not seene God he goes in darknesse and must wander for ever more Looke a little on your hearts and aske the question concerning your conversation whether you love the people of God or no That is the third thing Then fourthly which depends upon this whosoever 4 Fellowship with the Saints hath seene God rightly as he loves the Saints so he hath Gospell fellowship with the Saints I say he hath Fellowship with the Saints 1 Joh. 1. 7. For there is a discourse concerning this seeing of God Truly saith John verse 3. Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ and these things we write unto you that your joy may be full But if we say we have Fellowship with him and walk in darknesse we lye and doe not the truth If we say we have fellowship with him and walke in sinne But if wee walke in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship one with another and the bloud of Jesus Christ his Whence the Fellowship of Saints is Son cleanseth us from all sinne Understand me I meane not here by fellowship and I suppose it is not meant here fellowship of neighbourhood or fellowship of the family or fellowship of the same City no nor being of the same outward visible Church I thinke that is not meant though that be not contrary But VVe have fellowship one with another What is that That is when I have seene God and have had fellowship with God and his sonne Jesus Christ I have a spirituall fellowship with all that have seene God with me that is the ground of the fellowship and communion I have with others is in that they have seene God as well as I and the impression of God is cleare on their spirits and manifested in their lives Therefore for People to have fellowship with Fellowship on wrong grounds others in this or that respect because they jump with them in this or that opinion or in this or that way this is not the Fellowship spoken of by John and by Paul Philip. 1. 4 5. But this Fellowship is a higher thing the spiritual communion we have one with another upon spirituall grounds because of the Spirit of God dwelling in us Therefore examine your selves by this Have you any fellowship with the Saints Is not the Fellowship of divers of you why should I aske the question I know it is so with Drunkards and Malignants those that raile against godlinesse those that blaspheme God and his People this is the Fellowship of many And it may be others of you have fellowship with Professors but it is carnall that is it is grounded on carnall respects it is not because they have seene God and you have seene him also and therefore you have Fellowship together That is another thing A fifth thing I find that I will but touch That whosoever hath seene God they are very desirous 5 Desire to bring others to the light to bring all others into the same light that they have seene O! how oft doth Paul upon every occasion concerning his vision how oft doth he repeat it at large in the acts of the Apostles how he had seene God! And so here John when he had seene the glory of God he writes to them he delivers the message to them and he would bring them also to the light to walke in the light as he did Beloved a man that hath seene God once truly he looks upon all the world as People walking in Hell in a hell of darknesse the course of mankind in this world is but as a Hell to him Therefore to see People walke in such grosse darknesse and God having broken in a little Window into his soule he cannot choose but bring others to the light Therefore I never believed nor doe believe Christians should be ready to teach others when People among us it may be they are godly I leave them to the Lord that professe they see a great deale of light and they see God more then others and yet for the expression of it we see they withdraw and goe aside and they thinke it not fit to teach carnall men it may be they will teach one another three or foure or five Not as though I blamed teaching let us teach one another any how so we may edifie one another in the Lord publickly or privately but when there is a spirit in People that they will not communicate the light as much as they can that other poor sinners may see it I suspect that light that it is not from God for whosoever sees the Light rightly he will doe his utmost Endeavour to bring others into the Light 6 It enableth to suffering as in But lastly I find that whosoever hath seene God truly that sight of God will make him able to goe through any hardship any suffering any affliction whatsoever in the service of God As in Heb. 11. 27. Moses forsooke Aegypt and regarded not the wrath Moses of the King but endured saith the text Why did he Did he not know what the wrath of the King was No doubt but he saw what a Tyrant he was and he saw much cruelty living in the House but he endured as seeing him who is invisible he saw God and so he was able to goe through all And so Stephen that blessed man that was full of the Stephen holy Ghost Acts 7 When he had preached unto them saith the text they were cut to their hearts and gnashed on him with their teeth and he being full of the holy Ghost looked stedfastly to Heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus Christ standing on the right hand of God When they gnashed their teeth he looked up to heaven saw God and Christ at his right hand It may be there was somthing that was extraordinary but it is a worke that is ordinary Behold saith he I see the Heavens opened and the Sonne of man standing on the right hand of God Then they cryed out and stopped their eares and stoned him and he called on God and said Lord Jesus receive my spirit and kneeled downe and cried Lord lay not this sinne to their charge See how Stephen was calling on God and praying for his enemies and giving up his Spirit to God when they were gnashing with their teeth and stoning him as if they had been mad yet he goes through it quietly Whatsoever pretences men have this is the Why some Professors avoid suffeing reason why many Professors are so wise that they will never suffer persecution let the world turne which way it will they will not want distinctions to waue persecution the truth is they wave it because they have not seene God if they had they would carry themselves innocently and prudently and then let what would come Thus briefly I have shewed you how you may know whether you have seene God aright or no. Now lastly in a few words because you
while thou livest and to let Christ be wisedome in thee that thou wouldest be a poore infirme fraile creature and let Christ Jesus be thy righteousnesse that thou art content to walke in raggs and let Christ be thy riches This is one thing In that place Rom. 10. 3. It was the pride of the Jews that kept them from salvation by the righteousnesse of the Gospell they would not submit to the righteousnesse of God they were a proud people So that is it that keeps many a soule that hears the word it is that that keepes you weake What it is that keepes men in inward trouble and full of woe and sorrow all your dayes You thinke it is the want of this grace and the want of that grace and other things but it is nothing but your owne stubborne heart that you will not submit to the righteousnesse of Christ You would have this grace and that grace that is you would fill up every corner of your owne shop and you would amend your owne trading but you would not shut up shop and be journey-men as I may speake with reverence to Jesus Christ That is one thing Then againe the second particular I have to demonstrate 2. To take the righteousnes of Christ on his bare word that whether you be humbled or no is this whether the Lord have brought you to be content to take the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ upon his owne bare and naked word Whether now you can say there is Jesus Christ full of righteousnesse for me and my own righteousnesse is full of raggs What evidence have you for it Here is a word Jesus Christ is come to dye for sinners I find nothing in me but here is a bare word and hereupon I am content to take his righteousnesse and throw away mine owne I doe not say but that a good Christian may Christians may make use of signes make good use of signes and marks even in earthly things Christians see the love of God by temporall outward things for God useth what Pipes he pleaseth to convey his love But the question is in matter of believing whether I should not throw away my owne righteousnesse and wholly believe in Jesus Christs righteousnesse before I see any grace or any signe A humble heart can doe it and is content that marks should come after he believes after I believe God will sanctifie me and worke grace and then I shall see his love more But the first bargain betweene God and me is his bare word therefore that Rom. 10. is glorious and cleare and comfortable The Apostle lays downe the difference betweene salvation by the Law and by faith saith he the Righteousnesse of the Law speaketh on this wise The man that doth these things shall live by them but the righteousnesse which is of Faith speaketh on this wise say not in thy heart who shall ascend into Heaven or who shall descend into the Deepe but he that believeth shall be saved Marke it this is the straine and streame and language of the Gospell that is salvation by Jesus Christ and whosoever believeth on that salvation shall not be ashamed he shall be sure of it But how shall we come to believe and to be sure of this salvation Say not in thy heart who shall goe up to heaven or who shall descend into the deep but what saith it the word is nigh thee that is God hath given a word and he will give a spirit of faith with it and there are but two words to the bargaine there is the spirit in thee and the word without thee and this is the righteousnesse of God the righteousnesse of faith saith so Say not who shall goe up to heaven or downe to the earth For the eyes of a fool are scattered about the world And when men come to believe in Christ they aske who shall ascend into Heaven how shall I come to know that I am a Saint and that I am predestinated The Lord would have us believe the word that Christ Jesus came to save sinners of whom I am chiefe Here is a word if the heart now could apply this by the spirit of faith That is another thing I would have you thinke on Your ordinary Professors most of them they Why ordinary professors want assurance have not assurance of salvation why They cannot believe Why so because they finde so many corruptions in them and they finde so many graces wanting and they have ill memories and hard hearts and if it were not for these things they could believe What is the meaning of it It is as if they should say I will never trust God in the righteousnesse of the Gospell upon his bare word God will have us trust him ere he will trust us we must take God upon his word God wil bring every child of his to this to take his salvation upon a bare word and he will blesse his name for it I have but one soule and if I had a thousand I would venture them all upon his word and say there my soule lyes sinck or swim or goe to heaven or hell here is the word that Christ came to save sinners of whom I am chiefe Now if there be pride in the heart it will not come and rest on a bare word The Lord make you understand these things that they may not be lost Thirdly a humble heart will be content not only 3. With a generall word with a bare word but with the least word and the most generall word A proud heart will not be content unlesse he hath a perticular word For my part I may mistake but I will tell you my opinion that those men how Christ dyed not for all ever otherwise they be godly some of them that doe hold that Christ did dye for all men and that he came to save Judas as well as Peter If Christ came to save all and yet many shall goe to Hell how come they to be saved It is a proud thought in the heart that would teach God how to speake and how to make promises and we poore wretched damnable creatures must shew him what language he shall speake in whereas now a humble heart will take the least and most generall word and thanke God as we see in the woman of Canaan Christ gives her never a word a great while but frownes and then he gives her a terrible word and bids her goe he calls her Dogg why that was something a Dogg hath some priviledge he hath the crums that fall from the Table he looks for outward mercies and therefore in that he calls me Dogg I have so much of that word that I will follow him for the crums Saith Christ to her O Woman great is thy faith be it unto thee as thou wilt So Benhadads servants when they came with Halters about their necks saith the King Is my brother Benhadad alive that was a comfortable word they harpt upon
not willing to tell him being but a child he knew by his countenance it was not good tydings yet saith he I pray thee hide not from me what God hath told thee God doe so to thee and more also if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee O Blessed man he was willing to know it though it were a sore message that the Lord would take away the Preisthood and he should breake his neck and his Sons should be slaine in the Warrs So Cornelius Act. 10. 33. When Peter came to preach Wee are here all in the presence of God to heare all things that shall be commanded us of God We are not here that we may please our owne humours and suit our owne lusts but to heare all let it be rough or smooth with us or against us we are here to heare all that the Lord will say Canst thou say so when thou commest before the Lord and hearest the Word I am here to heare all the Lord will say Beloved I wish it were so but I seare that of all the People in England there are many in this Cittie that it may be are good People abundance of them and yet we are willing to learne nothing in the world but what we like and we crumble the bread of our salvation as children doe their bread and butter who eate one bit themselves and throw the rest to the dogs So many proud carnall sprits take a part of the word and they say that was a good note of Master such a ones and such a ones and so you call mens words and that was a good doctrine and pick out this and that and goe and tell it I never saw nor I thinke never any under the Cope of Heaven such spirits that doe so basly mince the Word of God and crumble it and take one piece and throw two away Therefore looke to that an honest heart will heare all that the Lord will say and be glad too that is one thing A second thing is this a proud carnall heart 2. A proud heart makes cavils against the truth that is not truly humbled it will appeare by this that if he cannot choose but know the truths of God as many times he cannot but he must know it if he live under the word God will make some men know it whether they will or no then the next worke of a proud heart will be to raise up cavils against the word and to make Pleas against the truth of God and arguments as much as may be when it comes in unto him Just as one man saith as we doe with a common enemy it we can we will keep him out of the country and it is safest to doe so So he will keepe out the truth if he can but if the truth come and he begin to see it and sees that it is the will of God then his next course is to levy forces to raise armes and thinks to put it out he thinks to put out the light that God hath put into his soule 2 â—â—m 3. 8. Men of corrupt minds men of rotten minds that like Jannes and Jambres resist the truth There is no mention of Jannes and â—ambres in the Old Testament but it is generally thought by learned men that the meaning is this When Moses came to Pharaoh at any time to speake of the things of God and of the will of God and that the People of Israell must goe free and he did worke miracles and that light came to Pharaoh to convince him presently he sent for Jannes and Jambres that were Southsayers and made them help him get arguments against Moses and they would argue like Moses to keep out the truth So carnall People when light comes into the soule and they cannot resist it this is their ordinary course to goe to their carnall neighbours like themselves or to a carnall Priest or Minister if they have any and get as many arguments as they can and then they will say the other was a Phancie it is not right it will not hold and so never leave till they get it out of their coasts as the Gadarens dealt with Christ Thirdly and lastly if he cannot doe this if he 3. A proud heart will shift off Gods truths cannot beat it out by violence he will endeavour to escape the edge of the toole by some shift he will use his wits and goe to pollicy and see if by any shift he can escape the power of the truth If he cannot beat it off he will labour to escape the power and the edge of it As a man that is in debt that is under an execution or an outlarie if he can he will keep far enough from the Sergeants and if they come he will shut his doore and keepe them off or if they come to take him he will throw them off But if they say if you stirre we will knock you down or kill you then he will say why I meane to pay and such a man knows it and he will give them faire words that so he may avoid the power and authority of the Law from comming upon him So carnall men desire to be ignorant of those truths that all their life time are contrary to them and if truths come in upon them they consult with all their carnall Neighbours and friends to get it out and if all will not doe then they goe to their shifts As for instance suppose a truth should come upon one of your soules that thou that art a drunkard or a whoremonger c. unlesse thou be borne againe thou shalt never enter into heaven and this truth hath seized on thee and God hath set it on thy soule that a man cannot get it out and then he goes to his shifts he saith it is true I must be borne againe or else I shall be damned but saith he I hope I was borne againe in baptisme and I hope that was a washing away of my sins And so put it on another it may be this truth comes into his soule that every man that lives in any knowne sinne shall be cast out of the Kingdome of God and of Christ 1 Cor. 6. Know ye not that neither Drunkards nor Swearers nor revilers nor extortiouers shall inherit the Kingdome of God and of Christ Suppose God set this truth home to thy soule It is true saith the man but I hope God hath given me repentance for it and all is well He hopes God hath given him repentance and he goes on in sinne then God comes and tells him that if he had repented he would leave his sinns and amend his course then saith he I hope I shall repent hereafter I shall repent sometime or other though I do not now If God tell him againe the day of salvation will be past and the doore will be shut and repentance will come too late then he shifts it off and saith I hope
with redundancie with some thing more then a meere or bare knowing of his Attributes though he see and know every one of those and every particle of those otherwise then the world sees them so my meaning is yet he sees in part that is he knows not any of these things perfectly Therefore saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 13. 9. Wee know in part but hereafter we shall know as we are known Which words as I conceive point not out principally Spirituall things that we know the will of God in part here but we shall know his will perfectly in Heaven though that be true for it may be it is not necessarie that we should know the will of God so here For then it may be we should have more glorious Principles But the meaning is here we know little of God we know him in part but he knows us wholly But when we shall come to Heaven we shall know God as he kows us therefore that brake the Apostles heart and made him sigh Phil. 3. that he would have given all the world if he had had it that he might apprehend him that comprehended him As if he had said God sees me clearly and groundedly all the thoughts of my heart but I cannot apprehend God as he doth me Therefore because this seeing of God is but in part in this World because we see but little it is oft in Scripture called a not seeing As in 1 Joh. 3. 1. Now we are the Sons of God but it doth not yet appeare what we shall be but when he shall appeare we shall see him as he is As if he had said that sight that we have of him now it is scarce worth the calling a sight So in 1 Pet. 1. VVhom having not seene yet ye love And in Rom. 8. If we did see why doe we yet hope for it for hope is of that which is not seene There is no Saint that can love God but he must see God But the meaning of those phrases is not that Saints see not God but they see so little in comparison of what they shall see afterwards that it may well be called not seeing they love God though they have not gotten that perfect sight of God that one day they shall have Indeed they shall have a perfect sight not only in respect of the degrees of seeing but they shall have this addition also to it that then they shall see God in Christ with their bodily eyes as Job saith I know that my redeemer liveth and that I shal see God in my flesh And what Job 19. 1 Cor. 15. that shall be when Christ shall deliver up the Kingdome to his Father I know not That is one proposition to help us to understand this glorious priviledge our seeing of God in this world is but in part Secondly that seeing him in part whatsoever it is 2 unspeakable it is an unspeakable sight a sight that no man is able to utter As Paul saith he was taken up into the third Heaven and heard words that could not be spoken so doubtlesse the Saints see things that cannot be revealed Therefore saith Paul eye hath not seene nor eare heard nor hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive those things that God hath laid up for them that love him Now if they were speakable demonstrable things a man might give some notions in writing he might see or speak or heare or give some knowledge he might consider of it but the tongue eare and eye and heart of man is not able to comprehend the glorious priviledge of the seeing the glory of God in Jesus Christ it is unspeakable Therefore as the Apostle speaks of the love of God it passeth knowledge not only of a carnall worldly man but of that man that hath it it passeth his knowledge to comprehend it before God gives it but if God doe but eclipse it a little he cannot comprehend what it was when he had it though it were but yesterday and when he hath it and hath most of it he is not able to utter and expresse it That is a second proposition concerning this glorious priviledge it is imperfect and it is unutterable A third thing is this that this glorious priviledge 3. Only in Christ that the Saints have of seeing God whatsoever that is let it be more or lesse it is only in the face of Jesus Christ For take any other sight of God take the corporeall sight the seeing of the man Christ that the VVicked may doe as well as the Saints Or take the sight of God in the creatures in his providence or the like carnal men so see the things of God as the Saints doe though not altogether so well yet that is no peculiar thing But this sight of God that I speake of it is only in the face of Jesus Christ as it is in 2 Cor. 4. 4. 6. In whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not least the light of the glorious Gospell of Christ who is the image of God should shine unto them For God who commanded light to shine out of Christ the face of God darknesse hath shined in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ Jesus Christ is the face of God and as we see nothing of a mans body but by his Face so we see nothing of God but in Jesus Christ Therefore when Philip said to Christ shew us the Father it is sufficient saith Christ he that hath seen me hath seene the Father that is all in this glorious priviledge of seeing God must be through the man Jesus Christ Therefore that is the reason that the Saints heretofore alwayes when they were at a losse and could not see God they still called for his face O shew me thy face that is Lord shew thy self to me in thy face which is Jesus Christ Therefore if any man will see God he need not goe up to Heaven or descend downe into the Deep but he must look for it in the face of Jesus Christ Fourthly all this sight of God whatsoever it is it is 4. It is by the word by the word and by the spirit For as one godly man saith the face of Christ Jesus is as the looking-glasse wherein we see God and the word of God is the looking glasse wherein we see Christ Therefore in 2 Cor. 4. God hath sent us to make known the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ And then saith he we have this treasure in earthen vessels that the excellency of power might be of God and not of us He had said before that by the preaching of the Gospel he had made known the glory of God in the face of Christ Now in this poore despicable thing a man that hath a world of infirmities and many weaknesses in him yet in these poore earthen shels as the word is in
done with Secondly that The Law of God is perfectly fulfilled in all true believers Thirdly that True believers are they who walke not after the flesh but after the Spirit We made some entrance upon the second that The righteousnesse of the Law is fulfilled in all true believers I spake a little of this and shall adde something farther to what I said if God will The righteousnesse of the Law is fulfilled in every The righteousness of the Law fulfilled in every true believer not personally true believer Not personally as I told you for there is no Saint no not Abraham himselfe that can say the righteousnesse of the Law is fulfilled in me that is personally that I have walked so the Law is satisfied by my walking But the righteousnesse of the law is fulfilled in us not personally but in us by reason but by our union with Christ that Christ and we are one and he is made righteousnesse to us 1 Cor. 1. 30. He is made of God to in wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption Then whatsoever Christ is or hath it is ours Therefore saith the Apostle The righteousnesse of the Law is fulfilled in us He doth not say it is fulfilled in Christ though that be true but he takes the boldness to say it is fulfilled in us by vertue of our union with Jesus Christ So in every true Saint or believer the righteousnesse of the law through Christ The weakest Saint in Christ hath satisfied the Law is perfectly fulfilled The weakest Saint if he be a true Saint he hath perfectly fulfilled the law of God he hath perfectly satisfied every demand that the law can make he hath perfectly paid every penny worth of debt that he oweth to the law the weakest Saint it may be a poore Saint that men can see nothing but corruption in all the day and all the weeke and all the yeare long almost yet that man if he be a true Saint though he be weak hath perfectly in Christ kept the law of God and is a just man and the law of God cannot come upon him nor the Sergeant the Devill to arrest him for one penny or farthing because he can say as Paul saith here The righteousnesse of the law is fulfilled in us Therefore that is the reason as I told you that Paul saith I am dead to the law that is I am as free from the law as a man that is dead when a man is dead the law goes no further on him So it is said we are delivered from the law and freed from the law And that is the reason also that the Apostle In Christ we are saved by Gods righteousnesse as well as mercy three times in one Chapter puts our salvation upon the righteousnesse of God he saith not by the mercie of God though that be true there is infinite mercie but saith he that God might declare his righteousnesse in Christ to save us It is a mercifull thing for God to give us Christ and to give us hearts to know that Christ and to believe in that Christ it is infinite unspeakable mercie But now that wee are in Christ and united to him as there was mercie so it is righteous and just with God to save us because we are righteous persons Mistake me not I say every poore Saint through Christ is a righteous person a just man I say in and through Christ he hath taken away all our sins and forgiven all our iniquities Coll. 2. So that when God saves believers he doth not only save them out of mercie but out of righteousness he can doe no otherwise therefore it is three times over his righteousness his righteousness his righteousness Rom. 3. And that is a blessed word in Heb. 12. Yee are come to the spirits of just men made perfect I doe not conceive that it is spoken of the spirits of men in heaven as many doe and no wonder they mistake for I did so for many yeares That place it looks so like heaven that I tooke it for heaven it self Yee are come unto mount Sion to the generall assembly and Church of the first borne and to the spirits of just men made perfect A man would think it were heaven it self it is called heaven but it is nothing in the world but the glorious estate of the Saints in Jesus Christ under the new Testament as you may see afterwards Therefore as Christ saith let this word sink into your hearts that if thou be a right believer thou art as perfectly just and righteous through Jesus Christ as if thou hadst never sinned against the law of God not by thy own righteousnesse but by the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ For what can be said more saith the Apostle The righteousness of the law is fulfilled He doth not say we have a peice of it but it is fulfilled that is to a jote or tittle the law cannot say black is thine eye because Christ hath paid and done all that it can demand Now to give you a word or two of the grounds or reasons to help you to believe this truth to shew you how it comes about It comes about three wayes I meane it will be cleare to you three wayes if you consider three things First You must consider that Jesus Christ Reas 1. Christ a publike person which is our suretie he was sent of the Father out of his love as a publike person to fulfill the law of God by doing and suffering as a publike person There is much comfort in that Beloved you can never throughly understand your justification unlesse you study the first Adam what kind of person Adam was as you may see in Rom. 5. Now the Lord Jesus he came as a publike person and he was delivered for our offences as it is said Rom. 3. ult he did die for our sinnes That is one thing Now the second thing that demonstrates this to 2. From the union between Christ and believers us is besides his dying and that as a publike person there is a union made between every poore believer and Christ as really as between Christ and his Father Indeed it is called in Scripture a marriage because as in a marriage all the wealth of the husband is the wives it becomes hers and shee hath a right to it after marriage So all that is in Christ becomes ours by this union But it is a more reall union a closer union by far then that of marriage it is compared to the union between the members and the head Now by this union that you may read of in Joh. 17. all that is ours becomes Christs and all that is Christs becomes ours There are two things Then thirdly we finde that God the father to 3. God the Father is satisfied which appeares whom the debt was owing and whose law this was that we must satisfie he acknowledgeth satisfaction And what can we have more God the father acknowledgeth
if any of you have a mind to learning goe on I discourage you not from it learning is a thing in another Element take paines and dilligence to be learned it is good to doe so But if thou wilt be a Gospell Christian thou must thank the spirit of God for all Sayth Paul for all his learning I am not sufficient to speake a good word and he was a learned man that Festus sayd Much learning had made him mad Beza in his Comment upon 2 Cor. 11. Where the Apostle sayth Are they Hebrews so am I. Are they Jewes so am I. Sayth he I never read in any Latine or Greek Author so much eloquence and elegancie of speech as Paul hath there and yet he Professeth he could not think a good thought for all he was learned so much much lesse doe a good worke The will of God not knowne till we extoll the spirit As long as thou keepest the spirit an underling as a Cypher as many of the clergie and learned men they extoll learning to the Heavens and many of them upon purpose to despight the spirit of God as long as they doe so they shall never know the will of God We are not debtors to the flesh but we must be debtors to the spirit if we will have one true thought of Jesus Christ O prayse the spirit and prize the spirit If you have any thought of Christ thank the spirit if you have any glimps of him in your soules worth any thing prayse the Spirit That is the reason that the Saints in the Booke How Saints of Old spake of the spirit of God speake not of the spirit of God without some speciall epithite of commendation Guid me by thy HOLY spirit and sayth another thy BLESSED spirit and thy GRACIOVS spirit and the spirit of GRACE sayth another They never speake of it without some word that shewed their love to it and their high esteeme of it When the Lord shall come and his spirit shall be advanced in the hearts of men we shall have glorious times and never before that and those times will come I remember Calvin on those Prophesies in I say and Joell The SVN shall be darkned and the MOONE shall be turned into blood in that day Sayth he the meaning is all the excellencie that a man naturally hath his learning and endowments in the dayes of the Gospell when the spirit shall come with his light when God shall exalt the spirit The Sun shall be turned into darkenesse and the Moone into blood Men shal not so much esteem learning from Books but learned and great men and Schollers shall come to one classis and one rank and forme with simple people all waiting on God by his VVord through the spirit A man can take his Boy from Schoole that hath his Lattine and Greeke and send him to the Universitie and he assures himselfe that he shall be as good a Minister as his other Sonne that it may be hath served the spirit seaven yeares this is our way and a hundred more whereby we basely slight and disdaine the spirit of God and doe not honour him and therefore he will not honour us Thirdly if ever you will be true Gospell Saints 3. To be led by the spirit you must suffer your selves to be lead by the spirit of God That phrase you find oft in Rom. 8. Gal. 5. If you live in the spirit walk in the spirit be lead by the spirit We are not complementary to commend the spirit of God c. But give it scope to lead us You must heed more what the spirit of God saith unto you and what he works on you If there come a place of Scripture in your mind heare and consider whether the spirit of God hath not put it in thy mind and would have thee studie it and would have thee compare Scriptures And when thou commest to doe any action whatsoever not so much to advice with this man or that man but what sayth the spirit I meane according to the light of the Scripturs harken to that more then what all the World faith Therefore I have knowne some men that in their whole lives have often mist the will of God in circumstantiall things usually it may be for a yeare or two or three and they have mist it againe in another thing and in another thing And when they have examined how this comes about they can say if they had hearkned to the spirit of God they had not done so but they hearkned to men and so went against the dictates of the spirit in their conscience they would heare what this man said and what the other man did But now the spirit will say to them you see I would have shewed you the right way but you would not give me scope but made a Cypher of me And for my one particular I doe not yet see how I should ever have mist the will of God since I knew him if I had hearkned to the spirit of God if I had but observed so much light as the spirit had put into my heart Now we Ballance the spirit with this mans example and with the other mans opinion and so come home by Weeping Cross Therefore give scope to the spirit I meane not against the word or above the word but still I meane the spirit of God working according to the Scriptures and no otherwise Another thing and a speciall one is I wish you for the mysteries of the Gospell to study the 4. To studie Scriptures without mens glosses Scriptures in the simplicity of them without the glosses of Men For a man in extremity must doe that that a man that is not in extremity would not doe We have brought our selves in such slavery to Men that we must take that course that another sober man should not I meane thus when ever we goe to look for any truth of God for the will of God we have notions in our minds before hand according to the times and places we live in As concerning Baptisme what need I goe to the Scriptures saith one we have it in such and such Mens Writings And so we forestall the will of God that we are blinded and cannot see it Therefore if you will see the wil of God I wish you for a while at least to look on the naked Three uses of other Books besides the Scriptures Scriptures And for my part I know but three uses to be made of other Books As first there is this use of Books you have 1. To set forth Scripture in diverse languages Books that will read the Scriptures in diverse languages and shew the Originall and open the tongues now when I see a word in English and doubt of the meaning of it then I will goe to the Greek or Hebrew as God hath endowed me with knowledge Then there is another use of Books when I 2. To open one Scripture by another
ungodly and doth deale despightfully with us as Christ saith then to doe him good and blesse when he curseth and pray for him that injureth us Beloved this is Gospell goodnesse I have had many thoughts of it had I time to proove that this Gospell goodnesse is a peice of the new Creature that was not in old Adam There was goodnesse in Adam but not this as for instance there are diverse things we find among Professors that in the last day will be found to be nothing but the Old Adam but Ishmaells that are humbled to the height and ye shall see in them a great deale of diligence in Gods service but where will you finde a Professor one of 500. and I speake with the least that you may clearly reade Gospell goodnesse in him that you may say younder is a man that if you curse him he will love you and if you doe him hurt and that despitefully he will pray for you It is an easie thing to kindle a brand that hath been once lighted to doe that which Adam did but to doe this is a higher matter As man was created after the Image of God so the Creatures in a sort were created after the Image of man Now as in Creatures in a Dogg there is love and the like But where is there a Creature that if you doe him mischiefe will not endeavour to doe you the like againe or at least wise runne away But where is a piece in the Old creation that doth lâ—ve his enemies And whereas it is said Adam was created after the image of God and God loves his enmies I answer God then in that Covenant was not in a disposition to love his enemies but to hate his enemies and sinners and curse them and damne them but now in Jesus Christ he loves his Enemies and therefore according to his minde he revealed to Adam it was not so and many other reasons I had but this I present to you with submission I doe not speake curiosities but I finde and see very little of this scarcely any there was a candid goodnesse in the primitive Church which is not now to be which is not now to be found now nothing but biting and teareing and devouring one another well there is one word he doth it by a spirituall Creation 2. By spirituall illumination Then Secondly he brings the soule to this way of spirituall reasoning by spirituall illumination he created faculties before and now he casteth in light as he did in the old creation you know he made Heaven and Earth in the lumpe and then said let there be light Now that is the reason when the Gospell is Preched and there is the spirit of God going with the Word and thou are darke and canst not receive this light the new creature is not framed in thee if thou hast no eyes thou canst not see and if a man have eyes he cannot see in a darke roome Now when the new man is made then the Lord sends in light and it is not every light for there are many lights a blind man as it were hath an Hypocrite hath them but it is a powerfull light that God Saints have a powerfull light puts in for we doe finde that there is a kinde of light in Hypocrites but yet there is not power in them there is not light to bring them to such kinde of reasoning as will bring them to any good or from any evill they will talke of drunknesse and Whoredome and the like but have not power to bring them off from any of these things Indeed a Saint may be overcome of his lusts that warre in his Members but there is a law in his mindâ— that is there is a light that is like unto a Law that hath power in it that he seeth Christ doing them away I am sorry I have not time to open this unto you farther but remember it Thirdly the Lord will doe it by suggestion that is the spirit of God puts light into the soule he puts a measure of light to dwell in every new creature and that powerfully But because the way of of the Saints are so darke in this World and thorow so much difficulty the spirit of God prompts a Saint allwayes when he is at a loss As among Schollers we shall see somtimes a man is almost borne downe and then another giveth him an Argument or distinction to helpe him and then he carries it and so the flesh hath reasons and arguments as we are going along and now though there be a measure of light a stock of light dwelling in us yet we are nonplussed by the flesh and then the spirit of God suggesteth somwhat to us and we are carried thorow as you have it in Mat. 20. When you are brought before Governours it is not you that speake but the spirit of God that prompteth you Fourthly the spirit doth it by Conviction that 4. By conviction is another way we have it Joh. 16. Saith Christ when I goe I will send my spirit and my spirit shall convince the World of sin reproove you have it he shall convince the World of sin of righteousnesse judgement The word signifies when he saith the spirit will convince that is by way of Argument the meaning is that in every carnall mans heart there are arguments against faith and for his owne destruction and strong ones too And when we Preach to you ye bring reason against reason and so goe away unconvinced unconverted but the spirit will ronvince you that is he will bring such strong arguments as Doctor PRESTON saith from Heaven that will convince you As when a stronger man commeth he disarmeth the other as before we thought godlinesse nothing but Heresie and Puritansme and the like but now the spirit convinceth you you see this is the only way and out of this way I shall never see God and the like Another way I find the spirit doth it by is by 5. By commemoration commemoration by minding us of what we have heard or somthing we have knowne before it is our remembrance Therefore saith Christ I will send my spirit and he shall bring to your remembrance what you have heard not that you shall remember a whole Sermon and Repeate it every word but thus it is he will either suggest thoughts Nenever had before or bring to our remembrance a word we have heard of such a Preacher in such a place or Read in such a place or thought in such a walke or the like and so setteth on and carrieth on the worke And he doth it by consolation he is the Comforter 6. By consolation the consolation of the spirit Beloved this is certaine that ye know trouble of mind exceedingly hinders the acts of reason That 's the reason men are madd because some fumes rise up in the braine and trouble the mind that they cannot reason but are madd Beloved our troubles of mind and soule
it be rough for me every day to dispute with my carnall heart and not only carry on good but deny my selfe in good upon spirituall reason this is a warrefare but the end is life and it is peace too This is a hard worke you will say and therefore we will take the easiest and smallest worke Beloved I say there is more ease and sweetnesse and contentednesse in going on in the wayes of God spiritually upon spirituall reasons an hundred fold than in the other for the other will be rough and God hath cast it so God hath put a curse upon all Old Adam he curseth it with death and therefore he must dye that walks carnally and that is the reason all your naturall thoughts and actions are so bitter God hath cursed them they must dye and now all the wayes of Holinesse have enough to induce thee to endeavour to walke holily as one saith the gleanings of the Saints are better than the harvest of the wicked men if there were no Hell nor Heaven hereafter but only the wicked to have the pleasures of sinne here and the Saints to have the consolations of the Spirit dwelling in them it is more an hundred fold the one is nothing but crackling of Thornes under a Pot and the end is smoake and stinke and the other is sweet here and in the end blessed eternally if it were not suppose though the way to Heaven be bitter here yet it is sweet in the End and the way of the world sweet here and bitter in the end yet you should choose holinesse as a Philosopher said if a man were to take a bitter and sweet thing which were he best to take first saith he to take the sower or the evill first and the sweet for the hope of the good to come will sweeten the present evill but when a man hath the good first the feare of the evill to come will marre al but therefore seeing there is a reward in the way in Holinesse as well as in the end for holinesse it should move us to labour after holinesse THE TABLE A Abraham ABraham juflified how page 231 Absurd Absurd what 369 Act The cheife act of the mind 358 See Reasoning Action Actions carnall denominate men 323 Adam Two things from Adam 252 The best have somwhat of old Adam 270 All from old Adam condemned 28â— Somthing in Saints that was not in Adam 405 See please Adoption Spirit of adoption 280 Affliction Carriage of a humble heart in affliction 124 Ten Instances of the carriage of a humble heart in afflictions 126 See fire All Christ died not for all 107 Saints willing to know all Gods truthes 110 Amiable Sight of God to Saints amiable 16 Another Saints content with the righteousnesse of another 102 Antinomians Antinomians who Apprehensions Sight of God knowne by our apprehensions 31 Apprehensions of God how to trie them 40 See cleare pretious perpetuall Assurance Assurance in the apprehensions of Saints 32 Assurance wanting to ordinary Professors why 106 B Beleivers Beleiving None satisfie the law but Beleivers 249 Spirituall reasoning in Beleiving 363 See righteousnesse Blind Mind of a Carnall man blind 349 Bondage Spirit of bondage what 280 Books three uses of other books besides the Scriptures 311 Borne againe He that will see God must be borne againe 62 To be borne againe what 69 To labour to be borne againe 312 Bribe God such a Lawgiver as cannot be brided 209 C Change A true sight of God changeth men 54 Carnall Men meerly carnall are called flesh 323 See actions Christ Saving sight of God only in Christ 11 A Saint in the worst condition repents not of taking Christ 137 The law fulfilled by Christ 210 Motive to come to Christ 214 Invitation to come to Christ 381 See example father comming meeke lycenciousnesse rule unyon Cleare Apprehensions of God cleare to Saints 31 Coach-man The mind the coach-man of the soule 347 Coare The coare of a naturall mans heart fleshly 335 Commands A proud heart dissobeys Gods commands 117 A proud heart wearie of Gods commands 118 Who offer violence to Gods commands 119 A Saint in affliction neglects not Gods commands 142 Comfort The godly more carefull of benefite then comfort in afflictions 142 why Saints have comfort in the worst condition 371 Comming Upon what ground to long for Christs comming 292 Communion Communion with sinners wherein forbidden 169 Condemne See Adam Condiscend A humble Saint will condiscend to the weake 186 Conscience Conscience purified what 49 Consolation consolations of the spirit 409 Conversation Vnnecessary conversation with sinners forbidden 171 Constant Sight of God in this World not constant 17 Ground of Saints constancy 369 Conviction Conviction of the spirit 409 Correction Wicked men see not God in corrections 96 Corporeall Corporeall sight of God 4 Corrupt corruption Saints pure notwithstanding their corruptions 52 Corruption how discovered 149 Saints called fleshly because of their corruptions 322 Mind corrupted 360 Reasoning corrupted 361 Covenant Saints stick close to the covenant in afflictions 143 Covenant in man to keepe Gods law 208 Ishmael and Isaac types of the Covenants 266 See workes Creation Sight of God in works of creation 4 New creation by the spirit 403 Creature Creatures resemblances of spirituall things 55 Curse Sin a curse in Hell 288 D Darknesse Satans Kingdome darknesse 64 Naturall principles darke 377 Day See son of man Death die Hypocrites why â—oth to die 38 Why godly men die 287 Carnall reasoning brings death 413 See sin works Deliberation Deliberation wherein excluded 215 Deliverance Saints desire somthing more then deliverance 140 Discretion Sadnesse of Christians in Discretion 74 Devill see God Divinity Divinitie mistaken 289 Doing No man can fulfill the law by doing 212 Spirituall reasoning in doing 365 Draw How God drawes mens hearts 92 Dutie In what duties we may converse with sinners 170 Men proud of duties why 290 E Earthly earthlynesse Wicked men live on earthly things 72 Earthlynesse troubleth Christians 294 Things of the flesh things on earth Enjoy see God Envie Prosperity of the wicked not to be envied 73 Escape No escape from Gods law 209 Eve How the DEVILL tempted Eve 302 Evill Fountaine of evill in the soule 412 Example Christs example to be looked on 242 Excercise Excercise of spirituall reasoning by the spirit 410 Extoll see learning F Face Christ the face of God 11 Saints live by seeing Gods face 72 Faculties Naturall faculties corrupted by sin 378 Faith Faith the life of it 237 Justification known by faith 258 Fall Not to fall from the liberty of the Gospell 304 Father The Father shews Christ 13 Christ shews the Father 14 Fellowship Fellowship of Saints whence 59 Ground of fellowship with others 272 Few Few shall be saved 267 Flesh Flesh what meant by it 252 Walking according to the flesh what 255 Why walking after the law is after the flesh 265 Not to use liberty for the flesh 298 VVho mind the things of the flesh