for it was at the same feast that Nehemiah speakes chap. 8. last It is said chap 8.4 to 8. there was a Pulpit of Wood and in vers 8. it is said They did read distinctly in the Law and caused the people to understand the meaning of it so that it was not a meere outward and bare reading of the letter but an opening of the sence and such a kinde of applying it to the hearts of the people that the people went away much rejoycing because they understood the Law that was read unto them and many of them could not but joy and rejoyce in it as you see from vers 8. to the end of the 12th and when they had so done the people went away rejoycing and he said to them Goe your way home eate the fat and drinke the sweet c. vers 10. So that this you shall finde to be true that God hath either never so farre forth blessed the reading of the Word as to bring on unbeleevers to Christ either never or if he have it is at some solemne extraordinary feast once in seven or once in fifty yeares which was their great Jubilee to make knowne to his Church what in after times it should be when they knew Christ Vse It may serve first to let us see a reason why so many Writings of godly men to so good purpose and by such holy men and so effectually by many have so little prevailed against the Papists and Hereticks in any kinde a man would wonder to read so many Writings of so many holy men and to see so few of the Church of God brought on to God by this meanes Why what 's the reason surely it is no wonder the Apostles themselves though they should never prosper in writing to men that beleeved not but to such as beleeved that they might have joy in beleeving they knew reading would not prevaile It is true it may be some meanes of conviction and leaving men without excuse and their Writings have not been in vaine to establish them in the truth that beleeved it before and for satisfying the judgements of them that are studious in the truth to seeke out the truth of Gods will but for men that are unbeleevers and setled in the dreggs thereof never any Writer in England France or Germany did any good some have come over that have pretended that this and that mans learned Writings hath been of much help to them but those who have professed such conviction have been but meer counterfeits and deluders of the State and did it only to provide for their honour and credit here in this Country and as little hath been done by the Writings of godly men against the adversaries in this kinde So in very deed The bane of congregations that have no meanes of preaching if you shall looke at all the good that hath been done by reading in poore Congregations that have had no meanes of preaching the people are as ignorant as those that never heard of the name of Christ as empty of faith and of the knowledge of Christ and of every grace of his as those that never heard of them Object But you say This is marvellous uncharitable to say that they who have but reading fall short of faith in Christ and of the fruits of faith that accompany salvation Ans Whether is it more uncharitablenesse to let such as live under such meanes know their danger that they might come to salvation then to flatter them with a false opinion of their owne safety to speake peace to them and yet they to live without God in the world Gods people are in an unsafe condition without God while they are without a teaching Priest 2 Chron. 15.3 A long time they had been without God why had they not the Word of God read in their Synagogues Doe you thinke Ieroboams Priests did not read the Law Was there no mention of the Law of God among them Had they not so much forme of godlinesse as to read the writings of the Law Yes sure their Civill Law in which their civill Government stood and by which they executed Justice was the Law of Moses and did they not then understand the letter of the Law doubtlesse these bookes being their Law they were knowne among the body of the people and what did the Priests if they did not read the bookes of the Law were they only to offer sacrifice to the Calves I doubt not the people did not doe it neither was it usuall to offer any of their Oblations in their Synagogues but at Dan and Bethel only and therefore they were not wanting to heare the Prophets read and yet notwithstanding all that reading it is said Israel hath a long time been without God they had a Priest to read but not a Priest to teach and so were without God and without the Law that is the sentence God gives of the people at that time and thinke not that God was uncharitable in so speaking of them for God expresseth his love in shewing the people their dangerous estate Ioh. 15.14 15. Quest But is it not said Act. 15.21 Moses of old time hath in every City them that preach him being read in the Synagogues every Sabbath day and is not then the reading of him preaching Answ It implyes that when he is read he is preached for every Sabbath day when they read the Law they gave the sence and meaning of it that shewes what diligence the Priests did use when they did read they gave the sence and wisely applyed it to the edification of the people and not that reading was all the preaching they had or that this was any preaching that they only read the Word of God for if they had but Moses read and not preached they were then without the Law and without God in the world And you know what God himselfe threatens Amos 8.11 12 13. That he would send a famine of hearing the Word never was there a famine of reading the Word since there was any face of a Church at all but a famine of hearing the Word of the Lord that men should goe farre from sea to sea and from place to place to heare it but should not heare it And by that meanes the young men and the faire virgines should perish for thirst and none to satisfie them with the Word and those who were able to stirre would goe farre and neare to heare the Word and yet should not finde it and so shall perish for want of that knowledge of it which doth accompany salvation so then marvaile not that the Holy Ghost saith these things I write unto you that beleeve to Beleevers only was this written Note the Miserable case of Congregations that have but bare reading Wonder not then if so little good be done among the Papists or in any other Churches where there is only bare reading make account of it as the Lord saith My people are then destroyed for want
expression of a living soul is he doth not say it was wrought when he had a good mind to hear such a man or to take such a course so it may be will flesh and blood say but when you come to an heart that indeed lives in God sight he expresseth himself thus but when it pleased God it was done I for my part ran cleane another way I never had a desire after God I had indeed a kind of forme and shew and could comply my selfe to my Governours and Neighbours that I might be flattered and incouraged by them and I should never have taken better course of my selfe but when it pleased God to call me by his grace there is the life of a Christian he fetches his life from the highest heavens It pleased God to call me by his grace and to reveale his Sonne in me when it pleased him to shew me the estate of my soule and the sinfull rebellion of my heart and when he revealed Christ not so much to me as in me he was revealed to him in Act. 9. in the first vision and worke upon him but when he revealed Christ in me then he went that way the Holy ghost led him Thus you shal easily discerne it plainly though it be hidden in the pleasure of God yet it will shew it selfe evidently in the expression of a Christian man when he comes to speake of the life of his spirituall estate they never attribute it to good inclination nor to the good instructions of others but they say when it pleased God thus and thus to reveal himself in me when he shewed me my selfe when God laid about to find which way to hemme me in then it pleased God to do it and since then I have lived A second cause of my spiritual life is The second cause of spiritual life The Word of God the word of Promise for so the Apostle tells you Not all that are of Abraham are the seed and children of Abraham but the children of the Promise are counted for the spirituall seed That seed which is elected of God and chosen to everlasting life that is the seed of Promise That is such as are begotten of some promise of God or other Every Isaack is a Sonne of the promise And least you should thinke it peculiar to Isaack alone the Apostle opens it sweetly in Gal. 4.28 As a thing common with Isaack to all the people of God it is a like Priviledge given to the Galathians and to all others that were born of God We brethren are children of the Promise it was not peculiar to Isaack alone to be borne of the Promise and yet of the Promise he was borne in a kind of peculiar manner for before he was born God gave Isaack to Sarah by promise and by vertue of that promise was he borne even a naturall life Now so farre indeed it was a speciall peculiar Prerogative to Isaack and Jacob but the Apostle would from thence gather that the spiritual birth of us all is by a word of promise All of us one and other is born by a word of Providence but if we speak of our spiritual birth then we brethren are children of the Promise So that you shall observe this to be an holy truth of God That every child of God is borne of the promise of God So that then hast thou a new birth and dost thou live a new life Tel me then what promise was it that did beget thee to God that begat thee to this new life What Word of God was it by which thou wast begotten it is a general speech that in Ro. 10.17 Faith commeth by hearing and by the doctrine of faith preached Gal. 3.5 that is the Gospell of faith so that this is the point There is some promise which being reported to the soule in the ministery of the Word is laid hold upon by the hearts of Gods people the same Word of promise working that faith in the heart by which the soule cleaves to such a promise Then doe but consider if thou beest borne of God what cause was there of thy birth wa st thou born of that Word of God or of thine own conceite or of the good opinion of Christians or is there some Word of God which thou hast placed thy confidence in and upon which thou hast been reformed and since that day to this God hath turned thy heart and way to another course and given thee to live in his sight It is true it may be many a good soule cannot readily tell you Note this what promise did first bring them on to God but though thou canst not alwayes tell yet a word of promise it was and ordinarily a word of Promise which the word preached did apply to thy soule and caused thy heart to reach forth and to lay hold upon it but though thou beest not always able to reckon up the first Promises yet this I say And marke it there is no Christian soule but hath some promises of God on which his heart is stayed upon and by which his life is nourished which argues it was bred of those promises of which it is now fed though a man be not alwayes able to tell what promise it was sometimes a word of reproofe or of counsell may sink deep into a man when God sets it wel on and may make a deep impression in the heart of a man And may so turne about the course of their lives as that thereby they may reforme all common and outward and knowne soule sinnes which before was ever cause and matter of reproofe but that is not so safe a worke of Christ not such a strong evidence of our spirituall life when such a word of reproofe or counsell hath set us in such a course and we have thereupon refrained gaming and breaking of the Sabbath and vain fashions this is well but it is not so safe a signe of our new birth for this may befal even an hypocrite he may be so convinced by a word of grace and wise counsell as may strongly turne the streame of his course another way and yet bee without any life and power of godlinesse only the word of promise is able to work grace and life in the heart of a man For the Ground of the Point is this Ground of the point we cannot have a spirit of life wrought in us by the workes of the Law nor by the words of the Law Gal. 3.5 He that ministereth to you in the spirit and worketh miracles doth hee it by the workes of the Law As if he should say did ye ever receive the grace of Christ by the workes of the Law or by the counsell of the Law or by the commandements of the Law or by the reproofes reached forth from the Law he excludes it as impossible and as no wayes able to doe it vers 21. And therefore he doth ever lead us unto some word of the Gospel to some promise
of grace for the ground of all our spiritual life as if ever we would be able to say we are begotten to a new Inheritance we must be able and are able to say we have some word of Promise which hath wrought this in our soules which hath bowed us to looke to Christ and to cleave to him for strength and increase and groweth in grace For it is true indeed The Workes of the Law may indeed cut us off from some bad wayes but when it hath don so it leaves us there leaves us in an estate wherein we would not give offence and would not displease men that are grave and wise And this we may reach unto without respect to the glory of God or any inward regard of his holy feare but when as we are quickned to live by vertue of some Promise then the love of God constraineth us to live to obedience and good ends then our respects can reach heavenly and spiritual ends And therefore observe this as of necessary use for any man that as he would be loath to be deceived in a counterfeit peece of money so much more let him be carefull in the main points of his everlasting estate on this depends our having or not having of life And therefore it behooves us to bee sure that we be not disappointed in this great mystery of godlinesse and consider seriously upon what your hopes and confidence was bred and whence it was grounded Quest You will say But is it not ordinary that the Word of the Law doth humble and cast downe the heart and spirit before God and cut them off from all confidence in the flesh before they come to lay hold of the promise of grace in Christ Answ True it is so indeed That ordinarily some word of the Law some word of conviction prevailes with the heart and makes him in sence of sinne say to his Christian friends what shall I doe to be saved this is true but yet this is not it that makes him a new man in Gods sight it may reach to the reformation of his outward man and to the alteration of sundry of his former courses which no meanes else could have reclaimed but yet this makes him not live a spiritual life until he be not onely humbled by the Law but in some measure brought on to look after the promise of grace in Christ and to long after them and to say and desire oh that I had but my part in this or that promise what a mercy of God would that be to me could I but lay hold upon them but thereupon the soule of a Christian doth stand poring and plodding and wistly gazeing upon them till in the end the very sight of a promise hath so seasoned us with a spirit of faith that we begin not only to long after that promise but to cleave to it and in time come to receive it into our hearts and come to imbrace it to rejoyce in it to acknowledge it and finde our happinesse and life and comfort to bee wrapped up in it A third cause of our spiritual life A third cause of Spirituall life Is the Spirit of grace that which is borne of the spirit is spirit whatever is borne of the flesh and no more is but carnall but that which is borne of the spirit is spirit Joh. 3.6 there is a shedding abroad the spirit of Gods grace in the heart of man that makes him of another spirit he is not the same man that he was before his spirit was changed his inclination and disposition is changed For Spirit is nothing else but the inclination and disposition the habit of it the spirit of wisdome is an habit or inclination to Wisdome the Spirit of grace is an habit of Grace the Spirit of prayer is an inclination or an habit of Prayer they are severall words but all meane the same thing Be renewed in the spirit of your mindes that is bee renewed in the inclination and disposition of your minde Epb. 4.23 And not only be renewed in the mind or judgement or understanding of a man but there must be a renewall of the whole soule of a man the disposition and inclination of the whole must be changed and altered Caleb and Ioshua was of another spirit they could judge of things otherwise then other men could doe other men not renewed in the spirit of their mind have no alteration but the truly regenerate they see a great change they never saw the danger of their sinnes before nor ever before judged themselves for their sinnes but now their spirit and soule and affection is changed and now a spirit of feare and love and care and every affection is altered now a man is turned quite off from earthly things so farre as they hinder him in the enjoyment of his Spirituall life and now we are set upon the things of God so as that he that is borne of God to a Spirituall life is become a new Creature and old things are past away 2 Cor. 5.17 He hath a new mind and a new heart new affections new Language and new employments that he was never wont to doe before now he can read Gods Word and conferre with Gods people about the things of God and can instruct others and fashion himselfe to a new mould and all upon the renewall of the spirit of his minde so that if you see that God hath put another spirit into you then ever you had before so as not only this or that part but the whole man is changed and put into another frame that though there be still a taste of the Old man yet the frame both of the body and soule is of another mould and all things are become new in some measure then you live a new life indeed else it is not a perfect change though this and that alteration bee wrought in you By these causes you may clearly discerne whether God hath given you a new life or no consider it therefore I beseech you how doe you now finde your hearts apt to speak when you speak of that estate you are in Are you in your Closets wont to say That time was when you have been thus and thus led in the vanitie of your minde and the hardnesse of your heart and custome of sinne but when it pleased God who called you by his grace when it pleased God then it tooke place you had been in good company before and had used many meanes but never any thing would worke but when it pleased God then it wrought and from that day to this it hath been so and so with me It is a good signe to you if withall you can recall that such or such a word of promise it pleased God to pitch your soules upon you have long looked and waited for salvation but in the end it pleased God to wrap up your soules in life by such a promise and if you can call to minde that such a promise
use this two-edged sword of the spirit to all those ends by which we come to be made perfect unto salvation and this is the scope of the spirit of God in Scripture Reason 1. Why they are written to such as beleeve As they serve for those benefits so also for those ends It is taken from the little use which unbeleevers will make of these writings till they come on to beleeving so little that were it not for some beleevers among them whom God had respect unto none of all the Apostles would have vouchsafed to have written any one Epistle to any unbeleever of any Town or Assembly none of them all writes to any but to such as beleeve on the name of the son of God had there been any benefit likely to be expected from unbeleeving Nations some or other would have written to them but from first to last look over them all and observe them whether they be written to particular persons or to particular Congregations or to Churches or Nations they are all written to such as beleeve on the name of the Lord Jesus For it is with the Apostles writings as the Apostle sometimes speakes of prophesie or miracles miracles are for them that beleeve not but prophesie for them that beleeve he doth not deny but prophesie is for them that beleeve not but he speaks by way of opposition to miracles miracles are rather for them that beleeve not and he would have beleevers know it is rather for them to attend unto prophesie then unto miracles so that this is the poynt Observe it as a just ground of the Apostles dealing in these writings Because of the little use that unbeleevers will make of them Take you men that beleeve not and let them read the Word of God over again and againe and yet they receive little instruction from what they read little admonition little stirred up to any goodnesse And you shal not at all find any blessing no saving gift of God can be wrought in the heart without faith and because faith comes not by reading but by hearing therefore the Apostle writes not to them that beleeve not but to such as are beleevers If ever God had intended that the reading of these writings had been effectual to the begetting of faith surely he would have followed them with mighty works as he blessed the preaching of the Gospel in the primitive times with miraculous workes but you shal not read in any Scripture that ever God so farre blessed the Word read to any man or that he ever wrought a miracle to confirme the Word read where the word hath been taught God magnified it much in the first publishers of it til the whole world was convicted And had God been pleased at any time to thinke that these writings should be effectual to convert men to grace surely it had been a notable meanes for the Apostles to have sent sundry Epistles to many Churches to whom they should never personally come But this was their care to goe all over the world to preach here and there all the world over round about the world as much as in them lay which they needed not to have don in case the sending of an Epistle would have served the turne Notable is that speech and famous in this kind Rom. 10.14 to 17. Faith comes by hearing c. So that in very truth because the Apostles did not see of what use their writings might bee to any unbeleevers because all the work that reading could reach unto could not reach to beget and worke saving faith which is the principall scope of preaching therefore they did never addresse themselves to write any of their Epistles to any unbeleever but onely to such as beleeve on the name of the Lord Jesus Object You say But sometimes God hath been pleased to blesse in old time the reading of the Word to the conversion of soules and therefore why may we not expect the like blessing upon the reading of the Gospell in these dayes as well as the Law in former times in Deut. 31.11 12 13. A place much stood upon in this case it was commanded there that the people should come up to Jerusalem and there the Law should be read before them vers 11. that they may heare and learne and feare verse 12. and their children that knew not the Lord may learne to feare the Lord their God Where you see God blessed the reading of the Law not only for the benefit of them that knew it before but their children also that knew not any thing may learn to feare the Lord And if God did so blesse the reading of the Law in former times as a notable instrument to bring on them to beleeve that never knew any thing of Gods word before Surely one would expect that the Gospel which of the two is rather the ministration of the spirit then of the letter or then the Law that it should be as mighty this way for the begetting of Gods fear in men as ever the Law was Answ You shal not read that this was the benefit or blessing that God did accompany the Law withal in ordinary reading of the same But this was a solemn reading once in seven yeares and no oftener or once in fifty years It was a reading at the feast of Tabernacles in the yeare of solemnity as verse 10 11 to 13. In a time of solemne release that was once every seven yeares And what was the reason that then it should have such a more then ordinary blessing Why this year of Release was the acceptable year of the Lord which typed out to them the year of release by the Lord Jesus Christ For he was crucified in one of these seventh years Note this In the year of Jubilee And to make it a type and shadow of what benefit we should have by reading the Word when we should be released from our sinnes by faith in his blood In that solemne reading God gave a more then ordinary blessing to little children those poore ignorant things that usually come to the Congregation and heare much but learn little yet even they in the year of Release when the time comes that God would shadow out to them their release by Christ even then little children that know not any thing shal get some knowledge and fear of God by hearing of those words then read so that it was such a reading as was upon such a solemne year of release as typed out Christs Redemption to shew you that men that are come to a yeare of release from all their sins by Christ they shall heare and know and though they know nothing before now they shall never read but with some profit and some growth in Gods feare And another answer may be this That when he there speakes of reading he speakes not of bare reading reading is some times put for all that expounding and applying that did ordinarily accompany their reading at such a time
and to make us beleeve more 5. Meditation on the Word Fifthly the Word also meditated upon when a man hath heard it and searched it and beleeved it read and conferred about it or say none of these for the present but whether these have gone before or no for the present the very meditation of Gods Word which a man now takes into his minde as he is riding or working there is a mighty power in the Word pondering upon it and chewing of it to make a man more rooted in it more fruitfull and more comfortable in beleeving This truth you see in Psal 1.1 2 3. when a man meditates upon the Law of God day and night he growes to more delight in it one of these helps another and what will be the fruit of it He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of waters planted and rooted and well watered there and he brings forth his fruit in due season and whatsoever he doth shall prosper not as planted in a dry Wildernesse but by the rivers of water and that makes him not only well rooted and growne tall but it inables him to bring forth fruit in due season and as for his leafe it withers not neither Summers heat nor Winters Frosts makes it to fall but he still holds his greennesse and his fruitfulnesse and he growes in all the graces of God which tend to the praise and glory of his grace and this is by reason of his delighting and meditating in the Word of God and thus you see the point opened Vse 1. First then you may from hence gather a signe of tryall of your owne faith for if this be the Spirit of a godly Teacher to draw on those that are beleevers to beleeve it is a good signe as of a faithfull Minister so of a faithfull Hearer when he desires to supply the defects of his owne and others faith you see Iohn a faithfull Minister to those Christians to whom he writes he when he had brought them on to beleeve and found faith wrought in their hearts it was his care not there to leave them he doth not say as some would well there is now truth of grace in them and truth of faith such faith as accompanies salvation and now he that begun this worke in them will finish it and so leave them and you say now you need take no further care about them but now they will doe well enough no this is not the spirit of a faithfull Minister of Jesus Christ and it will be but uncomfortable to such Ministers as thinke now they may be left to the wide world Property of a faithfull Minister they wil shift any where but where we see any seeds of faith begun we must be desirous to increase it in our selves and ours the Apostles themselves pray Lord increase our faith Luke 17.5 and so they desire to increase other mens faith wee had need grow fast this way if we would have a true signe of a lively faith true and lively faith always desires to grow in it selfe and it would cause the like faith also to grow in others and therefore as you see faithfull Ministers are thus desirous to grow themselves and to cause others to grow as Paul prayes exceedingly night and day to come to those whom he had taken pains withall that he might make a supply of what was wanting in their faith and as faithfull Ministers must cloathe themselves with this earnest desire to be calling yet more and more upon beleevers that such as doe beleeve may beleeve yet more and grow from faith to faith Truly so godly Christians looke as Ministers are desirous to grow in their owne faith and to helpe on others so in Christians it is a true signe of faith not to content our selves in truth of faith but to desire earnestly after growth in faith had not they cause to pray that Paul might come among them againe and helpe them And therefore doubtlesse this is that which every true beleever hath respect unto every faithfull Christian prayes for himselfe Lord increase my faith Lord helpe my unbeleefe this is the prayer of every soule that comes to Christ that though we have some measure of faith already yet mixed with so much unfruitfulnesse and unsetlednesse and so many defects that every Christian hath cause to pray Lord helpe my unbeleefe sometimes a man is hindred with offences and they are to be avoyded in which a man will not be able to put forth love unlesse hee have a strong faith and that was the reason why the Apostles prayed so earnestly Lord increase our faith Luk. 17.5 for it was upon this occasion our Saviour had been exhorting them how to carry themselves in respect of offences if thy brother trespasse against thee rebuke him and if he repent forgive him c. Now they apprehended it was a great work they saw it was a great worke to rebuke him he had need have much faith before he can do that but suppose upon that a man doe humble himselfe and repent then for a man to forgive him Note this it requires a great faith to forgive a wrong or an injury offered to us but what if he come and offend me againe and againe seventy times seven times why if he doe and say it repents me thou shalt forgive him Now when they heare this that a man must bee so free-hearted in forgiving wrongs and injuries done to themselves they had need have a strong love and strong love stands in need of a strong faith to shew you that a man that shal have occasion to trade with his faith and to live and walke by his faith he shall have much need of the growth and increase of it if it be but for the healing of offences many occasions and temptations may meet with us in the world temptations from Satan as well as from the world 1 John 2.14 And if a man have strong enemies he will stand in need of a strong faith to cut asunder all the fiery darts of the Devill Ephes 6.16 Above all take the shield of faith There is no man willing to go to the field with weak armour he would if he could have armour of proofe such as might repulse a weapon or a dart cast against him so a Christian he hath to fight against many enemies And a sheild covers his whole body and so differs from a buckler that covers but one part but a shield covers the whole man stands upon the ground and covers him all over and now faith being such a sheild it is of mighty force and is able to repulse all the fiery darts of the Devill and all the rest of the enemies of their salvation so that the servants of God that know what use they have of their faith they know they have need of the growth and increase of it And so againe in regard of their daily imployments the just man lives by his faith Rom.
him to attend and stay there a signe he meanes to take it into consideration at least and good hopes it will be accepted Now God consults with no body but if he give us a heart to waite and stay assure your selves he meanes not to send you empty away but it is an undoubted argument he will give us an answer because thou canst thus waite upon him Fourthly There is a fourth worke of this unction and it tends marvellously to the speeding of our requests and that is that which you read Psal 145.19 He will fulfill the desires of them that feare him Doest thou finde that the Lord hath wrought a spirit of feare in thy heart so as that thou walkes awfully before him and in the feare of his name goes about every duty and in his feare dependest upon him and endeavourest to approve thy selfe before him truly he will assuredly fulfill the desires of them that feare him when we reverence him in his Ordinances pray with reverence and in an holy feare Psal 2.11 Them that goe about holy duties in a reverent and holy feare doe all things in the feare of the Lord he hath a spirit of power to prevaile with God this is such a feare as whereby a man keeps Covenant with God and consequently prevailes with God to keep Covenant with them Jer. 32.40 This feare is it which makes us keep Covenant with God this feare of God alwaies keeps possession for God so as that we dare not doe that which is unlawfull we dare not sinne against God nor performe good duties carelesly and fearelesly for the feare of God bowes us to goe about holy duties in an holy and reverent manner and blessed is that man that so feareth alwaies If therefore God take from us a wanton and wilde heart a loose and unreverent heart and worke in us an awfull reverent feare of his name in every duty of his service and our owne callings that keeps us from departing from God and it keeps God from departing from us that we alwaies have him neare at hand to heare all the desires of them that feare him It is that spirit of which you read spoken of concerning our Saviour in which he shall prosper in all the workes of his hands Esa 11.2 The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him c. A spirit of power and of the feare of the Lord and that shall make him quick of understanding and so shall prosper which is a blessing promised our Saviour Esa 53.10 It pleased the Lord to bruise him and to put him to griefe but the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand This is the end of this blessing when God puts us to griefe and humiliation and so workes in us the feare of his great name which ever accompanies those dispensations then the worke of the Lord prospers in our hands If God give us a Spirit of his holy feare in any duty we goe about then it will assure us that God will heare our desires Fifthly But yet further there is a spirit of obedience which doth marvellously seale up unto us the hearing and granting of all our prayers and petitions 1 Joh. 3.22 Whatsoever we aske we receive of him because we keepe his Commandements and doe those things which are pleasing in his sight It is of necessary use that when God gives us hearts to listen to every word of his mouth he will then listen to the desires of our soules Prov. 28.8 The prayer of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord but the desires of the righteous are his delight and he that turneth away his care from hearing the Law his prayer shall be abominable But if a man lend a listening eare to Gods Law it makes his prayer acceptable hearken to the Lord and the Lord wil hearken to you else not It is to this purpose what you read Judg. 9. latter end of the seventh verse Hearken unto me that God may hearken unto you If God gave them hearts to hearken to what he spake to them in Gods name then God will hearken to them If we speake and doe as Eli taught Samuel to say Speake Lord for thy servant heareth 1 Sam. 3.10 If we come before God with such a resolution that whatever God speakes to us we will heare it and doe it we shall finde this upon it whatsoever we speake to God he will answer us and worke it for us so that an obedient Christian is a powerfull petitioner he is powerfull in prayer And this we may attaine to by making use of this holy Epistle of John that is written to all that beleeve on the name of Christ this is a fourth direction that Iohn gives us in this Epistle whereby you see how mighty this same Epistle is to satisfie and fill our hearts with fulnesse of joy Reas The reason of this confidence springs from the promises and the discerning of them clearly to belong to us now all these things discover to us many promises confidence springs partly from Gods nature and partly from Gods promise and partly also from our owne experience and these are the staffe of our confidence and from hence it is that we grow to see many promises belong to us we see the nature of God become fatherly to us and we from hence in time gather many experiences of Gods acceptance of us and this strengthens our confidence in his hearing of our petitions Our Adoption assures us of Gods nature to be ours whereby God takes us to be his Children and he is one that is full of grace and goodnesse nothing is wanting on his part he is a Father to us and that is a great matter And in regard that Christ is our Advocate and Attonement he brings all the promises to us which in Christ are all yea and amen 2 Cor. 1 20. And this holy Spirit of God gives us experience of all that goodnesse that is in God and the truth in his promises yea and it gives us experience in this also that he that hath given us his owne Sonne will not be give us all things else Rom. 8.32 He gives us Election Redemption fatherly Adoption and effectuall Vocation to the wayes of his grace and so he gives us experience of the greatest matters and from hence we know that he will not deny us smaller things as victory against the remnant of our corruptions the greatest part of them is scattered before the staffe and strength of them already broken and we now conflict but with remnants of corruption But now when the Holy Ghost saith we know this it goes farre for confidence and faith springs from the testimony of him that speakes or from the nature of him upon whom we trust but knowledge doth not so much spring from the testimony of any either God or man but is commonly gathered from sence and experience and experience is both a ground of confidence and knowledge and hence comes the knowledge of all