Parent The Master to the Servant The Servant to the Master c. Faith is the great Task-Master of the Soul But it is not like Pharaohs Task-Master to command burdens and afford no help To require the Tale of Brick and give no Straw This indeed the Law doth It is an hard Task-Master It commands but gives no ability Jubet fed non juvat Efficit quod imperat Jubet juvat But not so Faith It commands and laies in strength to do It gives what it commands by going over to Christ and fetching strength from him whereby the soul is inabled to obey what it is commanded It is said of Christ That His Government shall bee upon his shoulders Not only in his hand having a Scepter only to command but upon his shoulders wherein there is support to obey commands So it may bee said of Faith which governeth from Christ and by Christ Its Government is upon its shoulder inabling the soul to do what it commands 1. Faith begets Soul-inabling-Principles Principles in the soul suitable to the things commanded whereby a man is inabled to obey All strength for new Obedience ariseth from a new Nature And this new Nature is nothing else but that conformity to the Law of God whereby a man is not only able to obey but willing to obey when Principles are wrought in our hearts suitable to the Precepts when there is a Law within us answering to the Law without us It will be meat and drink it will be natural to obey it is not now hard to pray to clear The yoak is easy the burden is light These things are not tasks but delights not medicines but meat not physick but food Psal 40. I delight to do thy Will saith David and what was the ground Thy Law is in my heart There were Principles agreeable to the Precepts and that made him not only to obey but to obey with delight 2. Faith supplies a man with Soul-inabling-Strength from without Wee have need not only of preventing but assisting Grace not only of operative but cooperative strength not only of inherent but of assistant the continual succours aids and supplies of the Spirit of Christ And Faith doth supply the soul with strength from him without whom wee can do nothing and through whose might wee are inabled to do all things Faith laies in supplies of strength from Christ wherewith wee are inabled for any service It calls in for all the strength of Christ the aids of the Spirit whereby wee are strengthened 2. Faith doth furnish a man with Soul-inabling-considerations 1. From God the mercies of God the goodness and sweetness of God All which do incourage and inable the soul to obey A loving Master makes a diligent Servant A mercifull God a working Christian Nothing doth so prevail with the heart as love The Love of Christ constrains us When Faith shall discover to the heart what we were what we are what God might what God hath done with us it will break out with David with a Quid Retribuam c. What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits I will take the cup of Salvation and call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows c. Psal 116.12 This overcomes the Soul with Love That heart that is overcome with the sweetness of mercy is prepared to overcome any difficulty of service My heart is prepared my heart is prepared 2. From the work Faith furnishes a man with soul-inabling-considerations from the excellency of the imployments hee sees a peece of Heaven in tem hee sees these services full of beauty sweetness desireableness No service to the service of the King Oh! what then is the service of the King of Kings 3. From the rewards which God hath promised to obedience And these rewards Faith makes use of to quicken and stir up the soul to Obedience to bee spurs and incentives to us as they were to Moses who had an eye to the recompence of the Reward as they were to Christ himself who for the joy that was set before him endured the Cross and despised the shame Heb. 12.2 and Heb. 11.26 All which have a mighty influence into the soul to inable and quicken it to Obedience 2. Faith inables the Soul to suffer Yea and to suffer the sufferings of the greatest magnitude You see Heb. 11. Through Faith they were stoned they were sawn asunder were slain with the sword 1. It puts the soul into a suffering frame It deadens a mans heart to the world mortifies a man to to the world and makes a man alive to God A man dead to the world doth not much care either to leave the world or any thing in the world now Faith deadens a mans heart to the World 1. Faith puts the Judgement into a right frame It makes the Judgement lightly to esteem of earthly and highly to esteem of Heavenly things lightly to esteem the favours and frowns of men highly to value the favour and fear the frowns of God 2. Faith prevails with the Will to chuse God above all and to part with all the leave all if they come in competition with God This Faith doth habitually in habituall preparations in the work of Grace when first the Will chuseth with Christ Thus Faith inables the soul to do actually when ever it is brought to tryall 3. Faith works upon the Affections to love God above all to delight in God to fear him c. A man who loues any thing chuseth any thing prizeth any thing above God is a man unfit for sufferings hee is not in a sufering frame If God and these things come in competition they with Demas will forsake God and cleave to the present world Men whose hearts are too much ingaged to the World whose affections are too much set upon the Creature men whose wills chuse any thing more than God whose Judgements do prize and esteem of any thing more than God to whom God is little and the world is great these men are unfit for tryals And therefore this is the first way whereby Faith doth inable the Soul by putting it into a suffering frame 2. Faith doth furnish the soul with suffering Resolutions A beleeving heart is a resolved heart Nothing causeth a suspension in the Will more than Unbeleef Hee that doubteth is like a wave of the Sea sometimes going this way and sometimes carried back again Whereas Faith doth resolve the heart makes the soul resolve as Peter but in a better strength I will dye rather than deny thee Faith doth cloathe the soul with suffering resolutions to go through a Sea through a Wilderness through the hottest Skirmishes the hardest Tryals for Christ You see it every where in Scripture In Michaiah in Jeremiah in the three Children in Daniel in the Apostles And to these I might adde many more As that of old Polycarp when hee was perswaded to deny Christ rather than to dye for Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
from the Death of inward Troubles As the sense of Gods Love the apprehension of his favour is the life of the Soul Psal 30.5 In his favour is Life So the sense of Gods Displeasure is the Death of the Soul Psal 88.10 Shall the Dead arise to praise thee Hee speaks of that spiritual Desertion in which hee was labouring under the sense of Gods wrath and displeasure which hee calls the Death of the Soul Shall the Dead arise to praise thee Shall my Soul dead and sunk with discouragements and apprehensions of thy wrath Shall it arise to praise thee So that this is the Death of the Soul Now Faith doth raise the Soul up from this Death When the Soul seems to bee sunk and buried under the apprehensions of Gods displeasure is slain with discouragements lies gasping and breathing for comfort The least touch of the Promise by Faith doth raise up and revive the Soul and fetches a man to life again All the while that sense works a man sinks deeper and deeper into this sad condition But let sense sit still and Faith come in and act its part and the Soul cannot lye so low in Trouble but it will raise it up Psal 77.10 I said this is my Death yet will I remember the years of the right hand of the most high c. What a precious thing is Faith It is call'd precious Faith And so it is indeed that is able to work such wonders in the Soul in an instant What a Cordial is this when a man is in swounding and fainting-fits that one taste of the Promise by Faith will fetch him to life again when the soul lies in the dust under sad apprehensions heavy Agonies sinking and dying one dram one grain of Faith will fetch him to life again set him on his feet again walking and leaping and praising God This is precious Faith indeed Now for the manner how Faith doth work for the raising up of the Soul from under these spiritual Troubles wee will only adde these particulars 1. Faith doth in this condition look back upon soul-raising-Experiences It causes a man to consider the dayes of old the years of ancient time as David did in the same condition Psal 77.5 It makes a man revive those former experiences of Gods Love those former workings those fore-past evidences those broken Rings Pledges Love-tokens which have passed betwixt God and the Soul Such a time hee took mee up into his Chariot and spake friendly to mee Such a time I sate down under his shadow and his Banner over mee was love Such a time hee took mee down into his Winecellar staied mee with Flaggons Such a time hee brake into my soul discovered himself to mee a Reconciled God gave mee an earnest of his love a testimony that hee manifested himself to mee came and supped with mee gave mee the White stone the Hidden Manna the New Name c. This is the Act of Faith Thus doth it produce the former evidences and experiences of Love and from these doth take up arguments to raise the Soul in this dark condition Why will Faith say Once a Father and ever a Father Once a Friend and never an Enemy Though wee change yet God doth not change With him there is no variableness nor shadow of change His carriage may alter his heart cannot His expression may vary his Affections cannot God hath spoken Peace and hee will never unsay what hee hath said Hee hath given mee sure evidences and hee will never take them away again though hee may withhold the comfort of them Hee that hath been gracious will bee gracious Men shut their hands because they have opened them but because hee hath once opened his hands hee will never shut them 2. Faith looks upon Soul-raising-Promises Such as are not only made for support but for deliverance I will not contend for ever nor will I bee alwayes wroth least the Spirit which I have made should fail before mee and the Soul which I have created I was angry with him I hid my face from him But I will heal him I will lead him also and restore comfort to him and to his mourners Isa 57.16 17 18. For a moment I have forsaken thee but with everlasting kindness have I had compassion on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer c. Isa 54.8 9 10 11. Zion said the Lord hath forsaken mee My God hath forgotten mee Can a Woman forget her child that she should not have compassion on the Son of her womb Yea they may but I will never forget thee Behold I have Graven thee upon the Palms of my hands thy ways are ever in my sight These and such like promises Faith looks upon It doth not so much look at the Face of God Gods outward carriage and expression in the condition as at the Heart of God and his inward affection which lyes in the Promise Full well Faith knows The Ground of Comfort doth not lye in the Face of God the aspects of God If so then our comforts could not bee stable This alters as wee alter changeth as wee change But the ground of Faiths comfort lyes in the Promises and thither it hath recourse when from Outward appearance it can get no comfort Sense looks upon the face of God onely upon his outward presence But Faith looks upon the Heart of God in the Promise where it sees a Calmy heart under a Stormy countenance inward Smiles though outward frowns Inward Affections of Love under Outward expressions of displeasure As Joseph had the affections of a brother under the expressions of an Enemy Hee could put on expressions of an enemy An angry countenance but yet not put off Affections of a brother A loving heart so is it often with God And therefore Faith doth view him in The Promise hath recourse thither as you see poor David had in the like case Psal 77. to the tenth verse Hee was in sad Conditions and nothing could raise him God absented himself from him Hee fell to Praying to Complaining but yet no comfort came Hee complained and his spirit was overwhelmed Hee was so farre from Ease by this that his Spirit was more opprest Nay Hee cald to remembrance times past All this whie comfort came not in At last hee betakes himself to the Promise hath recourse to the Covenant and then his Soul revived ver 10. Thus Faith looks upon the firmness of the Covenant the stability of the Promise and is raised revived Read Isa 49.14 15. Isa 54. from seven to eleven which are Soul-raising-promises 3 Faith lays hold upon a soul-raising-Christ Upon whom whosoever doth lay hold hee will pull him out of the deepest waters If a man under water have hold of any thing above him it will pull him out hee shall not sink So here when wee are overwhelmed in these deep waters if by Faith the Soul lay hold on Christ it will bear him up and bring him forth John 12.46 I am come a
which doth commend Christ the worth and preciousness of Christ to the soul it is this our Knowledge of the Worth of Christ By others who know him not hee is a disallowed stone not worth the owning 1 Pet. 2.8 2. The second thing which doth commend Christ to a soul is The Apprehension of the souls Interest in him When the soul can look upon Christ as his own then hee esteems him when hee knows hee hath a Propriety in Christ a part in Christ Now a strong Beleeâ—â—r hee 1. Knows the Want of Châ—ist Hee sees hee cannot live without Christ The more Faith the more apprehension and sense of our wants 2. Knows and sees the worth of Christ Hee sees those excellencies and beauties in him which to others lye hid and are not discovered To others hee is an Orient Pearl in an heap of Sand a Mine of Gold covered over with rubbish and earth They are not able to behold his beauties 2. Hee sees and apprehends his own interest in him And this makes the soul to prize him Hee can say Christ is mine His Righteousness mine to justifie mee His Holiness mine to Sanctifie mee His Sufferings mine to save mee And upon this there ariseth an high prizing of Christ. Quest But you will say Doth not every man prize Christ who doth not value and esteem of Christ Ans You may say you do so But there 's no such matter If Christ were precious in thy eyes then 1. Thou wouldst not care what pains thou tookest for the compassing of Christ You see a worldly man to whom the World is precious what pains hee takes for the attaining of the things of the World Eccles 4.8 the like and greater pains wouldest thou take for the things of Christ if hee were to thee alike precious 2. Thou wouldest not care what thou partest withall for the compassing of Christ Thou wouldest count Christ thy greatest gain and all loss in comparison of him Phil. 3.7 8. Hee is not valued at all it hee bee not valued above all 3. Were Christ precious to thee thou wouldest never think thy self to have enough of Christ Drink yea drink abundantly O Beloved Cant. 5. the more the soul tastes and drinks the more it thirsts till it drink it new in the Kingdome of Heaven Thus where Christ is precious there would bee actions sutable to that rate and esteem the soul sets on him Now when you will take no pains for the getting of Christ when you will part with nothing for the keeping of Christ when you will not heap up in most abundance whatever Christ is to others write upon it to you it is not precious 4. Where Christ is precious indeed all of Christ is precious Hee is not only precious in his Person in his Natures in his Benefits but all of Christ is precious Christ in his Holiness Christ in his Lawes Christ in his Government Christ in his Truth The soul looks upon all these as prizes of Christ Hee who prizeth of Christ doth prize of all these As wee say of Faith It doth not eligere Objectum it doth not chuse its Object single out what it will beleeve and what it will not beleeve but beleeves all that God saith So I may say of this prizing of Christ True prizing of Christ doth not single out its Object Thus much of Christ I will prize and thus much not But there is a full prizing of all Christ Christ in his Holiness Lawes Government Truth All. All which are parts of Christ and are all to bee prized if ever you would clear this that you prize of Christ truly And without question Gods people have seen so much Beauty in the Laws Government and Holiness of Christ that they have lost all rather than they would lose their Obedience And it was said of Christ Vitam perdidit ne Obedientiam perderet Hee lost his Life rather than hee would lose his Obedience so may it bee said of them They have taken up naked Obedience with the losse of all They have seen so much beauty in a Truth that they have hazarded and lost all rather than they would lose a Truth They have made this brave adventure to lose themselves to save a Truth as you see in Queen Maries dayes in point of Transubstantiation In these particulars a weak Faith shareth stakes with a strong But for what is more peculiar to a strong Faith 1. Strong in Faith and strong in Grace According to the proportion of Faith such is the measure of all Gods Graces in us As weak in Faith weak in Grace So strong in Faith strong in Grace So much Faith so much Love so much Hope so much Patience so much Humility Wee will single out some 1. Strong in Faith and strong in Affection and Love to Christ There are two things which make the soul to love Christ 1. The discovery of the Beauties and excellencies of Christ. 2. The Apprehension the soul hath in the interest it hath in this Christ Now both these are in a strong Faith 1. There is a full discovery of the Beauties and Excellencies of Christ The Beauties of his Person the Beauties of his Nature c. And that in a larger measure than is made known to a weak Beleever A weak Faith sees the Excellencies of Christ in puncto in a narrow room as wee see the World in a Map But a strong Faith it sees all the Excellencies of Christ in circumferentiâ Hee sees a larger and fuller draught hath a fuller discovery of it to his soul And who can see it but hee must needs love him who is all lovely who hath all Beauties That Eye of Faith which beholds the Beauties and Excellencies of Christ will bee a Burning-Glass to the heart to set the heart on fire and kindle strong affections there 2. There is in a strong Faith a strong apprehension of the souls interest in Christ That Christ is his and hee is Christs His Blood and Merits his for Pardon for Justification His Grace and Holinesse his for Sanctification His Wisdome his for Direction And therefore the soul must needs love him Propriety wee see in things makes us love them Wee love our own Husbands our own Wives our own Children The ground is this the propriety wee have in them So when the soul once sees Christ made over to him that hee hath a propriety in him an interest in him needs must the soul love him So you see then where there is a strong Faith there is a strong Affection to Christ strong Love to Christ Such a love as no duty is too hard to undertake for Christ no task too great to pose his love to Christ. It was said of Jacob that hee indured many years servitude for Rachel yet hee thought the time short all was nothing because hee loved her So all wee can do for Christ all will bee nothing if wee once love him Nay not only all wee can do but all wee can suffer
will bee nothing to the soul that loves him Love is as strong as Death You see it in the Apostles They counted not their lives too dear to give to death for the Love of Christ It is not the Bloud which is in the veins the spirits which are in the arteries the Life in the Body which will be too dear There is a kinde of unquenchablenesse in Love like the stone in Thracia which burns in the Water Much Water cannot quench Love 1. Much Afflictions from God cannot quench our Affections to God As all our dealings to God doth not alter Gods affections to us so all Gods dealings to us will not alter our affections to God Si diligis Domine fac quicquid vis was the speech of Calvin Lord if thou love mee do what thou wilt And Jobs Though thou kill mee yet I will still trust in thee And the Church professeth the like Psal 44.17 18 19. All this is come upon us yet do wee not forget thee nor have wee dealt falsely in thy Covenant Our heart is not turned back nor have our steps gone out of thy paths Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of Dragons and covered us with the shadow of death c. 2. Much afflictions for God shall not cool our affections to God Wee shall bee ready to go through a Sea through a Wildernesse through the sharpest incounters for Christ Nothing shall pose a strong Beleever When once the soul is perswaded of the Love of God by Faith then there follows abundance of love to God again 1 John 4. from 15. to 19. Whosoever confesseth that Jesus is the Son of God in him dwelleth God and hee in God And wee have known and beleeved the Love that God hath to us God is Love and hee that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him c. wee love him because hee loved us first And that of Mary Much was forgiven her and therefore shee loved much Whiles a man looks upon God as an enemy who hates him hee can never love him But when once the soul by Faith doth apprehend Gods love to him then doth the soul love God again The love of God begets love in the soul to God Amor Dei amorem animae parit No mans heart is warmed with the sense of Gods love but it is inflamed with love to God again As the Sun beams shining upon a Glasse begets a reflection of the Beams upon the Wall So the Love of God shed abroad in our hearts breeds a reflection of love back again to God 2. Strong in Faith and strong in Hope and expectations of the thing beleeved which is that which holds up our head and keeps the soul from sinking in the midst of all these worldly troubles 3. Strong Faith and strong Patience A strong Faith will bear strong Afflictions with strong Patience Faith doth strengthen a mans shoulders to bear evils and troubles with Patience A weak Tree is blown down with that which moves not a stronger Tree Weak shoulders sink under that burden which a strong one will bear away So a weak Faith would sink with that tryal which a strong Faith is able to undergo with strength of Patience And therefore it is Gods goodnesse still to proportion the Tryal to the strength A strong Faith can receive a mercy and bee thankful and can render a mercy and bee patient A strong Faith can injoy a blessing and bee chearful and can lose it and bee contented Hence saith Paul I have learned in all estates therewith to bee content I know how to abound and how to suffer want c. Hee was a man strong in Faith And the ground of all is this because a strong Faith having dear evidence and apprehensions that God is a Father doth conclude that all his dealings are for good All things shall work together for good to them that love God And hee hath said Hee will never depart from us from doing us good Faith like the Philosophers stone turns all into Gold sees all Gods dealings to bee for good If God then afflict a man why will Faith say It 's for good I have need of such Afflictions to work out such a strong corruption Are the Afflictions many why will Faith say I have need of many Afflictions because I have many corruptions Are they long why I have need of that too because sin and I are so hardly parted It is so hard to make a divorce betwixt sin and my soul and therefore the afflictions had need to continue long Faith sees that God aims at this to wean us from the World to win us closer to him to exercise and increase our Graces to weaken sin and corruption to make us more fruitful Therefore doth hee prune us that wee might grow more If a man lop Trees at sometimes they will wither and dye but if at other times they will be made more fruitful God useth to afflict the wicked at such time But the Saints when they may grow the more Therefore God winnows us fannes us to blow away the chaff Therefore hee puts us as Gold into the fire that wee may come out much more pure Strong Faith and strong Obedience Obedience is proportionable to our Faith The greater the Faith the more the Obedience A little Tree a young Tree may bring forth good fruit as well as a greater but not in equal quantity to the greater so hee that hath the least degree of true Faith lives a godly life brings forth some fruits of Obedience but they are not so plentiful in good works as those whose Faith is come to an higher degree Weak Faith doth obey and this Obedience is a willing a chearful a fruitful a constant an universal Obedience both 1. In respect of the Subject The whole Man and 2. In respect of the Object The whole Law There is a willing yeelding of the soul up to God to walk in every way of God As David Lord I am thine or as the Prophet Isaiah One shall say I am the Lords Otherwise it were not true Obedience But they are not able to act so much as the stronger They are as large in desires in affections to obey but not in expressions of Obedience But the stronger the Faith the stronger is the Obedience the stronger the Will the stronger the Affections and the spirit in his Obedience A Child may do actions as well as a Man but not with that strength as a man doth them hee cannot do them so strongly so vigorously A weak Beleever may pray hear c. but not pray so strongly so powerfully as others who have more Faith So that you see where there is strong Faith there is strong Obedience A strong Faith will follow God fully in every way In losing waies as well as in gaining waies In suffering waies as well as in doing waies In discountenanced waies as well as in such as the World doth countenance In strait waies
hovv should this make us advance Christ admire Christ prize Christ What should indear our hearts more to Christ than this That he hath born our sins and so born them as we shall never hear them if vve have an interest in him 8. Consectary 8. If sin be the Greatest Evil Then it calls out 8. Consectary 1. For the Greatest Sorrow 2. For the Greatest Hatred 3. For the Greatest Care to avoid it 4. For the Greatest Care to be rid of it If sin be the Greatest Evil Then it must have The Greatest Sorrow 1. Sin calls for greatest sorrow No affliction no trouble no evil should be so bitter to us as sin because sin is the Greatest Evil. It is a sad thing to see our hearts tender and sensibly affected with Lesser evils and troubles and yet to be hard and insensible for sin which is the Greatest of evils It would therefore be our wisdom when any other evils be upon us To turn all our sighs tears and sorrows upon sin It is an Aphorism in Physick Erumpens sanguis vená sectâ sistitur If a man bleed vehemently in one place they let him blood in another and so turn the stream of blood another way It should be our wisdom when our souls bleed and our hearts mourn for other evils to turn all those mourning affections upon sin Let them run in the right chanel Those tears must be wept over again which are not shed for sin Sorrow is like Mercuries Influence Good if it be joyned with a Good Bad if it be joyned with a Bad Planet It is not so much the Sorrow as the Ground and Spring of the Sorrow The object of it is to be taken notice of Sorrow was naught iâ— Judas good in Peter it was naught in Saul good in David In the one it was a Sorrow to death in the other a Sorrow to cure the wound of Death In the one worldly in the other â—â—dly Worldly sorrow causeth death And such is all sorrow thâ— hath not sin for the ground grace for the principle God â—â—t the end Where â—â—n is apprehended the Greatest evil it will have the Greatest sorrow Sorrow to exceed all other sorrows 1. Though not ever in quantity and bulk yet in quality and worth A little Gold is worth a great deal of Earth and Rubbish 2. Though not in strength yet in length and continuance Other sorrows are but like a Land-flood for a time occasioned by a Story which when that is over the flood is down This Godly sorrow doth arise from a spring and having a fountain to continue it it is Permanent when the other is gone This is the difference between the Godly and the other Gods people their sorrows which are Spiritual do arise from a spring their worldly from a storm a tempest The wicked their spiritual sorrows arise from a storm some present vvringing of Conscience fear of vvrath and their vvorldly sorrovvs arise from a spring Where sin is apprehended the Greatest Evil there it shall have the Greatest sorrow 1. A sorrow Proportionable to the Measures and Greatness of Sin 2. A sorrow Proportionable to the Merit and Desert of Sin As the merit of sin is infinite so the sorrovv for it must be an infinite sorrovv Infinite I say Non Actu sed Affectu not in the act and expression but in the Desire and Affection of the soul He vvhose Heart and Eyes dry up together vvhose Expression in Tears and Affection of Sorrow do end together though he had wept a sea of Tears he had not yet truly wept for sin Where sorrovv is Godly it hath Affections of mourning vvhen the expression of mourning ceaseth because every drop of tears doth arise from a spring of tears vvithin As every Act of Faith doth arise from a believing disposition an habit of faith vvithin every act of Love from a Principle of love vvithin So every expression of sorrow from an affection of sorrovv in the spirit Hence vve read 1 Sam. 7.6 their sorrovv is exprest by this Metaphor They drew water as out of a vvell and poured it out before the Lord. Their eyes did not empty so fast as their hearts filled Their eyes could not pour it forth so fast as their hearts did yield it up All their Expressions of Mourning did fall short of those Affections of Sorrow vvhich vvere in the heart This is sorrow for sin A sorrow proportioned to the measure to the demerit of sin A sorrow that doth exceed alâ— other sorrovvs though not in quantity yet in quality th ugh not in strength yet in length and continuance 2. Is sin the Greatest Evil 2. Sin calls for the greatest Hatred Then it calls out for the Greatest Hatred Nothing is properly the Object of Hatred but Evil And that not All kind of Evil but sinful Evil Penal Evils are rather the Objects of Fear than of Hatred because these are Improperly Evil. Nothing indeed is evil but vvhat makes us evil anâ— these may be a means to make us good and therefore are not properly evil and so an Object of hatred Sinful evil is properly the object of hatred because this is properly evil and being the Greatest of Evils should therefore have the greatest of our hatred Psal 92.10 You that love the Lord see that you Hate evil It is not enough for you to be angry vvith sin and displeased vvith sin for so a man may be vvith his Friend one vvhom he loves upon some discourtesie Nor is it enough that you should strike sin for so many do to day and imbrace it to morrovv But you must endeavor to kill sin Hatred labors after the Un-being of that it hates Nothing but the destruction and blood of it vvill satisfie the soul that truly hates sin There is a great deal of mistake in men concerning this point I might shevv you the secret deceits of the spirit concerning it in brief and hovv far those come short of hatred of sin 1. A man may fall out with a sinner by whom he hath been drawn into sin and yet not Hate the sin execute the Traytor and yet like the Treason 2. A man may fall out with himself for sin and yet not hate sin When he hath brought some inconvenience to himself by his sin which otherwise he liketh well enough 3. A man may fall out with sin and yet not hate sin Cast away the coal when burnt with the fire that is in it and yet not offended with the blackness of it or the defilement which he getteth by it 3. Sin calls for the greatest care to avoid it 3. If sin be the Greatest Evil Then it calls out for the Greatest Care to avoid it Men are naturally afraid to fall into evil What study vvhat care vvhat endeavors to prevent Evil Did you apprehend sin to be the Greatest of Evils there vvould be no less care to avoid sin You vvould endeavor to walk closely and exactly with God to
forgo all Sin where sin is forgiven there sin is forsaken 3. A Third sort are they Who seek a pardon of Sin without sense of Sin who seek forgiveness of Sin without remorse for sin Men who are never troubled with any sense with any compunction of heart for sin Would you not take it for a dallying with you if one had greatly offended you and should come to desire you your forgiveness without any sense or remorse of it What do you think God will do This is certain Without blood there is no Remission of Sin as the Apostle speaks Christ was wounded and thou must be wounded too before thou hast a pardon Christ did bleed and conscience must bleed before ever he give a pardon It was a speech of Bradford He never left a duty till c. Will a man in good earnest beg a pardon who was never attached for Treason or so much as throughly sensible that he is guilty of it 4. A Fourth sort are such as cry for Forgiveness but yet never look after their Prayers Would you not think it a slighting if a man who had offended you should come and beg a pardon and as soon as he had said a few words to you should turn his back and go away and never expect nor wait for an answer from you Why thus do you deal with God You put up prayers but look not after them He who begs in earnest Oh! he will Diligently observe what Answer what Return God makes He will observe what word of Comfort God le ts fall what intimations God will afford to his spirit and will be exceeding chary of them As you see Benhadads servants did 1 Kings 20.31 32 33. After they had put up their requests the Text saith The men did diligently observe whether any thing would come from Ahab and did hastily catch at it So should we do Come with sackcloath put up our prayers with remorse and when that is done when we have prayed our prayers let us wait our prayers to see what intimations we shall receive from heaven Thus David Psal 85.8 I will hear what God the Lord will speak for he will speak Peace to his people and to his Saints c. Psal 5.3 In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee and I will look up 5. A Fift sort who dally with God are they who follow not their prayers with endeavors to get assurance that their Sins are pardoned Who search not into the Covenant of Grace acquaint not themselves with the Promises of Grace search not into the Word of Grace frequent not the Means of Grace These men dally who frequent not the Word Sacraments c. and such like Means for the Assurance of Pardon A TREATISE OF THE Loves of Christ TO HIS SPOUSE BY SAMVEL BOLTON D. D. And MASTER of C. C. C. LONDON Printed by Robert Ibbitson for Thomas Parkhurst and are to be sold at his Shop over against the Great Conduit in Cheapside 1656. A TREATISE OF THE LOVES OF CHRIST TO HIS SPOUSE CANT 4.9 Thou hast ravished my heart my Sister my Spouse Thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine eyes with one chain about thy neck A Text which after wee have been some while in Heaven wee shall bee able to understand Certainly none can speak fully to this Text but they who have the full injoyments of this Love But things that are not possible to bee expressed are not totally to bee omitted and therefore wee will lanch into the main Ocean And when wee are not able to apprehend this love let us cast our selves in and let it comprehend us Some things in the General wee premise 1. For the Author or Penman it was Solomon inspired by the Spirit of God 2. For the Title of the Book it is called The Song of Songs or a most excellent Song So it is called for the excellency and sublimity The doubling of the words declare the excellency As when the Scripture speaks of base things by doubling the words they are more debased as it was said of Cham Gen. 9.25 A servant of servants shall hee bee that is a vile slave So when it speaks of good things by doubling the words it declares the excellency of the thing Deut. 10.17 The Lord your God is God of Gods and Lord of Lords Thus much for the Title 3. As concerning the Matter there is difference among Interpreters 1. Aben-Ezra a Jewish Rabbin thinks it to bee an History of the Church of God from Abraham to Christ 2. Another thinks it to bee an Hystory of the Church from Christ to the freedome of the Church by Constantine a Roman Emperour who lived in the beginning of the fourth Century 3. Another makes it contain a prophetical Hystory of the condition of the Church from David to the end of the World And divides the book into these two parts The Church 1. Under the Law 2. Under the Gospel 1. The Church under the Law from David to the death of Christ which is continued from the beginning of the Book to the sixth verse of the fourth Chapter 1. As it was from David to the Captivity which saith hee is contained in the first Chapter and the two first verses of the second Chapter 2. As it was in the Captivity from the second verse of the second Chapter to the fifteenth verse of the second Chapter 3. As it was after the Captivity till the death of Christ the abrogation of the Church under the Law which continues from the fifteenth verse of the second Chapter to the sixth verse of the fourth Chapter 2. And from that to the end of the Book is contained an Hystory of the Church Evangelical till Christs second comming Of this mind is Brightman But to leave this wee think and with us goes the stream of Orthodox Interpreters that the subject matter of this Book is a Parabolical Hystory of the mutual loves betwixt Christ and his Church set down under the persons of the Bridegroom and his Bride And thus much of the Book in general Wee will now draw neerer to our Text. In the former Chapter we read how the Church the Spouse of Christ doth declare her exceeding love to Christ and her high appretiations of him with her earnest desire to injoy him whom her soul saw so precious and that Christ might discover to her how kindly hee took her affection In this Chapter hee doth again enter into a singular commendation of the excellency of the Church declaring also his unfeigned love to her The whole Chapter contains these parts 1. A singular commendation of the Church by Christ which is set down allegorically from the first verse to the fifth and from the tenth to the fourteenth verse 2. A gracious profession of Christs love to his Church from the fifth verse to the tenth 3. The Churches reply with Christs answer again to her vers 15 16 17. In the Churches reply 1. A commendation of her head and
is a marriage duty c. As Ahasuerus had two houses for his Spouses And therefore seeing Christ thinks nothing too dear to bestow upon his Church hence must needs follow That the Heart of Jesus Christ is exceedingly taken with his Church 1. Those which Christ hath made all things for to serve for the good of them 2. Those whom hee hath prepared Glory for Heaven for 3. Those which hee hath shed his bloud for must needs bee dear to him his Heart much taken with them If a King should build a stately house for one with whom hee would solace himself all his life and should at last give life too you would think sure hee loved him 1. God made all for thee the Sun Moon Stars Creatures all this frame of the World sure you are dear to him 2. God prepared Heaven for thee a place of Glory Happiness where thou shouldest for ever injoy him and solace thy self with his love 3. Christ shed his bloud for thee which was more dear to him than ten thousand Worlds What is all the World and ten thousand Worlds in comparison of one drop of his bloud and therefore they whom hee shed his bloud for must needs bee more dear to him than all the World his Heart is taken with them Thus far now wee have gone in the breaking up the rich Cabinet of Christs Love the sent whereof hath cheared and revived us Wee will now proceed to the further discoveries of it and that is to the third thing wee propounded Why the Heart of Christ is so much taken with his Church and People Wee will but give you these three grounds all which are taken not from us but from himself his own mercy In brief Either From his own Grace to us Amat Deus non aliundè hoc habet sed ipse est undè amat et ideô vehementius amat quia non amorem tam habet quam hoc est ipse Bern. Or From his own Grace in us The first Ground or Reason why the Heart of Christ is so taken is 1. Because wee are his Propriety you know is the great ground of love Wee love our own our own Husbands Wives Children They are ours wee have propriety in them So here wee are His Hee hath propriety in us and therefore loves us Cant. 7.10 Cant. 7.10 The Spouse makes the same argument I am my Beloveds and hee is mine therefore his desire is towards mee therefore his heart is taken with mee therefore his soul loves mee And wee are his in the dearest and sweetest relations 1. Wee are his People his subjects Christ is the King of Saints whose throne is in our hearts and will brook no Rival whose Scepter is his Word and whose Word is our Law Nay least this bee too little 2. Wee are his Friends Henceforth I call you not Servants but Friends Wee are his Friends and Favourites Nay 3. Wee are his Children begotten again and born again to everlasting life 1 Pet. 1.3 4. Being born again c. 4. Wee are his Spouse such as hee hath married to himself in faithfulness and truth and such as hee delights in 5. Wee are his Members The Church is his Body his fulness and every one Members in particular as the Apostle speaks 6. Wee are his Jewels his Treasure Mal. 3.7 In the day that I make up my Jewels they shall bee mine And therefore his heart must needs bee taken with us Christ hath the same argument Where the Treasure is there will the heart bee also The Heart and a mans Treasure lye together Now wee are his Jewels his Treasure Ubi thesaurus tuus ibi cor tuum Bern. his Portion his Inheritance that which his Father left him and hee must dearly earn it too And therefore the Heart of Christ is exceedingly taken with his Church and People So you see this is the first ground why because wee are his and his in the dearest nearest choicest of Relations To bee brief wee are his these four wayes Wee are his 1. By Choice 2. By Purchase 3. By Donation 4. By Covenant 1. First Wee are his By Choice Hee set his heart on us from everlasting which was his first love and that which hath carried God through all the expressions of his mercy towards us to this day even to admiration of Angels and astonishment of men These were his primitive his bosome-thoughts to us his first love which is most dear and precious As the first love of the Creature to the Creator is most precious in Gods esteem the Virgin-love of the soul to God those affections the soul hath when first enamoured with God Therefore hee tells the Children of Israel Hee remembred the time of her Espousals the kindness of her youth That will not out of his mind Jer. 2.2 So the first love of the Creator to the Creature his bosom-thoughts Amor Dei non invenit sed facit amore dignos Bern. they are most precious Oh! these take the heart these are the fullest these are his freest thoughts towards us 2 Tim. 1.9 All the World stood before him from the first man to the last And why hee should chuse us Non quia nos delexerimus Deum sed quia ipse prior dilexit nos denique dilexit etiam non existentes sed resistentes juxta Pauli testimonium quoniam cum adhuc inimici essemus reconciliati sumus 〈◊〉 Deo per mortem Christi filii ejus Bern. in Cant. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and pass by others others finer peeces of Clay than wee are others of greater parts greater abilities which if it had pleased God to have conquered to himself might have brought him far more glory done him more service Here was only his free mercy There was no ground to make him chuse us before hee loved us but there is some ground to cause him to love us now hee hath chosen us Wee are his and his by free choice chosen and singled out of a world of men And therefore will hee love us 2. Wee are his By Purchase Hee hath bought us and that at a dear rate with the price of his own blood Gal. 4.5 Christ was made under the Law that hee might buy out those who were under the Law Hence 1 Cor. 6.20 You are bought with a price And what was the price It could not bee too little for the meanness of the commodity not worth owning when hee had it But it cost him his dearest Hearts-blood as 1 Pet. 1.18 Wee were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold but with the precious blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish without spot So then wee are his by Purchase wee are the fruits of all his pains of all his doings and sufferings wee are the commings in which Christ had for his Bloud wee are his Purchase God did covenant and bargain with Christ that if hee would lay down his life and bloud for a people hee
the Apostle 2 Cor. 5. This should make us live more humbly more actively more studious to please more diligent to obey more carefull to serve him This should make us live at higher rates for Heaven more spiritual more heavenly minded It is a Cord let down from Heaven to fetch our souls up thither And doth this cause us to bee more remiss more careless Doth this which should quicken slacken our hand to duty Oh base ungrateful neglect of Love 3. when wee take heart to sin thereby Grow more loose careless This is an high abuse of this Love Because God is Good wilt thou bee Evil because hee is Merciful wilt thou bee sinful because hee is Gracious wilt thou bee impious What fearful abuse of Love is this This is to wound Christ in the house of his friends To return good for good is but Humane To return evil for good is Wicked To return good for evil is Christian-like But To return evil for good and the greatest evil for the greatest good Sin for Love this is devilish Were you his enemies hee knew how to deal with you hee could revenge himself and the abuses of his love upon you but you are his friends and those bowels which you wrong are stirred in him when hee goes about to punish you Oh Ephraim How shall I give thee up how shall I deliver thee Israel my bowels are turned within mee My repentings are kindled together Hos 11.8 The greatness of God prevails with wicked men that awes them often that they dare not sin against him But the goodness of God this should prevail with us There is mercy with thee therefore thou art to bee feared It is set down as the Principle in such with whom the heart of Christ is taken Hos 3. ult They shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter dayes None but venimous spirits will suck poison from such a sweet as thence to draw incouragements to sin from that which is the great incouragement to service The Love of Christ had so prevailed with Chrysostome that hee used to say Ego sic censeo sic assidue praedicabo And Anselme That if on the one hand hee should see sin and on the other the torments of Hell hee had rather chuse to fall into Hell than fall into sin 4. When wee stagger and doubt give way to misgiving thoughts of Christs Love and unbeleevings of our own hearts wee abuse this Love What is it possible that Christ should do or suffer more than hee hath done and suffered to perswade your hearts of his Love If Christ should ask the question of you who doubt most of his Love What shall I do to answer your scruples to satisfie your souls for ever in this that I love you could you rationally desire more than what hee hath expressed in his words and to your heart and if notwithstanding all bee in vain 1 Sam. 25.21 may hee not justly say as David of Nabal Surely in vain have I done all this when this all commeth to nothing 3. Direction to them of the Church 3. Bee much in the contemplation of this Love of Christ Dwell upon this This Love of Christ will bee matter of eternal perusal in Heaven Wee shall do nothing but read over this Love Oh! let us not bee strangers to it now View it in the 1. Fulness 2. Freeness 3. Bounty 4. Perpetuity thereof 1. Measure it in the Fulness of it It is a Love which reacheth to every necessity A love able to make you holy and able to make you happy Thou art under guilt and sin thou art terrified by the one and ashamed and confounded because so loathsomely defiled by the other Why It is a pardoning a purging a sanctifying Love it is a Love as large as himself though the persons beloved bee finite 2. Read it over in the Freeness of it 1. It was an undeserved 2. It was an unsought-for Love 1. It was an undeserved Love Wee may provoke him to anger but wee cannot tempt him to love Amat Deus non aliundè hoc habet The former doth arise from our sins the latter from himself His chusing justifying adopting saving love all are free 2. It was an unsought-for Love Never a prayer put up for it I am found of them that sought mee not Isa 65.1 3. Read it over in the Bounty and Expressions of it 1. What hee did 2. What hee suffered 3. What hee hath given to his Church 4. Look upon it in the Perpetuity Permanency and continuance thereof A Love which reaches from Eternity to Eternity From Eternal chusing to Eternal glorifying An unchangeable Love Let us then peruse this Love Read it over in all the Dimensions Dwell upon the thoughts of it till your hearts bee Humbled melted inabled in-nobled winned quickened comforted c. The Thoughts of this Love are 1. Soul-humbling Thoughts Nothing layes the soul lower than Love The consideration of this will vile a man to Hell Ezek. 36.25 to 33. where you may read some expressions of love how it affects These would bee 2. Soul-melting Thoughts They will not only humble but melt not only break but dissolve the heart Nothing doth melt the soul more than Love The Law may break us but it is as the breaking of a flint every dust retains hardness but it is the Gospel that melteth us The thoughts of Gods Justice do stone the heart make it more hard but the thoughts of Gods Mercy do melt the heart You know you never mourn indeed till Love till Mercy do melt you Every drop of tears sticks like an hailstone and congeals in the eyes but when Love comes in then all the springs are opened and a man is dissolved into waters So much apprehensions of this Love of Christ so much godly sorrow They are like the Fountain and the Stream whereof the one doth rise no higher than the other The thoughts of this Love have 3. A Soul-inabling Power It will not only ingage us to service as the Apostle The Love of Christ constrains mee But it will inable us to service make us pray and pray with affections pray with life make us hear and hear with strength This puts us upon work and puts life vertue and vigor into our actions No actions stronger than those that come from Love Things incredible and impossible to others are yet easy to them who love See what the Saints have gone through what they have done what they have suffered Let but the thoughts of this love lye on your spirits a little and you will finde that Love is strong as death Cant. 8.6 and will mightily carry us through that which otherwise may seem impossible They will bee 4. Soul-innobling thoughts They will make you like themselves Whatever the soul feeds on the soul is digested into the nature of it So here feed on the thoughts of this love and your spirit will bee digested into it Whiles wee behold as in
day and poor to morrow The Lord hath given Dominus dedit Dominus abstulit the Lord hath taken away Both with one breath Hence the wise man Riches make themselves wings and flye away But these are abiding Treasure A Treasure whose spring is in Heaven whose Foundation is in Christ Our life is hid with Christ in God not only hid for secrecy but hid for safety It is a safe life an abiding life Nay but if they should continue yet will they do us no good in the day of trouble They cannot save our souls from nor in the day of wrath They cannot save us from sicknesse nor from death not from Hell Nor are they able to mitigate our Torments to purchase one drop of water in that lake of fire What profit had Ahab of his Vineyard Baltazar of his cups Dives of his wealth Judas of his thirty-pence Agrippa of his gay apparel The rich fool of his full barns All these would do them no good Neither quench nor bribe these flames but rather afford Oile to increase them But now Grace that riches which Faith doth inrich us withall it is such as will uphold us in sickness bee a choice cordial in that bitter potion it will deliver us in death save us in the day of wrath and inable us to lift up our heads with joy and boldness in the day of Judgement that terrible day of the Lord when the wicked shall tremble before the Judge and call upon the Mountains to fall upon them and the Hills to cover them from the presence of him that sitteth on the Throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. Hast thou other riches and wantest thou Faith Hast thou Mountains of Gold Rocks of Diamonds shores of Rubies And wantest thou Faith wantest thou Grace Oh! thou art a poor man Thus you see Faith is an Heart-inriching-Grace A Beleever hath title to all A Beleever is the poorest and the richest man in the World As none is poorer than a godly man in himself so none is richer than a Beleever in Christ Hee is as having nothing and yet possessing all things Christ is the Heir of all things All are yours if you bee Christs No sooner can the soul say Christ is mine but hee may say His Blood is mine his Spirit mine his Glory mine all is mine Christ and all his are conveyed and made over by the same Deed of Gift Hence the Apostle saith Wee are made partakers of Christ Not of some part but of Christ all Christ not of Justification only but say Christ and there is all Fifteenth Royalty 15. Royalty Faith is an Heart-raising-Grace 15. Faith is an Heart-raising-Grace There is a threefold Death that Faith doth raise up the soul from 1. The Death of Sin 2. The Death of inward Trouble 3. The Death of outward Trouble 1. Faith raiseth up the soul from the Death of Sin Wee are all of us Dead by nature in trespasses and sins Ephes 2.1 Dead-Born And as dead men so wee have no notion to spiritual things no motion no strength to any good no sense being insensible of the weight of sin insensible of mercies and judgements wee have no desires after any thing good no affection to them And a Death it is not only Privative A meer absence and privation of spiritual life but a Positive Death wherein there is an Introduction of a Positive vitious Habit. As in Natural Death there is not only a Privation of Life of the former form but the Position of another form there is another form left in the body So in Spiritual Death there is not only a meer Absence a bare Privation of Life But there is a Positive Evil and Vitious Habit left in the soul Hence Heb. 9.14 The works of natural men are called Dead works There would bee a contradiction in calling them Dead works if unregenerate men were only deprived of spiritual life and had not another positive evil form in them Thus dead wee are then not only Privatively but Positively And it is Faith which doth raise up the Soul from the Death of Sin to the Life of Grace Faith is the Resurrection of the Soul from under the spiritual death the Death of Sin The first rise of the Soul from the Death of Sin is by beleeving Vita sancta aâ— fide sumit initium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fide regeneramut Calv. Resipiscentia non modo fidem subsequitur sed ex ea noscitur Calv. ibid. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fides justificationem praecipit sanctificationem efficit Tilen An holy life hath its rise from Faith The Fountain of all our spiritual Graces The worker of all good things That which begets Love Fear Repentance Hence Calvin saith Faith regenerates Repentance doth not only follow Faith but doth arise from Faith Hence Clemens Alexandrinus Faith is the first awakening the first inclination of the Soul to Christ. Hence by some Faith and the New Creation Faith and Sanctification do differ as much as the Cause and the Effect Faith is the Instrument of Justification but the efficient of Sanctification They who distinguish Regeneration which is part of our Vocation and Sanctification do make Faith and Sanctification differ as much as Cause and Effect Vocation say they produceth Faith â—nd Faith being begotten produceth Sanctification both habitual and â—ctual Hence it 's called the Mother-Grace But they who make Vocation and Sanctification all one and both to bee nothing else but our inherent Righteousness or those Habits that frame of Grace implanted in the Soul whereof Faith is a part they do say Faith doth not produce the Cause of the Habits of Graces but Faith produceth the acts of Grace of Love Repentance c. Faith doth not produce the Habits but the acts of Grace For the clearing of this Sanctification may bee considered as it is either In actu primo vel secundo 1. Habitual Or 2. Actual 1. For our Habitual Sanctification There wee say the Spirit of God is the only Cause and Faith is an Effect as well as others Faith is a part of our inherent Sanctification 2. For our Actual Sanctification or as those Habits do act and exercise and there wee say Faith doth help to produce the acts of Grace of Love of Repentance 1 Tim. 1.5 Love out of a pure heart and a good Conscience and of Faith unfeigned Faith doth not only lend an hand to its Fellow-Graces for the perfecting of Grace but Faith doth help to produce the Acts of Grace the Acts of Love of Repentance Zeal Patience c. Though at the same time they bee all implanted yet in Nature Faith hath the precedency and helps to produce the Acts of all the rest As God the Father is before the Son in Nature yet not in Time Hee is not a Father till hee have a Son So is it to bee understood concerning Faith and all other Graces 2. Faith raiseth us up
there is stability Faith doth establish the heart from falling 1. Faith sets a man upon a Soul-establishing-bottome upon a sure Foundation upon Christ and hee is sure who is built there as the house on the Rock so the soul on Christ is safe Time was a man was his own Foundation but it was a sandy one but now his Foundation is Christ a Rock of ages 2. Faith doth interest a man in a Soul-establishing-Covenant not a Covenant of Works but of Grace Jer. 32.40 I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I will never turn from them to do them good But I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from mee Isa 54.9 10. This is as the Waters of Noah unto mee for as I have sworn that the Waters of Noah shall no more go over the Earth so have I sworn that I will not bee angry with thee nor rebuke thee 3. Faith doth beget in a man Soul-establishing-Principles The Principles of Grace and Holiness The Graces of God which are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Without Repentance i. e. God doth never behave himself to those upon whom hee hath bestowed these Graces Sine mutatione stabiliter fixa So Aug. renders it and hence he saith on that place Nec quae illuminavit obcaecat nec quae aedificavit destruit nec quae plantavit avellit as though hee repented of the bestowing of them Whom hee hath inlightened hee doth not blinde whom hee builds hee doth not destroy and whom hee plants hee doth not pull up And Faith hath a great influence into this to preserve and establish the heart from falling It is said Wee are kept by the Power of God through Faith to Salvation 1 Pet. 1.5 1. Faith doth ingraft us and unite us to Christ makes us Members of Christ the Spouse of Christ and Christ will not lose either his Spouse or the least of his Members 2. Faith doth keep out the grand Enemy to this standing thus stedfastly and that 's Hypocrisie If a mans heart bee unsound let his shew and appearance be what it will bee all will come to nought as in Herod Judas c. If an Apple bee corrupt and rotten at heart though the rind and outside bee never so lovely and specious 't will not long last the corrupt inside will mar the fine outside in the end An Hypocrite is but an Apostata cased and an Apostata is but an Hypocrite uncased 3. Faith establishes the heart against fears of men the frowns and menaces of men 4. Faith will keep the heart constant to duty to the use of the Ordinances which are strong means to hold up the soul in Gods way 5. Faith makes a man jealous and watchful over his own heart of Declinings either in Action or in Affection It will not suffer a man to give way to the least coldness in love lukewarmnesse in zeal remisness in duty If any steal upon his heart hee is never quiet till hee have recovered his former heat 6. Faith doth maintain in the heart an holy fear of falling which is a great means to preserve from falling Jer. 32. I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from mee Such a Fear it keeps as may curb and keep under the flesh but not discourage and weaken the Spirit An industrious fear not a discouraging fear a faithful fear not a despairing fear A fear joyned with Faith and a Faith mingled with fear A man may bee fearful and faithful Fearful in himself faithful in Christ weak in himself strong in Christ There are four fears which Faith casts out 1. A servile and legal Fear 2. A distrustful Fear 3. A despairing and discouraging Fear 4. A careless Fear As security is fearless so sometimes Fear is careless if it bee excessive There are also four Fears which Faith retains 1. An aweful Fear Such a Fear as restrains from adventuring on occasions of sinning It is as bad Divinity to grant the occasion and deny the sin as it is Logick to grant the Premises and deny the conclusion The Nazarite was forbidden Wine and withal that hee must not taste the Kernel of the Grape least that might bee an occasion to draw on the other Wee have a sad example in Monicha Augustines Mother Shee looked on the Wine in the Cup from looking shee fell to liking from liking to tasting from tasting to sipping from that to drinking and so to Excesse Sins in Divinity are like absurdities in Philosophy Uno absurdo dato multa sequuntur One absurdity granted multitudes follow 2. Such a Fear as makes us to go out of our selves and lean and rely wholly on Christ A Fear of our selves of our own strength c. Alas What are wee to Adam to David to Solomon to Hezekiah Peter men of sweet and familiar acquaintance with God Yet see what Testimonies of mens frailties they left behind them And all this to teach us to maintain an holy Fear and Jelousy over our own selves that wee might go out of our selves and lean all upon Christ without whom wee cannot bee sure 3. An Industrious Fear Such a Fear as puts us upon all holy duties and means for our establishment to preserve us God promised to adde fifteen years to Hezekiahs life yet hee was to preserve this life and uphold it with food and dyet and other necessaries for life so God promised wee shall not fall yet wee must bee conscionable in the use of all good means whereby wee may stand otherwise wee tempt God and just it is with God to let us fall if wee neglect Prayer and the rest of his Ordinances appointed by him for our perseverane 4. A Jealous Fear over our own hearts They are deceitful and wee had need to bee jealous over them and watch Think not thy self so far at distance from any sin but thou mayest fall into it if God keep thee not Who could bee further from Drunkenness than Noah who was the only sober man in the drunken old World Who from Incest than Lot the only chaste man in Sodom Who from Murder than David Whose heart smote him for but cutting off the lap of Sauls garment Who from denying of Christ than was Peter who had rather dye with him than forsake him And therefore wee had need to bee jealous and watch over our own hearts There is no place so good but wee may offend in it As the Angels in Heaven Adam in Paradise There is no company so good but wee may sin in it As did Sarah in the Angels company Judas in Christs Thus let us maintain these holy Fears in our hearts and by that bee kept from falling Use of Examination Let this then put us upon the Tryal whether or no wee have Faith You see the Necessity of Faith in respect Of Justification Of Sanctification Of Salvation I have shewed you it was the great thing which God required to Justification and Salvation of a
Mover of all the affections Mat. 7.28 When the people heard him they were astonished at his Doctrin The like wee read Mat. 13.54 Mar. 1.22 Mark 11.18 Luk. 4.22 All bare him witness and wondred at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth All wondred but All were not savingly wrought upon That is the first 2. They may hear it with affections of fear and trembling Thus you know Foelix heard Paul Act. 24.25 When Paul preached of Temperance and Righteousness and Judgement to come Foel x trembled It struck dread and fear into his heart It set him on trembling 3. They may hear the word with affections of delight and some kinde of love You see in the Text They did delight to know Gods waies and did delight in approaching to God And Ezek. 33.31 32. They come and sit before thee as my people They hear thy words and thou art to them as a very lovely song They hear thy words but they do them not With their mouth they shew much love but their heart goes after their Covetousness 4. They may hear the word with affection of Joy It is said of Herod Mark 6.20 That Herod feared and observed John and when hee heard him hee did many things and heard him gladly The like you have Matth. 13.20 The stony ground heard the word and anon with joy received it yet wanting root in the time of Persecution they fell away So you see the first particular cleared A man may hear the word hee may hear it often abound in hearing Hee may hear it with affections and yet his heart may bee unsound 2. A man may not only hear but pray too nay and make many prayers abound in praying Hee may pray in publick pray in private pray in the Church pray in his family pray in his closet which last commeth nearer to sincerity And may make strong cries Hee may pray with affections i. e. such affections as sense stirs up but not such affections as Faith stirs up such affections as are raised up by some present sting and smart some trouble and pressure of conscience though not with such affections as are raised up by Faith quickned by Gods sanctifying Spirit Affections of love and desire Nay and they may joyn fasting to Prayer nay further adde mourning to fasting And yet their hearts may bee unsound I cannot stand to clear all the Particulars The main I shall make to appear to you in two or three places Read Isa 1.15 When you stretch forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you yea when you make many prayers when you multiply prayer adde prayer to prayer as the word imports Yet I will not hear your hands are full of blood i. e. you are unregenerate you are unsound in your spirits So that you see a great deal cleared in this A man may pray abound in praying multiply prayers c. And yet bee unsound And you may joyn fasting to prayer as you see in the next verse to my Text and in the example of the Scribes and Pharisees who prayed often and fasted often And you may joyn mourning to fasting Zach. 7.5 When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month even these seventy years did you at all fast to mee even to mee They served themselves not God in that action all those seventy years together Hos 7.14 and they have not cryed to mee with their hearts when they howled upon their beds they assemble themselves for Corn and Wine that 's the ground of their fasting and howling For they rebel against mee That 's the second Particular 3. A man may seem to bee humbled to mourn and weep for sin and yet bee unsound A man cannot mourn for sin as sin but his heart is sincere but a man may seem to mourn for sin and yet his heart not bee sincere Hee may mourn for sin clad with wrath for sin cloathed with Judgement and Displeasure for sin as it smels of Hell Fire and Brimstone for sin as it appears in its dooms-day attire So did Ahab so Judas There are Crocodile-tears There are false tears as well as false prayers As a broken heart doth not ever expresse it self in tears So tears are not ever the expression of a broken heart There are 1. Lachrymae Indignationis tears of Anger as was Esaus 2. Lachrymae Desperationis tears of Desperation such as of the damned in Hell 3. Lachrymae Compunctionis tears of Compassion such as were Christs for Jerusalem 4. Lachrymae Compunctionis tears of godly sorrow and Compunction Such tears they may expresse as sense and smart stirs up but not such as Faith and Love do raise up in the soul 4. A man may seem to do much walk in many wayes of duty go far in the outward shew of obedience the letter of command and yet his spirit bee unsound A man may do so much spin a thread so finely as they who have the most discerning spirit are not able to detect and discover him Hee may deceive the men of the world hee may deceive the Saints deceive the Devil hee may deceive himself Wee read of Zeuxes the Painter Hee drew Grapes so to the life that hee deceived the Birds they would come flying to them as though they had been real Grapes Dedalus hee made an Image by art that moved of it self insomuch that men beleeved it had been alive But Pigmalion made an Image so lively that hee deceived himself and taking the Picture for a Person fell in love with his own Picture So there are some who can spin so fine a thread limb out the picture of godliness so to the life that not only the men of the World but even the Saints who are of most discerning spirits nay and themselves may bee deceived and deluded 5. A man may cast up his vomit disgorge himself of all his former wayes his old lusts and sins hee may bee washed that is outwardly reformed in every thing hee may leave many sins and yet bee unsound You see this plain in 2 Pet. 2.20 21 22. And there is nothing more plain than that a man may leave sin and yet not hate sin Hee may leave sin either 1. Ex timore mali alicujus 1. Out of fear of evil 2. Ex taedio 2. Out of weariness of it 3. Ex amore mali alicujus oppositi 3. Out of love of some contrary sin 4. Ex deficientia organotum 4. Out of want of fit instrument and means to compass his sin 6. A man may accompanie himself with the People of God Saul may bee among the Prophets Judas Demas Simon-Magus among the Disciples and Apostles A man may get on Sheeps-cloathing accompany go in and out with the Sheep bee folded with the Sheep and yet bee no better than a Ravenous Wolf There are Tares as well as Wheat in Gods Field there is Chaff as well as Corn in Gods Floar bad Fishes as well as good in Gods net And unsound
The great work of Reformation hath gone so slowly forward because Gods People are not so strongly carried on in seeking 3 The third thing wee have to do is to shew you 3. Quere What are those wonders which God doth for his Church and People 1 God doth wonders for the souls of his People 2 God doth wonders for the body and outward man 1 Gods Wonder◠to the soul 1 For the soul And wee will give you a glance of these The first Wonder and indeed the Wonder of Wonders which God hath done for his Church and People is 1 Wonder for the soul 1 The giving of Christ for us and to us All wonders are swallowed up in this wonder Nothing is wonderful if compared to this God manifested in the flesh Hence the Apostle 1 Tim. 3.16 Great is the mystery of Godliness God manifested in the flesh That such greatness and such meanness such finiteness and such infiniteness such riches and such poverty such strength and such weakness Tantus Deus tantillus Homo So great a God and so mean a Man all in one Here is a Wonder There is four great Wonders conspicuous in this 1 Here is a Wonder of Humility which will appear if you consider 1 Of Humility 1 Who hee was 2 What hee became 1 Who hee was Hee was the Son of God The express Image of his Fathers person One equal with God and thought it no robbery to bee equal with God hee was God blessed for ever As the Apostle stiles him 2 VVhat hee became Hee took not upon him the Nature of Angels which yet had been a greater discent than if all the Angels in Heaven had been turned into Worms But hee took not the Nature of Angels but hee took upon him the Nature of Man and that not at the best but of Man fallen subject to infirmities Penal not Culpable General not particular And what a wonder of Humility was this There is not the meanest Angel in heaven but would have thought it a wrong above amends to have been so low abased Here was a wonder of Humility Factor terrae factus in terrâ The maker of the earth to bee made of earth 2 Here was a wonder of wisdome That God should find out such a way to recover us when we were lost If all the united Consultations of men and Angells had been laid together they could never have found out a way to Reconcile Gods mercy in the salvation of man and yet his Justice in the damnation of sin If God should have helped us thus farre You are miserable Creatures But I am a merciful God The demands of my justice I must not deny neither will I deny the intreaties of my mercy Find mee then but one that can satisfy my justice and I will shew my mercy to you Ah! where should wee have found one who was strong enough to bear sinne and to satisfy the wrath of God for us No it was his own wisdome that found out the way Here was a wonder of wisdome which wee adore and admire 3. Here was a wonder of Love An Heighth a depth a length a bredth a Love beyond all dimensions Hence said to bee a Love passing knowledge a Love that may bee apprehended by faith not comprehended by reason it was an infinite love And this is more than if wee could gather all the bowels of the Creation together Hence saith Christ who knew the greatnesse of it John 3.16 i. e. So God loved the world so infinitely so incomprehensibly that hee gave his only begotten Son that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life 4. Here was a wonder of mercy which will bee more conspicuous if we consider 1. The Person 2. The Time 1. The Person who undertook this It was the second Person in the glorious Trinity the Person against whom the first Sinne was in some special respect committed Hee is the wisdome of the father and called wisdome Prov. 8. And this sinne was an affectation of wisdome to bee like to God As the falling-sin is now the sinne against the Third Person Sinne against the Holy Ghost so the sin which did occasion the fall was in some special respects against the second Person And therefore the greater is the wonder of mercy That he against whom the first sinne was so committed should undertake the expiation of it 2 Consider the time when hee took our nature And that was when wee were brought to a desperate losse when it was made evident that nothing else could help us Heb. 10.6 7. Sacrifice and burnt-offerings thou wouldst not have Then said I Loe I come When Legal washings were declared unable to pacify God or to work our peace Then Christ comes into the world Christ came not into the world till it was made Evident That without him God could not be satisfied nor man bee saved And this is the first Wonder The sending of Christ in whom all is wonderfull His Incarnation the Hypostatical union of two natures in one Person His Passion Resurrection Ascention Session Intercession They are a chain of holy wonders Hence Isa 9.6 Christ is called wonderful because all in Christ is wonderfull 1 He is wonderful in his person and natures God-man and mortall-immortall finite and infinite so great and yet so mean so rich and yet so poor Here is a wonder 2 Hee is wonderfull in his Offices A King Priest and Prophet 3 Hee is wonderfull in his government That hee should bring us to life by death to glory by misery to honor by shame All wonders This is the first wonder and the root of all the rest 2 Another wonder God doth for the souls of his People is The second wonder to the soul 1 In Conversion 1 The work of Conversion and regeneration that a man should partake of another begetting of another birth of another nature than others have in the world Nay than hee himself had This is a wonder That a man should bee the same and not the same The same man for body yet as different in qualities as if another soul did dwell in the same body That hee should live by another life bee fed by other food refreshed by other comforts than others are Here is a wonder that of a Lyon should become a Lamb of a Wolf a sheep of a Saul a Paul a Persecutor become a Preacher Here is a wonder And the greater is the wonder if you look upon the weaknesse and contemptiblenesse of the means God works this by The ministery of a weak man It had been no great wonder if the Walls of Jericho had fallen down by the battery of a Canon But this made it the wonder that the blast of Rams-horns should bring down the walls of Jericho And this is that which makes this work more wonderful that by such weak and Contemptible means and men in the eyes of carnal men this great work should be effected When a man
our performances Faith is the salt that seasons all p. 167 168. 2 Branch of the Exhortation to those that have Faith to exercise Faith 1 In matter of Justification under the guilt of sin trust in God for pardon of sin p. 169. 2 Trust in him for sanctification 3 Trust in him for Mortification of thy Lusts five Scriptures to incourage us 170. 4 Exercise Faith in case of difficulties Ibid. 5 Exercise Faith in case of desertion p. 171. 6 In case of Calamity Nationall or personal p. 172. 3 Branch of the exhortation let us grow up in trust Ibid. Incouragements 1 The more Faith the more in love and favour with God p. 173. 2 The more Faith Grace more love of God more Patience Courage Obedience 3 The more spiritual comfort 4 The more strength to prevail with God Ibid. Means for the begetting of Faith 1 Keep close to Faith-begetting Ordinances 1 Word p. 174. 2 Prayer p. 174 175. 2 Have much to do with Faith-begetting company Faith-begetting Conference p. 175. 3 Cherish Faith-begetting considerations 1 Thoughts of our selves p. 175. 2 Of God cherish especially three thoughts p. 176. Two doubts keep men off from beleeving Ibid. Wee must do as those Lepers 2 King 7.3 4. p. 177. 12 Means for increasing Faith A conclusion p. 178. 179. With the doctrin of Works p. 180 181. The Contents of The slownesse of Heart to believe JOHN 1.50 Jesus answered and said unto him because I said unto thee I saw thee under the Fig-tree beleevest thou thou shalt see greater things than these PArts of the Chapter p. 185 186. Parts of the Text. 187. 1 Question arising out of the words p. 187. Answered Ibid. and p. 188. 2 Question for unfoulding of the words answered p. 188. Doctrins from the scope of the Text. 1 Doct. The eyes of Christ run through the world and behold the evil and the good Three Uses made of it p. 189. 2 Doct. Such is the goodnesse of God that hee commends us for that which is his own Two Uses made of this p. 189. Doctrins the Text more fully holds forth First That slownesse of heart to beleeve is a temper of spirit very offensive unto God Secondly It is very pleasing unto God when we will beleeve in him upon small Revelation Thirdly God will reveal great things to them who do so beleeve in him The first Doctrin cleared p. 190 191. That we are slow of heart to beleeve demonstrated in five particulars The 1 Greatnesse of that power put forth in the working Faith p. 191 192. 2 The complaints of sinners when they come first to beleeve p. 192 193. 3 Rhetorick work God useth to a poor humbled cast down sinner to bring him to beleeve p. 193. 4 Way God takes to confirm the covenant of mercy to beleevers p. 194. 5 Complaints of the Preacher p. 195. Grounds of the slownesse of heart to beleeve First From Satan who hath two stratagems p. 195 196 197. Secondly From themselves 1 From ignorance p. 197. 2 Pride 3 Too much tendernesse p. 198 199. 4 Doubt of Gods will p. 200. 5 Some rest on this side Christ p. 200 201. 3 Ground why wee are slow of heart to beleeve is taken from others p. 202. 1 Wee look upon their height p. 203. 2 Upon others depths p. 204. 205. 206. Three Reasons why this frame of spirit is so offensive to God 1 It argues and speaks a corrupt heart p. 207. 2 As much as in it lyes it makes void all the stupendious things of God p. 107. in particular 1 The great counsel of God 2 The thoughts of his mercy 3 The purposes of Gods mercy to thee p. 20. 4 Frustrates the expectation of God p. 209. 5 Gods end in sending Christ 6 The death of Christ 7 The promises of God to Christ p. 209. 3 Reason this keeps a man in an unserviceable condition both to God and Man p. 210 211. Use See how Satan doth delude their souls whom hee perswades not to beleeve is a vertue is a thing pleasing unto God p. 212. Reasonings of poor souls why they must not beleeve p. 213. 2 Use of Exhortation to three things 1 To bee convinced of the greatnesse of the sin 1 You wrong God 2 You gratify Satan Satan hath two glasses to discover sin p. 215. Quest How shall I know when God and when Satan discovers sin p. 216. A sinful looking on sin in seven particulars p. 217. 3 You injure your selves in three particulers 2 Be humbled for it p. 219. 3 Be quickned to beleeve p. 219 220. Consider 1 It is Gods command and that is first a sufficient warrant 2 It is sufficient security p. 220. 2 Consider you can do God no greater pleasure than to come in and beleeve in him p. 221. Faith a weapon to be weilded against seven charges of Satan p. 221 222. THE CONTENTS OF HYPOCRISY ISAIAH 58.2 THe World divided into four ranks of men p. 26 Those that are in the pale of the Church ranked in three sorts ibid. Those that are pretenders for Heaven into two sorts of which are the 1 Formal Christian ibid. 2 Upright and sincere Christian ibid. The Text opened ibid. Doct. That it is possible for a man to do much in the wayes of God even to abound in all outward performances and yet bee false at heart and have an unsound spirit here and miss of Heaven hereafter p. 263 The Doctrin proved and cleared by diverse Particulars as The first Particular is 1 Hee may hear the Word p. 265 2 May abound in hearing ibid. 3 May hear with affection ibid. Four kindes of affections that a Formalist may hear with 1 With affection of wonder and astonishment p. 266 2 Affection of fear and trembling ibid. 3 With delight and some kinde of love ibid. 4 With affection of Joy ibid. Secondly A man may not only hope but pray too nay make many Prayers ibid. And hee may joyn fasting to prayer ibid. Thirdly A man may seem to bee humbled to mourn and to weep for sin and yet bee unsound p. 267 There are four sorts of tears ibid. 1 Tears of Anger ibid. 2 Tears of desparation such as are the damned in Hell ibid. 3 Tears of compassion ibid. 4 Tears of Godly-sorrow ibid. Fourthly A man may seem to do much walk in many wayes of duty in outward shew of obedience to the letter of command ibid. Fifthly A man may cast up his vomit disgorge himself of all his old wayes p. 268 Hee may leave sin either 1 Out of fear of evil ibid. 2 Out of a wearinesse of it ibid. 3 Out of love of some contrary sin ibid. 4 Out of want of fit Instruments and means to compass his sin ibid. Sixthly A man may accompany himself with the People of God ibid. Seventhly A man may not only do but suffer too and yet bee unsound ibid. Reasons are 1 Reas Because no unsound spirit hath any thing in it which is essential to a
and no good must needs be the Greatest Evil in the world But sin is All evil As we say of God There is no Evil in him He is All Good Quodcunque in Deo Deus est So I may say of Sin There is no Good in it It is All Evil Quodcunque in Peccato Peccatum est There is some good in the worst things in the world and some thing in the worst things to make them capable of our choice of them in some cases some good in sickness some good in Death But now there is no good in sin nor can any considerations in the world make sin the Object of our Choice Though you might avoid Death by sin yet because sin is Universally Evil and No good in it you may not make use of sin to avoid Death And therefore you shall read That when the Apostle would speak the worst of sin he could finde no Name worse than its Own to set it out by Rom. 7.13 ad finem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sinful-sin He calls it Sinful-sin Nothing but Sin 3. Demonstration 3. That which is the sole Object of Gods hatred 3. Demonstr Sin the sole object of Gods hatred must needs be the Greatest evil But sin is the sole Object Not onely the Object but the sole Object of Gods hatred He hates nothing but Sin His love runs in divers streams towards all things he hath made But his hatred runs in One Chanel alone and that is Towards Sin If Man were made the Center of all other Evils in the world God could Love him under All if sin were not there And if there be a Confluence of all other Goods Health Beauty Riches Learning c. God hates you if Sin alone be there Gods love cannot be there but his wrath abideth there 4. Demonstration 4. That which separates the soul from the chief good that which divides between the soul and God the chiefest good 4. Demonstr Sin Separates the soul from the chief Good i. God must needs be the Greatest Evil But sin divides betwixt God and the soul Isa 59.2 Your iniquities have Separated betwixt you and your God Betwixt your souls and my Grace your souls and my Comforts your souls and my Blessings It was said of Naaman That he was a Great man an Honorable man a mighty man of War But he was a Leper 2 Kings 5.1 So whatever Ornaments a man hath whatever Gifts Parts Riches Beauty c. yet if he be a Leper though a Learned man a Rich man But a Wicked man that spoils all the rest 5. Demonstration 5. Demonstr Sin is the root of all other evils 5. That which is the ground and cause of all other Evils must needs be the Greatest Evil But sin is the cause of all other Evils Is the Old world drowned with water it is for sin Is Sodome destroyed with fire and turned into an Asphaltite-lake to this day it is for sin Is Jerusalem laid on heaps Sin hath done it Should I enter on this I should finde no end 1. Of National evils 1. Sin is the cause of All National Evils We will name some and but name them 1. Wars 1. Wars Judg. 5.8 They chose new Gods Then was War in the Gates James 4.1 From whence come wars and fightings among you is it not from your lusts 2. Famine 2. Famine Psal 107.34 He turneth a fruitful land into a Desert for the wickedness of them that dwell therein Amos 4.6 Therefore sc for their sins have I given you cleanness of teeth in all your Cities and scarceness of bread in all your places c. 3. Pestilence 3. Pestilence as Davids sin here of Numbring the people Read Deut. 28.21 The Lord shall make the pestilence to cleave to thee till he hath consumed thee from off the land whither thou goest to possess it And as sin is the cause of National so also 2. Of Personal evils 2. Of personal Evils and those are 1. Temporal 2. Spiritual 3. Eternal Sin is the Cause the Meriting the Procuring Cause of all All Evils are but the Births of sin sin is a Big-bellied Evil and all other Evils are but the births of sin 1. On Body Those upon your Bodies Sickness Aches Pains Weaknesses 2. On Soul Those upon your souls Fears Heart-breakings Terrors Horrors If you could rip up sin you would finde all these to lie in the bowels of the least sin Shall I tell you Sin was the first Founder of Hell that which laid the Corner-stone of that Dark Vault for before Sin there was no Hell Nay and it is Sin that Built up Hell and hath fitted Hell with those Treasures and Riches of Wrath Fire and Brimstone Nay and that which still Addes to it and increaseth the Fewel Rom. 2.5 It treasures up wrath against the day of wrath And therefore being an Universal Evil a Catholick Evil the Womb of Evils and Cause of all it must needs be The Greatest Evil. 6. Demonstration 6. That which is worse than the Utmost Evil 6. Demonstr Sin worse that the utmost Evil. must needs be the Greatest Evil But sin is worse than the Utmost Evil. That which is Greater than the Greatest Evil must needs be Exceeding Great Hell is the Utmost Evil but Sin is worse than Hell it self Hell separate from sin is but miserable not sinful A Penal Evil not A Sinful Evil. I say separate Hell from sin though we cannot really separate Hell from sin yet an Intellectual Separation we may make we may in our Understandings abstract Hell from sin And then I say sin is worse than Hell because Hell is but A Penal Evil sin is A Sinful Evil And there is no Penal Evil so bad as A Sinful Evil. There is good in the Punishment the good of Justice But no good in sin And therefore sin in it self is the Greatest Evil. Now we come to the Second which is the Main As sin is in it self so 2. In the Apprehensions of Gods people sin is the Greatest Evil. 1. Their sighs for sin 2. Their sufferings to avoid sin do shew they apprehend sin the Greatest Evil. 1. Their sighs for sin you may look into Davids Penitential Psalms and see what sighs and groans for sin Look into Psalm 51. Why what was the reason of them All the Sufferings all the Evils in the world would not so much have affected him as his sin Paul Rom. 7.24 Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death The Death of his body was nothing to him in comparison of This Body of Death Paul went through many tribulations endured a great deal of sufferings as you may read 2 Cor. 11 23 24 25. at large yet all these Scourges these Prisons and Persecutions did not go so much to his heart as sin even the presence though not the power of sin Though he suffered much yet we do not read that ever he cryed OH
hee shewed what care hee expressed to us what earnest prayers hee put up to God for us read Joh. 17.9 to the end of the chapter Yea and what provision hee made for us hee would not leave us comfortless but send his Spirit to comfort us to guide us And now hee is in Heaven are not his thoughts on us did hee not tell us hee went to prepare a place for us hee went to do our work to intercede for us to plead for us The Church of Christ is never a moment off from the thoughts of Christ Isa 49.15 16. And therefore his Heart is exceedingly taken with his Church That which a man doth affectionately and indearedly love that the heart is much taken withall bee it Husband bee it Wife Child the World whatever Now Christ doth exceedingly love his Church wee are said to bee the dearly beloved of his soul Jer. 12.7 and read here hee loves us beyond all expressions so God loved the World Joh. 3.16 so Christ hee loves us beyond all conceptions Ephes 3.19 it is a love which passeth knowledge In the former verse the Apostle went about to measure this love height depth breadth length But hee found his line too short his measure would not reach therefore hee concludes it a love beyond all knowledge A man may express much love but hee may conceive of more than hee can express Why this love of Christ is above all wee can conceive above knowledge It is an infinite love It is I say an infinite love which is more than if I should lay all the bowels in the Creature together c. A greater love than all Witness what is done suffered and yet love above all And therefore Christs Heart is exceedingly taken with his Church and People That which a man doth glad his heart with and which hee rejoyces over hee must needs bee taken with A man will not rejoyce over the injoyment of that hee loves not The rich Fool rejoyced over his full Barns but it was because his heart was taken with his possessions Joy is a fruit of the hearts being taken with any thing you rejoyce in your riches Husbands c. in the possession of what ever your heart loves Now the Heart of Jesus Christ doth exceedingly rejoyce over his Church and People they are his by donation God gave them to him they are his by purchase hee laid down his life for them if wee lay down our life to compass a thing sure wee rejoyce in it Wee are his Riches wee his Treasure his Ammies Ruhama's and Hephzibah's his precious ones his People his Spouse and therefore hee must needs rejoyce over us Isa 62.4 5. Thou shalt bee called Heph-zibah for the Lord delighteth in thee yea as the Bridegroom rejoyceth over the Bride so shall thy God rejoyce over thee Zeph. 3.17 The Lord will rejoyce over thee with Joy hee will rest in his love hee will joy over thee with singing And therefore seeing Christ doth rejoyce Ergo is the Heart of Jesus Christ exceedingly taken c. That which a man doth delight to converse withall that his heart is taken withall Now Christ doth delight exceedingly to converse with his Saints hee loves to speak to them and hee loves to hear them speak to him Cant. 2.14 Oh my Dove let mee see thy countenance let mee hear thy voice for thy countenance is comely and thy voice is sweet When the Disciples are talking of him Christ joyns himself to them Ergo is the Heart of Christ much taken When the two were going to Emmaus Luk. 24.15 Christ comes and joynes with them delights in their talk Mal. 3.16 when Gods people were gathered together the Lord hearkened and heard 5. That which a man thinks nothing to dear for nothing too much to give for to do for or suffer for that the heart must needs bee taken withall But thus it was with Christ to his Church 1. Hee suffered in his Body those spittings buffetings scourgings c. that was dear to him which hee gave his heart bloud for 2. Hee suffered in his soul even the wrath of God for her 3. Hee emptied himself of his own glory took upon him the form of a servant with all our infirmities penal not culpable as it is said of Jacob hee counted all his labours but little for Rachel because hee loved her Gen. 29.20 6. That which a mans soul is satisfied and contented withall in the injoyment of it that a mans heart is taken withall If a mans heart were not taken with the love of a thing hee would never think himself happy never bee contented and satisfied with the injoyment of it Whereas on the contrary where the soul is filled with satisfaction in the injoyment of it what ever it bee the heart is taken with it Now you shall see that the Heart of Jesus Christ is fully satisfied and contented with the injoyment of his Church though it have cost him so much pains so much sweat and bloud yet the injoyment of it is reward enough to him It is the reward which God promised him for his work Psal 2.8 Ask of mee and I will give thee the Heathen c. here merit of mee lay down thy life and I will then give thee a Church a People And that which doth satisfie Isa 53 11. Hee shall see of the travel of his soul and bee satisfied hee shall see the fruit of his sufferings in the saving of souls and shall bee satisfied with it It shall bee reward enough to him for all pains that souls are saved Isa 62.11 his reward is with him and his work before him hee is the salvation of his people And this is that which some think is meant by the joy set before him in Heb. 12.2 Who for the joy that was set before him indured the Cross despised the shame Which Joy saith an holy and learned Interpreter is nothing else but the fruit of his sufferings the redemption and salvation of his Church and People according to that in Isa 53.12 Therefore will the Lord divide him a portion with the great and hee shall divide the spoil with the strong because hee hath poured out his soul unto death And it is an Interpretation may bee backed Well then seeing whatever the heart of man rests satisfied in the injoyment of the heart is taken withal And that Christ doth rest satisfied in the injoyment of his Church and People though it cost so much to obtain it Ergo needs must it follow that the Heart of Jesus Christ is exceedingly taken That which a man is exceeding chary of dear of his heart must needs bee taken with those things which take our hearts wee are exceeding dear and chary of them If it bee the World Husband Wife Child a man is exceeding chary of them Deal gently with the young man Absolom 2 Sam. 18.5 his heart was taken with him and hee was chary of him Now Christ is exceeding chary over his Church
compast by our own strength and industry but freely imparted and given of God As our Righteousness is freely imputed so our Holiness is freely imparted That thou art not a killing Cain a self murdering Saul a despairing Judas a prophane Esau a drunken Baltazar a filthy Sodomite it ariseth from this meer Mercy But that God hath not only restrained thee but renewed thee not only chained up thy spirit but changed thy spirit This is Free-Mercy And so the Scripture tells us 1. Pet. 1.3 Blessed bee the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who of his abundant Mercy hath begotten us again Not only Mercy but abundance of Mercy So James 1.18 Of his own free-will begot hee us And that in John 1.13 Wee were born again not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man But of God Not of blood Nor great men nor good men can do it Regeneration comes not by Generation Nor of the will of the flesh Our will is but a fleshly will and cannot beget a spiritual nature Nor of the will of man It is not all the indeavours of holy men who labour to do us good can do it But the Will of God It is a mercy wee give least concurrence to of all other When wee have Grace then wee are helpers for the growth and increase of Grace but who shall give Grace When the Candle is lighted it will burn but none but God can light up the Candle In after Sanctification wee concurre There is no concurrence in Regeneration This is the freest Mercy of all other When God hath wrought Grace there is some ingagement for God to go on but there is nothing to move him to bestow Grace Here is the ground His heart is taken therefore hee sanctifies us His heart is taken with us therefore 4. Hee glorifies us As our Justification so our Sanctification and Glorification arise from the same ground His heart is taken with us The Papists indeed would have us to merit Heaven And the Councel of Trent denounce a curse upon those who say Quid sunt omnia opera ad tantam gloriam Bern. Si homo mille annis serviet A Justified person cannot merit Heaven But alas What are all our deserts to this Glory If a man should serve God and suffer a thousand years what were this to merit eternity in Glory No here is the ground of all His heart is taken with us and therefore hee glorifies us And so the Scripture speaks plain Eph. 2.5 By Grace yee are saved And lest hee should never make it firm enough hee adds in the 8 and 9. verses By Grace yee are saved not of works So that you see into what to resolve the higher streams of his Love his chusing us his justifying his sanctifying and his glorifying us His heart is taken with us therefore hee chose us therefore hee justifies us c. 2. As you may see into what to resolve all the higher So the lower streams of his love to his Church All into this His heart is taken with his Church His heart is taken with us therefore hee doth protect us His heart is taken with us therefore hee will preserve us His heart is taken with us therefore hee will support us His heart is taken with us therefore hee will deliver us All the good wee have in Hand and all the good wee have in Hope All the Mercies bestowed and all those which God is bestowing on us Look upon all as a continued threed spun out of the bowels of Free-Grace and Mercy God hath done great things for us and from this they have arisen His Heart is taken with us his Love towards us Jer. 31.3 4. I loved thee with an everlasting love therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn thee Alas If God had looked upon us and taken either ground or motive from any thing in us to do this for us wee should never have injoyed it 1. There was no ground no foundation of desert in us Wee abhorre the thoughts of it for God to raise such a fabrick of mercy upon as hee hath done If any thing in his Church were the foundation of the structure of mercy which wee expect God to raise wee might look for a mean building Such weak foundations must have as weak a structure A building must bee proportionable to the foundation But seeing Gods own heart is the foundation his own mercy and good will towards us which is so strong so firm so full a foundation Hence it is that wee may expect a structure of mercy suitable to the foundation And as this is the foundation of all those great and stupendious things which God hath done for us So it is a ground for us to expect that God will yet do greater things for us than ever hee hath done Indeed when wee look upon our selves wee are at an end in our thoughts and think God is at an end in his Mercy but when wee look up toward God and see there the ground of what wee have this keeps up our hearts from sinking and causes us to look upon all wee have as an earnest of more Men that are at the top of an high place if they look downwards their eyes dazle and their heads grow dizzy but if they look up towards Heaven they recover themselves again God hath raised us up to some height of mercy and if wee look downwards if wee look upon our selves wee are driven past the utmost of our thoughts but let us look up to Heaven whence this mercy wee have hath its spring and foundation and wee shall quickly recover Though there bee nothing in us yet there is something in God and that which is in God is the ground of this mercy and therefore will hee go on in the wayes of his own mercy I have often thought within my self how far God at this time hath out-gone his people in Mercy Hee hath not only out-gone the deservings of his People but out-gone the desires of his people the prayers of his People And consulting below I am ready to think God is at an end of his Mercy But when I recover my self and look upon the ground of Gods doing good to his Church and People Not to bee any goodness in the Church but meerly his own goodness This doth revive mee again put heart into mee that God will yet do greater things for his Church than yet hee hath done As I said before when God doth execute Judgements upon his Church hee adds Judgement to Judgement so much more when hee comes in a way of Mercy to his Church hee adds Mercy to Mercy God is oftentimes weary in going on in a way of Judgement because the exercise of his Judgements are drawn out by us our sins Hee is said not to afflict willingly and his Judgements hee calls his strange work It is not so natural to God and therefore he is quickly weary of it But God is never
Use of Examination But now my Brethren it will bee a great matter of inquiry whether wee have an interest in this love As one said when hee looked upon the Rainbow and in that read Gods Covenant never to drown the world again Ah! but saith hee what is this to mee If I bee drowned I may bee drowned though the World bee not drowned So may you say You tell us of the exceeding love of Christ to his Church But what if I bee not of his Church what if I have no interest in his Love what 's all this to mee But then I suppose you are desirous to know whether you have an interest in this love It concerns your everlasting good to have an interest and your present comfort to know you have an interest Now in this inquiry I would have you 1. To examin your hearts thoroughly Deceits lye low A false evidence is the fruit of a slight and superficial search 2. In your inquiry let not any thing which is compatible with any who have no interest in this love bee a bottom on which your soul resteth I have told you sometimes and tell you again Whatever another man may have and do and yet have no interest in this love of Christ cannot bee a sufficient evidence for thee that thou having or doing that hast an interest Acquaint thy self with the most clearing and proving evidences 3. Take thy evidences from the carriage of the Spirit neither at the best nor at the worst but the middle way which is most thy self If thou look upon thy self at the worst thou mayest bee discouraged If at the best thou mayest bee deceived Many have had such affections in an Heat which in cold blood have nothing of them 4. Judge not of thy self by particular actions and carriages but look upon the universal frame and bent of thy spirit No certain rule is to bee established upon a particular instance whether good or bad I might lay down other rules to observe in your inquiry But wee will come to the inquiry it self Wouldest thou know whether thou art one with whom Christs heart is taken See whether thou art of his Church Art thou one who art taken out of the World Art thou one whom God hath called one whom hee hath justified one whom hee hath regenerated sanctified Art thou one who art washed purged renewed These might bee in the general but are too obscure But I will name you but one and it is a plain one and none more demonstrative Wouldest thou know whether the heart of Christ bee taken with thee why then see Art thou one whose heart is taken with Christ If Christ bee taken with thee thou art taken with Christ. It is a mutual a reciprocal taking Whatever God doth to the soul it makes an impression in the soul of the like to God God delights in us and thereupon wee come to delight in him God knows us and thereupon wee know him Joh. 10.14 God apprehends us and thereupon wee apprehend him Hee chuseth us and thereupon wee chuse him Hee loves us and thereupon wee love him 1 Joh. 4.19 His heart is taken with us and thereupon our hearts come to bee taken with him Our love to him is nothing else but radius amoris Dei erga nos in Deum reflexus a beam of Gods love reflected back upon God So that this now is a true character of Christs heart being taken with thee if thy heart bee taken with Christ Quest But you will say How shall I know whether my heart bee taken with Christ Ans For the answer of this because upon this foundation I will lay the whole weight of this discourse in this Use 1. A heart taken with Christ is a heart which knows Christ and hath tasted of Christ Are you such as know Christ Invisa possumus amare incognita nequaquam For knowledge of Christ precedes the love of Christ Hee who doth not know cannot love Things unseen may but things unknown cannot bee loved 1 Pet. 1.8 Whom having not seen yee love but never not known All love to Christ doth arise from discoveries and manifestations of Christ to the soul Either from the discoveries of those beauties those attractive excellencies that are in him or with that from the discovery of his heart and good will towards us Now blind men cannot discern of beauties nor ignorant men of the beauties of Christ Christ is to them as a Mine of Gold covered over with earth and rubbish as a Bed of Pearl and Diamonds hid with an heap of sand as a glorious Messiah under a contemptible outside And wanting eyes to see through the Veil of his Flesh through the bark and outside of his Humanity they can behold no beauty in him As Isaiah speaks of carnal men Isa 53.2 When you behold him you see no beauty in him that shall make him desired Now then art thou one who knows Christ did ever God reveal him to thee in a promise what apparitions hath Christ made to thy soul what manifestations what discoveries that may evidence to thee that thou knowest him There are four manifestations or discoveries of Christ to the soul which do exceedingly take the soul Indeed every apparition of Christ doth take the heart but at these times the heart is not only wooed and won but overcome with his sweetness and glory 1. After the soul hath long lyen bedrid in sorrow been overwhelmed in the deeps of Legal Humiliation and have been broken and shattered in peeces with consternation and apprehensions of sin and Gods wrath for it Then a discovery of Christ and apparition of Christ to the soul is a resurrection from the dead When Christ comes by a promise into the soul and displaies his glory the Riches and Greatness and Freeness of his Grace as to Moses The Lord God gracious and mercifull long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin Exod. 34.6 I I am hee who forgiveth thy iniquities c. Isa 43.25 Then is the soul beyond expression inamoured with him now it is overcome with his beauties and excellencies and even ravished with his love And this is the first eminent taking of the heart with Christ 2. When the soul hath been upon the stormy Sea of temptations and desertions hath long laboured under the sense of Gods withdrawings and absence from the soul And Christ returns again breaking the dark and thick cloud and shining into the soul Who can then expresse the warmth the comfort the revivings the holy heats and flames of love and affection to Christ You see how it was with Job I have heard of thee with the hearing of the ear But now mine eyes see thee And certainly the sight of his beauties did take him those eyes which saw him were like a burning-glasse to the heart to kindle the flames and fervors of holy affections towards him again You see how it was with
yet here hee that beleeves most and loves most makes most haste The more the soul beleeves and the more the heart is taken with Christ the greater are the desires to bee with him Till Simeon had gotten Christ into his armes hee was unwilling to dye but after hee had Christ in his armes Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace for my eyes have seen thy salvation Indeed here are but the Espousals between Christ and the soul Some Broken-Rings Contracts Espousals betwixt Christ and us But then is the great Marriage-day the Solemnization of our Nuptials to all eternity Here wee do see him but dimly and darkly at the best and there are oftentimes clouds come in and interpose themselves between Christ and us but then wee shall see him face to face and never shall there cloud come between Christ and us to all eternity There wee shall see him in his Glory his full discoveries Here wee injoy him but in part The distance is great betwixt him and us All which distance doth arise from that within us Were it not for sin wee might bee in Glory even in Grace But then wee shall injoy him in fulness Heaven is the place which God hath intended to set forth himself to his People in his Glory to all eternity Where there shall bee no fears no sin never smoak of distrustfull thoughts shall arise more Where there shall bee no sorrow no tears All sighing and sobbing shall pass away and nothing but joy shall keep the house Wee are now the Sons of God But it doth not yet appear what wee shall bee for wee shall see him as hee is 7. Sign A heart taken with Christ thinks nothing too much to do nothing â—â—o much to suffer for Christ You know Love cannot bee posed Wee say there is no difficultie in Love Things impossible to others are easie to them who love And things burthensome to others delightfull to them who love If once thy heart bee taken with Christ thou wilt think nothing too much to do nothing too much to suffer for him As Christ thought nothing too much for us because his heart was taken with us neither shall wee think any thing too much for Christ Wee read how prodigal the Saints have been of their Riches their Blood their Lives for Christ because they loved him 1. They have not accounted their estates too dear for him Heb. 10.34 They took joyfully the spoiling of their goods 2. They have not accounted their lives too dear Rev. 12.11 They loved not their lives to death for him If they must dig in Mines or be cast to bee devoured by Wild-Beasts for Christ as it was the usual sentence of Christians Christiani ad nâ— talla ad Ecstias in the primitive times they were willing to do and suffer it See this in the Virgin of whom Basil speaks who was condemned to death because shee would not worship Idols And the like of old Polycarp and others This is certain A soul taken with Christ knows no difficulty in its love It loves him with an unlimited an uncircumscribed love which no duty no difficulty can pose 8. Sign A heart taken with Christ is exceedingly cast down with the withdrawings and absence of Christ The comforts of the soul are laid up in Christ and when hee is gone all is gone Comfort gone Joy gone the Heart gone with him As Mephibosheth said Take all now my Lord is come back so the soul saith Take all take the World take Riches take Heaven and Glory so far as Heaven and thou are two things That my Lord may return with my soul Datkness is terrible to the soul and this is thick darkness and therefore saith with Absolom let mee see his face mea non prosunt sine te nothing besides thee can either satisfie or profit mee 9. Sign A heart taken with Christ is fully content and satisfied with the injoyments and possession of Christ The possession of the thing beloved doth content the soul so far as there is satisfaction and contentment with it The reason why wee do not meet with full contentments and satisfactions here in the possession or our loves is because they want of fulness But now it is not so with Christ Hee is able to brim the soul to satisfie the spirit to answer all the desires of the heart and therefore the heart taken with him needs must rest satisfied and contented with him Such a gulf of desire is in the soul of men that if God should cast in a thousand worlds there would bee no contentment except Christ bee cast in And Christ is so full contentment that if God bestow him they will neither need nor desire any more And thus much shall serve for the use of tryal wee will now come to an use of Exhortation and conclude this Use of Exhortation 1. To them of his Church 2. To them who are not of the Church 1. To them of his Church Is it so that the heart of Christ is so much taken with his Church and People 1. Direction to them of the Church 1. Walk suitably to this love Dignities and suitable walkings to dignities must go together Now this suitable walking wee will express in these five things 1. Walk chearfully 2. Walk thankfully 3. Walk humbly 4. Walk watchfully 5. Walk obediently 1. Walk chearfully Walk as Heirs of such a Mercy Here is a truth speaks comfort when all the world speaks nothing but terrour 2. Direction to them of the Church 2. Beware of abusing this love Precious things are committed to us by a word of Caution This is a precious Truth and therefore let mee adde to it this word of Caution Beware of abusing this Love of Christ Christs Love are his bowels and hee will never indure to have his bowels injured his love abused You know a man will not have his Love injured the abuse of his power of his wisdome greatness doth not touch a man so nearly as the abuse of his Love This is an injury men cannot indure So to speak after the manner of men Christ can least indure his Love should bee abused There is no abuse like it Therefore beware of it Now this Love of Christ is injured these wayes and beware 1. When wee slight the intreaties reject the tenders cast aside the offers and beseeches of his Love When love stoops to you when the mercy and goodness of Christ doth as it were come on its knees to you and intreats you to do this or not to do that And yet you will stop your ears pull back your shoulder slight the intreaties This is an abuse 2. When the Love of Christ doth slacken our hearts to duty loosen our ingagements makes us more remiss to or in service This is to abuse his Love Wee should reason from Mercy to Duty and not from Mercy to Liberty Abundance of Grace calls in for abundance of Duty The Love of Christ should constrain us as
a glass the glory of the Lord wee are changed into the same Image from Glory to Glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord 2 Cor. 3.18 In nature the meat is digested into the nature of the eater Here the eater is turned into the nature of the meat The contemplation of his Glory makes you glorious They will bee 5. Soul-winning Thoughts Love you know is of an attractive nature Amor amoris Magnes Nothing wins more than Love Love is the Loadstone to draw Love again As the Sun shining upon a Glasse begets a reflection of the beams back again so the love of God shed abroad in our hearts begets a reflection of love back again toward God You see Mary Much was forgiven her shee had tasted of much love from God and shee returned much love again to him Shee loved much The Power of God doth shake the heart The Majesty of God doth dread the heart The Justice of God doth awe the heart But it is the Mercy of God the Love of God which doth perswade win and draw the heart Nothing wins a mans heart to God but his Love The fear of God dread of God may bring a mans feet into his wayes but it is the Love of God which brings his Heart into his wayes They are 6. Soul-quickening 7. Soul-comforting thoughts Oh then that wee were but wise to improve this Doctrin this truth to the good of our souls I tell thee Christian if thou wouldest give this truth but scope in thy heart it would help thee and relieve thee of all the burdens under which thou groanest 1. Dost thou labour under a proud heart this would humble thee 2. Dost thou labour under a dejected heart this would raise thee 3. Under a dark heart this would comfort revive thee 4. Under a dead heart this would quicken thee and put the Spirit of Heaven into thee whiles thou art on earth 5. Under an hard heart this would break thee Nay this would melt thee dissolve thee into waters I say the more thou gets up with Elijah into this Chariot of love the more would the mantle of sin and corruption depart from thee 6. Under a worldly heart This would dead thy heart for ever to the World and set thee all on flame with the fire of heavenly affections I am confident of it whatever a Christian desires to injoy whatever a Christian desires to bee rid of if hee can but dwell upon this truth and bee able to manage it Hee shall have it more fully hee shall have it more quickly than any other way Wouldest thou bee rid of a proud heart wouldest thou have an humble heart wouldest bee rid of a dead heart and desirest a quick heart wouldest bee rid of an hard heart and have a broken heart wouldest bee rid of an unbeleeving of a doubting of a dejected heart and wouldest bee mighty in Faith full of comfort Why do but let thy soul bee carried captive with this Truth bee but content this Truth should master thee bee but willing to entertain it beleeve it imbrace it I am confident on it all this will bee done I may set down a probatum est to it Oh! That wee were wise to manage this Truth There are many look upon this but as a pleasant dream a Chimera a fiction And some beleeve it but slightly there wants depth of earth And some there are poor souls to whom the comfort of this truth belongs who think this is too good news for them They think if they should own it it would bee but too great a sale for too small a Boat rather overturn them than do them good rather ruine them than help them And therefore they must feed upon black thoughts upon Hell upon justice upon sin upon their corruptions Ah! Poor souls Satan deludes you you take a way to undo your selves Either to discourage you to say there is no hope or else to break you that you shall never bee able to do God service Look as long as you will into Hell pry as long as you will into the dark vaults of your souls rake as long as you will into the kennel of your hearts You shall finde nothing in Hell but Hell in your hearts but sin and having found it run from him That man looks too much on sin who shutteth his eyes from a mutual interview of love between God and his soul And hither you must come at last Free-Grace must bee owned Free-Mercy must bee acknowledged and advanced by you if ever you would bee saved if ever you would bee comforted You mâ—y think what you will but sure I am 1. There are no Christians more chearfull 2. None are more thankfull 3. None are more humble 4. None are more beleeving 5. None are more active 6. None are more couragious 7. None more serviceable and usefull toward God and men than they who lye continually at the breast of the promise than they who set up Gods Free-Grace and own that good which God makes out to them Thou mayest bee a Christian but thou wilt bee a sad Christian an uncomfortable Christian a dark Christian a deserted Christian a dead Christian an unserviceable Christian if thou dost go on to feed upon black thoughts and wilt not own that comfort which Christ tenders imbrace that good which Christ speaks and beleeve the Riches of his Grace and Mercy to poor sinners Do but sit down and from the sight and sense of thine own unworthiness take but occasion to advance Free-Grace and Mercy Let there bee place for that to come in Let those thoughts finde entertainment And thou shalt quickly finde a strange change in thy spirit 1. Thou who couldest not mourn before shall now bee able to poure our tears as if thou wert all turned to water 2. Thou who before couldest not beleeve couldest not bee comforted wilt even think it a wonder that ever thy heart should bee so dark so doubtful 3. Thou who before wast dead shalt now finde a spirit of life come into thee and make thee active in the work of the Lord. Make but the Experiment and thou wilt converse more with the promise with the Love of Christ with the Free-Grace of God whiles thou livest if you would but remove your unbelief But who shall remove this stone God alone must do it But if this were done this truth would let in a flood of mercy upon you and even sink and over-whelm you in a Sea of mercy and glory where now you go drooping and hang down your heads because you will not own that portion which Christ hath left you nor that comfort which Christ doth tender and speak to you 4. Direction to them of the Church 4. Direction to them of the Church 4. Labour for a reciprocall affection a mutual taking between Christ and us Is Christs heart taken with you Oh! let your hearts bee taken with him Doth Christ love you Oh! do you love Christ Are you
which afterward hee fell into The like of the Israelites Jer. 42. throughout So that you see it is a matter of some difficulty And therefore the Apostle 2 Cor. 13.5 Bids us not only examine but prove Not only to examine and take the first evidence the heart gives in but to prove whether the evidence given in bee true It may bee you have examined your selves by the rules of the Word Your heart hath given in an evidence for you Why but prove if this evidence bee true see an evidence of that evidence As in Solomons Temple there was Light set against Light so here you must set Light against Light As for example Inquiry is made whether I have Faith or no. Answer is given in upon the scrutiny That I have Faith It is well But now prove this Why how Set Light against Light See an evidence of that evidence The Word saith Faith purifies the heart Act. 15.9 Faith sanctifies the heart Faith works by Love Gal. 5.6 Now then Is thy heart cleansed from filthiness Art thou sanctified c. The like in another Inquiry is made whether a man love God yea or no. It may bee the heart gives up this answer that hee doth love God Why but now prove it Hee that loves God keeps his Commandements Joh. 14.15 Hee that loves God will obey him will not displease him Hee who loves God will not sin And so in any other Thus you see though it bee possible yet it 's a matter of difficulty in regard of the deceits of our hearts And therefore wee are to take the more pains 2. It is difficult in regard of the doubts and mis-givings of our hearts And this at all times if Gods Spirit come not to witness with our spirits our own spirits will bee born down with doubts and mis-givings of our unbeleeving hearts and wee shall never know what our condition is Hence wee have these phrases Rom. 8.16 The Spirit doth witness with our spirits that wee are the Children of God I'ts not the witness of our own spirit that will answer all the doubts and objections of our hearts If Gods Spirit strike not in too and bear witness with us The like wee have 1 Joh. 5 6 7 8. And other places especially that of 1 Cor. 2. from 9. to the 13. verse where you shall see that it is a work of Gods own Spirit to settle the soul in the assurance of his good condition And as at all times so especially at three times It is exceeding difficult 1. In times of Humiliation 2. In times of Temptation 3. In times of Desertion 1. In times of Humiliation As some call evil good so thou calls good evill Now As some take the shadow for the substance so thou the substance for the shadow As some depend on false grounds so thou denyest the true As some feed and cherish matter of false comfort so thou feedest on matter of discouragement Some heat themselves by a painted fire Isa 50.11 and thou quenchest the sparks of Gods own kindling if the Spirit of God break not in at that time 2. In times of Temptation when Satan assaults a man tells him that all his Graces are false and counterfeit that hee is an Hypocrite And presents an Army of confirmations at once in an instant and so manages them that whatever evidences a man can think of to the contrary they are either taken away or seemingly confuted as fast as they are thought on In this case a man may bee ignorant of his Faith and Graces At such a time if a man inquire either the spirit of a man will bee silent and return no answer Or if it do return any it is a disturbed one If a man reflect back at such a time as this hee shall finde nothing but of Satans party to return him an answer 3. In time of Desertion when it may bee our Evidences bee hid in the dark the soul is in a mist and cannot read its own Faith The Glass can give no reflex except the Sun give light Nor a mans Graces appear to comfort him except God shine upon them As the Moon and Stars so our Graces do shine with a borrowed Light And unlesse God do shine secretly into our hearts irradiate and give light unto our Graces though they bee in esse in being in the heart yet not in cognosci in the apprehension they will not appear at all to comfort us In these cases the work is Difficult But what then Things must not bee left for Difficulties because they bee beset with Difficulties Difficulties must not put us off from Tryal but put us on to try more throughly Hee who saith there is a Lion in the way is not fit for Heaven They that feared the Giants were not fit for Canaan It is a sign of a base and degenerate spirit to desist in the pursuit of a good way because of Difficulties Though it bee difficult yet it is possible A thing it is that hath been attained in all ages of the World Others of Gods people have known and so mayest thou 2. It is not ony possible but necessary that you should know whether you bee Beleevers or no. It is Necessary 1. In respect of your Comforts 2. In respect of your more lively Obedience 1. It s necessary in respect of your Comforts What comfort can a soul have in this That Christ is a Saviour if hee know not hee is his Saviour And how shall hee know this except hee know that hee doth beleeve hee is the Saviour of them that beleeve only What comfort is it to know there 's pardon of sins if wee do not know that our sins bee pardoned And how shall wee know this except wee do know that wee beleeve They only that beleeve have their sins pardoned What comfort can wee have in the Merits Death and Blood of Christ what comfort in the Promises of the Gospel till wee know wee are Beleevers such to whom Christ and the Promises belong If a man did but once clear this How might hee run down all the Promises and fetch in comfort from them all why might the soul say Christ is mine his Blood is mine his Spirit is mine his Merits are mine his Righteousness is mine to justifie mee His Holiness is mine to sanctifie mee His Mercy is mine to save mee All is mine if I bee a Beleever Oh! Thou dost not know what wrong thou dost to thy soul in neglecting to clear and evidence this to thy self Why you will live without Comfort you will dye without Comfort My Brethren If you would not live without Comfort if you would not dye without Comfort labour to evidence this to your souls that you are Beleevers Oh! It would adde much to your Joy and Comfort to know this Many there are who live without comfort who lye upon the rack of fears and discouragements are in unsufferable troubles all their dayes Many who for want of clearing this to their
wee are ready to look above us who is higher richer not below us who is poorer But in spirituals wee look below us not above us behind us not before us how many come short of our measure not how many do out-strip us And therefore wee content our selves with that wee have But let us labour to forget all behind and to presse forward to the mark of the Rich calling of God in Christ Jesus as the Apostle did If thy Faith bee true it is of a growing Nature Now to all this I will adde some means 1. To get Faith 2. To increase Faith 1. Means for the begetting of Faith 1. Labour to keep close to Faith-begetting Ordinances These are 1. The Word 2. Prayer 1. Frequent the powerful and sincere preaching of the word of God a Faith-begetting-means Faith comes by hearing Rom. 10.17 True Faith is the Daughter of Mercy For this end God hath set up this Ordinance in the Church that it might bee a means for the begetting Faith in the hearts of unbeleeving men And God doth often in the opening of Scripture open our understandings that wee may beleeve Luk. 24.45 John 20.31 And in the hearing of the Word keep thy Ear open to hear what God saith by his Spirit in the Gospel Faith comes not by mercy of the Law but of the Gospel And in the Gospel dwell upon Faith-breeding-Promises Indeed all the Promises tend to beget Faith but especially such wherein the good Will of God and the Heart of God is discovered such wherein the freeness and richness of Gods Promises are discovered Promises are of two sorts 1. Either such as are conditional granted upon the performance of some duty in us As such as these Beleeve and thou shalt bee saved Repent and thy sins shall bee forgiven thee 2. Or such as are made and performed in meer Mercy such wherein God promises to give that condition which hee requires to the Promise Wee have not only promises of giving pardon and remission to the beleeving sinner but wee have promises of bestowing Faith upon the unbeleeving sinner There are some Promises wherein wee are to bring Faith to the Promise As here whoever beleeves shall bee saved And There are some Promises that wee must go unto for Faith Some that wee must bring Faith to and some that wee must go to for Faith as those free and absolute Promises I will take away your stony hearts and give you hearts of flesh And such wherein hee hath said Hee will work all our works in us and for us Oh! say some If I had but so much Repentance so much brokenness of heart if but so much love then I could beleeve Alas wee must not bring our penny to the Promise We must beleeve and then all the rest will come in The way to have a broken heart is to beleeve The way to repent the way to love God 2. The second Ordinance is Prayer Though none of this Faith bee in Heaven yet all Faith comes from Heaven It is the gift of God And therefore wee are to seek to him for it Wee may joyn our selves to Faith-begetting-means But it is God that must make the means effectual for the working of Faith It is a grace above the power of man and therefore requires the power of God to work it I say 1. It requires the Power of God Nay not only the Power but 2. It requires the greatness of his Power Nay 3. The excess of greatness of his Power Nay 4. The mightiness of that excess Yea and 5. The working of all this mighty Power As the Apostle shews Ephes 1.19 where wee have all those five particulars set down And therefore there is need of calling in for all the help of God all the power of God for the working of it It is the hardest thing in the World to cast a man out of himself to cut a man off his own stock to throw a man off his own foundation And when that is done it is as hard a work to bring this man over to Christ to make a man to lye full and flat upon the promise of Grace for mercy And therefore how much need is there of stirring up our hearts How much need of calling in for the strength of God by prayer This is the second Prayer is a fruit of Faith and yet prayer is a means for the begetting of Faith As the Spirit is a fruit of Prayer so prayer is a fruit of the Spirit As you see Luk. 11.13 compared with Rom. 8.15 In the one place the Spirit is said to bee the fruit of Prayer Hee will give his Spirit to them that ask him In the other Prayer is the fruit of the Spirit You have received the Spirit of adoption whereby you cry abba Father 3. Have much to do with Faith-begetting-Company Faith-begetting-conference Where thou shalt hear the discoveries how God hath wrought Faith in them and how God doth work Faith in the hearts of unbeleeving men Did not our hearts burn within us when hee talked with us by the way and when hee opened to us the Scriptures said those two Disciples after their conference with Christ travelling in company together to Emmaus Luk. 24.32 The like of Aquilla and Priscilla with Apollo Act. 18.26 4. Dwel much upon and cherish Faith-begetting-considerations which are 1. Thoughts of our selves 2. Thoughts of God Thoughts of our emptiness and thoughts of Gods fulness Considerations of our own misery and thoughts of his love and mercy Omnes post te currimus audientes quod nullum spernis peccatorem Bernard Think how God hath dealt with you and how God hath dealt with other sinners who have come to him Such were Manasses Mary Paul Wee all run after thee O Lord seeing thou despisest no sinners Thou despisedst not the weeping Mary the begging Canaanite Et si his peccatoribus veniam dâ—disti paratus es nobis si modo impetramur the intreating Publican the confessing Theef the Adulterous Woman the denying Disciple the persecuting Paul And if thou refused'st not those thou wilt not reject mee If thou pardonedst them thou wilt pardon mee if I beleeve in thee But in particular cherish these three thoughts 1. The consideration of thy own vileness and emptiness thy sin and misery by reason of sin And this will drive thee out of thy self 2. The consideration of the fulness riches and al-sufficiency of Christ who hath all fulness in him who is able to save to the utmost a bottome able to hold up any weight of sin 3. The consideration of the freeness of Christ and the Promise God keeps open house invites intreats beseecheth us to beleeve and come in Ho! Every one that thirsteth come yee to the Waters come buy yee that have no silver and eat Come buy Wine and Milk without mony c. Isa 55 1. And Hee that comes to mee saith Christ Joh. 6.37 I will by no means cast out Let him that
cry out Rabbi thou art the Son of God thou art the King of Israel thou who knowest the heart must needs bee God c. as if a man should say to his friend thou art one that art charitable mournest for thy sin and in case hee should answer but how know you that hee should reply did I not see such an act of charity which you did did I not see you mourn bitterly for sin at such a time c this in some resemblance commeth somewhat near to this instance but yet falleth short because wee judge of the outward act Christ here of the inward which manifested him to bee God omniscient the searcher of the heart c. Thus I have shewed you the coherence with the parts of the Text and have in part unfolded what might seem difficult and obscure in it Now there are some Doctrines which lye about the verge of the Text some from the person commending some from the person commended and some from the thing for which But I shall touch only upon those which arise from the main scope of the Text and they are two Doct. 1. That the eyes of Christ run through the whole World and behold the evil and the good Hee that saw Nathaniel under the Fig-tree seeth thee in all places in all companies c. to this purpose read Psal 139. Amos 9.2 3 4. Hee is totus oculus all eye to see and all hand to feel and finde out Hee who is to bee Judge of all the actions and waies of men must necessarily know them all Use 1. Say not then that God sees not say not that darkness shall cover thee esto quod nemo non tamen nullus though no man yet some eye seeth thee Use 2. This may bee comfort to the Saints Christ sees you under the Fig-tree sees you in a corner sees your persons your actions your spirits Hee sees your prayers hee sees your tears hee sees your afflictions your pressures Exod. 3.7 Hee hears your groans c. Use 3. This is terror to wicked men hee sees them too hee sees your malice against his Saints your vileness and abominable filthiness I saw you in such a place at such a time in such and such pollutions in which thou wouldest have been loath in which thou would have been confounded if men should then have seen thee From the commendation of Nathaniels Faith Observe Doct. 2. That such is the goodness of God that hee commends us for that which is his own Hee commends Nathaniel here for that Grace which hee had given him God works graces in us and then commends us for them hee gives us mony and then commends us for our riches hee makes us beautifull and then commends us for our beauty in which hee doth only beautifie his own beautie and love his own graces in us Hee doth here commend Nathaniels Faith which yet was only the Faith of his own powerfull working Hee commends David for his uprightness Hezekiah for his perfectness Moses for his meekness Cornelius for his devotion the Publican for his compunction the poor Widdow for her liberality and the Woman of Canaan for her Faith and importunity all which was only the work of his own Grace in them God will finde matter of love and liking in us from that which is his own hee can pass by ours and own his As a Father loveth his child for that which is of his own nature in him and so doth God in us Use 1. Then see what a sweet Saviour wee have who will pass by our imperfections and deformities and take notice of his own beauties in us Use 2. And accordingly wee should learn to look upon our selves as Christ doth though black in our selves yet beautiful in Christ although I would have you to own and to blush at your own defoâ—mities yet not so as to blinde your eyes from beholding Christs excellencies as in himself so in you by his grace take the shame of your own sins but let God have the honour of his own Graces by this you shall nourish your humility and yet not weaken your Faith you shall abhor your selves and yet extoll Gods free Grace But these are but by the way to which many others might bee added I will fall upon those which the Text doth more fully hold out and they are these 1. That slowness of Heart to beleeve is a temper of spirit very offensive to God this is hinted in the implied tacit reprehension of others whilst hee so commends Nathaniels forwardness 2. That God takes it well at our hands or it is very pleasing unto God when wee will beleeve in him upon small Revelation 3. That God will reveal great things to them who do so beleeve in him Thou shalt see greater things than these it is a promise of future and fuller manifestation to bee vouchsafed to him Wee shall begin with the first which is Doct. That slowness of heart to beleeve is a temper of spirit very offensive unto God I need not stand long to clear the truth of this Doctrin if you look into Joh. 1.50 that high commendation of Nathaniels Faith is a silent upbraiding of others for their slowness of heart to beleeve Because I said I saw thee under the Fig-tree beleevest thou It is as if hee had said for that without question is implied why I have done greater things in the sight of otheâ—s I have healed the sick opened the eyes of the blinde raised the dead cast out Devils and yet they have not beleeved And doth so small a manifestation work on thee Because I said I saw thee under the Fig-tree c. I have not raised thee from the dead implying hee had done it to others And hence hee is said to upbraid those Cities wherein his mighty works had been done because they beleeved not Mar. 16.14 And this was a great aggravation of their sin where so much had been done to perswade them to beleeve yet slow c. The like in Joh. 12.37 38. But though hee had done so many miracles before them yet they beleeved not on him that the saying of Esaiah might bee fulfilled who hath beleeved here was a great aggravation of their sin And upon this ground hee reproveth his Disciples Luk. 24.25 26. Oh fools and slow of heart to beleeve all that the Prophets have spoken ought not Christ to have suffered these things and to have entred into his glory c And how often doth hee upon the same ground rebuke his Disciples O yee of little Faith Mar. 9.19 O faithless Generation how long shall I bee with you how long shall I suffer you Implying it put Christ to the utmost of his patience to bear with them in their unbelief Which yet if you read the story you will finde it was no small work it was because they could not cast out the dumb spirit out of a man possessed which yet hee himself tells them afterward vers 29. that this was the
mayest not wound him If hee cannot make thee his friend yet if hee can weaken his adversary If hee cannot take away thy weapon yet if hee can weaken thy arm or blunt thy weapon hee is content If hee cannot destroy thy Faith yet if hee can weaken thy Faith if not hurt thy Faith yet if hee can keep thy Faith from hurting him by weakening of it for every act of Faith wounds Satan bindes him in chains c. And therefore if hee can prevail to keep thee from beleeving or if hee can weaken and wound thy Faith hee is well contented this gratifieth him What can gratifie him more than to make a Pageant of all the great things of God than to make all these great things like a dream What can gratifie him more than to keep thy soul at a distance from Christ and the Promise what can pleasure him more than to make a soul look upon God as a God of terror and wrath What more than to keep the soul upon racks upon fears discouragements and disquiets this is some of his own spirit of darkness Nay what can gratifie him more than to keep a soul in a dead unserviceable condition make a man unfit to live unfit to dye unfit for any service to God and man Why all this doth Satan do if hee can but prevail to keep thy soul from Christ at distance from the Promise as I could shew you at large c. The way Satan doth it is by setting out sin Though I would bee willing to see sin yet I am not willing to see sin in the Devils glass I am not willing to see sin when Satan discovers sin Satan hath two glasses wherein hee discovers sin 1. Hee hath a lessening or extenuating glass wherein hee discovers sin to wicked men which makes them appear less than they are great sins small sins infirmities and lesser sins to bee no sins 2. And Satan hath a multiplying or magnifying glass wherein hee discovers sin to them when cast down and extends it not only above the greatness of sin but of mercy also As I would have my eyes broad and open to see sin when God discovers it So I would shut mine eyes when Satan discovers sin Quest But how shall I know when God and when Satan discovers sin 1. When God discovers sin hee keeps up the apprehensions of mercy above the greatness of sin But when Satan discovers sin hee heightens sin above the riches of mercy As you see in Cain 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my sin is greater than can bee pardoned 2. When God discovers sin he doth not bleere but rather clear the eye of Faith to the beholding of Christ hee makes the soul fitter to see Christ doth not hinder but helpeth the soul in sight of Christ But when Satan discovers sin hee doth ever bleer and blinde the eye of Faith from the beholding of Mercy either hee discovers the malady and conceals the remedy or hee holds the eye of Faith that it cannot look upon Christ for mercy Hee puts the soul into a present incapacity to look up to God for mercy hee stings but holds not up the brazen Serpent 3. When God discovers sin it is to drive us out of our selves and to draw us unto Christ and the Promise makes the Law a Schoolmaster c. Gal. 3.24 but Satans discoveries of sin sets us further off from Christ 4. When God discovers sin it is to make the soul more in love with Christ to prize Christ more to advance him more to love him and desire him more It is such a discovery that makes the soul to run to the remedy But when Satan discovers sin it is to make us more affraid of Christ to flye from Christ as Adam never the more to desire him 5. When God discovers sin hee humbles the soul under the sight of it hee makes a man to abhor himself makes sin hatefull to him But when Satan discovers sin it is to discourage us not to humble us hee may make sin fearful but never makes it hateful Besides as you may know by the manner and the end of the discovery whether Gods or no. So by the time and temper wee are in Satan discovers sin when hee hath gotten the soul at an advantage he comes upon us as Simeon upon the Shechemites when they were sore Gen. 34. when hee hath gotten the hill and the wind on us when wee are in some sad condition when in temptation when in darkness when in some distresses when wee are drawn from our succours It is a passage of one that Satan when hee discovers sin and so hee openeth our wound hee gets us into the wilderness into the cold from our friends succours c. But when the Spirit of God openeth our wounds it is by the fire friends about us cordials near us c. But I think the difference is rather to bee taken from the manner of the discovery than from the end and effects of it Well then that is a sinfull looking on sin 1. Which heightened sin above the riches of mercy 2. Which bleereth and blindeth the eye of Faith from beholding Christ and the Promise 3. Which sets the soul at a farther distance from Christ 4. Which makes the soul affraid of Christ 5. Which discourageth the soul under sight of it And hee that thus looks upon sin in Satans glass no marvel if hee bee slow to beleeve and to come over to the Promise 7. When Satan discovers sin hee rather makes a malady than discovers a malady never discovereth one wound but makes another never discovereth a sin but takes a course that that discovery shall bee sinfull 3. Thirdly as you wrong God and gratifie Satan so you injure your own souls 1. You rob your selves of comfort and keep your selves in unnecessary racks and troubles and bondage And this is a great evil Nature cannot subsist without comfort comfort is to the soul what the soul is to the body a man cannot live without it and it puts grace to it too though for a time Grace may live and act strongly in the want of comfort yet when troubles continue and a man walks long without comfort it will put Grace to it to the utmost to subsist Oh what abundance of comfort what floods of consolation what peace what joy dost thou rob thy self of in thy standing off 2. You hinder your souls of Grace Quantum credimus tantum amamus Grace keeps a proportion with Faith So much Faith so much Grace c. keep down Faith and all Grace is kept down and where Faith stirs all the wheels move it s the spring of motion the Master-wheel Faith is the stomack which receives all for the nourishment of the whole As all the members depend upon the stomack so all the Graces upon Faith It is a Mediatour to our Mediatour it fetcheth in provision to the soul all depends upon it If Grace be weak Faith goes over to Christ
sinne and therefore because hee sins in aeterno sui hee is punished in eterno Dei. So I may say of a godly man if hee should live for ever hee would sorrow for ever His sorrow is infinite in desire and affection though finite in the act and expression of it And indeed a bounded a stinted sorrow is no sorrow Hee whose heart and eyes do dry up together whose expression in tears and affections of sorrow do end together though hee had wept a sea of tears hee hath not yet mourned for sin As I told you last day that a Sincere heart doth rise up praying from Prayer so hee goes away weeping from weeping with a weeping heart when his eyes are dry Godly sorrow hath affections of mourning when the expressions of mourning ceaseth because every drop of tears doth arise from a sea of tears within As every act of faith doth arise from a beleeving disposition a habit of faith within so every expression of sorrow from an affection of sorrow in the spirit every drop of tears from a spring and fountain of tears within the soul Hence wee read 1 Sam. cap. 7. vers 6. where their sorrow is expressed by this phrase They drew water as out of a well as out of a spring and poured out before the Lord Their eyes did not empty so fast as their heart filled Their eyes could not poure it forth so fast as their hearts did yeild it up All their expressions of mourning were less than their affections of mourning And shall I now tell you though your sorrow may bee sincere and yet not proportionable to the measure of sin yet your sorrow cannot bee sincere if not proportionable to the merit of Sin if it be not infinite sorrow infinite I say in the desire and affection though not in the act and expression And alas how few there are Sincere mourners you that are sturdy Sinners you dry eyed Sinners you hard hearted Sinners when was the time you have thus mourned for sin wee see your sinnings every day but who hears of your repentings wee hear of your drunkennesse your swearing your lying your gaming your dicing and revelling even till the morning watch upon the Lords day but wee hear not of your repentings In stead of that wee hear of your new sinning you adde Sin to Sin not repenting to sinning As it was said of Herod that hee added this to all his wickedness that hee shut up John in Prison this was the great aggravation of his sin this fill'd his measure hee added this to all So there are some who will adde this to all their sins that adde this to all their drunkenness their swearing gaming revelling to persecute and evilly intreat those who are Gods messengers to them Take heed of thus adding drunkennesse to thirst and malice and rage to drunkennesse lest Gods wrath and jealousie smoak against such excesses Deut. 29.19 20. 5 Character Sincere mourning is a faithfull mourning So much faith so much sincere mourning so much godly sorrow They are like the fountain and the flood the one arises no higher than the other In respect of donation faith and repentance are infused at the same instant of time though in respect of manifestation repentance goes before faith Faith being like the sap which is hid in the root more secret in the heart and repentance like the bud which is sooner discerned than faith both to a mans own self and others Yet in respect of the order of nature faith doth necessarily goe before repentance Nemo potâ—st agere paenitentiam nisi qui sperat de indulgentia As a legall faith before a legall sorrow so an evangelicall faith before an evangelicall sorrow No man can truely repent but hee who hath some hopes of pardon Well then sincere Repentance is a faithful Repentance such a Repentance as doth arise from Faith by which I mean not a legal Faith whereby a man beleeves the threatnings of the Law to bee true and hee guilty This is too low This may breed a vexing tumultuous turbulent slavish sorrow but not a godly sweet evangelical mourning But I mean here an evangelical Faith and yet not the Faith of assurance or the Faith of evidence this is too high There may bee godly sorrow sincere mourning in that soul which yet for the present wants the evidence and assurance of Gods love in Christ But such a Faith I mean which is the lowest spring of godly sorrow Whereby the soul is perswaded 1. Of the all-sufficiency of Gods Mercy and Christs Merits for the pardoning of sin 2. Of the freeness and willingness of God to pardon sin 3. And then throws it self upon the Mercy of God the grace of Christ for pardon and forgiveness Which though it appear to bee small yet it will cost you something before ever you reach this But now the mourning of an Hypocrite doth not arise from Faith but from sense either from some present sting or trouble of conscience or from some outward pressures upon the body And hence it comes to pass that his sorrow is not a constant sorrow while the trouble lasts the weight is upon him so long hee howles and cryes but if once the trouble bee blown over the Sky clears his mourning is done As Job saith of his praying will hee pray alwayes hee will not So I may say of his mourning will hee mourn alwayes hee will not When conscience wrings him when the heart is overwhelmed with trouble then hee falls a howling and crying but when the trouble is over hee wipes his eyes and mourns no more But now again hee whose sorrow doth arise from Faith hee doth not only mourn when conscience is troubled but when conscience is at peace Nay when the heart is fullest of peace and joy the eyes are biggest with tears when the pearle of joy is in the heart the dew of tears is in the eyes I say when the soul hath most assurance of Gods love then will Faith produce child-like arguments to raise up the springs of sorrows in us to open all the fountains of tears in the soul Oh will the soul say hath God been so mercifull and am I so sinfull Hath hee been so good to mee and I so evil to him As the frowns of God do break the heart so the smiles of God do melt and dissolve it 6. Character A sincere mourning is a filial mourning There are the mournings of a son and the mournings of a slave the one doth arise from fear the other from love love 1. Of God to the soul 2. Of the soul to God 1. From the consideration of Gods love to the soul When the soul sits down and recounts the immensity greatness of Gods love to it when it takes a view of what God might have done with it and what God hath done with it how justly hee might have damned the soul and how mercifully hee hath saved the soul what cost what care what pains
what sweat what blood hee hath laid out to save us and how easily hee might have damned us Oh! this melts and dissolves the soul the soul even crumbles into dust and dissolves into water under the thoughts of it You see this set down in Ezek. 36.31 Then shall you remember your doings Then when when God shall expresse love as you see vers 25 26. why thâ—n will the soul say to it self as Absolom to Hushi is this thy kindness to thy friend art thou so cruel to him who hath been so kinde to thee so evil to him who hath been so good to thee Oh these thoughts do lay a man in the dust God hath taken such a way to justifie and save men that if wee bee but men it will break our hearts that wee have offended him Who is it that can read over that place without tears Isa 43.24 25. Thou hast bought mee no sweet Cane with money neither hast thou filled mee with the fat of thy sacrifices but thou hast wearied mee with thine iniquities and hast made mee serve with thy sins thou hast made my mercy to serve my patience to serve with thy sinnes even to look on while thou abusedst mee And what would a man imagine now would follow after this Therefore I will plague thee I will punish thee But read and wonder and read withhold from tears if thou canst if any spark of ingenuity bee in thee I even I am he who blotteth out thine iniquities for my own names sake and will not remember thy sins Here was the wonder of mercy 2. It ariseth from the love of thy soul to God The love of the person offended doth cause a godly man to mourn that hee hath offended him You see David Psal 51. Against thee against thee have I sinned godly sorrow sincere mourning is an ingenuous mourning scarce a thought of Hell and damnation comes into the mind if they do alas these do not trouble him so much as his sin that hee hath grieved and offended so good a God by Sin Hence Zachary hath this expression Zach. 12.10 They shall look upon him whom they have pierced and they shall mourn c. In which there is nothing but pure love the expression is observable the Prophet doth not say they shall mourn as a son for a Father there may bee self-love in that a child may see himself undone in the loss of a father but hee saith they shall mourn as a father for a son in which there is pure love But now with Hypocrites it is neither the consideration of Gods love to them nor any love or good will which they bear to God that makes them mourn but indeed love to themselves they have Sinned and are afraid God will damn them for Sin therefore it is terror no principle of love to God which draws them to mourn for Sin As they hate Sin only in reference to hell so they mourn for Sin only in reference to hell What St. Augustine saith of fear of sin I may say of sorrow for Sin Hee that fears sin for Hell fears not to Sinne but to burn but hee hates sinne indeed who so hates sin as hell it self Qui gehennam metuit non peccare metuit sed ardere So he who sorrows for Sin for fear of hell and wrath hee is not sorry for sin but howles for fear of hell but he sorrows truly who is more grieved for sinning than he is afraid of burning 7. Character Sincere mourning is a friutfull mourning There are paenal tears and fruitful tears Worldly sorrow that is paenal sorrow it is a weeping to weeping but godly sorrow is a fruitful sorrow a weeping to repentance and amendment as the Apostle Godly sorrow works repentance not to bee repented of 2 Cor. 7.10 There is a great deal of difference between the pains of the gout and of a woman in travel the one is pain to pain no fruit of the pain meer torture the other is pain to ease travel to rest a travel to birth Other sorrow is a sorrow to sorrow this is a sorrow to joy as Christ expresseth it under the parable of a woman in travell Sincere mourning is a fruitfull mourning for repentance is like the waters of jealousy which either rot or make fruitful And first It is a heart humbling sorrow 2 It is a soul fattening sorrow by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better 3 It is a grace strengthning a grace increasing sorrow And therefore doth God preserve such springs as these in the hearts of his people on purpose to water the seed of holinesse the garden of graces in the hearts of his people Every grace within us doth look fresh every disposition within us buds shoots forth after a showre of repentant tears that man who hath such springs as these within him his graces must needs flourish they cannot wither nor decay Observe it A mourning Christian is evermore a thriving a growing Christian 4 It is a divorcing sorrow it breaks the league and union between heart and Sin There is a league between the heart and sin they are as neer together as the skin to the flesh as the flesh to the bones the bark to the tree Godly sorrow doth divorce between a mans heart and sinne separates between them it sets the soul at a distance with sin Unsound hearts may mourn may lament sin but leave not Sin they Sin and Repent and Repent and Sin as if their Sinning did but make matter for repenting c. This is like the Drunken mans round his drink goes out in tears and then to drink again Pharaoh could say hee had sinned but hee left not his Sinne Saul could say hee had Sinned too yet hee retained his sinne Judas said the like yet if he had lived he had been the same if God had not changed his heart No if a man should have lain as long in flames as Cain hath and should come out of hell red hot out of flames hee would bee the same man still All the terrors of God all the horrors in the World all the flames of hell cannot change the heart These may dare a man make a man afraid to sin but not hate Sin this must come from a principle of Grace a Gospel work The justice of God may terrify the heart the power of God may awe the heart but it must be the love and mercy of God which must thaw the heart must change the heart Now godly sorrow doth work a change in the soul Job 34.32 such a man saith with Job If I have done iniquity I will do it no more hee lamenteth sin and leaveth Sin he confesseth and forsaketh Sin God forgives and he also foregoes sin Beside these fruits I might name many more which are the fruits of sincere mourning It worketh peace our tears end in joy it worketh spiritual tranquillity of Conscience as it worketh a change And besides these you have seven
special and particular fruits set down 2 Cor. 7.11 of godly sorrow on which I want time to insist But now an hypocrites sorrow is a sorrow to sorrow a paenal not a fruitful sorrow hee is never the better for all his howling his heart never the more humble his spirit never the more broken his soul never the more set against Sin These tears they leave him as they found him they are not changing and transforming tears hee is never the more watchful never the more careful to please God hee rather grows more secure takes more heart to sin against God hee thinks hee hath done penance and satisfied the Law hee hath discharged the former score by his present roarings and therefore may beginne a new reckoning a new score and sin more freely against God whereas true mourning makes us watchfull and so our falls make us secure To sum up all in a little 1 The unsound heart hee mourns for Sin either as clad with punishment or as it bringeth the evil of punishment after it the first you see in Pharaoh the second in Ahab The other laments Sin as Sin sin abstracted and separated from wrath and punishment 2 The one howls under the present lashes the evil of punishment the other under the evil of sin 3 Sence doth provoke the one to mourning faith and love do cause the other to mourn 4 The ground of the one is self-self-love the ground of the other love to God 5 The one is slavish the other childish 6 The end of the one is peace and joy of the other it is discouragement and dispair as in Cain and Judas c. 7 The one breeds a bitternesse and turbulency of spirit the other humility mildness self-denial Thus I have shewed you these three things and cleared them I beleeve there 's many of you who do not pray at all many who are yet to shed one tear for Sin Alas when was the time thou hast entred thy Chamber thy closet and broken thy heart for sin humbled thy soul for sin Let mee tell thee thus much thou hast sinned this sinne will have sorrow one time or other if not here in fruitful mourning hereafter in paenal mourning in weeping and gnashing of teeth If thou wilt not sorrow for a time thou shalt howl for ever It may bee thou thinks no such matter conscience is now at peace Ista tranquillâ—tas tempestas erit it is like a book bound up if once opened your peace shall end in a storm your joy in sorrow happy thou if God wound thee that hee may heal thee break thee that hee may bind thee humble thee that hee may comfort thee It is better bee broken here than to go whole to hell better be wounded here than to go sound to hell better to bee a sad Saint than a merry Devil What David prayed for his enemies may wee pray for our best friends Send them down quick to Hell Send them down here by humiliation that they may avoid eternal damnation hereafter Wee began with the last first viz. clear your sincerity in your performances in particular wee named three particulars in Hearing Praying Mourning Wee come now to the end which is the first in order of nature though wee have made it last in time Clear sincerity in Obedience in the general 2. Clear the sincerity of your hearts in Obedience in general Now to this as to the former I will give you some Characters of a sincere Obedience Sincere Obedience is 1. A faithful 2. An universal 3. A fruitful 4. A filial Obedience Wee shall only single out some of them because wee are willing to finish this Doctrin 1. Character Full. A sincere Obedience is a full Obedience an universal Obedience It is universal in respect of the subject the whole man it is universal in respect of the object the whole Law it is universal in respect of durance the whole life Hee who obeyes sincerely obeyes universally his obedience is not only sutable to the rule in respect of the nature and quality of it but it is proportionable also to the rule in respect of the latitude and extent of his obedience There is no man that serves God truly who doth not indeavour to serve God fully Sincerity turns upon the hinges of universality It is said of David that hee had respect to all the Commandements of God and that hee hated every false way Hee had not obeyed any if hee had not respected all nay which is yet more Act. 13.22 hee fulfilled all the will of God the words are in the plural number 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 all the wills and Commands of God and of Zachary and Elizabeth Luk. 1.6 that they walked in all the Commandements of God blameless hee who obeyes sincerely indeavours to obey thoroughly Wee will instance in these branches 1. In suffering as doing First Hee will obey God in suffering Commands as well as doing in losing as well as gaining Commands An unsound spirit may follow God while hee can follow his own game too while they can serve God without cost without pain or losse c. such men love cheap obedience But when Obedience comes to bee chargeable when his Obedience to God may cost him his liberty his riches his estate then they retire while Religion and the World do walk in the same path there are many who will tread the paths of Religion but when there comes a turning that they must shake hands and part riches one way Christ another God one way the World another then they will forsake Christ You see it was so with the young man hee was willing to follow Christ so far as hee might bee no loser so far as to keep his wealth too But when Christ told him if hee would follow him hee must sell all when it comes to this that either hee must part with his Riches or with Christ then hee falls off and went away sorrowing But hee who obeyes sincerely serves God for himself such a man will obey God though to the hazard and loss of all hee will obey God in costly as well as cheap losing as well as gaining duties Such a man prizeth more of one act of Obedience than hee doth of all his injoyments and will take up naked Obedience though with the loss of all As hee will not commit a sin though hee might gain the World for it so hee will not neglect a duty though hee lose a World for it You see this in the three Children in Daniel and in Queen Maries dayes those go in Sheep-skins who might have gone in Silks c. Secondly Hee will obey God in relative Commands as well as absolute Sincerity doth not only lye in absolute Commands towards God but in relative Commands one towards another And where the heart is sincere hee will not only hear and pray and obey God but hee will walk in all duties of Righteousness and charity towards his Brother Hee is
a nobis accipiendo sed omnia nobis promittendâ— Aug. because he hath ingaged himself to us by many great and precious Promises Gods Promises are ingagements upon him God hath made himself our Debter Not by receiving any thing from us but by promising all things to us God hath made many precious promises to us 1 Promises of Preservation Isa 33.16 Hee shall dwell on high his place of defence shall bee the munition of rocks bread shall bee given to him his waters shall bee sure A Promise than which I know none more full in the Book of God wherein all Objections that a fearful heart might raise are answered and taken away Let us view it over 1 Hee shall dwell on high If hee were among his enemies hee might bee in danger But hee shall dwel on high nay on heights as the Word is many Ascents many Heights above the reach of danger out of Gun-shot 2 But suppose they could raise up Mounts and come as high as hee yet they shall not hurt him Hee is in a place of defence 3 But what then His defence is not so strong but it may bee broken thorough No saith the Text that is impossible for his place of defence shall bee the Munitions of Rocks many Rocks and many Munitions of Rocks and therefore impregnable to guard him 4 Why but hee may bee starved out his supply will not alway last There is no plowing and sowing upon Rocks hee may bee famisht out No saith the Text. Bread shall bee given him Hee shall bee provided for 5 But what shall wee do for Water There is no Water to be had out of Rocks You see it was that which posed the Faith of Moses to fetch Water out of a Rock But saith the Text hee shall have Water too 6 Yea but his Water may be spent It will not alway last No saith the Text His Waters shall be sure never failing Waters sure Waters Again in the same Chapter vers 21. The Lord will bee to us a place of broad Rivers and streams wherein shall go no Gallie with Oares nor shall gallant ship pass thereby Shewing the defence God would bee to his People Hee will bee a Stream nay a River between us and our enemies And a broad River a River that cannot bee passed over Why but they may use Oares No saith the Lord Hee will bee a River wherein no Gally with Oares shall pass But a Ship may No nor gallant ship shall pass thereby for the Lord is our Judge the Lord is our Law-giver the Lord is our King hee will save us But what if any ship should attempt You shall see vers 23. God will untackle them Thy tacklings are loosed they could not well strengthen their Mast they could not spread the saile 2. And as hee hath made promises of Preservation from So hee hath made promises of Deliverance out of trouble Psal 34.19 Many are the troubles of the Righteous but the Lord delivereth him out of them all So Psal 50.15 Call upon mee in the time of trouble I will deliver thee So Psal 91.15 I will bee with him in trouble and will deliver him So Isa 54.17 No weapon formed against thee shall prosper And an excellent promise wee have Isa 43.3 4. I gave Egypt for thy ransome Ethiopia and Seba for thee God speaks here as the Lord and Possessor of the whole Earth Egypt was his and Ethiopia was his and both these hee gave for to redeem his Church The Church was in bondage and captivity you know in Egypt And God gave Egypt for her ransome And how because shee could not bee ransomed and delivered without the loss of Egypt Therefore God gave Egypt for her That is hee would rather lose all the Land of Egypt than his people should not bee ransomed hee would sink the whole Kingdome of Egypt if it stood betwixt his People and Deliverance And so it follows in the 4. vers I have loved thee therefore will I give men for thee and people for thy life As if hee had said I love thee thou art more dear to mee than all the World and I do not stick to give the lives of thousands to uphold thine Multitudes shall bee destroyed rather than thou shalt not bee preserved I love thee and therefore I will give men for thee Thus you see God is ingaged to do wonderful things for his Church because of his Promise That love which hath moved him to make these precious promises to us will never give him rest till it hath caused him to make good those promises which hee hath made 3. A third loving Ingagement which causes God to do wonders for his People is because they trust in him Trust is a kinde of Ingagement upon a man although hee had made no promise A man will not deceive another who reposeth his whole trust in him though hee were not ingaged by Promise There is a kinde of Ingagement in Trust it self And shall wee then think that God will when hee hath made so many precious promises to us This were the greatest deceit in the World a Soul-deceit If God should call us off from all other succours from other shelters and tell us that if wee will trust in him hee will bee our succour our security And should God fail the soul this were an undoing-deceit the greatest deceit in the World No my Brethren there was never man who laid up his confidence in God but hee found God to bee that to him which hee expected Faith ingageth all the Power all the Wisdome all the Mercy and Truth of God to help us And if the Power Wisdome c. of God can do wonders for thee God will then do wonders for thee if thou beleeve in him Beleeve saith Christ and thou shalt see the wondrous works of God 4. A fourth Ingagement which causeth God to do wonders for his People is because they seeke him Hee doth not say to the seed of Jacob seek yee mee in vain Hee hath stiled himself The God hearing prayers and bids us call upon him in the day of trouble and hee will hear The Prayers of Gods People they are as so many Ingagements upon God to move him to do for them Faith and Prayer will set All-God awork It will set the Power Wisdome Mercy of God a work for you Faith and Prayer will remove Mountains Nothing shall bee too hard for that people to do whose hearts and spirits God holds up to beleeve and to pray Bee it to thee even as thou wilt Luther having been in his study and earnest with the Lord about the business of the Church receiving a gracious answer hee comes down and cryes Wee have overcome the day is ours And so it fell out saith the story For the Church prevailed There is a kinde of Omnipotency in Faith and Prayer because these two set the Omnipotent God and the Omnipotency of the Power of the Omnipotent God to work for us And I beleeve
success They said they would Pursue they would overtake they would divide the spoil their Lust should bee satisfied on them c. But God shews a Wonder and layes all their Pride and all their hopes in the dust what began in pride did end in shame It was the best speech that Ahab ever spake when Benhadad made such a vain boast that the dust of Samaria should not serve for handfuls of them who followed him Tell him saith Ahab Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as hee that putteth it off God shews a wonder and all is turned about 1 King 20.11 And forward Benhadad and his thirty two Kings who came to help him fled before the face of seven thousand of Israel as there you may read 7. Information This may inform us 7 Information What ingagements of duty and obedience do lye upon such a People for whom God shall do wonders 1 What ingagements of Love Love is the Loadstone to beget Love And God having exprest his love to us how should this ingage us to love him again 2. What ingagements of thankfulness Psal 111.4 Hee hath done his wonderfull works to be remembred As if hee had said This is the end I did these wondrous works for that you should remember them If you would not have remembred them I would not have done them It is the speech of Seneca This is the rule of good turns Haec est lex beneficiorum that the giver must soon forget hee gave but the receiver must never forget he hath received Indeed God hath done wonders for this Nation many wonders wherein hee hath exprest his Wisdome his Power his mercy his Justice And yet God hath forgotten he hath given he goes on as freely in mercy as if every mercy were the first mercy he hath bestowed But have not we forgotten that we have received if so God will Remember that he hath given God doth remember hee hath given when his People forget they have received As you see hee did to David I have done this and this and if that had been too little I would have given thee such and such things more so upbraiding him with his forgetfullnesse If you would not have God remember against you what he hath given do you then remember what you have received from God This will quicken you to thankfulness 8 Information 8. Information If God do wonders for his Church then let this discover unto us What ground and what incouragement there is for us at this time 1. To trust in God 2. To pray to him 3. To hope in him 4. To wait upon him that he would do wonders for us You have incouragements 1 From the experience of God he hath done wonders read the 78. Psalm and the 9th of Nehemiah and you shall see a little Chronicle of the great Wonders which God hath done for his Church and People And this is a mighty incouragement the experience of what God hath done for his People heretofore As wee may say of the Experience of Gods Judgements on the wicked Lege exemplum ne exemplum fias read the example lest thou thy self bee made an Example read the example of Sodom of Pharaoh of Jerusalem All these were set up to deter you from their sins As the judgements of God upon the wicked men are set down to deter us from sin so the mercyes and deliverances of the Church are recorded To incourage us to beleeve to trust in him in the like difficulties Can our condition bee sadder than Israels was at the Red-sea than Davids was than Jehoshaphats than the Churches in Hamans time And God did then deliver them that wee might be Incouraged to trust in him in the like straits and difficulties And as wee have incouragement from the experience of Gods wonderfull deliverance of others so we have incouragement from the wonderful deliverance of our selves Revolve in your thoughts those great deliverances in Eighty-Eight in the Powder-Treason and that late deliverance which swallows up all the rest when the Heavens were black the Clouds were gathered and threatned to come down in a storm of bloud when two Armies were in the field and ready to make our Land an Aceldema a field of bloud yet how wonderfully God did then step in to compose the differences and to settle a peace when there was nothing but expectations of war and ruine This our God hath done and besides this many fresh and later experiences of his goodnesse All which should now come in to incourage us to beleeve and trust in the same God to do great things for us Indeed wee ought to trust God though wee had never tryed him though wee had never experience from him But when hee helps our Faith by former experiences this should strengthen our confidence and make us to go unto God as to a tryed friend Were wee but well read in the story of our lives wee might have a Bible of our own drawn out of the experiences of Gods dealings with our selves and wee should bee able to say in any difficulty and distresse I dare trust God in this difficulty I dare venture on him in this present distresse I have tryed him and have found him true hee never failed mee And because hee hath been my help therefore under the shadow of his wings will I rejoyce as saith the Prophet 2. A second incouragement is From the Power of God 2. Incouragement Hee can do wonders Hee not only hath but hee can do wonders still The Arm of the Lord is not shortned that hee cannot save What hee hath done hee can do Hee is still as wise as powerful as faithful as merciful as ever hee was There is no shadow of change in him There is nothing above his skill nor above his power if not above your Faith to beleeve It is our sin only which hinders the current of Mercy that stops the stream of Mercy our unbeleef our neglect of duty our unthankfulness our pride c. Let us remove these and Mercy comes amain You have a full place for it Judg. 10.10 11 12 13 14 15 16 c. You see there that God had oftentimes delivered them hee had wrought many wonders for them as hee tells them there And they were now again in a new distresse and therefore cry to God But God tells them they had walked unworthy of former deliverances and therefore hee would deliver them no more whereupon they go and confesse their sins before God they humble themselves and reform their evil wayes And saith the Text His soul was then grieved for the misery of Israel God delivers them Well this may bee our condition God hath wrought many deliverances for us wee are now in new straits but wee have walked unworthy and our sins may stand as an obstacle to hinder Gods proceedings of mercy Let us now then humble our selves and reform and God will bee grieved for our misery as