to doe thou must not be giuen to the seruice of thine affections and of thine appetite to put them in execution as thou hast formerly done But in-case thine affections or lust commaund thee to doe any thing what is thy part Thou must try how far this may stand with the good will of God and how far that affection which commaunds thee may agree with the law of God Is there such a harmonie as that that thing which thine affection commaunds thee may stand with Gods law and holy will Then no question it is a sanctified affection thou maist put it in execution But after this tryall if thou finde thine affections to be exorbitant out of rule carying thee from God against his law beware of it resist it put it not in execution for if thou fulfill the will of thine affections what pleasure can it bring with it It may well bring a flattering pleasure in the entrie but it closeth euer with a bitter remorse in the end Then to eschew this bitter remorse should yee not all try your affections Yee must examine and try them by the square of Gods lavv yee must see how farre they agree with his law and how fatre they dissent from it so farre as they are dissonant from that law let euery man deny himselfe renounce his affections and so this triall beeing taken in this manner by thy selfe it sanctifieth thine affections maketh Christ to lodge in thy soule maketh thy conscience to be at rest And the holy Spirit this way maketh both bodie and soule to bee in good health and to reioyce Then flie from sinne This is the second lesson The third lesson is this Studie to doe well Wouldest thou keepe health in thy soule Study to do better and better continually At the least haue a purpose in thy soule hart to doe better daily which is the last lesson Seeing that when we studie to do best that the iust man that is the most holy man falleth so often as 7. times a day yea rather 70. times seauen times what is thy part in these slips and snares Though thou fal as thou canst not eschew to fall lie not still there sleepe not there where thou hast faln it is a shame to sleepe there therefore arise againe And hovv shouldest thou rise By lifting vp thy soule and running to the Fountaine of grace and mercy by repayring to Christ Iesus to obtaine mercy for thy soule and to craue that hee would send out of himselfe that measure of peace that may put thy conscience at rest restore thy soule to health So lie not where thou fallest but incontinent arise craue mercy and in obtayning mercy thou shalt repaire thy fal thou shalt amend thy life by repētance by repentance thou shalt get peace thou shalt haue thy conscience at rest and get health to thy soule Now keep this rule if thou desirest to keepe thy soule in health look that thou sleep not in sinne as Dauid did lie not still vvhen thou art faln and so fall from one sinne to another as from adultery to murther from murther to the next c. As commonly if a man sleepe in sin and rise not in time one sin wil draw on another for there is no sin alone but alwaies the greater and more heynous that the sinne is it hath the greater and worse sinnes wayting on it Therefore when yee fall delay not to arise but repaire to the fountaine of mercie and seeke grace in time runne to prayer run to the Church of God wheresoeuer it be whether in the fielde or in the towne runne to Christ Iesus and craue mercy of him that yee may haue peace in your consciences and so by these meanes euery one of you shall preserue health in your soules By these meanes ye shall learne what difference is betwixt this liuing word of mercy and grace which sounds in our religion and that slaying letter that kills the soule of euery one that heares it I meane that Idolatrous doctrine of that dumbe Mass I mention this vnto you because I see that many in these dayes are fallen to it and the Lord is beginning to abstract his grace and mercy from this Country for the contempt of this quickning vvord which hath so cleerely sounded heere which our country-men for the greatest part running headlong to the diuell in a dumbe guise trauaile vtterly to banish Is not this a miserable thing that so fevv of you haue eyes to consider and discerne of the time of peace mercy and grace which is so aboundantly offred The Lord of his mercy giue you eyes in time Thus far concerning the reasons wherefore euery one of you should try and examine your owne consciences and this triall ought not to be for a day or for a yeere but it ought to be euery day and euery yeere of thy whole life For that conscience that should rest for euer with the liuing God that conscience which must euer behold the face of the Sonne of God it cannot be ouer-well cleansed wee cannot looke ouer-narrowly to it The more curious we be in searching out of this conscience we are the better occupied I speak of our own consciences I speak not of our neighbours Thirdly I come to the points In what points wee should examine our consciences wherein euery one of you should try and examine your selues Euery one of you ought to try examine your cōsciences in two things First whether thou be at peace with God who is the Lord of heauen or not Next examine thy conscience whether thou art in loue amity with thy neighbor or not Wouldest thou know whether thy conscience be at vnity peace with God or not Thou shalt know it this way The God of heauen can haue no societie nor company with that soule which is alwaies vncleane that is euery way defiled no hee cannot Now I speake not so precisely that I make a soule to be fully sanctified perfectly holy in this life no in this life there are wonderfull iniquities grosse sinnes great faults where-with euen the righteous are defiled but this is my meaning There is no soule can be at any peace with God or wherewith the Lord can haue any societie but in some measure it must bee sanctified and made holy For God cannot make residence in a soule that is alwaies as a slinking dunghill and therfore of force in some measure it must be sanctified there must be so much made cleane in one corner or other of that soule wherin the Lord of heauen by his holy Spirit may make his residence Now let vs see wherby the soule is sanctified Peter Act. 15.9 saith That the soule of man is purified by faith that the hart of man is purged by faith So faith openeth and purgeth the hart By faith in Chr. Iesus and in the merits of his bloud we haue peace with God Beeing iustified by faith we haue
and our mindes were sette on euill continually Then wee beginne to abhor that Idoll and to seeke to serue God only Now except the Lord of his mercie and goodnes place in vs this light vntill such time as we get some glimmering of this light wee canne neuer see our own vanitie nor yet see God This then is the first worke of the spirit hee banisheth darknesse and errors and placeth light in our mindes Now this first worke of the spirit is tearmed oftentimes in the Scripture vnder the name of fayth for the minde hath it owne assent and perswasion in the owne kinde as well as the heart hath and therefore the minde beeing illuminate seasoned with this light the assenting and knowledge in the same minde is called faith The Apostles and Euangelists giue to this knowledge the name of fayth for from the time that thou once hast an eye to see God whom he hath sent Christ Iesus when once thou gettest a sight of him and accesse to him if it were no more then in the minde it is called faith But wee must not stand still heere If faith goe no further then the minde it is not the faith that wee are seeking For the faith that iustifieth and doth vs good must open the hart as well as it openeth the minde it must banish that Idol and affection out of the hart and in steed therof place a throne for Christ Iesus So that except the good spirit of God goe further then the minde and banish this Idol as vvell out of our hearts as out of our mindes we haue not that iustifying faith wherby we may looke for mercy Yea the spirit of GOD must not onely stay at the inlightening of thy mind but it must mollifie this hart of thine and change thine affections And vvhereas thy affections were wicked and euill Gods Spirit must change thy will and he neuer can change thy will except he make the ground of thy hart good that it may be set on God and bring forth good fruit aboundantly to the owner And what teacheth this This teacheth you to seeke for an honest hart and to seeke instantly while yee obtaine it For what auaileth it any man to knowe vvhat is good or what is euill except hee haue a way shewed him how hee shall eschew the euill a meanes giuen him to make himselfe partaker of the good Is not this an idle and vnprofitable knowledge to mee to see a farre off and to knowe that this is good for me when I finde not a meanes how to be partaker of that good that it may be especially good to mee Is it not an idle knowledge also to perceiue that this is ill for mee that it vvill doe mee hurt if I doe it and yet that same verie thing I vvill doe and no other So the Spirit of GOD linketh these two together in this worke and as hee reformes the minde hee reformes also the hart and makes you to be partakers of that good which yee see and to eschew that euill which ye perceiue And this is the second worke of the Spirit Not onely to present a thing to thee but to make it thine in effect For howbeit the minde would doe his part neuer so well and let thee see that Christ is thine and present him to thee neuer so often yet if thy hart be not reformed that will and crooked affection that is in thy hart will preferre it selfe to Christ and vvill make thee to account all but folly in respect of that Idol And therefore it were an idle and a foolish thing for mee to see my saluation except I get grace to be partaker of it and what auailes it thee to see the works of the diuell to see thine owne sinnes that slay thee except thou get grace to eschew them And so the second worke of the spirit is this Hee enters into the hart hee daunteth the hart and wonderfully changeth it making the wil of it obedient hee mollifies the affection which was hard before in such sort that it is made to poure out thy affection in som measure on the liuing God wheras it was poured out on one Idol or other of thine owne before Then except the hart will do his part as the mind doth his part the whole soule is not consecrate to God for God hath not made the soule that the hart should serue thee and the mind only shold serue him but thy seruice is then only acceptable to God when thou consecratest thy hart as well as thy minde to him Now A similitude of the apprehension of the corporall foode to illustrate the spirituall this matter is so cleare that it needeth not to be illustrated by similitude yet to make it more plaine vnto you I vvill shew you by a similitude that the apprehension of the minde is not enough except yee get the apprehension of the hart also In corporall things in meat drink which serue for the vse of your bodies there must be of this meat and drinke two sorts of apprehensions and as there is two sorts of apprehension of the meat and drinke that is the foode of the body so there is two sorts of apprehension of the body and bloud of Christ Iesus which is our meate and drinke spirituall Of meat and drinke corporall there is an apprehension by the eye and by the taste that while the meate is present vnto you on the Table your eye taketh a view of that meat discerneth it and maketh choice of it and not onely the eye but also the taste discerneth the meat and the taste approouing it that is called the first apprehension Now vpon this which is the first the second apprehension followeth that is after that ye haue chewed that meat swallowed it sent it to your stomack where it digesteth and conuerteth into your nouriture then in your stomack ye get the second apprehension But if your eye like not that meat neither your taste like it the second apprehension followeth not for thou wilt spet it out againe or reiect it preferring some other meat vnto it that thou likest better That meat which thou likest not enters neuer into thy stomack and so it can neuer be conuerted into thy nourishment for it is onely the second apprehension of the meat that is the cause of the nourishment of the body in our corporall foode so that if yee chew not this meat and swallow it it feeds you not then it is onely the second apprehension that nourisheth our bodies It is euen so in spirituall things so farre as they may be compared in the foode of Christ Iesus who is the life and nouriture of our soules and consciences There must be two sorts of apprehension of Christ Iesus The first apprehension is by the eye of the minde that is by our knowledge vnderstanding for as the eye of the body discerneth by an outward light so the eye of the minde discerneth by an
But alas our lothsomnesse and disdaine is growen to such an height that truly I am moued to belieue firmly that the Lord hath concluded that we shal not enter into his rest that onely for the great contempt of his mercy and grace which is now so richly offred For why God can not deale otherwise with vs then hee dealt with our fore-fathers the Israelites for the negligence of his vvord vvhich was but then obscurely preached for then it was farre from the incarnation of Christ and the farther that it was from his incarnation the vvord was euer the more obscurely preached vnder darke types and shadowes Yet notvvithstanding the Fathers that heard that word preached and belieued it not they perished all in the Wildernesse except two as ye haue sometime heard out of this place And if they for the contempt of so dark a light perished much more must yee that are their children perish for the contempt of the sunne of righteousnes who is risen so plainely and shineth so cleerely now in the preaching of the Gospell except the Lord in his mercy preuent you and except ye preuent his Iudgements by earnest seeking and except ye seeke a feeling and seeke inward senses that ye may see feele the grace that is offered craue againe that he will sanctifie your harts by repentance that yee may repent you of your sinnes and lead an honest a godly conuersation in all time to come that both body and soule may be saued in the great day of the Lord. The Lord worke this in your soules that ye may seeke mercie and seeking mercy yee may obtaine mercy and in mercy ye may lay hold on Christ and that for his righteous merits To whom with the Father and the holie Ghost be all honour praise and glorie both now and euer Amen THE FIFT AND last Sermon vpon the preparation to the Lords Supper 1. Cor. 11.28 Let euery man therefore examine himselfe and so let him eate of this Bread and drinke of this Cup c. IN the doctrine of our triall and due examination the Apostle as ye haue heard vvel-beloued in Christ Iesus gaue vs a speciall commaund that euery one of vs should try and examine narrowly our selues that is that euery man should condiscend and enter into his owne conscience try and examine the estate of his own conscience in what estate he findes it with God and in what estate he findes it with his neighbour Hee inioynes this triall to our selues and coÌ„mands that euery one of vs should take pains vpon the true examination of our consciences Hee inioynes this work to vs why Because no man knoweth so much of me as I doe my selfe because no man can be sure of the estate of my conscience but I my selfe because no man can so diligently nor so profitably try my conscience as I my selfe Therefore chiefely it behooueth euery man and woman before they enter to the hearing of the word before they giue their eare to the vvord or their mouth to the Sacrament it behoueth them to try and examine their owne consciences Not that the Apostle vvould seclude the triall of other men for as it is lawfull for mee to try my selfe so no doubt it is lawfull for my Pastor to try mee It is lawfull for other men that haue a care ouer mee to try and examine me but no man can doe this so profitably to mee as I my selfe And though wee had neuer so many tryers and examiners all is nothing if wee try not our selues So whether there be a second or a third tryer and examiner let our selues be one and the first And no doubt the Apostles minde was this To let vs see clearlie that hee that commeth to that Table and hath not that knowledge â—or is not of that ability to try him-selfe is a profane commer coÌ„meth vncleanly and therefore must needs come to his owne destruction Let euery man therefore growe in knowledge growe in vnderstanding growe in the spirit that hee may be the more able to try and examine his owne conscience To the end that ye may goe forward proceed in the worke of this triall with the better speed and with the better fruits in this examination we laid down this order First of all I shewed what that is which we call a conscience and what is meant thereby Next I declared for what causes yee should put your consciences to this triall and narrow examination And thirdlie so farre as time suffered I entred into the points wherein euery one of you should try and examine your owne consciences As for conscience that yee may call that definition to your memory I will resume it shortlie We call a conscience a certain feeling in the hart resembling the righteous Iudgement of GOD following vpon a deed done by vs flowing froÌ„ a knowledge in the mind A feeling accompanied with a motion in the hart a motion either of feare or ioy trembling or reioycing I leaue the opening vp of these parts to your memories and I pray God that they may be well sanctified I come next to the causes wherefore euerie one of you should bee carefull in trying and examining your owne consciences The first cause is because the Lord of heauen hath his eye continually vpon the conscience the eye of God is neuer from the conscience and heart of man as I proued to you by diuerse places Next because this God hath chosen his lodging and hath set downe his throne to make his residence in the conscience Therefore that hee may dwell in cleanenesse yee ought to haue a regard to his dwelling place Thirdly he is the Lord yea the only Lord of this conscience who hath power onely to controle who only hath power to saue or to cast away therefore that it may doe good seruice to thy owne Lord thou oughtest to take heed to thy conscience And last of all in respect that the health of thy soule standeth in the estate of thy conscience and if thy soule be in good health thy bodie cannot bee ill Therefore in respect that the soule and bodie depend vpon the estate of the conscience euery one of you should carefully looke to your consciences I will not amplifie this but leaue it to your memories how the health of the soule and welfare of the soule should be kept Next I come in the third and last place to the points in the which euerie one of you should trie and examine your consciences And as yee may remember I set downe two points wherein ye ought to put your consciences in triall First to know whether your consciences were at peace with God or not Secondly whether your consciences were in loue in charitie and in amitie with your neighbour or not In these two points cheefly yee must trie and examine your selues To know whether ye bee at peace with God or not ye must first trie whether yee be in the faith or not as the Apostle
without great bitternesse and continuall remorse And these sparkles where they are will make the soule vvherein they dwell to vtter these speeches at one time or other once in the twenty-foure houres Alas I am dooing the euill vvhich I vvould not doe if I had power or strength to resist my affection and if I might be maister of my affections I would not for all the world doe the euill which I doe Againe if I had power to doe the good vvhich I vvould doe I vvould not leaue it vndone for all the vvorld So these sparkles though they haue not such force and strength presentlie aâ— to resist the affection and abstaine from dooing euill deedes yet perpetually in the hart they are finding fault with thy corruption and suffer thee not to take thy pleasure without paine but last of all force thee to vtter these speeches If I had strength to resist I vvould not doe the euill vvhich I doe Where these speeches are no question they are the words of a soule vvhich the Lord hath begunne to sanctifie and beeing once sanctified in despight of the diuell and of the corruption that is in vs this faith shall neuer perish but if the whole soule without contradiction vvith a greedie appetite and pleasure be carried to euill and hath no sorrow for it that soule is in an ill estate I can looke for nothing in such a soule but death except the Lord of his great mercy preuent it But where this remorse and sorrow and such speeches are in the soule that soule in the time that God hath appointed shall recouer strength The Lord shall neuer suffer those sparkles to bee vvholly taken away but in his own time he shall fortifie them and make them to breake out before the world in good works The Lord in his owne time will sanctifie them hee will scatter the ashes of corruption stirre vp the sparkles make them to breake out into a better life then euer they did before as ye may cleerely see that Dauids repentance hath done more good to the Church of God then if hee had neuer fallen Thus far concerning the effects Though the effects of repentance bee interrupted Similitudes shewing that the sparkles of faith thogh they be couered are not extinguished yet those sparkles are not extinguished For there is no man will thinke that the fire vvhich is couered with ashes is extinguished but beeing stirred vp in the morning it will burne as cleerely as it did the night before There is no man wil think the trees that now in the time of Winter want leaues fruit and externall beauty to be dead There is no man will thinke the Sunne to be out of the firmament though it be ouershadowed with a clowd of darknes and mist There is great difference between a sleeping disease and death for men are not dead though they be sleeping and yet there is nothing liker vnto death then sleep As there is great difference betwixt a drunken man and a dead man so there is great odds betwixt the faith that lieth hid for awhile vttereth not it selfe and the light that is vtterly put out When we breake not forth into outvvard deedes GOD forbid that vvee shold think that these sparkles are wholly extinguished Indeed the soule which is visited after foule and heinous backslidings from his calling and against his knowledge before this foule recouer the former beautie it is in a strange danger For if the Lord suffer thy corruption to get loose in such sort that it cary thee as it will and by all meanes possible maketh thee to labour to put out the sparkles of regeneration vvhen the Lord beginnes to challenge thee or to make thee render an account of this life past the soule of that man when it is challenged is in great danger So that no question when the Lord beginnes to lay to your charge your dissolute life the contempt and abuse of your calling assuredly your soules are so neere to the brinke of desperation that there can be nothing neerer For vvilt thou looke to GOD thou vvilt see nothing but his anger kindled as a fire against thee wilt thou looke to thy selfe thou wilt see nothing but sinne prouoking his anger thou wilt see the contempt and abuse of thy calling enlarging his anger thou wilt see nothing but matter of despaire And what is the best pillar and surest retreat whereupon such a soule that is so neere to the brinke of desperation may repose A sure retreat to repose on in highest tentations I will shew you the helpe whereupon When thou art assaulted by all the greatest tentations thou canst imagine when there is nothing before thee but death when thou seest the diuill accusing thee thine own conscience bearing him witnes against thee thy life accusing thee and the abuse of thy calling accusing thee whither shalt thou goe Looke back againe to thy forepast experience cast ouer thy memorie and remember if God at any time and in any measure hath loued thee if euer thou hast felt the loue and fauour of GOD in thy hart and conscience Remember if euer the Lord hath so disposed thy hart that as hee loued thee thou louedst him hadst a desire to obtaine him Remember this and repose thine assurance on this that as hee loued thee once he will loue thee euer and will assuredly restore thee to that loue before thou departest this life The hart that felt once this loue of God shall feele it againe and looke vvhat gift or grace or what taste of the power of the world to come that euer the Lord gaue to his creatures in this life to that same degree of mercy hee shall restore his creature before it depart this life So the soule that is tossed with high assaults and great dangers where present things will not helpe it is necessary that it haue recourse vnto things past and keepe in memory the afore-past experience of mercy which the Lord hath freely shewed towards that soule This same memory shall be so pleasant to the soule that it shall stay it presently from desperation and vphold it vnto the time the Lord pacifie that hart giue comfort to that soule which beeing done that soule shall see that hovv-soeuer GOD was angry hee was angry onely for awhile I speake these things not that I think that euery one of you hath tasted of them and yet in some measure the seruaunts of GOD must taste of them and yee that haue not tasted of them may taste of them before yee die And therefore whether ye haue tasted or not tasted of them it cannot be but profitable for you to look vp this lesson in your harts and remember it faithfully that if the Lord at any time strike at your harts yee may remember and say with your selues I learned a lesson To looke backe vnto my fore-past experience A lesson and thereon to repose And though yee be not touched
THE MYSTERIE OF THE LORDS SVPPER CLEERELY MANIFESTED IN FIVE SERMONS Two of Preparation and Three of the Sacrament it selfe BY A REVEREND AND FAITHfull Preacher of Gods word IOHN 6.54.63 Whosoeuer eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternall life and I will raise him vp at the last day It is the Spirit that quickeneth the flesh profiteth nothing the words that I speake vnto you are spirit and life AT LONDON Imprinted for Thomas Man 1614. THE PRINTER TO THE READER I Present here vnto thy viewe good reader a learned and godly treatise wherein the Doctrine of the Lords supper is both plainely and fully handled A worke which heretofore hath beene in diuers mens hands yet not without some inconuenience for being at first borne in another soyle then our owne it was written in a language though but the same with ours in substance yet by reason of the peculiar dialect or propriety so often varying and more then sufficient to make them that are not throughly acquainted with the difference to mistake euen things that to our vnderstanding are much more familiar then the holy mysteries of our saluation The consideratiō of which incommodity did moue a worthy and truly religious Gentleman M. S. Michell to take the paines to peruse and polishe so good a worke to the end to publish it that so it might be profitable to all But hauing scarse finished and prepared it for the presse it pleased God to take him to himselfe before he could see a finall end of this and many other his religious and honest endeauors yet least the Church should haue lost so precious a Iewell his zeale of good doing continuing vnto the end he committed the execution of this so godly a desire to the speciall care of one of his good and trusty friends who being faithfull in the trust committed vnto him is a principal meanes that now it commeth safely to thy hands receiue it therefore and esteeme it as the most godly and iudicious haue euer done the best and most profitable treatise that euer hath bin published of this subiect and cease not to thanke God for raising vp so many meanes to procure thy good whose sole end in all their labours is Gods glory and the furthering of thy true happinesse Farewell Thine in Christ Iesus F. B. The first Sermon vpon the Sacraments in generall 1. Corin. 11.23 For I haue receiued of the Lord that which I also haue deliuered vnto you to wit that the Lord Iesus in the night that he was betrayed tooke Bread c. THere is nothing in this world nor out of this world more to be wished of euery one of you more to be craued and sought of euery one of you then to bee conioyned with Christ Iesus then once to be made one with the God of glory Christ Iesus This heauenly and celestiall coniunction is purchased and brought about by two speciall meanes It is brought about by meanes of the word and preaching of the Gospell and it is brought about by the meanes of the Sacraments and ministration thereof The word leadeth vs to Christ by the eare the Sacraments lead vs to Christ by the eye Two senses of all the rest which God hath chosen as most meet for this purpose to instruct vs and bring vs vnto Christ For that doctrine must be most effectuall mouing that wakeneth and stirreth vp most of the outward senses that doctrine that wakeneth not onely the eare but the eye the taste the feeling and all the rest of the outward senses must moue the heart most must be most effectuall and pearcing in the soule But so it is that this doctrine of the Sacraments moues stirres vp and wakens most of the outward senses therfore it must bee if wee come well prepared vnto it most effectuall to stirre vp the inward senses of the dull heart But there is a thing that yee must euer remember there is no doctrine neither of the simple word nor yet of the Sacraments if Christ abstract his holy spirit that is able to moue therefore when euer yee come to heare the doctrine whether it be of the Sacraments or of the simple word craue of God that hee would be present by his holy spirit or otherwise all the doctrine in the earth will not awaile you Alwaies this doctrine of the Sacraments stirres vp and wakens most of the outward senses and therefore there is no question but it is an effectuall and potent instrument to waken prepare and stirre vp our hearts Then to let you see what the word Sacrament meaneth The diuerse taking of the word Sacrament and to remoue the ambiguitie of it it is certaine and out of all question that the Latine Diuines who were most ancient did interpret the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the word Sacrament and they vsed the Greeke word not onely to signifie the whole action of the Supper of the Lord and the whole action of Baptisme but they vsed the word Mystery to signifie whatsoeuer is darke and bid in it selfe and not frequented in the common vse of men as after this manner the Apostle calleth the vocation of the Gentiles a mysterie Ephes 3.9 Ephes 5.32 This coniunction which is begun heere betwixt vs and Christ is called a Mysterie and the Latine Interpreters call it a Sacrament and to be short ye will not finde in the booke of God a word more frequent then the word Mysterie But as for the word Sacrament wherby they interpret the Greeke word we finde not this word by the same Diuines to be taken so largely neither is it takē so largely in any part of the booke of God Alwayes the word Sacrament is very ambiguous in it selfe and there ariseth about the ambiguitie of this word many controuersies which are not yet ceased nor will not cease while the world lasteth whereas if they had kept the Apostles words and called them as the Apostle calleth them Signes and Seales all this digladiation strife and contention appearingly had not fallen out but where men will be wiser then God and giue names to things without warrant from God vpon the wit of man which is but meere folly all this stirre falleth out Well then to come vnto the purpose The ancient Diuines tooke the word Sacrament as we may perceiue in a fourefold manner Sometime they tooke it for the whole action that is the whole ministery of the Elements sometime they tooke it not for the whole action but for the outward things that are vsed in the action of Baptisme and of the Supper as they tooke it for the vvater and sprinkling of it for the Bread and Wine breaking distributing and eating thereof Thirdly againe they tooke it not for the whole outward things that are vsed in the action but onely for the materiall and earthly things the Elements as for Bread and Wine in the Supper and water in Baptisme And after this sort saith Augustine the wicked eate
forgiue sinnes Now it is onely GOD that may forgiue sinnes and therfore it is not possible that the ministery of the heauenly thing can be in the power of any man Example we haue in Iohn the Baptist Math. 3.11 Saith he not The ministery that I haue is of the element I am commaunded to minister the element of water onely but as for the ministerie of the fire and of the spirit Christ hath reserued it vnto himself Therefore looke not to get the spirit at mans hands but at the hands of Christ himselfe onely and without this inward ministery the outward ministery is not worth a straw For my outward ministerie yea suppose it were the ministerie of an Angell and suppose Christ were present in the flesh to minister vnto you these outward things except hee conioyne the inward ministerie of his spirit therewith it availes nothing it may well be as a process against you against the day of that generall assembly but to your saluation it will neuer profit you Therefore this yee ought alwaies to pray for that the Lord would water your harts by his holy spirit as he watereth your eares by the hearing of his vvord Then there are two offerers the Minister offers the signe Christ Iesus offers himselfe the thing signified The three persons one GOD offers the Mediatour or the Mediatour offers himselfe and that by the power and vertue of his owne Spirit As there are two offerers The sign the thing signified are offered in two actions by two instruments after two manners two persons that offer and giue the Sacrament and thing signified by the Sacrament so these two are offered and giuen in two actions Christ vvho is the heauenly thing is offered and giuen vnto you by an inward secret and spirituall action which is not subiect to the outward eye The signe againe is offered and giuen in an outward action after a corporall and visible manner As there are two sorts of actions so there are two sorts of instruments vvhere-unto the signe and the thing signified are offered for the thing singified that is Christ is neuer offered to the mouth of my body the bloud of Christ the flesh of Christ whole Christ or the spirit of Christ is not offered neither in the word nor in the Sacrament to the mouth of my body Let the Aduersaries finde me that in any part of the Bible that there is any other manner of receiuing Christ then by faith and let them haue the victorie So there is not an instrument as I told you neither hand not mouth to receiue Christ but faith onely As Christ vvho is the thing signified is receiued by the hand mouth of faith so the signe which signifieth Christ is receiued by our ovvne naturall mouth hand ye haue a mouth in your heads and in your bodies as proper to receiue the signe as faith is to receiue Christ So the signe and the thing signified are offered and giuen not to one instrument but to two the one to the mouth of the body the other to the mouth of the soule Now marke by what way these things are offered and giuen by the same vvay they are receiued as the signe is corporal and naturally offered to a corporall instrument so is it receiued after a corporall naturall manner for thou must take the Bread Wine either by thy hand or by thy mouth The thing signified is not takē after a corporall manner but after a secret and spirituall manner and as it is offered so it is taken There can be nothing cleerer then this the one is taken after a naturall manner the other after a secret spirituall manner So in this last part ye haue these things to marke to distinguish betweene the outward action and the inward between the signe and the thing signified and to keepe a proportion and analogie between the inward and the outward actions ye may surely perswade your selues that if ye be faithfull Christ is as busie working inwardly in your soules as the Minister is working outwardly towards your bodies looke how busie the Minister is in breaking that Bread in pouring out that Wine in giuing that Bread and Wine vnto thee as busie is Christ in breaking his owne body to thee and in giuing thee iuyce of his owne body after a spirituall and an inuisible manner So keepe this distinction and yee may assure your selues that by faith Christ is as well occupied towards your soules to nourish them as the Minister is outwardly towards your bodies Keepe this and yee haue the whole Sacrament Then from this discourse and deduction you may learn a double matter wherof the Sacrament consisteth It standeth on two sorts of materials that is of an earthly matter and of an heauenly matter the signe and the thing signified And as there is a double matter in the Sacrament so the Sacrament must be handled after a double manner by an outward action and an inward action keep the distinction in these things betweene the signe and the thing signified and ye shall not easily slip in the vnderstanding of the Sacrament This beeing said concerning the generall consideration of the Elements for all this yet appertaineth vnto the Elements it resteth that we speake some-what concerning the vvord Of the other part of the Sacrament which is the word which I call the other part of the Sacrament I meane vnderstand by the vvord where-unto the clements are annexed that thing vvhich quickneth this whole action which serueth as it were a soule and giueth life vnto the whole action For by the word and appointment of Christ in the vvord the Minister knoweth vvhat is his part the hearer knoweth what is his part and euery one is prepared how to deliuer and how to receiue the Minister how hee should deliuer and the hearer how hee shold receiue So the Institution of Christ is the quickning of the whole action for all the action is warranted from the institution set downe in his word In the institutiō of Christ there are two things chiefly to be considered a Commaund and a Promise The Commaund is this where he saith Take eate The Commaund requireth obedience There is a Promise also in the institution and it is contained in these words This is my body The Promise craueth faith as the Commaund craueth obedience so the Promise craueth beliefe Therefore come not vnto the Sacrament except ye bring both faith and obedience with you If thou come not with a heart minding to obey Christ at the least more then thou wast wont to doe thou commest vnto thine ovvne damnation And if thou bringest a hart voyd of faith thou commest vnto thine owne damnation So let euery one that commeth vnto the Sacrament bring with him a hart minding to doe better that is to obey belieue Christ better then he did in time past Except ye bring these two in some measure come not vnto the Sacrament for whatsoeuer
dumbe element and therefore these wordes cannot bee directed to the elements Thirdly looke to the end wherfore this Sacrament vvas appointed Is it not to lead vs to Christ Is it not to nourish my faith in Christ Is it not to nourish me in a constant perswasion of the Lords mercy in Christ Was this Sacrament appointed to make the elements Gods No for if ye marke Gods purpose in this institution yee shall finde that Christ hath not ordained this institution to nobilitate the Elements to fauour and respect the Elements which were Bread and Wine yesterday to be Gods to day Wee on the contrary say plainely that the institution of Christ respecteth not the elements to alter their nature Indeed it is appointed to alter vs to change vs and to make vs more and more spirituall and to sanctifie the elements to our vse But the speciall end is this To make vs holie and more more to growe vp in a sure faith in Christ and not to alter the Elements nor to make them gods And therefore by all these three Arguments it is euident that the words ought not to be directed to the Elements but to the people and faithfull Communicants Now to come to an end There is one thing Conclusion with an exhortatiō without the which wee cannot profit let vs discourse neuer so long vpon the right vnderstanding of the Sacrament Ye see now how all that is spoken concerning the Sacrament is grounded and dependeth vpon faith Let a man haue faith be it neuer so little hee shall get some hold of Christ and some insight in the vnderstanding of this Sacrament but wanting faith though a man endeuour himselfe to make the Sacraments neuer so sensible it is not possible that hee can gette any hold of Christ or any insight of him For without faith we cannot be Christians we can neither get a sight of God nor feele God in Christ without faith Faith is the onely thing that translates our soules out of that death and damnation vvherein vvee vvere conceiued and borne and planteth life in vs. So the vvhole studie and endeuour of a Christian should tend to this To craue that the Lord in his mercie vvould illuminate his minde vvith the eye of faith and that hee would kindle in his heart a loue of faith and vvorke in his hart a thirst and desire of the obiect of faith more and more to thirst and hunger for the foode of faith that nourishes vs to life eternall Without this faith hovv-soeuer the naturall man vnderstanding naturally would flatter himselfe surely there is no blessednesse but all his life is more then terrible misery For what-soeuer it be that flatters and pleaseth thee now be it a thought or motion of the minde or an action of the body that pleaseth thee now without faith the same very motion cogitation or action shall torment thee heereafter So vvithout faith it is not possible to please GOD and vvhatsoeuer pleaseth not GOD is done to torment thee Therefore craue mercie for whatsoeuer motion cogitation or action vvherein thou hast offended GOD or for the same God shall offend and torment thee And to eschevv the offence of God there is no meanes but by true faith therefore the studie of a Christian should be to grow in faith Now by hearing of the vvord thou gettest faith and by receiuing this Sacrament thou obtainest the increase of faith and hauing faith the receiuing of the Sacrament shall be fruitfull but vvithout faith thou eatest thineowne condemnation Then the whole study of a Christian is to get faith and this faith cannot be obtained with idlenesse but by earnest prayer therefore let euery one of vs fall downe and craue earnestly this faith and the increase of it whereby we may be worthy Receiuers of this blessed Sacrament and that for the righteous merits of Christ Iesus To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be all honour praise and glory both now and euer Amen THE FOVRTH Sermon vpon the preparation to the Lords Supper 1. Cor. 11.28 Let euery man therefore examine himselfe and so let him eate of this Bread and drinke of this Cup. THough the doctrine of our triall and due examination well-beloued in Christ Iesus ought to goe before the doctrine and receiuing of the Sacrament yet notwithstanding seeing that preparation is alwaies at all times as well necessary for the hearing of the simple word as for the receiuing of the visible Sacrament for no man can heare the word of God fruitfully except in some measure he prepare his soule and prepare the eares of his hart how to hear therefore the doctrine of preparation and due examination must come in it ovvne place and be very necessary for cuery one of you The Apostle in the words vvhich we haue read deliuereth his counsaile and giueth his aduise and not onely giues his aduise but giues his admonition and commaund That we should not come to the Table of the Lord That we should not come to the hearing of the word rashly but that euery one of vs should come to this holy worke with reuerence that wee should prepare and sanctifie our selues in some measure And seeing we go vnto the King of heauens Table it becomes vs to put on our best array In a word hee deliuereth the whole doctrine and matter of this preparation when he saith Let euery man and let euery woman try and examine themselues As if he would say Let euery one of you try and examine your soules That is try the estate of your owne harts and condition of your owne consciences Marke and behold in vvhat estate you heart is with GOD and in what estate your conscience is with your neighbour He bids not your neighbour to try you hee bids not your companion to try your hart but he biddes your selfe in person to try your owne conscience hee biddes your selfe try your owne hart because none can be certaine of the estate of your hart or of the condition of your conscience but your selfe Now he excludes not others from the tryall of you neither for it is lawfull for the Pastor to try you but others cannot try you so narrowly as ye your selues may for no man can know so much of mee as I know of my selfe No man can be certaine of the estate of your hart and condition of your conscience yet you your selues may be certaine of it As for others men may iudge of your hart and conscience according to your works and effects and except your works effects bee very wicked and altogether vitious we are bound in conscience to iudge charitably of your harts and consciences Therefore there is none so meet to try the spirit of a man to try the hart or conscience of a man as is the man himselfe Now The heads to be intreated in this Sermons that this tryall may be the better made ye haue first to vnderstand what it is that ye
appointed to serue in the soule of man for many vses to wit he hath appointed euery one of your consciences to be a keeper a wayter on a carefull attender vpon euery action done by you So that that action can not be so secretly so quietly nor so closely conueied but will thou nill thou thy conscience shall beare a testimonie of it thy conscience shall be a faithfull obseruer of it and one day shall bee a faithfull recorder of that action So the Lord hath appointed thy conscience to this office that it attends and waits vpon thee in all thy actions Likewise the Lord hath appointed thy conscience and placed it in thy soule to be an accuser of thee so that when thou doost any euill deed thou hast a domesticall accuser within thine ovvne soule to finde fault with it Hee hath also placed it in thy soule to be a true and stedfast witnesse against thee yea the testimonie of the conscience resembles not onely a testimony or witnesse but the conscience is as good as tenne thousand witnesses The conscience also is left in the soule to doe the part of a Iudge against thee to giue out sentence against thee and to condemne thee and so it doth for our particular iudgement must goe before the generall vniuersall iudgement of the Lord at that great day And what more Hee hath left thy conscience within thee to put thine owne sentence in execution against thy selfe This is terrible hee hath left it within thee to be a very torture and tormenter to thy selfe and so to put thine owne sentence in execution vpon thy selfe Is not this a matter more then wonderful that one and the selfe same conscience shall serue to so many vses in a soule as to be a continuall obseruer and marker of thy actions an accuser tenne thousand vvitnesses a Iudge a Sergeant and Tormentor to execute thine ovvne sentence against thy selfe so that the Lord needs not to seeke a Sergeant out of thine owne soule to arrest thee for thou shalt haue all these within thy selfe to make a plaine declaration against thy selfe Take heede to this for there is neuer a word of this shall fall to the ground but either yee shall finde it to your comfort or to your euerlasting woe And this secret and particular iudgement that euery one of you carries about you abideth so sure and so fast within you that do what ye can if yee would imploy your whole trauaile to blot it out thou shalt neuer get it scraped out of thy soule If ye were as malicious and were becom as wicked as euer any incarnate diuell vvas vpon the earth yet shall yee neuer get this conscience altogether extinguished out of thy soule but will thou nill thou there shall as much remaine of it as shal make thee inexcusable in the great day of the generall Iudgement I grant thou maist blot out all knowledge out of thy minde and make thy selfe become euen as a blinde man I grant also that thou maist harden thy hart so that thou wilt blot out all feeling out of it so that thy conscience will not accuse thee nor finde fault with thee but thou shalt haue a delight in dooing euill vvithout a remorse but I deny that any degree of wickednes in the earth shall bring thee to this poynt that thou maist do euill without feare but still the more that thou doost euill and the longer that thou continuest in euill dooing thy feare shall bee the greater yea in despight of the diuell in despight of all the malice of the hart of man thy feare shall remaine And though they would both conspire together they shall not be able to banish that feare but that gnawing of the conscience shal euer remaine to testifie that there is a day of Iudgement I grant also that there shall be a vicissitude and that feare shall not alwayes remaine but shall be sometimes turned into securitie neyther shall that security alwayes abide but shal be turned againe into feare so that it is not possible to get this feare wholly extinct but the greater that the securitie is the greater shall thy feare be when thou art wakened Thirdly I grant that this feare shall bee blinde for from that time a man by euill dooing hath banished knowledge out of the minde and feeling out of the heart what can remaine there but a blind feare When men haue put out all light and left nothing in their nature but darknesse there can nothing remaine but a blinde feare So I grant that the feare is blinde for neither knowe they from whence that feare commeth vvhat progresse it hath whereunto it tendeth where nor when it shall end therefore they that are this way misledde in their soules or all men in the earth they are most miserable For as long as thou maist keep in thy mind a spark of this knowledge spirituall light in the which thou maist see the face of GOD in Christ wherein thou maist see a remedy in the death and passion of Christ wherein thou maist see the bowels of mercy offred in the bloud of Christ if thou haue anie sparke of this light albeit it were neuer so little to direct thee and albeit this knowledge were neuer so much wounded yet there is mercy enough for thee in Christ but if thou close vp all the windowes of thy soule and of thy hart and make them to become palpable darknes that thou neyther knowest frō whence the terror comes nor yet perceiuest any remedy that is the misery of all miseries We haue many things in generall to lament concerning the estate of this our Country Applicatiō wherein we liue Also particularly There is not one of you but haue great cause to take heed to your consciences now while yee haue time that yee banish not altogether this light which is yet offered vnto you and whereof some sparks yet remain For I see the most part of men runne headlong to banish the sparke of light that is in them and will not rest so long as there is any sparke of it left vntill it be vtterly banished And when they haue done so alas what can follow but a blinde and terrible feare in their consciences vvhich they can neuer get extinguished a feare vvithout remedie a growing feare and not a decaying feare a feare that will deuoure them wholly at the last Therefore euery one of you be carefull of this light that is within you take heede that the foule affections of your harts dravve not your bodies after them see at the least that those affections banish not this light And so long as the Lord offers you this light in time craue that of his mercy hee vvould giue you the grace to imbrace it to take a nevv course and yet to amend your liues vvhile time is giuen you The body shall leaue the soule and the soule shall leaue the bodie but the conscience shall neuer leaue the soule but
inward and renewed vnderstanding whereby wee get the first apprehension of Christ Now if this first apprehension of Christ like vs well then the next followeth Wee beginne to cast the affection of our harts on him we haue good will to him for all our affections proceed from our will and our affections beeing renewed and made holy wee sette them wholly vpon Christ We loue him and if we loue him we take hold on him we eate him and digest him that is we apply him to our soules and so of this loue and liking of him the second apprehension doth follow But if we haue no will to him if wee haue no loue nor liking of him what doe we Then we reiect him and preferre our owne Idol and the seruice of our own affections to him and so the second apprehension followeth not Wee cannot digest him and if wee digest him not that spirituall life cannot growe in vs for marke in vvhat place the eye serues to the bodie in the same roome serueth knowledge and vnderstanding to thy soule and looke in vvhat place thy hand and thy mouth thy taste and thy stomack serue vnto thy body in that very place serue the hart and affections to thy soule So that as our bodies cannot be nourished except our hands take and our mouthes eate the meate whereby the second apprehension may follow likewise our soules cannot feede on Christ except we hold him and imbrace him hartilie by our wills and affections For we come not to Christ by any outward motion of our bodies but by an inward motion and apprehension of the hart For God finding vs all in a reprobate sense he brings vs to Christ by reforming the affection of our soules by making vs to loue him And therefore the second apprehension wherby wee digest our Sauiour will neuer enter into our soules except as hee pleaseth the eye so he please the will and the affection also Now if this come to passe that our wills affections are wholly bent vpon Christ then no doubt vvee haue gotten this Iewell of faith Haue yee such a liking in your minds and such a loue in your harts of Christ that ye will prefer him before all things in the world then no question faith is begun in you Now How faith is nourished and entertained in vs. after a thing is begunne there is yet more required for though this faith be formed in your mindes in your harts and soules yet that is not enough but that which is formed must be nourished and hee who is conceiued must be entertained and brought vp or else the loue that is begunne in mee by the holy spirit except by ordinary meanes it be daily entertained and nourished it will decay except the Lord continue the working of his holie Spirit it is not possible that I can continue in the faith And how must we nourish and continue faith in our soules Two manner of waies First wee nourish faith begunne in our soules by hearing of the word not of euerie word but by hearing of the vvord of God preached and not by hearing of euery man but by hearing the word preached by him that is sent For this is the ordinarie means wherunto the Lord hath bound himselfe hee will work faith by the hearing of the word and the receiuing of the Sacraments And the more that thou hearest the vvord and the oftner that thou receiuest the Sacraments the more thy faith is nourished Now it is not onely by hearing of the word receiuing of the Sacraments that we nourish faith The word and the Sacraments are not able of themselues to nourish this faith in vs except the working of the holy Spirit be conioyned vvith their ministery But the word and the Sacraments are said to nourish faith in our soules because they offer and exhibite Christ vnto vs who is the meat the drink and life of our soules and in respect that in the word and Sacraments wee get Christ who is the foode of our soules therefore the word and Sacraments are said to nourish our soules As it is said Acts 2.42 The Disciples of Christ continued in the Apostles doctrine and fellowshippe and breaking of bread and prayers by these means entertaining augmenting and nourishing the faith that was begunne in them Then the holy Spirit begets this faith works this faith creates this faith nourisheth and entertaineth this faith in our soules by hearing of the word preached and by the receiuing of the Sacraments which are the ordinary meanes whereby the Lord nourisheth vs and continueth this spirituall foode with vs. For obserue by what meanes the spirituall life is begun by the same meanes it is nourished and entertained as this temporall life is entertained and nourished by the same meanes whereby it is begun Then seeing by these meanes Conclusion with an exhortatioÌ„ the holy Spirit begets this vvorke of faith in our soules It is our dutie to craue that hee would continue the worke which hee hath begunne And for this cause we should resort to the hearing of the vvord when it is preached and to the receiuing of the Sacraments when they are ministred that we may be fedde in our soules to life euerlasting But alas wee are come to such a loathing disdaine or reiecting of heauenly foode in this Countrey that where men in the beginning would haue gone some twentie miles some fortie miles to the hearing of this vvord they vvill scarcelie novv come from their houses to the Church and remaine there but one houre to heare the vvord but rather abide at home VVell I say too much vvealth vvith-drawes their hearts and the aboundance of this vvord ingenders such a loathsomnesse that it is a rare thing to finde out any that haue that thirst and desire to heare the vvord as they vvere wont to haue in the beginning And for those that are in higher places they will heare it sildome or not at all for they cannot indure to heare the thing that accuseth them and conuicts them and therefore they auoyde it But they should not doe so they should not shunne Christ nor abstaine from â—is vvord that accuseth them but they should heare the vvord and as the vvord accuseth them they should accuse themselues also that thereby they may come to a confession of their sinne and obtaine mercy for the same So vvhen Christ accuseth thee thou shouldest not runne from him but thou shouldest draw neere to him thou shouldest threaten kindnesse of him and as it vvere make a breach and forcible entry into his kingdome It is not the way vvhen thy sinnes touch thee and when Christ accuseth thee to runne from him no thou shouldest then turne to him thou shouldest confesse thy sinne cry Peccaui and seeke mercy and after that thou hast obtained mercy this word shal becom as pleasant to thee and thou shalt take as great delight to come to the hearing of it as euer thou delightedst to flie from it before
saith whether yee bee in the faith of Christ or not For being in the faith and iustified thereby on necessitie yee must haue peace with God Then the next care must bee to try your faith and to see whether ye haue faith or not Faith can no waies be tried but by the fruits faith cannot be iudged on by me that looke vpon it only but by the effects Therefore to try whether ye be in the faith or not mark the fruits Take heed to thy mouth take heed to thy hand take heede to thy words and to thy deeds for except thou glorifie God in thy mouth and confesse to thy saluation except thou glorifie him also in thy deedes make thy holy life a witnes of thy holy faith all is but vaine all is but meere hypocrisie How a sincere faith is knowen Therefore to knowe the sinceritie of thy faith thou must take heede that there be a harmonie between thy hand thy mouth and thy hart that there be a natural consent that thy doings preiudge not thy hart that thy mouth preiudge not thy heart but that mouth and hand may testifie the sinceritie of the hart If the heart the hand the mouth consent agree in one harmonie together No question that heart that breakes forth into so good fruits is coupled with God There is no question the light of thy actions the beames and shining of thy life shall make the name of thy good God to bee glorified Therefore the whole weight of our triall standes cheefely vpon this point to see whether wee bee in the fayth or not to trie and examine whether Christ dwell in vs by fayth or not for without fayth there canne be no coupling or conioyning betwixt vs Christ without faith our hearts cannot bee sanctified and cleansed and without faith we cannot worke by charitie so all depends on this onely And therefore that yee might the better vnderstand whether yee haue fayth or no I was somewhat the more exact in this matter and I beganne to let you see how the holy spirit createth faith works faith in your soules hearts and mindes I began to shewe you what order the holy spirit kept in forming and in creating this notable instrument in your hearts and mindes Not onely how hee ingenders and begins fayth but also how he intertaines it how he nourisheth it And I shewed you the externall means and instruments which hee vseth to this effect To beget faith in our soules the holy spirit vseth the hearing of the word preached by him that is sent the ministerie of the Sacraments as ordinarie meanes and instruments which ordinary meanes are onely then effectuall when as the holy spirit concurs inwardly in our hearts with the word striking outwardly in our eares and with the Sacrament outwardly receiued And except the holy spirit grant his concurrence to the word and Sacrament word and Sacrament both will not worke faith So all depends vpon the working of this holy spirit The whole regeneration of mankind the renewing of the heart and of the conscience depend on the power of the holy spirit And therefore it behoueth vs carefully to imploy our selues in calling vpon God for his holy spirit By the same means and no other that the holy spirit begâ—ts faith in vs by the same meanes hee nourisheth and augments that which hee hath begotten And therefore as we got faith by the hearing of the word so by continuall and diligent hearing we haue this faith augmeÌ„ted nourished in vs. And from hence I tooke my exhortation That if yee would haue that spirituall life nourished in you and if yee would haue a further assurance of heauen of necessitie yee must both continually and diligently heare the blessed word of God Now it resteth that euery one of you carefully apply this doctrine to your owne soules and enter into the triall of your owne consciences To see if this faith as I spake be begunne in your hearts and mindes or not how farre or how little the holy spirit hath proceeded in that worke trie with mee and I with you The first effect of the holy spirit whereby yee may trie your mindes whether yee be in the faith oâ— not is this Reuolue in your memories and remember if at any time it pleased the Lord in his mercie to turn the darknesse of your mindes into light to cause that naturall darknesse which was within you to depart Through the which darknesse neyther had yee an eye to see your selues what you were by nature nor yet had ye an eye to see God in Christ nor anie parte of his mercie Examine I say whether this darknesse of the naturall vnderstanding bee turned into light by the working of the spirit or not If thou art become a childe of the light a childe of the day If thou art become as the Apostle speaketh light in the Lord If there bee this alteration made in thy minde That whereas naturally before it was closed vp in darknesse whereas it was filled with vanities and errors wherens it was closed vp in blindnes If the Lord hath at anie time inlightened the eye of thy minde and made thee to see thine owne miserie to see the vglinesse of thine owne nature to see the heinous sins in the which by nature thou liest If hee hath granted to thee an insight of thy selfe in some measure and on the other side if hee hath granted thee the remedie and hath giuen thee an insight of the mercie of God in Christ Iesus if thou hast obtained an insight of the riches of his grace in Christ No doubt the holy spirit hath begunne a good worke worke in thee A worke which will bring forth repentance which in his owne time hee will perfect So this is the first care which yee ought to haue and the first point wherein yee ought to examine your minds To see if there bee any light in it whereby yee may know your miserie and haue an insight of the free mercie of God in Christ Iesus This being done that thou findest a sight of these two in thy minde from thy minde goe to thy heart and as thou hast tryed thy minde so try thy heart And first examine thine heart if it bee altered or not that the will of it bee framed and bowed to GODs obedience that thy affection bee turned into the life of God and bee poured out on him as it was poured out on vanities on filthinesse and on the world before Try whether the ground of thy heart and the fountaine from whence thy motions and affections proceede bee sanctified or not for from a holy fountaine holy waters must distill from a holy fountaine holy motions holy cogitations and sanctified considerations must flowe Trie then and examine your hearts if the spirit of God hath wrought any such reformation as I speake of in your harts or not And that ye may perceiue the working of the holy Spirit the better in
rest and peace in thy conscience and the more that thy conscience is at peace and rest the greater shal thy faith and perswasion be So this ground is certaine A doubting conscience causeth a weake faith and the more the doubting in thy conscience is the weaker is thy faith Then true it is that the Apostle faith That faith dwelleth in a good conscience that faith is locked and closed vp in a good conscience So that if yee keepe a good conscience ye shall keepe a strong faith and if yee wound your consciences yee shall wound your faith Novv to make this more sensible How can I be perswaded of his mercie whose anger I feele kindled against me and against whom my conscience sheweth me that I am guilty of many offences No question so long as the sense of his anger feeling of my offences remaineth I cannot haue a sure perswasion that hee will be mercifull vnto mee but when I get accesse vnto his presence and a sight that hee hath forgiuen mee then I begin to be surely perswaded So then keepe a good conscience and thou shall keepe faith and the better that thy conscience is the surer vvill thy faith be Then Exhortation the whole exhortation that we gather from this point dependeth vpon this That euery one of you in vvhat rank soeuer ye be take heed vnto your consciences for losing it yee lose faith and losing faith yee lose saluation Are ye in the ranke of great and rich men yee ought to take heed vnto your consciences especially in respect that the Lord hath placed you in a higher calling Ye haue many things wherein yee ought to controle your consciences ye ought to craue the aduise of your consciences before yee attempt any great worke in respect that yee are bound in manifold duties to God to your inferioure And no doubt if some great men had aduised well with their consciences such dissolutions had not fallen out in their owne houses such oppressions of the poor deadly feudes with men of their own rank would not haue burst forth in so high a measure But the Lord seeing them take so little care vnto their consciences depriueth them of faith and of the hope of mercy and their end will be miserable Yee shall see that the GOD of heauen will make those who liue so dissolutely spectacles of his iudgements vnto the world for the Lord leaueth not such men vnpunished By their examples it vvere very necessarie that men of inferiour ranke should take heede vnto their consciences and therefore iet euery man according vnto his calling examine his calling by the rule of his conscience Let the Iudges before they giue and pronounce foorth Iudgement aduise vvith their consciences the lavv thereof and in Iudgement not to follow their affections but to follow the rule of their consciences Likevvise they that are of inferiour degree vnto Iudges let them controle their dooings by their consciences and giue not the poore subiects iust cause to complaine on them Let them not terrifie them from the pleading of Iustice by exorbitant prices and extraordinarie kinde of dealings but let them moderate all their actions so that they agree vvith the rule of their consciences that so far as in them lyeth Iustice cease not Likewise the Merchants let not them looke so much to this or that as to the conscience that is in them what in conscience they may doe according vnto the measure of knowledge that GOD hath placed in them and whatsoeuer they doe let them beware that they doe not against their knowledge I grant their knowledge will not be so learned as it should be and this maketh many deformed actions yet let no man doe against his knowledge but let euery man doe according vnto the measure of knowledge wherewith God hath indued him And though it be not well reformed yet do not any thing by guesse but aduise well with thy conscience and follow thy knowledge for that which is done doubtingly is sinne So whatsoeuer thou doost let not thy eye thy hand nor any member of thy body doe against thy knowledge for this is a steppe to that high sinne against the holie Ghost This is the ready way to put all knowledge out of your mindes for if men do against knowledge and continue in doing against knowledge at the last they will become a masse of darknesse the Lord will scrape out all knowledge out of their mindes and all feeling of mercy out of their harts Therefore let euery man follow his knowledge and according to the measure of his knovvledge let his actions proceed It hath pleased the Lord Faith is the free gift of God to poure this liquor this precious ointment into vs though we be earthly and fraile vessels miserable creatures yet it hath pleased our gracious God to poure such a precious liquour into our harts and minds and to credit such a Iewell in our keeping that by vertue thereof wee may take hold on Christ who is our iustice our wisedome sanctification redemption Though vvee be miserable creatures yet the Lord of his mercy hath a respect to vs in Christ in giuing vs this precious liquour whereby our soules may be seasoned to life euerlasting In this that he poures it into our harts we see cleerly that it growes not in our harts nor breedes not in our nature No this gift of faith is not at mans commaund nor vnder his arbitrement as if it were in his power to belieue or not to belieue as hee pleaseth It is the gift of God poured downe freely of his vndeserued grace in the riches of his mercie in Christ That it is a gift yee see clearlie 1. Cor. 12.9 vvhere the Apostle saith And to another is giuen faith by the same spirit As also Philip. 1.29 For vnto you it is giuen for Christ that not onely yee should belieue in him but also suffer for his sake So faith is the gift of the holie Spirit and this gift is not giuen to all men and women as the Apostle plainly declareth All haue not faith This gift though it be giuen it is not giuen to all but is onely giuen to the Elect that is to so many as the Lord hath appointed to life euerlasting This gift where-euer it is and in what hart soeuer it be it is neuer idle but perpetuallie working and working well by loue and charitie as the Apostle affirmeth Galat 5.6 This gift vvhere-euer it is is not dead but quick and liuely as the Apostle Iames testifieth in his second chapter And to let you knowe whether it be liuely and working or not there is no better meanes then to looke vnto the fruites and effects that flowe from it And therefore that yee by your owne effects may be the more assured of the goodnesse of your faith I will giue you three speciall effects to obserue by the which yee may iudge of the goodness of your faith First looke
to thy hart Certaine effects whereby we may know if wee haue faith and cast thine eye on it If thou hast a desire to pray a desire to craue mercy for thy sinnes to call vpon Gods holy Name for mercy and grace if there be such a thing in thy hart as a desire to pray if thy hart be inclined and hath a thirst to seeke after mercie and grace though the greatest part of thine hart repine would drawe thee from prayer yet assuredly that desire that thou hast in any measure to praier is the true effect of the right faith If thou haue a hart to pray to GOD though this desire be but slender assure thy selfe thy soule hath life for prayer is the life of the soule and maketh thy faith liuelie And why Prayer is Gods ovvne gift it is no gift of ours for if it vvere ours it vvould bee euill but it is the best gift that euer God gaue man and so it must bee the gift of his owne holy Spirit and beeing his owne gift it must make our faith liuely Without this thou art not able nor thou darest not call vpon him in whom thou belieuest not as the Apostle saith Rom. 10.14 For if I intreat him by prayer I must trust in him Then prayer is a certaine argument of iustifying faith and beliefe in GOD for I cannot speake to him much lesse pray to him in whom I trust not And though the hart be not fully resolued and well disposed yet if there be any part of the heart that inclineth to prayer it is a sure gage that that part belieueth The second effect wherby thou shalt knowe whether faith be in thee or not is this Obserue aduise with thy selfe if thy hart can be content to renounce thy rancour to forgiue thy grudges and that freely for Gods cause Canst thou doe this And vvilt thou forgiue thy neighbour as freely as God hath forgiuen thee Assuredly this is an effect of the right spirit for Nature could neuer giue that There is nothing wherevnto Nature bendeth it selfe more then to rancour and enuy and there is nothing wherein Nature placeth her honour more greedily then in priuy reuenge Now if thy heart bee so tamed and brought downe that it will vvillinglie forgiue the iniurie for Gods cause this is the effect of the right spirit This is not my saying it is the saying of Christ himselfe in the Euangelist Math. 6.14 where hee thus speaketh If yee doe forgiue men their trespasses your heauenly Father vvill also forgiue you And in the fifteenth verse But if yee doe not forgiue men their trespasses no more will your heauenly Father forgiue you your trespasses So that Christ saith Hee that forgiueth wrongs shall haue wrongs forgiuen him but hee that will reuenge his wrongs wrong shall be reuenged vpon him Therefore as thou wouldest bee spared of thy wrongs done vnto the mightie GOD spare thou thy neighbour I will not insist examine vvhether yee haue faith or not examine it by prayer examine it by the discharge of your owne priuie grudges for if yee want these effects a hart full of rancor a hart voide of prayer is a hart faithless and meet for hell The third effect of faith is compassion Thou must bow thy hart extend thy pitty vnto the poore members of Christ his body and suffer them not to want if thou haue for except yee haue this compassion yee haue no faith Examine your selues by these three effects and if yee finde these in any measure though neuer so small you haue the right faith in your harts the faith that ye haue is true and liuely and assuredlie GOD vvill be mercifull vnto you This faith of ours Our faith must be cōtinually nourished because it is ioyned with doubting though it be liuely yet it is not perfect in this world but euery day euery houre it needeth a continuall augmentation it craueth euer to be nourished for the which increase the Apostles thēselues Luk. 17.5 said Lord increase our faith And Christ himselfe commandeth vs to pray and say Lord increase our faith I belieue Lord help my vnbeliefe Then by Christ his own commaund we plainly see that this faith needeth continually to be nourished helped and it cannot be helped but by prayer therefore should we alwaies continue in prayer That this faith should be helped and that we should be perpetually vpon our guarde in feare trembling to get it augmented the terrible doubtings the wonderfull pits of desperation into the vvhich the dearest seruants of GOD are cast doe dailie teach For the best seruaunts of GOD are exercised with terrible doubtings in their soules with wonderfull stammerings and they shal be brought at some times as appeares in their owne iudgement to the very brinke of desperation These doubtings stammerings le ts vs see that this faith of ours would be perpetually nourished and that wee haue need continually to pray for the increase of it It pleaseth the Lord at somtimes to let his seruaunts haue a sight of them-selues to cast them dovvne and to let them see how vgly sinne is It pleaseth him to let them fall into the bitternesse of sinne And to what end Not that hee will deuoure them and suffer them to be swallowed vp of destruction Though Hezekiah cryeth out That like an hungry Lyon the Lord is like to deuoure him and bruise him in pceces yet the Lord suffers him not to despaire And though Dauid cry I cannot away with this consuming fire I cannot endure the fire of the Lords Ielousie yet hee despaireth not But the Lord casteth his seruants very lowe To what end To the end that they may feele in their harts consciences what Christ suffered for them on the Crosse in soule and body Yea we would think that there had been plaine collusion betwixt the Father and the Sonne that his sufferings had been no suffering except we felt in our soules in some measure the hell vvhich hee sustained in full measure So to the end that wee might cleerly vnderstand the bitternesse of sinne that vvee might knovve how farre wee are indebted to Christ who suffered such torments for our sinnes and that vvee may be the more able to thank him and to praise his holie Name hee suffers his owne seruants to doubt but not to despaire hee forgiues their doubtings he forgiues their stammerings and in his owne time hee supports them brings vs vnto the waters of life These doubtings Doubting and faith may lodge in one soule as I haue often said may lodge in one soule with faith for doubting and faith are not directlie opposite onely faith and despayre are opposite and therefore faith and despaire cannot both lodge in one soule For despaire ouerthroweth the pillars of hope and where there is no hope there can be no faith But as for doubting it may lodge it vvill lodge and hath lodged in the soules of the best seruaunts that
euer God had Mark the speech of the Apostle Wee are alwaies in doubt saith hee but wee despaire not So doubting and faith may lodge in one soule And from whence floweth this doubting VVee knowe that in the regenerate man there is a remnant corruption for we haue not our heauen in this earth though wee beginne our heauen heere yet we get it not fully heere And if all corruption vvere avvay vvhat should there vvant of a full heauen heere So it is onely begunne in this life and not perfected therefore there remaines in the soule a great corruption which is neuer idle but continually occupied This corruption is euer bringing foorth the birth of finne more or lesse euery sinne hurts the conscience a hurt conscience impaireth the perswasion and so comes in the doubting For there is not a sinne that we commit but it banisheth light and casteth a myst ouer the eye of our faith whereby wee doubt and stagger in our sight and were it not that the Lord in his mercy taketh vs vp giueth vs the gift of repentance and maketh vs euery day as oft as wee sinne to cry as oft for mercy and so to repaire the losse that wee haue of faith to repayre the losse that vvee haue of the feeling of mercie we would wholly put out that same light But it pleaseth the Lord though wee be euery day sinning to giue vs the gift of repentance and by repentance to repaire our faith to repaire the sense and feeling of mercie in vs and to put vs in that same state of perswasion wherein wee were before Therefore if GOD beginne not continue not and end not with mercie in that very moment that hee abstracts his mercy from vs wee will decay So wee must be diligent in calling for mercy wee must be instant continually in seeking to haue a feeling of mercie Thus much for the doubting Novv howsoeuer it be sure and certaine A doubting and weake faith is faith shal neuer decay that the faith of the best children of GOD is often subiect to doubting yet it is as sure and certaine that it is neuer wholly extinct albeit it were neuer so vveake yet it shall neuer vtterlie decay and perish out of the hart wherein it once maketh residence This comfort consolation the Spirit of God hath sette downe in his vvord to support the troubled hart That hovvsoeuer faith be weake yet a weake faith is faith and where that faith is there will euer be mercie Yee haue in Romans 11.29 that The gifts and calling of GOD are vvithout repentance But among all his gifts that are of this sort faith is one of the chiefest therefore it cannot be reuoked againe Yee haue in Iude 3. That faith vvas once giuen vnto the Saints Once giuen that is constantly giuen neuer to be changed nor vtterly taken from them The Lord will not repent him of this gift but the soule which he hath loued once he will loue perpetually It is true and certaine that the sparkles of faith which are kindled in the hart by the Spirit of GOD may be obscured smothered for a long time they may be couered with the ashes of our owne corruption and with our own ill deedes and wickednes into which we daily fall It is true that the effects of a liuely faith will be interrupted and that thy lusts and affections will preuaile for a long time so that when thou lookest on thy selfe vpon the Iudgements of God that hang ouer thy soule and body and when thou lookest vpon thy dissolute life and on the anger of God against this dissolute life In the minde in the hart and conscience of him that hath so smothered and oppressed his faith it will oft times come to passe in his owne iudgement hauing his eyes fixed on himselfe onely that hee vvill thinke himselfe to be a reprobate to be an out-cast and neuer able to recouer mercy Where this corruption bursteth forth in this grosse maner after that the Lord hath called thee looke how soone the Lord beginneth to vvaken thee againe incontinent thou fixest thine eyes vpon thine owne life and entrest into a deepe consideration as well of the weight of thy sinne as of the weight of the wrath of GOD which thou seest following thereupon and art loath to remit these cogitations to thinke vpon the deepenesse of the mercie of God Resting on these considerations it cannot but come to passe that in thine owne iudgement thou art an out-cast And yet GOD forbidde it were so for though these sparks of the Spirit be couered by the corruption that is vvithin thy soule yet these sparkles are not wholly put out And to let you see that they are not extinguished The sparkles of faith though they be smothered they are not wholly put out nor are idle though they break not forth in the outward effects that the world may knowe thee to be a faithfull man as heeretofore yet these sparkles are not idle and thou shall finde them not to be idle in thee As for confirmation of my Argument that howsoeuer our bodies are let loose to all dissolution after our effectuall calling within vs in our soules that yet the sparkles are not idle ye see that though the fire be couered with the ashes yet it is a fire there is no man will say that the fire is put out though it be couered No more is faith put out of the soule though it be so couered that it neither giue heat â—or light outwardly An example of this we haue cleerely in the Prophet Dauid after his lamentation in that Psalme of Repentance Psalme 51.11 hee prayeth to GOD in these words Cast me not away from thy presence And what addeth he And take not thy holy Spirit from mee Had he not lost the Spirit by his adultery and murther No for he would not haue said then Take it not from mee But Restore it to mee It is true that he vseth the like in the verse following Restore mee to the ioy of thy saluation Not that hee wanted the spirit wholly but that the spirit lacked force in him and needed strengthening and fortification it would be stirred vp that the flame of it might appear Therfore I say in that Dauid speaketh so plainely after his adultery and murther Take not that Spirit from mee it is a certaine argument that the faithfull haue neuer the spirit of God alwaies taken from them in their greatest dissolutions The second point is this How proue I that these sparkles are not idle though the outward effects be interrupted As Dauid felt this in his conscience so euery one of you may feele it in your owne consciences The Spirit of God in mans hart can not be idle but these sparkles during the time that the body is let loose to all dissolutions these sparkles are accusing thy dissolution are finding fault vvith thy manners these sparkles suffer thee not to take the pleasure of thy bodie
turne to God so conioyne thee with God make all thine actions well pleassing vnto him There is no good actiō that we do though it seeme neuer so good before the world but it is abhomination before God if it be not done in fayth and will forward our condemnation hauing fayth all the creatures of god are seruiceable vnto vs they must all conspire to the furtherance of the worke of our saluation As on the contrarie wanting fayth there is none of the creatures of God but shall bee enemies vnto vs and conspire to our damnation For fayth conioynes vs with the God of heauen and makes vs heauenly This Iewell of faith seasons all the gifts graces which God giueth vnto vs All the riches of the earth is of no value to my soule without fayth And what auailes it any man to haue all the knowledge and wisdome in the earth without fayth For the diuell hath all this knowledge and is not the better What auailes it me to conquer all the Monarches kingdomes and whole riches in the earth what can all these auaile my soule Nothing but accuse mee if I want fayth Therefore all the benefits and gifts of God without faith auail nothing but to augment our misery All the gifts and graces of God are abused without fayth Fayth onely makes thee to vse the benefits and graces of God rightly Fayth onely should bee sought kept and intertained heere in this life hauing fayth all the rest of Gods graces are profitable vnto thee for this Iewell keeps them al in order makes them al fruitful whereas wanting this iewel there is nothing here on earth but it wil testifie against thee Let vs then speak of this faith how it is wroght in you I take my groūd out of the Euangelist Iohn How faith is created in our soules 6.44 where our Sauiour saith No man canne come to me except the Father which hath sent mee drawe him In the which words we see cleerely that except wee bee drawen except wee bee compelled except we be thrust except of vnwilling wee bee made willing by God the father it is not possible for vs to come to his sonne What is the reason of this that the spirit of God must drawe vs and make vs willing or euer wee come to God Because by nature wee are not only wounded and launced by sinne and iniquitie but as the Apostle sheweth Ephes 2.1 wee were wholly dead in trespasses and sinnes yea obserue how voide any dead bodie is of a naturall life so voide are our soules though they be liuing the naturall life so voide are they of the life of God of that heauenly and spirituall life whereunto wee in this life doe aspire vntill such time that the spirit of God draw our harts and mindes that is quicken our harts and mindes No it is not a drawing as wee commonly speake it is a very quickning of a dead thing It is a quickning of that thing which was voide of the life of the spirit Then except the spirit of God drawe vs that is quicken vs with that spirituall and heauenly life it is not possible for vs to come to heauen And except hee nourish this life which hee hath begunne it is not possible that wee canne stand in this life So the spirit of God is said to drawe vs that is to beginne this life in vs and by the same holy spirit to continue and nourish this life in vs. Now by the drawing of the spirit our soules are quickned and by the drawing of the spirit I vnderstand no other thing but the framing and creating of fayth in our soules which makes vs new creatures Now let vs see what order the spirit of GOD keepeth in drawing vs and informing and creating this faith in our soules First of all I diuide the soule into no more parts then commonly it vseth to bee diuided that is into the heart and the minde Our minde then being a cloud of darknesse altogether blinde naturally there being nothing in that minde of ours but vanitie error and ignorance whereby wee vanish away and can neuer long continue in any good resolution or purpose What doth the spirit of God The first worke that euer the spirit of God doth he taketh order with the minde and what doth hee to the minde he banisheth darknesse he chasethout vanitie and blindnes that naturally lurketh in the mind and insteed of this darknes he placeth in the minde a light a celestiall and a heauenly light a light which is resident in Christ Iesus only Then the spirit chaseth out that cloude of miste darknes and placeth light in the minde And what worketh he by this light We getting this inward and heauenly light in the minde a sanctified vnderstanding incontinent hee makes vs to see God not only as he is God the creator of the world but also as hee is God the redeemer and hath redeemed vs in his son Christ Iesus Now before I obtaine this light what is my heart mind doing There is not one of you but haue experience as I my selfe haue in what estate the heart and minde is before that this light enter The minde lieth drowned in blindnesse and the heart is hardned and they both conspire together in vice to sette vp an Idoll in stead of God a domesticall and inuisible Idoll what sort of Idoll is that No doubt some worldly or fleshly affection or other this is sette vp in the throne of thy heart and on this Idoll thou bestowest the seruice of thy whole heart of thy whole minde of thy whole soule and bodie So that the seruice both of the soule and bodie which should be bestowed vpon God only is imployed vpon that Idoll which is set vp in thy heart that is in the place of God in the steed of the most high God And thou art more addicted to the seruice of that Idoll then euer thou wast to the seruice of the liuing God yea vntill such time that this Idoll of ours bee banished and that this blindnes whereby this Idoll is serued be taken away there is not one of you but are seruants to one lust or other thy soule that should bee consecrated to the seruice of the liuing GOD is imployed vpon one affection or other vpon some worldly or fleshly lust of thine owne But from the time that the Lord beginneth to scatter the cloudes of our naturall mindes and vnderstandings and beginneth to chase away this thicke mist of the darke soule and placeth therein some sparke of heauenly light which floweth out of Chr. and whereas we were children of the night and darknesse before hee makes vs to be light in the Lord and to be children of the light and of the day Then we see that all the things in the world besides the liuing God are vanities deceiueable allurements vnconstant shadowes fleeting and flowing without any abiding and and then wee see that our hearts