neeedes be a greater sinne than the neglecting of that Now you see how strictly God layeth a charge upon them that no man should omit the Passeover unlesse sicknesse or a journey hindred him Now consider this you that have beene negligent in comming to this holy Sacrament for it is a great sinne and provokes God to anger when he shall see that this ordinance which himselfe hath instituted and which he hath laid such a charge upon you to doe is neglected Besides doe you thinke it is a sinne to neglect comming to the word and is it not as much to neglect this ordinance Besides doe we not neede all helpes of grace and is not this among the maine helpes Againe as you ought not to omit it so to come negligently to it to come without examination to come without a more solemne and extraordinary renewing of your repentance is to receive the Sacrament unworthily to eate and drinke judgement and damnation to your selves Now there are two sorts that receive the Sacrament unworthily First those that are not yet in Christ. Secondly those that are within the covenant but yet come remissely and negligently and take not that care they should in examining their hearts for though you ought to renew your repentance every day yet in a more especiall manner you ought to doe it upon such an occasion As women doe in scowring their vessells they make them cleane every day but yet there are some certaine times wherein they scowre them more so we should scoure our hearts in a more speciall manner upon this occasion Now because this is the businesse that wee haue to doe this day we will therefore handle that more fully that we touched lightly before which is this examination whether we love the Lord Iesus or no for if you love not the Lord Iesus you are not in him for whatsoever you doe availeth not if you haue not faith and love Therefore if you finde that you have not this love to Christ that you are not rooted and grounded in love you haue nothing to doe with Christ and if you have nothing to doe with him you have nothing to doe with the Sacrament And therefore we will shew you what properties of love we finde in the holy Scriptures This is one property of love set downe in 1 Cor. 13. Love is bountifull and seeketh not its owne things that is it is the nature of love to bestow readily and freely any thing a man hath to the party whom he loveth We see Ioseph that loved Benjamin as his love was more to him than to all the rest of his brethren so he gave him a greater portion than the rest It is the nature of love to be bountifull what a man loveth hee cares not what he parts with to obtaine it Herod cared not to have parted with halfe his kingdome to please that inordinate affection of his The Converts in the Apostles time how bountifull were they laying all their goods at the Apostles feete Zaccheus when hee was converted and his heart was inflamed with love to Christ he would give halfe his goods to the poore But in generall it is a thing that you all know that love is of a bountifull disposition If you would know then whether you have this love to the Lord Iesus or no consider whether you be ready to bestow any thing upon him whether you be ready to part with any thing for his sake David when hee abounded with love to the Lord you see how he expressed it in his provision for the Temple you see how he exceeded in it An hundred thousand shekels of golde and a thousand thousand talents of silver this saith he I have done according to my poverty As if he had said if I had beene able to doe more I would have done more but this was as much as I could reach unto herein hee shewed the greatnesse of his love to God in the greatnes of his bounty Take it in the love which we have one to another where a man loveth he denieth nothing Sampson when he loved the harlot he denied her nothing that she asked of him If you love the Lord Iesus examine your selves by this are you ready to bestow any thing for his advantage are you ready to take all opportunities to doe somewhat for his glory consider how many opportunities you have had and might have had wherein you might have expressed and manifested this love to the Lord Iesus Might you not have done much to the setting of a powerfull Minister here and there have you not had ability to doe it would it not much advantage the glory of Iesus Christ to make bridges as it were for men to goe to heaven by and to make the high way that leadeth thither A greater worke of mercy than these externall workes that appeare so glorious in the eyes of men to have blessed opportunities and not to use them because wee have straight hands and narrow hearts is a signe we want love to Christ. In the passages of your life there is many a case that if you were of a bountifull disposition you might doe much good in You know what Paul saith which was a great testimony of his love Acts 20.24 My life saith he is not deare unto me so I may doe any thing for Iesus Christ so I may fulfill the course of my Ministery So examine your selves whether you can say thus upon any occasion so that I may doe any good so that I may help forward any good cause that may tend to the glory of God my life is not deare unto mee my liberty is not deare my estate is not deare my friends are not deare to me You that have to doe in government many cases there are wherein if you will doe any speciall good you must part with something of your owne God lookes to you and sees what you doe and how your hearts stand affected in all these passages aske your selves now whether these things be not deare to you if there were love in you it will cause you to doe more than you doe It was Davids great wisedome when water was brought to him that was purchased at so deare a rate when so high a price was set upon it hee would not drinke it himselfe but powred it forth to the Lord and therein hee shewed the greatnesse of his love that he was willing to part with that which he so exceedingly longed for which was bought at such a rate The like he did when he bought the threshing floore of Araunah the Iebusite hee might have had it given him for nothing No saith he I will not offer to the Lord of that which cost me nothing As if hee had said I shall shew no love to the Lord then and if I shew no love to him what is my sacrifice worth For David knew well enough that God observed what hee did hee observed what it cost him The Lord observeth
actions that is they are likewise precious Therefore let no man say he hath faith and love and as good a heart as the best though his actions be not so good though he be not so strict in his carriage for it cannot be my brethren For first of all if a mans heart be good hee hath the spirit of God dwelling there now saith the Apostle 2 Tim 1.6 The spirit is not a spirit of feare or a spirit of weaknesse a spirit that onely makes attempts and is not able to bring things to passe but it is a spirit of power a spirit of a sound minde That is doe not thou pretend thou meanest well and desirest well and thinke it is sufficient but stirre up the gift that is in thee set thy selfe on worke doe the actions that belong to thee in thy place and doe not say I am not able to doe it for wee have not received a spirit that is weake but a spirit of power the same I may say to every Christian If ye be in Christ yee have the spirit which is a spirit of power So you have it likewise Gal. 5.25 If you live in the spirit walke in the spirit that is if you have so much of the spirit as to make you living men shew it by walking in the spirit by following the spirit by doing that which the spirit guides you to therefore it is impossible that a man should have a right minde but that his workes also will be good because grace is strong in 2 Tim. 2.1 And thou my sonne be strong in the grace received c. As if hee should say grace is a strong thing it strengthens every man that hath received it if thou professe thou hast received the grace of Christ to regenerate thee to change thee and to make thee a new creature let that appeare by shewing thy selfe strong in thy actions able and ready to doe every thing that belongs to thee in thy place Indeede flesh is weake so much flesh so much weaknesse for that is weake and fading and withering and mutable it is grasse and all the purposes of it and the desires of it are no better but the spirit is strong and grace is strong quite contrary to the flesh as the Prophet speakes Isa. 31.3 Yee are men and not Gods flesh and not spirit when he would shew their weaknesse as if weaknesse were a concomitant of the flesh and strength a concomitant of the spirit Therefore if you have the spirit of Christ in you there will be strength to goe through good workes not onely to intend them and purpose them and resolve on them but you will put those resolutions and purposes in execution Secondly it must needes be so because there is a chaine betweene good workes and the inward rectitude of the heart a chaine that cannot be disjoyned for ye shall finde that these three things alwayes goe together First as that indeede is the beginning of every mans renewing there must be a knowledge a man must be enlightened hee must be renewed in the spirit of his minde as the Apostle saith Now if the knowledge bee right if it bee a convicting knowledge a sanctifying knowledge a knowledge to purpose it will draw on affections it cannot chuse they are never separated you are never truly enlightened by Gods spirit but affections follow necessarily and then if the affections be right if knowledge draw on holy affections love and feare and desires c. affections are the immediate principles of actions there is no man that hath right affections but good workes will follow so that these three are never disjoyned sanctified knowledge draweth on holy affections and holy affections draw on good actions as yee have it in Matth. 13.5 Their hearts are waxed fat and their eares are dull of hearing and why you shall see the chaine there lest seeing with their eyes they should understand with their hearts and be converted and I should heale them Marke it if they should see with their eyes the Lord hath given them up to judge amisse of things that seeing they doe not see that is they see not to purpose they are not convinced they doe not judge for if they did see with their eyes that is if they did see indeede they would have understood with their hearts their affections would follow in their hearts and if they were set aright then they would be converted that is their lives would be turned to God and if these three were done he must needes heale them but saith God I am resolved not to heale them therefore they shall see as if they did not see for these will draw on one the other So I say if the heart were right if there were faith and love good workes would follow therefore let no man say hee hath grace hee hath love and faith except his life also be holy and good Lastly wheresoever there is faith and love there is a change of nature for you know that wheresoever they come faith that is effectuall and love that followeth from faith it makes a man a new creature they are the very things wherein a new ereature consists Now when a mans nature is changed it must needes be active for that which is naturall to a man he doth without unevennesse there is no inequality in his doing it he doth it constantly where there are naturall principles of actions the actions flow like water from a spring indeede where the nature of a man is not changed that is where there is onely good purposes and good desires and no alteration of nature there actions doe not come as water from a spring but as water from a pompe that is forced and extorted but where there is a change of nature there is no difficultie a man doth it with facility and with desire it is his meate and drinke to doe the will of God Therefore I say good workes will follow there will be the same degree of holinesse of rectitude in your lives in your actions as there is of grace as there is of faith and love in your hearts And this is enough to make the point plaine to you the maine businesse will be to make use of it and to apply it to your selves And first let us make this use of it not to content our selves with good meanings onely as it is the fashion of men to say my heart is as good as yours and my meaning is as good as yours though I be subject to infirmities though I cannot make such a shew though I cannot doe so much as others doe this is the common objection and though men say it not constantly yet they thinke it otherwise they would not content themselves in such a condition as they doe But I say deceive not your selves in this for my brethren you must know that you may have good purposes and good meanings we will not deny you that you may have these
THE BREAST-PLATE OF FAITH AND LOVE A Treatise Wherein the ground and exercise of FAITH and LOVE as they are set upon Christ their Object and as they are expressed in Good Workes is explained Delivered In 18. Sermons upon three severall Texts By the late faithfull and worthy Minister of Iesus Christ IOHN PRESTON Dr. in Divinity Chaplaine in ordinary to his Maiesty Master of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge and sometimes Preacher of Lincolnes Inne But let us who are of the day be sober putting on the breastplate of Faith and Love 1 Thes 5.8 What will it profit my Brethren if a man say he have faith and hath not workes Can faith save him Iames 2.14 LONDON Printed by W. I. for Nicolas Bourne and are to be solde at the South Entrance of the Royall Exchange 1630 ILLVSTRISSIMO NOBILISSIMOQVE VIRO ROBERTO COMITI WARVVICENCI IOHANNIS PRESTONI S. T. D. ET COLLEGII IMMANVELIS Q. MAGISTRI CVIVS TVTELAE DVM IN VIVIS ESSET PRIMOGENITVM SVVM IN DISCIPLINAM ET LITERIS EXPOLIENDVM TRADIDIT POSTHVMORVM TRACTATVVM PARTEM DE NATVRA FIDEI EIVSQVE EFFICACIA DEQVE AMORE ET OPERIBVS BONIS DEVOTISSIMI TAM AVTHORIS DVM VIVERET QVAM IPSORVM QVI SVPERSVNT OBSEQVII TESTIMONIVM M. D. D. D. RICHARDVS SIBS IOHANNES DAVENPORT To the Christian Reader Christian Reader INnumerable are the sleights of Satan to hinder a Christian in his course towards Heaven by exciting the corruption of his own heart to disturbe him when he is about to doe any good or by discouraging him with inward terrours when he would solace himselfe with heavenly comforts or by disheartening him under the feares of sufferings when hee should be resolute in a good cause A type whereof were the Israelites whose servitude was redoubled when they turned themselves to forsake Aegypt Wherefore we have much neede of Christian fortitude according to that direction Watch ye stand fast quit your selves like men especially since Satan like a Serpentine Crocodile pursued is by resistance put to flight But as in warres which the Philistines knew well in putting their hope in Goliah the chiefe strength of the Souldiers lyeth in their Captaine so in spirituall conflicts all a Christians strength is in Christ and from him For before our conversion we were of no strength since our conversion we are not sufficient of our selves to think a good thought And to worke out from the Saints all selfe-confidence God by their falls teacheth them To rejoyce in the Lord Iesus and to have no confidence in the flesh Whatsoever Christ hath for us is made ours by Faith which is the hand of the soule enriching it by receiving Christ who is the treasure hid in the field and with him those unsearchable riches of grace which are revealed and offered in the Gospell Yea it is part of our spirituall armour That which was fabulously spoken of the race of Gyants is truly said of a Christian hee is borne with his armour upon him as soone as hee is regenerate hee is armed It s called a Breast-plate because it preserves the heart a long large shield as the word signifieth which is usefull to defend the whole man from all sorts of assaults Which part of spirituall armor and how it is to be managed is declared in the former part of the ensuing Treatise in ten Sermons Now as all rivers returne into the sea whence they came so the beleeving soule having received all from Christ returneth all to Christ. For thus the beleever reasoneth Was Gods undeserved unexpected love such to me that he spared not his onely begotten Sonne but gave him to die for mee It s but aequall that I should live to him die for him bring in my strength time gifts liberty all that I have all that I am in his service to his glory That affection whence these resolutions arise is called Love which so inclineth the soule that it moveth in a direct line towards that obiect wherein it expecteth contentment The soule is miserably deluded in pursuing the winde and in taking ayme at a flying fowle whilest it seekes happinesse in any creature which appeares in the restlesnesse of those irregular agitations and endlesse motions of the mindes of ambitious voluptuous and covetous persons whose frame of spirit is like the lower part of the elementary region the seate of windes tempests and earthquakes full of unquietnesse whilest the beleevers soule like that part towards heaven which is alwayes peaceable and still enioyeth true rest and ioy And indeed the perfection of our spirits cannot be but in union with the chiefe of spirits which communicateth his goodnesse to the creature according to its capacity This affection of Love as it reflecteth upon Christ being a fruit and effect of his love to us apprehended by faith is the subiect of the second part of the following Treatise in 7. Sermons The iudicious Authour out of a piercing insight into the methods of the Tempter knowing upon what rockes the faith of many suffers shipwracke that neither the weak Christian might lose the comfort of his faith through want of evidences nor the presumptuous rest upon a fancy in stead of faith nor the adversaries be emboldened to cast upon us by reason of this doctrine of Iustification by faith onely their wonted nicknames of Soli-fidians and Nulli-fidians throughout the whole Treatise and more especially in the last Sermon he discourseth of good Workes as they arise from faith and love This is the summe of the faithfull and fruitfull labours of this Reverend learned and godly Minister of the Gospell who whilest he lived was an example of the life of faith and love and of good workes to so many as were acquainted with his aequall and even walking in the wayes of God in the severall turnings and occasions of his life But it will be too much iniury to the godly Reader to be detained longer in the porch Wee now dismisse thee to the reading of this profitable worke beseeching God to increase faith and to perfect love in thy heart that thou maist be fruitfull in good workes Thine in our Lord Iesus Christ RICHARD SIBS IOHN DAVENPORT OF FAITH The first Sermon ROM 1.17 For by it the righteousnesse of God is reuealed from Faith to Faith As it is written The iust shall liue by Faith IN the words I haue read vnto you Paul tels them that he is not ashamed of the Gospell of CHRIST For it was a shame to him partly because the very substance of the Gospell was then persecution and partly because he was plaine in speech hee came not with excellency of words or mans wisedome and therefore you may obserue what adoe he had to defend himselfe in his Epistles to the Corinthians a wise people who partly hated and partly despised his manner of deliuery but saith hee I am not ashamed of it for it is the power of God to saluation it is that which being receiued will bring men to heauen being rejected
therein this efficacie lyeth when the heart is knit to him as the soule of Ionathan was to Dauid and when CHRIST shall be knit to vs againe that we shall be content to leaue Father and Mother and to become one spirit with him as it is Eph. 5.23 It is a similitude expressing the vnion betwixt Christ and the Church A man shall forsake Father and Mother and shall cleaue to his Wife The word in the Originall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth to glew if there bee any conjunction that is neerer then other it is signified in that word there is not a word in all the Greeke Language that signifieth a neerer conjunction then the word there vsed for cleauing or glewing When a man shall forsake all euen Father and Mother the dearest things in the world and shall cleaue to Christ it is a repetition of what is said Gen. 2.24 concerning Adam and Eue when faith hath done this worke it is an effectuall faith But yet adde this againe a man may take Christ and seeme to draw neere to him when it may be it is done out of feare it may bee out of loue to his and not out of loue to him it may be done out of mis-information and mistake but when wee draw neere to GOD and doe it out of loue put these two together that we so take Christ as that there is an vnion made betweene vs and him and when it is done out of loue as that condition is put in in 1 Tim 1.5 The end of the Commandement is loue out of a pure heart and a good conscience and faith vnfeigned As if hee should say There is a double kinde of faith a false faith and a faith that is not hypocriticall that is the word vsed in the Originall Now saith hee the end of the Commandement is loue c. That is all that God lookes for is such a loue as comes from a faith that is vnfeigned that is not counterfeit Herein is faith seene not to be counterfeit if it beget loue and out of that loue we cleaue to Christ. So that this is the third thing that makes faith effectuall Fourthly faith is then said to be effectuall when it hath not onely done all this when there is not onely a good preparation made for it when it is well built in the vnderstanding and when the will hath thus taken Christ but there must bee a further act and that is the turning of the whole soule and a seconding of it in our whole liues practice a seconding of it in our executions and doing the things that Christ commands as in Gal. 5. In Christ Iesus neither circumcision availeth any thing nor vncircumcision but faith that worketh by loue Such a faith as workes that is effectuall faith As if he should haue said Many will be ready to beleeue in CHRIST but will doe nothing for him they will not worke Now working is in doing or in suffering for in suffering there is a worke as well as in doing onely it is a worke with more difficulty a worke with more impediments Againe if they will doe any thing for Christ it is not out of loue but for other respects perhaps out of some flash or good moode or some other respects out to doe it as being rooted grounded in loue if faith haue this worke it is effectuall faith and therfore when faith hath once taken Christ it must shoot it selfe into all the affections for when they are all set on worke endeuour will follow If the will bee so set on worke indeed the rest will follow after it Loue will follow Desire after Christ will follow Feare to offend him will follow Repētance and turning from Satan will follow bringing forth fruits worthy amendment of life and obedience c. will follow Therefore you shall finde that the promises are made promiscuously sometimes to one thing sometimes to another sometimes he that repenteth shall be saued sometimes he that beleeueth shall be saued somtimes he that obeyeth shall be saued you shall finde them promiscuously because that when faith is effectuall it hath all these with it it purifieth the heart and bringeth forth fruit worthy amendment of life Therefore this must be added to shew the efficacie of faith and if this be wanting faith is not effectuall not that it can be disjoyned from the other but that it is that wherein it consisteth with the rest And therefore it is GODS vsuall manner when men seeme to take CHRIST and to beleeue in him he puts them to the tryall to see what they will doe whether their faith will worke or no. Thus he did with Abraham when hee would proue him hee was a faithfull man before God had experience of him before but yet he would proue Abraham by offering his sonne and when he saw he did it he concluded that he had faith indeede it was a strong faith for it endured the tryall I say GOD will put men to it So likewise those in Ioh. 12.42 Many of the chiefe Rulers beleeued in him but they durst not confesse him for feare of the Iewes lest they should be cast out of the Synagogue There was a faith in them a taking of Christ but when it came to the tryall it held not out they durst not confesse him because they feared to bee cast out of the Synagogue that is when they came to suffer a little for Christs sake when they came to such an action as confessing his Name when they came to endure but such a thing as to bee cast out of the Synagogue they forsooke him which shewed that their beliefe was ineffectuall So that let a man seeme to haue all the other three yet when the praise of men shall come in competition with any command of GOD when God shall put him to doe any thing to part with any thing that is deare to him as he did Abraham if his faith worke not if his faith hold not out in the tryall but start aside like a broken Bow it is not effectuall faith So you see the things wherein the efficacie of faith consisteth First in the soundnesse of the preparation Secondly when the mind apprehends the promises and sees good ground to pitch vpon them Thirdly when the will so takes Christ as to bring Christ into the heart so that Christ liues in vs and that out of loue And fourthly when faith worketh and that in the time of tryall when God shall put vs to it I say when you finde these foure things you may conclude that your faith is effectuall The last thing I propounded is to shew how this is wrought how our faith is made effectuall It is made effectuall by the Spirit of God it is not in our owne power we are not able to beleeue nay wee are so farre from it that wee striue against it the spirit in vs resists it so that if GOD
vs and are visibly seene Therefore except thou loue the Saints which thou seest holinesse in except thou seest thy heart inwardly to loue them with a naturall affection as it were that thou louest them whether thou wilt or no thou doest but pretend Againe Doest thou loue CHRIST Art thou willing to part with any thing for his sake Loue is bountifull Thou sayest thou louest GOD What if he will haue some of thy wealth What if he will haue thy credit What if he will haue thy liberty for his sake If thou loue him thou wilt be content to doe it Therefore consider if faith haue begotten such a loue in thee so that thou canst truly say though thou hast not seene him yet thou louest him The second concomitant of Faith is Hope If thou hast Faith thou hast Hope And this distinguisheth a Christians faith from the faith of Reprobates from the faith of Deuils from the temporary faith that others are capable of you know the Deuils beleeue and tremble He saith not The Deuils beleeue and hope for that they doe not Hope is a property of Faith where there is Faith there is Hope Now you must know that a man hath neuer faith to beleeue but hee hath hope which makes him expect what he beleeues If a man haue a promise of so much money which he needes he hopes for the performance of it and quiets himselfe when he casts his thoughts vpon it hee is at rest when a man beleeues it hee hopes for it Take an Heyre that hath such possessions which is yet a Ward and is yong he hath not the Land in possession but marke what hope he hath it is not a vaine hope but such a hope as puts other conceits in him then other men haue puts another fashion vpon his actions it makes him neglect many good things he would doe he will not be of such a calling he will not be diligent for hee hopes he makes account of it See how such things worke vpon a man which he is not to haue in 7 or 8 yeeres after perhaps So thou hopest for Heauen it is not a vaine hope but it is a hope that will maâ—e thee carry thy selfe after another fashion it will make thee so minded that thou wilt haue an eye to it and euery man that lookes on â—hee may see that thou hast an eye to it So that faith is accompanied by Hope But now you must not say that if a man hope therefore there is no feare mingled with it for you must know that a man may haue Hope that is true and good and yet may haue feare mingled with it For this you must know that if there be nothing but hope it is a signe that that Hope is not good And therefore thou hast so little reason to be discouraged because thou hast some feare mingled with thy hope that thou hast the more cause to hope and to thinke that thy hope is good because there is feare mingled with it for know that there is a certaine sort of men that haue neither faith hope nor feare as Atheists that haue some hope but no feare as Deuils and desperate men that haue some feare but no hope as presumptuous men which haue but a shaddow of faith But those that haue hope and feare mingled with it that is those may rather hope that that hope which they haue they may be so much the more confirmed in it because they haue some feare mingled with it Therefore consider whether thou haue hope or no Consider in what manner it is joyned with faith When thou beleeuest that CHRIST is thine that Heauen is thine that thy sinnes are forgiuen and that thou art a sonne of GOD but these things thou hast not yet thou art as any other man there is no difference betweene thee and them thou hast no more in possession then other men that walke with thee now comes in Hope and that expecteth that which is to come that holds vp thy head as it were that though you haue nothing at all for the present yet that Hope will comfort you that though you haue troubles and crosses and a thousand things more to obscure and blot your faith and the waues goe ouer your head that you are ready to be drowned this hope holds you aboue the water and makes you expect with comfort that which is to come and not so onely but I say it is a liuely hope a hope that sets a man aworke a hope that purgeth him For you know that that a man hopes for he will endeuour to bring it to passe it is such a hope as will not faile you but will continue as well as Faith it selfe Thirdly the third concomitant of Faith is Joy Romanes 15.13 The GOD of hope fill you with joy through beleeuing If you haue beleeued you haue Joy So in the first of Peter chap. 1. vers 8. In whom you haue beleeued saith hee Whom though you haue not seene yet you beleeue in him and ioy with ioy vnspeakable and glorious As if hee should say If you beleeue in him you shall know it by this Whether doe you reioyce in him or no Consider that where there is Faith there is Joy And it must needes be so As you know he that had the Pearle went away reioycing and the Kingdome of GOD consisteth in Joy and Peace and Righteousnesse And therefore where there is Faith there certainely is Joy And therefore consider and examine thine owne case Hast thou this reioycing in CHRIST this reioycing in the Doctrine of Justification and forgiuenesse of sins If we should examine mens faith by this we should finde that there is but a little Faith in the World Examine your selues you that now heare mee that heare this Doctrine of Faith it may bee it hath been burthensome vnto you it may be it is a thing you care not for To heare of Iustification and forgiuenesse of sinnes they are things at the least that it may be you take no great paines for you doe not study them you doe not prize them much but if you were forgiuen indeed you would prefer it before all other ioy it would comfort you aboue any thing If you would say what you would heare aboue all things else you would heare of matter of forgiuenesse A man now that hath knowne the bitternesse of sinne and afterwards comes to the assurance of forgiuenesse that is to haue Faith indeed I say he will reioyce in it aboue all things else all worldly ioy would be nothing to it Therefore consider whether thou haue such a Faith or no if thou haue not certainely thou hast not Faith and it is a sure signe that will not deceiue you There is no man that hath it that hath not Faith and wheresoeuer there is Faith indeede there is extraordinary great reioycing in CHRIST But you will say Many a man may haue Ioy the second ground receiued the Word with
his scholler that is every way towardly so the father loves his sonne as one in whom hee is well pleased Fourthly there is a love of friendshippe that goes beyond this love of complacency because in the love of friendship there is a reciprocation of affections when a man both loves and is beloved againe So a man loves his friend and is loved againe by his friend Lastly there is a loue of dependance when one loues one upon whom all his good depends so we are said to loue God wee loue him as one upon whom all our good and happinesse all our comfort and hope depends Now as you shall see after with these three last loues we are said to loue the Lord wee loue him with the loue of complacence because he is a full adequate object to the soule we loue him with a loue of friendship because there is a mutuall loue he loues us and we loue him as the spouse saith My Beloved is mine and I am his Againe we loue him with a love of dependance for we hang and rely upon him for all our happinesse and comfort Now this loue wherewith we loue any object that is sutable to us it hath degrees and that loue is stronger as the object of that loue is more adequate and full Againe as it is more free from mixture for all things that we loue in this world we know there is some mixture of evill in them and therefore our loue is lesse Againe as the thing we loue is more high and supernaturall as wee hang and depend upon it more so we loue it more and these you shall finde in God Now lay these generall principles and we will make use of it afterwards Onely this obserue more before I passe frō the general description of it That there is a naturall loue that God hath placed in the heart of every man and that loue wherewith every man loues himselfe such a loue as every man hath to his children such a loue as wherewith a man loues his wealth or any thing by nature that is good to him Now this naturall loue hath two other loues hanging on both sides of it One is a vicious and sinfull loue that carries it the wrong way to loue sinfull things The second is a spirituall loue which sets limits to this naturall loue that sets bankes as it were to the streame of naturall affection that suffers it not to runne over and not so onely but gives a higher rise to this naturall loue and pitcheth it on higher ends it elevates naturall loue and makes it an holy loue So that all naturall loue is to be subordinate to this otherwise it is not good for naturall loue is but given us to help us to goe that way that spirituall loue should carry us even as the winde helpes the ship whereas otherwise it should haue beene driven with oares And therefore the Lord to helpe us to loue our selues and to loue our children and to loue those things that are sutable and convenient to us hee hath in mercie and for a helpe to us put a naturall affection into our hearts which yet is to be guided by spirituall loue that we are now to speake of So the next thing is to shew what is this spirituall loue this loue of God this loue of Christ Iesus And first we will shew how it is wrought and withall what it is For you must know that every man by nature hates God by reason of that opposition and contrariety which is betweene God and every man by nature for all loue comes from similitude and agreeablenesse And therefore where there are two of a contrary disposition there must needs be hatred Now the pure nature of God is contrary to us and therefore every man by nature hates God And therefore that love may be wrought in the heart of man towards God this sinfull nature of ours must bee broken in peeces and subdued And againe it must be new molded and framed before that can ever be fit to loue God Therefore if you would know how this loue of God is wrought in us it is done by these two things First by breaking our nature in peeces as it were that is by humiliation and by the law Againe by moulding it anew which is done by faith and by the Gospell For when we come and propound Christ to men to be taken and to be received and loved by them what is the answer wee have from them Most men either minde him not or regard not at all this invitation to come to Christ but they deale with us as those that were invited to the marriage saith the Text they made light of it they cared not for the invitation it was a thing they looked not after or againe if they doe yet they minde them uot enough because they doe not prize Christ enough Therefore the first thing the Lord doth to prepare mens hearts to loue him is to send the law to humble them to discover to men what neede they are in to make an impression on their hearts of that bond of damnation that they are subject unto when the law is broken that mens eyes may be opened to see their sins then a man begins to looke toward Christ to looke on him as the captiue lookes on his Redeemer as a condemned man lookes on him that brings him a pardon as a widdow that is miserable and poore indebted and undone lookes upon her husband that will make her rich and honourable that will pay all her debts I say when a mans heart is thus humbled and broken by the law by sound humiliation then he begins to looke towards Iesus Christ. But I say men doe faile partly that they haue no sense of their sinnes or else they haue a sense of their sinnes but not enough to bring them home to Christ for that was the fault of the second and third ground there was impression made in them that they prized Christ but there was not so deepe a preparation as to loue Christ indeede so as to preferre him aboue all things so as to cleaue to him so as they will let him goe for nothing And therefore this is required that our natures be broken all in peeces that is that the humiliation be deepe enough not a little light impression a little hanging down of the head a little sense of sinne but so farre as it may be to purpose that he lookes to Christ as to the greatest good in the world that he will rather undergoe any thing than misse of him that hee will rather part with all his pleasure than hee will goe without him That is the first thing that must be done to prepare our hearts for this loue our hearts must be humbled by the law Now when this is done they must be made up againe as I tolde you they must be moulded anew and that is done by the Gospell and by faith For when the heart is
of love And therefore the Lord doth with us as we doe with men when men have false hearts we see they love us not we say they doe but complement So the Lord Iesus doth This should helpe us to discover our selves there is no way to discover hypocrisie none so sure a signe of it as where love is not And therefore learne by this to know your selves and to judge of your condition It may be when we confesse our sinnes wee have not thought of this that we love not Christ or at the least we have not considered what a sinne it is but you may know what a sinne it is by the punishment of it 1 Cor. 16.22 Let him be accursed that loves not the Lord Iesus You may know the greatnesse of the sinne by the greatnesse of the punishment for the punishment is the measure of the sinne and marke it he doth not say if you beleeve not in the Lord Iesus or if you doe nor obey him but if you love not the Lord Iesus That is if there be an omission but of this one thing that you love not let such a man be accursed yea let him be had in execration to the death Therefore consider this how great a sinne it is not to love the Lord. And when you consider your sinnes and make a catalogue of them looke on this as that which discovers to us the vilenesse of our natures as Paul saith of lust I knew not that it was sinne but by the law but when sinne began to live he died So I may say of this it may be men take not this into consideration this sinne that they have not loved the Lord and therefore learne to know it When we consider this that he is accursed who loves not Christ it may open a crevise of light unto us to see what condition wee are in how cursed our nature is how hainous this sinne is when a man sees that there is a cursed man a man whom the Lord sets himselfe against a man whom the Lord is an enemie to whom he puts all the strength and power he hath to confound when hee sees there is a man whom the Gospell curseth which is more terrible than the Law because the curse of the Law may be repealed there is a remedie for that in the Gospell But the Gospell if that curse a man there is no remedie This should humble us for the Gospell should humble us as well as the Law And there are sinnes against the Gospell as well as against the Law and whatsoever is sinne should humble us yea the sinnes against the Gospell are greater than the sinnes against the Law And therefore in this sense the Gospell is fitter to humble us Now when a man comes to consider his sinne it may be possibly he lookes to sinnes especially against the morall Law but you must learne to doe more than that Begin to thinke Have I received the Lord Iesus Have I beleeved in Christ These are great sins against the Gospell and these sinnes should chiefly humble us If you thinke I presse this too hard consider the words of the Apostle I named Let him be accursed that loves not the Lord Iesus Let these words be sounding in your eares compare your hearts to them sometimes cast your eye on the one and sometimes on the other and see if it be not absolutely required to love the Lord. And againe reflect on your hearts and see if you be in the number of those that doe love him And take heede herein that you deceive not your selves for it is the manner when we presse the love of Christ upon them they are ready to say I hope I love the Lord I hope I am not such a miscreant as not to love him yea but consider whether thou doe or no it is true thou maist deceive me or another man when thou professest love to God but in this thou canst not deceive thy selfe for a man knowes what he loves love is a very sensible and quick affection When a man loves any thing when hee loves his wife loves his friend loves his sonne loves his sport his recreation he knowes he loves it he hath the sense of that love in himselfe Therefore consider with thy selfe whether thou hast any such stirring affection towards the Lord Iesus or no doest thou feele thy heart so possessed with him art thou sicke of love as the Spouse saith in the Canticles I am sicke of love That is are you grieved when he is absent are you glad when you have him when you can get into his presence for there is a kinde of painfulnesse in love and all painfulnesse is of a quicke sense When it is said the Church was sicke of love sicknesse is painfull And therefore when you want the Lord when there is a distance betweene him and you when he doth not looke on you as he was wont there will be painfulnesse in it and griefe Againe there will be much joy and gladnesse when you have him Therefore let it be one way to examine your selves if you feele such a love towards him or no. Besides that let mee aske thee if thou walke with the Lord if thou converse with him if thou be perfect in his presence if thou doe as Enoch did walke with the Lord from day to day as it is an argument of an evill man that he walkes not with the Lord that he restraines prayer from the Almighty that is that he doth not converse with him So is it a great argument of love to desire Gods company to desire to be with him to walke with God to use that phrase You will say What is that to walke with him To walke with him is to observe the Lords dealing with you and to observe your carriage and dealing to him againe that there may be continuall commerce and intercourse every day that continually every houre every moment you would consider and thinke what the Lord doth to you what his carriage is to you what passages of his providence concerne you Againe consider what you doe to him what carriage there is betweene you I say this conversing is an argument of love Shâ—ll a wife professe love to her husband and ne-never come where he is never be within dores and never be in his companie So will you say you love Christ and not be frequent in prayer or neglect and slight that duty seldome converse with him and seldome speake of him When you love your friend you are with him as much as you can you love to speake with him and to speake of him So it is with the Lord if you love him certainly you will love his company you will love his presence Besides if you love the Lord you know love is a diligent thing and therefore it is called dâ—ligent love 1 Thess. 1.4 Effectuall faith and diligent love that is when a man loves a thing he is diligent
in sacrifice you shall give your owne bodies to be burned you shall be my slaves who could have said any thing to that for he is the Lord the great God our soveraigne Creatour But now when the Lord comes and askes no more at our hands but this you shall love mee will you deny it him This is effectually urged in the same Chapter Deut. 10.14 where Moses marke the manner of urging it had described to them what the Lord had done for them that hee had brought them into that good land c. And now saith he what doth the Lord require of thee for all this but onely this that thou love the Lord thy God As if hee should say the Lord might aske much more at thy hands if he had thou hadst no reason to deny it but all that hee requires is that thou love him and wilt thou denie this unto him Besides consider who it is that hath planted this loue in the heart is it not the Lord that giues thee this very affection And when he calls for this love againe at thy hands doth hee call for more than his owne Shall hee not gather the grapes of his owne Vineyard and shall he not eate the fruite of his owne Orchard Hath not hee planted in us these affections and ought they not to be returned to him to serve him and to pitch on him Besides consider you are engaged to love the Lord and that should be a great motive to us in Iosh. 24.12 You are witnesses that you have chosen the Lord this day to serve him And they said we are witnesses that is Iosuahs speach to the people As if hee should say to them you are not now to choose you are now engaged you cannot goe backe you have professed you have chosen the Lord to serve him therefore you are witnesses against your selves So I may say to every man that heares mee you are engaged to love the Lord Why Because you have chosen him for your husband you are baptized in his name you have taken him for your Master and for your Father therefore he may challenge it at your hands as right for he is your Father and where is his honour then He is your Master and where is his feare then That is you are engaged he may challenge it justly you are his hee hath bought you yea he hath overbought you hee hath paid a price more worth than we hee hath bought us with his blood And what hath hee bought us for but to be his that is to love him Therefore when we love him not wee robbe God of our selves we doe an unnaturall thing it is treachery and injustice in us As you know it is one thing in a woman that is free from an husband to neglect a man that is a friend but when she hath engaged her selfe and the match is made now it is adultery So every one of us that loves not the Lord sinnes the more because he is engaged to him Deut. 32.13 Thou forsookest the strong God of thy salvation thou forsakest him to whom thou art engaged he is the strong God of thy salvation he hath done thus and thus for thee Therefore consider this for seeing you have such an affection as love is you must bestow it somewhere somewhat you must love and you must know againe it is the best thing you have to bestow for that commands all in you and where will you bestow it Can you finde any creature upon whom to bestow it rather than the Lord Will you bestow it upon any man The Lord exceedes them as David saith Who among the gods is like thee That is take the most excellent among them that therefore are reckoned as gods yet who among them is like unto thee or whom will you bestow your love upon your wealth or your pleasures or your phantasies You must thinke the Lord will take this exceeding evill at your hands that you should bestow this affection elsewhere than on him whom you are engaged unto to whom you are bound so much who hath done so much for you But that which moves us most is particulars if a man consider what the Lord hath done for him in particular remember what passage hath beene betweene the Lord and you from the beginning of your youth Ier. 2. Neither said they where is the Lord that brought you out of the land of Egypt through the wildernesse I remember thee from the land of Egypt c. That is let a man consider Gods particular dealing with him for when the Lord would stirre up David and melt his heart and bring it to a kindly sorrow for his sinnes he takes that course 2 Sam. 12.7 it is Nathans speech to him saith he Did not the Lord doe thus and thus Did hee not make thee King of Iudah and Israel Did not he give thy Masters wives and thy Masters houses into thy bosome And if that had not been enough he would have done thus and thus So let every man recount the particular kindnesses and mercies he hath received from the Lord and when we consider that it is he that doth all that it is he that feedes us that it is he that clothes us we have not a nights sleepe but he gives it to us we have not a blessing but it is from his hand there is not a judgement that wee escape but it is through his providence I say the consideration of these particulars should be as so many sparkes to breede in us a flame of love towards the Lord to thinke with your selves when you have done all how unreasonable a thing it is how unequall a thing that you should forget this God that you should never thinke on him that you should not love him hee that hath done thus much for you And last of all consider that the Lord loves you for that is the greatest motive to winne us to love him for as fire begets fire so love begets love This was the cause that Paul loved the Lord Gal. 2.20 He that loved mee and gaue himselfe for me saith he I will not live any more to my selfe but to him he hath loved me and gave himselfe for me he hath loved me and there was that testimony of his love hee gave himselfe I say consider this love of the Lord and let this beget in you a reciprocall affection towards him Put all together and consider the Lord is worthy to be beloved that he that is so great sues to you for your love that he that is God that planted that love in your hearts and therefore hee doth but call for his owne that hee that hath done you so many kindnesses that you are so engaged to him that you are now bound unto you are not now to chuse at the least come to this to say hee is worthy to be beloved bring your hearts to this to desire to love him You will say we may
wilt look upon other things as things that thou regardest not much thou wilt grieve for them as if thou grievedst not and rejoyce as if thou rejoycedst not thou wilt use the world as if thou usedst it not thy heart will be taken up about Christ and about the things that belong to the kingdome of God thy intentions will be set upon the things that belong to the service of God and thy owne salvation This is a thing by which you may plainly discerne the truth of your love examine therefore what it is upon which you bestow the maine and the top of your intentions Indeed my brethren the greatest things that the world hath are not worthy of the toppe and strength of our affections for they are but trifles Therefore if you love the Lord Iesus if you prize him aright and be righâ—ly affected towards him you will esteeme nothing great but the enjoying of his favour and nothing of worse consequent than the losse of it nothing will be of any great moment to you but onely sinne and grace sinne that displeaseth him and grace that brings you into favour with him as for other things you will looke upon them as trifles you will not put the strength of your mindes to any thing else this is the nature of love it is vehement toward the thing that it loveth Moreover it hath also this property of fire that it is still aspiring it is still enlarging it selfe still growing on assimulating and turning every thing into its owne nature it is overcomming and is not ready to be overcome Which propertie of fire is noted in that place I spake of in the morning Much water cannot quench it it is as strong as death Now death you know overcomes all so will love it will breake through all impediments Consider whether you finde this disposition in your selves that your hearts are still drawing nearer and nearer the Lord that they are still aspiring up towards heaven that you are still going onward and thriving in the worke of grace But that which of all other things will manifest most to us this affection of love it is those affections which depend on it you shall know it I say by the affections that hang upon it It is true that all the affections depend upon love but for this time I will instance but in two namely Anger and Feare Looke whatsoever it is that a man loveth where he findes any impediment in the prosecution of it hee is angry hee desires with as much earnestnesse to remoove that impediment as hee loves the thing Take any man even of the mildest disposition if in any thing that hee loveth much and intendeth much there be an intercurrent impediment that shall interrupt him he is angry though otherwise he be of a most meeke disposition For anger is but earnestnesse to remove the thing out of the way that hinders us whatsoever a man loveth hee is angry with the impediments that hinder him in it Come now and examine your love to the Lord by your anger that anger that proceedes from love to the Lord we call zeale will you professe that you love the Lord and yet your hearts are not moved when he is dishonoured Thinke with thy selfe when thou art wronged in thy name or some body miscalleth thee misreports of thee and prosecutes thee with evill speeches and revilings is not thy wrath kindled in thee against such a one Well if thou love the Lord Iesus as thy selfe as thou oughtest to love him above thy selfe why are not thy affections stirred in thee when thou hearest him dishonoured when thou knowest that his Name is ill spoken of If a man should take from thee thy wealth or any thing that is deare to thee if a man should come and violate thee with ill tearmes thou wouldest be angry with him and be ready to flie in the face of such an one If you be thus affected to the Lord and to his glory why doe you not doe the like for him You know David did the same Mine eyes gush out saith he with rivers of water because men keepe not thy Law Therefore know that if you finde not your hearts affected with the things that belong to God that there is no anger stirred up it is a sure argument that you love him not It is observable that is said of olde Ely 1 Sam. 4.3 when newes was brought him that the Israelites were fled that moved him not so much when it was tolde him morever that there was a great slaughter among the people that stirred him not neither when it was tolde him yet that his two sonnes Hophni and Phineas were slaine yet this did not so much affect him but when it was tolde him that the Arke of the Lord was taken the text noteth something more than ordinary that hee was so stirred with it that he fell from his seate it cost him his life Can you find this affection in your selves that you are not moved with the death of childreÌ„ so much or for the losse of your goods or for your owne particular discontents as when you shall heare that the glory is departed from Israel that religion suffers any eclipse in any place that the Gospell of Iesus Christ is hindred This is a thing that will try your love to the Lord. If you finde that you can heare of the desolation of the Churches and of the increase and growing of Poperie and yet you doe not take it to heart to be affected with it you doe not grieve for it it is a signe that you want love to the Lord. You know what is noted of them in Ierem. 36.24 when the King had done an abominable action that hee had cut the roll insunder that Ieremiah gave him and cast it into the fire that was upon the hearth before him it is sayd that those that were about him did not rent their clothes nor petition to him c. As if hee should say in this they discovered a wonderfull want of love to the Lord and to his cause that they were not moved with this dishonour that was offered to God and to his servant and to the cause of Religion at that time You know what disposition Paul had in this case Act. 17. He observed that the place where he was was given to Idolatry the text saith His spirit was stirred in him his zeale and his anger was kindled in his breast Therefore consider what your affections to the Lord are by this holy anger that is in you Moses you know was the meekest man vpon the earth and yet you know how he was mooved how his zeale was kindled in his breast when he saw the idolatry of the people In the next place consider your feare For if you love the Lord it will cause you to feare and tremble at his word and at his judgements for whom a man loves much he regards much and when a man regards
put off but are importunate til they have obtained reciprocal affections of the party beloved I say if thou finde this disposition in thy heart it is the greatest consolation that thou canst have in this world for if this be thy case thou maist boldly looke that the gates of hell shall not prevaile against thee and if thou love the Lord in this manner heaven and earth shall passe rather than thy salvation shall be hindred it is impossible because then thou hast a good ground of hope and hope will make thee not ashamed but be assured that God is thine and all that hee can doe and all that is his is thine as Paul tells us his power and his wisdome and all is thine He is a Sunne and a shield to thee thou shalt want nothing that is good nothing that is evill shall hurt thee the Lord brings all with him this is your case if that you doe love him this is your consolation this is that which may inflame your hearts with a desire of this affection For know this that there is scarcely any thing else that we can instance in but an hypocrite may goe cheeke by jowle with a good Christian in that he may doe all outward duties he may abstaine from sinnes there may be a great change in him you know how farre the third ground went and those Heb. 6. but this they cannot counterfeit to love the Lord. Therefore if thou finde that thou love the Lord thou hast this consolation that thou art now sure and indeede thou art never till then sure And as reason differenceth a man from a beast so love makes the great difference betweene a Christian and an other Indeede we say it is faith but you know that faith is differenced by love that is such a faith that breedes love and so love is it that breedes that great consolation And therefore this is thy comfort if thou canst once bring thy heart to love the Lord hee will beare with any thing hee will beare with many infirmities as you know he did with Dauid when he saw that he loved him David had many great infirmities as wee see in the whole story the whole relation of his life yet because hee loved the Lord the Lord passed by all and in the end he gave him this testimonie that hee was a man after his owne heart So I say love the Lord once and he will beare with much in thee On the other side if thou doe not love him doe what thou wilt the Lord accepts it not As wee see in the case of Amaziah it is said that Amaziah walked in all the wayes of his father David and of the good Kings hee did as much as they hee was as great an enemie to idolatry hee did all the duties of religion onely this was wanting he did it not with an upright heart that is he did it not out of love and therefore the Lord regarded it not And therefore let this move you to get this affection there is much if I could stand to presse it that might inflame your hearts with a desire of it onely it is this love that sets a price on all that you doe that makes all that you doe currant as this stampe is set on your actions more or lesse so they are more or lesse acceptable This was that which set a price on the widdowes mite that set a price on a cup of colde water this set a price upon Abels offering and made it more acceptable than his brothers the meanest service when it hath this stampe on it is currant and good in Gods sight hee accepts it againe the greatest performance without it is nothing And if thou give thy body to be burned if thou suffer martyrdome if thou give all thy goods to the poore doe what thou wilt without love it is nothing thy labour is lost this love sets a price on all that thou doest Besides this consider this is that that must stirre you up aboue all other arguments that if thou love the Lord thou shalt be no looser by it in all other love a man seemes to be a looser for when you loue an other as you know it is no love except it bee fruitfull and actiue when you bestowe on an other your time and your paines and your money you know you have so much the lesse your selfe And therefore it is that men are so full of selfe love because that ingrosseth all a man in that keepes all to himselfe when hee comes to love an other and partes with something of his owne And thence it is that men are so backward to love in truth and in good earnest They love in shew and in complement that is easie but to love indeed is difficult because it takes somewhat from them But in loving the Lord it is not so there is a difference betweene that and other loves when you give the Lord your hearts and bestowe them on him he will giue you them every â—ot againe and reserue not any for himself You will aske me what is the meaning of this My meaning is this whatsoever you bestowe on the Lord all the loue that you give to him it reflectes and redoundes to your advantage you gaine by it all as we see Isai 48.17 I am the Lord that teacheth thee to Profite for if thou keepe my commandements thy reward thy prosperitie should be as a flood and thy reioycing as the waves of the Sea Marke it well as if he should say to them when I command you to serue me and to loue me with all your soule and with all your strength know that all this is for your owne profit it shall all redound to you For if you keep my commandements your prosperitie shall be as a floud that is it shall runne over the bankes it shall be so large and so great and your righteousnes that is the reward of your righteousnes as the waues of the sea that is one reward should follow upon the neck of an other as one billow followes upon the neck of an other This should be your case saith he if you loue me and keep my commandements and serue me And therefore saith hee when I require your love and your service herein there is a difference betweene that that which any man requires at your hands all this is for your owne profite it redounds to your selues your selves fare the better for it as it is said of the Saboth so I may say of this commandement and all the rest it was made for man and not man for this that is for the profit of man for the advancment of man thy louing the Lord is for thy advantage thou gainest by it as it is Deut 5.29 Oh saith he that there were a heart in this people to love me and to feare me as they have promised then it should goe wellwith them and their children after them Not that I might be a gainer
sett a worke to serve the Lord when he looks to the Lord when he inclines towards the Lord that is when the minde is set on worke to thinke on him to remember his glorious workes to have a right knowledge and opinion of him againe when the memory is set on worke to remember him and not to forget his benefits his statutes and his ordinances and so the rest of his faculties And therefore if we love the Lord wee will not doe this with our selves to thinke I love him and yet I will suffer my minde in the meane time to be exercised in contemplating of fornication not to thinke I loue the Lord and yet will suffer my memorie in the meane time to be recollecting injuries and breeding of them and recalling my pleasant sinnes that are formerly past that I should abhorre thou canst not loue him and doe this Againe thou must not say I love him and yet let thy affections runne after this and that but thy whole heart must be bestowed on him Thou must not thinke to loue him and to reserue thy affections for this or that particular thing that thou lovest inordinately but thou must bestow all these on the Lord. The second thing required in this love wherewith I will end is this that you love the Lord with all your might You will say what is the meaning of that to love the Lord with all my might and with all my strength For the understanding of this you must know that God hath given different might and different strength to men as a rich man hath more might than another for he can rule more and sway more and command more than a poore man can Againe a Magistrate he can restraine by his power and encourage men by his authority and winne them yea compell them by his example Againe a learned man that is of great parts that is of a stronger wit than another hee hath more might than another he is able to doe more than a man of weaker parts Now to love the Lord with all our might is to improve all the meanes we have all the strength all the ability that wee have above others to improve it so that we may serve the Lord with it more than others that even as thou exceedest any in these abilities so thou maist goe beyond them in serving the Lord This is to love the Lord with all thy might that is to love him so much more than a poore man to bestow more on him to doe more for him as thy riches make thee more able and more strong than another For thee to love him now as another man doth that hath lesse might the Lord will not take this love at thy hands but will say to thee as Landlords say to their Tenants when they bring them lesse rent than they should lesse than is due they will receive none for they say so much is due The Lord will require this that you love him with all your might If thou be a rich man if thou be a Magistrate if thou be a man of such and such opportunities to serve the Lord and doe but a little hee will not accept it at all thou must love the Lord with all thy might for God requires this at thy hands hee leaves it not arbitrary He saith To whom much is given of him much shall be required Hee saith not I leave it to him to doe more or lesse but I require it that is I will exact it according to the measure he hath received Therefore consider with thy selfe what meanes thou hast what power God hath put into thy hands what ability thou hast more than others When you send a servant to market as you give him a greater price as you put more money into his hands so you expect hee should bring home more than another that hath a lesse price put into his hands So the Lord doth with men hee sends men into the world as men are sent to a market hee gives a larger price to some to some hee gives five talents to some three to some two the Lord expects that they should bring home according to the price they have in their hands that is according to the might according to the strength and opportunity he hath given them For you must know that the Lord observes an exact difference betweene man and man It may be thou livest under better meanes than another thou hast had better education than another thou hast more knowledge in the wayes of God than another the Lord hath helped thee more by the inward suggestions of his Spirit than another he lookes that thou shouldest bring forth more fruite than another And so againe for all other abilities and advantages the Lord expects at our hands that we love him with all our might otherwise saith he you might have given my money to the exchangers and they would have made use of it Marke that in the Parable of the Talents for a man will be ready to say if I bestow some love on the Lord why should he exact require the utmost why doth he require so much at my hands Yes saith he if another had this might if another had this strength and this opportunity that thou hast hee would have done as exchangers doe hee would have brought it in with profit so if that ability were given to another he would make use of it And therefore thinke not much if he require it at thy hands for there is losse if he should not Therefore know that the Lord requires this at thy hands it may be thou art more composed and more disposed than another it is nothing for thee to abstaine from drinking to abstaine from swearing because thou art framed this way by naturall ingenuity and naturall temper that God hath given thee it is not that the Lord requires no more but that thou live soberly free from grosse sinnes No God lookes for more he requires of every man according to his strength and ability As you know a childe may runne and another man may walke the childe takes more paines the man lesse it the reward were to be given according to the endeavour the child should have it though he that walkes come to the goale before him A man that is weake may not doe so much as another that is strong and able to doe ten times as much worke as another man that is weake though thou doe more worke than he this is not accepted because hee lookes that every man should doe his utmost he requires that you should love him and serve him and set your selves to improve all your ability according to the might according to the Talent according to the price hee hath distributed and measured to you So much for this time FINIS THE SEVENTH SERMON GALAT. 5.6 For in Iesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but Faith which worketh by Love THE last thing that wee entred upon was
offer the day may come when you would be glad to haue it You that are now in the height and flower of your youth and you that are more ancient liuing in health and wealth and hauing your fill of pleasures it may be for the present you haue other things to take vp your mindes but the time will come when the Bridegroome shall enter in and the doores shall bee shut when your Houre-glasse shall be out and your time spent and then this relation of righteousnesse and remission of sinnes now offered would be reckoned glad tydings but take heede that it be not too late beware lest you cry and GOD refuses to heare Not but that GOD will heare euery man if his cry comes from vnfeigned faith and loue but it may be GOD will not giue thee that vnfeigned faith and loue when you be come to that extremity seeing you would not come when he called it may be he will not come when you call it may be he will not breathe the breath of life nor giue such a spirit and disposition as he will accept of Christ dyed to purchase to himselfe a peculiar people zealous of good workes and not onely to saue men He dyed for this end that men might doe him seruice and if you will not come in now in time of strength and youth when you are able to doe him seruice I say in his ordinary course he will reject you now in your extremity you may not then expect mercie at his hands Therefore doe not say I will follow my couetousnesse and idlenesse my pleasures and businesse my lusts and humours and heereafter come in for you are not to chuse your own time If he call you and you refuse to come take heed lest in his wrath he sweare that you shall not enter into his rest FINIS OF FAITH The second Sermon ROM 1.17 For by it the righteousnesse of God is reuealed from Faith to Faith As it is written The iust shall liue by Faith THe next point that these words affoord vs is this that Faith is that whereby the righteousnesse of God is made ours to saluation The righteousnesse of GOD saith the Apostle is reuealed from faith to faith That is it is so reuealed and offered by GOD that it is made ours by faith we are made partakers of it by faith you see it ariseth cleerely from the words Now for the opening of this point to you you must vnderstand that there are two waies or Couenants whereby GOD offereth saluation to men One is the Couenant of workes and that was that righteousnesse by which Adam had beene saued if he had stood in his innocencie for it was that way that GOD appointed for him Doâ— this and liue But Adam performed not the condition of that Couenant and therefore now there is another Couenant that is the Couenant of Grace a Board giuen vs against Ship-wracke Now this Couenant of Grace is double Either absolute and peculiar Or conditionall Absolute and peculiar onely to the Elect so it is expressed Ier. 31. I will put my Lawe into your inward parts and write it in your hearts and I will be your God and you shall be my people So likewise in Ezek. 36. I will giue you a new heart and put a new spirit within you and I will take your stonie hearts out of your bodies Heere the Couenant is expressed absolutely and this is proper onely to the Elect. But now beside this there is a conditionall Couenant of Grace which is common to all and that is expressed in these termes Christ hath prouided a righteousnesse and saluation that is his worke that hee hath done already Now if you will beleeue and take him vpon those termes that he is offered you shall bee saued This I say belongs to all men This you haue thus expressed in the Gospell in many places If you beleeue you shall be saued as it is Mark 16. Goe and preach the Gospell to euery creature vnder Heauen hee that will beleeue shall be saued he that will not beleeue shall bee damned It is the same with that Rom. 4.5 To him which worketh not but beleeueth in him which iustifieth the vngodly his faith is accounted righteousnesse Marke it To him that beleeueth on him that iustifieth the vngodly that is there is a certaine iustice or righteousnesse that CHRIST hath prepared or purchased for men though they be vngodly he requires nothing of them before-hand though they be wicked and vngodly yet this righteousnesse is prepared for them that which is required of them is onely that they take it Now hee that will beleeue GOD that he hath prepared this for him and will receiue it it is enough to make him a righteous man in GODS acceptation so that this is the onely way now by which men shall be saued The worke is already done on Christs part there is a righteousnesse that GOD hath prepared which is therefore called the righteousnesse of GOD and there is nothing precedently required or looked for on our part but taking and applying of it But you will say Is there nothing else required of vs Must GOD doe all and must we doe nothing but onely take that righteousnesse that is prepared for vs I answer it is true indeede we must lead a holy life a religious sober and righteous life for for this end hath the grace of God appeared saith the Apostle yet you must know withall that we cannot worke in our selues this holinesse this religious and sober conuersation that must be Gods worke altogether we are onely to take this righteousnesse and the other is but a consequent that followeth vpon it To illustrate this vnto you by a similitude A Wheele or a Bowle runneth not that it may be made round that is the businesse of the workeman who makes it round that it may runne So it is in this case GOD doth not looke that we should bring holines and piety with vs for we haue it not to bring we are at the first onely to beleeue and accept this righteousnesse that is offered vs when that is done it is Gods part to frame vs and to fit and fashion vs for a holy life such a kinde of speech you haue it expressed in Eph. 2.10 We are Gods workmanship fashioned in Christ Iesus to walke in good workes which he hath ordained c. Marke it it is not an action of our owne but GOD is the workeman we are the materials as the clay and the wood that he takes into his hands when wee haue but taken this righteousnesse that is offered it is Gods worke to cast vs into a new Mould to giue vs a new heart and to frame a new spirit within vs that so we may walke in good workes before him this is the great mystery of godlinesse for we haue much adoe to perswade men to beleeue that the righteousnesse prepared by CHRIST
point to your comfort that if there be but so much faith as will produce this worke of taking CHRIST though there bee some doubtings mingled with it yet it is properly effectuall faith because it doth the thing though not perfectly That is the first acception of the word effectuall a thing is said to bee effectuall when it doth the proper function of it though it doe it not perfectly and throughly yet if it doe it it is said to bee effectuall so faith if it pitch vpon CHRIST though not so perfectly as afterwards it may it is effectuall Secondly a thing is said to bee effectuall as it is opposed to that which is vaine and empty to that which is but a name a shaddow of it but is not such a thing indeed So faith is said to be effectuall when it is true reall and substantiall you know there bee emptie clowds we see the heauens many times full of clouds but there is no rayne folloues they are driuen away with the windes they are emptie clouds they are not clouds indeed so there is a great shew of faith sometimes that makes a man shew like these clouds and yet it is vaine and empty no raine followes A counterfeit Piece although it shew to be good money yet when we find it counterfeit when we finde it clipt we cast it away so true faith is said to bee effectuall when it is opposed to vaine faith in Iam. 2 the later end of the Chapter the Apostle speakes to that purpose to shew the difference betweene true faith and dead faith which is but the name of faith but is not faith indeede Thirdly a thing is said to bee effectuall when it lyeth not idle and still but is doing something As a Pylot in a Ship hee sitteth not still there if he doe sit still and doe nothing we may say he is an vneffectuall Pylot he were as good not be there so when faith lyes still in the heart and is not stirred and moued nor shewes it selfe in the fruites of it this we say is ineffectuall faith whereas faith should be in the soule as the soule is in the body which is neuer there in vaine but still it is stirring and shewing it selfe by motion by action by doing somewhat or other And in this sence faith is said to be effectuall when it is a stirring faith when it is a liuely and fruitfull faith that is doing somewhat in the soule of a man Last of all a thing is said to bee effectuall when it goes thorow with the worke that it hath in hand this differeth from that which I named first therefore the Greeke word that is rendred effectualnesse signifieth perfectnesse to bring a thing to an end so that faith is said to be effectuall that goes thorow with the worke it vndertakes that is when it sanctifieth the heart throughout in respect of parts and throughout in regard of time when it brings a man to the end of his saluation when it carries a man through all impediments when it leaps ouer all difficulties so that a growing preuailing ouercomming faith that is said to be an effectuall faith such a faith as leaues not the worke halfe done such a faith as leaues not the building in the beginning in the rudiments but sets it vp and puts the roofe vpon it such a faith which though it may sinke as a Corke for a time yet it riseth againe such a faith as ouercomes and perfects the worke of our saluation in this sense faith must be effectuall and this differs from the other three so that in these foure sences faith is said to be effectuall And this is the first thing The second thing which wee vndertooke was to shew you wherein the effectualnesse of faith consists It consists in these foure things That which we said before to you when wee shewed you the causes of the ineffectualnesse of faith will make good way to this The first thing wherein the effectualnesse of it is seene is in being well built that is when the preparation is sound and full that makes way for it The second is when the vnderstanding is cleare and a man beleeueth the promise of GOD vpon sure and infallible grounds when hee seeth them perspicuously and distinctly The third is when the will takes Christ and takes him out of loue not out of feare not out of loue to the aduantage onely by him not out of mistake The fourth is when it turnes not onely the will but all the affections when it turnes the whole man when it shoots it selfe into life and practice First I say faith is effectuall when there is a good way made for it when the rubbish and false earth is taken away where it should be built that is when the humiliation is sound and good when the preparation is perfect when it is such as makes a man fit for the Kingdome of GOD For I finde that phrase vsed He that puts his hand to the Plow and lookes backe is vnfit for the Kingdome of GOD As if hee had said there are certaine men which come to the profession of Christianity as many come to husbandrie which is a hard employment some there are which doe this and goe backe againe Why because they are not fit for the Kingdome of God that is they are not throughly prepared for it that is to say when a man is not throughly humbled to know what sin is and what the wrath of God is he is not fit for the Kingdome of God but if he do come to Christ if he doe begin to beleeue he will goe backe againe So a man is properly said not to bee fit for the Kingdome of GOD till hee bee throughly humbled till hee haue tasted the bitternesse of sin till hee haue felt what the Deuils yoake is As it was with the Israelites put the case they had beene carried out of Egypt before the time that they were indeede they had not been fit for the Land of Canaan because they would haue beene ready to haue turned backe in their hearts into Egypt and though the LORD laid load on them though their yoake were hard though he caused them to wander vp and downe long yet all was little enough still they were lingering after Egypt and if they had been taken out of Egypt before the tale of Brick was required of them without giuing them straw before the taske-masters had dealt hardly with them what would they haue done Might it not truely bee said of them they would not haue beene fit for Canaan So in this case if a man will take CHRIST it is a laborious worke as laborious as husbandrie as laborious as putting the hand to the Plow as taking the yoake Now before a man haue felt how hard the yoake is that he hath already for there bee many that weare the yoake of Satan and see no hardnesse in it but goe
beleeue with all thy heart thou mayest be baptized So I say to men there is a kinde of taking Christ when a man takes him with some part of his heart when he resolueth I confesse it is good I haue a present disposition to it it will serue me for such a turne I am afraid of Hell it will deliuer me from that in such an exigent in such a crosse in such a trouble that will come vpon me it will free mee from that but this is not enough but if thou beleeue with all thy heart that is when thou hast summed and reckoned all together all reasons and all objections to and fro thou resoluest altogether to take him in all respects Againe when all thy heart shall come in that is when the vnderstanding of a man is fully perswaded of these promises that they are true and that it is best for him to take CHRIST if the perswasion be good and the will follow for that you may take for a sure rule there is no man that is fully perswaded and convinced euery way that such a thing is best but the will will follow If the mind be right the will will follow and if the will follow be sure the affections will follow For if a man wils a thing in good earnest and resolue I would haue it indeed then his desires will come and be earnest and if hee be in doubt feare will come and if any thing hinder anger will come and thrust away the impediments and if he get the thing there will be reioycing and so all the affections will follow and then certainely action and endeuour will follow There is no man that desires a thing earnestly but where the affections are strong and busie action and endeuour will be answerable Now if thou take CHRIST with all thy heart that there is no reseruation that it is not done by halues then thou mayest haue him and the fruites and all the priuiledges by him so as thou shalt be saued by him Consider whether this be done or no. When we preach faith you may see what it is in Acts 26.17 18. Marke what the message was that CHRIST sends to Paul nothing but to preach faith but what was that Saith hee to turne men from the power of Satan to God to turne men from darknesse to light That is to cause them to forsake their former wayes of darknesse that they haue beene ledde into by the Deuill and to turne them to GOD to seeke him So that then a man is said truely to beleeue when his heart is turned to GOD that is when a man before was giuen to this pleasure or to that pleasure and commodity his heart was wedded to it hee would haue an estate in this world and hee would haue credit in the world and he would haue place with men and he would be some-body in the flesh his heart was set on these things he would follow them Now faith is nothing but this wee come and tell you that Christ is offered if you will be content to let all these things goe and to turne your hearts to him that the whole bent of a mans minde is turned the contrary way and set vpon Christ this is faith indeede when there is this generall turning of a mans minde from these things Therefore know that faith in CHRIST and couetousnesse cannot stand together When thy mind goeth a whoring after thy wealth what hast thou to doe with CHRIST That is not to take CHRIST For to take CHRIST is to turne the minde from these things to seeke him Againe if thou wilt haue praise with men thou canst not beleeue and haue that too it is impossible And so for any pleasure for any lust dost thou thinke to follow thy pleasure to seeke that to satisfie thy flesh and to haue CHRIST No it is another kinde of taking and this is not done with that sleightnesse as they did Ieremy 3. You turned to me saith the LORD feignedly and not with all your hearts but it is to turne in good earnest to turne to GOD vpon sound ground therefore now let vs come to the examination of this Now if we were not mistaken in it there would be no question of this we thinke that faith is nothing but a perswasion that our sinnes are forgiuen a perswasion that the promises are true a perswasion that the Scripture is true a perswasion that CHRIST dyed for my sinnes And thence it is that men are apt to be deceiued in it If they tooke faith as it is in it selfe a marrying of our selues to CHRIST with all our heart and affections when hee hath giuen himselfe to vs as in marriage and we are giuen to him in doing this wee should neuer bee deceiued If thou wouldest know now if thy faith bee right examine it as thou wouldest examine another thing If you take Wine if you would know whether it be good Wine if you finde it flat and dead if you drinke it and it heates you not it warmes you not at the heart it quickens you not it reviues not your spirits you will say it is naught if it were good Wine it would doe this If you come to looke on Plants if you find there no fruite nor no leaues you say this Plant is dead So take a Iewell and when it comes to the Touch-stone or any way that you try it you say it is faire but it is a counterfeit Iewell it is a false Diamond or whatsoeuer it be If you come to take a dramme of Physicke if you take a Drugge if it doe not worke Take Leauen and put it into your Dough if it sower not the lumpe you say it is dead Leauen it is a counterfeit thing So I say If thou finde not in faith this effect this operation vpon thy heart that it workes not this generall change in thee that it fires not thy soule with loue to CHRIST if thou finde not life in it and that it bring forth such fruites if thou finde it not grow that it put another taste vpon the whole soule that it leauens it throughout know that thou art deceiued rest not in it cast it away get a right faith such as will not deceiue thee But I cannot stand vpon this This is the first signe of effectuall faith Before I come to the second thing know this by the way you that receiue the Sacrament That if you be vnworthy receiuers you cannot doe your selues a worse turne then to offer to come to the Sacrament without faith to prouoke GOD more to eate and drinke your owne damnation Now examine your selues by such rules as this If you haue changed your life If you haue receiued it heretofore and continue still in your sinnes If you say it is true I haue done it I haue returned againe to my gaming I haue returned againe to my swearing to my loosenesse to my company-keeping but
this what it is that puts us into the happy estate of life and salvatiō Faith But it is faith that works by love This is enough to make this cleere to you that these two great radicall vertues faith and love are the two pillars as it were upon which our salvation is built The first of them we have handled at large Faith and the efficacy of it in the Text we handled of effectuall faith Now the other remaines of Love whence wee will deliver this point to you that Whosoever loves not whatsoever else he find in himselfe whosoever loves not the Lord Iesus is not in Christ and by consequent in a cursed and damnable estate Because this is necessarily required that you have faith and love or else you can have no salvation or else you are not in Christ and cannot be acceptable of God through Christ. So our businesse will be to open unto you this grace of love that you may know what it is And that you may know it we must first declare unto you a little in generall what this affection of love is All affections as you know are nothing else but the diverse motions and turnings of the will as the will turnes it selfe this way or that way so a man is said to be affected to love or to hate to grieve or to rejoyce Now love is that act of the will whereby it turnes it selfe to a thing as hatred is that wherby it turnes it selfe from a thing And that which is the object of this affection of love is something that is good for that which is true and that which is beautifull is not the proper object of love that is the object of the intuitive understanding but it is no further the object of love than it is good For this take for a generall rule We love nothing but as it is good And a thing is said to be good when it is sutable proportionable and agreeable to us for that is the definition of a good thing There may be many things that are excellent that are not good to us we say not that any thing is good but that which sutes and is agreeable to us and convenient for us So that if you take the definition of this affection in generall of love Love is nothing else but a disposition of the will whereby it cleaves or makes forward to some good that is agreeable to it selfe I say it is a disposition of the will whereby it cleaves to and makes forward to some good thing agreeable to it selfe which you must marke for we shall have use of all this in the sequel of this tract Now this love shewes it selfe by two effects it would have the thing it loves to be preserved And secondly a man that loves would have it his and therefore he drawes neere to it or else he drawes the thing neere to him For ◠take it not to be true that is commonly taken for granted that love is a desire of union for we doe not alwayes desire that the thing should be united to us that we love for a thing may be too neare us as letters may be too neare the eye as well as too farre off But wee would have things in such a distance as is most agreeable to us as we love fire for our use but it may be too neare us and wee love a knife for our use but it may be too neere So by the way marke it It is not alwayes a desire of union but it is a desire to have the thing it loves in such a distance as is most agreeable to us but still remember this that love shewes it selfe by these two effects It desires the preservation of the thing Secondly he would that what he loves might be his As when a man loves an unreasonable creature when hee loves a glasse when he loves a horse he preserves the glasse he keepes the horse strong and faire and if he can he would have them for his use So a man that loves riches or honour or that loves a good name he preserves them he would have them his that is he would have them at his owne arbitrement for his owne turne service So a man that loves his sonne or his friend he desires the preservation of them and withall he would have them his that is he would have them so sure united to him as may stand with his conveniencie This is the nature of love one thing more know of it it is a commanding affection Love and hatred are as it were the great Lords and Masters that divide the rest of the affections betweene them as when a man loves he desires he goes and makes forward towards the thing he loves if he obtaine it he rejoyceth in it if he doe not obtaine it yet if there be probability then hee hopes if there be no probability then he despaires if there be any inconvenience and impediment that hinders him in his prosecution he is angry with it and desires to remove it thus these affections hang on love Againe on the other side as love desires the preservation of the thing in a neerenesse and union of it so hatred desires the destruction of the thing and the separation from it And upon this affection likewise hang the others when a man hates a thing he flies from it if it overtakes him hee grieves if it be likely it will overtake him though it be not yet on him he feares if he thinke he is strong enough to resist it hee is bolde and confident So these two affections I say divide the rest Now I will adde but this further that I may declare to you the generall nature of this affection that is the kindes of love And you shall finde these kindes of love I will name them briefly First there is a love of pitty as when you love a thing you know you desire the preservation of it when you finde any thing lye upon it that destroyes it you pitty the thing you love and desire to remove it So a father pitties his sonne when hee is sicke when hee is vicious and untoward hee loves him now with a love of pitty he desires to remove the thing that hurts it Secondly there is a love of concupiscence that is when a man desires the thing that hee is said to love meerely for his use As when you love an inanimate creature or any other creature for your use you are said to love it with a love of concupiscentiall desire and this in common men is a sutablenesse between the object and the lower faculties Thirdly there is a love of complacency when a man is well pleased with the thing that is when the object is somewhat adaequate to the higher faculties of the will and understanding that there is some agreeablenesse betweene the thing loved and the frame of the soule so that when he looks on it hee is well pleased with it So the master loves
thus prepared now let the Gospell come and welcome Now a mans heart is fit to be wrought on Why what doeth the Gospell The Gospell comes and tells you that the Lord Iesus is willing to be your Redeemer is willing to be your Lord he is content to be yours If you will take him you shall have him and all his Now when a mans heart is broken you cannot bring him better newes Indeede till then you may goe and preach the Gospell long enough you may propound Christ to men they will not take him But when we propound him thus to a heart prepared thus to him that is poore in spirit to him that hath his heart wounded in the sense of his sinnes and of Gods wrath now I I say hee is willing to come in hee is willing to take Christ as a Lord as a husband when that is done that Christ hath discovered his will to take them and they resolve to take him then there ariseth a holy a constant conjugall loue wherein they are rooted and grounded This is the love we are now to speake of So that to prepare us to love Christ wee must come to looke on him as upon that which is sutable and agreeable to us And againe as one that is willing to receiue us And that you must marke diligently Therefore wee will give you this definition of loue out of that which hath been said It is an holy disposition of the heart rising from faith whereby wee cleave to the Lord with a purpose of heart to serve him and to please him in all things When these two things are joyned that a man is humbled and lookes on Christ as one that is now fit for him And secondly hee is perswaded that Christ is willing to take him when this is done a man receiues Christ by faith And from this faith this loue issues Whence this is specially to be marked and it is a matter of much moment That to loue the Lord it is not onely required that you be perswaded that he is well affected to you that he is willing to receive you for that men may haue which say that Christ is mercifull and ready to forgiue and so they think but yet they loue him not Therefore I say it is not onely required that you looke on Christ as upon one that is well affected and propitious to you but also that you looke on him as one that is sutable and agreeable to you for both these must concurre to incline your hearts to loue him you must I say both looke on him as one that is fit for you as a good that is agreeable to you And also you must be perswaded that he is willing to receiue you Now the first indeed is the maine This second that Christ is willing to forgiue you and to receiue you though it be weake it may be such as is a true faith and may beget loue when a man lookes on any other men that he loues if he see so much excellency in them as that he longs after them and desires them though he thinks there be a backwardnes in them to love him yet if there be some probability that they are likely to loue him he may come so farre as to embrace them in his affections and haue a desire to them though it be true as that perswasion is stronger so their loue is more neere for faith and love grow together Indeede if there were an utter aversnesse if there were enmity as it were impossible to remoue it then we could not loue but hate even as Cain and Iudas did But I say that is a thing you must especially marke that faith doth not consist in being perswaded that Christ or God through Christ is willing to forgiue you your sinnes or to receiue you to mercy but in this your judgement must be rectified that is to know that you are to looke on Christ as one that is sutable and agreeable to you as one to whom you haue an inward inclination as one that is fit for you This is the maine thing the other easily followes to be perswaded that he is willing to forgiue us and that he is willing to loue us therefore whereas it may be you haue thought that to beleeue that God is willing to forgiue you your sinnes is faith I dare be bold to say it is not full faith you may haue it and yet not savingly beleeue you may haue it and yet not be true beleevers This I make cleare by this argument That which begets no loue is not faith But you may be perswaded that Christ is willing to forgiue you your sinnes and yet not love him as a prisoner may be perswaded that the Iudge is willing to pardon him and yet for all this hee may not love the Iudge for loue as I tolde you comes from some sutablenesse some agreablenesse betweene the party that loues and the party that is loved Againe you shall finde this by experience A man may be perswaded that he is in a good estate that he shall be saved and that his sinnes are forgiven him and yet for all this he may be an unregenerate man he may be a man that hath no life of grace in him I say we see oft in experience many men applaud themselves in their good persuasion and they die peaceably and quietly and all is well they thinke God hath forgiven them and yet we finde there is no loue in them nor no fruite of loue Againe on the other side a man that hath his heart broken with the sense of his sinnes may hunger after righteousnesse and after Christ he may long after the Lord himselfe that he desires him more than any thing in the world and yet there is but a weake perswasion that the Lord will receiue him and forgiue him his sins I say this man may be a true beleever though he be not yet so fully perswaded that Christ will forgiue him when the other is no true beleever as I said to you before As when one loues another man or woman if hee looke on him as one that is sutable to him if hee thinke it be but by good probability and likelihood I shall obtaine their loue though I haue not yet a full assurance of it I say there may be an affection of loue And thence I confirme that which I said to you that faith that hath beene joyned with it is true and that faith that is disjoyned from loue is not true So I say such a disposition of heart as lookes on Christ as one whom he longs after he lookes on him as on a husband as one whom he is willing to match with that he can say truely This is the best husband for me in all the world though yet I have not wooed him though yet I have not a full assurance of his affection to mee as I would have I say this will certifie your judgement and withall it will comfort you
to obtaine he spares no laboure no cost he cares not what he doth so he may get it much labour seemes little to him many yeares seeme a few dayes hee cares not what he doth so hee obtaine it he is diligent and laborious Doe you take this paines to draw neere to God to get grace to excell in it Are you willing to put your selves to it to denie your selves in your ease to take some time from other businesses and to bestow it this way are you content to put your selves to a harder taske to forbeare things that are pleasant according to the flesh to take paines for the Lord If you love God it will make you diligent A man will take paines to get the thing he loves Besides love is an affection that would enjoy presently the thing it loves it cannot endure deferring And therefore when a man professeth he loves the Lord and yet will deferre to come in saying I wil serve the Lord perfectly but not yet not till my youth be a little more over not till things be thus and thus with me then I will it is certain thou lovest him not for it is true of every affection that which is a true and right affection that which is an hearty affection it is present If a man desire any thing he would have it presently hope would be presently satisfied and therefore hope deferred is griefe and love deferred is a great griefe So that if you finde a disposition to put it off in your selves I will doe it but not yet certainly you love not the Lord. It may be if you were sure to die within a week or a month what men would you be how perfectly would you walke with God how would you have your hearts weaned from the world more than they be Well if you love the Lord you will doe as much presently though much of your life remaine for love is a present affection it cannot endure deferring but it would have full communion and that speedily and presently so is it with that affection where you finde it Againe if you examine your selves further if you have this love in you you may know it by this Love is a thing thâ—t is well pleased with it selfe as we say Love desires no wages that is it carries meate in the mouth of it it is wages enough to it selfe it hath sweetnesse enough in it selfe it desires no addition So it is when a man loves Love payes it selfe I say it is its owne wages And therefore if you love the Lord you shall know it by this you serve him and serve him with all your might with all your strength though he should give you no wages Iacob as you know served for Rachel the very having her was wages enough So if you love the Lord the very enjoying of the Lord the very having communion with the Lord the very having the assurance of his favour that you might say My Beloved is mine and I am my Beloveds this is wages enough to a man that loves indeed to such a man though there were not heaven to follow though there were not a present reward nor a future yet he would love the Lord and if he loue him there will be a delight to serve him and enough to him is the Lords favour as Christ saith It is my meate and drinke to doe my Fathers will that is though there were no other meate and drinke though there were no other wages yet this was as pleasant to him as eating and drinking Aske thine owne breast whether in any thing thou lovest if the very enjoying of that though there were no other wages superadded if that were not motiue enough if it were not comfort enough and wages enough to you to doe it But besides all this to name one more if you loue the Lord it will make you it will constraine you to please him it will put such necessity upon you to obey him in all things to doe what he requires whatsoever is for his advantage that you cannot chuse but doe it as the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 5. The Love of Christ constraines us What is the meaning of that That is I cannot choose but doe it it makes a man doe it whether he will or no it is like fire in his breast he cares for no shame it makes him goe through thicke and thin the loue of Christ constraines us It is true I confesse I may lose my reputation you may reckon me a mad man some men doe thinke me so but that is all one I must doe it the loue of Christ constraines me So that where loue is it is such a strong impulsiue in the heart it carries one on to serue and please the Lord in all things that he cannot choose but doe it As a man that is carried in a strong streame or as one that is carried in a crowde or as one that is carried in the hands of a strong man so a man is carried with this affection that hee cannot choose You will say this is strange that loue should compell it doth nothing lesse It is true You must know when the Apostle saith The love of Christ constraines me it is a Metonomy from the effect that is loue makes me doe it in that manner as a man that is compelled that is the meaning of it so it hath the same effect that compulsion hath though there be nothing more different from compulsion than loue And therefore know that of loue that it is such a change as drawes one to serue the Lord out of an inward attractiue thence I take that note of loue such a thing as puts it on such a thing as riseth from an inward inclination of the mind froÌ„ an inward principle so that there is no other spurre no other attractiue but the amiablenesse of the object Now when a man shall finde this in himselfe that hee hath all these hee findes that hee hath such a sensible loue that hee knowes hee loves the Lord Iesus Againe hee findes an earnest desire to be in company with him to walke with the Lord from day to day Againe hee is exceeding laborious and diligent to get this love to get this assurance of favour and to excell in that grace without which he knowes he cannot please him Againe when the affection is present you would haue communion with the Lord and you would not haue it deferred Againe when a man shall be well pleased with that hee doth it is enough that hee hath the Lord himselfe though there were no other wages And when hee findes such a strong impulsiue in him in his owne heart that carries him on to serue the Lord that hee cannot choose but doe it then you loue the Lord And if you loue the Lord you are in Christ. But if these things be not in you you doe not loue him and then what is your condition You know what the Apostle saith Hee
that loves not let him bee accursed let him bee had in execration to the death I should prosecute it further and shew the reasons why wee should loue the Lord as there is great reason But that I must deferre till the afternoone FINIS THE SECOND SERMON GALLAT 5.6 For in Iesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but Faith which worketh by Love THE last tryall of our love to Christ was its constraining vertue love will constraine you to serve him you cannot choose but doe it it so constraines a man as the weight of a stone compelleth it to goe to the center as the lightnesse of the fire compells it to ascend up for such a thing is love a strong inclination of the heart when the soule puts it selfe on any thing from an inward principle from a bottome of its owne when it is carried on with no other motive but the amiablenes of the object Now to conclude this wee must beseech you to consider your owne condition and examine your selves by these rules that you may be able to say as Peter said Lord thou knowest I love thee that is to have such an assurance that your hearts may be well affected towards Christ Iesus that you may love him that you may be able to say to God who knowes our hearts searcheth our reines that knowes all the windings and turnings of your soules Lord thou knowest that I love thee Since it is a matter of such moment wee should be carefull to examine if we finde that we have not yet this love for we must know that all that we have all that we doe it will nothing availe us but faith which worketh by love And if you object why doe ye preach damnation to us doe you tell us we are in an evill condition for want of this love I answere it is profitable for you while you are in such a condition to have it preached it is good for you to speake this damnation to your selves that while yet there is hope you may seek to be healed that you may be translated into another condition that you may not perish in the evill day when there shal be neither hope nor helpe for you For you must know that when wee deliver you these signes of examining your selves our end is not to grieue you this doctrine tends not to destruction but to discover to you your owne hearts that you may know your owne condition that if you want it you may seek after it If therefore you finde a want of this love that we will doe next shall be to shew you what reason you have to love the Lord Iesus for there is no better way to get it in you than to describe him to you to shew you what cause there is of loving him if wee were able to present him to you as he is we should effect this thing but that must be the worke of the holy Ghost notwithstanding we will briefly open to you such reasons as we finde used in the Scriptures And first let this moue you to loue him that he is worthy to be beloved as David speakes Psal. 18.3 The Lord is worthy to be praised so wee may say the Lord is worthy to be loved for what is it that makes any thing worthy of loue it is the excellency that we finde there Now in the Lord there is all kinde of excellency whatsoever there is that is amiable under the Sunne all that you shall finde in him more abundantly If ever you see any thing in any creature any thing amiable in man if ever you saw any beauty any vertue any excellency all these must be more abundant in him that made these creatures And therefore if you haue a loue as there is no man without some loue or other some creature seemes beautifull to you thinke with your selues this is more in the Lord. If ever you see excellency in any man if ever you see any noblenesse any holinesse any excellency of disposition know that it is more abundant in the Lord Iesus Let these rivers leade you to that Ocean to that abundance of excellency that is in the Lord. And if you loue any creature let it be with a little loue let your affection be proportionable to the object as it exceedes in the Lord so let your loue exceede towards him to loue him with all your soule and all your strength And know this that hee hath not onely that in an omnipotent manner that is but sprinkled among the creatures they haue but a sparke but a drop of it but also there is this in the Lord that there is nothing in him but that which is amiable every creature hath some imperfection in it there is somewhat in it may cause aversation in you there is no man but hath some weaknesse but hath some infirmity there is no creature but it hath some want some defect in it but in the Lord there is no want there is nothing to put you off but as the Church saith Cant. 5. He is wholly delectable that is there is nothing in him but that which is amiable That would be a very profitable thing for us in this case often to thinke on the Lord Iesus to present him to our selues in our thoughts as the Spouse doth Cant. 5. shee considers her wellbeloved is the fairest of ten thousand so wee should beholde the person of our husband You know it is but a harlottry loue to consider what wee haue by our husband to consider what riches he brings what honour and not often to contemplate upon his person and upon his vertue and excellency wee should learne to doe this with the Lord that wee may loue him Therefore that wee may helpe you a little in this contemplation wee will shew you how the Lord hath described himselfe Exod. 34.4 when the Lord describes himselfe to Moses thus he declares his owne name The Lord Iehovah strong mercifull gracious long-suffering abundant in kindnesse and in truth reserving mercies for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sinne c. Wee will a little open to you this description that the Lord giues us of himselfe that so you may learne to know what hee is for the way to loue the Lord is to know him and indeed therefore we loue him not because we know him not there is no other reason why in heaven when we shall come to be present with him wee shall loue him so abundantly but because wee shall know him face to face that is the reason the Angels and the Saints loue most And of every man amongst the Saints hee that knowes most loues most Therefore it should be your labour to know the Lord. But to open as I say this description unto you First he is Iehovah that is hee is a constant friend to whomsoever he is a friend he is alway the same for that is another name by which the Lord describes himselfe to Moses when he sends him
learne to know the Lord for the more you know him the more you will love him What is the reason that the Angels in heaven so love him Because they know him What is the reason that we shall love him more in heaven than wee doe now but because we shall know him more Therefore when you reade the Scriptures and observe the works of Gods providence in every particular learne by this to know God as you know a man by his actions and carriage learne to have such an Idea of God as he hath described himselfe in his word that hee is true of his word that hee is full of goodnesse that he is abundant in long-suffering and patience that hee is exceeding mercifull beyond measure c. labour to see his wisdome his goodnesse and his mercie labour to know God for when you come to know him aright by that we come to love him Why doe wee love one man more than another but because wee conceive him under such a notion wee conceive his heart to be of such and such a frame wee thinke him to be a man of such and such a condition when we thus conceive the Lord it will teach us to love him more Therefore this you must know that for you onely to looke upon things that are beneficiall to you as forgivenesse of sins and adoption and an inheritance in heaven that is not love to the Lord. It is true you should doe all this but that which you are principally to doe is to looke to the essence of God to see such excellencies in him that thereby you may be led home to him and therefore that you may know him the better you must be taught of him Againe you must not onely know him but you must likewise have assurance of his love to you for when you know the excellencies of the Lord unlesse you have assurance of his love to you it is not sufficient Take a man of the highest place and of the most excellent quality if thou conceive that he hath a hollow heart towards thee thou canst not possibly love him thou must be perswaded of the love of the Lord to thee Therefore in the Text it is said to be faith which worketh by love The increase of the assurance of Gods love therefore is the meanes to increase thy love to him So much for this time FINIS THE FIFTH SERMON GALAT. 5.6 For in Iesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but Faith which worketh by Love THE last thing wee did was to give you the properties of love to the Lord Iesus Now that which remaines to doe at this time is to apply that which hath beene said that is to bring your hearts and the rule together and to exhort you that what you have heard in this it may not passe like airy notions and never be brought home to your particular practise For my beloved the word that we deliuer to you should be like nailes driven home to the head fastened by the masters of the assemblie as the Wiseman speakes that they may sticke and abide in the soule as forked arrowes doe in the bodie that they may not easily fall out againe Therefore the maine businesse that wee have to doe in preaching the word is to fasten these words thus upon your hearts That which we will doe therefore at this time shall be to exhort you to question your owne hearts and to examine them upon your beds whether these characters and properties of love which have beene delivered doe agree to you or no. For as the Apostle saith Vnlesse you be in Christ that is unlesse you be knit to Christ in love you are reprobates it concernes every man therefore that heares me at this time to examine this strictly with himselfe We will expostulate the matter a while with you at this time and you must expostulate the matter betweene God and your owne consciences whether this love be in you or no. And although indeede this needeth not any distinct dividing into branches yet that wee may helpe your memories wee will put it into a number And first we will make this expostulation you that professe you love the Lord as who will not be ready to doe that to say he loveth Christ but yet as the Apostle Iohn speaketh of love to the brethren that men love them in shew and not in truth so it is with most men they love the Lord in word and in profession but they love him not in deed and in truth therefore first let me aske you this You that professe you love the Lord doe you not grieve him and vexe him from day to day and provoke him by your words and by your workes If this be your case it is certaine you love him not indeede Some there are that professe much love to the Lord Iesus but yet spend their time idly are diligent in no calling but waste their precious opportunities in sports in idle visitations in gaming in doing nothing that is profitable either to themselves or others but eate and drinke and rise up to play It is the case of many of our young Gentlemen a shamefull thing before men and abominable in the sight of God that men should live like beasts make their soules like the soules of swine serving for nothing but to keepe their bodies from putrifaction doing so much the lesse worke because they have the more wages burying so many precious talents whereof their time is the chiefe because it helpeth to improove all the rest of which they shall give an exact account at that day When God shall judge the secrets of mens hearts according to our Gospell Doe you professe that you love the Lord Iesus and doe you neglect him thus Besides this mocking of the Lord and dissembling with him you deale most foolishly with your selves for all the comfort that you shall ever finde in this life it will be from working from being serviceable to God and profitable to men empty lives cause but empty joy Therefore if any man shall finde this to be his case examine it it is but a false profession of love And as I speake to those that are young that spend their time Nihil agendo so I may say the same to those that are of more yeares that waste their lives in doing something indeede but it is not that which they should doe or in doing it in another manner than they ought those that are so drowned in businesse so overwhelmed with imployment so occupied with outward things abroad that they have no vacancie to feede their soules within to cloathe them with graces For you must know my brethren that your soules have neede to be trimmed every morning as well as the body they have neede of breakfast and dinner and exercise as well as the body and as you faile in giving this due respect to the soule daily so you shall finde that proportionably in that degree the
inward man will languish and grow faint But to speake a word unto you likewise Doe you thinke that you love the Lord Iesus in good earnest and yet have scarse leisure to thinke of him from morning to night that you cannot take time to speake to him to seeke him nor to prepare your hearts for him Besides this generall come to particular sinnes sabbath-breaking neglecting of private prayer vaine speeches concupiscence and sinfull lusts secret courses of uncleannesse swearing if not by greater yet by lesser oathes which indeede in this exceede the greater because in the other you sweare by the Creatour in these by the creature You that doe these things will you say you love the Lord You must know that it is a contradiction it is impossible For if you love me keepe my commandements if you keep not the commandements of God certainly you love him not But it may be you will say that your meaning is good that you are well affected to Christ and therefore surely you doe not hate him My brethren you are deceived in this thy meaning is not good for while you cast the commandements of God behinde you you cast him away and let me say to you in this case as you have it in Ier. 3.4 You professe well in saying Thou art my Father and the guide of my youth but you doe evill more and more So I say when you professe you love the Lord and that you reckon him your Father and your Husband thus you say indeede but you doe evill more and more and that is a certaine argument you love not the Lord. Therefore examine your selves by this rule For if you love the Lord you will reverence him You know whom we love we reverence and whom we reverence we dare not doe any thing unmeete in their sight Take any one whom we love whose good opinion wee seeke for wee had rather that all the world should see us doe an unseemely thing than that he should and certainly if you love the Lord you would not dare to provoke him to anger Therefore this carelesnesse in serving of him is a certaine signe of want of love to the Lord Iesus this fearefulnesse and carelesnesse when you dare not shew your courage for him when you account it a small matter to commit a sinne against God this ariseth from the defect of your love In the second place as you may try your love by your taking care not to offend God so likewise you may try it by your sorrow and griefe after you have offended him For you must know this that love as it hath the greatest joy of any thing else when it obtaines that which it would have so it is attended with the most exquisite griefe when it is disappointed As when one loveth another earnestly if any breach fall out that shall make a separation betweene them if any strangenesse grow betweene them if they love they will never be at rest it will trouble and disquiet them but as the Scripture speakes they are sicke of love that is they cannot be quiet while there is such a condition while there is any alienation while there are breaches and offences betweene them for you know that nothing is so sweete as love as you have it in Cant. 1. Love is better than wine and as David expresseth it Psal. 63.3 Thy loving kindnesse is better than life So sweete I say is love as sweete as wine and better than life Now by the rule of contraries then to have a breach made to have a barre and an interruption in this loving kindnesse of the Lord towards us or in our love towards him it is bitter as wormewood and sharpe as death Therfore you may examine your selves by the offences you offer to God when they are past if you love him it is certaine they will trouble you exceedingly for so much sorrow for sinne so much love And you may take it for a sure rule in what measure any man desires to please the Lord in that measure hee will be grieved that he hath displeased him Therefore examine thy selfe Hast thou sinned against him many times and doest thou looke backe upon those sinnes in a carelesse manner be sure that thou lovest him not Examine this by that which passeth betweene man and man When a father or a husband hath any thing committed against them by a childe or a wife if they shall withdraw themselves and professe themselves displeased and yet the childe or the wife in the meane time be never troubled at this but be at rest well enough content it should be so and are not disquieted for it will not the parent or husband take this exceeding ill at their hands when hee seeth his displeasure slighted For this is much greater than the offence it selfe So I may say whatsoever the sinne be that you have committed this hardnesse of heart this negligence after the sinne is committed when you are not disquieted for it when your hearts are not troubled for it it is a greater signe of want of love to the Lord it is a greater signe of an evill and untoward disposition than the sinne it selfe Therefore this want of sorrow for sinne is a sure argument that you love not the Lord. You may take that for one signe of want of love that we commit sinnes against God from day to day For doe but goe to your neighbours and professe your love to them and yet you injure them againe and againe you care not what wrong you doe them will they thinke that such a profession as you make is true and will the Lord regard when you say that you love him if you provoke him to anger and renew your sinnes and relapse into them againe and againe and when you have sinned take it not to heart No my brethren if you doe love him you will doe as it is said Zach. 12. when you have sinned you will mourne as he that mourneth for his onely sonne your hearts will melt as Iosiahs did your hearts will smite you as Davids did him thus it is with all that love him in deede and in truth Therefore in Levit. 16.29 and likewise Levit. 23.27 they are both one and the same the Lord appoints a feast and a meeting together for cleansing of sinnes it was the feast of atonement saith hee In that day when you come together to offer sacrifice unto me and to make an attonement you shall humble your soules and whosoever doth not afflict his soule on that day he shall be cut off from his people As if he should say At that day you come to reconcile your selves to the Lord you make profession of your love to him and of the desire you have to bee friends with him Now if you come and make this profession and doe not humble your selves nor afflict your soules on that day for those breaches that have beene betweene God and you all your
professions are but dissimulation and such a man as will thus dissemble with the Lord shall be cut off from his people So I say when you professe that you love the Lord and yet have hard hearts that there is no softnesse there that your hearts doe not melt towards him but when you have sinned you can looke backe upon your sinnes without any disturbance at all know that it is but dissembling with the Lord and you are worthy to be cut off from his people I come to a third tryall If you love the Lord Iesus have you your hearts after his owne heart that is the disposition of all those that love him Acts 13.22 the Lord saith of David I have found a man after my owne heart that will doe whatsoever I will That is looke how the Lord himselfe was affected in any businesse so was Davids heart affected and so it is with all those that love the Lord for this is proper to the Saints If you love the Lord you will be of one heart with him if we have hearts after his heart as every Christian must have in his measure though perhaps he reach not Davids measure in all the turnings of our lives upon all occasions in the diverse disposition of our wills we will be conformable to the Lords will we will be like God affected in every thing as he is affected But you will say this is a hard thing how shall we discerne it You shall discerne it by these two things If you be affected as he is you will doe whatsoever he will as those words are added concerning David I have found a man after mine owne heart for he will doe whatsoever I will You may examine your selves by that doe you doe whatsoever he will are your affections aright that you love what he loves and hate what he hates For your actions are the immediate fruites and effects of your affections and as every man is affected so he doth And besides as that is one way to discerne it so this is another which you shall likewise finde in David that hee loved those that feared the Lord and those that love vaine inventions doe I not hate them saith hee c. And that you may discerne this consider whether you love all those that feare the Lord and hate all those that are enemies to the Lord. For while there is nothing but nature in a man so long those that are of good natures that are faire in their carriages and kinde and loving to us those wee love and those that are contrary we hate and dislike but when you love the Lord and are after his heart and have another nature in you it raiseth you above this nature of your owne and then you will love those that are like the Lord whosoever they are though perhaps they are not so sociable not of so faire a naturall disposition but if you have a new nature and are become new creatures now you have common friends and common enemies Doe not object now that you are willing to doe so if they were sincere and upright but they are hypocrites I say doe not deceive your selves in this for as they rejected Christ under the person of a counterfeit and of a wine-bibber so thou maist persecute Christ under the person of an hypocrite Paul you know hee thought hee did God good service in persecuting those whom he persecuted yet though hee did it ignorantly he confessed of himselfe that he was a blasphemer and a persecuter So I say though you doe it ignorantly under the person of an hypocrite yet that is the judgement and the censure that will be upon you that in so doing you are persecuters And if you shall say that if the Lord himselfe lived amongst us if Iesus Christ were here I hope I should shew that I doe not hate him You shall see what the Lord himselfe saith In that you have done it to these you have done it to mee As he speakes there in the matter of giving so may I say to you concerning this case in that you have despised those that feare his name in that you have spoken against such as are his you have done it against the Lord in this thing you have shewed your hatred against him Examine your hearts therefore seriously by this marke Againe fourthly wee will bring you to that expostulation which is grounded on 1 Ioh. 2.15 Love not the world nor â—he things of the world for if you love the world the love of the Father is not in you Now question with your own hearts about this whether you love the world and the things of the world for if you doe the words are cleare The Love of the Father is not in you You will say how shall we know this You shall know it by these three things First by your delight in the things of the world and your griefe and sorrow for the losse of them after you have enjoyed them for if you finde that you are much affected about them it is certaine that you love the world and the things of the world Intemperate and excessive griefe and complaint for worldly losses and crosses is a sure argument and evidence that you love the world Whereas when you love the Lord you will be indifferent in those things if a worldly losse befall you you will grieve as if you grieved not if any worldly advantage happeneth you will enjoy it as if you enjoyed it not A man will be thus affected If I have God sure I reckon him onely my portion all other things are by accident he onely is essentiall to my happinesse We doe not denie that a man may grieve upon such occasions but it is a lighter kinde of griefe and therefore it is expressed well by the former phrase As if he grieved not He knoweth all this while the maine is sure and so long his heart is stedfast within him but when a man shall fall into excessive griefe when the affection shall be exceedingly stirred about worldly things it is a signe that you reckon not God and the assurance of his favour to be the maine thing in your happinesse you should be affected to the world with a remisse affection Now when your affections are so much taken up about them it is a signe you love the world and the things of the world It is true you may doe the things of the world and enjoy them and follow after them but in a remisse manner but when your affections are so much stirred about them when you come to excessive love in the having them and excessive griefe in the losing of them it is a signe that you love the world and the things of the world Secondly you shall know it by this when worldly things shall come into competition with those that belong to a good conscience and the service of God you shall finde this one way
of the world those that are in place because they shall countenance iniquitie because the streame of the times shall goe that way for this cause the love of many shall waxe colde that is because they mind the world wheras if they did not love the world and the things of it though iniquitie did abound yet their love would waxe hotter When things are so that iniquitie abounds some will not take the paines they love their ease and contentment others want courage to doe it they are faint-hearted and dare not adventure Now whence doth this come but from the love of the world for no man is fearefull but because there is something that he is in love with and is loath to part with If a man did not love the things of the world he would have courage for the truth This is therefore an argument that men doe love the world and consequently the love of the Father is not in them Let us come yet to another expostulation In the first place therefore if you love the Lord you will finde in your selves a readinesse to please him in all things you will doe it naturallie As the Apostle speakes of Timothy I know no man like minded who will naturally care for your matters So if you love the Lord aright you will doe it with a naturall affection you will love him naturally For what is this love to the Lord if it be right but that which himselfe hath planted in us wee are taught of him to love him It is like the naturall affection which parents have to their children such a kinde of affection will it be if you love the Lord you will doe that which is good in his sight with a kinde of naturalnesse and readinesse you will be carried to the duties of his service as the fire is carried upwards and not as stones are carried upwards with the force of another but you will doe them readilie and chearfullie you will not doe good duties as being haled to them and put on to doe them but you will be zealous of good workes that is you will have a burning desire in your hearts longing after them you shall not neede to have them forced upon you but you will be forward to doe them you will be affected to good workes as you are out of selfe-love to your owne businesse You know when a man naturallie loveth himselfe when he is to doe something that concernes his owne good how solicitous is he about it and how provident forecasting how to bring it to passe and if any rubbe be in the way it troubleth him if there be any faire passage and likelihood of atchieving it he rejoyceth Now if you love the Lord naturallie and trulie you will goe about his businesse as you goe about your owne if there be any businesse to be done Magistrates in their place Ministers in their place and everie man indeede shall finde some businesse to doe wherein he may bring glorie to Gods name and advantage to his cause Consider now how you are stirred about it doe you goe about this businesse are you so industrious and laborious doe you project it doe you minde it as your owne you will not stand expostulating the matter to say must I doe it and is it of necessitie But if it be a thing that tends to the advancing of the glorie of God you will doe it with all readinesse you will not so much stand upon this what wages shall I have and what profit shall I gaine But as a loving womā to her husband she is glad to doe any thing for her husbands good she is satisfied with this that she hath an opportunitie to doe something so it will be with you if your hearts be rightly affected you will then doe things after this manner You will say How shall wee know this love this is a nice and curious point to love the Lord thus naturallie You shall know it by these two things First by the evennesse of your carriage towards the Lord for what a man doth naturallie he doth with a kinde of equalitie with a kinde of evennesse so that as we say an uneven pulse is a signe of a deadlie and dangerous distemper within so I say when you finde an unevennesse in your carriages to the Lord that you are off and on with him that sometimes you doe a thing for him and anon you will doe for your lusts this is a signe that you love not naturally feigned things are for the most part unequall because when a man doth not doe a thing naturallie he cannot holde out a man cannot dissemble so well but at one time or other hee will discover himselfe what a man doth naturally and heartily he is like himselfe in it still Therefore when there is such an unevennesse in your waies some will be verie forward in a good cause now in a good moode and then out of it againe it is a signe you love not the Lord thus naturallie for then you would be eaven in your carriage towards him Adde to this the continuance of it for if you love the Lord with a naturall affection you will holde out and be constant in it The second and third ground went farre in their profession but their inconstancie shewed that they loved not the Lord with a naturall love this discontinuing is a signe that your love is not true I beseech you examine your selves by these things whether you love the Lord remember what I said the last day doe you desire that your sinnes should be utterlie destroyed doe you not dallie with sinne would you not have some remainders within you nay I will goe a step further with you doe you not hate the Lord You will say God forbid that we should doe so I hope we are not in that condition My brethren first you must know that there are manie that doe hate the Lord in Rom. 1. amongst others those are reckoned up Haters of God Therefore it is certaine that there are manie and many of those that come to Church manie that thinke well of themselves and that others thinke well of too that yet are haters of the Lord. You will say how shall we know that I will aske you but this to bring this likewise into examination and so to conclude I say examine your selves by this Doe you not desire that there were no God examine your hearts whether if this newes were brought that you might live at libertie that you might doe what you would that you might satisfie your lusts in all things that there were no God to call you to account to reward you according to your doings whether it would not be acceptable newes to many of you Now it is certaine if you would not have the Lord to be you hate him for whomsoever you would have taken out of the way such a man you hate And besides this consider whether you doe not
looke upon the Lord as upon a judge whether you doe not all that you doe to him as one that lookes upon a judge If you feare the Lord in this manner it is certaine you hate him for those whom you thus feare you hate and that you shall finde in 1 Ioh. 4. If you feare saith hee you love not for perfect love casts out feare when you look upon God as upon a strict judge and that is it that puts you on to doe all that you doe that is it that makes you keepe a good conscience in secret for this you may doe and yet looke upon God as a judge to feare with this kinde of feare is a signe you hate the Lord for whom you feare you hate Besides this Doe you not looke upon God and upon his wayes as contrary to your hearts that your hearts and the wayes of God are in an opposition your hearts and sanctifying the Sabboth will not agree the Lord would have your speeches to be good and holy he would have you not onely abstaine from evill but to hate it to have your hearts rise up against it Are not these commandements contrary to you Consider but that holinesse that is expressed in the booke of God and that is expressed also in the lives of the Saints who carry his Image stamped on them and is there not a kinde of contrariety betweene your wayes and theirs betweene your hearts and them If there be it is a certaine signe of hatred for wheresoever there is contrariety there is hatred Examine your selves by this and see whether you doe not hate the Lord. And yet to come to one more if you love pleasures more than God and wealth more than God you hate God For so you have it Mat. 6. No man can serve two Masters but either hee must hate the one and love the other c. That is when you love other things though you thinke you doe not hate the Lord yet I say in that you love pleasures and love the world and the things of the world in that you love your lusts and the objects of them in doing this you hate the Lord. Now if this be your case if upon these expostulations that I have propounded if upon these rules of examining your selves you finde that you doe not love the Lord if this be your condition as it is your wisedome to deale strictly with your selves for hence it is brethren that the soules of men perish because they will not see and search into their estates they will not come to this examination of themselves it is a painfull thing to them men are backward to examine themselves in private what is the reason of that phrase in the Psalme Examine your selves upon your beds but because examination should be when a man is most retired I say if you finde it to be so as it is the case of many then it should open a window to you to see what you have deserved at the Lords hands how just it were that the Lord should cast you off For when you are enemies to the Lord can you thinke much at it My brethren what a condition is that man in that hath the great God of heaven and earth to be his enemie And besides this have you not reason to justifie God in his just judgements upon others when you shall see God sharply plaguing them It may seeme to you that it is a hard thing that men should be so punished but when wee consider that they are haters of God that they are enemies to him you may justifie God in that hee doth But to conclude you ought to humble your selves if upon these tryalls you finde your selves to be lovers of the world and not lovers of God And you that are young and put off repentance it should move you to come in betimes For if this be required of you to love the Lord and you shall not be exempted from death when it comes though you be never so able and never so strong and lustly what condition doe you thinke you will be in if you die enemies to God and haters of him as you needes must be if you love him not And if you thinke you have time enough hereafter to settle your affections Consider is it in your owne power though you have warning before death to have this affection of love You may doe many good duties you may be sorry and repent for your sinnes but though you doe this and a thousand times more yet if you have not this love-wrought in you by God if it come not from heaven if it be not the fruite of his owne Spirit all your repentance and all your forsaking of sinne all your doing of duties the change of your courses is nothing the Lord regards it not unlesse you have this naturalnesse of love I have stood therefore the longer upon it and upon this part concerning examination because it is a matter of great moment Wee should have come to the next part concerning exhortation which wee would not disjoyne because it is very usefull and profitable but we cannot doe it now but reserve it for the afternoone FINIS THE SIXTH SERMON GALAT. 5.6 For in Iesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but Faith which worketh by Love AND before we leave this poynt one thing I must add For what reason doe we put you vpon this disposition vpon this examination whether the love of God be in your hearts or no The reason is not that you should be discouraged that you should be put off from comming to God that you should be greived with the sight of the want of your love but the end of it is to stirre you up to gett it if you want it You know we have formerly delivered some meanes of getting it onely there is one which we will commend unto you which we gave a little touch on but could not handle it and it consists of these Three branches if you would love the Lord First you must know him for otherwise you cannot love him As it is in naturall loue that is bred between man and man you say love ariseth from sight they must see before they can love so you must know the Lord there must be a sight of God by faith before you can love him And every man that sees him and knowes him as he is will love him he cannot chuse for that is the Lords worke to all the Saints Ierem. 31 You shall he taught of me and you shall know mee from the greatest to the least It may be in some manner they knew God before but although a man have never so exact knowledge of him yet till he be a regenerate man he never knowes him indeede it is an other kind of knowledge that hee hath when a man is regenerate whē God teaches him to know him he lookes on God with an other eye every thing is presented to him
the conditions that God requires in our love to him we went through two of them the last time wee come now to that which remaines Thirdly you shall finde this to be another condition in our love to the Lord to love him above all that is incomparably above all For my brethren wee may love many things in the world wee may love our selves wee are commanded to loue our brethen as our selves but this is peculiarly required to the love of God if it be right in us and such as the Lord expects at our hands that we loue him aboue all for otherwise we doe not loue him as God wee loue him as a creature for to say we loue him as God and yet not to loue him aboue all is a contradiction Besides if wee should not reckon him as the chiefe good and so prise him aboue all some thing would offer it selfe one time or another to us and draw our affections to it and then wee should leaue the Lord and take that Therefore I say it is required that we loue the Lord aboue all For every kinde of loue is not sufficient as we see it in other things that loue that will serue a servant or a common friend will not serue for a wife it is another kinde of loue that loue that will serue for one will not serue for another A Parent a King and a Master as they haue different relations so they must be love with different kindes of loue Now then consider what loue it is that belongs to the Lord he must haue all he must haue a loue that answers him otherwise if thou come with a little pittance of loue and say Lord I am willing to bestow this upon thee the Lord will refuse it hee will answer I will take none of these things at your hands Even as landlords doe with their tenants when they bring not all their rent they refuse it and reject it because it is not that which they require and which is due Even so the Lord deales with us as he did with the young man in the Gospell saith hee Goe and sell all that thou hast My brethren it was not the act of selling but it was the affection that was required Therefore Christ did but try his affection by it and it was performed by the wise Merchant that solde all this the Lord requires that we loue him aboue all And there is good reason for it for hee is most excellent and most amiable of all Besides I am sure hee hath done for us more than all as Paul speakes Was Paul crucified for you hath not Christ bought you hath not hee redeemed you hath not he deserved more than all and should he not therfore be loved aboue all Againe is he not the uttermost end are not all natures else subordinate God as hee is aboue all so should wee haue a loue answerable unto him But you will object What to loue God aboue my selfe how can I doe that Yes my brethren and there is good reason for that too beeause in so doing we provide best for our selues it is not so with the creature if you set your loue upon it if you loue any creature aboue your selves it may be the destruction of your selves But the Lord can provide for you and repaire you againe when the creature is destroyed for the Lords sake when a man is a loser for any thing that he doth for the Lord he is a great gainer by it for it is the rule that God hath appointed the creature and the perfection of every creature is in comming neere to the rule Now when the Lord hath appointed this to loue him aboue our selues in so doing we cannot chuse but provide best for our selues because therein lies our excellencie and perfection This is therefore another property of this loue we must loue God aboue all aboue all riches aboue all profits aboue all honour and credit aboue all learning and delight aboue our selues and our lusts Therefore you shall finde it in the phrase of Scripture how it runnes those that loue pleasures more than God those that love the praise of men more than God those that loue wealth more than God you see how they are excluded You shall see what it is not to loue the praise of men more than God it is this when they come together at some times in competition as they will ever and anon still to preferre God before them As for example the Lord hath commanded you to sanctifie the Sabboth to pray continually the least thou canst doe is to doe it evening and morning and to doe it diligently Now when thy profits and thy businesse or thy ease shall come and thrust thee off from such a duty now they come together and here they meete upon a narrow bridge as it were if thou shalt now preferre thy profits and thy businesse before the service of the Lord thou art a lover of thy wealth more than of him You may bring it to many such examples So againe the Lord hath commanded to be diligent in your callings to improue the time to the best advantage for you shall giue an account for it is one of the most precious talents you have Now if pleasures and sports and recreations shall come in and allure you and call you to draw you away to spend time amisse now they come in competition if ye doe this ordinarily you are lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God So againe God hath commanded thee that thou shouldest not commit adultery that thou shalt not kill that thou shalt forbeare to revenge and the like Now if any lust shall come and stand in opposition to such a command if thou preferre this before it thou art a lover of thy selfe and of thy lusts before God In a word goe through any such thing wherein God and thy lusts thy pleasure or thy profits come in competition when thou shalt in thy ordinary course be ready to preferre that before him thou lovest that before him thou lovest that before the Lord and though thou thinke that thou lovest God yet notwithstanding know this that that is not sufficient thou must loue him aboue all And if you say who is able to performe this who is it that doth not at some times preferre his pleasures and profits before the obedience to a command I answer it is a thing that hath beene done and is done by all the Saints Therefore if you looke into Deut. 30.6 saith the Lord I will circumcise thy heart and the heart of thy seede and thou shalt love me with all thy heart He speakes it there of a thing that is acted indeede of a thing that is to be done by those that are regenerate I will circumcise you and then you shall doe it And my brethren a man that hath the least measure of grace if he be once in Christ hee loves
in their places to every man to contend for the common Faith and know this my brethren that their are certaine opportunities which the Lord giues you and you must take heed of neglecting them it may be to let a thing goe some times it will never be recovered againe Therefore looke that you be diligent in it stirr up your selves to doe it while there is occasion offered In other things men are apt to be men of action they would have imployment and worke that they may bee some body in the world and it is very well there is something in that it is a noblenesse of disposition so to doe but alas what poore and weake reward haue you for that it may be a little vaineglory it may be some applause from Princes or people it may be some emptie airie preferment To doe the will of the Lord the worke he hath given you to doe it is no matter what it is for a servant must not chuse his worke I say whatsoever it is though in never so meane a thing the greatest excellencie is to do his will that makes us Kings and Princes to him that makes us partakers of the Royall bloud as Christ saith These are my brothers and Sister and Mother that doe the will of my Father It is this doing of his will this action that puts you into a high condition I see not that Paule was ambitious of any thing but of this that he might be doing that he might liue a usefull a profitable life in the 15. Rom. 20. I was ambitious saith Paule to Preach the Gospell even where it had never been preached this is all my ambition to put my selfe upon the hardest taskes so it should be your ambition to doe some thing for the Church When you reade the storie of Moses that He was mightie in word and deede of David of the Iudges and the Worthies of the Church they should be so many incentives to you to stirre you up to be doing in your place But this is not all that we would commend to you at this time to be men of action and to observe the opportunities but there is an other thing and that is this that likewise the season cōmends to you that is to fast and pray as in husbandry so in the Church there are certaine seasons of actions and those seasons must not be omitted Marke what the course of the Scripture was in every calamitie in Ioel when there was a famine begune Sanctifie a fast saith the Lord call a solemne Assemblie when their is a plague comming when there are great enterprises in hand when there is any thing plotting for the advancement of the good of the Church doe you not think now that the omission of opportunities are sinnes for you to neglect this dutie doe you not thinke the Lord will require it It is true indeed it is a businesse that is not ordinary it is extraordinary but doe not extraordinary times and occasions call for it Againe is it not evill in such extraordinary cases to omit such an extraordinary duty As wee finde in Scripture when the Lord would call for fasting and they did it not Indeed to turne it to jollity and feasting is another thing a sinne of a greater nature but now the very standing still and omitting of this duty is disobedience to the Lord and to be guilty of the judgements that are upon a people I say the standing still and not hastening to the gappe What shall we say then of those that resist this course and thrust men out of the gappe Consider it therefore seriously this is a speciall duty required the season lookes for it that we should humble our selves before God Againe there is one thing more that wee will speake of but in a word that is that every man for his owne particular renew his speciall Covenant with God concerning the amendment of his life in particular for I finde that in all times when the Lord hath stretched forth his hand against a Church and Nation that this hath beene required that they should come and enter into a Covenant with God You shall finde that Asa did it 2 Chron. 16. that Nehemiah did it that it was done in Ieremiahs time when they had warres in hand Wee have many examples of it in Scripture every man did it and because every man could not come to doe it personally the head did it for the rest I say the Lord lookes for this from every man in private that he should doe this in a particular manner to consider what have I done amisse in my life what have I done to provoke the Lord What sinnes of commission and what of omission Have I beene colde and lukewarme Have I beene too much conformable to the times For this is it that brings judgement upon a people the Saints when they are not zealous when they fall from their first love may helpe forward a judgement as well as grosse sinners yea and more too let every man therefore stirre up himselfe to doe his dutie In a word wee should strive and contend for the advancing of Christs kingdome for the furtherance of the Gospell for the good of mankinde for the flourishing of the Church wherein our owne good consisteth and we should doe it earnestly wee should contend for it contend with God in prayer contend with our Superiours by intreaty with our adversaries by resistance with colde and lukewarme men by stirring them up by provoking one another to good workes These are the workes that we exhort you to and thus you shall be assured you have faith that workes by love Learne this to joyne these together And so much shall serve for this time and this Text. FINIS THE TABLE A. Part. Page Absolute COvenant absolute Part. 1. Pag. 38 Acquaintance How to draw neere in acquaintance with God Part. 3. Pag. 105. Act Active Action Act of faith double Part 2. Pag. 64 Habit serveth for act p. 2. p. 140 Love active 3.85 Pleasure in action 3.206 See Faith ADAM A parallell betweene the two ADAMS 1.5 Adoption Spirit of Adoption what 2.104 Adulterer Adulterous Hee that loves not God is an Adulterer 1.20 Love to the creature when it is adulterous 3.107 Affections Affections follow the understanding 2.98 Affections all hang upon love and hatred 3.8 Affections how our love is tried by them 3.24 Affliction Afflictions how made easie 2.146 Christians happy in afflictions 2.192 We neede afflictions 2.206 Afflictions good to the godly 2.207 Difference betweene Saints and others in afflictions 2.208 All. Christ offered to all in 4 respects 1.10 All must be parted with for Christ. 1.23 Christ all in all 1 78 Tryall of love by loving all Saints 3.101 Love God with all the heart 3.157 Why God is to be loved above all 3.164 166 Love is that may be given by all 3.175 Alexander Alexander an example of trust 2.168 Almighty God is Almighty 3.38 Almighty
what Ibid. Alone Faith worketh best alone 1.68 How God is to us alone 3.158 Amisse God heares not when wee aske amisse 2.194 Anger Tryall of our love by anger 3.87 Anger what 3.88 Many men are but angry with sinne 3.97 See hate Application see Offer Approbation There may be approbation of that which is good in an evillman 3.192 Argument see Spirit Ashamed Love is not ashamed 3.76 Assaults We meet with new assaults daily 1.135 True peace hath assaults 2.110 Assent Assent of three sorts 1.47 Assurance Wee should labour to grow in assurance 1.129.2.72 Two wayes to increase assurance 2.76 Assurance of Gods love begetteth love 3.110 143. Meaneâ— to get assurance 3.144 B. Baptise Baptising what meant by it in Marke 16. 1.54 Baptisme what 2.97 Beleeve It is not in mans power to beleeve 2.48 If â—e beleeve God is ready to helpe and why 2.173 See Spirit Benefit Benefit in taking Christ. 1.33 Benefits by Christ may be looked to 1.54 91 97.2.14 Benefits by Christ draw the will 1.106 Benefits by Christ must not onely be looked to 2.119 Benefit to crosse our selves in it a signe of love 3.64 Benefit to us that we love Christ. 3.175 Best Best thing in man is love 3.47 Blessing Blessing of God 2.180 Blood Blood of Christ not shed in vaine 1.111 Blood of Christ to be guilty of it 2.103 Boast Salvation is of gift that none might boast 1.8 45 Boldnesse We should apply the promises with boldnesse 1.86 Gods free promise should give us boldnes 1.88 Boldnesse in prayer from the spirit of adoption 2.104 Boldnesse the parent of love 3.105 Bondage The spirit of bondage requiâ—ite 2.49 Bounty Love is bountifull 2.127 3 60 Tryalls of the bounty of love 3.64 Busie Being over busie in worldly things a sign of too much love to them 3.124 Build Built When a man is said to be well built 2.34 How Ministers should build 2.74 C. Calling see Diligent Care Care required and forbidden what 2.115 Carnall Ioy of an hypocrite carnall 2.134 Certainty Certainty of obtaining Christ if we seeke him 1.33 109 See Promise Change Change the necessity of it 1.58 Chearfull Chearfull service an argument of loue 3.66 Chearfullnesse why God requires it Ibid. Christ. Christ the reiecting of him 1 28 Christ what we have with him 1 31 Christ 3 considerations to move men to take him 1 33 Christ his willingnesse to receive sinners 1 110 Christ his riches and excellency 2 50 Christ the end of his comming into the world 2 57 Christ good workes evidence our right in him 2 70 Christ hee that loves not is not in him 3 5 Christ two things to make us love him 3 15 Cleare The righteousnesse of Christ manifested more cleerely in the Gospell than formerly 1 4 Coldnesse Coldnesse in Christian profession a cause of the plague 3 93 Command Love an affection that commands the rest 3.8 87 Hee that neglects Gods commands loues him not 3 115 Keeping Gods commands a signe our loue is diligent 3 173 Comfort We should set faith on worke to comfort us 2 142 Considerations to helpe faith in comforting 2 149 Company To company with the Saints a signe of loue to Christ. 3 102 Complacency Loue of complacency 3 9 Loue of complacency onely to Saints 3 102 Compell To compell men to come in what 1 114 2 56 Communion Prayer bringeth to communion with God 3 50 Competition Tryall of loue in case of competition 3 123 Comming The end of Christs comming 2 59 Desire of Christs second comming a tryall of loue 3.71 Comming of Christ how to know wee desire it 3 72 Preparation for Christs comming 3 172 Complaint Complaint double 1 74 Compleate Compleate will in taking Christ. 1 22 Concupiscence Loue of concupiscence 3 9 Condition Conditionall Conditionall covenant 1 38 Condition required by God easie 3 44 Confesse Confessing of Christ. 2 158 Constant. Constant cleaving to Christ. 2 118 Constant good carriage a signe of love 3 130 Constant love to God must be love above all other things 3 165 Content The nature of holy men apt to take content in outward things 2 161 Love content with nothing but love 3 66 Constraine How love constraiâ—eth 3 29 Cost God observes what cost wee are at in his service 3 63 Covenant Covenant 〈◊〉 1 38 Covenant not broken by infirmities 1 131 2 152. 3 147 Covenant ought to be renewed 3 215 Crosse. Crosse may meete a man in Gods worke 2 201 Cruell Hatred more cruell than anger 3 98 Curse Curse upon him that loves not Christ. 3 18 To be cursed what 3 176 Curse of God in foure things 3 177 D. Damnation Damnation to be preached to men out of Christ. 3 33 Danger Danger in not taking Christ. 1 33 Danger how faith guides in it 2 161 Danger in not loving the Lord. 3 176 Deare We must part with that which is deare for Christ. 1.115 117 Deceive Men apt to deceive themselves 2 4 See Taking Deferre We must not deferre to take Christ. 1 31 Degree Faith admits degrees in â—oure respects 1 117 We must grow in the degrees of â—aith â— 127 Our love to God not alwayes in the same degree 3 170 Delight Delight in worldly things a signe of love to them 3 122 Deliverance Delivered Deliverance Gods children put to waite for it 2 123 Deliverance instances of Gods deferring it 2 172 Faith once delivered 3 210 Deliberate Deliberate will in taking Christ. 1 22 Denie Deniall By denying our selves wee enioy our selves 1 116 Faith will take no deniall 2 120 Dependance Love of dependance 3 9 Desire Desire after Christ. 1 30 Desire the strength of it how tryed Ibid. Desire tryall of love by it 3 27 Desire when it is right God takes the will for the deed 3 202 Death Dead Die Death of Christ the end of it 1 36 As great a worke to moue the heart to Christ as to raise the dead 2 55 Faith ineffectuall is dead 2 58 Faith without workes dead 2 64 69 Backwardnesse in the Saints to die 3 72 Difficulties Faith admits degrees in regard of difficulties 1 123 Difficulties wee must labour to beleeue notwithstanding them 1 128 Difficulties how faith guides in them 2 158 Difficulties God can helpe in them 2 174 Diligence Diligence a tryall of love 3 26 Diligence in our calling an argument of love 3 77 Diligence of love 3 172 Diligence of love wherein it is Ibid. Direct Direct and reflect act of faith the difference betweene them 1 63 Discourage Those that have weake faith should not be discouraged 1.130 The Divell labours to discourage 1 133 See God Disease A mans carnall selfe is his disease 1 116 Discretion Discretion 3 209 Divell What faith the divell hath 2. 59 63 Doe Done What is to bee done by those that have Christs righteousnesse 1 15 Readinesse to doe for Christ. 1 24 That the Lord hath done for us a motive to loue him 3 47 Love ready to doe for them
Obiect Answ. Psal. 31. Ier. 10. 1 Tim. 1.6 2 Obiect Ans. Obiect Ans. Obiect Ans. 2 Cor. 11. Simile Rom. 8. 3 Obiect Concerning Gods hearing our prayers Ans. Why God heares not sometimes Obiect Ans. When we aske amisse 2 Cor. 12. 2 When we are not fitted for mercies 1 Pet. 5.6 Prou. 22.4 3 To make vs pray feruently Iam. 5. 4 When it crosseth Gods prouidence otherwise 4 Obiect About the prosperity of wicked men and the Saints afflictions Psal. 37. Ier. 12.1 Eccles. 8.14 Eccles. 7.14 We must not iudge by Gods outward proceedings Obiect Answ. We haue need of long and strong afflictictions Dan. 11.7 Psal 37. Quest. Answ. Ier. 24. Difference betweene the Saints and others in the same afflictions Prou. 1.27 Afflictions easie to the godly Psal. 21.34 Simile Faith must be improued to increase sanctification Quest. Ans. How Faith sanctifies the heart Doct. Love what Five kindes of love Three sorts of Love Love of God how wrought in the heart The loue of Christ what Reas. 1 Hypocrisie vvhat Reas. 2. Reas. 3 Reas. 4 1 Vse 1 Cor. 16.22 1 Tryall of love by the affections 1 By griese 2 By ioy 2 Tryall by walking with the Lord. To walke with God what 3 Tryall by the diligence of love 1 Thess. 1.4 4 Tryall desire of present enioyment of the thing beloved 5 Tryall of loye it is its owne wages 6 Tryal of love by its constraining us to please God 2 Cor 5. Object Answ. Motives to love Christ. 2 Mot. 3 Mot. 4 Mot. 5 Mot. Iosh. 24. Deut. 32.13 6 Mot. Ier 2. 2 Sam. 12.7 7 Mot. Gal. 2.10 Obiect Answ. Meanes to enable us to love God Prayer Object Answ. Obiect Answ. Prayer workes love 4 wayes Object Answ. 2 Thess. 4. 2 meanes to consider our sinnes Object Answ. Ier. 3.1 3 Meanes to beseech the Lord to shew himselfe to us Exod. 33. The Sacrament of the Lords Supper is not to be omitted Reasons The Lords Supper beyond the Passeover in two respects 2 Men ought not to come negligently to it Two sorts receive the Sacramentunâ— worthily Properties of love 1 It is bountifull 1 Cor. 13. Acts 20.24 Revel 2. Object Answ. 2 It is content with nothing but love again Psal. 51. 2 Chron. 7.14 3 It desires the second comming of Christ 2 Tim. 4.8 Heb. 9. ult 2 Pet. 3.13 Object Answ. 1. Revel 14.13 Simile 4 It delighteth to speake of the party beloved Psal. 105. 2 Chron. 15. 5 It will doe much and suffer much for the party beloved 2 Sam. 6.21 Heb. 10. Object Answ. 1 Iohn 5 3. opened 6 Property of love it is like fire in 4 things Cant 8. Mat 24 5. 7 Property of love it commandeth the affections especially anger and feare 1 Sam. 4.3 Ier. 36.24 Act. 17. These sermons were preached in the time of the great pestilence 1625. Quest. Answ. Causes of the plague Numb 25. Numb 25. Quest. Answ. Isay 22. 8 Property of love it doth things freely 9 Property of love hatred of sinne Object Answ. Rev. 2. Answ. Three differences betweene hatred and anger 10 Property it loveth the Saints 1 Iohn 4.20 opened 4 Tryalls of our love to holy men Object Answ. 2 Cor. 6. Two impediments of the love of Christ. 1 Strangenes Quest. Answ. 2 Vncircumcision of heart Deut. 30.6 1 Iohn 2. Quest. Answ. Quest. Answ. When love to the creature is adulterous Note Knowledge of God especiall helpe to make us love him Vse Examination 1. Tryall Object Answ. Ier. 3.4 2. Tryall Cant 1. Psal. 63.3 Zach. 12. Levit 16.29 23.27 3. Tryall Acts 13.22 Quest. Answ. Object Answ. Obiect 2 Answ. 4. Tryall 1 Iohn 2.15 Quest. Answ. Three tryalls of our love to the world Ioh. 12.42 Heb. 11. Iohn 8. Object Answ. Rom. 13. 5 Tryall Quest. Answ. Naturalnesse of love to the Lord is known by two things Object Answ. Rom. 1. Quest. Answ. Foure signes of hatred of God 1 Iohn 4. Mat. 6. The last helpe of the love of God consisting of three branches The knowledg of God A looking upon God as one sutable to us 3 Assurance of the Lords love to us Object Answ. Meanes whereby men may be assured of Gods love to them 1 Such as are without Isay. 9.6 Obiect 1. Answ. Obiect 2. Answ. 2 Such as are within the Covenant Object Answ. 2 Answ. 3 Answ. 4 Mot. 2 Mot. Isa. 48.17 Deut. 5.19 Object Answ. Two Requisites in the love of God 1 It must be with all the heart Object Answ. Hosea 3.3 Simile 2 Requisite in love it must be with all your night Object Answ. 3 Requisite to love him above all Else wee love him not as God Else we should not love him constantly Simile Why wee must love the Lord above all Object Answ. Why we must love God above our selves Not to love pleasures more than God what Quest. Answ. Deut. 30.6 Object Answ. 4 Requisite to be rooted and grounded in love Eph. 3.17 Iam 1.12 Our love to God not alwayes in the same degree How to bee rooted in love 1 To be rooted in faith 2 Pitch your love on his person 5 Requisite it must be diligent 1 Thess. 1.3 Wherein our love should be diligent 1 In preparing for Christs comming 2 In adorning the soule 3 In keeping his commandements God dealeth not hardly with us in requiring love because 1 It is that which every one may give 2 Hee that requires this might have required harder things 3 It is for our owne benefit The danger of not loving the Lord. 1 Cor. 16.22 To be cursed what The curse of God in foure things 1 Separate from grace 2 Separation from the presence of God Gen. 4. 3 A curse on the outward estate Object Answ. A man may be cursed in outward things in the midst of plentie 4 The eternall curse at the day of iudgement Eccles. 1.7 Psal. 78.38 Men may be cursed though the curse be not executed Doct. Wee are to be iudged not only by our faith and love but by our workes Mat. 7. Acts 14.22 Mat. 23.26 Prov. 10.20 Reas. 1 Because every Christian hath the spirit and that is strong 2 Tim. 1.6 Gal. 5.25 2 Tim 2.1 Isay 31.3 Reas. 2. Inward rectitude and good workes alway goe together Mat 13.5 Reas. 3. Because there is a new nature Vse 1. Not to be content onely with good meanings Good purposes whenee they arise 1 Knowledge 2 Approbation of that which is good Though there may bee good workes where the heart is unsound yet wherever the heart is sound there is good workes Simile Isay 1. Object Answ Holy men have failings 1 When they are suddenly transported Simile 2 Holy men have flesh in them as well as spirit Object Answ. The good that evill men doe it cannot bee said that they doe it Rom. 7. A man may do good and not be good Vse 2. Christians better taught than great learned men without grace Wisedome in three things Religion an art of holymen not of learned men Sciences of two sorts Object Answ. The will taken for the deed 1 When the impediment cannot be removed 2 When a man is ignorant of somethings and yet his desires are right No man hath a great measure of grace without paines Vse 3. An exhortation to doing Motives to be workers 1 Thess. 5.6 7 8. The use of grace increaseth it A goodly sight when mens lives abound with good workes A true property of wisedome Simile Pleasure and contentment is in action The end of our life 1 To glorifie God 2 To doe good to men Phil. 4.17 Object Answ. In every calling men have occasion of dong good Good actions what Good workes In suffering In sicknesse In mastering our lusts Quest. Answ. Our workes must be sutable to the season Quest. Answ. Duties suting the present times 1 Contend for the faith Discretion Moderation The faith once delivered Common faith Errour in opinion worse then errours in practise These sermons were preached in the Parliament time in 1625. where diverse of the Parliament were present Opportunities not to be slipped Rom. 15.20 2 Duty Fast and pray 3 Duty Renew our Covenants 2 Chron. 16. The sinnes of Gods children helpe to bring iudgements