forbids and therefore absolves or binds No subject you know hath this power to release or bind of himselfe but that is the royall prerogative of the King It is true if the Word condemnes us then our consciences may doe so too and if the Word absolves us so may our consciences too But this is virtute prima not virtute propria It is because the Word doth it not because Conscience of it selfe without the Word can doe either rightly Whence two things arise to informe and direct us viz. 1. Satans judgment of our Satans judging is but usurped estate is but usurped It doth not belong to him to sit upon our soules It is against the Law of Nations that the same party should be witnesse and Judge And we may say to him truly what the Pharisees proudly objected to Christ By what authority doth he these things Or as they to Moses who made thee a Judge over us Assuredly the enemy of our salvation is not to be the Judge of it he being so maliciously vowed against our happinesse it is most unfit for him to decide it and therefore though he usurps a judgement upon Christians yet as David spake in another case Thou Lord wilt not leave the righteous when he is judged No assuredly Satan shall one day be judged for taking upon him the judging of Gods people And doe you thinke that Satan will give a true judgement unto us of our spirituall condition who dares give in false evidence before God himselfe of Job and who is said to accuse the brethren before God day and night 2. No testimony is to be admitted which is contrary to the judgment of the Word Beleeve not every spirit 1 Joh. 4. All judgement of our estates being contrary to the Word is false 1. but try the spirits whether they are of God The Word must judge us another day therefore it is to judge of us now Satans judgement is usurped and our owne is oft times erroneous as in wicked and presumptuous sinners who sentence well for their safety although God doth proclaime and pronounce bitter woes unto them And as our judgements are oft times erroneous so are they in the times of distresse suspicious and hasty We doe not testifie of our selves with judgements cleared and totally informed by the Word of all our estate but with judgments affected and distempered as David in his fit I am cast out of thy presence God did not cast him off but his distempered judgement did cast him out 2. Maintain the judgment of the Word against all judgment When a man hath throughly viewed and pierced into the secrets of his heart and wayes by the informing light of Gods blessed Spirit and takes his flesh and spirit asunder I meane his sinnes weaknesses graces and dispositions and layes these with all he knows of himselfe before the Lord in a most sincere ingenuity so that if he were now to die he durst venture the eternall salvation of his soule with his God that hee keeps nothing back either of what is his owne by nature or of what is Gods by grace If now the Word decides for him that his condition is heavenly his heart is upright hee is indeed one who is truly interessed in Christ this man or woman should now uphold this decisive testimony of the Word lay it up as the great copy of his eternall salvation and in case of opposite verdict and testimony not to molest himselfe with reasoning and doubting but to preserve the authority of Gods testimony by beleeving and most upright walking with God in all the powers of duty There yet remaine two springs of doubtings to be cured and then I have done with that subject 13. The thirteenth spring of doubtings was the new rising of old sinnes This I told you could not but amaze the soule to see the dead rise out of the grave againe and to reade the debt as if it were not yet crossed It doth exceedingly disquiet us about our spirituall condition Now consider 1. There are five times Five times in which former sins may revive when we and our sinnes doe meet 1. One is the day of our legall humiliation when the Law like searching physick enters deep stirs up the evill humour casts our sins into our very faces and sets them in order before us and reproves us for them with undenyable conviction and horrour 2. Another is the day of our piercing afflictions when the Lord doth send his messengers unto us of wrath cuts off frō us our delights tears away our joyes crosseth us in our aims and we see God hewing our friends from us our children from us our earthly delights and contents for miserable evils are oft times a cause to make us see our sinfull evils We doe many times come to perceive our faults by our punishments As Pharaoh did when the plagues were on him I have done evill in not letting the people goe And Balaam when he saw the Angel and heard him threatning I will now returne And so the children of Israel then saw and confest their murmuring and stubbornnesse when God sent evil Angels amongst them i. some messengers of his wrath and displeasure 3. A third is the time of some horrible and common judgement whether it be upon particular persons or a Nation interessed in the same guilt of sinne with our selves For this is a time of common fire which raging and flying up and downe makes men run into their closets and bring out their concealed jewels so doe common and extraordinary judgments return us into our selves and gives up unto us those our hidden sins which we feare will draw the same fire of judiciall wrath upon our owne persons I doe not doubt but at the last great Plague many of the sinfull botches broke out upon a fear lest that judiciall botch should have broken in upon your bodies and houses 4. A fourth time is the time of death For though sin and a sinner really meet in all their course of life yet sense of sin and a sinner doe not alwayes meet untill the day of death for death is a strict and unavoidable summons to give up our accounts and then the unjust steward must look about him how he shall answer his most just Lord and Master This time of meeting evidently manifests it selfe to our owne experience who though we have kindled our sinnes in the time of our health and strength yet have we not met with the flashes of them but in the times of sicknesse and weaknesse 5. A last time of meeting is the day of Judgement and this is a most certaine and infallible time It is possible for a man to escape the legall meeting by conviction and the miserable meeting by afflictions judgements and death it selfe for some die like Nabal they live wretchedly and die senslesly but at the day of Judgement they and their sinnes must meet and shall because then the secrets of all hearts shall
THE DOVBTING BELEEVER OR A TREATISE CONTAINING 1. The Nature 2. The Kinds 3. The Springs 4. The Remedies of Doubtings incident to weak Beleevers BY OBADIAH SEDGWICK Bachelor in Divinity and Minister of Coggeshall in Essex LONDON Printed by M. F. for Thomas Nicols and are to be sold at his shop in Popes-head Alley at the sign of the Bible 1641. TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE ROBERT Earl of VVarwick Baron of Leez c. My Noble Lord and free Patron MY LORD RENEWED heart is a very Heaven in our little world and Faith is the onely Sun in that Heaven The sinner never comes to be precious till he comes to be pious and the value of that piety still advanceth according to the quantity of true faith as the Ring is the more considerable with the Diamond I cannot conceive of a more compendious way for any Christians full and constant revenues then this To get faith and stil to use it The summe or product of which would be this Grace and Glory Heaven and Earth are ours Satan well knowes what a serviceable channell Faith is for all our traffique either for our ship to lanch out into duties or for Gods ship to come laden in to us with mercies therefore there is no Grace which hee batters and conflicts so with as with faith If we weaken or shake foundations this hath a spreading influence into the whole building A Christians faith cannot be wronged but presently all the spirituall frame becomes sensible of wrong and losse In my weak judgement it were a great prudence to secure that which being secured now secures all Nothing grows weake where faith growes strong My Lord This poore Treatise which I presume to front with your name is like Aaron and Hur who staid up the hands of Moses So doth this Treatise indeavour to stay the hand of faith in a weak Beleever who hath an ample estate on the shore and at land but those waves of doubtings when he is thrusting in too often make him to fall back and stagger Whence followes this great unhappinesse That whereas his faith might have served in many precious comforts it is almost a whole life imployed onely to answer fears and doubts I humbly present the subsequent Work to your Lordships personal use and publique patronage Be pleased at your leasure to peruse it and regard it as the first cognizance of my thankfulnesse to your Honour for the Living which you did so freely and lovingly confer upon me wherein I shall desire faithfully to serve your Lord and mine Now the Almighty God and blessed Father abundantly inrich your noble heart with all saving graces and continue you long to be an instrument of much glory to himselfe comfort to his Church and good to our Common-wealth Your Honours perpetually obliged Obadiah Sedgwick To the Christian Reader THis Treatise which now is presented to a publike cōstruction was many years past the subject of my private Meditations and Sermons I did not affect any farther publication of it then in the Pulpit but the importunity of others hath compelled it thus to appeare in print Not that the manner of handling the Subject here insisted on is excellent or exquisite but that the matter handled may be supposed to be of common use and benefit as a little star hath influence though not that glory which is proper to the Sun The Case which is here put and discussed is a Case of common experience There is no Beleever but some time or other will confesse it is his The Sun being seated in an heavenly Orbe shineth with a very pure and constant light but the candle though set and burning in a golden candlestick yet burnes with a snuffe and much variablenesse When Christians are translated and transplanted from earth to heaven then their graces shall become perfections There are no defects in heaven there are no mixtures in heaven but whatsoever is pure there it is altogether pure Yet on earth it is otherwise neither the habits of Grace nor the acts of Grace are alone 〈◊〉 any Christian When I would doe good evill is present with me said Paul And I beleeve Lord help my unbeliefe said that poore man in the Gospel Where is the Beleever who insists not more on his fears then on his faith and is not oftner lamenting his doubts then rejoycing in his assurances None have an interest in Christ but Beleevers None have title to a solid and settled peace but they And yet we see the children fearfull and bondmen confident the best of men still in suit and the worst of men quiet as if in full possession none doubting lesse then such as have most cause to doubt and none doubting more then such as have most cause to triumph in Christ And in truth thus it will be whiles grosse ignorance veiles over presumptuous sinners and mis-belief is incident to tender spirits And is not the hand of Joab in this businesse too Is not Satan in all the sins of wicked men and in most of the troubles of good men either he tempts us to sinne and that will cause us to doubt or else he tempts us to doubt and that will cause us to sin Surely it is not the shortest of his wiles and arts in matters of Religion to keep the judgements of some still staggering and in matters of a soules interest in Christ to keep the heart still doubting Doth he not know that the Christian cannot so happily improve Christ who is still in suit to prove his title to Christ For the better expediting of these soule-suits peruse if thou pleasest this ensuing Work which is I confesse not a garden for every one to walk in but onely physick for the sick or weak It is intended as an Hospitall for the lame onely for a troubled sinner onely for a weak beleever And the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort even he who establisheth us in Christ prosper it for his glory and the help of some one or other Thy Faiths servant Obadiah Sedgwick A Table of the Heads in this TREATISE CAP. I. THe nature of doubtings page 6 CAP. II. Foure sorts of doubtings 11 Those of inquietation are Either 1. Reall or 2. Personall 13 CAP. III. Quest Whether doubtings may consist with a true faith Sol. They may This is 1. explicated 16 2. Proved 17 CAP. IV. The springs of doubtings are 1. Originall sin 24 2. Imperfection in faith 26 Which 1. Wants ability to argue 28 2. Insists most on discouragements 29 3. Is unacquainted with our armory 31 3. The life of sense pa. 33 What it is 34 Three demon strations that it is a cause of doubtings 35 4. Restraining of faith 38 5. Special sins after conversion 46. Foure reasons thereof for doubtings 47. to 53 6. Spirituall indispositions 55 Two knots are made by them 1. Whether our graces betrue 56 2. Whether our services can be accepted 58 7. Fruitlesse endeavours
heart therefore it is that the Lord heares me not Psalm Psal 66. 18 66. 18. Beloved you who deale with observation and experience can acknowledge 1. That there are spaces Observe 3. things twixt our prayers and Gods answers God hearkens what David speaks and David must hearken what God will speak Prayer is our angle our feed our dove our messenger it doth not alwayes take at first it doth not returne us alwayes a present harvest it comes in sooner and sometimes later it waits the time of the master 2. God is wise in causing these spaces hee hath ends singular ends both for his owne glory and for the good of our Graces But thirdly corruption takes occasion hereby and Satan vents his envious malice hereupon As the back-biters and Simile slanderers and contentious spirits who love to set variance twixt faithfull friends let the least occasion happen a wry look a misplaced word a mis-intended neglect a forbearing of present dispatch in some desired service let these fall out presently the back-biter envious malicious contentious spirit catcheth Loe you see his love his backwardnesse his sleighting of you c. Thus doe our corrupt hearts and Satan Looke you now you see how needlesse how Hence Davids Why is the Lord so far from hearing c. Is his mercy clean gone c. fruitlesse all the care and service of God is Alas he thinks not on you he regards not your prayers If he had loved you if he intended to do you good could this be would he have held up after so many prayers so many tears so many importunities so many pressings by his mercies by his Christ by his promises No no Thou art not in favour with God his mercies his promises belong not to thee c. Thus they 8. An eighth spring may The eighth cause of doubtings be imbecillity of judgement about the essentials of salvation And assuredly here lies the great spring of doubtings An erroneous mind is the forge which hammers all our suspitions it is the wombe which beares and breeds all our feares If it doth not find yet it makes all our knots for us What one speaks of a plain place of Scripture This verse said he had been easie had not Commentators made it so knotty That we say of a Christians condition It is gracious happy cleare sure did not erroneous judgements disturbe and vexe and unsettle them This is true that a weake judgement and a tender conscience are seldome without feare and doubting You see it in the Romans about practicall matters whereupon the Apostle presseth the stronger not to receive the weak to doubtfull Rom. 14. 1 22. disputations and if they had a particular faith to keepe it unto themselves knowing well how weak judgements like weak plants are easily stirred and shaken You may see it also in the Ephesians about doctrinall matters for Paul giving an Item unto them to overthrow their childishnesse Eph. 4. 14. he Eph. 4. 14. doth paraphrase it to be such an estate wherein men are tossed to and fro and carried Two things incident to this about with every wind c. Two things are incident unto shallow judgements by vertue of which they are objected with ease unto doubtings 1. One is They have not been conversant in the compasse of Truths there be some Truths which yet they know not they have not all their holds and strength 2. New Doctrines contrary to old Truths are not so easily over-mastered by their understandings A man must have good eyes to find out cunning glosses but doe either win misbelief or else disturb their true beliefe You shall scarce heare any new things started but withall we heare of many personsstartled as if their faith had hitherto been in vaine for tender consciences are apt to beleeve the most and therefore sometimes doe beleeve those points which are false Shall I give you instances Instances amongst our selves 1. One is an equality of humiliation before conversion as if no man were truely converted who hath not equalled the greatest penitent in the highest degrees of contrition and terror And hence it is that many distressed bowed broken soules doe exceedingly labour to grinde themselves and to fall into the flames of horrible fears thereby to assure themselves of a good estate Whereas 1. All Christians are not equall in their preparations 2. No man can judge his estate at all simply by legall humiliation 2. A full assurance at first or else no faith As if Jacobs ladder had no degrees and the Simile Sun at his first peeping were in the height of heaven Or that a Scholar must be placed in the upper forme as soone as he enters the Schoole Such inconsiderate deliveries as these they trouble the faith of many as the Apostle speaks of those in 2 Tim. 2. 18. If faith cannot be without full assurance then I am no Beleever saith David for I had my faintings Nor I saith Peter for Christ himselfe tels you I had my doubtings It is a most vaine and dangerous way for any Divine or ordinary Christian to impose Rules and to deliver a thing as a dogmaticall and common truth which he or he have in a speciall way onely observed in themselves The Spirit of God bestows upon all the Elect of God the same substantiall frame of grace but the making up and the making out of these is different As No man must say he hath Simile no soule because he feels not those particular workings of reason and desire which another doth So No man must conclude another to be out of the estate of Grace if haply there be not a plenary answerablenesse in them both for every method and measure of working grace Therefore let me caveat a An Item to the stronger Christians little here to you who are growne Christians Remember that there are some who are weak yet true members of the same body and doe not you indiscreetly insist upon your onely personall experiences those only in some particulars in all companies because you have perhaps risen high therefore none are right who are below you Consult the Scriptures and deliver us what it directs and wherein it supports You know not yet the aptnesses in tender consciences to throw downe themselves and to catch at matters and arguments of trouble Thou sendest perhaps from thy company a poore a laden and troubled heart with a bitter and amazed opinion that it hath now no faith which yet came unto thee with some weak and strong desires of firmer faith Weak judgements as I said before cannot bear all things but like some mens stomacks are presently oppressed with meats unusuall And when we have mistaken an error for truth it may prove to the soule as the mistaking of poison for medicine a businesse of troublesome and dangerous consequence 9. Ignorance of the Doctrine A ninth cause of doubtings of Justification This is another cause of
speak a bold truth To have sinne remitted and yet to be exposed to punishment I speak onely of satisfying punishment cannot stand with that unspotted justice of God for no man is justly punished but by reason of unsatisfied guilt In peccato fundatur reatus poena saith Aquinas well Now if Christ hath fully and perfectly satisfied for the guilt then punishment hath no ground unlesse wee will say that God will punish for that which is already satisfied or that Christs satisfaction is not totall but partiall i. he satisfied for a part and left some parts of satisfying punishment to us which is the opinion of the Papists for their humane satisfactions But to draw up again What a comfortable stay and support is this unto a distressed soule to see and find all in Christ When a person brought to the true sight and sense of sin and loathing and forsaking of it and to the giving of himselfe up unto Christ shall behold his many fore-past guilts and see these charged upon Christ nay and discharged by Christ nay and so discharged that they shall never be charged upon him againe nay and all the consequents of guilt removed so that Christ hath set him at liberty he hath made him a freeman and that against all Satans accusations He may hold out the bloud of Christ which will answer all I am a sinner but Christ was made sin for me I deserve damnation but Christ was made a curse for me If Beleevers did skill the nature and extent and vertues of remission by the bloud of Christ if they did know and were possessed more with this part of Justification they would strengthen their faith and their comfort more and their doubtings and fears would sink more Be of good comfort thy sins are forgiven thee 5. One thing more which I had almost forgotten falls in which is this That the substantiall part of Justification is alike to all Beleevers What is that It is this God for the bloud of Christ doth not onely charge the sins of strong beleevers on Christ but of weak beleevers too and these onely are not discharged but those also True faith in any degree may take out all the benefits of Justification For as Justification doth not admit of degrees no more is it made over to the degrees but to the truth of faith So that not onely Abraham the father of the faithfull who was strong in faith but the father of the child who cryed out with tears I beleeve help mine unbeliefe he also hath all the reall interests the very same reall interests in the bloud of Christ You know the arme hath not an interest in the head and influences thereof because it is big or because it is strong but because it is a member by reason whereof the least â—inger and weakest member doth also claime and hath a share So because every Beleever by true faith is made a member of Christ he hath therefore a concurrent share in the bloud of Christ in the Justification purchased by Christ And therefore it is a weaker argument of weak beleevers to deny or doubt their discharge by Christ True say they Christ is a Ob. strong Saviour and hath strong merits and by him is pardon of sinne and by his Name a person is justified but this is onely for men of stronger faith then mine Doe not deceive nor unnecessarily Sol. afflict thy selfe Christ hath done great matters for great sinners and a weak faith is a joynt possessor though no faith can be a joynt purchaser of sins remission And thus have I briefly informed you with some notions about that part of Justification which respects our sinnes there is yet another part which respects our graces and duties from the weaknesse and mixture of which do arise many doubtings and such as are not to be disputed downe by any thing in our selves but onely to be answered with the doctrine of Justification O saith the humbled sinner Ob. and experienced in himselfe what a broken estate is here what an imperfect draught of holinesse My very light is dim and in all my duties there is yet undutifulnesse my righteousnesse is defective in my faith much unbeliefe in my prayers much coldnesse irreverence distraction when I have sorrowed for my sins I may even grieve for grieving no more and may hate my selfe that I cannot otherwise hate my sins How can I stand before God who is of purer eyes then to behold sin Will the Lord accept of such a person of such discharging of duties c. Let me stop the complaint Sol. close up the doubtings with a little more inlargement of the doctrine of Justification Therefore remember 1. Our persons stand not before God in their own righteousnesse nor our owne services in their owne strength Indeed the Lord requires holinesse in our natures and holy duties from us we are his children we are his people therefore we should be holy as our Father is holy therefore the people of his pasture should serve him An unholy Beleever were a monster upon earth and an undutifull son is a plain unbeleever for though Christ did die for those who were once rebellious yet he dies for none to make them licentious So that holinesse inherent grace is absolutely required to salvation To salvation I say But to Justification in no wise What is that That is though a man cannot be saved without inherent holinesse yet is he not justified by it When he comes to account it with God he may not say this Lord loe here I am see if there be any sin in my person or defect in my holinesse I have not offended thee I need not any help any mercy my heart is totally cleane and my duties performed at all times in every respect for matter and manner to the full as thou requirest Enter into judgment with me if thou pleafest I will be tryed by my owne holinesse 2. But in the righteousnesse of Christ I desire saith Paul to be found in him not having my owne righteousnesse which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousnesse which is of God by faith Phil. 3. 9. See more in Rom. 5. 19. 1 Cor. 1. 30. 2 Cor. 5. 21. There is such a thing as the * So called not as if the act of faith were our justifying righteousnesse for that act is but 1. An perfect thing 2. A transient thing 3. A part of inherent holinessâ— but because faith only layes hold on makes us to fly unto rely on the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ righteousnesse of faith it is none other then the righteousnesse of Christ We think little of it we make little use of it there is a kind of Popery in us all we look downward too much on our righteousnesse for a Justification and when we are to be pronounced just and righteous when either we or our services expect acceptation it is in and by that righteousnesse of
be disclosed and Gods righteous judgement shall be evident to the hearts of all the world Whence it is that in this day of meeting they shall cry unto the mountaines to fall on them and the rocks to hide them but in vaine from the wrath of him who sits upon the throne 2. There are severall causes of the rising of sin Some are Divers causes of sins rising afresh on Gods part some on our part some on Satans 1. For Gods part God doth many times cause our former sins to rise by the power of his mighty spirit in the ministery of his Word For whereas the sinner would hush his fears and griefs and conscience asleep yet the Lord will not have it so He doth rub the sore and gall the conscience makes it sensible of the guilt and wounds Hee doth pierce by the two-edged sword of his Word even to the dividing asunder of soule and spirit and of the joynts and marrow and discernes the very thoughts and intents of the heart He meets the person oft times many years after the commission of the sinnes and most expresly revives and remembers them in all the acting circumstances which the sinning person either had or would have buried in silence and forgetfulnesse 2. For our part Thus there is double cause of new rising of old sins One whereof is good and the other is bad 1. A new commission of the old sins which brings back upon us the sting of the old guilt for relapses into the disease occasion a relapse of the burden and ache Cut thy finger againe and it will smart againe fall into thy ague againe it will make thee shake againe Relapses have ever this judgement with them that they make a fresh wound and the old also to bleed againe You know in some Wells there are two buckets put downe the one and you bring up the other so the falling into the same sin againe brings up the old burden againe Though we may not revive sinne to practise it yet we may to mourn for it 2. Renewed humiliations for then we doe voluntarily look back upon our former accounts that thereby we may more humbly sue out a totall discharge Though wee may sin the sin over no more yet we may weep it over and over and though the acting of it may be no more yet the bewailing of it should last us ever 3. On Satans part who like an envious and malicious wretch never gives over to throw unto us our errors and failings though corrected with truest reformation So Satan who is the great cause and incentive to sin will not cease after our truest repentance to vexe and sad and if he could to despaire our hearts with the fresh memory of former and forsaken sins so that we seldome or never lay hand on a blessed promise or gaine our selves into the comfortable favour of God or delight our selves in the sweet peace of conscience but he falls in and checks and troubles us with the representations of former sins and perchance makes us let goe our gracious hold with the feares and suspicions and chargements of former guilts 3. Now according to the variety of the causes fetching up upon us our former guilts must we deliver unto you severall helps and remedies Consider therefore on Gods The ends of reviving of sin part there are severall ends in respect of severall persons why he brings on the sinnes againe 1. To make the ground-work more deep and sure We make our tents too short for our wounds Wee sinne much and defile our selves much and we think that a little washing will serve the turne O! this businesse of self-tryall of laying the axe to the root of the tree of diving into the secrets of sin of applying the corrasives unto the core heart of our natures this goes against us wee are quickly weary of it Indeed some trouble and some bitternesse we grant to be convenient but to be still accusing our selves before God still to be lashing and wounding our hearts for wounding of God Ah this this goes against us You shall see people sometimes very sensible of their diseased bodies O now some physick were good they find such aches such distempers surely some physick were good and some they take which makes them excessively sick but then away with it no more physick yet at length the disease comes upon them againe and the Physitian prescribes more physick even that which must goe to the root of the disease which though it makes them more sick yet it procures their safety and better health Beloved God would have men perhaps a longer space to sit upon their sinnes they stint themselves after great sins and make themselves friends with God prefently Now the Lord knowes that this skinning of the sore will spoile all and therefore after a short time he returnes them their sins againe makes Conscience to startle at the guilt againe and deales with us as the skilfull Chirurgion with a man whose leg is broken and ill set he breaks it againe that it may be well set So doth the Lord he breaks our soules againe with the guilt of sins He will make us know that wee must bring him more broken hearts we shall know what it is to sinne against him and shall not make a reall and lasting peace without a sound and solid humiliation And truly this is the great mercy of his wisdome to work thus for hereby he makes our foundation low and sure and hereby he prevents subsequent stirs and makes way for our surer and more comfortable apprehensions and applications of his love in Christ You know that a wise Schoolmaster when a boy skips from a hard lesson to that which is more easie he puts him back againe and makes him say it over and over ere he takes it forth Men think to be catching at Christ however they love to lay load on him and throw their vile burdens upon him though perhaps they never yet weighed their vile sinings and dishonourings of God But the Lord will turne them back againe he will take off these pragmaticall presumers and set them to learne their first lesson better He will make them more sensible of their vile hearts and waies and actions they shall not so easily come off from their accursed transgressions the Lord will hold up the comfortable answers of his favours and the sweet tasts of the Lord Jesus Christ and make them againe to sit downe in bitter sorrow for piercing the Lord Christ and shedding his bloud and grieving of his Spirit and all that men might be more humbled and more really fitted for Christ 2. To make us more humble I assure you oft times our very victories make us proud and that very grace which should be a cause to abase us occasionally and accidentally is a means to puffe us we rise too often above our selves beyond measure And therefore as to Paul there was given a sting to abase him