reconciled to thy brother Mat. 6. 12. For give us our debts as we forgive our debters but if you forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive ye your trespasses A fifth Let is despairing doubts of being answered Jam. 1. 5 6. If any man lack wisdome let him ask it of God that giveth to all liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him but let him ask in saith nothing doubting for he that wavereth is like a wave of the Sea driven with the wind and tossed let not that man think he shal receive any thing at the hand of the Lord whatsoever ye shall ask in my name believe that you shall receive it and ye shall receive it Mark 11. 24. We shall now speak of Helps to prayer or saith some I would but I cannot pray I want words all that I can do is to sigh for a Help to this First labour to get a feeling of the necessity and excellency of Prayer so as that thy heart goeth under a grievous burthen because thou canst not pray Jer. 5. 3. O Lord are not thine eyes upon the truth thou hast stricken them but they are not grieved Here the Prophet complains that though Israel are stricken smitten and afflicted yet they have not grieved clearly implying that a grieved burthened state at the sense of want is a fair step in the way to obtain supply Psal 38. 4 6. For mine iniquities are gone over my head as a heavy burthen they are too heavy for me I am troubled I am bowed down greatly cast thy burthen upon the Lord and he shall sustain thee Psal 55. 22. Secondly study much how to get deep sense of your great wants of Gods daily help All my springs are in thee without me you can do nothing For in him we live move and have our being Acts 17. 27. 28. Thirdly Consider God hath provided no way for you to acquaint him with your wants but prayer and if you cannot pray how will you make your complaints to God Phil. 4. 6. In every thing by Prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God 2 Chron. 26. Vzzia sought God in the dayes of Ezra and as long as he sought the Lord God made him to prosper call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me Psal 50. 15. Hos 5. 15. Fourthly consider that all your outward mercies becomes blessings through Prayer 1 Tim. 4. 5 6. For every creature of God is good if it be reeceived with thanksgiving for it is sanctified by the word of God and Prayer Give us this day our daily bread When Jesus had made the multitude sit down upon the ground he looked up to Heaven and gave thanks or said grace as the old translations read it Fifthly Consider what a miserable condition will yours be if cast into the Lyons Den Whales Belly or stocks if you cannot pray They poured out their supplications when thy chastening was upon them Sixthly Intreat Jesus Christ to teach you to pray Luke 11. 1. And it came to pass as he was praying in a certain place when he ceased one of his Disciples said unto him Lord teach us to pray as John also taught his Disciples as the Lord commands us to do so he must help us to Pray Zech. 36. 37. CHAP. VIII Shewing the great Decay to Christianity when mindless to Reading and Meditation in the holy Scriptures with six Calamities very observable which Scripture Ignorance brings SIGN VIII VVHen Reading and Meditation in the holy Scriptures is not delightful but burthensome unto you When Israel was pleased to chuse them a King God is pleased to set him his work lest they lose their end and God lose his honour And it shall come to pass when he shall sit upon the Throne of his Kingdome that he shall write him a Copy of Gods Law in a book and it shall be with him and he shall read therain all the dayes of his life that he may learn to fear the Lord his God that his heart he not lifted up above his brethren In like manner when Joshua enters upon the Government he hath this charge from God that the Book of the Law should not depart out of his mouth but he must meditate therein day and night that he might observe to do according to all that 's written then should he make his way prosperous and have good success And when King David declares who is the blessed man He is one that delights in the Law of the Lord making it his meditation day and night This premised discovers most pretious worth attainable through Scripture reading with meditation and if need were might call for a multitude more witnesses both from Scripture and Experience But it being not so much my proper work to assert Scripture Excellency as to show and prove that Christian to be dying to Christ that is not delightfully taken up with Meditation and Reading in his Word I shall therefore proceed in a plain method Thus where delight to Reading and Meditation grows low there negligence to Reading and meditation must needs grow high there decay grows great such must decline in their spiritual estate this negligence bringing with it much ignorance and so covers the eyes and hearts of such as with a vail so as that they cannot so see as the spiritual growing man sees Gods Precepts how they command him Gods promises how they uphold him Gods threatnings how awfully they perswade him the Scripture being his Treasury or Store-house from whence he is made able through the spirits help to withstand the fiery darts of the wicked one saying after Christ Jesus his Captain thus and thus it is written It is evident to the meanest capacity that doth but consider how great incapacity all such must needs be in to understand and resist the manifold temptations and wiles of the evil one except they be well acquainted with Gods holy Word that hath in it Armour for the whole man with directions how to put it on and it becometh thus excellent for that all Scripture is given by the inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect thorowly furnished to all good works 2 Tim. 3. 16 17. Ignorance therefore here must make sore desolation and bring as I humbly conceive upon persons these six Calamities First It makes you in a wilderness when sickness and affliction comes because you will not know how and why they come Sickness and Affliction are of two sorts inward and outward Inward are such as seize upon the mind as a judgment caused upon the person where they come Isa 6. 9 10. And he said go and tell this people hear ye indeed but understand not see ye indeed but perceive not make the heart of this people fat and make their ears heavy and shut their eyes
therefore to have put my money to the exchangers and then at my coming I should have received mine own with advantage Mat. 25. 27. A Second Cause may be luke-warmness in Religion that is so indifferent that they care not whether they go forward or backward I know thy works that thou art neither cold nor hot I would thou wert cold or hot so then because thou art luke-warm I will spew thee out of my mouth Revel 3. 15 16. Thirdly a third Cause of this decay is unaptness to personal duties every professor in order to his growing hath personal duties constantly to carry about with him aptness wherein fits him for publick imployment but the contrary makes him unhandy or unskilful in the word of righteousness as children by vertuous education or the unexpert souldier by frequent discipline are both made ready for man-liker actions even so aptness in personal duties as family and closet prayer family and closet reading a careful exercise and execution of those choyce and nearly concerned duties with these mentioned of frequent fastings watchings humblings patience meekness temperance zeal fear love giving all diligence for if these things be in you and abound they make you that you shall be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ but he that lacketh these things is blind and cannot see a far off so briefly I pass to the third Sign CHAP. III. Briefly showing the cause of wearyness to hear any Truth often SIGN III. VVHen you care not to hear one matter often though a suitable truth By Often here I would not be understood so as that those that preach should day after day when they assemble without intermission preach the very same thing word for word to their hearers for indeed this may give just occasion of burthen to the hearer therefore such preaching upone truth in respect of the season must surely be so observed as to leave room for the making known other truths as necessarily to be believed therefore let the considerate Reader in this case construe my words as he upon another case judgeth he ought to construe the holy Apostles words Often 1 Cor. 11. 26. As often as you eat this bvead Often here doth not in the least intend that not at all persons be in this service neither doth it surely intend that they do it every time they meet together but so do it as it have its season of being administred and such season as may not extinguish or leave no room for the administration of other Ordinances so that by Often I would be understood so frequent a preaching the same truth already known and believed as stands with the wisdome and judgment of persons that by God are intrusted to Preach with this alwayes premised that as they see a possibility of any truth losing its proper force in the memory and heart through want of repetition And when suitable truths upon this very score is over and over preached and meets with such Spirits as care not to hear it that are mindless careless and displeased this bespeaks such to be of the dying hand for indeed such carriages withstands Gods ordinary method which he frequently useth in Scripture to his own people in covenant with him for two great ends the one is that they may remember it the other is that they may do it Is not one great end of many institutions imposed on Israel of old and they found according to commandement in the same services yearly least they should forget what God would have them remember and when they are pleased to choose them a King it is Gods express charge when he sitteth upon the Throne of his Kingdome that he shall write him a copy of the Law and read therein all the dayes of his life that he may learn to keep all Gods word The safety of this to the same people that have already believed is plainly expressed and faultiness in them that care not to hear it plainly implyed and one of the great ends I have now noted is also a sign in 1 Cor. 15. 1 2. Moreover brethren I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you which also you have received and wherein you stand by which also you are saved if you keep in memory what I preached unto you unless you have believed in vain Then he goeth on and sheweth the particulars he had preached to them Principles even so plain in the Letter of them that one would think they could not be forgotten which strongly implies that through want of preaching the same things to them again they might either loose the bare knowledge of the Principles there laid down or at least the spiritual force and nature of them how then doth this very Scripture reprove such as care not to hear a suitable truth often charging them with faultiness in forgetting that of all truth at best they know but in part and that by hearing one and the same truth again and again a man may see some excellency further than yet he ever saw experience will witness this to the considerate Psal 3. begining 2 Pet. 2. 12 13 14. Now this defect seems to arise from some wrong Judgment or apprehentions that such persons have of themselves They are notionally conceited of some large reach they have in the knowledge of those very things they care not to hear and this defect in them is occasioned through want of humble dependance upon God and sensible feeling the Spirit of that word All my springs are in thee Psal 87. last Let any that find the case thus with them be intreated to be restless in themselves not quiet or content but pray earnestly to God that he would both heal them from this foul distemper and also forgive them for this great evil of entertaining or giving way to burden at hearing again that that grace hath taught them to know already I shall end this Sign with what the wise man saith Prov. 3. 5 6. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart and leane not to thy own understanding but in all thy wayes acknowledge him and he shall direct thy path or keep thy feet from runing thus astray CHAP. IV. Briefly shewing how want of Charity in hearers causeth them dislike what is preached SIGN IV. VVHen few Sermons will please you either you like not matter or manner or man When Persons come to this decay that they not only are weary to hear one matter often but few Sermons pleases them they are then ready to throw off all and it is usually known by this very character in the Sign viz. They will either find some fault with the matter or else dislike the manner or else the man and wherever this is found in person or persons without just occasion given them such certainly cannot stand long in their profession without penitent reformation Let but hearers when they come to Sermons leave charity behind them how easily may they disturb themselves
with Abraham Isaac and Jacob in the Kingdome of Heaven but the Children of the Kingdome shall be cast out into utter darkness May we not tremble to read this text with self-reflection that from the East and West such as in all probability never had the Tyth of that means we have had neither heard nor seen what we have heard and seen yet to their measure had walked so like what they had heard and what they had seen that they shall be counted worthy by the Lord to sit with Abraham and Isaac in the Kingdome and the Children of the Kingdom cast out namely such as had his Name and Ordinances among them making visible show of his Religion and promised themselves lack of nothing because they would cry Lord Lord and were great nominal Christians pleasing themselves in giving Christ good words and thinks none shall be saved so soon as they they being beset with such salvation priviledges Mat. 7. 22 23. Many will say to me in that day Lord Lord have we not prophecied in thy Name and cast out Devils Then will I say Depart from me ye workers of iniquity I never knew you Let none therefore trust in lying words which cannot profit saying the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord are these that ye throughly amend your wayes and your doings then will I cause you to dwell safely Jer. 7. beginning But alas how few lay to heart the great good Salvation and deliverance from the great hurt Damnation eying with all trembling the road way in which God will both give the one and with-hold the other surely surely this carnal security the souls damning sin would never so possess persons rocking them asleep did they but with all diligence consider that security of all kinds about hereafter Glory without these marks of hearty designing and actual endeavouring the new creatures life in the measure called for as attainable and to be attained in the Scripture of truth nothing being more evident then that such make it their whole business to be conversant about those soul-searching texts that speak out salvation by Christ Jesus upon no less terms than hearty designing with actual endeavouring to live like Christ Jesus in Scripture conformity to his will I shall beg of God there may be by them that read this these five following Scriptures duly weighed which with the help of his grace may serve as a deliverance or tend to the rouzing up of the soul from this damning sin of carnal security The first is Rom. 8. 10. And if Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin but the spirit is life or alive because of or unto righteousness 2 Cor. 5. 17. Therefore if any man be in Christ he is a new creature old things are past away behold all things are become new Gal. 5. 24. And they that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts 1 John 2. 6. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself so to walk even as he walked Chap. 3. 3. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure Doth not these great Scriptures with one mouth tell you the high road way to hereafter Glory and prohibit any man from daring to promise himself the same upon any other terms or in any or her way wherefore my brethren seeing that ye or if you look for such things be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless 2 Pet. 3. 14. Secondly A second Cause of persons being so senseless is Contentment with out-side Christianity that is frequent in the performance of those Services that relate to the Worship of God but the thing designed by God to be reached after and obtained is not pursuied It is evident both from Scripture and Experience that persons have been and are frequent in hearing Sermons in Prayer in Reading in Fasting and such like performances yet they remain very carnal and unmortified Now Gods gracious End in giving such spiritual priviledges to persons being by him designed to beget them to his spiritual likeness and his End not brought about must needs argue such not or little further than out-side performances contenting themselves with their Services so done that leaves three parts of four yet to do for what pleasure can God take in those that after long standing under the opportunities of getting both inward and outward excellency in that that makes Christianity honourable while they still remain as fruitless as the Figg-Tree having a great show at distance and nothing but leaves at hand Doth not Jesus Christ in so many words except against such as not rightly qualified for his Kingdome Mat. 5. 20. But I say to you except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no case enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Their righteousness will not do and yet they are known to be a People much in prayer Fasting and giving Alms which are in themselves good things and yet they not accepted of God but for all this his Woes goeth out against them May it not be feared that hundreds in our dayes content themselves with scarce going thus far in outward acts yet retain a strong opinion that all shall be well with them hereafter as though such confidence of being saved as they that act it are content with would content God but let not such deceive themselves and they may find that confidence about hereafter safety not being acted by penitent subjects whose hearts can witness a through change will return to themselves back again charged with presumption notwithstanding all their outward performances And it is most sure as hath been premised in the last Sign that the holy Spirit bears not witness with such spirits that they are Gods Children that because while they remain thus content with out-side Christianity Reformation reacheth not the heart and then is a wanting that awful reverence of God and of Christ within that commands without the tongue so to talk the eyes so to look the hands so to act the feet so to walk in the likeness of God as to be truly deemed his workmanship Ye are our Epistle written in our hearts known and read of all men forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the Epistle of Christ But we shall leave this to consideration and pass to the third and last Head Thirdly Persons are so senseless of their spiritual estate by not being conversant about things to come Now things to come are reduceable in special to these four heads Death Judgment Salvation Damnation all which are matters not of show but of certainty and may be called the four last things which every man ought to make his four first things that he furnisheth his heart withal because indeed they are Religions great cause and bounds Heavens great Argument to call us to duty our great Argument to submit to Heavens