates on his backe and a thousand abominations and is never troubled Well haply the Lord enlightens the soule of such a sinner and sets his sinnes before him and saith here are thy sins and for these thy sins thou shalt be sent packing to hell now he cannot look off
towards you will you know how your case shall goe at the last day would you know if your name is written in the Book of life if you would why then know the way to obtaine it seeke it of the Spirit of the Lord for he searcheth the chiefe things of God consider what our Saviour tels you Luke 11.12 Why then must this Spirit only certifie the pardon of sin Why looke up to heaven then and plead thus with him Lord I am a father and give my childe what hee wants and if I see him in need I releeve him why I need thy Spirit Lord I beg it thou hast promised it Lord give that Spirit to the soule of thy servant and let it restifie to my conscience that thou art reconciled to me Object But how shall we get the Spirit home to a man in this case Answ The meanes are two Meanes 1 Thou must labour to be such a one to whom the Spirit belongs Labour to be an humble hearted sinner and then the Lord will send his Spirit and give notice to thee of his acceptance for the Lord doth not passe over his comfort or mercie or compassion to any soule in the world but onely to those that are broken hearted before God there is no mercy for thee that art stubborne no compassion for thee that art stout hearted wouldest thou have the Spirit make a lye for thee and come from Heaven to make a new Scripture to bring a loose stubborne drunkard or adulterer to heaven it will not bee so it cannot bee so never thinke to bring the Spirit of the Lord and make him speake mercy to thee when it belongs not to thee 1 King 14.1 2 c. Doe not thinke to complain it with the Lord Jesus and put the finger in the eye weep a few teares and say I confesse my rebellions are sinful I am sory for my sins and will repent me of my sins the Spirit wil say Come out thou proud wretched hypocrite doest thou feigne thy selfe to be an humble broken hearted sinner doe not I know thy reservations doe not I know thy by-wayes and back-doores Come out thou proud wretch and sturdy hypocrite I am sent to thee with heavie tidings you may cozen man but you cannot deceive God therefore never thinke he will give grace and mercy unto thee unlesse thou be fitted for it Meanes 2 Be sure you harken not to your carnall cavils of reason nor to the clamours of a corrupt heart nor to the bawlings of Satan all which stop and hinder the testimony of the Spirit and with their loud cries drowne the voyce of the Spirit that it cannot be heard It is a fashion amongst Lawyers at Assises or Sessions when in their Courts there comes in a wise judicious witnesse and the Lawyers plead a base cause they feare him and therefore before he can speak out his tale one speaks and another speakes and so hinders this that hee cannot bee understood then the man saith hee came for a witnesse and not thus to be disturbed then the Judge commands silence and then hee hath liberty to discover what he knowes and then the case is cleare so it is with the soule and carnall reason and the Devill The triall is whether a man hath any interest in Christ or no. Now the Spirit of the Lord working graciously upon the heart would bring in a faire testimony of Gods grace to the soule but when the soule commeth to a faithfull Minister to tell him how God hath wrought upon him and met with him and how he was burthened with his sins Oh saith Satan you were burthened with your sins but you returned to them againe then the soule saith he was humbled for his sinnes yet the goodnesse of God was never sealed to him aye saith Satan but you continue in your sins still aye saith the soule I am weary of these sins aye and you are weary of labouring against them too saith Satan Thus the soule is tyred by carnall reasons temptations of Satan now let the evidence of the Spirit bee never so plaine he cannot perceive it be watchfull therefore in this case if you heare what feare or feeling or suspition saith feeling saith I find nothing feare saith it will never be suspition imagineth I shall never see that day but now command silence to every one to feare suspition feeling and unworthinesse and say now speake blessed Spirit then you will see the case cast presently It is said of Abraham he considered not Sarahs barren wombe for imagine Abraham had thus reasoned I never had childe for mee to beare a childe it is against nature shall a man that never begat beget a childe in his old age I will never beleeve it If hee had done thus for ought I know though hee had lived unto this time hee should never have had a childe but he never considered of any of these things and therefore the Promise was accomplished Therefore be sure not to hearken what failings feare and doubt and corruption saith for they will be ever against thee there is no mercy from corruption no grace from feare and suspition but consider not your dead barren wretched hearts but attend upon Gods promise and you shall finde Gods Spirit witnesse unto you the acceptance of your persons before God Object But you will say may not a man consider of his sins and attend to the corruptions of our owne hearts Answ I answer a man may nay must in a fit time after a right manner to a good end for he that never seeth his sins can never be humbled for them but this consideration only fits us for mercie and can never get assurance of any interest in mercie The consideration of our sins will give us notice of these three particulars 1. It gives us notice of our owne vilenesse and basenesse the laying these upon the soule it is a maine meanes to breake the heart and bruife a filthy stubborne soule It gives us notice of the emptinesse and infirmity of all outward parts and gifts and meanes and helpes to doe us any good It will make us see the absolute necessity of a Saviour and of the great worke of redemption which Christ hath wrought for us nay it will drive us out of our selves and force us to fall at the foot-stoole of Gods mercy that so wee may gaine Gods favour to us but it is impossible that the consideration of my sins should certifie mee of my interest in Gods mercy Meanes 3 Labour to bee informed and to understand aright the language of the Spirit Looke as it is with a poore man in the Court a wise witnesse comes in and speakes plainly but it will doe the poore man no good to heare the witnesse unlesse he understand it so though we heare the Spirit and doe not understand the language of the Spirit it is as if we never heard it Now the language of the Spirit is nothing else but the tenour
the ambitious man his honour now Gods letting into the soule the sweetnesse of his grace doth turne the whole streame of the soule thitherward It is a reproofe and meeteth with two things in wicked carnall persons First those that will cast off all hope in point of desperation Secondly against those that will doe nothing but hope without ground and that is presumption both are here to be reproved and condemned If the Lord stirreth up the heart of his to hope groundedly for his mercy Oh then take heed of that fearefull and unconceiveable sinne of despaire despaire wee must in our selves and that is good but this despaire which wee now speake of is marvellous hainous in the eyes of God and marvellous hurtfull to thy owne soule therefore take heed of it for ever I say this sin of despaire when a man casteth away all hope casteth away all carnall confidence This thou must doe and yet thou must hope let Israel hope in the Lord for in the Lord c. O the Lord taketh this very ill at our hands thou goest to the deepe dungeon of thy corruption and there thou saist these sins can never be pardoned I am still proud and more stubborne this distresse God seeth not God succoureth not his hand cannot reach his mercy cannot save now marke what the Prophet Esay saith to such a perplexed soule Esay 40.27 Why saist thou thy way is hid from the Lord The Lord saith why saist thou so the young man shall faint and bee weary but they that wait upon the Lord shall renue their strength is any thing too hard for the Lord nay I say you wrong God exceedingly you thinke it is a matter of humility you count so vilely of your selves can God pardon sinne to such unworthy creatures marke that place of the Psalmist they spake against the Lord Can the Lord prepare a table in the wildernesse They spake not against themselves but against God so wee speake against God and charge God himselfe it is true saith the soule Manasses was pardoned it is true Paul was converted it is true Gods saints have beene received to mercy but can my sinne be pardoned can my soule be quickned No no my sinnes are greater than can be forgiven saith the despairing soule then mee thinketh Satan is stronger to overthrow thee than God to save thee then it seemeth sinne is stronger to condemne thee than God to doe good unto thee and thus you make God to be no God upon point nay you make him to be weaker than sinne than hell than the devill And this is most injurious to God to make the power of sinne greater to condemne thee than the power of God to save thee to make the power of Satan stronger to ruinate thee than the mercy of God to releeve and succour thee and what can you say more and what can you doe more against the Lord Is not this to make God an underling to Satan and to sinne this is to say the Almightinesse of God is weaker than the weaknesse of sinne the Sufficiency of God is weaker than the malice of Satan It is true a poore humble sinner many times will make bitter complaints this way and they thinke they speake against themselves No no they speake against the Lord they spake against God when they said Can the Lord prepare a table in the wildernesse So you that speake in this desperate manner why truth Lord this proud heart will never bee humbled if any thing would have wrought it would have beene done before this day How many sermons how many mercies how many judgements how many prayers and yet this proud heart this stubborne heart will not be reformed you thinke you speake against your selves now no no you speake against the Lord and brethren thinke much of this thou that thinkst so that saist so that concludest so this is one of the greatest sinnes thou committest to say thy sinnes cannot be forgiven thee Secondly This sinne of desperation as it is most injurious to God so in the second place it is extraordinary dangerous to thy owne soule It is that which taketh up the bridge and cutteth off all passages and there can no spirituall comfort and consolation come into the poore soule of a poore sinner Luk. 3.15 Luk. 3.15 Every ditch must be filled and then all flesh shall see the salvation of the Lord what are these ditches why nothing else but those deepe gulfs and ditches of despaire and unlesse these bee filled no man can see the Lord Jesus Christ In a word my brethren suffer me to open my selfe the truth is this despaire of the soule is that which cutteth the sinewes of all mans comfort and taketh off the power and edge of all the meanes of grace it daunteth all a mans endevours nay it plucketh up a mans endevours as it were quite by the rootes for that which a man despaireth off hee will never labour after It is here as with a man in pangs of death unto such a man all means are unavailable for his good his bed will not ease him meat will not refresh him chasing will not revive at the last we say he is gone he is a dead man friends leave him Physitians leave him they may goe and pray for him and mourne for him but they cannot recover him So this despaire of soule maketh a man cast off all hope and lie downe in a forlorne condition expecting no good to come alas saith a man what skilleth for a man to pray what profiteth a man to read what benefit in all the means of grace the truth of it is the stone is rolled upon me and my condemnation sealed for ever it is sure in heaven and therefore I will never looke after Christ grace and salvation any more and presse the means to him let him come to heare the Word marke how he casteth off all the benefit it was marvellous seasonable and profitable it was the good Word of the Lord very comfortable unto such as have any share therein Why may not you expect good why may not you receive benefit there from why no saith the soule the time of grace is past the day is gone and thus the soule sinketh in it selfe if Christians would pray for him and Ministers would labour to doe him good why hee biddeth them spare their labour for hell is his portion and his condemnation is sealed in heaven see now and consider what desperate danger of despaire bringeth to a poore heart and maketh him to be beyond the reach of mercie that no meanes can come at him It is a pretty passage of David Psal 77.7 Will the Lord cast me off ever and will he shew no favor I said this is my infirmitie saith the text the word in the original this is my sicknes as who should say this would be my death what is mercie gone for ever then my life is gone then is all my comfort and all my hope gone
therefore take heed of this it taketh off the edge of our endevours Gods ordinances that might do us good Secondly it reproveth and marvellously condemneth that great sinne of presumption a sinne more frequent and if possible may be more dangerous the presumption of carnall hypocrites that boulster up themselves with marvellous boldnesse in their course I beseech you observe it it is true here as they said Saul hath slaine his thousands but David his ten thousands despaire hath slaine his thousands but presumption his ten thousands that men may sweare and lye and cousen and breake all commands and yet hope to be saved yet they hope grace will save them they resist grace yet hope Jesus Christ will shew mercie unto them they oppose Christ this is that which I say hath slaine many thousand soules amongst us and they are few that have not split at this rocke therefore I say this serveth to reprove the basenesse the vilenesse of such Hypocrites that boast themselves and compare their hopes with the hopes of the Saints it is true say they I cannot walke so freely I cannot repeat a Sermon I want those parts that they have I walke not so curiously yet I hope to be saved as well as they this is that which hath slaine many thousands of soules that now are roaring in hell and they may thanke presumption for it Now this hope is not the hope of the Saints the hope of the Saints is a grounded hope but these hopes meerely hang upon some idle pleas and foolish pretences and some carnall reasons but I tell you they will fall and their hopes will sinke and they into the bottomelesse pit before they bee aware it is the command and counsell of Peter That every man should be ready to give a reason of his faith and hope that is in him therefore let us see the reasons that carry you the arguments that perswade you to these groundlesse and foolish hopes you hope to be saved and you hope to go to heaven and you hope to see the face of God with comfort let us see the ground for these hopes of yours good hope hath good reasons grounded hope grounded reasons you say you hope to be saved and have no reason for it it is a foolish hope an unreasonable hope the grounds therefore of Hypocrites are mainly five The ignorant poore silly man he pleadeth he can thinke it hee cannot conceive it that God hath created any man for to damne him sure the Lord is more mercifull than so and therefore though we be sinfull and base and untoward yet the Lord will not damne us I answer therefore it is true indeed God did never preserve men for this same end that he might damne them though it is as true hee that made men hee will damne most of men in hell for their sinnes committed against him Narrow is the gate and strait is the way that leadeth unto life few there be that finde it is this the argument of thy hope marke the folly and observe the weaknesse of it if creation bee a good argument then all the damned should come out of hell and be delivered nay by this reason the Devill himselfe should be saved they are now in hell they were created as well as you ignorant silly creatures thinke of these things how your hope will shatter and breake under you and you with them will fall together into the bottomlesse pit Esa 57.11 See how the Lord bringeth this argument and confuteth it it is a people that hath no understanding therefore he that made them will not save them he that created them will shew them no mercy the text saith the Lord saith from heaven though hee made thee he will not shew thee mercie if thou continue to be wicked and rebellious Another groweth in hope that God will shew mercie unto him in regard of Gods favourable dealing with him in things of this life and hee saith and pretendeth great thankfulnesse for Gods goodnesse and hee praiseth the Lord hee never wanted any thing his lot is fallen into a good ground and therefore he doubteth not but that God who hath beene his God from his youth will save him and shew mercie unto his soule this is the second ground and it is a poore feeble ground to support the soule in such a case as this I answer therefore thou art deceived thou takest that for an argument of Gods love and mercy which rather may bee an argument of Gods hatred and indignation Psal 92.12 The wicked flourish saith the text then a man may say they will all to heaven they will all be saved if they so prosper here no saith the text they flourish that they may be destroyed and perish for ever the oxe is fatted for the slaughter so it is here thou art fatted here thou hast more than heart can desire thy cups are full and thy table well spread thy breasts full of milke and thy bones full of marrow it is that thou mightest bee destroyed Psal 1.5 Prosperitie destroyeth the soule it is like poison like ratsbane now would any man say thus such a man is most like to live because he eareth most poison nay rather the contrarie so prosperitie meeting with a sinfull with a naughtie heart it is poison to him the text telleth you when Haman was invited it was that hee might be accused the truth is these men of the greatest hope in this life I meane for honour and pompe and respect and preferment many of them are men of the least hope for heaven Others because they have felt the heavie hand of God many sorrowes many weaknesses many troubles in their course many losses in their estate these stayeth up their comforts and upon these grounds they build their hopes I have had my hell in this life and I hope to have heaven in the world to come I hope the worst is over now I have beene troubled in this world I hope I shall be comforted in another world and here is the ground of your hopes I beseech you consider what I answer I say this all the grievances trouble sorrow sicknesses be they what they will be unlesse thy heart be humbled by them unlesse thou bee brought unto the Lord Jesus Christ by them they are so farre from being an argument of grace and salvation unto thee that they are harbingers of those everlasting torments you shall endure in hell Sodome and Gomorrah they burnt in brimstone and they shall burne in hell a man would have said they had their hell here and therefore they should not have it hereafter why the text saith they suffered vengeance of eternall fire why brethren I beseech you observe it will any man reason thus such a man hath had the earnest of the bargaine and therefore he shall not have the bargaine will any man say thus hee that is attached arraigned condemned shall not be hanged nay rather he that hath the earnest shall have the bargaine
bee quickned I am as dead as the roome where I am and the bed where I lye why hope will give a man rest in this condition my flesh shall rest in hope Looke as in the sea when the stormes arise and the billowes beat and the tempests rage then a little hope yet the anchor holdeth so though the mast the saile and all sinke yet the anchor holdeth nay when all give themselves for lost despaire of all helpe yet the anckor holdeth and here is the excellencie of an anckor in this particular that when a man hath nothing to sustaine him yet commeth in this grace of hope yet it may be better and it will be otherwise this upholdeth when nothing else can it is not but yet hope saith it will be therefore cheare up that fainting soule of thine that love God will enlarge that desire God will quicken that fearfull heart God will establish that dead heart God will quicken thus the anckor holdeth still from day to day hence hope is said to be the nurse of the soule it nourisheth faith and it feedeth faith hope fetcheth the promise from farre Lord thou hast said it and therefore it cannot but be I beseech you observe looke as it is with a man that cannot see a thing a farre off yet with a prospective glasse he may see it so here how ever eye cannot see it the heart cannot feele it yet hope waiteth still expecteth still as a man in a sounding fit he cannot see and heare yet there is some life in the heart and that bringeth him againe so when a mans heart would faile and he is overwhelmed with sorrow and despaire then yet the pulse of hope beateth still there is this life of hope left still in the heart of a Christian but it is not so with the wicked their hopes are not like the hopes of Gods servants It is a fine place Iob 11. last verse The hope of the wicked is like the giving up of the ghost that though a man can lift up his head full high and thinke he shall be saved and goe to heaven though he carrieth a base wrethed heart about with him No no when the Lord shall come to lay thee upon thy death-bed let us then see your hope if your hope can now keepe life and soule together if it can cheare comfort and refresh you let it nay if all the Ministers under heaven and all the Angels in heaven should come and reveale the promises why a man will then tell you Alas I am a wretch I never did any thing never had any thing but that which cursed carnall Hypocrites have had I have prayed and Iudas prayed and he is in hell and so may I be too for ought I know why but the Minister replieth comfort up your owne heart cheare up your owne soule in expectation of some favour from God why alas saith the soule there is no comfort for me why but saith a man there is mercie in Christ it is true there is mercie but alas I have resisted mercie I have despised the offer of grace therefore there is no hope he was gracelesse here and he shall be damned for ever he was stubborne here and he shall be for ever miserable hereafter Looke as a tree that is falling there are some strong sprigs in the root and that beareth it up and it bringeth sometimes a great deale of fruit so it is here though desire endevour be dead unto the word and ordinances yet there is a sprig of hope and that supporteth the soule and the soule saith unto the Lord thou hast said the broken hearted sinner shall have mercie I am so I am wearie and heavie laden therefore refresh me I have a dead heart Lord but wearie of it Lord a prophane heart but wearie of it Lord. Vse 3 The last use it is an use of exhortation since you see the worth of it and the way thereunto Exhortat let every one labour for this hope Heb. 11.6 there saith the Apostle I would desire you to give the same diligence to the full assurance of hope I desire you I intreat you I will not say I command you though this may be enjoyned if you have any hope in heaven if you have any treasure in Christ labour to quicken this affection above all here I am to shew the motives and the meanes Motive 1 The first motive is this in truth wee have no more use of any thing than of hope it is a thing that is most usefull for us in all estates in all conditions what ever we doe brethren there is nothing more usefull than this grace of hope hope is an universall grace I tell you hoping and breathing are all one as breath continueth life and soule together so doth his hope the truth is wee have as much use of hoping for God and waiting for his goodnesse as the body of breathing and preserving of life 1 Corin. 9.10 That hee that ploweth may plow in hope brethren all our actions must have hope goe along with them the man must pray in hope preach in hope and heare in hope what ever thou hast hope still that God may blesse it what ever thou dost hope that God will assist thee in it when a man preacheth hee must preach in hope though hee doth not doe good now this day nor next day yet hope what the Lord may doe yet hope what the Lord will doe so in the time of our pilgrimage here wee cannot live without this hope so in comming to the word of God thou commest one day and yet the word of profiteth not thou commest the second day and yet the word prevaileth not thou commest the third time yet the word humbleth not come still hope still the Lord may be pleased at last to set home some word that may humble thy heart and quicken thy soule and subdue thy corruptions Motive 2 The second motive is this we have most need of it as nothing is more usefull so nothing is more needfull for the benefit of the soule you know in warre those places of the body that are most ready to be assaulted they looke to fence that especially as now the head of every souldier therefore every one getteth a head-peece and will bee sure to get a helmet about him now what a head-peece is to the souldiour in warring that hope is to the Christian in living 1 Thessal 5.8 I beseech you observe it the Devill fighteth at the head continually which is the hope of salvation the assurance of Gods love this is the head-peece of a Christian if once this be gone the soule is gone and a mans heart sinketh within him Sathan intendeth most harme this way and therefore wee should bee most carefull to bestow the more paines for our helpe in this particular take a poore sinner cut off his hope and you cut off his head if a mans armes were gone hee might live if a man want a leg
the Lord Jesus Christ therefore let desire be going and seeking up and down and never returne till it bring the Lord Jesus to me to the soule Motive 2 Secondly as there is a fitnesse in that promise so sutable to all a mans wants and this fitnesse in that promise marvellously stirres up desire after it So the beauty and excellency of that fitnesse gives full satisfaction to the desire as it is with a man that hath an old cankered wound which puts him to dayly trouble and vexation if this man should heare of some speciall salve that would forthwith take away his pain and ease him and withall would take out the dead flesh and heale him perfectly how would this man desire that salve nay nothing would content him but that So it is with the freenes of Gods grace Praier the Word Conference are very good and thou hast had an old cankered soule and a wayward peevish spirit and these sinfull lusts sticke upon thee and are still vexing of thee and these are not quite purged out Oh saith the soule these old recourses of base corruptions are ever dogging of me Now if any bid this poore soule pray and heare and use the means yes saith he these are usefull and good but I may pray and heare and receive the Sacraments and yet goe downe to hell for all these But oh that free grace of God in Christ that would blesse all these means and make all effectuall to mee for my good Oh that I had this grace above all the rest Cant. 5.8 9 10 11. Ioh. 6.34 Motive 3 The last motive in the promise is this the consideration of that fitnesse and excellency in the promise makes the humbled soule more sensible of his wants and makes the necessity of a broken heart more unsufferable so that hee can endure delay no longer I confesse that when the eye is opened and the soule humbled in contrition hee seeth his sinnes and is burthened with his many wants but the sight of this fitnesse of the good in the promise and the intimation of the excellency of it and the hope thereof makes him more impatient of delay and therefore more violent in desire When the soule begins to consider the glory and pretiousnesse of Gods free grace now revealed and made knowne in some measure and when the sparks and beauty of it are kindled in his heart now he begins to reason in this manner What is this the only excellency of the promise that can give content to my soule Oh happy I and blessed be God that I may yet see the goodnesse which many never come to know millions of men never heard the sound of this glorious grace and mercy Oh happy I that know it but miserable I if I come to see this and never have a share in it Many are my wants and the greater are they because I see the good they have deprived me off and it had beene better for mee never to have knowne the excellency of the good in the promises than not to partake thereof and the very consideration of this that hee hath had some hope of receiving the good in the promise makes him say why not I why not my sinnes pardoned and why not my corruptions subdued What shall all my expectations bee void What a fine plucke had I once for heaven Shall I see heaven and never come there this makes him marvellous sensible of his misery and marvellous watchfull in the use of the means to recover himselfe againe Vse 1 The first use is a ground of strong consolation to stay the hearts of many poore sinners in the midst of many infirmities that beset the soule be thy weaknesses never so many and thy temptations never so great yet if thou canst but finde this smoaking desire thy condition is good thy consolation certaine O but saith the soule the sluggard desireth meat and hath it not I am afraid all is naught Why leave thou thy desire with God and the time also and bee not weary of desiring and then thou shalt enjoy the benefit of it if thou faint not doe thou what thou shouldest and let the Lord doe what he will Object Oh but saith the poore soule how can this be my sinnes are more than my miseries a little desire and a little grace will not serve my turne Ans To this I answer see what the Lord saith Esay 44 3. I will powre cleane waâ—er upon the thirsty and floods upon the dry ground thou hast many and great wants and much misery lieth upon thee therefore God will not onely drop a little comfort into thy heart but hee will poure it in and if a little mercy will not serve thy turne then he will poure flouds of mercy upon thee Object Oh but saith the poore soule this is all the difficulty if my desire were sound and sincere then I might have some comfort how shall I therefore know that my desires are sincere Ans I answer the signes of sound desire are these Signe 1 First as the desire is so the endevour will be if thou desirest earnestly thou wilt worke accordingly Now the labour that makes knowne the soundnesse of desire discovers it selfe in foure particulars First he that labours from a longing desire is content to use all meanes which are revealed and made knowne to him because hee knowes not which will speed Secondly hee is carefull of improving all opportunities in the use of the meanes Thirdly hee will hold out in the use of those meanes his wants and desires are constant and therefore his endevours must needs be so too as Lament 3.49 These three former will discover many hypocrites Triall of sound desires though most doe not come thus farre but a terrified hypocrite and a heart that hath beene awed may doe all these and yet bee naught too But there is another triall of sound desires which will justle any Hypocrite under Heaven to the wall and that is this Though the poore sinner uses all meanes and takes all opportunities in the use of those meanes and is constant in the use of them c. yet the soule that is truly desirous of grace and mercy rests not in those labours Alas saith he I labour and use the meanes but what is that to me if I have no Christ and no grace which I pray and heare for the soule must have Christ and mercie and grace which it desires or else it will not be satisfied a man hung up in chaines cries onely for bread so it is with a poore famisht soule he desires nothing but Christ and nothing else will satisfie him this last signe none but a true sincere soule can have Signe 2 Secondly he that truly desires mercy and grace desires Christ for himselfe and now when a man desires Christ for himselfe then his desire is sound as a maid that desires a man in wedlocke she doth not desire the portion but the person of the man if I beg
rather bee banished than terrified rather imprisoned than tormented yet onely seekes his owne ease not a Christ all this while And therefore experience hath taught us this that many after a great deale of terrour and horrour of heart when the pang is over have returned and beene as vile and as base and as sinfull nay haply worse than ever they were before the reason is they have gotten their desire now and they care for no more they have gotten their ease and quiet now and as for Christ and grace and holinesse they care no more for them because they have no more use of them Nay to goe further observe it this poore creature may in his owne sense and feeling apprehend and thinke that he doth renounce all sinne truly and that he puts the highest esteeme and greatest account upon the Lord Jesus Christ above all things in the world if hee looke into his owne apprehension he may thinke he doth thus and yet the union and league betweene sinne and his soule was never broken all this may bee in sense and feeling and an honest Minister if he be not very wise in charitie will judge so as shall appeare by this instance Take water seething hot though in nature it is the coldest of all elements yet while it continueth on the fire it growes so hot that a man shall feele no cold at all in it but yet there is a principle of cold remaining in it as the Philosopher conceives for plucke the fire from the water or the water from the fire and it will returne to coldnesse againe and freeze the sooner because when it is taken from the fire it beats out the heat with the more violence Now the reason why the cold was there and yet not perceived was because the fiercenesse of the heat did over-master it and made it retire and not expresse it selfe in outward appearance So it is with this terrified hypocrite in these pangs of extremitie and horrours of conscience when the soule is possessed with the fierce indignation of the Almightie when the flashes of everlasting vengeance seize upon the heart of a sinner this takes off the pleasure delight and content which the heart had in sinne though the soule love it and the heart embrace it and the spirit close with it yet he can find and feele in his owne apprehension no pleasure at all in sinne nor no sweetnesse in his lusts by reason of the domineering vengeance of the Lord which takes off all the pleasantnesse that was in it before And therefore the adulterer that hath his dalliances every morning if God let the flames of his vengeance once into his soule as hee hath flamed in lust all his sweetnesse and delight in sin will vanish away in his owne apprehension but yet his soule cleaves to his base lusts still and his heart is knit to them and the league and combination betweene sinne and his soule was never broken and parted So that by this we may see why a sinner in his owne apprehension may thinke hee hath no delight in sinne and yet there is a league betweene sinne and the soule still and this Hypocrite may thus continue all the while the sound of the stroke is upon him If haply his affections be stirring after some sinne then saith conscience You remember what was done before you remember what you did such and such a time would you fain be in hell againe I will arrest you for this one day saith conscience and so his soule flieth off from his cursed distempers not that the union between sinne and his soule is broken but onely his corruptions for the present are abated for acting By this time you see the reason why I entred upon this point which was this to undermine the bottome that beares up the soules of many carnall men in the world and to cut off all pleas and to raze the foundation of all carnall confidence under heaven therefore I beseech you marke it you will say this is marvellous hard these truths are marvellous terrible Quest. But some may say What doe you thinke that all those which will not come under the power of the Gospell that enjoy it Doe you thinke that all that will not seeke out for the Gospell that want it Do you think that all those who are not carefull to prevent those inconveniences which may hinder them from the benefit of the Gospell Doe you thinke that every man that is informed and convinced of a duty and will not take it up hath no desire after godlinesse Doe you thinke if a man will not part with all and be content to bee vile and base for Christ that hee hath no desire after Christ Doe you thinke a man may take up all duties for his owne ease and seeke Christ in them Ans Beloved I speake not my owne thoughts but it is cleare out of the Word of God that none of all these sorts of persons ever yet attained a true longing desire after the Lord Jesus Christ You told mee in the beginning if I could prove this you would yeeld the day therefore take these truths home to your soules and reason and parly soundly and thoroughly with your owne hearts after this manner Why how farre am I from heaven If the Lord hath not yet opened mine eyes and humbled my heart and enlarged my soule If I never yet had a longing after a Saviour what not desire heaven how then can I dreame or thinke that God will shew mercie to my soule in the pardon of my sinnes If no desire no Christ no desire no Heaven but I have no desire therefore no Heaven no Christ no happinesse The Lord settle these things upon your soules that you may never give quiet to your hearts nor rest to your soules till you finde this sound desire wrought in you Beloved what will you doe for heaven if you cannot so much as desire to come to Heaven and Happinesse Quest But here some will say this is a very strict course this is a very narrow passage indeed let us see how we may not bee couzened in our condition nor deceived by resting in our performances c. Ans I referre my answer to these three conclusions Conclusion 1 First thou must know that the remainders of those distempers that a man should rest upon the merit of duties performed are such remainders of sinne as will sticke to us and remaine with us so long as we live on the face of the earth But when once the Spirit of the Lord takes possession of the soule it counterworkes and digs deeper than these distempers for the good Spirit of the Lord that seizeth upon the heart truly humbled goeth betweene sinne and home it goeth betweene sin and the soule continually and makes a greater evill appeare in the soule than is the evill of punishment and makes knowne a greater good to the heart than ease and the removall of the outward plague and horrour The
which would perswade thy heart and that falsly that thou doest desire the Lord Jesus Christ This is an old rule the soule is never couzened nor never commits a sinne but it hath a pretence for it Therefore abandon all those carnall pleas and foolish imaginations which delude thy soule and perswade thy heart that thou hast desired when indeed thou hast not for this I say a false presumption that a man hath a thing doth hinder him as much from desiring of it as if he possessed it already Wee finde it in nature Simile the stomacke is pinched with hunger because meat is wanting now from this hunger there followes a great endevour to get succour and supply but if there come a cold winde that overpowers the stomacke and takes away the hunger and the winde in a mans stomacke deprives him of his appetite though he hath no meat So it is with the soule there is a great want of mercie and comfort and assurance of Gods love the soule stands in need of holinesse to purge it and mercie to pardon it Yet when a man hath a fond fancie that all is well and all his desires are good he fills his heart with a vaine foolish desire and that takes away all his endevours and the presumption that he doth desire doth make him as well contented as if he desired indeed So that I beseech you be not carelesse doe not groundlesly cast away the word that would informe thee and convince thee When you heard the word of the Lord your lazie hypocrite stage hypocrite and terrified hypocrite applaud themselves and clap themselves on the backe and they know what they know contenting themselves and perswading themselves as they did before they care not for the Word nor Minister c. which comes to passe by cherishing these false pretences that they doe desire Christ miserably deluding their owne soules and utterly taking away the edge of their desire after grace and goodnesse The Laodicaean Church was rich and wanted nothing She wanted nothing Revel 3.18 opened why because she said Shee was rich and yet shee was poore and blinde and miserable and naked Shee presumed shee was rich in grace and therefore wanted nothing shee presumed shee had cloathing and therefore needed not to desire white rayment c. So that a presumption that a man hath a thing makes him carelesse to get the same Therefore now yeeld the day and give up the bucklers I would have every one that hath heard the word to yeeld and give up himselfe to the authoritie of the same And say the truth is I never desired aright say one to another and informe one another and question one another and confesse the truth is my desires were deceits and fancies no sound desires and it is Gods great mercie that I and my flashy desire were not flaming in hell long before this day No no the truth is I am a lazie hypocrite I am one of that nature that will turne with the doore on the hinges I say I hate my base distempers and yet continue in them I pray against sinne and yet live in sinne thus call upon thy heart and conscience and say I am the lazie hypocrite God hath informed and convinced me of many duties telling me what I should doe but yet my heart could never bee brought unto it to pray in private and make satisfaction to those I have wronged God saith I must restore these ill gotten goods and yet the truth is I would never part with them hitherto but retaine them still therefore I never had a true desire Yet agine I beseech you helpe one another goe home and reason with your selves the truth is I am the stage hypocrite I onely make a bootie of Christ even so much religion as will serve my honour and my ease and credit I will take up but when it comes to suffering once that my life or liberty or prosperitie lye at the stake then farewell Christ and grace by this it appeares that I never had any true and sound desire after Christ And if there be any terrified hypocrite here I thinke there are but few come so farre but the time will come you shall have enough to doe that way that conscience of yours whose mouth you have stopped will be awakened one day and rend the kall of your hearts if not here yet hereafter But if there be any terrified hypocrite here present goe home and reason with your selves I am this terrified hypocrite the Minister spake as if hee had beene in my bosome In horrour of heart I can call upon God and seeke to him and pray in my family and humble my soule but when the blow is off I returne with the dog to his former vomit and I thinke to heale all by my services I am the man I am the woman I beseech you plucke one another on and say I lazie and you lazie I terrified and you terrified I deluded and you deluded therefore now labour to get out of this condition if ever you meane to get mercie to your soules but if you will lose your soules who can helpe it goe to the proofe make the word good to your consciences doe I desire Christ for himselfe No there is no such matter therefore yeeld it before heaven and earth I did never yet attaine to this sound desire this is something yet now you see your wants Practice 2 Secondly then observe the difficultie of getting this desire you must not thinke that this desire is an easie matter to attaine the soule should often reason with it selfe how dangerous is it to want this desire without it I am undone for ever as also how hard a matter is it to get this it is beyond all the power that God hath bestowed upon me the thing is wonderfull hard and difficult perswade one another of the thing and say you and I neighbour thought it was an easie matter to get this desire wee thought it was nothing to say so and professe so and resolve so but this is not a desire to talke and wish and promise it is a deceit Desire is another-gesse matter than we imagine it is no easie matter to desire aright who will not say hee doth desire every man can doe that yet no man hath good desire almost a man may have abilitie to know and understand wisely and dispute judiciously of Christ and grace and yet never get a desire after Christ and grace It is a great matter to know what we should doe it is harder to doe what wee know and hardest of all to get a desire to do what we ought Therefore consider of it is the worke so heavie and the duty so weighty and we so unable then how had we need to bestirre our selves and frame our hearts to seeke for and attaine to this blessed desire after Christ Meanes 2 The second meanes is this consider the necessitie of this desire after grace and goodnesse it is not
a matter of complement and indifferencie No no I may call it the very wheeles of faith upon which faith is carried for all this while faith is a sowing into the soule Looke as it is with a waggon knocke off the wheeles and all lyes in the dust so take away this desire and faith is in the dust the tenour of all the promises run upon this the thirstie they are invited the hungrie they shall be satisfied nay not onely so but observe further the necessity of this when desire comes all good workes goe forward and our hearts are not only set upon the dutie but the dutie is crowned and credited by this desire It is like the mill damme the fuller the damme is the faster the mill goes so get but desire and all will goe forward the more desire the more paines in seeking after grace this gives a crowne and a credit to all our actions thou prayest haply halfe an houre it is not thy tongue that the Lord accepts but thy desire thou performest many duties outwardly God cares not for that he lookes only at thy desire to approve thy selfe to God in those duties this is the thing that gives credit to all our actions Meanes 3 The third meanes is this labour to spread forth the excellencie of all the beautie and surpassing glorie that is in the promises of God Looke wisely daily and judiciously upon them as occasion serves and when thou seest that admirable and incomparable vertue and beautie that is in Christ and in the precious promises and canst but view them in their proper colours Oh they will even ravish thee and quicken up thy desire If a man carry a packe of never so rich commodities and never opens them no man will have a desire to buy Or if a man have a cabinet full of never so precious jewels if he doe not unlocke it no man will be stirred with a desire after them Even so it is with the promises all those unsearchable riches that are in the Lord Jesus and all the comforts both of this life and that which is to come they are all shut up in the promises Now set open the Gospell and unlock the cabbinet of the promises and then the soule will earnestly desire the same I tell you God is a God of comfort and all the promises are yea and Amen in the Lord Jesus Christ read them daily and examine the excellencie and beautie therein that so thy heart may be brought to prize them and the comfort arising thence Thy soule is discouraged there is mercie to comfort thou wantest grace there is grace to quicken thee See the worth thereof more fully Luke 24. When Christ came and walked with the two disciples that were travelling towards Emaus Luke 24.32 opened Did not our hearts burne within us say they while he opened the Scriptures the Latine word signifieth to burne with desire But how came this they did not talke a word and away but the Lord Jesus Christ opened the Scriptures to them the riches of grace and salvation were unlocked and by Christ opened and then their hearts burned againe with desire Oh that Christ and that mercie and that pardon c. So view thou the promises of Christ and grace and salvation you doe not see the value and riches that are therein but if you will but talke and conferre about them your hearts will burne with desire doe not cast an eye and be gone doe not looke over a promise and away no wonder though your hearts are not affected because the excellent things therein contained are not opened and propounded to you Meanes 4 In the fourth and last place after all this thou must know that it is not in thy power to bring thy heart to desire grace thou canst not hammer out a desire upon thine owne anvill digge thy owne pit and hew thy owne rock as long as thou wilt that is a worke out of thy abilitie and strength Nay let all the Angels in heaven and all the Ministers on earth provoke thee yet if the hand of the Lord be wanting thou shalt not lift up thy heart nor step one step towards heaven therefore I beseech you marke and acknowledge this and goe to him who is onely able to worke this desire in thy soule It is the complaint of Christians and they mourne under it and it is a great miserie Oh they are troubled because they cannot fetch a good desire from their owne soules and one falls another sinkes and a third shakes and they are overwhelmed with discouragement And their complaint is this What a wretched heart have I Object Grace No no the world I can desire the life of my childe I long for that nay every trifling profit and pleasure my soule covets it and I say with Rachel Let me have honour or else I dye But I cannot buckle my heart nor worke this vile nature of mine to bee carried after and long for the unconceivable unsearchable riches of the Lord Jesus Christ And will the Lord shew mercie to me Shall I attaine any favour either here or hereafter Answ Marke the deceit in this case desires grow not in your garden they spring not from the root of your abilities you cannot frame your soules nor order your spirits to desire Christ no struggle while thy eyes sinke in thy head and thy tongue falters when thou prayest and yet thou shalt not procure any longing desire after Christ whiles the world stands desire comes from the quickning vertue of the spirit Therefore seeke to God and confesse In truth Lord I cannot it is not in my power I have not any sufficiencie to frame my heart to this desire I expect it not from my selfe it is not this vile and sinfull soule it is not this wicked base wayward heart of mine that can lift up it selfe it is earthly and heavie but it is thou O Lord from whom come all our desires it is thou that must worke it it is thou that hast promised it good Lord quicken thou this soule and inlarge this heart of mine thou only art the God of this desire none of thy Saints that ever panted after and longed for thy mercie David himselfe had it not in his owne power and sufficiencie it must come from thy power and thy promise and thy grace and blessing Now good Lord worke this in the heart of thy poore servant I would faine have a desire Lord from heaven thus hale downe a desire from the Lord and from the promise for there only you must have it this is the course whereby you may partake of this desire from the hand of the Lord. When the Church was lazie and sluggish and would not rise Cant. 5.4 the hands of her beloved dropped mirrhe upon the handle of the doore and this raised and pulled up the heart of the spouse and she lingred after him and followed him and pursued him and her heart was quickned and inlarged to
what shall I doe What shall I doe unto thee Oh thou preserver of men and the broken hearted and terrified sinner craves that he may yet live in the sight of the Lord. And at last when the soule hath beene sufficiently humbled the Lord lets in his sweet voice of mercy and saith Thou art my sonne and thy sinnes are pardoned with that the soule catcheth at that mercy and saith mercy Lord and a sonne Lord pardon Lord and love Lord the soule is marvellous willing to heare of that consideration But it will not away from the Lord againe as they catched at the words of Ahab and said thy brother liveth so the soule saith beleevingly and â—eccho-like pardoned Lord accepted Lord love and mercy in Christ Lord the heart holds it selfe there It is the fashion of a drowning man when hee seeth himselfe going and sinking if any man come to helpe him when he hath taken hold hee will rather die than leave him hee holds for his life Just so it is with a drowning sinner that is tossed up and downe with the floods of Gods indignation He that formerly made nothing of all and a mock of Christ and thought hee might goe to heaven with all his lusts now the Lord opens his eyes and sets upon him and tosses him up and downe that the heart smites with it and hee seeth himselfe lost and going downe to the pit â—nd hee expects nothing but damnation and at â—ast the Lord lets in a record of mercie and the promise of grace and salvation when the soule â—eares hereof hee catcheth it greedily and knowes if that faile his soule must needs faile â—nd therefore he will never let it goe Act 3 The third act of resting is this it flings the waight of all its occasions and troubles upon Christ as the porter that is weary of his waight and hath no way to helpe himselfe but to be eased of his burden so when the soule hath fastned upon Christ it layes all the waight of all its guilt and power of corruptions upon the Lord Jesus Christ Christ hath promised to give ease and power to pardon and the soule now layes all upon him as Psal 35.7 Commit thy way to the Lord and trust in him commit thy way that is the waight of all thy occasions roule thy way upon the Lord as it is with a barrell that is tumbled up and downe the earth beares the waight of the barrell but some body moves it so the soule casts the waight of all its disgrace dishonour temptation and all upon Christ Esay 50 10. Hee that walkes in darknesse and hath no light let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon hiâ— God that is if any man be in extremes hopelesse in misery and seeth no helpe for himselfe neither in himselfe nor the creature and walkes in desperate discouragement and hath no light of comfort let him trust upon the name of the Lord and stay upon his God as when a man cannot goe of himselfe hee layes the waight of all his body on another so the soule goes to a Christ and layes all the waight of it selfe upon Christ and saith I have no comfort all my discomforts I lay upon Christ and I relie upon the Lord for comfort and consolation and when the soule hath thus leaned upon Christ it leaves it selfe there and sucks and drawes all the good that it needs from Christ Cant. 8.5 Who is this that commeth up from the wildernesse leaning upon her beloved the party comming is the Church the wildernesse is the troubles and vexations the Church meets withall and the beloved is the Lord Jesus Christ now the Church comes out of trouble and out of her selfe and leanes her selfe all upon her husband the Lord Jesus Christ she only walked with him but he bare all the burden for her and as the Jewes after their Passeover had their feet shod with sandals and staves in their hands the promise to the soule is like that staffe which did testifie the promise when we are going to the land of Canaan the promise of grace and mercy is the staffe which wee leane upon and it is not a broken staffe that will faile us but a strong staffe which a man may trust to and lay all the waight of life and happinesse upon it and the subduing of his sinnes also 1 Pet. â— 7 Cast all your care on him for he careth for you the originall is hurle your care upon the Lord as â—f a man should say suffer not your care to rebound backe againe but hurle it upon the Lord as a man doth with a ball when it rebounds hee beats it backe againe the Lord will not thanke you for carrying your cares and troubles about you but he requires you should hurle it upon the Lord for he careth for you All that faith would have the soule doe is this First that the soule should labour to finde out the meanes of grace Secondly that it should practice what it knowes Thirdly that it improve all meanes when it hath gotten them now that it may bee able to doe this faith layes all the weight of the worke and burden of the day upon the Lord Jesus Christ so that I shall know what I should doe or the Lord will pardon what I doe not know and either I shall be able to doe what I know or else God will accept of my poore endevours and either I shall finde successe in that I doe or else God will make me contented so that all the burden is gone therefore what if thou doest not know what thou shouldst doe seeing God will pardon thy ignorance and what if thou dost not that which thou knowest if God will pardon thee in it and what if thou hast not that successe thou desirest if God will accept of thee without it and therefore David chides his owne heart and rocks his owne soule asleepe where it was golling Psal 42. Why art thou cast downe O my soule c. I am banished from my house and from my friends and especially from the house of my God and have not I cause to be disquieted no hee had not but how shall I amend my selfe in all these troubles still trust in God for he is yet the helpe of my countenance and my God and I will yet give him praise as if he had said thou shalt not need to be distracted discouraged nor vexed inordinately still trust in God and cast all thy care upon him the faithfull soule viewes all his sinnes that he hath committed and all the miseries that are intended and inflicted and when it hath done all it conclude thus with it selfe and saith It is not in my power nay it is not my duty to determine of all these troubles I lay all the weight of my sinnes upon Christ to pardon them and all the weight of my corruptions to subdue them and then I know he will care for me that hath undertaken mercifully for
three it strikes three so the soule is thus led by the Spirit of God as Rom. 8.14 and then it obeyes God and doth every good duty and loves God above all and his neighbours as himselfe in truth and in uprightnesse so that the soule is stopped in humiliation and is turned in vocation it receives the poise in adoption and renovation in sanctification and it obeyes God in all things then the conclusion is this all these are saving workes and such as doe undoubtedly accompany salvation but all this while one is not another for two of these are wrought upon us that is preparation and vocation and these are by a passive worke the wheele workes because it is moved and in the other three the Lord conveyes his Spirit to us and mercifully workes the power of sanctification in us and makes us able to serve him and obey him Acts 26.18 Paul was sent to the Gentiles to open their eyes to turne them from the power of darknesse to God that they may receive forgivenesse of sinnes and an inheritance amongst them that are called and sanctified marke all the passages of it from darknesse and Sathan that is in preparation to God and to light that is in vocation and as Saint Peter saith Acts 3.19 Repent and be converted that yee maâ— receive the forgivenesse of sinnes repent there is preparation and bee converted there is vocation turned from Sathan and the power of the Devill that they may be under the power of the Lord Jesus and lye at his foot-stoole as a souldier is turned from such a captaine when hee is content to be under another so the soule is turned from sinne and is content to take presse money and to become a souldier of Iesus Christ Thirdly that he may receive forgivenesse of sinnes that is in justification and an inheritance among them that are sanctified that 's in sanctification all these are done by faith the scope of the holy Ghost there is to discover the frame of grace in the heart and therefore it is not to be understood of the nature of Sanctification but of the worke of it that a man should receive his sanctification by faith and yet is but sanctified in part these are contraries The fourth is onely the worke of sanctification and lastly from the question thus resolved from hence that question falls to the ground and from hence first a man may see it clearly that sanctification comes after justification and secondly whether repentance is before faith or whether repentance is before justification or justification before faith and repentance and thirdly whether there be any other instrument to beleeve in Christ but faith No there is no other for they all concurre by faith Thus much for the first use a word of confutation and information Vse 2 Secondly if it be so that faith is a resting upon God and a receiving of mercy from God then this is a word of terrour to all that still remaine in unbeleefe they are to see their sinne and misery by sinne their sinne is most hainous and their plagues are intolerable if it bee faith that brings a man to Christ and suits a man with all comforts from Christ then all you unbeleeving sinners let your soules shake in the apprehension of all these plagues of which you are guilty It is the misery that befalls poore creatures they are loth to be knowne to be drunkards or theeves or robbers because shame will come to them but not to beleeve the promise and to despise the Lord Jesus Christ you make nothing of this you draw the harrowes lightly after you you confesse this sinne and the other sinne and you doe welcome it but in the meane time no man lookes to his unbeleeving heart and yet this is the greatest sinne of all other and brings the greatest misery as Heb. 3.12 Take heed why what 's the matter For the Lord Jesus Christ his sake take heed lest there be in any of you an evill heart of unbeleefe to depart from the living God this unbeleefe makes you depart from the Lord God you will take heed of whoring and drunkennesse and you will say you are not so and so but I say thou hast an evill and unfaithfull heart and thou art a dead man and a miserable man and thou art gone from the Lord God the God of all happinesse and therefore thou art but a damned man This is the root and the worst of all take heed of an unbeleeving heart it departs away from the living God this is the nature and misery of this sinne What is the estate of the damned in Hell and this shall bee the sentence that is past against the wicked in that day when the Heavens shall melt and the Goats shall stand on the left hand and the Sheep on the right hand and when ye shall see all the Heavens on a flame and you shall heare that fearfull voyce saying arise you damned unbeleeving wretches stand forth and heare your doome what will bee your greatest misery in that day even this Depart from me yee cursed into everlasting flames this is the upshot of vengeance and the sharpest sentence would you not thinke this terrible if you did heare it Now therefore away thou varlet bee gone to Hell I doubt not but the very proudest wretch in hell would then be content to hang upon mercy before hee went to Hell and hee would beg that he might yet breathe to call after mercy If thou wouldest take heed of this sentence then take heed of an unbeleeving heart for by unbeleefe thou passest the sentence against thy selfe thou needest none other to condemne thee Oh therefore get you home and humble your selves in secret and say thus The Lord hath given mee a heart to see the evill of my heart I blesse the Lord thou hast kept my hand my eye my life but good Lord I never saw the horrible nature of sinne which will be my bane to this day I was never burthened with it Oh that I might now take heed of it what shall I say to mine owne heart depart thou wretch to Hell the Lord forbid Oh strive mightily with God and with your owne soules and rest not till you get some strength from Heaven and say if that voice should come againe Oh woe to mee for ever well my unbeleeving heart doth this and hath past the sentence upon mine owne soule you heare these and if you would but take home these truths they would make you stagger See what our Saviour saith Iohn 5.40 You will not come to mee that yee may have life but I know you that yee have not the love of God in you comming is beleeving is this sinne so heavy the Lord fasten it upon your hearts what shall any man goe away and say I will not beleeve there is such a generation whither will you goe If the world calls yee run if the devill calls ye goe presently but will you not
come to the Lord Jesus when he calls you then Hell is to good for you beare witnesse of it many a soule here this day is still resolved to goe on in his sins and sayes I am resolved to have my owne courses and I will be as proud as ever and sweare and drinke as much as ever and I will not goe to Jesus Christ whither will yee goe then Will yee goe to destruction I call the Angels and all the Saints to record you will not come then you must to destruction there is no other way to come to Jesus Christ but by beleeving in him Now further to discover the fearfulnesse of this sinne and the misery of them that continue in it let mee lay it open by foure particulars whereby it shall appeare that howsoever unbeleevers make no great matter of it yet if they have the hearts of men about them they shall see the misery of their owne soules and that in thâ—se foure particulars First it keeps off the riches of mercies that are in Christ from the soule that it cannot enjoy them there is no happinesse but onely by communion with God and now infidelity keeps off God from us and keeps out that goodnesse which God is willing to bestow upon us if we had hearts fitted to receive it Infidelity shuts up a poore sinner that hee cannot looke out nor looke up towards Heaven and that 's the reason why when the Lord chaines ups poore sinner under the power of his chiefe displeasure he gives them up to hardnesse of heart and unbeleefe Rom. 11.32 He hath shut up all in unbeleefe it is a comparison thus to be conceived as it is with a hainous malefactour that hath conspired against the King and when he is taken they put him into little ease or some such close darke dungeon and clap cold irons upon him and if any friend come to bring him any thing hee cannot speake with him nor he cannot receive it because he is close prisoner So the Lord doth in his heavy displeasure hee locks up the soule in unbeleef and holds the heart in the chaines of unbeleef that howsoever judgements passe up and downe the world yet all these judgements cannot awaken him nor all mercies why because the unbeleever is sure enough hee cannot so much as looke to that mercy prepared and offered in Iesus Christ and that 's the reason why when the Lord comes by in all his glory and mercy as he did Exod. 33.6.7 saying the Lord the Lord strong mercifull and glorious When all these passe by the unbeleever fits in his seat but his heart is lockt up that hee cannot looke up and that 's the reason why the Apostle saith Rom. 11.8 He hath given them the spirit of slumber eyes that they should not see and eares that they should not heare to this very day that though he hath all the calls of mercy yet he hath eyes and sees not and all is still and nothing stirring in the soule nay it is not onely shut up and cannot come to God but unbeleefe barres the doores that Jesus Christ cannot come to it therefore Iohn 1.11 He came to his owne and his owne received him not but in the 12. verse to as many as received him to them he gave power to be the Sonnes of God this unbeleefe barres the doores and raiseth Forts against him and closeth every crevis of the heart that not a beame of mercy not a glimpse of pitty can be let into the soule so long as it is in this condition I beseech you observe it unbeleefe is a fin not so much of one faculty of the soule but it is that as carries the whole man with it as when a man sets himselfe in any unruly will and will be ruled thereby so that it stops every passage and there is no entrance for mercy for looke as it is with faith the root of it is in the will but the rule of it is over all the whole man and therefore faith carries all the whole soule to God love and hope and joy and all goes towards God and the very same nature unbeleefe hath to carry the soule from God the root of it is in the will but the rule of it is in the whole man and keepes the soule under the power and authority of it as by faith wee goe home to the Lord Jesus Christ and are content that he should doe what he will with us so unbeleefe keepes the soule under command and will dispose of all at his owne pleasure this is the poyson and venome of this corruption it stops all the passages of the soule that Christ cannot come at it nor it at Christ so that if eternall life and happinesse were laid downe upon the naile yet unbeleefe will not suffer the soule to stretch out a little finger to it and saith love and joy I charge you delight not in that mercy and desire looke not out after it nay if the wrath of God bee revealed from Heaven against the soule yet it stops the soule that the wrath of God moves it not because unbeleefe rules and saith feare tremble not at Gods judgements and sorrow mourne not you for sinne come all this way and sorrow for the losse of profits and pleasures and because my will is crossed but I will not have you so much as looke after God This is the cursed nature of unbeleefe that there is nothing of God of grace and happinesse can come neere the soule unlesse the iron gate of infidelity bee pluckt off the hinges and the bars be broken asunder this is that which the holy Prophet speakes of Isay 7.9 when the Lord would expresse the power of himselfe in an extraordinary manner he bids Ahaz that he should looke for a miracle and yet he saith If you beleeve not you cannot be established so that though God expressed never such miraculous power of mercy and goodnesse yet so long as the heart is lockt up in unbeleefe there is no mercy can come at him nay which is worse if worse can be unbeleefe not onely shuts the doore against Christ and will not receive him when hee intreats for entrance but it sets open the doore to all base lusts to sinne and Satan than which there can bee no greater indignity offered to the God of heaven and earth as Ier. 2.12.13 Oh ye heavens be astonished at this why what is the matter my people have committed two evils they have forsaken me the fountaine of living waters and digged to themselves broken pits that will hold no water This is not onely unreasonable but unnaturall and the heavens they shake at it it is against the course of nature that a man should depart from the Almighty that would strengthen him and to rest upon his owne folly and goe from the wisedome of God that would direct him in every good way nay it chuseth a mans owne base corruptions and lusts and in the meane time departs away
of God and the powerfull worke thereof may marvellously snub and wound sinne but infidelitie will heale it againe and will restore life to it againe I compare reformation to the retreat of an army when one side is weake and the other side is too strong and they are not able to make their parts good then they make a retreat and goe home againe to their trenches and hee that wisely retreats himselfe though he may lose the day yet he loseth not a man and the Commander saith such a man was wounded and such a man was hurt a little but we came all well home they retreat into the trenches and get more strength and then they levy our their forces againe So it is with outward reformation haply a man lives under a powerfull Minister under a good master and in a good family and all these make sin retreat and hee dares not sweare and he cannot walke in his wicked wayes his master curbs him all this while his sinnes make a retreat but there is none of them gone the life of never a one of them is gone so long as he hath an unbeleeving heart let the unbeleever enjoy never such means and live in never so good a family yet he hath not one sinne killed they are onely retreated and so unbeleefe nurseth them and makes them grow out with greater violence This I take to be the reason why many a man that hath professed the Gospell and hath had much horror of heart and many good resolutions and much care expressed outwardly after many yeers his corruptions breake out againe and get ground and they are armed afresh and they run violently and for any thing a man knowes they goe downe to hell how many professours have turned to be uncleane persons and to be drunkards because their old sinnes were but onely snubbed by good company and the word c. But they never had their hearts throughly broken the root that nursed all was still the same and therefore they breake out notoriously to the dishonour of God the scandall of the Gospell and the confusion of their owne soules if God be not mercifull Fourthly as unbeleefe keepes God from the soule and makes all meanes unprofitable and maintaines all sinne in the strength and life of it So lastly it makes the soule of a poor sinner to be in a desperate estate and a man continuing in this condition is past hope help recovery beleeving is the last covenant that ever God hath exprest a man may be saved and not doe the law but a man cannot be saved if he doe not beleeve that 's the last covenant and condition of all and if hee stick here he is past all recovery without a wonderfull worke from Heaven Heb. 3.18 There the Lord takes a solemne oath that they that would not beleeve should never enter into his rest to whom did he sweare thus to them that beleeved not God never takes an oath that hee that keeps not the law shall not bee saved or that hee that cannot performe to keepe all the Commandements shall not be saved and never see happinesse no but he takes an oath that they that beleeve not shall never see happinesse and when God once sweares the thing is unchangeable God never swore that if Adam did not doe hee should not live but if he had not beleeved in that Christ that was promised hee had never beene saved but though we cannot live by exact doing yet we may live by beleeving and we may goe to another to doe what God requires of us and this is the reason of that peremptory curse which God sealâ—s downe upon the hearts of unbeleevers Iohn 3.18 He that beleeveth is not condemned but he that beleeveth not is condemned already hee hath one foot in hell but why is it so I answer looke as it is with a man that hath a case to be tried if it be tried in all the courts of England and he cast in them all there is no more trouble to bee made nor no more hope of recovery So it is in this hee that beleeveth not is cast in all Courts in Heaven and earth Law and Gospell both condemne him justice will not save him for it must bee satisfied and mercy will not save him for he is an unbeleever so that there is no trial to be lookt for the sentence is passed upon him in heaven and earth onely there wants a Jaylor to bring him to the gibbit that is death and the devill who is the hangman to turne him off into hell for ever there to plague him nay unbeleefe bindes Gods hand and hinders the power of God as may be said with reverence he may justifie a sinner but he will not justifie an unbeleever in his estate of unbeleefe Marke 6.5 He could doe no miracle there because of their unbeleefe the text doth not say hee did not great workes there So S. Matthew hath it but he could doe no great workes there so the Lord hee can doe mighty workes he can justifie a sinner and comfort the discomforted and cleanse the polluted and save the polluted but he will not save the unbeleever hee cannot worke this mighty worke upon him and therefore doe not trouble thy selfe so much for mercy towards thee if thou bee an unbeleever never dreame of comfort for God cannot save thee will God goe against his owne words then he should not bee truth hee hath sworne that an unbeleever shall not enter into his rest this word and oath shall stand for ever Therefore goe to God that hee may give thee a beleeving heart and then mercy will come and pardon and glory will come to the soule but remaining in unbeleefe hee cannot save thee hee will not deny his Word nor his oath for never an unbeleeving wretch under Heaven Now if you doe conceive the nature of your sinne and your misery thereby then for the Lords sake you that heare the Word this day all you unbeleevers that never had this worke of faith in your soules hie you out of this miserable condition goe your wayes and give no quiet to your soules nor no comfort to your consciences before the Lord shew mercy to you in removing this corruption from your soules and shew mercy to you Now whether you have true faith or no I shall shew afterwards when I shall come to trie every mans evidence and that yee may come out of this unbeleeving condition labour to see the danger of it in three particulars and establish thy heart with these considerations that thou maist never bee in quiet till thou have some power against them and grace to come out of them First know and consider seriously that whatsoever thou dost so long as thou art an unbeleever it is all unprofitable and to no purpose at al couldst thou heare with attention and remember sufficiently whatsoever is revealed and pray with abilitie and understanding beseeming a Christian man in that case didst thou reforme
is it thus with me Ans I answer the fault is not in faith that it doth not or cannot lend supply and succour to thee but the fault is in thy selfe either in thy carelesnesse and ignorance that knowest not when thou hast faith or else in thy unskilfulnesse that thou dost not imply that faith which thou hast faithfully for thine owne good I speake only of the beleever I goe not about to prove that he which hath not faith can be contented no hee hath a worme in his bosome a conscience which will plague him and torment him for ever Quest But to speake of one that hath faith if it be so that it bringeth such contentment how may a man that hath faith improve it to have this contentment from it Ans For answer hereunto the rules are foure which a man must use to have this contentment whereby he may be carried on in his course and goe on singing to Heaven remember still that I speake of a man that hath faith Rule 1 First labour to gaine some evidence to thy owne soule that thou hast a title to the promise make thy title good It is not enough for a malefactour in prison to have a pardon granted him but he must know that the pardon is granted before he can bee contented therewith haply the King hath granted it and the Prince hath begd it but the malefactour is not contented untill hee know it It is not enough that a poore begger hath a friend or a rich unkle that will doe much for him or that he hath setled a great estate upon him and his heires after him but hee must know it before he can be contented with it it may be he is not neere by a hundred miles and he is troubled with misery and poverty because hee knowes not of it just so it is with a faithfull soule there is never a poore beleever but hee is rich in faith though hee live in a smoaky cottage and lives meanly and goes barely yet all these revenues of faith are his Heaven and Earth and all is thine thou poore beleever But what is all this to the matter if thou hast no evidence that all this iâ— thine this is the fault why poore Christians goe drooping and are overburthened with their sins and their miseries because they see not their title to mercie nor their evidence of Gods love in 2 King 6.16 17. when Elisha was beset with an armie of his enemies the servant of the Prophet said good Master what shall we doe they are many and wee are few they are armed and wee are naked then said the Prophet Lord open his eyes that he may see and God did it and then hee saw those hils full of fierie charets and then hee saw that there were more with them than were against them and then hee was quiet now the armies and the chariots were there before but hee saw them not and therefore he could not be quieted so it is with every faithfull soule the Lord hath caused his Angels to pitch their tents about the elect wee have God on our side and Christ and the Angels but wee see not our privileges and the interest that wee have in the mercie and goodnesse of the Lord we crie out as he did good Master what shall we doe so many sinnes and so many corruptions how shall we be succoured the Lord open our eyes that we may see the free riches of his grace and the fulnesse of his mercie this is all ours that we may see his love to us and his Angels waiting upon us and his blessing going with us this would quiet our hearts I will not now adde how you may doe this and how you may make your evidence cleere that you have a title to mercie this were to multiply a division upon a division only judge your estate by the word and take one evidence from the word as good as ten thousand this is the fault of people it may bee some evidence fits them marvellous well but because they have not all they will have none at all in truth but throw away all and therefore I say judge your estates by the word and not by carnall reason and if you have but one promise for you you have all in truth though all be not so fully and cleerly perceived this is the first rule Rule 2 Secondly labour to set a high prize and a wonderfull great account of the precious promises of the Lord thus estated upon thee for thy good and make account of the least promise of grace above a thousand worlds looke what account you make of the sufficiencie of a thing so much content you have in that thing whose sufficiencie you see and doe esteeme of now because the promises of God and the riches of Gods love in Christ are most worthy of our love and most sufficient for us let us therefore be contented with them above all and then wee shall bee contented though wee want all Luke 12.32 when the Disciples were in great trouble and expected more and further miserie after the death of Christ the Lord Christ saith to them Feare not little flocke it is your fathers pleasure to give you a kingdome if you finde hand measures and feare troubles and expect persecutions on every side yet feare ye not you shall have a kingdome and that will carry you through all occasions are you imprisoned and persecuted and disquieted feare not you shall have a kingdome and then you shall bee comforted and quieted for ever you little ones that are poore and meane in the world and you lye as stepping stones for every base wretch to tread on you are persecuted and despised and scorned but feare not you shall have a kingdome the want of this is the cause of all that discontentment that is in the hearts of Gods owne people which are beloved of him and respected by him Take a poore man in misery his children crie for meat and the mother saith goe to bed poore babes you shall have meat when the Lord sends it brethren this is hard I confesse but now if a friend should come and give him two hundred pounds a yeare for ever this would make him goe away contented because this would provide for him and his now I propound a promise to this man the Lord hath said he will never faile thee nor forsake thee what is this worth of your money one man offers him two hundred pounds a yeare and I offer him a promise now couldst thou thou poore miserable creature bee content to take this two hundred pounds a yeare and leave the promise and bee content that the Lord should not pardon nor comfort nor save thee I presume thou wouldst not doe thus now will a thousand pounds content thee and will not the promise the reason is thou prisest the money because it is temporall and thou seest it and thou prisest not the promise because it is spirituall and thou seest
man well but hath he not given thee a heart to beleeve and to rest upon the riches of Gods free grace in Christ then goe thy way for ever cheared and know that thou hast a marvellous great childs part therefore be thankfull unto him and droope no more nor bee dismaid no more thou saist thou hast not riches nor honours nor parts and thou hast not what others have nor thou canst not doe what others can doe but hast thou a heart to beleeve be cheared then and snarle no more murmure no more thou hast a good part and wilt doe pretty well every day thou risest and every nighâ— thou goest to bed blesse God and downe upon thy knees and prayse him for ever that hath given thee a graine of this precious faith bee for ever thankfull and rejoyce as David saith Psalme 92.1 It becomes upright men to be thankfull Let the wicked those that have no share in these gâ—â—ces let them be discouraged but the Saints of God cannot go away dismaid it becomes the righteous to be thankfull If the soule be inwardly setled and established by faith in the promise there cannot but come some savour of comfort to it 1 Pet. 1.9 In whom though yee see him not yet have ye beleeved and rejoyce with joy unspeakable and glorious therefore observe it beleeving rejoyceth and saith Good Lord is Christ mine that have abased him and is Heaven and the Spirit mine that have so abused it and the heart leaps at the remembrance of it and wonders at it and can scarcely beleeve it to bee true but yet hee is wonderfully thankfull It is a duty to rejoyce for mercy and grace received as well as to be humbled for sinne committed all those phrases of Scripture run thus and those joyes that may make us rejoyce they all belong to that man that is brought home to beleeve Men rejoyce as those that divide the spoyle you know this gives much joy to the souldiers that overcome so when the rich merchant gets a prize what rejoycing is there So there was never any poore soule that beleeves in Christ and comes home to Christ by the promise but he is a great conquerour and hath gotten a rich spoyle one promise is better than all the Rubies and Diamonds of the Indies When the Prodigall had beene pinched with famine and poverty when he was returned from his misery to his father marke what a deale of mirth there was the friends were feasted and the father rejoyced but if they were so comforted what was the Prodigall then surely his joy was incomprehensible and unconceivable if they which were onely the beholders of the Prodigals good did so rejoyce then what was hee that was the gainer of all that good to come from such a deale of misery to such a father nay to come from such a base course not onely to be entertained to the family but to the affections of the father hee must needs bee full of joy for the same Oh then how great is that joy and that consolation which is spirituall and which every faithfull soule which hath beene a Prodigall now receives when hee is come home to God and is come home to him whoÌ„ he hath formerly dishonoured This Prodigall is nothing else but the picture of a poore sinner that runs riot from God and from his truth as 1 Pet. 2.25 We were as sheepe going astray we are the Prodigals naturally and wee follow our owne wayes and the corruption of our owne hearts and we have spent all our patrimony and are gone away from God and grace and life and all but the broken hearted sinner now comes home to God the Father by faith Now if the Prodigall when he found his home was so cheared and if his father rejoyced and the friends feasted much more then when a poore sinner comes home to God the Father there is joy in Heaven for one sinner that repenteth therefore thou maist justly rejoyce in earth God the Father rejoyceth to see thee comming home and God the Son rejoyceth to receive thee poore and meeke and the Spirit of God rejoyceth to welcome a poore sinner that art brought home by true repentance and faith to the Lord The Saints of God rejoyce to see thee and the Angels of Heaven glory in it and it is the greatest comfort that they have the Angels fing Hallelujahâ— when any poore Saint is humbled and brought home to the Lord and they make it holyday in Heaven It is a good day to those glorious Spirits nay all those that were friends and favourers of thy poore soule they all rejoyce wert thou a wife or a childe that went away from God and art thou now brought home to rest upon the Lords free grace in Christ thy tender hearted Father that hath often prayed for thee with many teares hee rejoyceth and thy mother that hath sighed many a groane for thee nay all the people of God with one joynt consent many of whose hearts thou hast sadded by thy ungodly practices they have sought for thee and said Lord breake the heart of that poore creature Lord humble that wife or that childe when they heare that God hath answered their prayers and humbled thy heart their soules leape within them to heare this and they say there was such a Prodigall such a wife such a childe such a vilde wretch but now he hath forsaken his vilde wicked courses and he is now come home to the Father and they all rejoyce at it Now doe all the Saints and all the Angels in Heaven rejoyce and all thy Friends thinke it a happy day tâ—at they live to see this day that thou art humbled and broken and brought home to the Lord Jesus Christ then goe thy wayes for shame and blesse God that ever thou hast lived to bee possest of all this goodnesse and mercy from God If the standers by doe so rejoyce how ought thy heart to be inlarged in thankfulnesse to that good God who hath beene so gracious to thee Let me perswade every faithfull soule who hath found this to humble himselfe before the Lord and to tell the Lord in this manner saying Lord I was vilde and ignorant and rebellious and went away from thee but now I am come from the world and from my lusts and all to a Saviour to a Father to a Spirit of comfort and blessed be this day that ever I came home to thee that I may receive this mercy at thy hands You know in Exodus 15.1 when as Pharaoh had pursued the children of Israel to the red sea and they drowned themselves in the red sea and that the Israelites were come safely upon the shore then the text saith they beleeved the Lord and feared him and hiâ— servant Moyses then Moyses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord and said I will sing unto the Lord for hee hath triumphed gloriously so Revel 15.3 there the same song is recorded againe saying
great and marvellous are thy workes and in the 107. Psalme 8. when the Prophet had shewed the great workes that God had done for his people Israel he saith Oh that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnesse and declare his wonderfull workes before the sonnes of men This was also a type of our spirituall comming home to Christ wee are all slaves to the Devill and in spirituall bondage under sinne hell and death but faith sets a man upon the shore and brings him home unto Christ as Iohn 5.24 He that doth beleeve is passed from death to life Lord saith the poore soule I confesse I was in the mouth of hell but now I am passed from death to life faith sets a man beyond sinne and death and all therefore the soule should be thankfull and sing a song of praise unto the Lord his God Now there are two bottomes from the former Doctrine which give foot-hold to your comfort First by beleeving all the goodnesse and mercie of God is thine and he cannot nay he will not deny thee therefore thou mayst with boldnesse challenge the good of all that mercie and goodnesse of his When God hath engaged himselfe to be a God to thee and to thy seed after thee he cannot take away his mercy from a faithfull soule because hee cannot deny himselfe hee will not denie his truth and his promise therefore the Saints of God cannot but be partakers of all this mercie and goodnesse the Apostle saith Ephes 3.17 Christ dwels in our hearts by faith so Coloss 2.3 In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge now gather up all and the summe is thus much and there you may see how the comfort comes by faith I lay hold upon a Saviour in whom dwell all the treasures of wisdome and knowledge and so I lay hold upon these what would you have and what is it that may comfort you thou art beggerly in wisdome and in consolation and in all the graces of Gods Spirit but if thou hast faith thou hast a Christ and in him are all the treasures of wisdome and mercie take your treasure and be inriched for evermore you may doe it it is your owne Secondly all the sinnes that thou standest guilty of and all the temptations of Sathan cannot hinder thee from injoying that light and receiving that good which thou hast need of there is no sinne that hath beene committed can stand betweene thee and eternall life be thy corruptions never so many for number never so vile and strong for nature never so long for continuance in them and all those old bruises and old lusts of youth which make thee say can the Lord pardon me and is it possible for such a wretch as I am to have mercie that have all these corruptions I answer it skils not what thy sinnes be see thy faith and repentance bee sound it matters not what thou hast beene a rebell even against God if now thou canst beleeve and rest upon God and repent thee of thy sinnes Quest But now the point growes on the soule is in some reasonable manner satisfied that if it had faith then it could be satisfied but many seeme to have faith and have it not if my faith were true I could gaine some sound comfort to my selfe that all would goe well with mee but how shall I know that Answ I answer I confesse that the faith of the most men in the world is but a meere delusion as I shall discover in the next use of reproofe but that thou maist be undoubtedly perswaded of the truth of this grace that though thy faith be never so little yet it is saving justifying faith I will therefore lay downe some trials I will not now intrench upon any of the particulars that come afterward but onely lay open such particulars for triall as are in the doctrine I know faith purifies the heart and workes by love c. and faith makes a new creature but these come too farre off I will onely gather somwhat from the point in hand Triall 1 First observe the root and rise of thy faith the cause by which thy faith was wrought and from whence it came and this will be an undoubted evidence whether thy faith be good or not therefore when thou dost begin to brag and say I doe beleeve then aske thy heart this question and say how came I by it prove it have I faith make it good then it is not enough to say so but let mee see that it is so didst thou bring it into the world with thee did thy wits contrive it did thy parts and abilities worke it and because thou hast more wit and learning than others and thou thinkest it as easie a matter to beleeve as to understand a hard writing if it bee thus thy faith is a delusion and no faith at all it is true here of faith which Iob speakes of wisdome nature saith it is not in me and eloquence saith it is not in me I know not the way to it all these say I have heard the newes of faith but I am not acquainted with it God onely knowes the way thereof and is the worker of it the text saith Every man than hath heard and learned of the Father commeth unto me the Father must first teach this lesson or else no man can understand it except the Father give thee a heart to know Jesus Christ there is no power in thee that is able to give this grace to the soule hast thou thy faith from heaven then it is like to bee of the right kinde but it must bee from thence it ariseth not from the earth it comes not from parts and gifts and learning it must come from heaven or else it is not of the right kinde all the coine that is currant is minted in the tower by authoritie of the King if not it is not currant in 1 Pet. 1.7 the Apostle cals it precious faith it must bee stamped by the Lord Jesus Christ by the hand of the Spirit it must come from the tower of Zion or else it is copper faith and not saving justifying faith nor that which will stand in steed in the day of triall here or in the day of judgement hereafter as wee say in nature the Alcumists are growne to that skill that they will make Alcumie appeare to be perfect silver and gold and much of it will beare the touchstone insomuch that a man can hardly discover some of it it is so cunningly made but when the fire and the hammer comes it will beare neither of them but the true gold comes from the gold oare and will endure the fire and hammer the alcumie gold comes not from the right place where the gold is it comes not from the minerals from the golden mines so there is a great deale of this alcumie faith for the world is come to this passe that they have a faith of their owne faining
I was in heaven and yet because I have no faith I am now cast downe to hell it is thus much when the Lord lets in a glimpse of the exelencie of the grace of faith and the glory of heaven and the sweetnesse of the pardon of all the sinnes of the faithfull and the Lord lets in a glimpse of all these which goes home to the top of the affections and will that the Lord by a spirituall kinde of flash suddenly passeth by the will so that he leaves some kinde of dew and some remembrance of those glorious things which are thus let in upon the minde of a poore sinner insomuch that his heart is marvellously tickled and ravished with it I expresse it thus as it is with the water in a standing poole and the water that runneth through a pipe the standing water soakes and goes down-ward and settles inwardly in the earth but the water that passeth by suddenly leaves only a little dew behinde it but soakes not at all so it is with this temporary beleever the streame of the heavenly truths of the Doctrine of Christ passeth by suddenly as namely that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners and that Christ came to take away the iniquitie of his servant this doth passe by suddenly and leaves a little dew behinde it so that he saith Oh this is good this is sweet I may be saved too may I not Oh I never heard a man speake so comfortably this word bedewes the heart a little but it soakes not downe it goes not to the root of the soule therefore observe it this is a work which the hypocrite may have only observe thus much he sips of grace and salvation and makes a meale of his corruptions but the gracious man onely sips of his corruptions and makes a meale of grace of holines mercy in Christ Looke as it is with seed that is cast into the wombe of a woman the seed is enough to beget some fruit but if the wombe be a miscarrying wombe it comes to nothing so it is betweene the stirring of the Word in the heart of a poore Saint and in the heart of an Hypocrite the Spirit of the Lord workes in the heart of a Hypocrite by the Word and is able to moysten him but the heart miscarries in the worke and resists and gainsayes and never comes to any good hee never comes to bee a faithfull man rightly proportioned whereas the same Spirit of God working rightly upon the heart of a beleever it makes him a very proportionable Christian the other remaining but a confused lumpe Now see what this man may doe when he comes to this let him bee thus bedewed with this taste of the excellency of faith and never have faith strengthned and rooted in him yet hee will bee very eager in the pursuit of the Word and marvellous constant in attending upon the Word because it is his delight and hee will bee marvellous painfull to get the Word for a man will doe any thing to get his delight and he may bee angry with such as would hinder him in the pursuit of the Gospell which is his delight this a man may doe and yet all come to nothing and so may perish everlastingly for looke what joy and delight will doe for a push the same a carnall temporary may doe But that this man will doe all this it is plaine of this kinde was Balaam that wretched man of whom you may see divers passages in the 23. 24. chapters of Numbers hee was a witch as Divines hold and hee was going to curse the people of God but the Lord stopt him and how did he it why he let him see the excellency of the condition of the Saints of God and said Oh thou wretched man loe there and behold the happy condition of my people and see all the good that I have given them and wilt thou curse those that I love so dearly Now see how he was taken up with it Oh that I might die the death of the righteous this was a glimpse of the glory that was let in upon him to stop him and to awe his heart yet hee returned to his old byas againe the third Scripture is in Matthew 25.8 I know Interpreters vary in it but I will be bold to suggest what I thinke the five foolish virgins said give us of your oyle for our lampes are gone out they had lamps but no oyle how could they kindle their lamps except they had oyle they had a little oyle in their lampes but none in their vessels their lampes was their excellent and glorious profession and the oyle which they had was nothing but the taste of the heavenly gift they had so much stirring of the will and affections as might carry them on to professe the truth but they had not oyle in their vessels which might sink downe into their hearts to subdue their corruptions and to quicken up their grace they had not this power to frame their hearts strongly towards the Lord and to feed their profession with constancy and perseverance to the end so that you see what hee can say for himselfe and me thinkes he speakes marvellous probably The Lord bee mercifull to us if a man goe thus farre and come to nothing it is wonderfull he is farre beyond the judicious professor Oh saith he I had a rellish of the sweetnesse of the good Word of God and a taste of the heavenly gift and my heart was ravished with the sight of the glory of it and I could even have gone to Heaven now you see the best of him But now secondly what is the falsenesse of this man and wherein is his failing and why where he falls short of faith and what it is that would make him an honest man Now the second thing is this that notwithstanding the sudden push of this man hee will wither and will turne his backe upon the truth and commonly he is an enemy to that truth to which his love was carried and which was his chiefe delight and this hee doth upon these two grounds commonly First when he seâ—th the bitternesse and misery and affliction and vexation that accompanies the Word hee is weary of the Word rather than he will beare those afflictions that doe accompany the Word he will follow our Saviour no longer than prosperity follow him for he will rather forsake Christ than to forgoe these hee was made a professour all upon a sudden and hee receives the Word suddenly with joy when hee heares of the glorious grace and mercy of God he faith Oh that Jesus Christ should come from Heaven to save sinners and to wait upon poore drunkards and adulterers and vilde wretches Oh sweet and admirable mercy saith hee and so all upon a sudden he turnes Christian and Professour but if afflictions and trouble come for the truth then hee turnes off all Christ and truth and his profession and all Oh saith he
contents of the world and hee seeth more certainty in the good of the promise than in all the good things here below and therefore he will rather lose all than the promise and will rather trust to the goodnesse of God in the promise than to any thing else besides though riches bee never so great and honours never so glorious yet the faithfull soule knowes that the world promiseth much and performes little and it cousens us but the Lord is true in all his promises and what he hath promised the soule beleeves therefore saith he though my sense and taste and all faile and if many sorrowes and miseries come yet I will rest upon the promise for there is a greater good in the promise than in all the world besides to this I may adde the other which I call the discouraged hypocrite as there are too many of them in these dayes such as heretofore have carried a faire sayle in the wayes of godlinesse but when his honour and credit dies hee goes away some have died for griefe they are all to be referred to this ground so long as the winde lasted he stayed it out but now hee is not able to hold up his head unlesse he be lifted up by the chinne and by the comfort of his profession but he that is a gracious man though all the frame of Heaven and Earth stagger yet he is supported and beares up himselfe upon the promise if it bee a saving worke I know he may stagger yet hee recovers himselfe and at last lifts up himselfe upon the promise A skilfull swimmer useth his bladders but yet if they faile hee recovers himselfe upon the streame and beares up himselfe upon that so the gracious heart is content to use comforts and contentments and whatsoever hee hath to beare him up with more ease yet if all these bladders breake and if all friends and meanes and honours goe and if heaven and eaâ—th meet together yet hee is able to cast himselfe upon the streame of the promise and so to goe on cheerily as Psalme 73. the Prophet saith I am thus and thus the bread of affliction is my meat and teares are my drinke and I am buffeted every morning if the wicked rout and revell it and have more than their hearts can desire then have I washed mine hands in vaine it is better for me to be as they are than to be as I am he began to staggar and he was at a stand yet hee saith God is good to Israel though persecuted and afflicted yet God is good to Israel nay in the 26. verse he saith My heart had failed but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever as if hee had said the heavens and the earth may haply shake and shrinke yet so long as God is strong my heart is strong and so long as he remaines my comfort will continue even for ever though a man especially if he be ingenuous may shrinke under disgrace yet hee beares up himselfe upon the promise and though he lose his life yet hee shall not lose a Saviour therefore he stayes himselfe upon him thus you see where this temporary failes there is no great matter in him but that it is stange to see what a man will doe for a push we leave him and only intreat the Lord to be mercifull to him and let him see himselfe if there be any of this kinde here this day doe not goe away and say to heaven I must all on the sudden because I have a little taste of the word no no that 's not the way it will cost you dearer than so rather goe and see thy sinnes and breake thy heart for them and then there may bee comfort and consolation for thee God hath the garment of gladnesse but you must be in heavinesse first you may goe on as you are but then you shall never come to happinesse Sort. 2 The second sort of counterfeits is the sturdy hypocrite let us shew you first what wee conceive of him and how we tearme him I call the former a faint-hearted hypocrite he must have his Aqua vitae and his cordials of comfort ever with him and God must provide a dish of comfort for him or else hee shall never have his custome but this is a sturdy hypocrite and one that will not out of the pit for a small matter but he will stand his ground as a man doth in warre and will undergoe much trouble and stand stoutly in the profession of religion and yet though he be somewhat stout in his way yet his heart is naught too and that you may know him and that hee may know himselfe let us doe three things First let us see what he can say for himselfe Secondly wherein his falsenesse appeares and the evidences of it Thirdly the difference betweene him and a beleever indeed First what this man is and how farre he goes I cannot better plead for him than he can plead for himselfe and what he saith you may beleeve him he professeth t is true indeed the temporary did meerly cousen himselfe because he was cheared before he was humbled and abased but for his part he knowes how he came by his faith it cost him hot water before he had it he had his evidence with much labour and therefore this is his comfort hee hopes it is good and of the right kinde for saith he the Lord hath opened mine eyes to see my selfe and to discover my sinne unto my selfe and made knowne the vilenesse of my sinne and my misery by reason of the same the word of the Lord was as a hammer to this stubborne heart of mine I had almost the heart of a Devill but the Lord met with me and broke me in sunder nay it was a fire to let in the flames of hell into my conscience thus I came by my faith so that seeing my sinne and my vilenesse I see a need of a Christ and I see such a worth in a Christ in so much that he hopes and professeth that all the shame and disgrace that can befall him in a good course shall never daunt him from that good way which hee sees chalked out before him nay and that which is the pinch of him hee hopeth hee shall rather dye than renounce that fruit of the Gospell which he hath received and which hath comforted his soule thus now hee hath beene humbled and hath seene a need of Christ and he may dye in the defence of the religion hee professeth and yet never savingly beleeve in the Lord Jesus Christ nor partake of the mercie and goodnesse in him 1 Cor. 13.3 there the Apostle saith though I give my body to be burned and have not love it profiteth me nothing it is a rule in Logicke those disjunct propositions both parts whereof are true the whole must needs bee true if either part be false then the proposition must needs bee false if the position bee true then
a full eare with all the graine of it and is as greene as a leeke but it continues not greene still and comes not to ripenesse and perfection because the thornes choake it so this man hath his full eare and is as greene as a leeke you will fast and pray so will he you will professe so will he you will conferre holily so will he in the outward appearance but he never comes to good because he bestowes the strength of his affections upon the world or upon some base lusts you cannot beat this man to lay downe his profession and to make him say I confesse I am dead and my heart is vilde and my profession is nothing but hypocrisie no hee will have his profession and his corruption too thus observe the chapman when a Christian comes into his shop hee will tell him a fine religious discourse and so in the end couzen him and if a vilde wretch comes in he hath another tale for him hee joynes with him onely that hee may put a crackt commodity into his hand and he joynes with the good man that hee may couzen him too so the Inkeeper when a Christian comes to his house hee tels him a fine religious tale and if a drunkard comes it he gives him his full measure thus his thornes grow and his corne too hee holds his profession and his corruptions too The second evidence of this mans falsnesse is this he is weather-wise that is he observes how the state of things stand and hee gives a shrewd guesse which way the winde and tide will goe and he will be sure to goe that way and to be on that side he sees the winde begin to rise and the stormes to bluster therefore he will provide and shift for one and doe any thing provided that his honour and ease may not be lost he will be of that side that the thornes of profit and pleasure may not be plowed up and therefore it is observable that those things which may hazzard his liberty he will not by his good will question them but he carries out the matter bravely before him so long as a man may have the substance saith he that is Christ and religion hee would not have men to trouble themselves about lesser matters but the Lord Christ saith hee that is unfaithfull in the least is unfaithfull in much and hee that makes not conscience of the smaller circumstances will not make conscience of the substance and if hee bee compeld to enquire and to make question of his course he will be satisfied by those shewes and that argument shall content him which may content his honour and maintaine his ease and honour and liberty and hee goes away well apaid and fully quieted and when this man is put to it and the dent of the truth dasheth all those probable truths of his then his last hold is this he doth not beleeve it and he cannot thinke it but if you cannot beleeve and entertaine that which you cannot answer then it is a signe that thy heart is naught and if a man follow him further and say if a man set himselfe and lift up himselfe and his conceits against the truth of God that mans heart is naught then saith he all the Ministers under heaven shall not make me beleeve it but when hee can say nothing against the truth he will keepe his hold still and he will not beleeve it thus you see this man at his full breadth and height as it is with a plow that goes to plow up a thorny tree they tug and pull and make the traces flye and breake the plow but the tree stands still it will not yeeld so it is with this wretched hypocrite all the reasons in the world and all the truths cannot prevaile with him he is resolved to stand to it and not to beleeve it wilt thou not now beleeve it well thou shalt beleeve it when thou art in hell past hope past helpe thou wilt beleeve it then thus the thornes choake the word that is strangle the truth and stop the breath of the truth so hee saith I passe not I beleeve it not this stifles all reasons and the power of all Scriptures that all prevailes not with him nor takes no place in him to make him know what it is to be a grower in the truth by this time I presume you may easily guesse at him what his fashion is and what hee can say for himselfe and wherein his falsenesse lyes and wheresoever you finde these that both the corne and the thornes grow together and that hee doth thus as in the former two then this man is one of the sturdy hypocrites Now I come to the third thing namely to shew wherein this man fals short of saving faith that a man that seeth it may amend when he comes after him and that he may not faile as the former have done the failing of this man appeares in two particulars First hee failes in the point of humiliation hee was not rightly humbled as in that place of the parable hee had horrour of heart enough for the measure of it but not enough for the uprightnesse and sincerity of it hee plowed deep enough but he left some thornes standing and hee had some lusts that his heart was more affected with hee would not be thus but there were some base inordinate earthly affections which were closely fastened to his heart and his heart glued to them hee would not plow them up and this was ill husbandry if he had done right he would have plowed up every thorne as well as some all the passages of Scripture run this way as Luke 3.5 Every valley shall be filled and every hill and mountaine shall bee brought low and every crooked thing shall bee made strait hee doth not say this or that mountaine but every mountaine not one sinne but every sinne not the heart to bee loosened from one particular sinne but from every sinne whatsoever if ever you bee humbled and that you make worke of it you must blow up all as Matth. 13.44 the wise merchant man went and sold all to buy the field not sold some but all so this sturdy hypocrite should have sold all his lusts and corruptions and every cursed haunt of heart and every sinfull withdrawing of soule you know the privie prankes of your hearts if there be but one sinfull lust maintained and continued in it will condemne you as well as an hundred thousand there is no bargaine to be made with Christ if you dally with him and stand dodging he will not yeeld to you no no you must sell all this man had his heart humbled in the consideration of some sinne and it was either for the feare of the punishment of his sinne in generall or else for feare of plague and of hell and of Gods wrath or else because of the shame and disgrace that would come thereby but if he had beene truly troubled for sinne
confidence than in Christ this is marvellous easie and apparant even amongst the Heathens themselves Many of the Heathens themselves have beene so farre taken up with the admiration at and affecting of morall vertues one man with patience and another with temperance they have been so taken up in meditation and in the admiration of these that they have trampled upon crownes and have harsely esteemed of all the honours of the world many speeches of the Heathen wee have to this purpose as that when one said honours riches c. cannot properly be said to be good for then they would make him good which hath them as wee see wisedome makes a man wise that hath it but they that have riches and honours for the most part are most wicked and vilde wretches therefore onely the wise man is the happy man and an ignorant man is a miserable man therefore hee seeing the excellency of and putting a high price upon these morall vertues this hath made them put a high price on the one and trample on the other Now if Heathen men may be so farre taken up with these morall vertues which have onely the light of nature to guide them and never had the knowledge of Christ to drive them beyond themselves that yet they will doe all this then a Hypocrite may come to see a greater beauty than is in all these when they come from the Spirit of grace for the Heathens had but the very shell and outside of these but the Hypocrite knowes the vertue and benefit of these and the eternall good that will come by these this hee is able to discerne and therefore hee is able to put a high price upon these and it is no wonder when the people came to make Saul King hee hid himselfe amongst the stuffe 1 Sam. 10.22 as if hee were unworthy of the kingdome so that a man may for by-ends cast off preferment and ease and honour Secondly whereas the sturdy hypocrite tooke up a fine cold temper and an ordinary path in a Christian course this hypocrite scornes that and he is a profest enemy to lukewarmnesse and to a lazy carnall discretion in a Christian course This is the zeale and forwardnesse of this man but mistake me not for I doe not speake this to dishearten a good cause or the zeale and forwardnesse of any good man no God forbid nay let that tongue faulter and cursed be the head that contrives or the mouth that speakes any thing against the zeale and forwardnesse of any man in any good cause the way is warrantable and lawfull and must be done for though meere morall vertues will not save a Christian yet without them no man shall ever come to Heaven but I speake all this to shew that all this may bee done and yet all be starke naught I doe not speake this to discourage any man for you see I commend of this man hee is not swept downe from the firmament of his profession as the sturdy hypocrite was by the taile of the Dragon but he maintains his profession with credit and is zealous in it he goes for a marvellous broken hearted Christian he scornes to be a linsey-woolsey-man halfe one and halfe of another hee stands in the open defence of the truth and dares side with the Lord Jesus Christ and saith as Iehu who is on my side who 2 Kings 10.16 Come see my zeale which I have for the Lord of Hosts thus it was with Paul Gal. 1. 14. He profited above many of his brethren in the Iewish religion being more exceeding zealous of the traditions of the Fathers and Phil. 3.6 7. he was a Pharisee and concerning zeale he persecuted the Church touching the righteousnesse of the Law he was blamelesse and these he counted gaine This was all the gaine that Paul had namely that hee had such parts and gifts and abilities to doe duties this was all his gaine and because hee had all these hee thought he must needs goe to Heaven nay nay it is harder to goe to Heaven than you thinke for it is another manner of worke than so the greatest hindrance that ever Paul had in his conversion was the carnall confidence which hee had in himselfe there he stucke Now wherein doth the falsenesse of this man appeare I answer Amongst many others it discovers it selfe most grosly and notoriously in these particulars First you shall finde that as for lesser sinnes the reformation of which might spoile him in the venting of his commodities and marring his market that he cannot set himselfe his parts and commodities at sale he will slight those sinnes and make no account of them and swallow them downe without any chewing because such as these bee would hinder him in his trading that hee could not vent and shew himselfe and hee makes no great matter of them this is for his outward practice But if a mans exactnesse in a Christian course be sincere then he will be exact in all things but if his exactnesse may give way to some sinne then it is but hypocrisie it is but a cloake and no soundnesse at all why dost thou heare and pray and take up duties though these must bee done if thy duties bee sincere and if thou lovest duties abroad thou wilt love them at home too 1 Iohn 2.3 Hereby we know that wee know him if we keepe his Commandements if a man keepe all the Commandements of God then he shall savingly know God and hereby hee shall know that he knowes God this is a signe that saving faith is there because it makes a man keepe all the Commandements of God but cursed bee that prayer which seems to set it selfe against sinne and yet gives allowance unto sinne That prayer and performance which maintaines sinne is accursed and God will never accept of it this is for his out side Secondly though this hypocrite be very exact and expresse much power of religion in the world yet follow this wretch home and dog him to his owne heart and closet and there you shall finde him not onely living in but maintaining some sinne either in his practice or else in others as when hee was abroad hee would swallow downe such smaller sinnes as would hinder him in the venting of himselfe so at home hee maintaines some distemper either in his family or in himselfe A man out of the strength of parts and the excellency of his judgement and the ability that God hath bestowed upon him may doe this that wheresoever he comes he will comfort and quicken and exhort and pray with others these are good duties I doe not discommend them but he returnes home and is churlish and dogged and cruell to his servants and takes up a pang of passion and will bee upon the house top for every trifle and this is constant too this is the bane of religion and profession Of this straine are those that for their parts and gifts are marvellous large and they will goe from this
there is no trading with him in matters of faith till his conscience be a wakened and his sinnes discovered The text saith The whole need not the Physitian and therefore will not seeke him nay he will not receive him when he comes he cares not for him while we thinke our selves whole and safe and sound and seared and speake peace to our soules in our naturall condition wee looke not after Christ neither will wee receive Christ if hee come to our doores It is a fine passage of Saint Paul and it is the ground hee makes of the unbeleefe of the Iewes Rom. 11.25 the text saith Hardnesse is come upon the Iewes till the fulnesse of the Gentiles is come in the word in the originall is prettie There is a kinde of sleepy sluggish stupid benummed senselesnesse in the Jew till the Gentiles came in the one are hindred from comming to Christ and beleeving in him because they are rocked asleepe therefore the word in the originall signifies a stilnesse for when a man hath got a stupid benummed heart he is all stilled all quiet and at rest he seeth nothing he lookes after nothing he cares for nothing but rests in the condition he is in and in this the Jewes shall dwell till the Lord awakes him out of this securitie This is the cause men complaine they cannot endure sharp preaching and to have their sinnes discovered and their consciences awakened I wonder Ministers should make this adoe cannot men goe to Heaven without such a stirre they see no neede therefore they desire no trouble this is that the Lord observes of the Church of Laodicea Revel 3. which was an argument of the base estate she was in Thou saist thou art rich and needest nothing and knowest not that thou art poore and blinde and miserable and naked because she knew not her miserie shee never laboured to goe to Christ to be freed from her misery and it is observed Zephany 3.12 when the Lord would discover a people that should beleeve hee saith I will leave an afflicted and a poore people a pooâ—e soule that trembles at Gods Word and seeth his misery hee is like to looke out for succour from the Lord Iesus nay famous is that place Iohn 12.39 marke a passage or two they are very observable and usefull for the point in hand There our Saviour speaking of the Jewes saith they could not beleeve hee addes the reason for I say saith The heart of this people is waxen fat hee hath blinded their eyes and hardned their hearts lest they should see with their eyes and beleeve with their hearts and should bee converted and I should heale them There are two passages observable one by the by that beleeving and converting are all one in Scripture hee saith they could not beleeve that they might not he converted but here was the ground why they could not beleeve Their eyes were blinded and their hearts were hardned They were in a senselesse benummed secure cursed course they hope to be saved and all is well and they never see what condition they are in till they are in Hell therefore they never seeke out for mercy Therefore Christ saith to the Jewes Yee will not come to me to be saved for how can yee beleeve when yee seeke the honour one of another and seeke not the honour that comes from God It is impossible for a man to bee in Hell and in Heaven both at once for light and darknesse to bee together in one place for a man to rest upon sinne and upon the feee grace of Christ as long as thou art setled as long as thou restest in thy base course as long as thou livest in a naturall sleepy condition Tell it to your children you that are Parents tell it to your husbands you that are wives husband how can you beleeve childe how can you beleeve when thou seekest not the honour of God but setlest thy selfe upon thy base rebellions and restest upon thy corruptions Thus wee see the hindrance it is a sleepy secure carelesnesse of condition Now the cure of it is this namely labour to inforce thy selfe touching thine owne estate and pinch thine owne heart awaken and stirre up thy soule and pinch thine owne heart in the apprehension of that misery and wofulnesse of that condition thou art in and you shall helpe one another A man that is asleepe cannot awaken himselfe but another man that is but new awake that scarce hath his senses about him can stirre another better than himselfe bee you so wise Every poore sinner is asleepe and secure in sinne when will his eyes be open he will never see he can never awaken himselfe and jog him and pinch him awaken him you must beleeve the word you are in a fearfull condition in a miserable estate A naturall man is an accursed man thus deale one with another and resolve of this in two or three passages Let every man say the Word is true and reason undeniable unlesse I be altered in my condition I shall bee confounded in my condition unlesse I be another man I am an accursed man unlesse I bee borne againe by the Word it had beene better for mee I had never beene borne into the world I must not thinke that Christ will carry my soule and my sinnes to Heaven together I must not perswade my heart that flesh and blood can enter into the Kingdome of Heaven no heart it will not be you are sleepy and sluggish and you thinke Christ will save you no no t is true Christ came to save sinners and t is as true Christ came to humble sinners and to sanctifie sinners and to convert sinners Christ came to save his servants from sinne as well as from Hell Tell thou thy owne heart thus and never be quiet till thou affect thy soule with the apprehension of Christ I am a miserable man and shall bee so for ever if I continue in this condition Secondly againe imagine that the heart is now awakened a little that the sinner beginnes to see that hee must change hee lookes about and conceives God is angry and his sinnes are hainous and hell is gaping for him and the Lord tels him there is your portion thither you will goe one day either you must be another man or else an accursed man When the soule begins to thinke of this that he must bee altered and changed the other hindrance of faith is this that a sinner thinkes hee can change himselfe this is another maine hindrance and it is one of the greatest hindrances under Heaven First the soule thinkes it needs no change what saith the soule doe you tell mee of Hell and stagger my conscience I thinke my selfe well enough but that Ministers will not let me alone But now he seeth he must change and thinkes with himselfe either I must have my soule humbled and my life reformed or else goe downe to Hell and then hee shuffles for himselfe and sharkes for his
as we may see Ephes 1.18 The same power that brought Christ out of the grave must bring the soule to Christ or else it will never come while the world stands be perswaded of these things they are true chuse whether you will beleeve them but the Lord make you beleeve them that you may receive comfort to your soules We come now in the second place to those second kinde of hinderances which doe not deprive a man of the title to Christ but through our own folly and weaknesse they stop us from comming so readily to Christ wee have interest in a promise but through our owne ignorance and Satans subtilty wee goe not so readily to a promise wee have title to The ground of all these hinderances is one and that is this namely when men out of carnall reason contrive another way to come to Christ than ever God ordained than ever the Word revealed when wee set up a standard by Gods standard when out of the heady haughty imaginations of our mindes wee make other termes and conditions of beleeving than ever God made then ever Christ required we lay bars in the way and lay boults upon our feet and manacles upon our hands and then wee complaine wee cannot goe the fault is your owne and the impediments are many because carnall reason is fruitfull to devise and Satan followes and fires these imaginations I will onely mention three hinderances which are mainly observable by which many a gracious heart is wonderfully damped from comming to and receiving benefit from the Lord Jesus Christ Hinderance 1 The first hinderance is a desperate kinde of despaire and discouragement which sometimes oppresseth the soule of a distressed sinner the distressed soule lookes upon his owne corruptionâ— and worthinesse and sinfullnesse and then hee dares not come to Christ hee viewes the number of his sinnes so many the nature of his abominations so hainous the continuance of them so long the soule of a distressed man sends his thoughts affarre off and viewes all both the abominations of his life and the distempers of his soule and seeth his iniquities mustering up themselves and Satan helps him forward for this is his policy First hee will keepe a sinner if hee can that hee shall not see sinne and then all will be whole and the sinner thinkes there is mercy enough in a Saviour and why should I trouble my selfe but when hee sees the sinner will pore upon his sinnes then hee shall see nothing else but sinne so that he dares not goe to God for mercy this is that I desire to trade in and follow Satan as far as I can Now the sinner that is in this case tell him that mercy is in Christ and redemption offered in a Saviour hee dares not heare of it hee dares not thinke of it what saith he shall I once imagine or thinke that there is any mercy for me that I have any title to or interest in Christ that were strange and the soule is here foyled and fastned upon his owne misery and never goeth to the Physitian he stares in the wound and never goes to a Saviour for a man is as well kept from going to Christ by poring continually upon his distempers by despaire as by resting upon his owne sufficiency by presumption hee that seeth not his sinnes he thinkes he hath sufficiency and therefore will not goe to Christ and when a sinner seeth and feeleth the burden of his iniquities he dares not goe to a Saviour this is the course of Satan and here in hee is marvellous cunning but this should not be any discouragement to our hearts from comming to the Lord Iesus Christ for I beseech you observe it for whom did Christ come into the world for whom did Christ die when he came it was not for the righteous that needed him not but for the sinners that had condemned themselves and hee came to save those that could not save themselves 1 Tim. 1.15 It is a faihfull saying Christ came to save sinners whereof I am the chiefe Zachary 13.1 There is a Fountaine set open for all people to wash in all sorts of sinnes and all sorts of sinners there is a fountaine set open for them bee they what they will be be they what they can be their sins never so great the time never so long and the hainousnesse never so vilde come they that will come come and welcome There was a fiery Serpent in the wildernesse and there was a brasen Serpent to cure them that were stung so if thou beest stung with the fiery Serpent of sinne Christ is the brasen Serpent that will heale thee Esay 43.24 When the Iewes had tyred God with their wickednesse and wearied him with their distempers yet the Lord for his owne Name sake pardoned all their iniquities and remembred their sins no more I say this though our sinnes bee never so hainous never so vile and abominable in themselves if the soule can see these and be burthened with these they doe not hinder the worke of faith and the worke of mercy I would faine have you thinke of that which I now say it is not our sinfulnesse properly I meane our unworthinesse but our haughtinesse that hinders us from comming to a Saviour it is not a mans basenesse and sinne that hinders him but his owne haughtinesse that lets him from comming to a Saviour we would have somewhat in our selves and not all from Christ therefore when we have nothing in our selves we are loth to goe to Christ were your sinnes lesser and your holinesse greater then you would goe then marke what followeth thou goest to Christ not because of the freenesse of his grace but because thou hast something in thy selfe to incourage thee to goe to Christ thou wilt have something before thou wilt goe to Christ and therefore wilt not have all from Christ therefore it is not thy basenesse and thy sinnes that hinder thee from Christ but it is thy haughtinesse and pride Object But Satan suggests and the soule replies I dare not come to Christ not onely because of my sins but because it is the freenesse of the offer of grace that I have rejected Answ Why this will not hinder thee neither provided thou canst be humbled for this though thou hast cast off the kindnesse of the Lord he will not reject thee and cast off thee if thou wilt come unto him Esay 57.18 the text saith for his wickednesse I have smitten him and was angry with him yet he turned after the way of his owne heart by this means Iudah should never be recalled but marke what the Lord addes I will heale him and restore comfort unto him as if he had said poore soule I have striven with him but he scorned me I offered him grace he received it not but went after the stubbornnesse of his owne heart hee seeth not his misery but I see it and I will pardon it Ierem. 3.2 Yet returne to mee saith
came and fell downe and worshipped him saying Lord helpe me then at last he compares her to a dog It is not meet to take the childrens bread and cast it unto dogs as who should say you Gentiles are dogs and the glad tidings of the Gospell are bread and therefore belong not unto you Now had shee pored and setled her selfe upon the words of our Saviour she had never beene made partaker of that mercy which Christ bestowed and she stood in need of now marke what shee saith Truth Lord but the dogs eat of the crums which fall from their Masters table Here observe a heart truly humbled and also truly wise to apprehend its owne weaknesse she confessed all that Christ spake Thou saist I am carnall I yeeld it thou saist I am a dog I confesse it my sinnes are more for number they are more hainous for nature than either my tongue can utter or my heart can conceive but though I am a dog Lord yet I will not goe out of doores but lie under the table she yeelded she was as bad as might bee and confessed all that Christ spoke yet shee will not from under the table so wee ought to doe when our corruptions are apprehended by us and our basenesse presented to the view of us when wee see our selves damned creatures and dogs and lost in our selves then let us say Truth Lord wee are worse than can be spoken of us wee are worse than can be conceived of us yet let us not fly out of doors but lie under the table and at the foot of our Saviour and take a crum of mercy at the hands of our Saviour But you will say Object Is it not a thing which is not only allowed but required that we should meditate of our sinnes nay is not this the way that God hath chalked out to sinners is not this the course that God hath commanded that men should see their sinnes that they might bee brought out of their sinnes and be brought to Christ I considered my wayes saith David and turned my feet unto thy testimonies Answ I answer this is true and all I said before was as true it is not onely I say lawfull for us but there is I say a necessitie lying upon us we must see our sinnes and consider our corruptions but stay not too long pore not too much upon thy sinnes expect no comfort nor consolation from thine infirmities and the meditation of them see thy sinnes thou must and oughtst to doe but see them so as thou maist be forced to flye to Christ for help and succour doe not so see them as to be settled in thy infirmities and to have thy soule so discouraged as thereby to bee driven from Christ therefore see thy sinnes thou shouldest that thou maist apprehend them loathsome and finde them burdensome to thy soule see thy sins also thou must till thou see an utter insufficiencie in all things under heaven to helpe thee out of thy sinnes see thy sinnes thou must also till thou see an absolute necessitie of a Saviour and of the mercie that is in the Lord Jesus Christ to recover thee out of thy sinnes and when the soule hath done these three particular passages When it hath seene sinne loathsome odious and ugly When it hath seene the helplesnesse of all naturall meanes and all things under heaven to recover it And when it hath seene the necessitie of mercie to help it out of sinne Away then for thy life to the throne of grace there is pardon enough to remove the guilt that sinne hath brought upon thee there is grace enough to take away all those corruptions that have defiled thy poore soule What madnesse and extreme folly is it for a poore sick man that is overtaken with some grievous disease or some sore wound not to goe to the Physitian before he be whole because hee is ashamed the Physitian should see him so distempered or wounded In reason we should rather goe first to the Physitian that he may heale us than be first healed and then goe to the Physitian and shew our selves so it is the desperate folly of many poore sinners wee would have our sinnes removed from us and our hearts quickned in the way of well doing and when we are healed then we will goe to Christ and when we have things about us then wee will lay hold on the promise and then wee will purchase salvation or at the least be joint purchasers with Christ in the great worke of redemption no let this be thy course see thy sinnes and take notice of thy corruptions and then away to the Physitian to be healed goe first to the Physitian to be healed but be not first healed and then goe to the Physitian 1 Sam. 12.10 this was the advice of the holy man Samuel when the people of Israel had dealt basely with the Lord by casting off his yoake for when they cast off Samuel they rejected the Lord at last the Lord opens their eyes and affects their hearts with those their sinnes now saith Samuel in the tenth verse Stand and see this great thing which the Lord will doe before your eyes is it not now when harvest I will call upon the Lord and hee shall send great thunder and raine that you may perceive that your wickednesse is great that you have done in the sight of the Lord now the Lord accordingly as Samuel had said thundered terribly from heaven now when they heard this and saw Gods anger therein they were driven to a kinde of a maze and were almost at their wits end and said Pray yee unto the Lord for us that we die not for wee have sinned greatly and to all other sinnes wee have added this that wee have asked for us a King now marke what a direction Samuel orders unto them Samuel well saw that this is the nature of all men by reason of their sinfull distempers that when we thinke wee are in a good case we never looke after mercie and when we are apprehensive of our owne basenesse and wretchednesse wee dare not looke towards mercie before they saw their sinnes and Gods anger for them they never cared for mercie but now they heard the thunder and apprehended Gods displeasure therein they durst not goe to God for mercie now marke how Samuel chalkes out a middle way betweene them both in the twentieth verse Feare not saith he you have done all this wickednesse yet depart not from following the Lord but serve the Lord with all your hearts neither turne your backes after vaine things that can profit you nothing as who should say I will not lessen your sinnes you have sinned grievously you have sinned fearfully and hainously I intend not to excuse or extenuate your wickednesse but depart not from the Lord as who should say you will be gone from God now you will looke for no mercie you will expect no favour the Lord you have cast off and therefore you
must as much as in us lies labour to plucke away all those props that the soule leans upon and all those outward succours and whatsoever outward contentment it is which a poore sinner doth repaire and betake himselfe to for releefe and helpe that when all these are taken from us wee may bee forced to goe for succour there where it is to be had Marke 5.26.27 when the poore woman in the Gospell had spent all her goods upon the Physitians and if she had had but a little means left yea but one farthing token for any thing I know shee would never have gone to Christ but when all these failed then shee was forced to seeke to Christ that was ready and willing to doe any thing for her distressed nature so our soules must have something to support themselves upon for they cannot live without some support Now therefore when all our carnall hopes are taken away wee must needs stay upon the promise because we have nothing else yet I say it is not requisite that a man should cast away those outward comforts that God affords him but take them when God gives them but onely this that though you have all yet labour to get your hearts to see the vanitie and acknowledge the emptinesse of all these and let not the heart seeke too much content in them for these are all but lying vanities and broken staves which will not onely cozen a man but pierce him too Now when the soule seeth these things cannot succour him but lay him in the dust then he will be content to have his heart severed from them It is with the soule as it was with Noahs Dove When the Arke began to rest upon the mountaine Arraret Noah sent out the Dove but the Dove found no rest for the sole of her foot no question there were many dead darkasses but the Dove found no rest till shee came to the Arke againe So when a man findes no rest in any thing the creature affords and can get no footing for the soule to to stay it selfe upon them then it betakes it selfe to Christ and goes home to the promise and rests there and expects from thence what is needfull as in the Art of swimming hee that will swimme must plucke his feet from the bottome and commit himselfe to the streame to beare him up so we must plucke our hearts from these things here below and them from us and though wee have honour and preferments yet wee must not put any confidence in them but learne by our beleeving to commit our selves wholly to the power of the promise and receive comfort from thence onely as Rabshakeh said sinfully Where are the gods of Hamath and Arphad c. Rely not upon them for the gods cannot helpe you so should wee reason when wee finde our hearts hankering after honour riches pleasure c. why say let not the gods of this world honour and profit and pleasure deceive thee did the pride of Pharaohs heart deliver him did the riches of Dives save him did Herods applause that he had deliver him did these gods secure them nay have they not left them in the lurch therefore let us take our hearts off from these things and have a base esteeme of them and see a vanitie and emptinesse and insufficiency in them that wee may bee forced to seeke to Christ and say as David said Helpe Lord for vaine is the helpe of man vaine is the helpe of all other things Means 2 Now when this is done there is a little way made that the promise may come to the soule and therefore labour in the second place to have your hearts possessed throughly and perswaded effectually of the fulnesse of that good which is in the promise and of that satisfactory mercy and freenesse of the grace of God in Christ that so the soule may bee establisht with that full content which is to bee had in the riches of the promise but marke what I say perswade your hearts of it and content not your selves that you are able to speake of it and talke and dispute somewhat fully of the excellency of the promise and of the riches of Gods free grace what is this to the purpose that the heart knowes this and yet is sore-stalled that it comes not to the promise therefore leave not thy heart till it come to make that account of the promise as the word saith it is worth I say leave not thy heart till thou see the promise of grace most beautifull in thy eye and that thy heart may gain some earnest touching of the goodnesse of God and the riches of his grace towards thee and bring thy heart to know and see that the promise is better than all the riches and honours that thou canst have or the world can bestow David saith Psalme 9.10 They that know thee will trust in thee for thou Lord hast never failed them that seeke thee this kinde of knowledge ever breeds confidence and resolution and perswades the heart Wee dare trust a friend whose faithfullnesse wee have tried and rest upon that which we know by experience the promises are of a tried truth seeke from one end of the Heavens to the other turne all the Bible over and see if ever any man leaned on the promise and the Lord did not performe that which he had promised for the good of his soule Psal 119.92 Except the Lord had beene my delight I should have perished in my troubles Psalme 73.26 David saith my flesh faileth me and my heart also but thou art the strength of my heart and my portion for ever againe I had perished in my affliction but that thy Word vpheld me the promises are worth trusting to leaning upon though David in the midst of his affliction was ready to sinke yet then the promise upheld him Esay 26.4 Trust in God for in Iehovah is everlasting strength now there is not strength in these things below or not everlasting strength but in Christ in the promises is everlasting strength here lies a great weight and it is a worke of marvellous difficulty and great necessity and therefore that thy heart may sit downe satisfied in the sufficiency of the promise I will propound three rules how you may improve the promise for your uttermost benefit Rule 1 First labour dayly to present to thy soule a greater good in the promise than thou canst see any where else it is a mans skill and it should be his endevour daily to watch his heart and to look what it is that the heart desires most and present a greater good to thy soule therein than in al things thou canst have elsewhere doe honours or riches or the applause of men or any earthly pleasures offer thee content and satisfaction then perswade thy heart there is a greater worth and excellency in the promise than can be had in all the world outbid the world and tell thy heart and say heart wouldst
thou have honour and glory why here is an exceeding weight of glory hee that hath the promise shall bee made a king and shall have glory that will never vanish doth thy heart hanker after earthly joy and mirth thou shalt finde a greater mirth in the promise than in the crackling of these thorns In the promise there iâ— joy unspeakable and indurable my joy I give unto you and none shall take it away here are rivers of pleasures and so I may say of any thing else doth thy heart hanker after riches tell thy heart that there be unsearchable riches in Christ and through him we have title to all the promises of this life and a better we know he that offers most for the bargaine carries it away therefore wee should observe the goings out of our hearts and what offers it selfe to give us most content and present our soules with a greater good in God in Christ in the promise than in all things else looke as it is in marrying if parts give content then the wisest prevaile if they would have riches then the wealthy obtaine why now wooe thy soule and looke what will please it best and make it appeare to thy soule there is a greater good in the promise honours and riches have spokes-masters and seeke commendations had I but such honour oh it were admirable had I but so much wealth oh it were excellent all this while the promise is shut out and it cannot come to the speech of the soule labour therefore to have accesse to the promise with thy soule and speake a good word for it and say stand by world stand by riches profits and pleasures and preferments roome for the Lord Jesus Christ and put a wonderfull price upon the promise whatsoever the soule doth account as best that it will chuse and leave all others for it doe as Dalilah did shee besieged the heart of Sampson and would not leave him till he powred out his heart to her so let the promise have ingresse and regresse let the promises besiege thy heart that thy heart may give up it selfe to it Hosea 2.7 I will returne to my first husband for then it was better with mee than now so when the heart comes to see and know that there is better riches ease pleasures profits preferments in Christ in the promise than in all the world then it will returne thither I would have the soule outbid the world and labour to out-shoot the Devill in his owne bow and those things which the Devill casts in thy way for hindering thy soule from comming to the promise let those things bee as meanes to usher in the promise as thus when thou seest thy heart looke after friends let those friends usher the way to thinke on the infinite love and favour of God in Christ and when thy heart would faine hunt after wealth let this usher a way to the promise and say if the heart finde such content in riches what would it finde in the riches of Gods grace in Christ thus present a greater good in the promise than in any thing else Rule 2 The second rule is labour to convince thy heart of this that all the things in the world without the promise are not good and hadst thou all that the earth can afford without a promise they were rather a curse to thee than a blessing Heb. 11.1 Faith is the substance of things hoped for it gives a kinde of being and substance to all there is no substance in honour and riches if they bee not in faith they are clogs and snares to a man except faith give a blessing therewith all our prayers have no substance in them but are poore and empty words without faith in the promise to have what we pray for the most broken and meane prayer if it bee mingled with faith it is a very powerfull prayer and the substance of all your hearing and my preaching lyes chiefly in faith otherwise they are but lost labour for faith is it that gives a kinde of being to whatsoever we speake or doe Rule 3 The third rule in this second meanes is this labour to acquaint thy heart with the goodnesse of the promise before carnall reason comes and possesses thy heart how that the promise is most sure and will come when it is most seasonable and is best for thee and when God sees it most fit we shall certainly have it David saith Thy Word is sure in heaven and Heb. 4.16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may receive comfort and mercie in time of need not when I see it sit but when God sees it fit this is it which carries away many poore sinfull hearts from resting upon the promise of God sometimes the heart is a little affected with the excellencie of the riches of Gods grace and seeth what great things the Lord hath done for his soule and saith Oh that I were such a one and let mee dye the death of the righteous but when it comes to passe that hee hath not present ease and comfort then hee casts away the good promise of the Lord and the Devill prevailes wonderfully with those poore creatures therefore saith the Prophet Heb. 3.17 When the fig tree shall not blossome neither shall the fruit be on the vines when the labour of the olive shall faile and yeeld no fruit then will I rejoyce in the Lord and joy in the God of my salvation let the promise so surpriâ—e thy heart that it may be possessed with the all-sufficiencie of it and therefore perswade thy heart the good of the promise will come when it is most seasonable let riches satisfie when death comes then call for your cordiall I tell you the promise will help when all faile Meanes 3 In the third place see that thou expectest all the good which thou needest and canst desire from that sufficiencie of the promise goe to the promise for all good there are all the cords of mercie that must draw thee and there is the all-sufficiencie that can supply all thy wants looke for all from thence and expect power from the promise to inable thee to doe whatsoever thou wouldest in the promise is authority to rule thee expect power from the promise to make thee able to beleeve the promise Object It is a weake plea for a man to say I dare not looke to the promise I cannot beleeve if I could beleeve then I might expect some good Answ Thou shalt never beleeve upon these termes thou must not first have faith and then goe to the promise but thou must first goe to the promise and from thence receive power to make thee able to beleeve the promise Psal 119.49 O Lord remember thy word to thy servant wherein thou hast caused me to trust when men are inlarged in love to a man and make faire promises this perswades the heart to trust to them and to rely upon them for good therefore a
they have the victory and although there never was nor never can bee any such engine for temporall deliverances as this is yet certaine it is this saving faith is a spirituall engine and instrument aâ— I may so say that gives victory and conquest over all spirituall enemies 1 Iohn 5.4 They that are borne of God overcome the world and sinne and this is the victorie that overcommeth the world even your faith marke the phrase and it is not for the conquest of some one corruption but for the overthrowing of a world of wickednesse it quencheth all the fiery darts of the Devill be the corruptions never so strong yet faith gives the conquest to a poore sinner it is not hope alone nor love nor zeale they are all good souldiers and they may strive much and lend much helpes to a poore sinner but they will grow weake and feeble and dead except saving faith come in to rescue anâ— bring a supply how often doe we finde that whâ—â— our hope failes and our love growes cold and ouâ— zeale dead then at last faith goes to heaven 〈◊〉 fetches new grace even grace for grace and thâ—â— hope is stirred and desire quickned and zeale enflamed Psal 27.13 I had fainted unlesse I had beloved to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the â—â—ving it was saith that did save him at a dead lift it is with the soule as it is with the body take a man that is swounding there is one friend that weeps over him another that comforts him but he that will cure him must goe to the Apothecaries shop and bring some Aqua vitae and that will fetch him againe so it is with a poore sinner being under the pressure of horrour of heart you wicked ones are not acquainted with this but you may be in time I have knowne the stouâ—â—st heart to stoop the poore sinner in his extremity faints and profits and pleasures and friends weepe over him saying Oh that we could have quieted and refreshed you but the poore man is goâ—e till at last faith goes to heaven and brings a pardon to save him and mercy to comfort him and hath supply there and faith brings the water of life even the freenesse of this grace and that cheares comforts and revives the heart thus sinking so that the poore sinner by this time begins to looke up and to come to himselfe againe as David saith Psal 73.1 Yet God is good to Israel hee wâ—â— even sinking but faith over came the temptation Oh saith he the world is naught and men are marvellous wicked and malicious to oppose and â—â—y owne heart is malicious and bad but God is good and he will be good to me and cure this vile hâ—â—rt of mine 1 Pet. 1.5 Wee are kept by the power 〈◊〉 God through faith unto salvation that which gets the victory is faith and next under God in Christ we owe our everlasting salvation unto faith even 〈◊〉 that blessed grace you that are acquainted with troubles and anguish of conscience and with many corruptions would it not doe you good at the heart to see all your deadly enemies laid downe at your feet would it not do you good to have all your strong lusts and masterly corruptions of pride and malice those mighty and Goliah sinnes that you have a deadly envie against and that you have stood so long against would you not see them all mastered and overcome I doubt not but you that feele these and undergoe the burden of these you would account it the best day that ever you did see if the conquest be worth the striving then get faith and then the day is yours and you shall see your lusts bleed your lusts breake and though your pride and other lusts now get ground against you yet then they shall be led captive as the text saith then Christ shall lead captivitie captive faith brings Christ into the field and so the victory is gotten Motive 3 As faith makes us glorious in all graces and gives the conquest over all enemies so in the last place it is faith that brings a blessing to all our blessings and it graces all our abilities and it blesseth us in all our occasions that concerne us the profit of all meanes and the successe of all our labours it is in faith nay there is a good which faith workes upon some and therefore it is wortâ— the striving it is that which blesseth all our blessings and all that doth concerne us meanes mâ—â— bend the worke and operation but all the profâ—â— is in faith as Heb. 4.2 The Gospell was preached unto them as unto us but it did not profit them because it was not mixt with faith in those that heard it hadst thou the greatest parts and abilities under heaven if thou hadst not faith with them they would not profit thee men thinke to goe beyond all with their power wit and policie but I say All will not profit them without faith if thou canst receive the Sacraments with faith it will strengthen thee if thou canst heare the Word with faith the terrours of the law will humble thee and the commands thereof will direct thee and awe thee but otherwise all is nothing though an Angell should come from heaven and preach to you as it is with the meanes of the body if a man eat never so much meat and cannot digest it if the stomack bee clogged with it there is nothing but sicknesse and diseases come from it but if a man take but a little meat and digest it well it will nourish him and doe him much good so it is here that which is the stomack and liver of the soule is faith and that turnes the Word and Sacraments and ordinances into good bloud it is a lowly beleeving heart that gets good by this Secondly all our performances finde acceptance through faith the Scripture saith Without faith it is impossible to please God and I say That without faith it is impossible that thou shouldst please God though thy judgement is weake and thy parts humble and thy ability poore and feeble but yet if thou canst but sigh up to heaven by faith that sigh is accepted in heaven with faith all thy weaknesses are pardoned and all services are accepted whereas without the grace of faith hadst thou the greatest abilities under Heaven and though thou canst please thy great Patron thine owne proud heart yet thou wilt never please the great God he that heareth holy faith and walketh by faith though hee can please none else yet hee shall be sure to please his God This is that which turneth all our sinnes and curses into good to us Oh marke that not that it makes them good in themselves but it brings good out of them The cunning Apothecary and wise Physitian can make the most deadly poyson the most soveraigne cordiall because he corrects the one that is so many degrees could and puts a stronger spirit of heat
so mannaged as it is with a man that hath a faire estate and is left marvellous well if he would have the benefit of his estate first hee must mannage it secondly hee must maintaine him and his out of the gaine of it so mannaged Particular 1 First the Lord hath left you well and you have wherewithall to live like men and like Christian men too yea an happie life that you may go singing to your graves and goe rejoycing up to heaven and you have faith too only you want some skill to use it for it is not conceived that you are well stockt and stored but it is required that you should husband the promises well and injoy them as your owne and live by the comfort of the promises the promises are ours and we have them in hand if wee can but bring our hearts to approve them aright Now that wee must mannage the promises aright two things are mainly observable though there are many others ready at hand yet I will insist upon those that are most usefull for the benefit of the worke Rule 1 Take possession of the promises and value that good in the promise as thine nay further make it present and substantiall to thy soule as the Apostle saith Heb. 11.1 not only that good which the promise will yeeld for the present but eternall and everlasting good which every promise will make thy soule assured of if thou hast a heart to improve it aright and care to bestow thy selfe thereupon The only way for a man to thrive in his estate is this hee must dwell upon his owne meanes and have it all in his owne occupying for as we use to say If a man lease it out why may not he get something by keeping of it as another by hiring of it If he would doe thus say we he must needs get more than hee doth now so it ought to be in our spirituall estate and so faith will enable us that wee may doe not only to take the present benefit that the promise will afford in this life but the promise is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seene all that glory and happinesse in heaven not yet seene and not yet in fruition faith will make all that happinesse within view and puts us into possession of them and makes them have a being to our soules faith it is that brings Christ and makes Christ present and in Christ all presented all glorie is in Christ who is the Authour of it and faith makes all that glory present all happinesse in Christ who is the worker of it and faith makes all that happinesse to be present so that by faith laying hold on thy Saviour not only to take comfort but to make all that happinesse and good that is eternally to be present as Luke 12.32 Feare not little flock but might they not say How shall we chuse but feare seeing there is nothing but sinnes within that deserve punishment and enemies without that breath forth threatnings O but a Saviour saith Feare not little flock why it is your Fathers pleasure to give you a kingdome you are not in the kingdome as yet yet you are in the way to it and though you are now in the wildernesse leading to Canaan yet you shall come to Canaan and so you shall have a kingdome remember that and so you shall be comforted and refreshed live upon this when you looke only to the present benefit of the promise it is true this is more than wee can conceive yet wee let the better part of our stock and estate lye by us for there are two parts of the promise the present good and peace and the eternall and everlasting good and comfort of it now when we looke only to the present good of it this is ill husbandry for wee let the better part of the stocke lye dead by us and doe not trade with it as it is in the world for temporall meanes so it is for our spirituall estates for spirituall succour and supply though a man have little for the present yet if hee have some old reversions to come this beares up his heart in the time of poverty and misery and he saith if he can but make a scrambling shift for so long time then hee hopes to live as well as any man in the Country So that there is not some of the promise that we have in possession but there is the reversion of old rents as old rents of farmes that were let long agoe when the leases come out they are worth treble the rent they were let at the first So there are the old rents of comfort and mercie as Come yee blessed of my Father inherit the kingdome prepared for you then no more teares no more trouble no more sorrow no more sinne get those into your hands and have them in use and say The day will come when wee shall have happinesse blisse and joy beyond all that the tongue of man can expresse or the heart of man conceive though we are buffeted with many temptations and wearied with a world of corruptions yet we shall bee saved saith faith Thus a man may make a pretty good shift to live upon these termes though we have nothing else to live upon in the world therefore remember what now I speake Labour to fasten this truth upon thy heart that there is not onely present good in thy selfe but in another and reserved by another for thy comfort and be thou content that it should be so not only to looke what thou hast but consider that the greatest part of thy glory is in the glory of a Christ and the greatest part of thy wisdome is in the wisdome of a Christ and thy liberty in the liberty of a Christ and thy riches in the riches of a Christ and know that whatsoever is in Christ thou hast it all as thine Iohn 3.12 Behold what love the Father hath shewed to us that we are now the Sonnes of God I tell you brethren this is a marvellous privilege and if you had no more but this you had a childes portion but it appeares not what we shall have we have but a glimse now what will the harvest be and now we have only some sips of it what shall then the full cup be when we shall see Christ as he is thus Moses did improve his estate Heb. 11.26 he bare all afflictions comfortably yea he esteemed the rebukes of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt why because he had an eye to the recompence of the reward we account of a mans estate for what he hath for present possession but what is like to befall him and what hee is borne unto what Moses did doe thou that thou maist account the misery and disgrace of a Christ greater riches than all the pleasures of the world have all thy estate in thy owne hand if thou wilt be a good husband as it is with
Isaac againe So I would have a poore Saint of God to conclude when thou findest thy comforts like Isaacks in the ashes and thy estate hopelesse and helplesse yet even then set Gods power on worke and wait upon him in the use of the meanes that hee hath appointed and then conclude it and bring patience power and deliverance and so in every kinde according to all thy necessities yet remember this expect no more from the promise than God will give in the promise but say my sinnes shall bee mastered one day and these temptations shall be one day overthrowne that have so long annoyed the soule of thy poore servant I have begged succour against these corruptions within and these temptations without and yet it is not but I know it is done in heaven it wants nothing but the taking out thou wilt bestow upon thy servant what thou seest fit 1 Sam. 1.18 Hannah wept sore and prayed to the Lord and went away and was no more sorrowfull and she said Lord I beleeve that I shall either have a childe or that which is as good or better now the businesse was done but imagine the Lord delayes and doth not suddenly accomplish what hee intends and thou hast used meanes to receive he gives not and grants not and sends not succour according to thy desire and the tenure of the covenant as thou conceivest Direct 4 Then faith must take up his stand and stay till it come as thou resolvest that it will be so stay till it be and stay it out here is much worke to doe we prevent Gods kindnesse when wee goe away before hee bee willing to bestow his kindnesse on us but faith will not doe so hee that beleeveth doth not make haste he makes haste to obey but hee stayes and resolves that it will be the vision is for an appointed time therefore wait for it thou art pestered with thy sinnes and hast laboured by faith to subdue them and thy estate is low and thou hast laboured by faith for deliverance and yet it comes not and freedome from temptations comes not therefore stay till God sees fit and it will come Psal 123.2 As the eyes of a servant looke to the hands of his master and the eyes of a maiden to her mistresse so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God untill he have mercie upon us not till I will and till I see fit and according to my minde but untill the Lord have mercie wee suddenly slide away from the covenant which the Lord makes with us because wee have it not when wee will therefore we goe away 1 Sam. 13.13 when Samuel carried long and the people began to murmur Saul went and offered a burnt-offering unto the Lord and therefore Samuel said unto him Thou hast done foolishly and hast not kept the commandement of thy God which he commanded thee for now would the Lord have established thy kingdome upon Israel for ever If Saul had stayed the Lords time hee would have established the kingdome upon Israel for ever but he prevented the Lords kindnesse and offered sacrifice unseasonably and sinfully so it is many times with a proud pettish rash and distempered heart if we have not what we would and just when we would then wee are all amort and murmur and say Why should wee wait any longer thou hast done foolishly hast thou prayed and looked to the promise thus long and wilt thou now give over the Lord would have comforted thee hadst thou gone on but the Lord hath withdrawn himselfe from thee because thou hast withdrawn thy heart from the promise when the carriage is heavie and the way is dead there are many sore puls and the wagon is at a stand and if a man should then goe away then all his worke were lost therefore stay thou till the Lord shew mercy thus long thou hast called and sought and looked to the promise and waited upon the Lord and attended upon the freenesse of his grace once more would have done it thy heart was almost humbled and thy sinne was almost conquered O thou silly foole why didst not thou hold it out it wil come at last my life for thine now take heed of this if the time seeme tedious and thy heart begins to sink and thy spirit is weary take heed of flying off take heed of shifting for thy owne comfort and looking to base ende and aimes no hold thy minde to and keep thy eye of faith upon the promise and stay it out till God see the time fit and know it is the best time for thee to receive it Acts 27 31. Paul saith Except these abide in the ship you cannot be safe every man was shipping over bord to save himselfe but Paul stayed them a man would have thought otherwise but the Apostle knew it was not so for the Lord had revealed it unto him so I say be thy temptations never so strong and thy sinnes never so many and thou beginnest to complaine and saist I have cryed Lord and sought earnestly and yet my condition is worse and my soule more sinfull and I am lesse able to helpe my selfe there is no more succour to bee expected now take heed of going out of the ship and from the use of the meanes keepe in the ship for in the ship you shall be safe keepe in the promise and still your hearts there you shall have a happie arrivall at heaven though it bee upon a broken board it s no matter stay Gods time Direct 5 Yet haply the Lord seemes sometimes not only to delay his poore servants and to withhold his favour but he seemes to frowne and say he will not heare and hee seemes to be angrie with the prayers of his servants and with their importunitie and he seemes as if he would not succour and supply thus he dealt with Iacob Gen. 32.26 there the Lord saith Let me goe I care not what becomes of thee I leave thee to thy selfe but Iacob layes hold upon him and would not let him goe so the last worke of faith is this In an holy humilitie to labour to contend with God and by strong hand to overcome the Lord for the Lord loves to be overcome thus bee not fancie with the Lord but in the sense of thy owne basenesse as it were catch the Lord Jesus and strive with him leave not till thou hast those comforts which he hath promised and thou hast begged this is the glory and victorie of the â—â—iumph of faith that gives the day to and layes downe the weapons and yeelds himselfe as conquered as it was Iacob when God saw he could not prevaile he said in the 28. verse Thy name shall be no more called Iacob but Israel because thou hast prevailed with God God is ready to give what he hath promised but he will have us trie masterie with him God overcomes himselfe and we by faith in God overcome God as Iam. 2.13 Mercie triumphs over justice Lord saith my
I have heard of much comfort and peace and that the Lord would be good to his and would save and deliver those that trust in him you told me so did you not Had you told me of shame and disgrace and miseries which I now finde I could have told how to answer you and how to order all my occasions when the Sunne riseth hot upon him and troubles and afflictions befall him then hee leaves Christ Jesus and all rather than hee will part with his comforts and ease and the like thus it is in Matthew 8.19 A certaine Scribe seeing Christ like to prove a great man and thinking to have a good booty out of him he said I will follow thee whither soever thou goest he thought Christ would bee preferred and if I can but get under his wings I shall be a made man for ever Take heed what thou dost saith our Saviour if thou wilt follow mee thou must take all miseries that come I have not a bed for my selfe and therefore if thou want one thou must be content The Foxes have holes and the Fowles of the aire have nests but the Sonne of man hath not whereon to lay his head so hee was gone and wee heare no more of him The second ground upon which he commonly departs is this when the good Word of the Lord comes home close to his heart and reads the blacke side as well as the white side when the Word of God pursues him home to his conscience and shewes his sinnes and discovers his base practices and tells him thus it is true there is mercy and salvation enough to be had in Christ but there is none for such as will not part with all for Christ nor for those that will not lose all to finde and entertaine Christ Now when the Minister comes to shake this mans hold and to tell him you follow after Christ for the loaves your profession is faire but your heart is naught there is no sound worke nor saving grace wrought all that you have done is lost and come to nothing then hee is profesly at daggers drawing with the truth of Christ and saith what is it all come to this This man doth not preach as hee was wont to doe what mercy was he wont to discover and what consolations would hee reveale to all the poore servants of God he preacheth now as if he would vex men and not comfort them as Iohn 6.34 The Disciples were very desirous to have their meat drest for them and Christ saith to them I will doe it for you the bread of God is he which commeth downe from Heaven and giveth life unto the world Oh said they Lord evermore give us of this bread well saith Christ you shall have enough of it I am that bread of life hee that commeth to me shall never hunger and he that beleeveth in me shall never thirst he that eateth my flesh shall never hunger the flesh profiteth nothing the words that I speake they are Spirit and they are Life this must be done by faith spiritually now marke these men in the 60. verse they fall to open quarrelling and opposing this is an hard saying who can beare it as if hee had said you desired evermore to have of this bread but you must bee humble and feed upon me by faith and lay downe all confidence in parts and gifts Oh then they loathed this bread and care not for it it will not downe this is bread that no man can digest what thus holy and thus heavenly minded to man can endure it So from that day forward they went away So Gal. 4.15 16. the Galathians there did entertaine the Word of the Lord marvellous contentedly and their hearts were ravished therewith insomuch that they could have beene even content to pluck out their eyes to doe the Apostle good and yet presently after they would have pluckt the soule from his body and all this was because hee would not dally with them nor nourish them in their sinnes but spoke the truth which would have pluckt away their corruptions from them When the Prophet came to the widowes house and bade her take meale out of the barrell and draw oyle out of the cruise all the while that this lasted he was welcome but when the childe died she saith Oh thou man of God art thou come to call my sinnes to remembrance by slaying my sonne when shee conceived that he had seene her sinnes shee falls out with him so it is with this temporary beleever all the while the meale and the oyle continue and while a Minister will tell them of ease and liberty and prosperity and preach smooth things and fawne upon them in their base distempers and daube them up all this while the Ministers are welcome but if a man come to shake their hypocrisie and when they begin to say what a dissembler and a cheater and yet a professor then they say Oh thou man of God art thou come to shake the hold of all the hope we have wee are not able to endure it it is knowne by experience that commonly such persons turne the most bitter enemies against that truth which formerly they have professed and seemed to love Thirdly how comes it to passe that hee falls short and what wanted he you see he had something like unto faith the Saints of God were affected so was he the Saints of God had some taste of the sweetnesse of the Word so had hee where is the fault then I answer the failing was in three particulars and they are very faire and open First this was the wound of the temporary in his course he received the Word suddenly and with joy and so hee came not to the promise aright but came to just nothing for in Gods ordinary course of proceeding this is the course whereas he did receive the Word suddenly with joy he should have received it leasurely and with sorrow as Ier. 50.4 at that time saith the Lord The Chilren of Israel shall come they and the children of Iudah together going and weeping shall they goe and seeke the Lord their God and they shall aske the way to Zion with their faces thitherward If ever you would seeke the Lord and have your faces towards him you must goe weeping and mourning and this was the way that God led them and that wisely too as Ier. 31.9 They shall come weeping and mourning and with mercy will I bring them Againe I will lead them by the rivers of waters c. There are even rivers of supplications in their mouthes they powred out their hearts there and what came afterwards their hearts were filled with comfort and consolation it is that which you shall observe the Lord appoints this and it is the portion which God the great Housholder of heaven and earth prepares for his hee prepares it for them and therefore all you proud and stubborne wretches and unbroken hearts meddle not you with comfort first he discomforted
before ever you can bee comforted as for this temporary beleever his eyes were never opened convictingly to see his sinnes and his heart was never burthened with them nor loosned from them that so the Lord Christ and his comforts might be setled upon therefore in Hosea 2.14 I will allure her and bring her into the wildernesse and speake friendly to her and I will give her vineyards from thence and the valley of Achor for the doore of hope first in the wildernesse and then in Canaan first in sorrow then in comfort the valley of Achor is the valley of consternation and then the doore of hope this is the way toward Zion but this temporary hath invented a new way to Zion he doth as Ruffians doe they will goe in the â—oad way so farre as they finde good way but when they come into bad way they breake over hedges and finde a new way whether lawfull or unlawfull they care not so doth this man he takes his comfort as soone as ever it comes hee snatches at all the comforts of the Gospell and thinks they are all his owne and all on the sudden he is a forward professour at three or foure dayes warning and his heart snatcheth at every Sermon of mercie and he is as good a Christian by and by as many a poore soule which hath tugged hard for it many a yeare but his conscience was never awakened he never felt the burthen of his sinnes nor the wrath of God against him for his sinnes this temporary promises to himselfe nothing but ease and peace and prosperity therefore when sorrowes and troubles and miseries come he goes away with as much speed as he came like Ionahs gourd that came up suddenly and withered as suddenly so in the beginning of the yeare hee is a hot professour and before the fall of the leafe he is gone againe the wound of this man was this he wanted the worke of the law not onely that through-worke of the law which none shall have but such as have faith but also that legall worke of the law which should breake and hammer his heart this is the stonie ground-hearer he wanted depth of earth what that was wee shall dispute anon when occasion serves the meaning is thus much in the generall the plow which should have given earth and mould enough it was the sharp law which should have torne up his proud sturdy rebellious heart all in peeces but this man never had this worke and therefore his proud heart beat backe the worke of the promise that it never had roome in his heart comfort and consolation will never sticke nor abide upon a proud heart nor upon a stubborne and unbroken heart which was yet never broken for sinne plaisters may be made but they shall never finde ease and comfort by them as they desire you may goe away comforted and say God is mercifull and Christ is gracious and he came to save sinners and though our workes will not justifie us yet the Lord Jesus Christ will save us your plaister will not sticke thus he failes in the entrance to the promise Secondly he failes in his application of the promise for the ground upon which he goes or the cause and reason which carries him to roame after the promise it is onely the generall notice of mercie and of the salvation that God offers the glimpse and the shine whereof being let in upon the heart and passing by jogs the soule and so the heart snatcheth at it he comes to heare the abundance of mercie and the rich redemption and plentifull goodnesse of Christ to pardon all sinnes the sinne against the holy Ghost onely excepted and the freenesse of mercy to all sorts of sinners be they never so many for number never so vile for nature yea he heareth that there is a fountaine set open for all to wash in when he heares this hee saith that 's well then I may come to heaven too and there is some hope that I may receive mercie never considereth the condicions upon which God promiseth and bestoweth mercie whereas the man that is a true beleever hath not only a common kinde of apprehension of the mercie of God in Christ but he hath a particular application of it I will open it thus that every man may take something the temporarie hath a common hear-say of mercie and the common hear-say of mercie in the bare letter of them as that Jesus Christ came to save sinners it is in the bruit of it onely but the humbled soule hath it under the hand of the Spirit and the Spirit seales it and makes it good to him the promise of life slides and passeth by the temporary beleever but now the Spirit of God settles it and it takes a deep and a through impression in the heart of a beleever by application the Spirit of God only as it were jogs the heart of a temporarie beleever but he sets it on deeply upon the heart that is humbled and fitted for it as the Angell said unto Gideon The Lord is with thee thou valiant man so the Lord faith to every humbled soule not onely that the Lord is gracious and mercifull for thus he saith to the temporarie beleever but he is gracious and mercifull to thee and hee will speake peace and comfort to thee which hast spoken trouble and terrour to thine owne heart as in the 1 Cor. 2.12 Wee have not received the Spirit of the world but the Spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are given to us of God God not only gives us good things but he hath given his Spirit that we may know that it is he which hath given us these good things Thirdly and lastly this temporary beleever failes and fals shott upon this ground also I told you the soule is effectually perswaded to rest upon the free grace of God and to fall into the armes of his mercie now the temporary failes also in the worke of relying that which feeds his hope and stayes his heart is nothing else but the taste and present sweetnesse which he had in the promise he relyes upon the taste and sense which hee had by the sip of the promise and hence it is that when the taste is gone the sweetnesse of the present push is gone that then there comes trouble and sorrow more heavie and more able to vex him than all the other was to comfort him then hee begins to repent him of his match and thinkes that all his profession will not quit cost now when that taste and that comfort which he had failes him and sorrow and afflictions come and overpowers his sweetnesse and comfort then hee fals away but a man that hath true saving faith rests himselfe not upon the taste and sense of this good but upon the goodnesse of God in the promise and upon the all-sufficiency of God in the promise he seeth more good in the promise than in all the