eternall estate depend so upon uncertainties And let them consider this that are yet strangers to the life of God that if death should come they should not escape eternall death it is good to keepe our thoughts upon this and it would make us not to hasten after the things of the world as we doe and for thy sinne thou dotest on so there are three things to be considered in it First the pleasure of it is as the speckled skin of the Serpent Secondly the sting of sinne and thirdly the eternity of that sting Now looke not thou upon the pleasure of sinne that endures but for a season but consider the hurt that comes from sinne and then consider the eternity of it a candle in a darke night makes a great shew but when the Sunne comes it vanisheth and is nothing so would all these things that wee doe so affect now if they come before eternity in our thoughts it is great wisdome in this kinde to husband our thoughts well 1 Cor. 7.29 30 31. Vse this world as not using it for the fashion of this world passeth away that is minde them not much be not much affected with them one way or other either in joy or griefe let them be such as if they were not for why they are temporall things passing things things that continue not for that is the thing I gather out of that place that the Lord would not have our thoughts to be bestowed upon them but so remissely as if not at all because there are eternall things and set your minde upon them for the time is short As if he should say thou hast not so much time to spare the time is short and you have businesse enough another way there is water little enough to runne in the right channel therefore let none runne beside and the things that should take up your minds are sin and grace things that are eternall It is a pitifull thing that the noble intentions of eternall mindes should be bestowed so ill upon these flitting things which are nothing to eternity A man that hath not much mony in his purse but onely for to provide necessaries when one comes and askes him to borrow any he will say I have no more than to buy me food and rayment or if he hath his rent to pay and no more if one should come to borrow any of him he saith no I have no more than to pay my rents So saith the Apostle there you have no such spare time no such spare affections that you can bestow them else-where but bestow them upon things that endure to eternall life And further to move you to this consider the shortnesse and vanity of this life how all mankinde are hurried and rapt with a sudden motion to the west of their dayes Our fathers went before us we follow them and our children follow us at the heeles as one wave followes another and at last we are all dashed on the shore of death and withal consider the vanity that al conditions are subject unto whether they be mountaines or valleyes if mountaines they are subject to blasts to be envied or if valleyes to be over-drowned oppressed and contemned yea the things that we prize most honour and pleasure what doe they but weary us and then whet our appetite to a new edge Consider the men that have beene before us many men that have beene like a greene tree but now the floud of their wealth is dried up they and their goods have perished together Consider in the second place what eternity is here the body is corrupted with diseases and the soule subject to vexation but that life is sure composed and constant and there is no variablenesse in it and if we desire life so much why doe we esteeme this life that is but a span long and neglect that which is so spacious Consider the errand upon which you are sent into this world and be not put aside from it by any needlesse occasions as they are all when they come into competition with this which hinder our thoughts and our actions as farre as they belong to eternity and indeed all the world spend too much of their time upon by-businesses and they are hampered with them before they are aware still making our selves new worke so that we make this life which is short enough of it selfe shorter than it is wearying our selves with anxious griefes labour and care thus men did before us and thus we are ready to doe therefore we had the more need to take heed unto it Vse 2 If God be eternall then be not you offended because you see that he stayes long either in giving reward or in executing judgement on men for their sinnes for with him no time is long there is no succession with him therefore say not because you feele nothing for the present there are great promises made but you finde no performance and there bee many judgements threatned but none executed doe not you therefore say that your rewards are neglected or judgement passed over and that God hath forgotten For here you see that with God no time is long or short there is no succession with him you have the same use made of it Isai. 40.27 28. Why sayest thou O Iacob and speakest O Israel My way is hid from the LORD and my judgement is passed over from my GOD There is the objection that which is in the hearts of men Now you shall see what answer is made to it in the following verse Hast thou not knowne hast thou not heard that the everlasting GOD the LORD the Creator of the ends of the earth fainteth not neither is weary there is no searching of his understanding The meaning is this To us indeed the time is long either when reward is deferred or when the punishment or the execution of sentence against evill works is deferred but with God it is not so Now that which makes it seeme long to us is 1 Partly the passions and restlesnesse of the mind for that is motion but God he is without al motion or passion and therefore nothing is long 2 Againe not only we are subject to motion but the things that we have to doe with they are subject to motion and passe away and therefore they seeme long to us for time you know is nothing else but the measure of motion and therefore where there is motion there is time and no while else Now to us that are in motion and to the things that we have to doe with a thousand yeares are a thousand yeares but in God there is no motion nor flux and therefore a thousand yeares with him are but as one day God is neither in motion himselfe nor are other things as in motion to him but wee are moved and the things we have to doe with are moved and if either there must be motion for if the ship moves though the waters stand still or if
Christ Ioh 4.34 Iesus saith unto them my meate is to doe the will of my Father and to finish his worke that is I will be content to neglect my body to doe that which is the worke of my spirit the worke of my Father And such is his owne advice seeke not the loaves saith he nourish not your bodies labour not for the meate that perisheth but looke that thy soule get the better in all things Object But how shall I know this whether my soule doth rule or no Answ. When the bodily appetite and inclination shall arise so high as to rule the sterne of the soule and the actions of it then the body gets rule over the soule but when these shall bee subdued and ruled and guided by the soule when they shall bee brought to that square which the spirit within shall set downe then the spirit rules over the body Object But my inclinations are strong and I cannot rule them what must I doe then Answ. Thou must doe in this case as Saint Paul did who kept under his body by violence as men use to tame horses we should keepe it downe wee must take heed of carnall lusts they will keepe the body too high as a Horse may be too lustie for his rider yet so as on the other side it must not be kept too low for the body is the instrument of the soule but onely the soule must have dominion over it it should alwayes bee subject to the principall agent as it is said of a servant that he should not be Supra negotium nor infra negotium but par negotio not above nor below but fit for his businesse so ought the body to be the soules servant Beloved consider this doe but thinke what your soules are that you should suffer them to be thus in subjection Thinke what a shame it is that these bodily affections should so overrule the spirit that is made like to God the soule that shall live for ever the soule for which Christ dyed that is better then all the world beside thinke I say with your selves what a sencelesse and unreasonable thing it is that this soule should be kept under by the body and that the body should rule over it Are not men in this kinde like to beasts subject to sensualitie that eate that they may play and play that they may eate and the soule is not considered all this while how it is a spirit that is like to God himselfe who is a spirit Alas what is the body to it It is in it as in a prison such is the body to the soule not to be regarded in comparison of it Therefore adde this to the other that the soule may still be advanced and that it suffer not bodily actions to bring it into subjection lest you be as bruite beasts subject to sensuality made to be taken and to be destroyed FINIS THE ELEVENTH SERMON EXODVS 3.13 14. And Moses said unto God Behold when I come unto the children of Israel and shall say unto them the God of your fathers hath sent mee unto you and shall say unto me what is his name what shall I say unto them And God said unto Moses I AM THAT I AM c. Vse 2 A Second use from this point is this If God be a spirit then his dominion government and providence is chiefly exercised on the spirits of men It is true his providence is over all things that belong to us but as he is in himselfe a Spirit so he puts forth and exerciseth this power of his principally in guiding the spirits of men and in that you are chiefly to observe his providence toward you And that you shall see in Rom. 14.17 The kingdome of God that is his rule and power is not in meate and drinke for they are outward things and hee that is a spirit regards them not but it is in righteousnesse and peace and joy in the holy Ghost that is in the things that belong to the spirit therein is his kingdome and dominion chiefly exercised So also Psal. 33.14 15. From the place of his habitation hee looketh downe upon all the inhabitants of the earth he fashioneth their hearts alike hee considereth all their workes Marke it when God lookes downe from heaven and beholdes the children of men the chiefest thing that he doth wherein his government is exercised is in that hee fashions their hearts and spirits and therefore those eternall subjects of his that live with him for ever and spirits as the Angels and the soules of men Therefore if thou wouldest observe the will of the Lord toward thee and wouldest see wherein his providence is chiefly exercised looke upon thy spirit upon all occasions that is what bents what inclinations what hopes and desires hee hath put into thy soule If you looke upon men in the world you shall see them divers in their spirits one man lusts after riches honour and preferment another after gaming sporting and drinking now looke upon this temper of spirit as the greatest judgement of all others Againe looke upon the spirits of other men they are fashioned a contrary way to deny themselves to seeke grace and avoid sinne to be content to have God alone to doe his worke and to leave their wages to God to live a painfull life serving God and men with their sweetnesse this is a quite contrary spirit and this is the greatest blessing Therefore you shall see that when the Lord is angry with a man so that his anger is wound up to the highest pegge then he gives him over to this judgement as it is Psal. 81.12 So I gave them over to their owne hearts lust and they walked in their owne counsells that is my judgement shall be executed upon their spirits to leave them to an unjudicious minde Againe on the other side when the Lord would doe a man the greatest kindnesse then he fashions his spirit another way Deut. 30.6 And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord with all thine heart and with all thy soule that thou maist live as if he should say when I minde to doe you a kindnesse then I will thus fashion your hearts aright So Ezek 36.26 A new heart also will I give unto you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and will give you an heart of flesh The Scripture is plentifull in this Therefore if thou wouldest observe what the LORD is to thee looke how hee fashions thy spirit if thou findest that hee leaves thee to unruly affections and lusts and leaves thee to be glued to that from which thou shouldest be divorced or that he hath left thee in bondage to the feare of men as a snare to thee there is no greater judgement in the world than this as it is the greatest mercy on the
reveales it for that purpose that men might be answered So that such Doctrines as this you must consider for what end they are revealed As for this Doctrine of Gods unchangeablenesse what is the end why it is revealed You shall see in Numb 23.19 He is not as man that he should repent Therefore I have blessed Israel and he shall be blessed The end is to shew that his favour is an unchangeable favour So he hath cursed Saul and he shall be cursed 1 Sam. 15.29 his decrees are unalterable As it is Iam. 1.17 GOD is good and cannot be otherwise therefore he can tempt no man Out of all these places it is apparant that the use of this Doctrine is that we might tremble at his judgements and that we might rejoyce in his favour with joy unspeakable and glorious In a word that men might know the excellency of the Almighty and might know and magnifie GOD because constancy and unchangeablenesse is a property of wisedome This being the end why it is revealed it ought to be applied onely to this use as to come to particulars which before we did not mention When we heare that GOD rejected Saul and will not repent of it and the Iewes c. the use that we should make of it is this If GOD should passe such a decree of rejection upon me it cannot be changed therefore I would feare before him and take heede of that stubbornesse and course of disobedience that may bring that curse upon me and such a stroke upon my soule and for this purpose is this doctrine revealed to us And this use the Apostle makes of it Heb. 3. when he had delivered Gods unchangeable decree declared by his swearing in his wrath that they should never enter into his rest therefore deferre not saith he while it is called to day lest that you continuing in a course of rebellion the doore of mercy be shut upon you and GOD doe sweare in his wrath as he did to them that you shall never enter into his rest Beloved there is a double time a time of the comming forth of this decree and a time of preparing and trying while the doore stands open Therefore take heede that that acceptable time doe not passe away lest thou be hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sinne Vse 3 If GOD be unchangeable then looke whatsoever hee hath done in former times what judgements hee hath inflicted and for what what mercies hee hath shewen and upon what ground and thou maist expect the same because there is no change in him therefore goe over all the Scripture and beholde what hee hath done there looke through all thine owne experience see what he hath done to thee to others know that he will doe the same to thee for he is unchangable As for example look what he did to Ioab Shimei and the house of Saul You know the sinnes that they committed Ioab had committed murther and Shimei reviled David and Saul slew the Gibeonites against his oath though they went on a long time in peace and prosperity yet because their pardon was not sued out therefore after many yeares God called them to an account As Ioab went not to the grave in peace and Shimei deserved death and therefore it was brought upon him and Saul was punished in the blood of his sonnes and hee was slaine himselfe as hee had slaine others in battell So be thou assured if there be any sinne which thou hast formerly committed unrepented of though it be long since GOD will waken it in due time So looke what he did to David hee had committed a sinne in secret but the Lord saith that hee will make his punishment to be open he will doe it before the Sunne So if thou hast committed a sinne in secret take heede lest hee bring it to light he will doe to thee as he did to David and I say unto thee that though thou be regenerate and art one of his elect yet if thy case be the same with Davids hee will doe so to thee for hee is unchangeable There be two cases wherein the Lord will not spare but bring judgement upon his owne children First in the case of scandall as Davids was for though his first sinne was secret yet his second was publicke and made the first so too Therfore though his sin was forgiven him God tells him that his punishment should be open and that the sword should not depart from his house Secondly if their sinne be not scandalous yet if it be unrepented of GOD will even punish his owne children And as GOD deales with secret sinnes to bring them to light so he will doe with secret innocency on the other side also As Ioseph whose uprightnesse was in secret for none did see it but himselfe as for his Mistresse she accused him and was believed yet the Lord brought it to light in due season So he will doe thine Let men keepe their credit with GOD and he will keepe their credit with men let them raise slanders or what they will looke how he did with Ioseph so he will deale with thee for he changeth not So looke how the Lord hath dealt with wicked men looke how the Lord did deale with them that did meddle with holy things as Nadab and Abihu and Vzzah and the Bethshemites you know that he destroyed them all and that with a present destruction so if thou wilt abuse his name abuse his holy things and come unto the Sacraments with an uncircumcised heart he is the same God still hee is as much offended now and hee is as ready to execute his wrath upon thee as he was then So looke how hee dealt with Saul with the Iewes that came out of Egypt hee swore in his wrath that they should not enter his rest if thou wilt doe the same that they did rebell against him as they did he will sweare in his wrath that thou shalt never enter into his rest As hee passed his sentence upon Saul and as hee passeth his sentence upon any so he will bring it to passe if thy case be the same for he is unchangeable So looke how hee did deale in Iohn Baptists time and as it was with them Now the axe is laid to the roote of the tree when the Gospell and the meanes of grace and the spring-time of the word began because they did not regard it thē they were cast off the time of their ignorance God regards not so much but then hee called upon every one to repent and because they did not come in then hee deferred not his judgement That upon which I ground this you shall finde in two places of Scripture 2 Pet. 2.4 If the LORD did so with the Angels spared not them saith he he is the same GOD and therefore hee knowes how to reserve the unjust to the day of judgement and especially those that are uncleane the ground of it is his unchangeablenesse The other
who is it that hath drawn these waters out of the earth and caused it to stand out of the waters and made it habitable for men and beasts saith he was it not the LORD 2 And was not this proved by the Floud vers 6. whereby the world that then was being overflowed with waters perished that is the waters when God tooke away his hand returned to their place and covered the face of the earth Now who was it that did drie the earth againe and now reserveth it to the day of Iudgement to be destroyed by fire And this hee proveth by the famous story of the Floud You have heard of it saith he but of this they are willingly ignorant that is they are such things as may bee knowne but by reason of your lusts which obscure your knowledge and hide those parts of nature and reason which God hath planted in your hearts therefore of these things you are willingly ignorant Answ. 2 And therefore besides wee will give this second answer to those that make this objection That things are not alike since the creation For 1 The course of Nature hath beene turned many times as those miracles that the LORD wrought in stopping the course of the Sunne and making of it go backward he made the waters to runne a contrary course and stopped the heat of the fire and the efficacie of it so that it could doe the three Children no harme 2 Besides those miracles look upon the things done amongst us and you shall see though they are not contrary to Nature yet Nature is turned of its course as in our bodies there be sicknesses and distempers so there are in the great bodie of the World strange inundations stirres and alterations now if there were not a free Agent that governes these why are these things so and why no more why doe these things goe so far and no further why are there any alterations at all and when any alterations come to passe who is he that stoppeth them why doth the sea over-flow some places and goe no further who is he that sets bounds to them but only the Lord Therfore this we may learne from it the constancie of these things shewes the wisdome of God as it is wisdome in us to doe things constantly and againe the variety of things shewes the liberty of the Agent for the actions of Nature are determined to one but God shewes his liberty in this that he can change and alter them at his pleasure Besides the things that are ordinary amongst us wherein there is no such swarving but they are constant in their course doth not God guide them and dispose of them as he pleaseth as the former and latter raine doth not God give more or lesse according to his good pleasure which shewes that all things have not continued alike but that there is a God that governes the world And as it is thus with naturall things so in other things also you shall see some judgements and rewards upon some and not upon others Object Oh but you say the world hath continued very long and there is a promise of his comming but we see no such thing Answ. But saith the LORD A thousand yeares are to me but as one day and one day as a thousand yeares As if he should say it may seeme long to you who measure time by motion and revolution to your narrow understanding it may seeme long but to God it doth not A thousand yeares with him is but as one day Where by the way we shall answer that fond objection Object How the Lord imployed himselfe before the creation of the World Answ. A thousand yeares to him is but as one day and againe one day is as the longest time that is there is no difference of time with him To which I may adde this that who knoweth what the Lord hath done Indeed he made but one world to our knowledge but who knoweth what he did before and what he will doe after who knowes his counsels and who is able to judge of him or of his actions we can know no more nor judge no otherwise than he hath revealed we have no other booke to looke into but the booke of his Word and the booke of this World and therefore to seeke any further is to be wise above sobrietie and above that which is written Object 2 But whence then comes this promiscuous administration of things which seemes to make things runne upon wheeles they have no certaine course but are turned upside downe whence comes this to passe if there be a God that rules heaven and earth Answ. For answer of this looke in Ezek. 1. where you have an expression of this of things running upon wheeles wherein you may observe these things 1 That all things here below are exceeding mutable and therefore compared to Wheeles and they are turned about as easie as a wheele so that a man may wonder at their variety and turning 2 But yet these wheeles have eyes in them that is though we see not the reason of things in them yet they have eyes in them they have something to be discerned the speech is a metaphor and a metonymie too shewing that there is something in their events that may shew the reason of their Turning if we could discerne it but it is oft hidden from us 3 And these Wheeles are stirred but as the beasts stirre them that is there is nothing done here below but they are done by the instruments of God namely the Angels 4 And these Angels first have faces like men that is the wisdome of men and on the other side secondly a face like a Lion for their strength thirdly there is service and laboriousnesse in them as in Oxen fourthly there is swiftnesse in them as in Eagles and this is meant of the Angels that order and guide the course of things and change them as we see continually 5 Againe as these Wheeles move not but as they are guided by them and both move by the Spirit that is what God commands them they execute they goe when he would have them go and stand still when he would have them 6 Againe for the manner of their motion every one of them had foure faces that is they could looke every way from East to West and from North to South when as man can see but one way before him he cannot looke on the right side or the left or behinde him and therefore he may be deceived but these looke every way So also the feet on which they goe are not like mens feet to goe forward only but like calves feet that is they were round feet which goe either forward or backward so as they are easily turned and as they see every way so they are apt to goe every way and this with the greatest facilitie that can be Let a man set any thing on worke and it must needs runne in such a chanell in such a way
may not be knowne therefore Beloved looke not for a full knowledge of him but only for a small degree of it as Exo. 33. My face saith God to Moses thou canst not see which place compared with that Ro. 1.20 the meaning is this that it is very little of God that we can know even as when a great traine or glorious shew shall passe before us and all is gone we onely see the latter end of it So God passed by Moses and he saw but a little of him even as when you heare the latter end of a sentence only that which the eccho resounds the maine we cannot know Therefore we should learne from hence not to be searching and prying into the counsels of God as why so many are damned and so few saved to ask how the infallibilitie of Gods will and the libertie of mans will can stand together to aske the reason why he suffered the Gentiles to walke in the vanitie of their owne mindes so long a time why he suffers the Church to lye as it doth at this time for we might say as Gideon did If the LORD be with us why are wee thus and thus Why the Church of the Grecians those famous Churches why the golden Candlestickes were removed from them These and all other such we must be content to be ignorant of he doth not reveale himselfe fully in this life Thou canst not see mee and live saith God to Moses the meaning is this the vale of mortality doth hide us it covers God from us when that shall be laid aside wee shall know all these things and therefore we must be content to stay the time and till then we are as narrow-mouthed vessels wee are not able to receive much knowledge but a great deale will fall beside and God wil do nothing in vaine as Christ said to his Disciples There are many things that I should reveale unto you but you are not able to beare them and therefore it should content us rather as a weake eye is not able to behold the Sunne as the Schoole-men well say we cannot see it in rotâ we cannot see the circle wherein the Sunne doth runne but only the beames of it no more can you see God in his Essence you may see him in his Word in his effects and therefore let us be content to bee ignorant of these things Who should aske why deales GOD thus with his Church why are so many damned Remember that in Isai. 45.9 Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker let the potsheard strive with the potsheards of the earth Shall the clay say to him that maketh it What makest thou The meaning of it is this we should be content to let God alone not to inquire into all his actions into the ground and reason of all his workes let the potsheards strive with the potsheards of the earth if thou hadst to doe with man one like thy selfe then thou mightst murmure with him and aske him why doest thou so but what hast thou to-doe with the Lord Shall the clay say to him that maketh it why doest thou so This similitude of clay doth not by a thousand parts expresse that distance that is betweene God and us and therefore we should doe thus stand upon the shore as it were and behold his infinite Essence I am that I am and goe no further as a man that stands upon the sea-shore and sees the vastnesse of the sea and dares goe no further if he goes into the deepe he is drowned You may looke into Gods Essence and see and admire it but to thinke that thou couldest comprehend God is as if a man should think to hold the whole sea in the hollow of his hand yea there is a greater disproportion between them therfore you shall see that the Apostle doth thus expresse it Ro. 11. Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdome and knowledge of GOD how unsearchable are his judgements and his wayes past finding out Onely remember this and make thus much use of it When you heare this name I am that I am that it is the Lords will to set limits to us When the Lord came downe from the Mount he set limits to the people and he gave this reason of it I will not have them stand and gaze so is it in this case it is a dangerous thing to goe too farre you know what did come to the Bethshemites because they would be gazing Remember that speech of God to Manoah Why doest thou aske my name that is secret There is something that is secret in God Object But you will say I would but see reason of things Answ. But thou must stay for this till mortalitie be put off and in the meane while stand a farre off and looke on God And when thou seest the vast workes of God when thou seest him to span the winds in his fist and measure the waters in the hollow of his hand and to weigh the mountaines in scales and the hills in a ballance c. It is no great thing if thou art ignorant of his counsels It is made an argument why we should not search into his secrets Prov. 30.4 Who hath ascended up to heaven or descended who hath gathered the winds in his fist who hath bounded the waters in a garment who hath established all the ends of the earth What is his name or what is his Sonnes name if thou canst tell As if he should say it is impossible that this mightie Work-man he that did all this that thou shouldest know him or know the ground of his counsels you can see but his back-parts you can see no more and live and you need see no more that you may live That which is the very scope and drift of the Lords revealing his name to Moses Goe and tell the people I AM THAT I AM hath sent me unto you that is it should strengthen our faith and incourage us it should raise our mindes and stir up hope in us in all wants and in all distresses that we fall into upon any occasion for this is the scope why the Lord reveales it here he reveales it in a very seasonable time A man would have thought it impossible that they should be delivered from Pharaoh he being so mighty yet God bids Moses goe and tell them that hee that IS hath sent him unto them Hee that IS hee that can make things to be when they have no rudiments of being he hath sent me Consider all the griefes and complaints that we have they all arise from hence there is something we would have which is not as it was the complaint of Rachel shee wept for her children because they were not now consider what the Lord saith here I am that I am he is the Lord of being he giveth being to whatsoever pleaseth him As take your expressions of your ordinary wants you use to say oh if that such a thing
contrary Therefore in 2 Tim. 4.22 Paul prayes The Lord Iesus Christ be with thy spirit as if hee should say this is the greatest mercy that I can wish thee and the greatest good that God can doe thee and therefore he wisheth God to be with his spirit Now to set on this point a little further and to make this plaine to you you shall see it in these three things 1. Because all other things as riches poverty health sicknesse c. he dispenseth these promiscuously so he gives riches to wicked men c. because as it is Eccles. 9.1 His love or hatred cannot be knowne by these things Whence I reason thus That wherein the love and hatred of God is most seene therein his providence chiefly exerciseth it selfe but in the fashioning of the spirits of men there and there chiefly is his providence seene for other things come alike to men to him that sacrificeth and to him that sacrificeth not 2. The disposing of other things is much in the power of men A Prince or a man hath power to kill or to save he can give riches and honor and take them away at his pleasure But to rule the spirits to compose and guide the apprehensions and affections of the soule that belongs to God alone a man is no more able to doe it than to rule the raging sea For as it is proper to God alone to compose the winde and to rule the waves so it is proper to him alone to rule the turbulent affections to compose and guide them If there be any disordered affection in the heart as an immoderate love of any thing or an impatient desire to any thing who is able to remove it but the Lord who is a Spirit So who can implant holy affections in thee but he alone as for example to thinke a good thought a man cannot do it without him who is the Father of spirits so to perswade a man no man can doe it it must be the Lord as Noah saith God shall perswade Laphet to dwell in the Tents of Sem. So to see the hainousnesse of sinne and the evill of it no man can doe it but by the spirit of God as it is said Iohn 16.9 The Spirit convinceth men of Sinne. So to wil this or that which is good it is he that workes both the will and the deed A man cannot choose but bee swallowed vp with worldly griefe except God keepe him he cannot chose but feare the face of man except God assist him for this is one of Gods prerogatives royall to rule in the affections and apprehension of men 3 Because the guiding of a mans spirit is of the greatest consequence of all other things else Now God is a wise commander and therefore he will not exert and put forth his power but in things of greatest moment but the guiding of our affections is all in all to us For in a mans outward estate what things soever befall him all are nothing but what his apprehension is of them and how he is affected to them makes them crosses or comforts if a mans spirit be whole the greatest crosse is nothing and the least is intolerable if his spirit be broken As againe what are all pleasant things if a man hath not a heart to apprehend them As to Paul what was all his persecution as long as his spirit was whole within him he carried it out well and what was Paradise to Adam and a kingdome to Ahab when their spirit was broken It is the apprehension that makes every thing to a man heavy or unheavy pleasant or unpleasant sweete or sower and therefore this is the use to be made of it to behold Gods providence cheifely on our spirits and not onely in our owne spirits but what he doth vpon the spirits of others also It is a thing we stumble at when we see a wicked man prosper and carry all things in the world before him we should not say where is Gods providence and the truth of his promise but see what he doth upon the spirit of that man If thou seest such a man more malicious to the Church and children of God growing more carnall and abominable in his courses therein is Gods curse seene more than in all the dispensation of outward curses for that treasure of sinne which he layes up for himselfe will draw on a treasure of wrath which will be executed in due season Therefore beholde your spirits alwayes and Gods providence upon them Lament 3.65 Give them sorrow of heart thy curse upon them the words signifie which is thy curse upon them Therefore if you see an obstinate heart in a man that is the greatest curse of all As in receiving the Sacrament there wee doe pronounce a curse to him that receives it unworthily and prophanes the Lords body but it may be he goes on and sees it not but now looke upon his spirit and see how GOD deales with that whether his heart doth not grow harder and more obdurate which is the greatest curse You may observe this every where If thou seest one that hath a vaine and idle spirit that cannot studie that cannot pray that cannot choose but be carried away by an unruly lust to this or that thing believe it this is a greater judgement than all the diseases in the world than all shame and disgrace that wee account so much of than poverty and crosses as it is the greatest mercy on the other side when a man is able to serve GOD with an upright heart and to be sincere in all his carriage Thus it is with men and this thou shouldest observe in thy selfe also from day to day Let us not observe so much what accidents befall us what good is done to us or what crosses wee have it is true indeed GOD is seene in all these things but chiefly looke what GOD hath done to our spirit what composing of minde or what turbulency of affections or what quietnesse what patience or what impatience and for this be chiefly humbled or be chiefly thankfull for to take away from Christ the praise of sanctification is as much as to take away the praise of his redemption Herein thou shalt see his love or hatred manifested to thee his greatest judgement shewed to thee or his greatest mercies The Third Vse is that which the Scripture makes of it Iohn 4 24. If God be a Spirit then worship him in Spirit and truth What it is to worship God in spirit and truth you shall see if you compare this place with that in Rom. 1.9 For God is my witnesse whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospell of his Sonne that without ceasing I make mention of you alwayes in my prayers The meaning of it is this When Paul had taken a solemne asseveration GOD is my witnesse c. doe not thinke saith hee that I have done this feignedly I am no such man