have seene thy face saith hee Genes 33.10 as though I had seene the face of God By this I know saith David Psal. 41.11 that thou favourest me because mine enemy doth not triumph over me Thirdly These common favours and fruits of Gods love may worke in all men even in them that have no faith a kind of love unto God a common and an ordinary and a superficiall love But then I say fourthly A sound and true love to God can never bee wrought in any mans heart that hath not faith by these outward and temporall blessings of God nor by any knowledge hee can have by them of Gods love to him The unsoundnesse of that love that is wrought in men towards God by these common favours of his will appeare in three points First It is but a mercenary love they love the gifts of God rather then the Lord himselfe and when God giveth over giving to them they give over loving of him This is like the love that harlots beare to their lovers When the Prodigall had to give and spend upon those harlots upon whom it is sayd hee wiâ—tâ—d his goods Luke 15.30 no doubt but they shewed a great deale of kindnesse unto him but when hee could give them no more their love was at an end Satan knew well that this is the love of most men unto God though hee falsely and maliciously charged Iob with it Iob 1.10 11. While God mâ—â—â—th in hedge about them and about all that they have while hee blesseth the worke of their hands and their substance is increased they will love the Lord but let thâ— Lord put forth his hand and touch all that they have they will be ready to curse him to his face Whereas hee that soundly and truly loveth the Lord loveth him for himselfe and those perfections and excellencies that are in him and not for his gifts nor for his owne advantage onely Hee loveth him as a good child doth his parents 1 Tim. 5 4 though they bee poore and have nothing to give him And as Paul declaring the truth of his love to the Corinthians professeth 2 Cor. 12.14 hee sought not theirs but them so doth hee that truly loveth the Lord desire to enjoy him and his favour more then hee doth desire any of Gods blessings any thing that the Lord can doe for him His soule saith unto God as David did Psal. 119.57 Thou art my portion ô Lord. If I have thee I have enough I desire no more There are many will say saith David Psalm 4.6 7. who will shew us any good Gods goods and benefits every man desireth every man is enamored with But Lord saith hee lift up the light of thy countenance upon us As if hee had said Wee have enough if wee have thee and thy favour And so speaketh hee also Psalm 73.25 There is nothing upon earth that I desire besides thee And from hence also it commeth that as hee that truly and intirely loveth any man will love him at all times even then when his friend doth not nor can requite his love yea therein principally the truth of his love appeareth as Solomon saith Prov. 17.17 A friend loveth at all times and a brother is borne for adversity And as our Saviour teacheth us that no man hath any true charity in him towards his neighbour that loveth him onely while hee dealeth kindly with him but caâ— love no man that hath dealt unkindly with him or done him wrong If you doe good to them that doe good to you saith he Luk. 6.33 what thankes hâ—â—e you for sinners also will doe so much So hee that truly loveth the Lord will love him at all times even when hee with-holdeth his hand and with-draweth his bounty when he carrieth himselfe towards him even as if he were his enemy Though he slay me saith Iob 13 15. yet will â—trust in him which he could never have done if he had not loved him Secondly The love that is bred in men towards God by his temporall blessings without faith is no sound or true love because there bee many other things that all such men love as much or more then God He that loveth father or mother more then mee saith our Saviour Matth. 10.37 hee that to please them dare offend mee hee that loveth sunne or daughter more then mee hee that to scrapâ— and provide for them dare sinne against mee or through fondnesse like Ely can beare with any profanenesse or lewdnesse in them is not worthy of me his love is of no worth at all in my account If a man bee a lover of pleasures more then a lover of God as the Apostle telleth us 2 Tim. 3.4 many in these last dayes shall be if a man love any lust of his better then God and rather then hee will forsake it he will adventure the loste of Gods favour certainely hee hath no true love of God in him Hee that truly loveth God giveth him the highest seate in his heart loveth him more then any thing else in the world and can say with Paul Phil. â— 8 For Christ I have suffered that is in will and affection the losse of all things and doe count them but dung that I may win Christ. And this Christ required in Peters love Iohn 21.15 he saith not onely Simon thou sonne of Ionas lovest thou me that had not beene enough to prove his love true and sincere but lovest thou mee more then these then thy nets then thy fish then thy friends that are here about thee And though Peter in the depth of his humilitie saith nothing in his answer to that terme of comparison yet is it evident by Christs question that he knew his love was so unfeined towards him that there was nothing in the world that he loved more or so much as him Thirdly and lastly The love that is bred in men towards God by that generall bounty and goodnesse that all men tast of is no true love because it hath no force and strength to restraine them from sinne and draw them unto obedience The Apostle speaking of a commandement that hath some difficultie in it that is the parting with our goods for the reliefe of our brother whom wee see in necessitie saith of him that sticketh at this 1 Ioh 3.17 How dwelleth the love of God in him And thereupon inferreth in the next words verse 18. My little children let us not love he meaneth let us not love God in word nor in tongue but in deed and in truth As if hee had said no man doth love God in deed and in truth if his love to God will not make him willing to doe any thing that hee would have him to doe and that may please him True love we know is a most forcible thing to make one serviceable and willing to doe any thing for such as they love What paines will the mother take what offices will shee performe to her little infant yea how wilâ—ingly and cheerefully
right hand of my righteousnesse And Vers. 14. Feare not thou worme Iacob thou that art so base and contemptible in thine owne eye I will helpe thee saith the Lord. Yea of all the faithfull those that are now before-hand so fearfull and weake have most promises of God that he will give them strength sufficient when the time of tryall shall come Out of weakenesse they were made strong as you heard Hâ—b 11.34 My grace is sufficient for thee saith the Lord to Paul 2 Cor. 12.9 for my strength is made perfect in weaknesse He giveth power to the saint saith the Prophet Esa. â—0 29 and to them that have no might he increaseth strength Certainly if Gods people would make use of their faith in making claim to these promises of God and challenging of him in humble prayer the performance of them unto themselves they could not be so tormented with slavish feares as they are The fourth and last corruption that much troubleth the best of Gods people is the hardnesse of their hearts they cannot mourne they say nor weep for their sinnes they are not sensible either of the judgements or mercies of God they cannot pray nor heare nor read nor receive with any feeling or affection at all See how Gods people complaine and were afflicted with this Esa 63.17 Why hast thou hardened our heart from thy feâ—râ— Now the best way that any soule can take to cure this stoninesse of the heart to make it soft and tender able to mourne kindly for sinne and to serve God with feeling and affection is to get assurance by a lively faith of Gods love to him in Christ and of the forgivenesse of his sinnes Foure notable experiments we have for this two in the old Testament and two in the new The first is that of Gods people mentioned in Ezek. 36.28 31. after that they were become Gods people and God was become their God and he had saved them from all their uncleannesses as you read Vers. 28 29. that is after that they were entred into the covenant of grace assured of Gods favour and of the forgivenesse of their sinnes then shall ye remember saith the Lord of them Vers. 31. your owne evill wayes and your doings that were not good and shall loath your selves in your owne sight for your iniquity and for your abominations Nothing hath that force to make a man loath himselfe for his sinnes as the knowledge and consideration of Gods love in the pardoning of his sinnes and the receiving of him into a covenant of grace and mercy that hath beene so extreamely unworthy of it The second experiment of this force of faith to soften the heart is that of Gods people whom the Prophet speaketh of Zach. 12.10 that they should mourne as one mourneth for his onely sonne and be in bitternesse as one that is in bitternesse for his first borne And the Prophet alledgeth two causes of this 1. The Spirit of grace that God had powred upon them that is the Spirit of adoption whereby God had assured their hearts of his favour and love in Christ. 2. The looking upon Christ whom they had pierced that is the weighing with themselves seriously what Christ had done and suffred for them And therfore also it is said they mourned for him they were in bitternesse for him It is the Spirit of grace and adoption assuring us of Gods fatherly love to us in Christ it is the weighing with our selves seriously how dearely Christ hath loved us that will make us mourne for sinne more than for any thing in the world all the terrours of the law all the judgements of God are of no force to soften the heart in comparison of this The third experiment of this is in Mary Magdalen Luke 7. Of her we read Ver. 38. that she had a very soft heart she was able to weep abundantly for her sinnes so abundantly as she could wash Christs feet with her teares And what was it that made her heart so soft Surely the knowledge and assurance she had of Christs marvellous love to her in pardoning her sinnes her so many and so hainous sinnes was that that did it as our Saviour plainely telleth us Vers. 43 48. The fourth and last example is that of Peter of whom we read Luke 22.62 that he had a most soft heart he was able to weepe bitterly for his sinnes And what was it that wrought so upon his heart That the Holy Ghost telleth us Vers. 61. The Lord turned and looked upon Peter and Peter remembred the Word of the Lord how he had said unto him before the cocke crow thou shalt deny me thrice When he considered the marvellous love of Christ to him that though he had so shamefully denied and forsaken him yet he was pleased still in the midst of all his troubles to think upon him to have care of him to turn himself about and cast a gracious eye upon him this brought Peter to remember what he had done this even broke his heart and made him weep abundantly And surely look what force a true and lively faith had in all these examples the same it would have in us if we did stir it up and make use of it as they did The true cause why our hearts are so hard is this that either we have no faith no assurance of Gods love to us in Christ or if we have it we make not use of it unto this work of softning our hearts For all that are in the covenant of grace reconciled to God in Christ have this promise given them of God Ezek. 11.19 which is also repeated 36.26 I will take saith the Lord the stony heart out of their flesh and I will give them an heart of flesh And if any of the faithfull when they are most troubled with the hardnesse of their hearts could make claime unto this promise and presse the Lord with it as he loveth to be importuned as you may see Luke 18.1 7 certainely they might have helpe against it And so much for the force that faith hath in the first part of our sanctification for the mortifying of sinne The second part I must leave till the next day Lecture CXLI On Psalme 51.7 Febr. 23. 1629. IT followeth now that I shew you likewise the force of justifying faith in the second part of true sanctification in making us partakers of the divine nature and renewing the image of God in our hearts in producing the fruits of the Spirit in us in the breeding and working of every saving grace When a man is once justified by faith in Christ is reconciled unto God through his bloud then shall he bring forth fruit unto God and never till then This will make the heart of a man fruitfull in holinesse and righteousnesse and nothing but this will ever be able to doe it For the first that is to say that faith will make the heart fruitfull we have a plaine proofe in that speech of the
many good workes Suffered great wrongs from Saul with wonderfull patience and freedome from desire of revenge 1 Sam. 24.5 6. Shewed marvellous zeale for God in fighting his battells 1 Sam. 25.28 Shewed marvellous love to the Word and worship of God Psal. 27.4 One thing have I desired of the Lord and that will I seek after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the daies of my life and 84.1 How amiable are thy tabernacles O Lord of hosts And even at this instant when he maketh this prayer to God there was a great deale of goodnesse and grace in him 1. He confesseth freely his sinne unto God verse 3 4. 2. He was wonderfully humbled for it and grieved and broken hearted verse 8.17 3. His heart was quite changed and turned from his sinne unto God he loved him unfainedly and desired his glory verse 13 14. 4 And all this he did in uprightnesse of heart verse 6. Yet now comming to beg pardon of his sins he groundeth his hope to obtaine it upon none of his former good workes upon none of the goodnesse that he found now in himselfe but onely upon the mercy of God Now from these three points thus observed in the Text this Doctrine ariseth for our instruction That the best of Gods servants have no other ground of hope to find favour with God for the pardon of their sins but onely in the mercy of the Lord. Vpon this Gods choicest Saints have builded alwaies and in seeking pardon of their sins have pleaded nothing but this So doth David heere and so doth he in many other Psalmes Psal. 6 2 4. Have mercy upon me O Lord for I am weake returne ô Lord deliver my soule ô save me for thy mercies sake and 25.6 7. Remember ô Lord thy tender mercies and thy loving kindnesses for they have beene ever of old according to thy mercy remember thou me for thy goodnesse sake ô Lord. So doth Daniel in his prayer Dan. 9.9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses All pardons are mercies and are obtained by mercy onely Yea in all their prayers wherein they have sued to him for any blessing this hath ever beene in their eye and that which they have built all their confidence upon Psal. 5.7 As for me I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy This shall ever draw me and incourage me to come unto thee And 69.13 O God in the multitude of thy mercy heare me And 115.1 Not unto us Lord not unto us but unto thy name give glory for thy mercy and for thy truths sake But what should I heape up testimonies in so plaine a case And yet because it is so usefull and comfortable a point I will not passe over it too sleightly but insist a while upon it so farre as I shall judge necessary for your edification And before I come to the reasons and grounds of the Doctrine I will answer two maine objections that the heart of man wil be apt to make against this Doctrine First How can our hope to finde favour with God be grounded onely upon the mercy of God How can the pardon of our sins bee ascribed to the meere mercy of God and to his free grace when wee obtaine not this favour of God till it was dearely bought and purchased 1 Cor. 6.20 Ye are bought with a price Yea sucha price as was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fully answerable in worth to the soules of all Gods elect and to that which God hath given us 1 Tim. 2.6 He gave himselfe a ransome for all The Lord forgave not one farthing of that summe wherein we stood indebted to him till he was fully satisfied for it First hee exacted and received by Christs passive obedience the whole forfeiture of our obligation hee had against us and so came wee to the pardon of our sins In which respect it may be said as Esa. 40.2 Wee have in our surety received at the Lords hand double for all our sinnes Secondly hee exacted and received also in Christs active obedience the whole debt of obedience to his Law that wee did owe unto him For Christ our surety not for himselfe but for us fulfilled all righteousnesse Matth. 3.15 And so came we to the title and right wee have to the Kingdome of Heaven So that it may seeme not the meere mercy and free grace of God but Christ is the only ground of our hope as he is called 1. Tim. 1.1 The Lord Iesus Christ is our hope And 1. Iohn 2.2 He is the propitiation for our sins To this I answer That the foundation of all our hope and comfort we have in Christ is in the mercy and free grace of God only For although the pardon of our sins and salvation of our soules in respect of Christ our surety was no free gift but a deare purchase and the Lord shewed no mercy at all to him but justice only yea rigour of justice Rom. 8.32 He spared not his owne sonne but delivered him up for us all Gal. 3.13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us Looke upon him when he was in his agony and passion paying our forfeiture and there was nothing to bee seene from top to toe soule and body but the curse of God he was all curse made a curse Yet do we obtaine this pardon and the salvation of our soules not by purchase but by the free gift of God Esa 9. ◠Vnto us a Sonne is given Ioh. 4.10 If thou knewest the gift of God And the mercy and free grace of God never appeared so much to us-ward in all the works that ever he did as in this worke of redeeming us from our sins by the bloud of Christ. For thus speaketh the Apostle Ephes. 1 7. In whom we have redemption through his bloud the forgivenesse of sins according to the riches of his grace the riches of Gods grace appeared in this Observe this I pray you in five points First It was the wonderfull mercy of God to us and nothing else that moved him to find out and appoint the meanes to satisfie his owne justice by It was the Lord himselfe that did fore-ordaine his owne Son to be our propitiation Rom. 3 27. He purposed this in himselfe Ephes. 1.9 And so the Lord indeed made satisfaction unto himselfe 2. Cor. 5.19 God was in Christ reconciling the world to himselfe His love and mercy appeared more unto us in this then if by his absolute prerogative he had forgiven us without exacting any satisfaction at all Iohn 3.16 God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Sonne And Iohn 4.10 Herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins Secondly It was the wonderfull mercy of God to us and nothing else that moved him to give any of us to Christ and to appoint
driveth him to despaire in himselfe and to seeke helpe in Christ Yet in the Gospell Christ requireth nothing of the faithfull that is impossible for them to do His yoke is easie and his burden light as he saith Mat. 11.30 Secondly The faithfull may be in this life certaine of their salvation They may be sure of their justification Surely shall one say it is the promise made to the faithfull that should live in the daies of the Gospell Esa. 45.24 in the Lord have I righteousnesse They may be sure of their adoption Doubtlesse thou art our father say the faithfull Esa. 63.16 though Abraham be ignorant of us They may be sure of their perseverance in Gods favour unto the end Surely saith David Psal. 23.6 goodnesse and mercy shall follow me all the daies of my life They may be sure that after this life they shall inherit eternall glory We know saith Paul 2 Cor. 5.1 not speaking in his own person but in the person of all the faithfull that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternall in the heavens And we know saith Iohn 1 Ioh. 3.14 we are translated from death to life How knew he that By revelation No but by such an evidence as is common to all the faithfull Because we love the brethren saith he Now there could be no such assurance of their salvation in any of the faithfull if they knew not undoubtedly that their hearts were upright that they have truth of grace in them How could any conclude thus to the comfort of his soule I know I am translated from death to life because I love the brethren if he could not certainely know that he doth love the brethren and that in truth and sincerity and not in shew onely Hereby we know saith he 1 Ioh. 4.13 that we dwell in him and he in us because he hath given us of his spirit The spirit of sanctification and the truth of grace wrought in us thereby is the only thing that can assure us that we have any communion with God or are in his favour Thirdly and lastly That it is possible for us to know certainly that our hearts are upright is evident by the experience of Gods faithfull servants whose examples are recorded in the word for our comfort and incouragement We have a proverbiall speech probatum est Iob knew that his heart was upright or he would not have said as he did Iob 27.5 God forbid that I should justifie you till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me As if he should say I will die rather then beleeve you that would perswade me I am an hypocrite And 12.4 The just upright man is laughed to scorne And 16.17 19. There is not any injustice in my hands also my prayer is pure O earth cover thou not my bloud and let my cry have no place Also now behold my witnesse is in heaven and my record is on high Yea the poore soule had then beene in a most wofull case if he had not beene so certaine of the uprightnesse of his heart as that all those learned and worthy men could not make him to doubt of it David likewise was certaine of the uprightnesse of his heart or he durst never have said as he did Psal. 26.1 2. Iudge me O Lord for I have walked in mine integrity examine me ô Lord and prove me try my reines and my heart Hezekiah even in the time of his great affliction knew assuredly and was able to call God for a witnesse to his conscience Esa. 38.3 that he had walked before God in truth and with a perfect heart Yea Peter even then when he was so exceedingly dejected in himselfe for his fearefull fall knew so assuredly that his heart was upright that he did unfeignedly love Christ above all things in the world as that he durst confidently avouch it unto Christ himselfe and was grieved that Christ should question that the third time Lord saith he Iohn 21.17 thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee And to conclude the Apostle Iohn speaking in the name not of himselfe onely or of some rare and extraordinary persons saith 1 Iohn 5.19 We know that we are of God that is borne of God truly regenerate as appeareth by the former verse Thus you see there is no such impossibility no such difficulty in the matter but we may know and be certaine whether our hearts be upright or no. True it is the best Christian that is may be at some times doubtfull and uncertaine in this point unable to discerne that there is truth of grace in him If he could rightly examine his owne heart and waies he might find it out But he is not at all times in case to examine himselfe thus The best are subject 1 to spirituall desertion sometimes through their owne sloth and negligence as the Church was Cant. 3.1 and 5.6 2 To such tentations and sorrowes as doe even overwhelme their spirits Psal. 142.3 In such a case it is good 1 to call to mind the times that are past and the evidence thou hast formerly had of the uprightnesse of thy heart Psal. 77.5 6. 2 Even then cast not away thy confidence but having lost thine evidence seek and sue and cry to God for a new copy of it as David did even in that case Psal. 77. ◠3 Vse the helpe of some faithfull and experienced Christian who in this case may be better able to judge of thee then thou art thy selfe And that is the second Motive that may perswade us to examine our selves diligently in this point The third and last is taken from the benefit and comfort we shall receive in this when by diligent triall and examination of our selves wee can find that there is truth of grace in us that our hearts are sound and upright with God O the comfort that this will yeeld us will abundantly recompence all the paines wee can take about it This will appeare to be so in two points First This will make every duty every service we doe to God sweet and comfortable to us when we can know we have performed it in truth and uprightnesse of heart This motive the Apostle giveth us Gal. 6 4. Let every man prove his owne worke and then shall he have rejoycing in himselfe alone and not in another When the people in Davids time contributed largely towards the building of the Temple it is said they rejoyced and found great comfort and the reason is given 1 Chron. 19 9. because they did it with a perfect and upright heart So when all Iudah in Asa his time renewed their covenant and bound themselves by solemne oath to cleave unto the Lord and to the purity of his religion and worship it is said 2 Chron 15.15 they rejoyced at the oath and the reason is given because they had sworne with all their heart So Paul professeth of
art Iohn 5.42 But I know you that ye have not the love of God in you 1. If thou be a profane person and goest on in a course of sinne thou canst not leave thy drinking nor thy swearing nor thy whoring then the Holy Ghost pronounceth of thee that thou lovest not God thou hatest him and art an enemy unto him Psal. 68.21 God shall wound the head of his enemies hath God any enemies So it appeareth Why who are they That he telleth you in the next words and the hairy scalpe of such a one as goeth on still in his trespasses 2. If thou be a superstitious person and such a one as dotest upon any will worship that is of thine owne or of any other mans devising whatsoever thou thinkest of thy selfe then the Holy Ghost pronounceth of thee that thou lovest not God but thou hatest him in thy heart For so the Lord speaketh of the transgressours of the second commandement Exod. 20.5 Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of them that hate me 3. Nay if thou be but a meere naturall man unregenerated unconverted there is no love of God in thee but thou hatest him in thy heart For so saith our Saviour Iohn 15.18 of the whole world of all men in their naturall estate Yee know that the world hated me before it hated you And verse 23. He that hateth me hateth my father also Neither is this the state of the reprobate in the world onely but even of Gods elect also while they are of the world before they be regenerated they cannot love the Lord but hate him in their hearts This is plaine by that promise God maketh to his elect Deut. 30.6 The Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart Till God circumcise our hearts and take away the hard fore-skin that is upon them we can never love the Lord with all our heart that is unfeignedly And the Apostle speaking to the elect Colosians putteth them in mind of this Col. 1.21 You were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mindes As if he had said you were not onely void of the love of God but you were quite alienated from him and enemies in your mind you hated him in your hearts Six evident demonstrations there be that may convince every naturall man that there is no true love of God in his heart First He loveth not God because he loveth other things more then God For so speaketh the spirit of God expressely 1 Iohn 2.15 If any man love the world the love of the father is not in him Secondly He loveth not God because he doth not desire to enjoy him to be where he is to have any communion with him neither in heaven nor in the assembly of his Saints and use of his ordinances For this hath beene the voice of such as have loved God 2 Cor. 5.8 We are willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. And Psal. 42.1 2. As the hart panteth after the water brookes so panteth my soule after thee ô God my soule thirsteth for God for the living God when shall I come and appeare before God And 26.8 Lord I have loved the habitation of thy houses and the place where thine honour dwelleth And can he then have any love to God that cannot abide to thinke of death that if he might have his will would never go to God Can he have any love to God that careth not how seldome he commeth to Gods Sanctuary where of all places in the world the Lord sheweth himselfe to be present with his people in the most gracious and comfortable manner Thirdly He loveth not God because hee hath no delight to doe that that might please him nor feareth to doe that that he knoweth will offend and displease and dishonour him The carnall mind is enmity against God saith the Apostle Rom. 8.7 For it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be He that hath my commandements and keepeth them saith our Saviour Ioh. 14.21 is he that loveth me and none but he Fourthly He loveth not God because when he knoweth he hath offended him and lost his favour hee is not troubled with it nor seeketh in any good earnest to be reconciled to him againe I love them that love me saith the Lord Pro. 8.17 But how shall that be knowne That he telleth you in the next words and those that seeke me early shall find me As if he had said Those that love me will seeke peace with me when they have offended me yea they will doe it early they cannot rest they cannot sleepe till they have made their peace with me and thus will I shew my love to them againe I will be found of them I will be easie to be intreated by them Fiftly They love not God because they love not them that feare God Every one that loveth him that begat saith the Apostle 1 John 5.1 loveth him also that is begotten of him Nay there is a certaine signe they hate God because they beare a mortall hatred to all such as in whom they see any life or power of religion for that cause onely because they beare the image of God they reproach them nickname them slander them use them with all the despite they can He that is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked saith Solomon Pro. 29.27 Like the Leopard and Tiger of whom we read that they doe so hate man that they will expresse their hatred to the very picture of a man wheresoever they see it Sixtly and lastly They love not God because they have no assurance of his love to them in Christ and of the forgivenesse of their sinnes We love him saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 4.19 because he loved us first And it is no more possible there should be any true love in the heart of man towards God till then then it is possible there should bee heate in the pavement before the sunne in his strength have showne upon it Now then to conclude this first part of my application let no man bee too confident that he loveth the Lord but let every one examine himselfe by these sixe arguments and if thou find by them as I dare say many of you may that there is no love of God in thee but that thou bearest in thy breast such a canckered and malicious heart against God 1 Bewaile thine estate 2 Thinke not so well of thy selfe as thou hast done but loath and abhorre thy selfe for it 3 Admire the patience and goodnesse of God towards thee 4 Let this drive thee to Christ who is our onely peace as the Apostle calleth him Ephes. 2.14 and who by his crosse hath slaine the enmity that was betweene God and us as hee saith verse 16. 5 Let This patience and bountifullnesse of his move thee to turne to
The seven yeeres wherein Iacob did service to Laban a very hard master seemed to him but a very few dâ—yes saith Moses Genes 29.20 because hee loved Rachel And surely our love to God is no lesse forcible this way if it be true it will make us willing to obey him even in his hardest commandements Of this her love to God it is that the Church speaketh when shee saith Cant. 8.6 Love is strong and irresistable as death And this is that which the Apostle meaneth 1 Iohn 5.3 4. This is the love of God that we keepe his commandements and his commandements are not grievous As if hee had said the love of God will make us carefull to keepe Gods commandements yea it will make those commandements easie to us that are most crosse to our nature they will bee nothing grievous to us if we love the Lord. And thus have I finished the first point I propounded Nothing but faith can so assure us of Gods love to us as may kindle in our hearts a true love to God The second followeth A lively faith is able to do this Faith assureth us of such a love that God hath borne to us so speciall so marvellous a love above that that hee hath done to the greatest part of the world as wee cannot choose but love him againe and love him unfeinedly that is love him for himselfe love him better then any thing else love him so as wee can bee content to goe through thicke and thin to please him Observe the proofe of this in three degrees First There is a marvellous love of God that far surpasseth all other of his loves If you aske me wherin God hath declared this his speciall and marvellous love to his people I answer in giving them his only Son to ransome them from hell and to purchase heaven for them Herein is love saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 4.10 that God loved us and sent his sonne to bee the propitiation for our sinnes And Rom. 5.8 God commendeth his love towards us in this that while wee were yet sinners Christ dyed for us This was a marvellous love of God all the fruits of Gods favour that worldlings doe enjoy are but shels and husks in comparison of this Secondly Whereas this love of God is not alike to all men but peculiar to a few in comparison Feare not little flocke saith our Saviour Luke 12.32 Wheras God in sending his son had not such respect to the greatest part of the world I pray not for the world saith Christ. Iohn 17.9 Faith assureth every true beleever that this wonderfull love of God belongeth to him That God in speciall love to him sent his Sonne to doe and endure all that hee did It maketh him able to say with the Apostle Galat. 2.20 Hee loved me and gave himselfe for me And with David Ps. 31.21 Blessed bee the Lord for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindnesse He hath made me able to see that this marvellous love of his belongeth to me Thirdly and lastly When the heart of a man is once by faith assured that God hath so loved him as to send his Sonne to dye for him this must needs breed in him a love unfeined unto God and care to please him and proportionable to the assurance wee have of this love of God shall our love to God bee Mary Magdalene because shee knew by faith that Gods love to her had beene so aboundant as to forgive her so many sinnes therefore did shee love Christ aboundantly Luk 7.47 Thus David professeth of himselfe Psal. 116.1 I love the Lord because he hath heard my voice and my supplications And what was the prayer that he had made for hearing of which hee did so love the Lord He telleth us ver 3.4 The sorrowes of death compassed me and the pains of hell got hold upon me I found trouble and sorrow then called I upon the name of the Lord. Hee was in anguish of conscience and feare of damnation and God upon his prayer spake peace to his heart and assured him of his favour in Christ therefore did hee so love the Lord. Therefore the Apostle praying for the Ephesians 3.17 19. that they might bee rooted and grounded in love to God he meaneth and to men for his sake hee desireth to that end that God would make them able fully to comprehend and know in all the dimensions of it the love of Christ that passeth knowledge As if hee should say If men did well know this love of God to us in Christ they could not choose but be so settled and rooted in love to God as nothing could bee able to draw their hearts from him Lecture LXXXI On Psalme 51.6 Febru 19. 1627. LET us now apply this that wee have heard to our selves And that that I will say for the application of this point shall bee by way of exhortation onely even to stirre up and perswade my selfe and every one of you not to rest contented with the fruits of Gods common and generall love bee not satisfied in thy selfe till thou be assured by faith that God loveth thee with his speciall and particular love that thou art one of the world of Gods Elect whom God so loved that hee gave his onely begotten sonne for thee that thou beleeving in him mightest not perish but have life everlasting as our Saviour speaketh Iohn 3.16 That God so loveth thee that hee spared not his owne sonne but delivered him up for thee as Rom. 8.32 Till thou canst say with Paul Gal. 2.20 Christ Iesus the Sonne of God loved mee and gave himselfe for mee And with Iohn Revel 1.5 Hee loved us and washed us from our sinnes in his owne blood Till thou bee assured that God loveth thee with this more then common with this marvellous love nothing should content thee but thou shouldst still cry with David Psal. 17.7 Shew me thy marvellous loving kindnesse make mee able to see and know that thou lovest me with this marvellous love And 106.4 Remember me ô Lord with the favour that thou bearest to thy people ò visit mee with thy salvation To bee beloved of God with that love that hee beareth to strangers or to his hired servants should not content us but that love onely that hee beareth to his owne people to his deare children None of his gifts should satisfie us without his salvation those good things that accompany salvation but wee should still cry ô visit mee with thy salvation as if hee had sayd give mee a comfortable sense and assurance of that It is said of the faithfull Bereans Acts 17.11 that they were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 better borne and bred more noble then others And as those that are nobly borne aspire after higher estates and conditions of life then other men doe they scorne to live upon a base and mechanicall trade So saith our Saviour Matth. 6.31 33. that all wee that are his Disciples should doe After all these things saith hee
savoury knowledge This light of sanctified knowledge is not like the light of a gloworme or like the light that the Moone giveth which glittereth and shineth but hath no heate in it at all but it is like that of the Sunne yea of the spring or summer sunne which doth not onely give light unto the world but it warmeth also and quickneth every thing Therefore is this light called the light of life Ioh. 8.12 No man knoweth God aright with a saving and sanctified knowledge but he must needs feare him and love him and put his trust in him The spirit of knowledge is called Esa. 11.2 The spirit of the feare of the Lord. These graces goe alwaies together So speaketh the Apostle likewise of love 1 Iohn 4.8 He that loveth not knoweth not God for God is love So Psal. 9.10 They that know thy name will put their trust in thee for thou Lord hast not forsaken them that seeke thee No man knoweth himselfe or his owne sins both of nature and practise aright with a knowledge of the holy spirits working but he must needs loath himselfe in his owne sight as the Prophet speaketh Ezek. 36 31. No man can know Christ aright know him to be his Saviour but hee must needs be affected with it and joy more in it then in any thing in the world besides So speaketh the Apostle 1 Pet. 1.8 In whom though now ye see him not yet beleeving in him knowing that he loved you and gave himselfe for you ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory To conclude this second effect of saving knowledge No man can have any knowledge in the Scriptures of Gods teaching but he must needs affect the Word love it and delight in it So David in that very octonary and part of Psal. 119. that is to say part 13. wherein he speaketh of the knowledge and understanding he had gotten by studying the Scriptures professeth how he was affected to the Word verse 97. O how love I thy law And verse 103. How sweet are thy words unto my tast Yea sweeter then hony unto my mouth And verse 50. Thy Word hath quickned me As if he should say It hath not beene a dead and senslesse knowledge that I have gotten by it but such as hath enlightned me and bred holy affections in me Now if we would examine our selves by this note we should find that many of us that make a goodly shew in the Church of God after all these meanes of knowledge we have enjoyed have little or no saving knowledge in us Of a number of us it may be said as the Apostle speaketh 1 Cor. 8.1 We know that we have all knowledge and a great deale of it many of us But we are not affected with that we know it worketh not upon our hearts we have a great deale of light in our understanding but it is but like as the Moone-shine or the glittering of the glo-worme it warmeth not our hearts at all but they remaine still as cold and dead as any stone We have the knowledge of God and of all his attributes his holinesse his justice his omniscience his power his goodnesse but what affections doth this knowledge worke in our hearts What reverence what feare to offend him what desire to be reconciled unto him what love unto his name We know well enough what sin is and what the curse of God is that is due unto sin yea that our selves are sinners and that if we be not still yet certainely we were under this curse yet all this that wee know never maketh our hearts to quake worketh no feare nor sorrow nor humiliation in them We say we know Christ not onely to be an all sufficient Saviour to the elect but that he hath redeemed us from the curse of the law his body was broken for us and his bloud was shed for us but we are not affected with this at all we tast no more sweetnesse in Christ then in a chip wee rejoyce not in him In a word wee have knowledge in the Scriptures and increase in it daily by reading and hearing we learne more and more but nothing we read or heare or learne affecteth or moveth us or if it worke any motions in us they are but sudden flashes that vanish quickly and can this be saving knowledge No no beloved deceive not your owne soules the knowledge that Gods spirit worketh resteth not in the braine but sinketh and soaketh into the heart and worketh kindly upon the affections of a man Labour therefore for good affections and make much of them mourne for this that thy heart is so senslesse and dead Know that as good affections without knowledge will yeeld thee no comfort no more will knowledge without good affections It will doe you no good to know God unlesse you feare him and love him If any man love God saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 8.3 and that that he saith of love may be said of feare the same is knowne and approved of him It will doe you no good to know your selves to be sinners and to be able to make large confessions of them unlesse you can mourne and be humbled for them When Christ had said Matth. 5.3 Blessed are the poore in spirit he addeth verse 4. Blessed are they that mourne As if he had said Without this the other will never make us happy It will doe us no good to know Christ unlesse we can rejoyce in him We are the circumcision saith Paul Phil. 3.3 the true people of God which worship God in the spirit and rejoyce in Christ Iesus It will doe us no good to read and heare much and so to increase in the knowledge of the Word unlesse we be affected with that we heare and learne These words which I command thee this day saith the Lord Deut. 6.6 shall bee in thine heart If ye will not heare saith the Prophet Mal. 2.2 and if ye will not lay it to heart As if he had said As good not heare at all as not lay that to heart and not to be affected with that we heare The third effect of saving and sanctified knowledge is this It will reforme the heart and life of him that hath it it is an operative a powerfull and effectuall knowledge It will make the man that hath it a godly man In physick and law and other sciences a man may attaine to a good understanding and sound judgement in them though he never practise them himselfe But in Divinity it is otherwise a man knoweth nothing aright in religion till he become a practiser of that he knoweth This the Apostle teacheth us notably Ephes. 4.20 24. But ye have not so learned Christ saith he that is to say to professe your selves to bee Christians and yet to live lewdly still if so bee that ye have heard him and have beene taught by him as the truth is in Iesus Why What is it to be taught by Christ as the truth is
Lords garner and who are chaffe that shall be cast into the unquenchable fire Oh consider this I pray you and lay it to heart ye that doe enjoy the ministery of the word And if you have beene unprofitable hearers hitherto thinke seriously of the danger of your estate and use your utmost endeavour to come out of it which is the second thing that I told you I must exhort you unto And if you desire this you must doe these three things First Neglect not the meanes though you have beene hearers thus long and got no good by it God hath not beene pleased to worke with his word in your hearts yet you must bee hearers still If ever God purpose to worke grace in thy heart he will worke it by this meanes Doe therefore as those poore impotent persons did Iohn 5.3 Come to the poole of Bethesda and lye there waiting for the moving of the water Vse the meanes and wait for the good houre when God shall be pleased to worke with his word in thy heart That which Solomon saith of the workes of mercy Eccle. 11.6 In the morning sow thy seed and in the evening with-hold not thy hand for thou knowest not whether shall prosper either this or that As if hee had said Whether shall do most good that may be fitly applyed to this case Heare the word in the morning in thy youth and with-hold not thy selfe from it in the evening in thine age for what knowest thou which is the time God hath determined to convert thee in or which is the sermon that hee will doe it by Though hee have shewed no signe of his eternall love toward thee all this while but of his wrath rather yet I may say to thee as the Prophet doth in another case Ioel 2.14 Who knoweth whether he will returne and repent and leave a blessing behind him for as he saith ver â—3 he is gracious and mercifull slow to anger and of great kindnesse and repenteth him of the evill Secondly Seeing it is so dangerous a signe to remaine blockish and senselesse and a non-proficient under the meanes of grace therefore content not thy selfe to heare but as our Saviour saith to his hearers Luke 8.18 so say I to you Take heed how you heare Hearken diligently unto mee saith the Lord Esay 55.2 Prepare thy selfe before keepe thine eye and eare and mind attentive when thou hearest meditate conferre use all the meanes thou canst to make thy hearing profitable unto thee Thirdly and lastly Rest not in nor ascribe too much to the meanes nor to any thing thy selfe can doe to make them profitable to thee It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy saith the Apostle Rom. 9.16 Thinke not thou canst receive and profit by the Word when thou listest thou canst repent when thou listest Say not ô if I lived under such a mans ministery how should I profit No no remember who it is that saith Esa. 48.17 Thus saith the Lord thy redeemer the holy one of Israel I am the Lord thy God that teacheth thee to profit I have planted saith Paul 1 Cor. 3.6 and Apollo watered but God gave the increase And therefore thou must joyne prayer with thy hearing and beg earnestly of God that he would worke with his word in thy heart If thou cryest after knowledge saith Solomon Prov. 2.3.5 and listest up thy voyce cryest heartily and earnestly for understanding then shalt thou understand the feare of the Lord and find the knowledge of God The third and last sort of people which I told you this use of exhortation doth concerne are such as have obtained of God not onely the meanes of grace the ministery of his Word but grace also to profit by them Such of you for I doubt not but many of you are such must know that you can never bee sufficiently thankefull unto God for this singular mercy First It is a great mercy a great signe of his speciall and eternall love that hee giveth thee the sound ministery of his Word And I may say to thee as they did to blind Markeâ—0 â—0 49 Bee of good comfort arise hâ—e calleth thee Even this outward calling on thee by his Word is a great signe hee loveth thee and would have thee to bee saved it is a just cause of hope and comfort unto thee Looke abroad in the world and thou shalt find it is no common mercy hee hath not dealt so with every nation Psal. 147. â—0 That the place where thou livest should bee as Goshen enjoy the light Exod. 10.21 23. when as so many other places remaine in palpable darkenesse as all the rest of Egypt did this is surely to be acknowledged as a singular mercy of God unto thee Surely I may say unto you as our Saviour doth to his disciples Matth. 13.17 Many righteous men many good people desire to heare that that you heare would count it their happinesse to enjoy the meanes that you do where you dwell and cannot This is a great mercy that you enjoy the meanes But secondly it is yet a farre greater mercy if you have felt the power of God in them to your conversion if God have given you hearts to savour them and profit by them If God have done this for thee beloved know thou hast cause to doe as that poore convert did when he had felt this power of God in his ordinance 1 Cor 14.25 even to fall downe upon thy face and to worship and praise God for it From hence thou mayest conclude infallibly and so canst thou noâ— from al the outward blessings that ever thou receivest from him that God loveth thee with an everlasting love and hath chosen thee to life before the world was I have loved thee saith the Lord Iere. 31.3 with an everlasting love therefore in loving kindnesse have I drawne thee If God have shewed thee that mercy that loving kindnesse as to draw thee by his word and spirit certainly he hath loved thee with an everlasting love Admit God hath done no more for thee but this admit he exercise thee with never so many afflictions outward or inward admit thou find thy selfe to be so much the more subject to scorne and contempt in the world yet art thou an happy soule We know saith the Apostle Rom. 8.28 that all things worke together for good to them that love God to them that are called according to his purpose If thou find thy selfe to be thus effectually and inwardly called certainly every thing that befalleth thee shall tend to the increase of thy happinesse O looke about thee I beseech thee looke upon many of thy neighbours yea looke upon sundry that are neerer unto thee who all enjoy the same meanes that thou dost and yet never felt any sweetnesse never felt any power in them Let the hardnesse of heart and profanenesse that thou seest in others draw thee to an admiration of this goodnesse and
Rom. 3.24 And thus runneth the promise Revel 21.6 I will give to him that is a thirst of the fountaine of the water of life freely To this I answer that though the pardon of our sins and salvation of our souls be in respect of Christ our surety no free gift but a deare purchase neither do we obtaine it till it was dearely bought and purchased for us Ye are bought with a price saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 6.20 Yea such a price as the Apostle 1 Tim. 2.6 calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fully answerable in worth to the soules of all Gods redeemed ones and to that which God hath given us yet in respect of our selves and of our obtaining of it it is meerly of grace it is the free gift of God It is meerly of mercy and free grace that any of us are saved This will evidently appeare unto us in five points First It was the free grace of God and nothing els that first moved him to find out and appoint this way to save us by and to satisfie his own justice for us He purposed this in himselfe saith the Apostle Eph. 1.9 there was nothing out of himselfe that moved him to it He devised this way how to make satisfaction unto himselfe God was in Christ saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 5.19 and reconciled the world of the elect he meaneth for certainly all are not reconciled unto him to himselfe This was certainly the free grace and meere mercy of God and nothing els that moved him to do this Yea his love and mercy to his elect appeared more in this than if by his absolute prerogative and soveraignty he had forgiven us without exacting any satisfaction for us at all God so loved the world saith our Saviour Ioh. 3.16 that he gave his onely begotten Sonne c. Secondly It was the free grace of God and nothing els that moved him to give any of us to Christ and to appoint us in his eternall counsell to be of that small number that should receive mercy by him He predestinated us saith the Apostle Eph. 1.5 unto the adoption of Children by Iesus Christ to himselfe according to the good pleasure of his will As if hee had said The good pleasure of his owne will and nothing els moved him to do this In this respect our Saviour saith of his faithfull Disciples Ioh. 17.6 Thine they were and thou gavest them me And Verse 9. I pray not for the world but for them that thou hast given mee for they are thine Thirdly It was the free grace of God and nothing els that moved him to give to any of us that grace to receive Christ by faith being offered unto us in the ministery of the Gospell No man can come to me saith our Saviour Ioh. 6.65 except it were given unto him of my Father Fourthly It is the free grace of God and nothing els that moveth him to accept of that satisfaction which Christ our Surety hath made for us and not to exact it at our own hands And that maketh the Apostle to say Ephes. 1.6 that it is to the praise of the glory of his grace that he hath made us accepted in his beloved nothing hath bound him to do it but his owne free promise and grace onely Fiftly and lastly It is the free grace of God and nothing els that moveth him after we have received Christ by faith and thereby are brought into covenant with him to performe his promise and to keepe covenant with us considering how oft we break our covenant with him how weake and wavering our faith and obedience is And this made Solomon breake forth into those termes of admiration and wonderment 1 King 8.23 O Lord God of Israel there is no god like unto thee who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walke before thee with all their heart As if he should have said It is the marvellous mercy of God that hee keepeth covenant even with the best of his servants considering how many their failings be And thus have I finished my Answer to the Question and shewed you that though our salvation were not free to Christ but hee payed deare for it yet to us it is free we obtaine it onely through the free grace and mercy of God Lecture CXIX On Psalme 51.7 May 26. 1619. IT followeth now that we proceed unto the uses that this Doctrine serveth unto and those are three principally 1. For instrustion 2. For exhortation 3. For comfort For the first This Doctrine will teach us to judge rightly of sinne and to esteeme of it as it doth deserve Foure points there are to be observed in this Doctrine that do notably set forth the odiousnesse and hainousnesse of sinne First no creature in heaven or earth can cleanse thee from the least of all thy sinnes nor procure thee a pardon for it Christ Iesus onely was able to doe it He is the propitiation for our sinnes saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 2.2 and he alone In Popery men are taught that many will doe it Pardons may be bought of the Pope we know and the larger summ a man is content to disburse for it the larger shall his pardon be They teach also that men may by their almsdeeds and good works specially by doing good to the Church redeem and buy out their iniquities and make satisfaction to the justice of God for the temporall punishment that is due to them for sin so that the more bountifull a man is that way the lesse he shall need to feare the fire of Purgatory or any other temporall punishment whatsoever And this hath certainly been a most profitable and gainfull Doctrine to the Church of Rome But a most blasphemous Doctrine it is and such as mâ—keth the Crosse of Christ of none effect a Doctrine directly contrary to the holy Scriptures and to that which the Apostle Peter whom they make the rock upon which their Church is built did teach Ye know saith he 1 Pet. 1.18 that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as siluer and gold from your vaine conversation received by tradition from your fethers No silver and gold though we had never so many thousands to give unto pious uses can redeeme and buy out the least of our sinnes no not our vaine conversation our unprofitable walking our sinnes of omission or any part of the punishment that is due to us for it And this ye know saith the Apostle this was a truth clearely knowne to all Gods people then The Churches that were planted by the Apostles were fully perswaded of it And if the present Church of Rome had beene of the Apostle Peters founding as they pretend certainly silver and gold could not be of such use and worth there for procuring pardons for sinne as all the world knoweth that now it is But what speak we of silver and gold Not all the Angels or Saints in heaven or earth were ever able by all their holinesse and
of a scorpion when he stingeth a manâ— so intolerable as men shall seeke death and shall not find it shall desire to dye and death shall flyâ— from them Marke but foure Doctrines which they teach and this will be evident unto you 1. Their Doctrine of justification that a man must be justified in Gods sight by a righteousnesse inherent in himselfe and by his good workes a broken reed God knoweth for a weary and fainting soule to rest upon 2 Their Doctrine of purgatory that when men dye there is a fire prepared for them in purgatory that their soules must goe to and remaine in no man knoweth how many hundred yeares which fire is no lesse painful intolerable then the fire of hell is 3. Their Doctrine of doubting that no man can be in this life certain that he is in the state of grace hope well he may but sure he can never be that his sins are so forgiven that they shal never be laid to his charge againe he must be in doubt continually nay it is sin and blasphemy say they for any man to say he is certain of his salvation 4. Lastly Their Doctrine of saving justifying faith that it is nothing but a perswasion of the mind that whatsoever God hath revealed is undoubtedly true which we have learned out of the Apostle is in the devils themselves That speciall faith that applyeth Christ and his merits particularly to every beleever that hath in it an affiance of the heart a resting upon Christ for a mans owne salvation this bloud of sprinkling that you have now heard of that they disdaine and scoffe at and persecute as vaine presumption Alas how can these poore wretches that receive these teachers that beleeve these Doctrines have any comfort in death How can they chuse but be then in intolerable terrour and torment of conscience certainly many Papists are so and all would bee were it not that they are made drunke with a wine of spirituall fornication which the whoore of Babylon hath made them to drink of as the spirit of God in Rev. 17. â— hath fore-told it should be And who would wonder to see senslesnesse and stupidity in a drunken man O therefore beloved 1. Pity your friends and kinsmen that are seduced by these wretched teachers do what you can to reclame them 2. Consider how small cause there is that we have so long enjoyed professed the Gospel which is the only way of peace as Zachary calleth it Lu. 1.79 And of which the Lord hath so oft spoken by his spirit to our hearts as he did Esa. 28.12 This is the rest wherwith yâ— mâ—y cause the wâ—ary to rest this is the refreshing As if he had said this is the Doctrine wherin the weariest faintest and most afflicted soule may find rest and refreshing How small cause is there I say that wee should now grow weary of the Gospel entertaine thoughts with those rebels Num. 14.4 of returning into that Egypt againe that house of bondage Exod. 13.3 where no true rest or comfort is to be found for the conscience Nay consider 3. how just cause of feare we have lest the Lord because we have lost our first love to him his blessed Gospel will remove our candlesticke deprive us of it as he threatneth Ephesus Rev. 2.4 5. And take heed we grow not weary of him as he chargeth Israel Esa. 43.22 and loath his Gospel lest he loath us and grow weary of us and spew us out as he threatneth the Laodiceaus that had lost their zeale Rev. 3.16 And let us take heed of doting upon antichrist his altars and his images his apish ceremonies or any part of his damnable doctrines left the Lord let antichrist enter and prevaile againe in this land that we may know by wofull experience the difference of his service the service of Christ the difference betweene popery and the Gospell as the Lord threatned his people 2. Chr. 1â— 8 The second use that this Doctrine serveth unto is to exhort us that seeing none can have comfort in the blood of Christ till it be sprinkled upon him and applyed to him till the spirit of God have made him to know it belongeth unto him that therfore every one of us would labour to find that it is so with himselfe that we would give no rest to our selves till wee find we have our part in this blood of sprinkling till the spirit of God have applyed it unto us assured us that it all the vertue and merit of it belongeth unto us O beloved 1. Content not thy selfe to know that God loveth thee so far as he giveth thee life and health he letteth thee live in peace and wealth and credit here alas hee loved Cain and Dives and many more that now fry in hell so far but labour to know that he loved thee so farre as that he gave his sonne to dye for thee let no fruit of Gods love so satisfie thee but that In this was manifested the love of God towards us saith the Apostle 1 Ioh 4 9 10. because that God sent his only begotten son into the world that wee might live through him herein is love No fruit of Gods love is worth the having is worth the speaking of in comparison of this Neither content thy selfe to know this in generall that God so loved the world that he gave his Sonne to redeeme all that can beleeve in him but labour to know in particular that which Paul knew Gal. 2.20 that he loved thee and gave himselfe for thee 3. Neither content thy selfe to thinke and hope well that Christ died for thee Go not by thinking in this case but make this sure to thy heart upon good grounds Give diligence to make thy calling and election sure saith the Apostle 2 Pet. 1.10 Neither 4 content thy selfe to say carelesly though not yet sure of this I hope I shall be before I die I hope God will purge mee with hysope one day and sprinkle this bloud of his Son upon my heart but labour speedily and without delay to get this assurance and cry with the Church unto God Psal. 90.14 O satisfie us early with thy mercy that wee may rejoyce and be glad all our daies But to inforce this so necessary an exhortation both upon my selfe and you I will 1 give you some Motives to perswade you to seeke this assurance 2 I will give you some signes whereby you may discerne whether you have yet obtained it or no. 3 I will shew the meanes that must be used for the attaining to it And for Motives I will give you but two the one taken from the possibility of attaining in this life to this assurance and the other from the necessity and benefit of it For the first Know this beloved that though 1 It be a very difficult thing to get this assurance and few attaine to it 2 They that have attained
unfruitfull in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ as the Apostle speaketh 2 Pet. 1.8 They say they know him to be their Lord and Saviour but this knowledge is no way effectuall in them to the reformation either of their hearts or lives Nay this their assurance hath wrought in them quite contrary effects unto those that I have proved unto you to be the kindly fruits of that assurance which the spirit of God worketh in the heart of any man Nothing doth so evidently discover the falshood of this their assurance as the fruits that it doth produce in them In which respects a man may fitly say of them as our Saviour doth of the false Prophets Matth. 7.20 By their fruits yee shall know them This will the better appeare if the confidence of these men be examined particularly according to those six severall effects of true assurance which we have heard of First Though they say they are assured that Christ so dearely loved them as that he shed his most precious bloud for their sinnes yet the knowledge of this love of God to them never made them to mourne or bee troubled in themselves ever a whit the more for their sinnes Nay this very thing maketh them go merrily away with them all and keepeth them from being grieved or troubled for any sinne that ever they committed because they say they know that Christ shed his bloud for their sins hath made their peace with God Seeing Christs soule was heavy Mat. 26.38 to the death for my sins saith he what need I be heavy for them my selfe Thus turning the grace of God into lasciviousnes as the Apostle speaketh Iude 4. As if he should say The very knowledge of this marvellous grace and mercy of God maketh them so lascivious as they are maketh them so joviall in their sins so void of all remorse and sorrow for sin as they are Secondly They are not the more fearefull to offend God in any thing because of his goodnesse towards them which they say they are so sure of nay this very thing maketh them bold to commit any sinne because the devill hath perswaded them as he would faine have perswaded our blessed Saviour Mat. 4.6 that though they do cast themselves headlong into any sin yet Gods mercy and love to them is such as hee will never suffer them to perish by it Tush saith hee I know God will give mee grace to repent of it before I dye and therefore what need I be so scrupulous or fearefull to enjoy the pleasure or profit of this sinne Hee besseth himselfe in his owne heart as Moses speaketh Deut. 29.19 saying I shall have peace though I walke in the imagination of my heart Thirdly They say they have tasted that the Lord is gracious and that they would not loose the sweetnesse and comfort of the assurance they have of Gods love and of their salvation for all the world and yet they love the word never the better for this Nay this is the very cause why they care not for the word have no desire to it no delight in it because they are sure enough already of their salvation and that Christ dyed for their sins They are like unto that faction in Corinth of whom the Apostle speaketh 1 Cor. 1.12 that gloried they were neither followers of Paul nor of Apollo nor of Cephas but of Christ onely They did so depend upon Christ that they cared for never a preacher in the world nor regarded to heare them Fourthly Though they speake and glory much of the Lords mercy and loving kindnes and though they be such as seeme to beare some love to his word to heare it gladly yet they practise nothing that they heare the assurance they have of Gods love maketh them never a whit the more carefull to walke in his truth Yea this very thing maketh them carelesse of doing or practising any thing they heare because they know that they are not under the law but under grace as Paul bringeth in wicked men objecting Rom. 6.15 Because they know Christ dyed for their sins and that we must not be saved by our works but by faith in him onely therefore they thinke it folly in them to be precise in their practise or to doe any good works at all Fiftly They say they are the Lords and have received his spirit which witnesseth with their spirits that they are his children that the Lord hath set his seale and marke upon them though there is no such thing to be seene upon their foreheads which is the place we have heard God setteth his seale upon None that live by them behold them daily converse with them can discerne any grace in them at all Nay men hold it now a dayes an high point of wisedome to conceale their love to religion to shun carefully every thing that may cause them to be noted for it They had rather bee counted any thing then a strict Christian they hold it no advantage no honour at all to have Gods seale on their foreheads but a matter of disgrace rather And yet these men are confident for all that that Christs bloud was shed for them that Gods spirit hath sprinkled it upon them though he have not set Gods marke upon their foreheads yet he hath set it upon their hearts certainly But if no man be so unwise as to light a candle and set it under a bushell as our Saviour speaketh Mat. 5.15 shall we thinke that the most wise God will set the light of his grace so in any mans heart as that none that are in the house with him are able to discerne it Sixtly and lastly They say confidently the Lord is their father and they are his children yet have they no care at all to honour God or to advance his glory any way If I be your father saith the Lord Malachi 1.6 where is mine honour Such as are by the spirit of adoption assured indeed that God is their father cannot but desire with all their hearts to honour him what they may Ye are bought with a price saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 6.20 therefore glorifie God in your body and in your spirit which are Gods And they that know indeed that they are not their own as the Apostle there saith but bought with such a price cannot choose but endeavour to do so Whether we live saith he Rom. 14.8 we live unto the Lord or whether we die we die unto the Lord whether we live therefore or die we are the Lords He that liveth so as God hath honour by his life and he that dyeth so as that God hath honour by his death may be sure he is the Lords and none but he And surely this proveth demonstratively that most men whatsoever they pretend have no true assurance that they are the Lords because it is neither any trouble at all to them to see God dishonoured by others neither have they any care at all to gaine any
to everlasting confusion Cain had a greater portion of them then Seth and Esau then Iacob And what comfort can a man have in such fruits of Gods love as these are What comfort can the traitour take in that goodnesse of the King that being apprehended hee giveth order that hee may have a faire and good lodging in the tower and a good diet too till matters be ripe and ready for his arraignement and execution No no he taketh small comfort in all this nothing will assure him of the Kings mercy and love till his pardon bee brought him So may I say of all these outward blessings thou canst have no sound comfort in them till thou have Christ and hast through him gotten the pardon of thy sinnes These are indeed fruits of Gods common love but these are no fruits or signes of Gods speciall or everlasting love of that love that he beareth to them whom he meaneth to save eternally No man knoweth either love or hatred by any thing that is before him saith Salomon Eccl. ◠1 A man cannot argue God loveth him with his speciall love because he enjoyeth these things nor that God hateth him because he wanteth them And it is not that common but this speciall and everlasting love of God onely that we are to make reckoning of and to take comfort in In this was manifested the love of God towards us saith the Apostle 1 Ioh. 4.9 10. because that God sent his onely begotten Sonne into the world that we might live through him Herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Sonne to be the propitiation for our sinnes If thou canst say God hath given Christ unto thee and to thee an heart to receive him then thou maist be bold to say God loveth thee indeed But thou canst never say God loveth thee indeed till thou be in Christ. He is called the Sonne of his love 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Col. 1.13 He hath made us accepted in the beloved saith the Apostle Eph. 1.6 As if he had said He loveth us for his sake and he loveth none but for his sake and with respect unto him onely And what good will it do thee to have all the world if thou have not Gods love What comfort canst thou take in any thing thou hast if God have not given it thee in his love Now on the other side that this Motive may have the more force in thy heart consider what a happinesse it is for a man to be in Christ even in respect of these outward things The true believer and he that knoweth Christ is his may take great comfort even in these outward and common blessings of God God giveth to him saith Salomon speaking of these things Eccles. 2.26 that is good in his sight reconciled to him in Christ and justified before him wisdome and knowledge and joy He joyeth even in these outward blessings he useth them with joy and comfort In which respect it is said by David Psal. 37.16 that a little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked men Have he little or have he much he hath more comfort in that he hath than any wicked man in the world can possibly have For First That that he hath is his owne he hath the highest title unto it All things are yours saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 3.21 23. and ye are Christs In giving Christ unto us how shall he not with him also freely give us all things saith the Apostle Rom. 8.32 Secondly He shall have good of that he hath it shall do him good and no hurt it shall not hinder his happinesse it is sanctified unto him The blessing of the Lord it maketh rich saith Salomon Proverb 10.22 and he addeth no sorrow with it As if he had said He that hath wealth with Gods blessing shall have no cause to repent him another day that he lived so prosperously Thus God promiseth his people that are in covenant with him Deut. 30.9 The Lord thy God will make thee plenteous in every worke of thine hand in the fruit of thy body and in the fruit of thy cattell and in the fruit of thy land for good for the Lord will rejoyce over thee for good as he rejoyced over thy fathers Marke how the Lord doth not onely promise unto his people these outward things that he would increase them in their children and in their estates but that he promiseth them also and repeateth this promise twice in this one Verse that he would give them these things for their good they should have good of them they should receive good and no hurt by them To have the things is nothing unlesse we have them with the blessing unlesse God give us good of them When the Apostle had said 1 Tim. 4.3 5. that God hath created all meat to be received with thankesgiving of them that believe and know the truth he addeth in the next words that every creature of God is good As if he had said To the believer all Gods creatures are good and to none but him and he giveth this reason For it is sanctified saith he by the word and prayer As though he should say When Gods creatures are sanctified unto us when we have a holy use of them and are made the better by them then are they good to us and not els and to the true believer they are sanctified and to none but him Thirdly and lastly Whatsoever the true believer he that is in Christ hath in these outward things he hath it in Gods love and therefore he may well take comfort in it We are wont to say that an hearty welcome is the best cheere that any friend can make us Though our fare be but meane yet if we can find we have it with a good will and that our friend is glad of us and thereby we discerne that he doth unfeignedly love us this we esteeme of more worth than the best cheere in the world this maketh the homelyest fare most sweet and acceptable unto us And certainely it is much more so in this case When a man once knoweth he hath Gods love and that that which God hath given him be it little or much is given to him in love O this giveth a most sweet and pleasant relish to all Gods blessings that we do enjoy this maketh a man to take true and solid comfort in them Thus Iacob speaketh of his children Genesis 33.5 These are the children that God of his grace hath given unto thy servant and Verse 11. of his cattell Because God hath dealt graciously with mee and because I have enough Hee tasted Gods speciall love unto him even in these things I told you even now that no unbeliever can take any sound comfort in any of Gods outward blessings because hee cannot conclude from thence that God loveth him with a speciall love but though he cannot he that is in Christ may These common
men So speaketh the Lord likewise of them Esa. 58.3.4 that used much not ordinary prayer only but extraordinary fasting and prayer yea seemed in their fasts to afflict their soules and to be much humbled but even then when they seemed so devout and holy they lived in strife and debate they used to smite with the fist of wickednesse Though they seemed to be very religious yet were they most malicious men Now they that live in grosse and notorious sinnes oppression malice uncleannesse drunkennesse cousenage and such like though they make never so good a profession as in all ages the Church hath had many such are most palpable and grosse hypocrites Neither ought they to be ever a whit the better thought on for their good profession Let such either leave their grosse sinnes or forsake their good profession or else the better profession and shew of goodnesse they make the more odious they will make themselves both to God and man Secondly some of those hypocrites that I told you of that seemed to have very good things in them did not only live in grosse sinne while they made so good a profession but they did make so good a profession for this cause principally that they might thereby the better cloake and colour their foule sinnes For this wee have a proofe in the example of that ruler of the Synagogue of whom we heard out of Luke 13.14 15. he could not without great indignation see Christ heale and the people come to be healed by him on the Sabbath day and our Saviour calleth him hypocrite for this Why Because hee could not see the Sabbath broken without great indignation Or because hee out of his ignorance tooke that to be which was not indeed any breach of the Sabbath day No verily our blessed Saviour would never have passed so sharp a censure upon him for either of these causes But Christ knew that not his zeale for the Sabbath but his malice against him was the true cause of his indignation and therefore the Evangelist Verse 17. Calleth him Christs adversary This malice against Christ he durst not for feare of the people make open shew of He findeth no fault with Christs healing but with the peoples travelling to be healed on the Sabbath day He cloaketh his malice against Christ with this â—aire pretence of his great zeale for the Sabbath day This also is most grosse and palpable hypocrisie yea the most odious kinde of hypocrisie that can be when men shall use Religion as a cloake to hide sinne when men shall professe goodnesse of purpose that they may the more safely and with the lesse suspition commit any sinne And yet many such vile wretches have beene in all ages and are still to be found in the Church of God One example only I will give you for this though I might give many which haply you may out of your owne knowledge paralell in these times And that is that woman of whom we read Pro. 7. who though she were a most impudent Whore yet could say to the foole whom she entised unto lewdnesse Verse 14. I have peace offerings with me this day have I paid my vowes She did use to performe not the ordinary duties of Religion only and such as God did enjoyne and require of all men such as peace offerings were but to shew more then ordinary zeale and love to piety she made vowes also unto God which was a free and voluntary service whereunto by no expresse law she was tyed nay and she duly paied her vowes too How could her husband or any body else ever suspect this devout and religious woman to be a Whore Nay this was certainely one of the strongest arguments she used to allure the young man to folly and to cloake and hide from him her extreame filthinesse that she seemed so Religious and good a soule For this was the effect of her speech unto him though the love I beare to thee above all men in the world make me desire to enjoy and take my pleasure with thee yet I would not have thee thinke me to be a prophane and lewd and common strumpet No I feare God love Religion and goodnesse I thanke God I have peace offerings with me this day have I paid my vowes Would any honest heart think it possible that one that liveth so lewdly should seeme so Religious yea that they should seeme so Religious for this purpose only that they might live so lewdly Yet you see so it hath beene and so it is with too many in these dayes they would not come so constantly to Church as they doe but only for this cause that they might more freely and with lesse suspition continue the dishonesty and lewdnesse that they use at home These persons certainly take Gods Name in vaine in an high degree and let them be sure The Lord will not hold them guiltlesse that take his Name in vaine Exod. 10.7 specially in so foule and odious a manner as this is To every such a one I may say as the Apostle doth in another case unto Ananias Acts 23.3 God shall smite thee thou whited wall that usest to cover thy rottennesse with this vernish How soone he will smite thee or in what manner or degree he will smite thee is knowne only to himselfe but certainly God shall smite thee thou painted wall that makest Religion a cloak for any lewdnesse whatsoever it be The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination saith the Holy Ghost Pro. 21.27 How much more when he bringeth it with a wicked minde The hearing of the word and receiving of the Sacrament and prayer that any lewd man useth is abominable unto God how much more the hearing and receiving and praying of these men that doe these things to this end that they may sin the more freely Now these two sorts that I have already named are so grosse and palpable hypocrites as many of you wil easily discerne your selves to be better then they The other three are closer hypocrites a great deale yet hypocrites too and odious unto God The third sort of those I told you of that had very good things in them and yet were no better then hypocrites were such as though they lived not in grosse sins yet the Religion and goodnesse they made profession of had no power in them to reforme their hearts and lives Of this sort were they I told you of out of Ezek. 33.30 32. 1. They came constantly to the Ministery of the word 2. Even to the Ministery of Ezekiel who did not use to preach Placentia unto them but was wont plainly and roundly to reprove their sinnes they shunned him not nor liked the worse of him for that 3. They tooke great delight to heare him his preaching was to them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice and can play well on an instrument 4. They professed great love to his person 5. They used when they had heard him to talke
estate and thou shalt finde thou art not void of grace now by five notes p. 150. From this foure conclusions may bee gathered for our comfort p. 151. Lect. 30. Take the helpe of some faithfull Minister or other friend for recovering of thy comfort p. 151. 5 Fly to God by prayer and waite on him p. 152. Five motives and encouragements to seeke to God by prayer in this and in all other afflictions p. 153. 6 Meditate of the goodnesse of God 1 towards all creatures p. 154. 2 towards thy selfe when there was no goodnesse in thee 3 towards thy selfe even now and in that state thou art now in p. 155. Lect. 31. He that truly repents cannot hide nor cloake his sin but will be ready to confesse it p. 158 This willingnesse to confesse sin will give a man great hope and assurance of mercy and pardon Ibid. p. 159. Gods servants have beene wont to confesse even the sins of others that they have prayed for p. 160. Why confession so necessary p. 161 162. Lect. 32. How far forth confession of sin in private to a Minister or other friend is not necessary p. 163 164. How farre forth it is profitable and fit Ibid 165. Lect. 33. What manner of men Ministers had need to be p. 166 167. Gods people bound to reverence our calling and take heed nothing move them to despise it p. 167. Resolve never to live without the benefit and comfort of a faithfull ministery p. 168. They that do enjoy it must labour to make their full use of it 1 by admitting that spirituall authority God hath given us over you 2 by making use of us in private and seeking resolution in your cases of conscience 3 in approving your repentance and spirituall estate unto us 4 resting upon that wee shall teach by warrant of of the Word p. 169. The peoples great neglect of the ministery Ibid. Lect. 34. David made publike confession of his sin profession of his repentance why p. 170 They whose sins are publike scandalous must be willing to make publike confession profession of their repentance p. 171 c. Three cautions to be observed Ibid. The reasons that moved Gods people to publish their repentance for publike sinnes p. 173. Lect. 35. Three great mischiefes of this that scannalous sins abound so where the Gospel is preached 1 it maketh the preaching of the Gospel odious to worldly men p. 175. 2 it hinders the successe fruit of all endeavours that the state or Gods people can use for the good of Church nation Ibid. 3 It threatneth great plagues yea a generall dissolution Great cause we should all take to heart the great increase of al grosse sins among us for they will bring Gods plagues on us And this stands well with Gods justice because we are accessary to those sins p 178. We make our selves guilty of other mens sins 1 by applauding liking them the better for them 2 by maintaining voluntary familiarity with them p. 179. 3 If we doe not professe our hatred of these sins 4 If wee be not grieved and troubled to see and heare of theÌ„ p. 180. Yet may we not absent our selves from Gods publike worship for any sins they are guilty of that joyne with us in it p. 181. Lect. 36. 5. If we neglect to do what lies in us to bring these foule sinners to open shame This is the great fault of officers that are bound by oath to detest present infamous persons They sin â— against the places they live in 2 against these lewd men themselves p. 182. 3 against God and their own soules in the light account they make of an oath When a man hath bound himselfe by oath to do that which is lawfull let him take heed how he breake that oath p. 183. The great sin of Christians in nor furthering the execution of good lawes for the detecting and punishing of lewd men Proleps Every man hath a calling 1 to oppose himselfe against sin and do what he can to suppresse 2 to reprove sin 3 to beare witnesse being required before a Magistrate against grosse sinners p 185. 4 to enforme and complaine of an offendour that 's incorrigible yet with foure Cautions p. 186. Foure true causes why men will doe nothing for the punishment of lewd men Ibid. p. 187. Lect. 37. The sinne of those that keepe men from publike penance p 187 188. The sin of such as shun and refuse publike profession of their repentance p. 189 191. Lect. 38. Confession of our sinnes to God is of all kindes of confession most necessary and usefull p. 191 192. Specially in secret for 1 that 's necessary 2 in secret we may doe it both more freely and fully and with more expressions of griefe then in publicke p. 193. 3 This most beneficiall to us for 1 it will give us best assurance of our uprightnesse p. 194. 2 it will give us best assurance to finde mercy with God p. 195. Lect. 39. The meanes whereby we may be enabled to confesse our sins aright unto God are five 1 Get knowledge in the Word p. 196. 2 Observe well and consider thine owne waies p. 197. 3 Take a daily account of thy selfe and of thy Waies p. 197. 4 Call oft to remembrance thine old sins 5 Beg grace and ability of God to do it p. 198. Lect. 40. Five properties there be of sincere confession of sin 1 It must be particular p. 198 â—99 2 It must be free and full without cloaking or extenuation p. 200. 3 It must bee hearty with feeling and affection p. 201. 4 It must be honest joyned with an unfeigned hatred of sin and resolution to forsake it Ibid. 5 It must be â—iliall not slavish out of love of God and hope of mercy p. 202. Lect. 41. Davids sin was ever in his sight They that have truly repented cannot forget but are apt oft to thinke of their sins and to be much troubled with them p. 203. for â— their conscience set in them by God to be both a register a witnesse and a censurer of their actions p. 204. 2 They more subject to affliction then other 3 This is the Lords doing for their good p. 205. Six benefits God procureth to his people this way p. 205-207 Lect. 42. Therefore be afraid to sin in any kinde or degree for 1 thy conscience will say thy secret sins in thy dish one day p. 207. 2 It will smite and wound thee for it 3 How soone it will begin to do this how long it will do it and in what measure God onely knoweth p. 208. 4 The bitternesse of this will farre exceed the pleasure of any sin p. 209. The most never troubled for any sin but strangely hardned but such have no cause to blesse themselve in their estate Ibid 214. Lect. 43. Davids sin was not against the Lord only but against himselfe and other men sundry waies p. 215. The wrong that David
4â— The Lord 〈…〉 the Church daily such as should be saved And as Maâ—th 11 12. The kingdome of heaven suffered violence and the violent tooke it by force In those cases 〈…〉 have beene said of us as Esa. 32.20 Blessed are yee that sow beside all waters that send forth thither the feet of the Oxe and the Asse Men might have called us blessed and happy men in the fruitfulnesse of our ministery the ground God gave us to till and husband was a most fruitfull soile But those daies are gone no such thing is to be seene now we now plow and sow in stony and thorny and barren ground you heare still but with no such affection love and delight as once you did you feele no such power in the Word to reforme you and draw you unto the practise of that you learne as once you did So that I may say to many of you as the Apostle doth Heb. 10.32 Call to remembrance the former daies Thirdly consider well what may be the causes of this that though there bee as much preaching and hearing as ever there was yet men profit now adaies nothng so much in the life and power of godlinesse as once they did First it cannot be denied but that one cause why the ministery of the Word is so weake and unprofitable is the want of that due inspection that Christ hath lest to his Church to make it fruitfull and effectuall The Minister is by Gods ordinance not onely to teach but to oversee his slocke Act. 20.28 Take heede to the slocke over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers Heb. 13.17 Remember them which have the rule over you who have spoken unto you in the name of the Lord. They have authority from God not only to teach you his will but to oversee all your waies at home and abroad to observe how you profit by that which you heare to require at your hands the practise of that they teach you Matth. 21.34 The Lord sends his servants to demand fruit of them that occupie his ground The Guides of Gods Church have also authority from God not onely to admonish and reprove you if you be unfruitfull but also to correct you by executing the censures of Christs Church upon you Paul speakes of a rod that God hath committed to his servants to that end 1 Cor. 4.21 Shall I come to you with a rod Certainely Gods vineyard and garden hath need not onely of such as plant and water it but of such as take continuall care of it to looke unto it to dresse and husband it Luk. 13.7 8. If it be not pruned nor digged no marvell though it beare briers and thornes rather then any thing that is good Marke that curse Esa. 5.6 I will lay it wast it shall not be pruned nor digged but there shall come up briers and thornes And surely this is a great cause why the ministery of the Word doth so little good 1. That Ministers take so little care of their people how they live whether they profit or no by that they heare but thinke if they preach constantly unto them they have done asmuch as God requireth of them Whereas it is a chiefe part as I have told you of the Ministers office to oversee the flocke 1 Pet. 5.2 Taking the over-sight thereof and to take care of them 1 Tim. 3.5 If a man know not how to rule his owne house how shall he take care of the Church of God 2. That the people generally are sonnes of Belial will not beare Christs yoke but conspire together against it and say Psal. 2.3 Let us breake their bands asunder and cast their cords from us They will be content to heare us now and then in our publique ministery but if we offer to deale with them in private and come in our Masters name to demand fruit of them they will be ready to offer all violence and despite unto us as they did Matth. 21.35 Secondly another cause of the unfruitfullnesse of the ministery is this that the Lord for the contempt men have shewed unto the Word doth denie to give his blessing unto it in their hearts Even as if he should say of many places as Esa. 5.6 I will command the clouds that they raine no raine upon it And as Matth. 13.14 By hearing ye shall heare and shall not understand and seeing yee shall see and shall not perceive Many aone there is and would to God there were none such among you that seemed once to be fruitfull and to profit much by that they heard that are now growne so senselesse so sottish so hardened in their evill courses as if for their apostacy God had pronounced of them in his decree as once he did of the figtree Mat. 21.19 Let no fruit grow on thee hence forward for ever Thirdly but the chiefe cause sure why we profit no more by the Word is in our selves Esa. 59.1 2. The Lords hand is not shortned that it cannot save but your iniquities have seperated betweene you and your God And as the Apostle saith of praying Iames 4.3 Ye aske and receive not because ye aske amisse so may I say of hearing ye heare and heare often but receive no profit at all because you heare amisse It is therefore necessary for you all to be directed how you may heare to profit by your hearing how you may heare so as your hearts may feele the divine power of God in this his ordinance This direction then consisteth of three parts For such as would profit by their hearing must do something before they come to heare something during the time that they are in hearing and something after they have heard the Word For the first As Physicians before physicke use to give somewhat to prepare the body that their physick may worke the more kindly so must the soule be prepared for the receiving of this heavenly physicke or it will never worke kindly upon it But you will object There is no such need of this The Word hath wrought mightily to the conversion of some that never prepared their hearts to receive it as in that convert mentioned 1 Cor. 14.24 25. Yea in some that came with that in their hearts as might utterly have hindred the saving operation of it even with hatefull hearts and with full purpose to cavill and oppose it As in the case of the pursevants that were sent to apprehend Christ Ioh. 7.32 46. And in those Iewes that immediatly before Peters sermon mocked him and the rest of the Apostles and said they were full of new wine Act. 2.13.37 And in those Athenians who when they came to beare Paul esteemed him no better then a babler Act. 17.18 34. To this I answer 1. That I speake not now to the unconverted for such I know can do nothing to prepare their owne hearts seeing they are dead in their sins Ephes. 2.1 but to Gods people and such as are regenerate 2. I speake of the
that knocketh it shall be opened But he is never so ready to be found of them in prayer as then when they are in greatest distresse Psal. 46.1 God is our refuge and strength a very present helpe in trouble yet he hath promised Psal. 50.15 Call upon me in the day of trouble any trouble whatsoever and I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorifie me And no marvell for 1. the Lord beares to his people the affection of a father Psal. 103.13 Like as a father pitieth his children so the Lord pitieth them that feare him And what father is there that sheweth not most love to his child and readinesse to helpe him when he is in greatest misery 2. Gods people are then most humbled and thinke most basely of themselves and that is a great furtherance to the successe of their prayers 1. Pâ—t 5.5 God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble 2. Chron. 7.14 If my people shall humble themselves and pray then will I heare from heaven 3. Then Gods people use to pray heartily and fervently 2. Sam. 22.7 In my distresse I called upon the Lord and cryed unto my God and he did heare my voice So saith Anna of her prayer 1 Sam. 1.15 I am a woman of a sorrowfull spirit and have powred out my soule before the Lord. And this God greatly delighteth in Iam. 5.16 The effectuall fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much And this readinesse they knew to be in the Lord to heare their prayer at such a time specially hath beene the chiefe thing that hath encouraged them to seeke to him in their distresse Psal. 65.2 O thou that hearest prayer unto thee shall all flesh come and 86.7 In the day of my trouble will I call upon thee for thou wilt answere me This Doctrine concerneth every one of us for there is not one of you that heare me this day but you are in some distresse or other or have beene or at least may be And it serveth First for reproofe for the wickednesse and Atheisme of our hearts is in no nothing more discovered then in this that in our distresses we have no mind to seeke to God Hos. 7.14 They have not cryed to me with their hearts when they bowled upon their beds Three sorts chiefly are to be reproved by this Doctrine First such as so long as they can thinke of any meanes to helpe themselves by in their distresse they will never seeke to God Like to the Prodigall who while he had any meanes though it were but by tending of swine and feeding with them he never thought of seeking to his father Luk 15.16 17 This was Asaes foule sin 2. Chron. 16.12 When his disease was exceeding grievous yet he sought not to the Lord but to the Physicians Whereas alas no sound comfort can be found in any meanes till we have first sought to God and appeased his anger If God will not withdraw his anger saith Iob. 9.13 the proud helpers do stoupe under him All meanes men seeke to may say as that counterfeit Samuel indeed the devill whom the witch that Saul sought to for comfort in his distresse as too many wretches do in these dayes raised up did say unto him 1. Sam. 28.16 Wherefore dost thou aske of me or seeke helpe of me seeing the Lord is become thinâ— enemy Secondly such as are most destitute of all meanes to helpe themselves in their distresses yet never seeke to God Poverty and want of all humane helpe shâ—uld drive men to God and cause them to seeke helpe and comfort from him and to give themselves much to prayer Thus it wrought with David Psal. 142.4 5. I looked on my right hand and beheld but there was none that would know me refuge failed me no man cared for my soule I cryed unto thee ó Lord and said thou art my refuge and my portion So saith the Apostle 1. Tim. 5.5 Shee that is a widow indeed and desolate trusteth in God and continueth in supplications and prayers night and day But alas we find that no people under the heaven pray lesse seeke lesse to God care lesse for God then the poore and miserable people doe Miserable indeed in this respect more then for any outward want that they doe endure They cry out by reason of the arme of the mighty saith Elihu Iob 35.9.10 but none saith where is God my maker that giveth songs in the night Thirdly such as when God hath begun to soften their hearts and trouble their consciences for sin as he did Davids at this time do not as David doth here seeke to God for helpe and comfort But 1. either seeke to hide themselves and flye from God by keeping themselves carefully from all such means as might touch upon that sore as Adam did Gen. 3.8 Or 2. betake themselves to mirth and all such meanes as may lull them asleepe and cause them to forget their sins and Gods anger and make them senslesse of those inward gripings and stings as Saul did and found ease by it for a short time 1. Sam. â—6 23 but alas his fitts and terrours returned and became the more extreame violent afterwards as you may see 1. Sam. 18.10 11. or else 3. fall into utter desparation of Gods mercy as Iudas did who when his conscience was deeply wounded with sense of sin could go to the chiefe Priests and Elders and confesse his sin to them but could not go to Christ himselfe to seeke mercy of him Matth. 27.3 Lecture XI On Psalme 51.1 2. Ianu. 3. 1625. THe second use now followeth which is for exhortation to stirre us up in all our distresses to seeke for helpe and comfort from God by prayer It is the Apostles exhortation Iames 5.13 Is any man afflicted let him pray Wee all have need of this exhortation For as we heard the last day there is not one of us here but either we are or have bin or may be in that distresse either through outward or inward affliction and anguish that we are ready to cry with Iehoshaphat 2. Chron. 20.12 We know not what to doe O that wee could bee perswaded when we are in that case though not then only to flye unto God One would thinke there needs no motives to be used to perswade us to this What needs any man perswade a poore wretch that hath not bread at home to seeke abroad for reliefe be he never so bashfull his necessity will perswade him to it sufficiently The poore speaketh supplications saith Solomon Prov. 18.23 You shall heare nothing from him but bewailing his wants and humble intreaties and supplications for helpe and reliefe to such as are able to doe him good But alas our hearts are so estranged from God even from the very wombe as David speakes Psal. 58.3 that no necessity no extremity will drive us to goe a begging to him We have need of strong motives to drive us to it Thinke therefore seriously of the foure reasons
seeke for the pardon of our sinnes and to seeke for it as he doth heere that is 1. To seeke it above all other things and to make it our onely suit as David doth heere and as the Publican when he went to pray begged nothing els but this Luk. 18.13 Lord be mercifull to me a sinner 2. Seeke without delay to have this debt discharged as Solomon adviseth the man who is in danger for debt discharged as Solomon adviseth the man who is in danger for debt even to mortall man Pro. 6.4 5. Give no sleepe to thine eyes nor slumber to thine eye-lids deliver thy selfe as a Roe from the hand of the hunter 3. Seek it not coldly and faintly but earnestly and with all thy might as David heere and Psal. 27.4 One thing have I desired of the Lord and that will I seeke after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the daies of my life to behold the beauty of the Lord that is his mercy his chearefull and favourable countenance towards me as Psal. 90 17. Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us Now for the better enforcing of this exhortation I will first give you certaine motives to perswade you to seeke for your pardon 2. I will shew you the meanes how you may obtaine it 3. I will give you certaine signes and notes whereby you may know whether you have obtained it or no. And for the motives to stirre us up to seeke and sue out our pardon 1 Some of them have reference to the pardon it selfe and 2 Some to us that are to seeke and sue for it First this pardon may be gotten If sinnes could have no hope to get the pardon of their sinnes they could have no incouragement to seeke it but as Shecâ—niah saith to Ezra Ezra 10.2 there is hope in Israel concerning this thing There is not any sinner amongst us all how many or heinous soeâ—eâ— his sinnes have beene but he may have hope to obtaine the pardon of his sinnes if he seeke it aright For this we have his word that cannot deceive us Mat. 12.31 I say unto you all manner of sinne and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men Matth. 18.27 The Lord of that servant that ought ten thousand talents was moved with compassion and loosed him and forgave him the debt And though it be said of him that sinneth against the Holy Ghost Matth. 12.32 that it shall not be forgiven him neither in this world nor in the world to come yet the reason thereof is not because God cannot or will not forgive so heinous as a sinne but because he that is gone so farre cannot returne to God and seeke his pardon Heb. 6.6 It is impossible he should be renowned againe unto repentance And this motive to seeke for our pardon we have given us Esa. 55.7 Let the wicked returne unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon Secondly this pardon is worth the getting and seeking for For 1. It is full and generall and giveth us a discharge not onely from our sinnes but from the whole punishment due to us for them not from such sinnes onely aâ— are knowne to us and we have beene able particularly to repent of but from all our sinnes knowne and unknowne So that when once we have gotten our pardon for one sin we have gotten the pardon of all originall and a small smaller and greater knowne and unknowne Esa. 55.7 He doth abundantly pardon So that as Christ never cared any but he made them perfectly and every whit whole Ioh. 7.23 so is it said of him that he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him Heb. 7.25 Whom he once washeth and cleanseth he maketh them so cleane that he leaveth no filth no staine nor spot upon them Esa. 1.18 Though your sinnes be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow though they be red like crimson they shall be as wooll that never received any dye Thus doth God account of them that are once pardoned Cant. 4.7 Thou art all faire my love there is no spot in thee All Gods acquittances are generall not as mens onely from the beginning of the world to that day that the acquittance is made but from the beginning of the world to the end of it When he pardoneth he pardoneth not sins past onely but even those that are future have a ground of pardon in it Psal. 103.17 The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that feare him And Ioh. 13.10 He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet but is cleane every whit 2. This pardon where it is once given can never be revoked or canceled againe He forgiveth not as man doth but when he forgiveth our sinnes he forgetteth them also Ier. 31.34 I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sinnes no more To this mercy that belongeth which the Lord speaketh Hos. 13.14 Repentance shall be hid from mine eyes Whom God hath once pardoned he never so forsaketh that they shall quite loose his favour againe Psal. 37.28 The Lord forsaketh not his Saints they are preserved for ever Therefore we are but once baptized and brought to the laver of regeneration Tit. 3.5 3. This pardon sets us in as good state before God as if we had never sinned so as he thinketh never the worse of us for any sinne we have committed when once we have our pardon Nay we become much more deare unto him then if we had never sinned As we see in the case of the Prodigall whose father shewed much more kindnesse unto and delight in him then in his elder brother Luk. 15.32 And in the kind respect our Saviour shewed to Mary Magdalen Mar. 16.9 Hee appeared first to her out of whom he had cast seven divels And to Peter Mar. 16.7 more then to any Disciple that ever he had And this second motive which hath reference to the fullnesse of this pardon incouraged and moved David heere to seeke it so earnestly as we may see verse 7. Wash me and I shall be whiter then snow Now for the second sort of motives which have reference to our selves if we respect our own selves there is great cause that we should above all things speedily seeke for the pardon our sins First In respect had to our death For if death should seize upon us before we have gotten our pardon our case were desperate and irrecoverable If pardon be not gotten before it will never be gotten To him that is living there is hope saith Solomon Eccl. 9.4 for a living dog is better then a dead lyon And Eccl. 11.3 In the place where the tree falleth there it shall be there it lieth and will continue for ever If a man obtaine not his acquittance and discharge of his debt before he dieth there is no way but one with him to prison must he
face and I was troubled This consideration is forcible to quiet the heart that hath grace in any affliction and to keep us from murmuring and till we can humbly acknowledge this soveraignty of the Lord and stoupe unto it our heart can never find rest in any specially not in this inward affliction till we can say with Ely 1 Sam. 3.18 It is the Lord let him do what seemeth him good Why dost thou strive against him saith Elihu to Iob 33.13 for he giveth not account of any of his matters God is not bound to give thee a reason of his proceeding why hee dealeth thus with thee rather then with such and such but thou art bound to submit thy selfe to his will because hee can doe thee no wrong and may doe with his owne what pleaseth him Who hath enjoyned him his way saith Elihu Iob 36.23 or who can say thou hast wrought iniquity thou hast done wrong If therefore the Lord should bee pleased all the dayes of our life to hide from any of us the light of his countenance though this were indeed a most heavy affliction nay if hee should indeed not in our feeling only cast us away for ever yet doth it become us to beare it patiently and not to murmure against him for it but to put on Davids resolution and to say as hee doth 2 Samuel 15.26 If he doe thus say I have no delight in thee behold here am I let him doe to me as seemeth good to him Fourthly Thou must consider that the Lord in hiding his face from thee in with-holding for a time the comforter from thee intendeth to doe thee good by this meanes He chastiseth us for our profit saith the Apostle Heb. 12.10 And of thy infirmity I may say as our Saviour did of Lazarus his disease Ioh. 11.4 This sicknesse is not unto death But even as thou seest the wise and carefull Physitian maketh his patient by some vomits and potions much more sick in his own apprehension then he was before and the surgeon lanceth and maketh deep wounds of purpose to cure him of the mortall disease and sore he seeth him in danger of So doth thy heavenly Physician and Surgeon deale with thee he maketh thy heart sicke and woundeth thee thus of purpose that he may save thy soule and work a perfect cure upon it and make it more sound and healthfull then ever it was before Sundry are the benefits that God procureth to his children by this kind of affliction six of them I will shew you which may serve for so many reasons why he doth deale thus with them First by this meanes he correcteth them and maketh them to repent for their drowsinesse and carnall security Christ doth not use to withdraw himselfe from his people but when they grow drowsy and sleepy and neglect their watch This you shall see Cant. 3.1 5.2 3. Secondly he giveth them these thornes in their flesh these messengers of Satan to buffet them that by humbling them thus he may prevent and keepe them from sin that he seeth them in danger to fall into and thus did he deale with the Apostle 2 Cor. 12.7 Thirdly by this meanes the Lord prepareth his people for comfort and maketh them more capable of it and none have ever attained to that abundance of spirituall comfort as those that have most deeply tasted of this cup of spirituall affliction As the sufferings of Christ abound in us saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 1.5 so our consolations also abound in Christ. For the Lord our God delighteth for to work by contraries As in the worke of creation he caused light to shine out of darknesse as the Apostle speaketh 2 Cor. 4.6 and in the worke of redemption by Christs death he brought us to life by his extreame shame and ignominy he bringeth us to glory by his stripes he healeth us as the Prophet speaketh Esa. 53.5 and in that miracle that Christ wrought by anointing the blind mans eyes with clay he restored him to sight Ioh. 9.6 So in the work of grace he useth to bring his servants by hell to heaven by doubting to faith by much inward anguish and terror to abundance of peace and consolation in Christ. By what meanes did the Lord bring Mr. Bradford Mr. Glover and sundry other of the blessed Martyrs to that strength of faith inward comfort as even quenched the violence of the fire as the Apostle speaketh Heb. 11.34 for though the Apostles words be there happily to be understood literally yet may the phrase be fitly applyed to this also surely they were men that had bin much exercised with inward affliction of mind as we may read in their story And how did the Lord make Iacob so strong in faith that whereas before he was afraid of his brother Esau as he complaineth in his prayer to God Gen. 32.11 I feare him lest he will come and smite me and the mother with the children now he became bold as a lion and met him without feare going on to meet him before the rest Gen. 33.3 Nay he was so full of confidence and comfort in God that he gloried and boasted he had seene God face to face and therefore called the name of the place Penuel the face of God Gen. 32.30 Surely before he came to this comfort God had wrestled with him as an enemy Gen. 32.24 and made him out of the sense he had of Gods displeasure to pray and weep bitterly he wept and made supplication to him saith the Prophet Hos. 12.4 And few there be that ever came to see God face to face to behold the light of his countenance cleerely and manifestly as Iacob did with whom God hath not beene wont to wrestle sometimes as he did with Iacob Lecture XXVIII On Psal. 51.1 2. Iune 13. 1626. FOurthly By this meanes God weaneth his children from the love of this world and maketh them thinke of home and of their fathers house As you know affliction and nothing but affliction made the prodigall to do Luke 15.16 17. If we should alwaies possesse that outward peace those sweet joyes and comforts which the light of the Lords countenance and sense of his favour worketh in our hearts we should have our heaven upon earth and be too ready to say and thinke as Peter did when he was ravished with joy in beholding the light of Christs countenance shining as the sun Mat. 17.4 Lord it is good for us to be heere and to abide heere still These vicissitudes and changes these interruptions of our peace and spirituall desertions we meet with heere are a most effectuall meane to make us thinke of home where we shall be out of the reach of Satan and all his tentations where we shall never weepe more nor be troubled with these terrours and sorrowes that so much disquiet us where all teares shall be wiped from our eyes and there shall be no more sorrow nor crying nor paine as Iohn speaketh Revel 21.4 These
not upon any outward or inward signes of Gods favour not upon any thing wee see or feele but upon the word and promise of God onely According to that of David Psal. 119.114 Thou art my hiding place and my shield and in thy word doe I trust Wee must learne to beleeve and trust God upon his bare word and promise without any of these pledges and pawnes of his that are in our owne possession else wee deale no better with him then the most wretched usurer that is will deale with the veryest beggar or bankrupt yea the falsest and dishonestest man in the world hee dares not trust him on his word nor on his oath nor on his bond neither but upon a good pawne and pledge he dare trust him And for a most eâ—fectuall motive unto this consider how fearefull a sin infidelity is not to give credit to the word and promise of God to doubt of Gods love and mercy to thee in Christ. Iohn 16.9 He shall convince the world of sin because they beleeved not on me No sin in all the world is so hainous as that Three things will make this evident to thee First consider the severity God hath shewed toward his dearest servants for not giving credit to his word even in such things as were most unlikely to come to passe God had promised Moses and Aaron that if they would speake to the rocke in the sight of the people it should give forth water enough to satisfie the whole congregation and their cattell too a most unlikely and incredible thing yet because they did but doubt of this God would not let them enter into the promised land Numb 20.8 12. God had promised Zachary hee would give him a son by his wife Elizabeth a thing most unlikely in regard of the age of them both and her barrennesse yet because he doubted of it the Lord made him dumbe Luke 1.20 Secondly Consider the nature of this sin As by faith we greatly honour God and give glory to him Rom. 4.19 20. we sanctifie and hallow his name as the Lord speaketh Num. 20.12 Ye beleeved me not to sanctifie me in the eyes of the children of Israel So by infidelity we rob God of his glory and doe him the greatest dishonour and reproach that can be 1 Ioh. 5.10 He that beleeveth not God hath made him a lyar Thirdly Consider the odiousnes of this sin in the effects of it which are three First as faith is that that maketh us and all our services acceptable and pleasing unto God when they are done out of a perswasion of his fatherly love towards us By faith saith the Apostle Heb. 11.4 Abel offered a more excellent sacrifice then Cain And he that would pray must conceive of God as of his father Mat. 6.9 Yea whatsoever ye doe in word or deed saith the Apostle Colos. 3.17 if ye would have God to accept of it do all in the name of the Lord Iesus that is in this perswasion that through Christ God is well pleased with you giving thanks to God the father by him So infidelity maketh us and all our actions prayers preachings almes c. odious unto God Heb. 11.6 Without faith it is impossible to please God Secondly As faith purifieth the heart keepeth it in a care to please God in a feare to offend him Acts 15.9 So infidelity defileth the heart maketh it lesse fearefull to offend him lesse carefull and willing to doe him any service lesse to hate sin and to love goodnesse in a word more apt to decline and fall from God any way This is plaine by that caveat that the Apostle giveth Heb. 3.12 which it were good for Gods people that are in this tentation oft to thinke upon take heed brethren lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbeliefe in departing from the living God Marke 1. that it is infidelity that maketh the heart evill and naught 2. It is that that maketh us apt to depart and fall away from God Thirdly lastly As faith is the only Antidote and defensative against all Satans tentations the shield that wil quench all his fiery darts Eph. 6.16 So infidelity maketh us naked layeth us open unto every tentation He that wavereth and doubteth saith the Apostle Iam. 1.6 is like a wave of the Sea driven of the winds and tossed So that to conclude this second caveat I must say to every one of Gods children that is under this tentation as the Apostle doth Heb. 10.35 Cast not away thy confidence which hath great recompense of reward And as the Prophet doth Esa. 50.10 Who is there among you that feareth the Lord that walketh in darknes hath no light let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay himselfe upon his God As if he had said If thou be of the number of them that feare to offend God though thou have no comfort no feeling of his favor no light nothing but darknes yet trust in God still for all that because of his word and promise resolve that thou wilt beleeve and be perswaded of his love and put thy trust in him though he do withdraw the signes and sense of his favour from thee and say with Iob. 13.15 Though he stay me yet I will put my trust in him Now if any shall object and say How can we resolve that we will beleeve and be perswaded of Gods love Is that in our power Do you not teach wee have no freedome of will at all to that that is good I answer I speak it confidently upon cleare certaine evidence of the word of God 1. That there is no more freedome of wil in any naturall man to that that is spiritually good then there is in a dead man or in a stone to move it selfe In Adam when he was created we all had it in Adam when he fell we all lost it But 2. I say that by the second Adam we have recovered it againe he by his spirit doth worke in all the regenerate a freedome of will and ability to move our selves to that that is good so as they can say as Paul doth Rom 7.8 To will is present with me And as David Psalme 119.115 Depart from me yee evill doers for I will keepe the commandements of my God And certainely there is great force in this to preserve us from any tentation if wee would thus before-hand set our wills and as it were harden our faces against it by resolving with our selves wee will not yeeld unto it as David did Psalme 119.57 O Lord I have said that I will keepe thy words and sticke to it and verse 106. I have sworne and I will performe it that I wil keepe thy righteous judgements Lecture XXIX On Psalme 51.1 2. Iune 20. 1626. FOlloweth that we now come to the directions I promised to give and to shew you what Gods servants that are in this case of spirituall desertion are to doe to
our Saviour to his elect disciples Mat. 6.26 Behold the foules of the aire and ver 18. Consider the lillies of the field Yea one chiefe cause of that patience and goodnes that God sheweth to all his creatures and to the vilest men is that his owne people might have visible and palpable demonstrations of his speciall love and goodnes toward themselves 2 Cor. 4.15 all things are for your sakes And therefore David thus concludeth that 107. Psalme wherein he had at large discoursed of the goodnesse of God towards all sorts of men that are in distresse verse 43. Whoso is wise and observeth these things even they shall vnderstand the loving kindnes of the Lord. And from thence Gods child that is in distrest of conscience may confidently conclude thus If God be so good to them then sure he will bee much more good to mee and respect me that through his mercy have obtained grace to feare him and to desire to please him Thus our Saviour teacheth his Disciples to reason Matth. 6.26.30 Are not ye much better then they Shall he not much more cloath you ô ye of litle faith And 10.31 Feare ye not therefore ye are of more value then many sparrowes So when David had spoken of the generall goodnesse of the Lord extended to all men Psal. 145.14 16. The Lord upholdeth all that fall and raiseth up all that bee bowed downe the eyes of all wait upon thee thou satisfiest the desire of every living thing Hee inferreeth from thence verse 18.20 The Lord is nigh to all that cast upon him he will fulfill the desire of them that feare him the Lord preserveth all them that love him Secondly consider the goodnesse of God towards thy selfe in thy first conversion when there was no goodnesse in thee at all nothing but ignorance and profanesse when thou wert in thy blood the Lord said unto thee live as hee speaketh Ezek. 16.6 When thou hadst no mind at all to looke towards God but carriedst thy selfe toward him as an enemy hee cast a gracious eye upon thee and changed thy heart as he did upon Peter when hee was renouncing and forswearing him Luke 22.61 when thou soughtest not to him at all nor hadst any care of thy salvation hee did seeke thee with great earnestnesse and patience as he speaketh Rom. 10.21 All the day long have I stretched out my hands unto a disobedient and gaine-saying people Yea when thou wert running away from God in the broad way that leadeth unto destruction he ranne after thee and cryed to thee with great affection and love as Cant. 6.13 Returne returne ô Shulamite returne returne And from this consideration thou mayest thus reason with thine owne soule did the Lord so love mee when there was no goodnesse in me and shall I thinke hee hateth me now that by his grace hee hath wrought some desires in me to feare him and to make conscience of my wayes That cannot bee for certainely the righteous Lord loveth righteousnesse Psalme 11.7 Did the Lord so seeke after me when I ran as fast as I could from him and was he found of me when I sought him not as he speaketh Esa. 65.1 and will he now reject me and not bee found of me when he hath given me a heart to seek him That cannot be For for that I had promise but for this I have 2. Chron. 15.2 If ye seeke him he will be found of you Thirdly and lastly Observe and marke well the testimonies of Gods speciall love and goodnesse towards thee even now in this thy grievous affliction of mind and spirituall disertion and thou shalt find that now hee seemeth to bee most angry with thee he loveth thee dearely in his wrath he remembreth mercy toward thee For how falleth it out that thou art not overcome of this so dangerous a tentation thou still seekest to God and art afraid to offend him thou hast bin oft brought to the very brinke of desperation yet thou art not fallen into the gulfe Thou art perplexed but not in despaire cast downe but not destroyed as the Apostle speaketh 2. Corinth 4.8 9. Thou hast beene as the bush that Moses saw Exod. 3.2 3. that burned with fire and yet was not consumed What hath kept thee from falling into that gulfe from being overcome of Satan from sinking utterly under this intollerable burden of a wounded spirit Certainely certainely thou art kept by the power of God as the Apostle speaketh 1 Peter 1.5 the Lord doth uphold thee This is that that David saith speaking of such a one as thou art Psalme 37.24 Though he fall he shall not be utterly cast downe for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand And as Moses speaketh Deut. 3◠27 The everlasting armes have beene under thee Certainely God never shewed more love to thee in all thy life then thee doth now Hee letteth thee see and feele thine owne weakenesse and readinesse to sin that thou mightest have the better proofe of his marvellous power and love in upholding thee Thus dealt hee with blessed Paul 2 Corinth 12.9 My grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakenesse As wee see sometimes a tender father that perceiving his child loveth to bee too neere the fire or water will make as though hee would fling him in but then taketh hee fast hold on him least he should fall in indeed even so dealeth the Lord oft with his dearest children hee never holdeth them faster then when hee seemeth even ready to cast them into hell and into the gulfe of desperation So as to conclude if thou couldest observe the Lords dealing with thee now thou wouldest find cause to cry unto him with David Psalme 73.22 23. O how foolish have I bin and ignorant to doubt so of thy love to hearken so much unto Satan I have beene as a beast before thee neverthelesse though I am apt to thinke thou hast quite forsaken me yet I find I am continually with thee thou hast holden mee by my right hand LECTVRES ON PSAL. LI. 3 Lecture XXXI on Psalme LI. 3 Iuly XI MDCXXVI For I acknowledge my transgressions and my sinne is ever before mee WEE have already heard that in the first part of Davids prayer in this Psalme which is for the pardon of his sins two principall things were to be observed 1. The manner of expressing this his suit and request 2. The arguments whereby hee doth confirme his faith and upon which hee doth ground his hope to speed well and obtaine this his suit at the hands of God And the first of these grounds and arguments we have heard was the knowledge he had of the Lords mercy and goodnesse in the two former verses It followeth now that wee proceed unto the second and that is the grace that God had wrought in him that he was able to confesse and acknowledge his sin and this is set downe 1. more generally in this verse that I have now read and 2. more
the truth of this in three degrees First the greatest part of men were never troubled in their mind for any sin in all their lives yea the greatest sinners are of all men least troubled in mind for sin They are not in trouble saith the Psalmist Psal. 73.5 as other men Nay their conscience is so senslesse so fast asleep as nothing will waken it Such thundring Sermons they oft heare as one would think might break the rockiest heart that is and yet they never stirre these men But they are like Iudas who though he heard Christ so speake of his sin as made all his fellowes exceeding sorrowfull Mat. 26.22 though he heard him so particularly apply his speech as he could not choose but understand hee was the man hee meant for our Saviour said Iohn 13.26 Hee it is to whom I shall give a sop when I have dipped it and when hee had dipped the sop hee gave it to Iudas And when hee asked Christ as the rest had done Master is it I Christ said unto him Thou hast said Mat. 26.25 Though he had heard Christ with his powerfull voice denounce that fearefull woe against him Mat. 26.24 Woe unto the man by whom the sonne of man is betraied it had beene good for that man if hee had never beene borne Yet did not all this move him one whit but hee became worse and worse after all this Iohn 13 27. After the sop Satan entred into him And alas how many have we that are like to Iudas in this point No sermon will move them nay the Lord oft times layeth such stroakes upon them scourgeth them with such afflictions as one would thinke might pierce the most seared conscience in the world and bring their sins unto remembrance and yet you shall see these men when they are most vexed with paines and diseases in their bodies with troubles and perplexities in their outward estate yet as quiet in their consciences as free from all remorse and trouble of mind for sin yea as confident of Gods love toward them in Christ as the holiest man in the world So God speaketh of Israel Hos. 8.2 3. When they had cast off the thing that is good and for that cause the enemie the Assyrian should pursue them yet even then in that great affliction they should crye unto God My God we know thee Certainely this is the case of many a man no afflictions will awaken their consciences even upon their death beds you shall not be able to perceive that any of their sins doe trouble them but even as Iob speaketh Iob 21.23 they are wholly at ease and quiet that is wonderfully quiet in their conscience The strong armed man keepeth the pallace as our Saviour speaketh Luke 11.21 and all his goods are in peace Secondly Nay many though they can be content in generall to confesse that they and all men are sinners yet can they not discerne any particular sin to charge themselves withall and if any other man should charge them with it they would be ready to justifie themselves as Ephraim did of whom the Prophet speaketh Hos. 12.7 8 who though he were as a false merchant and the ballances of deceit were in his hand he used deceit in his weights and in his measures yet he justifieth himselfe and saith in all my labours and tradiâ—g they shall finde none iniquity in me which is sin As if he had said Though I have done a little wrong sometimes to men in my trading in my weights and measures and shewed my selfe my crafts-master in making my wares seeme better then they were tush that is nothing all of our trade doe so and must doe so or else we could not live tush that is no sin Alas the world is full of such blind wretches as being notorious sinners yet doe secure and blesse themselves in their estate even upon this ground that they know nothing by themselves that deserveth to be counted a sin at least a mortall sin They are Papists in this as in many other point either they have no sin at all or if any none but veniall sins These mens case is notably set forth by the Lord Ier. 2.34 35. In thy skirts is found the bloud of the soules of the poore innocents I have not found it by secret search but upon all these As if he had said Every thing that was about them their garments their houshold-stuffe their faire houses c. were monuments of and carried the print of their oppression see how grosse sinners they were and yet in the next words marke their extreame blindnesse and security yet thou sayest because I am innocent surely his anger shall turne from mee In times of greatest danger they feared nothing out of this conceit that they were so innocent But what followeth Behold I will plead with thee because thou saist I have not sinned Nay thirdly The most men count it a great happinesse to forget their sins and never to thinke of them and therfore they even study the art of oblivion in this point shunning all meanes carefully that might bring their sinnes into their remembrance as Ahab did Micajahs ministery 1 Kings 22.8 and Felix Pauls Acts 24.25 and they greedily hunt after all the meanes they can devise or thinke of that they may put their sinnes out of their thoughts According to that speech of Solomon Ecclesiast 7.4 The heart of fooles is in the house of mirth Now unto these men I have three things to say First If Iob and David and Paul were in a blessed estate then must the case of these men surely be most miserable Their sin as we heard the last day was ever before them came oft into their remembrance troubled their minds much and thou never thinkest of any of thy sins art never troubled with any such matter They counted it a great happinesse to have such friends to heare such ministers as would rouse and waken their sleepy consciences put them in mind of their sins Ps. 141.5 Let the righteous smite me and let him reprove me Yea they prayed to God for this Iob 13.23 Make me to know my transgression and my sin And thou cryest God blesse me from such preachers that should so disquiet my mind Secondly the blindnes and senslesnes of thy conscience is no such benefit as thou imaginest O no it is a fearefull judgement curse of God upon thee for it maketh thee unable to repent it keepeth thee from all comfort and benefit by Christ Ioh. 12.39 40. Therefore they could not beleeve because as Esaias saith he hath blinded their eyes hardned their hearts left they should be converted and I should heale them This is a judgement wherby God punisheth other grievous sins and of all punishments the most fearefull Psal. 81.11 12. My people would not hearken unto my voice Israel would none of mee so I gave them up to the hardnes of their hearts As they did not like to retaine God in their knowledge saith
hath taken us up againe and set us on our feete Nay though wee have given him just cause a thousand times to cast us off and dishinherit us to leave us to our selves and Satan yet hath his love beene so unchangeable towards us that nothing could move him to cast us off Nay he hath given us assurance by his spirit Rom. 8 38 39. that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall bee able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Iesus our Lord. So that we have just cause to say as the Prophet Mic. 7.18 Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquitie and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage that retâ—ineth not his anger for ever because hee delighteth in mercy And this is also that that greatly amplifieth the goodnesse of God in this point that it is so rare If we would consider how many have fallen some to Popery and other heresies some to profanesse some to the utter hatred of Religion some to worldlinesse that were once farre before us in knowledge and in profession how many that were first are become last Mat. 19.30 How many there are whom we may dayly looke upon that are like those the Apostle speaketh of 2 Pet. 2.18.22 that once were cleane escaped from them that live in errour but now with the dog are turned to their owne vomit againe and as the sow that was washed to their wallowing in the mire Many that are like unto Saul who though he had received excellent gifts of Gods spirit even another heart 1 Sam. 10.6.9 and never in his life fell into so grosse sins as David did yet he fell away quite from God and lost all grace and was quite forsaken of God 1 Sam. 16.14 and 28.15 whereas many of us that like David have had far stronger corruptions yet are still kept in the state of grace be it that none of those that have thus quite fallen away were ever truly regenerate and we may say of them as 1 Iohn 2.19 They went out from us but they were not of us for if they had beene of us they would no doubt have continued with us But what is it that hath made us to stand when so many that seemed much stronger then wee have fallen quite away Surely nothing but the meere grace and goodnesse of the Lord. It is not of him that willeth saith the Apostle Rom. 9.16 nor of him that runneth but of God that showeth mercy And thus have I in some measure put you in minde of the infinite goodnesse and bounty the Lord hath shewed to every one of us that are his people Now the consideration of this marvellous goodnesse and bounty of God towards vs doth greatly aggravate our sins and make them out of measure sinfull There is no sin we have committed no commandement of God that we have transgressed but we have thereby sleighted and despised shewed contempt unto grieved and dishonoured that God that hath beene so good and gracious a father unto us Thus doth the Lord aggravate Davids sin 2 Sam. 12.7 9. I annointed thee King over Israel and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul and I gave thee thy masters house c. and if that had beene too little I would mereover have given thee such and such things wherefore hast thou despised the commandement of the Lord. Thus did God plead with Israel Mic. 6.3 5. O my people what have I done to thee and wherein have I wearied thee that thou makest so slight account of offending me testifie against me and then in the two next verses he putteth them in minde of the great goodnesse hee had shewed toward them that by that meanes he might bring them to a consideration and feeling of their sins Thus doth the Lord aggravate the sins of his people Deut. 32.6 Doe ye thus requite the Lord ô foolish people and unwise Is not he thy father that hath bought thee hath he not made thee and established thee This was that that made Mary Magdelene weepe so aboundantly Luke 7.38 she had a deepe apprehension of Gods goodnesse towards her verse 47. This was that that lay so heavy upon Davids heart heere Against thee thee onely have I sinned Nay it is not possible that any should ever haue a true assurance and sence of Gods fatherly goodnes wrought in his heart by the spirit of God but it will have this effect in him Zach. 12.10 I will powre out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Ierusalem the spirit of grace and of supplications and they shall looke upon mee whom they have pierced and they shall mourne for him as one mourneth for his onely son and shall bee in bitternesse for him as one that is in bitternesse for his first borne Why doe our sins trouble us no more Surely we are not soundly perswaded of Gods fatherly goodnesse and love towards us the spirit of grace was never powred upon us I know 1. That the most men make the lesse account of sin because they say they know the Lord is so gracious and mercifull nothing doth so much keepe them from being troubled for their sinnes as this they cannot thinke it possible God should like much the worse of them for any of their sins because he is still so good and bountifull unto them but are ready to say to their soules with the Epicure Eccles. 9.7 Goe thy way eate thy bread with joy and drinke thy wine with a merry heart for God now accepteth thy workes 2. Yea they embolden themselves to sin by this more then by any thing because they know and are peswaded the Lord is so infinite in goodnesse and mercy they turne the very grace of God into wantonnesse Iude 4. If a childe should thus resolve with himselfe rush I know my father beareth that affection to me that though I bee never so stubborne and rebellious against him though I grieve and dishonour him never so much yet he will never cast me off and therefore I care not for offending him all men would say that wretch had lost all naturall affection and had not the nature or heart of a child in him No more hath that man certainely any true or sound assurance of Gods fatherly love and goodnesse towards him that doth not hate sin that is not afraid of sin that cannot mourne for sin out of this respect above all others that by his sin he hath offended and grieved and dishonoured so good and gracious a father as the Lord hath beene unto him Lay aside saith the Apostle 1 Pet. 2.1.3 all malice and all guile and hypocrisies enuies and evill speakings because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yee have tasted knowne with feeling that the Lord is gracious Lecture XLVI on Psalme 51.4 Ianuary 23. 1626. IT followeth now that we proceed to the uses that
his mother and 17.25 A foolish son is a griefe to his father and bitternesse to her that bare him Yea certainely it ought to be so we should bewaile it before God 1. In respect to our children themselves For the root from whence all this their lewdnesse springeth they had it from us We were they that first infected and poisoned them If any parents should see their child loathsomely consumed with the French disease which he had received from them in his birth would it not thinke you be a matter of much shame and humbling to them to behold it If any of us in the time of the great plague should at unawares have brought the infection into our house and set it upon all our children would not this have beene a marvellous affliction unto us And yet we have all done worse to our children then so we have set upon them a farre worse more dangerous more deadly infection we know then either the French disease or the pestilence They endanger but the body and this mortall life these the soules of our children everlastingly And shall not this then be a matter of shame and humbling before God 2. In respect unto God The Lord was angry with the Serpent and laid his curse upon it because it was but an instrument used by Satan for the corrupting of our first parents though it were no cause at all of it Gen. 3.14 And may not the Lord much more be angry with us and lay his curse upon us that have not onely beene the instruments to convey this cursed poison and corruption of nature into our children but the principall agents and causes of it Lecture LVIII On Psalme 51.5 May 22. 1627. FOlloweth the second use that this Doctrine serveth unto which is the use of exhortation to exhort and stirre us up that are parents to do the uttermost of our endeavour to worke grace in our children and so to cure that deadly wound that we have given them and to preserve them from perishing by that poison and infection that we have conveyed into them Now for the better enforcing of this so necessary an exhortation 1. I will give you certaine motives that may provoke us all to this care 2 I will shew you the meanes that we must use to this purpose And for the motives they are of three sorts 1. Some of them respect our children and our duty towards them 2. Some of them our selves and our owne comfort 3. Some of them concerne our duty towards God and the respect we should have unto his glory Of the first sort of motives there are two principally First Our love to our children bindeth us to it Nature moveth us to love them and hath given bowels of pity and compassion towards them when we see them in any misery Insomuch as the Lord hath beene pleased to set forth his mercy and compassion towards his children by this By the compassion of a mother Esa. 49.15 Can a woman forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion on the son of her wombe And by the compassion of a father Psal. 103.13 Like as a father pittieth his children so the Lord pittieth them that feare him He is worse then a beast that loveth not his children and grieveth not to see them in misery Lam. 4.3 Even the sea monsters draw out the breast they give sucke to their young ones And the Apostle teacheth us Rom. 1.31 that they that are without this naturall affection have extinguished in themselves the very light of nature and are in Gods just judgement given up unto a reprobate mind And what love can we beare to our children if we have no care of their soules the nature of true Christianity is to seeke the good of their soules whom we love Charity edifieth 1 Cor. 8.1 See how Abraham expressed his love to Ishmael Gen. 17.18 O that Ishmael might live in thy sight Thus did Solomons parents Pro. 4.3 4. I was my fathers sonne tender and onely beloved in the sight of my mother He taught me and said unto me Let thine heart retaine my words keepe my commandements and live Nay this is the onely way to expresse true love to their bodies and their outward estate also No lands or possessions we can leave thâ—â— can give us that assurance that they shall live comfortably even in this life as this will do if we can be a mean to breed saving grace in their hearts For 1 Tim. 4.8 Godlinesse hath the promises even of this life Secondly Admit we were not bound to love them above others yet are we bound in justice to make them amends for the wrong we have done them There is no man whom we have hurt in his body or goods or good name but we are bound in conscience to do what we can to make him satisfaction See the equity of Gods law in this point Exod. 21.19 He that smote him shall pay for the losse of his time and shall cause him to be throughly healed How much more are we bound to take care that our owne children may be throughly healed of that wound that we have given them in their soules of that filthy disease that wee have infected them with Now for the motives that concerne our selves and our owne comfort they are three principally First It will be a matter of singular comfort unto us to see the corruption of their nature healed and saving grace wrought in them specially if it be by our meanes A great comfort it is to a Minister to see any of his people reformed and woon to God by his labours Ye are our glory and joy saith Paul 1 Thess. 2 20. I have not greater joy saith the Apostle 3 Ioh. 4. then to heare that my children walke in the truth But this must needs be much more comfort to a parent to see this in his owne child A wise son saith Solomon Prov. 10.1 maketh a glad father And 23.24 25. The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoyce and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him thy father and thy mother shall be glad and she that bare thee shall rejoyce Secondly When grace is wrought in them specially if it be by our meanes they will be farre more loving and dutifull unto us then otherwise they can be A wise son saith Solomon Prov. 15.20 maketh a glad father How by his dutifull and respectfull carriage towards him this is his meaning there as appeareth by the last words of the verse but a foolish man despiseth his mother Se this in the sons of Isaack Esau cared not for grieving his parents by matching with the daughters of Heth but Iacob did Gen. 26.34 35. and 27.46 See it also in the sons of Iacob of all his sons Ioseph that had most grace was also the most loving and dutifull child unto him Genesis 45.11 This will make a man love him dearely that otherwise was a meere stranger unto him if hee
some other examples to proove this that are not so extraordinary as that of Iohn Baptist was First for saving knowledge wee have the Apostles testimony of Timothy 2 Tim. 3.15 that hee had knowne the holy Scriptures 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from his childhood yea from his infancy as the word properly signifieth And for the seeds and beginnings of holy affections see them in the little children of Gods people at Tyre Acts 21.5 they shewed their love to the Apostle and went with their parents to bring him on his way unto the sea shore And for conscience of sin and feare to offend God see it in Daniel 1.8 Hee resolved with himselfe that whatsoever came of it he would not defile himselfe with the portion of the Kings meat nor with the wine that hee dranke And if you consider how long hee lived after this in the reignes of foure Kings Nebuchadnezzar Evilmâ—rodach Belshazzar and Darius it will appeare plainly hee was very young when he made this conscience of sinne Secondly I answer That childhood is the fittest age of all to bee wrought upon this way children of all others are the fittest to have the seeds and beginnings of saving grace wrought in them That which the Prophet saith by way of exprobation to the Iewes may fitly bee applyed unto this purpose Esa. 28.9 Whom shall hee teach knowleage and whom shall hee make to understand doctrine Them that are weaned from the milke and drawne from the breasts They are not indeed fit to feed themselves nor capable of strong meat but they are the fittest of all other to bee fed and dieted by others to bee fed with milke That is a comparison that the Apostle twice useth 1 Cor. 3.2 Heb. 5.12 Your children while they are young are like soft wax apt to receive any impression like little twigs which you may bend and bow which way you will There is not in them that stubbornnesse that spirit of contradiction neither in their reason nor will to oppose and reason against good things as you shall find in them of more yeares In which respect our Saviour telleth us Mar. 10.15 we must all be like unto them Verily I say unto you whosoever shall not receive the Kingdome of God as a little child he shall not enter therein Thirdly and lastly I answer That admit that your children have no understanding at all nor feeling of the good things you teach them while they are so young admit no seeds no beginnings of grace be wrought in them thereby then yet will that which you teach them then do them good afterward and prepare and make them fitter to receive good by the ordinary meanes of grace afterward when they shall come to more understanding and discretion Wee baptize our children when they are infants though they have for the present no feeling nor understanding of it It is twice noted of our Saviours Disciples Iohn 2.22 and 12.16 that the things which they understood never a whit at the first when Christ taught them did them great good afterward And the same is noted also of the disciples of Iohn Iohn 10.41 42. And parents may well thinke they have not lost their labour but done a good and blessed worke if they have by their teaching prepared their children to receive good by the publike ministery of the Word And thus have I answered the first objection The second objection they make is this Admit that children by the teaching they have may attaine to some beginnings of knowledge and grace yet is there say they no heed to bee taken of the good things that bee in children they will quickly loose all againe Many a young Saint hath proved an old Devill But to these that object this I answere with the words of our Saviour to the Sadduces for they are certainly little better then Sadduces and Athiests that say or thinke thus Matt. 22.29 Ye do erre not knowing the Scriptures and the power of God For First the Scripture teacheth us that a great guesse may bee made what our children will prove when they grow in yeeres by observing well their disposition when they are very young Pro. 20.11 Even a child is knowne by his doing whether his worke be pure or whether it bee right For then they cannot dissemble but will more freely discover their inclinations then they will doe when they are growne in yeares And as experience hath proved in a number of lewd menâ— our old proverbe to be true soone it pricks that thorne will be they did when they were young discover a most ungracious disposition so it hath also proved this true of many worthy men that the great towardnesse and inclinations unto good that appeared in them while they were very young did presage what they would prove afterwards And parents shall doe well to observe this not onely that they may know thereby what callings to fit and prepare their children for but also what vices they should chiefly labour to prevent in them and what good things above others they should principally nourish in them Secondly The Scripture teacheth us that by teaching our children good things while they are young they will be made the better while they live Pro. 22.6 Teach a child in his way and when hee is old hee will not depart from it And experience in all ages hath confirmed this that as a vessell will long keepe the savour of that liquor it was first seasoned with so doe men the instructions they have learned in their childhood The seeds of knowledge and grace which were sowne in Moses heart by his mother while she nursed him Exod. 2.9 10. could never be gotten out of him by all the pleasures and honors and examples he had in Pharaohs Court Thirdly The Scripture teacheth us that though some that have beene religious in their childhood have proved most lewd and so it hath beene with men too as well as with children yet the worthiest men and such as have done God most excellent service began to bee gracious and good betimes even in their childhood Many such examples we have as Ioseph and Moses and Obadiah 1 King 18.12 and Ieremy and Daniel and Iohn Baptist and Timothy and many more They that proved such excellent Saints when they were old were Saints when they were young And on the other side as of all that wee read were possessed with evill spirits the divill was most hardly gotten out of him whom he had possessed from his childhood Mark 9.21 29. so wee find by experience that the most of them that are old divills in their age were also young devills in their childhood bewrayed much ungraciousnesse even when they were very young And thus have I finished the second meanes that you that are parents must use to heale your childrens natures and breed grace in them you must instruct them betimes even while they are very young The third meanes is good example You that are parents must
and blind devotion in both these yet what great hurt was ther in them Had they not a shew of holinesse and mortification Surely if you weigh the matter well for as much as you may bee sure that neither Christ nor the Apostle could be thus vehement without just cause you will find that to be strict and precise in the observation of any thing as a part of Gods worship that God in his Word hath given us no direction for though it seeme to tend never so much unto holinesse and mortification is a most heinous sinne For 1 it is grosse Idolatry and high-Treason against God to give to our selves or to any creature this divine authority as to make him a law-giver to our conscience For this is the Lords royall prerogative in which he will endure no partner There is one law-giver who is able to save and to destroy saith the Apostle Iam. 4.12 I am the Lord saith he Esa 42.8 that is my name and I will not give my glory to another 2 This will quite steale and turne away the heart from God and his Word and breed a light account of the Word of the commandements and ordinances of God This is one reason our Saviour giveth for his vehemency against the Pharisaicall purifyings Mat. 15.6 Ye have made the commandement of God of none effect by your traditions And Mar. 7.9 Full well ye reject the commandement of God that ye may keepe your owne tradition Ahaz we know 1 brought his altar into Gods house and offered on it 2 King 16.12 13. 2 He set it cheeke by jowle as we say by the Lords owne altar verse 14. 3 He brought it in further and placed it above Gods altar verse 14. 4 He used it onely in the ordinary offerings and sacrifices with neglect of Gods altar verse 15. The more zealous any are for the religious observation of such things as God never commanded the lesse conscience we shall find they make of any commandement of God the lesse account they make of Gods Word When Ephraim had multiplied altars in a will worship being more abundant in sacrifices then God required Hos. 8.11 12. the great things of Gods written law were counted by him as a strange thing not belonging unto him Yea this will-worship will breed in the heart a hatred of God and his ordinances which is the cause why the Lord calleth the transgressours of the second commandement such as hate him Exod. â—0 5 And the Apostle saith Tit. 1.14 that the giving heed to the commandements of men in this case will turne men from the truth This experience hath proved most true not only in the Papists but in too many other fondly superstitious 2 Can any of you find in your selves a high and reverend esteeme of Gods Word doe you love it and delight in it do you depend upon it onely for direction in all your waies despising and rejecting all other rules besides it Canst thou say with David Psal. 119 113. I hate vaine inventions but thy law doe I love Certainely how ever thou maist be slouted and hated for this in the world this will one day even when thou shalt have most need of it yeeld a comfortable testimony to thee that thy heart is upright with God Remember as thou hast now heard what comfort Iob found in this Iob 33 10-12 Remember how oft David calleth him a blessed man that can doe thus Ps. 1. â— 112 1.128.1 Remember that our blessed Saviour accounteth such Luke 8.21 in respect of his deare and tender affection and respect unto them as his brethren and sisters and mother And that for this cause he professeth of Mary Luke 10.42 that she had chosen the good part which should not bee taken away from her Lecture LXXVIII On Psalme 51.6 Ianuary 22. 1627. IT followeth now that wee proceed unto the second property that is necessarily required in true goodnesse and righteousnesse it must have a good root We must therefore know that nothing that we can do is truly good and pleasing unto God unlesse the inward principle the root that produceth it and moveth us to doe it be good We read of holy Iob. 9 28. that he comforteth himselfe against the censures of his friends that judged him to be an hypocrite by this that the root of the matter was found in him he knew he had in him the root of true righteousnesse and goodnesse and therefore he was no hypocrite therefore his heart was upright And on the other side in the parable of the sower our Saviour giveth this for the reason why the hearer that is resembled to the stony ground fell quite away and so shewed himselfe to bee an hypocrite and that his heart was never upright Matth. 13.21 because hee had no root in himselfe Now if you aske me what is this root of true righteousnesse and goodnesse that a man must have in himselfe or els his heart cannot be upright I answer it is that which the Apostle speaketh of Gal. 5.6 In Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith that worketh by love Faith that worketh by love is that root from whence all true goodnesse and righteousnesse doth spring Here are you see two graces grow together in this root faith and love 1. Nothing that we doe is truly good and pleasing unto God neither will the doing of it argue the uprightnesse of our hearts unlesse we doe it out of love to God 2. The love that wee beare to God is not sound nor such as will argue the uprightnesse of our hearts unlesse it proceed from faith that assureth us of Gods speciall love to us in Christ. For the first The love of God is the root of all true obedience and that heart that truly loveth God is certainely an upright and true heart Two branches you see there are of this point which I will severally and distinctly consider of 1. The love of God is the root of all true obedience 2. The heart that truly loveth God is an upright heart First Nothing that we do is good in Gods sight unlesse we do it out of love unto him This is the root of all true obedience God hath chosen us saith the Apostle Ephes. 1.4 in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love When our Saviour giveth the summe of all the foure commandements of the first table he giveth it us in these termes Matth. 22.37 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy soule and with all thy soule and with all thy minde Then onely wee pray well and and heare well and preach well and receive the Sacrament well and keepe the Sabbath well yea then onely we put our trust in him aright and serve him aright when we doe all this out of love to the Lord our God So for the duties of the second table then onely we performe the duties of righteousnesse and love
that is meat and drinke and clothes doe the Gentiles that are borne to no better hope seeke that is onely or chiefely but seeke ye first the kingdome of God and his righteousnesse And certainely if wee bee borne of God wee shall not bee so base minded as other men are but find in our selves such high and generous spirits as nothing but the reward of the inheritance as the Apostle calleth it Colos. 3.24 nothing but the kingdome of heaven will content us And thus are all they that shall bee saved described Rom. 2.7 They seeke for glory and honour and immortality And this is that Holy ambition that I desire to stirre up in my selfe and in every one of you that wee would strive to bring our hearts to this that wee may bee able to say life is sweete and a good blessing of God and so is health and so is peace and so is a plentifull estate and so is credite and so is mirth but all these things are nothing unto mee without the assurance of Gods speciall love unto mee in Christ. Rejoyce not in this that the spirits are subject unto you saith our Saviour to his Disciples Luke 10.20 and yet that was a great and a rare gift of God but rather rejoyce because your names are written in heaven That even as Absalom 2 Sam. 14.32 thought it nothing to bee restored from his banishment and to bee admitted to live in Ierusalem unlesse hee might see the Kings face so should we esteeme all other comforts and contentments whatsoever as nothing unlesse wee may see the light of Gods countenance see him looke cheerefully upon us and shew himselfe to bee reconciled unto us This is that that David preferred before all the World Psalm 4.6 Many say who will shew us any good who will shew us how wee may get wealth and credite and pleasure and such things but As if hee should say but I am not of their mind Lord lift up the light of thy countenance upon us upon mee and upon thy people this is all in all unto mee This this is that I desire to perswade you unto to get assurance that God loveth you with this speciall love Get assurance of it I say unto your selves Make your casting and election sure saith the Apostle 2 Peter 1.10 Content not your selves with an uncertaine hope in this case but seeke to bee sure of this Yea hee that is most sure of this let him seeke to bee more sure still as the Church doth Canticles 1.2 Let him kisse mee with the kisses of his mouth as if shee had sayd Let him still give mee more evidences of his love for thy love is better then wine Now for the better enforcing of this exhortation 1. I will give you some motives that may provoke you to seeke this assurance of the speciall love of God 2. I will shew you the meanes how you may attaine unto it Wee have all need of motives yea of strong motives to perswade us a strange thing to consider of to seeke Gods favour to seeke assurance that hee loveth us For 1. The most men are like the prodigall of whom wee read Luke 15.16 17. who so long as hee could have enough to fill his belly though it were but the huskes that the swine fed on never thought of his father nor sought for his favour And like profane Esau that despised his birthright Genesis 25.34 If God will but love them so farre as to let them live in wealth and peace and credit and mirth heere his speciall love that reacheth to the forgivenesse of their sinnes and life everlasting they care not for they seeke not after 2. Many that are possessed with the spirit of bondage and often vexed with terrible doubts and feares about this matter yet never seeke for this certainty 3. Many that thinke they have faith content themselves with an uncertaine opinion and wavering hope of Gods favour and never seeke to make this certaine unto themselves Hearken therefore unto sixe Motives I will give you out of Gods word to stirre you up to this First This love of God is an everlasting love I have loved thee saith God to his people to his elect in Christ Ier. 31.3 with an everlasting love And of Christs love the Evangelist saith Ioh. 13.1 Having loved his owne that is such as his father gave him such as beleeved in him unto the end he loved them I am perswaded saith the Apostle Rom. 8.38 39. that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. Then get once the assurance of this love of God in Christ and thou maist bee certaine thou shalt never loose it Thy assurance of it I grant thou mayest loose for a time through thy owne folly but this love of God canst thou never loose if ever thou hadst it The Moone is subject to change and so are all things that are under it but the Sunne though through the interposition of somewhat betweene it and us it doe not alwayes shine upon us yet doth it never change So though our sinnes may raise up a thicke cloud as the Prophet speaketh Esay 44 22. betweene the Lord and us that keepeth the light of his countenance from shining upon us yet is there in this father of lights as the Apostle saith Iames 1.17 no variablenesse at all nor so much as a shadow of turning or changing his affection towards us This is a love therefore worth the having worth the seeking even the seeking to bee sure of it This property of Gods love hath made Gods people highly to esteeme of it O give thanks to the Lord saith David Psalm 118.1 for he is good because his mercy endureth for ever Yea see how the Prophet followeth this and insisteth upon it verse 2.4 This speciall love of God to us in Christ is called Esa. 55.3 The sure mercies of David All the other mercies of God and fruits of his love without Christ which yet men so much dote upon are transitory and such as wee can have no certainty of these only are sure mercies this only is an everlasting and unchangeable love Secondly This would free the heart from those feares that doe so vex and torment us if wee were once sure of this speciall love of God to us That even as when Christ was come into the ship where his Disciples were Marke 6 5â— the wind ceased presently and there was a â—alme so will it bee with thy heart get Christ once into it and it will bee quiet So David professeth that when he had seene the light of Gods countenance and rejoyced in it Psalme 4 8. I will both lay mee downe in peace and sleepe saith he And indeed what need wee to feare if wee have Gods favour If God bee for
be said which the Prophet speaketh of Israel Hos. 10.1 Israel is as an empty vine he bringeth forth fruit to himselfe As if hee had said In all good things he doth as he doth them out of selfe-love so he seeketh himselfe onely in them The meanest worke we doe in our calling if we doe it to the Lord and serve him in it will yeeld us assured comfort and reward also the best Sermon we can preach or heare if we do it not to the Lord but to our selves will yeeld us no comfort or reward from God Verily I say unto you saith our Saviour Mat. 6.2 they have their reward And so much for the first property that is required to the right manner of performing of all good duties they must be done to the right end In the other two I will be very briefe The second property required to the right manner of performing good duties is this they must be performed not with the outward man onely but with the heart See this 1 in the generall and 2 in some particular and speciall duties No obedience or service pleaseth God unlesse it be done feelingly and with the affection of the heart That is the thing God calleth for principally My sonne give me thy heart saith he Pro. 2â— 26 Fervâ—nt in spirit serving the Lord saith the Apostle Rom. 12.11 As if he had said No service pleaseth God unlesse it be done with fervencie of spirit This was the thing that God so much commendeth in the obedience of Iehoshaphat 2 Chron. 17.6 that his heart was lift up in the waies of the Lord. As though he should say Hee stirred up himselfe to walke in Gods waies with zeale and affection This also the Lord praiseth Hezekiah for 2 Chron. 31 21. In every worke that he began in the service of the house of God and in the law and in the commandements to seeke his God he did it with all his heart and prospered See this also in sundry speciall parts of our obedience and service unto God First No mans preaching pleaseth God unlesse hee preach with affection and zeale I serve God saith Paul Rom. 1.9 with my spirit in the Gospell of his sonne Secondly No mans hearing pleaseth God or will doe him any good unlesse he heare with affection If God open not your hearts as he did Lydias Act. 16.14 and make you able to heare with affection though you had as good preachers as Paul was your hearing would be to no purpose Thirdly No mans praying pleaseth God or will doe himselfe any good though his words be never so many or so good unlesse he pray with his heart with feeling and affection of heart The effectuall â—ervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much saith the Apostle Iames 5.16 As if he should have said The most righteous mans prayer that is will not be effectuall nor availe much with God unlesse it be fervent Fourthly Our singing of Psalmes pleaseth not God unlesse it be done with affection and feeling Our singing saith the Apostle Eph. 5.19 must be a making of melody in our hearts to the Lord. As if he had said The Lord regardeth no melody but that Fiftly The duties we performe to men in our callings please not God unlesse we doe them with affection of heart Whatsoever ye doe saith the Apostle to the servant Col 3.23 doe it heartily as to the Lord. As if hee had said Els you serve not God in any thing you do nor must looke for any acceptance or reward from him Sixtly and lastly The workes of mercy that wee doe though wee should give all wee have to the poore please not God unlesse they be done with affection and with a compassionat heart Whosoever hath ability and seeth his brother hath need saith the Apostle 1 Ioh. 3.17 and shutteth up his bowells of compassion from him though he open his purse and give him never so much how dwelleth the love of God in him Let every one of us apply this to our selves for the time will not permit me to doe it The third and last property required in the manner of that obedience and service wee doe to God is this if we desire to doe it in the right manner we must doe it in humility In the best duties wee doe wee must find cause of humbling in our selves because wee have done them so poorely and so corruptly When yee have done all those things that are commanded you saith our Saviour Luke 17.10 say wee are unprofitable servants As if hee had said Say this is nothing to that that I should have done Whatsoever ye doe in word or deed saith the Apostle Col 3 17. doe all in the name of the Lord Iesus As though he should say Acknowledge and feele the need you have of Christ to make the best things that you doe acceptable unto God Thus did Nehemiah when he had done a better worke and service to God then any of us are ever like to doe while we live yet see how he was humbled in himselfe Neh. 13.22 Remember me ô my God concerning this also and spare me pardon me according to the greatnesse of thy mercy Without this there can be no uprightnesse of heart in us how good duties soever we performe Behold saith the Prophet Hab. 2.4 his soule which is listed up is not upright in him Lecture LXXXIX On Psalme 51.6 May 13. 1628. IT followeth now that we proceed to the third and last signe and note whereby uprightnesse of heart and truth of saving grace may bee discerned and judged of namely The bent of a mans mind and will the purpose and desire of his heart towards God We must therefore know that one of the surest notes of uprightnesse of heart and truth of grace is this when howsoever wee faile in our practise and obedience yet God hath our heart Yea that is such a signe as a poore Christian may find comfort in when he cannot in the most of them that you heard of before In the handling of this signe I will for the helpe of your understanding and memory observe this order 1. I will shew you what I meane by it 2. I will confirme it unto you 3. I will answer that which may bee objected against it 4. I will make some application of it First therefore the Lord is then said to have our heart when the two principall faculties of our soule that is to say our mind and our will are for God 1. When in our mind we allow and consent to the will of God in all things and can say as David doth Psal. 119.128 I esteeme all thy precepts concerning all things to be right And even in those things wherein through our corruption and weaknesse we do offend against the law yet we can say of the law with the Apostle Rom. 7.12 The law is holy and the commandement is holy and just good 2. When our will is to please God in all things we desire nothing
drudgery in the world But alas beloved this is but a false slander that is cast upon the wayes and service of God And wee must say of it as our Saviour doth of the tares that were sowed in Gods field Matth 13.28 The enemy hath done this The devill hath raised this slaunder and suggested it into the minds of men to terrifie them from Gods service by it There is no truth in it at all For though indeed wee must goe under the yoke if wee will bee his servants and obey his commandements wee may not be allowed to live as we list yet if wee can once humble our selves to beare this yoke of Christ wee shall never have cause to complaine of the hardnesse or uneasinesse of it Take my yoke upon you saith our Saviour Matth. 11.29 30. even to the humbled sinner who was like the bruised reed who was already weary and heavy laden and therefore unable to beare any heavy burden or to weare a yoke that would pinch and gall him even to this man saith Christ take my yoke upon thee feare it not for my yoke is easie and my burden light If this yoke doe pinch or gall any man the fault is not in the yoke but in himselfe because hee taketh it not upon him but like an untamed and unruly bullocke strugleth with it and is unwilling to beare it If any of Christs burdens seeme intollerable to any man the fault is not in the burden but in himselfe hee hath some bile or corrupt sore upon him that maketh him unable to beare the lightest burden that can bee laid upon him And thus speaketh the Apostle Iohn also of all Christs burdens and commandements 1 Iohn 5.3 This is the love of God that we keepe his commandements if wee bee his servants and beare any love to him wee must indeed keepe his commandements but his commandements are not grievous it is no bondage to bee tyed to keepe them In which respect also the Apostle calleth it the law of liberty Iames 1.25 It is the greatest freedome and liberty in the world to bee obedient unto God Certainely no man hath just cause to complaine of the hardnesse of Gods service nor to bee afraid of it There is no life under heaven so pleasant as the life of Gods servant there is no service in the world so easie and comfortable as the service of God is If men obey and serve him saith Elihu Iob 36.11 they shall spend their dayes in prosperity and their yeares in pleasure This I know will seeme to many of you a strange paradox but if you will marke well what I shall say I will make it evident that it is so and that in three respects Lecture LXXXXI On Psalme 51.6 Iune 17. 1628. FIrst I will shew you that religion doth not so abridge men of their liberty in lawfull delights as is pretended Secondly That the taskes and duties that it imposeth upon men are nothing so hard as Satan would make us beleeve Thirdly That the service of God is so far from being a bondage and drudgery that it is in sundry respects the most comfortable life in the world For the first Though God doe indeed restraine his servants from licentiousnesse and liberty to doe what they list his servants must live under a law under government they must beare his yoke Yet is his yoke even in this respect a most easie yoke to all that can once humble themselves to beare it For hee doth allow to his servants liberty enough even in the comforts and delights of this life Nay no man under heaven can with that freedome of heart and true delight use any of the creatures of God any of the comforts of this life as the servants of God may That which the Apostle saith of marriage and meates 1 Tim. 4.3 may likewise be said of all other lawfull recreations and delights God hath created them to be received with thankesgiving of them which beleeve and know the truth As if he had said For their sakes they were ordained they are the people that have just title unto them God hath called us to peace saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 7.15 that is not an hard a troublesome and rigorous but a free and comfortable condition of life even in respect of these outward things And in this respect among others the Apostle saith Gal. 5.13 Brethren yee have beene called unto liberty onely use not your liberty as an occasion to the flesh Religion doth not forbid the use of any lawfull delight but the abuse of it onely Secondly The taskes that God sets to his servants the burden he layes on them I meane the duties and services that hee requireth of them are not hard and heavy nay they are certainely light and easie to bee borne and in this respect also the service of God is no bondage nor drudgery it is the most easie and comfortable life in the world and it is nothing but the deceitfulnesse of Satan and of our owne naughty hearts that causeth us to judge otherwise of it Now if any man shall object and aske mee Are all Gods commandements easie indeed Is it a matter of no hardnesse or difficultie to observe them For answer unto this I will shew 1. How and in what respect they are hard and difficult 2. How and in what respect they are light and easie to be peformed For the first The commandements of God and burdens he layeth upon men are hard and heavy in three respects First To every wicked and naturall man the commandements of God are not onely hard but impossible hee can doe nothing that God requireth in that manner that God requireth I know well that many things which such men doe may seeme to other men and to themselves also to bee very good workes All these things saith the young man Mat. 19 20. have I kept from my youth up But indeed this is utterly impossible every unbeleever is reprobate unto every good worke Titus 1.16 How can yee being evill saith our Saviour Matth. 12.34 speake good things that is constantly and conscionably Can the Aethiopian change his skinne or the Leopard his spots saith the Lord Ieremy 13.23 then may yee also doe good that are accustomed to doe evill And that which our Saviour saith of the covetous man Luk. 18.25 may also truly bee said of the fornicatour and of the drunkard and of the proud man and of every wicked man It is easier for a camel to goe through a needles eye then for such a one to enter into the kingdome of God or to keepe any of those commandements that are against his sin Secondly To every regenerate and godly man the commandements of God are not onely hard but impossible to bee kept in that manner that the law requireth In that respect the Apostle Peter professeth Actes 15.10 that the law was svch a yoke as neither their fathers none of the holy Patriarches nor prophets nor they none of the
shall have an understanding heart given unto him he shall not be onely taught by men God himselfe will be his teacher God will write his law in his heart Secondly This is the first worke of Gods grace in the regeneration and conversion of man As in the first creation this worldly and naturall light was the first worke that God made Genesis 1.3 so in the regeneration of man which is a second creation this spirituall and supernaturall light is his first work After two daies will he revive us saith the Church Hos. 6.2 3. speaking of their true conversion and turning unto God in the third day he will raise us up and wee shall live in his sight then shall wee have knowledge and endeavour our selves to know the Lord. As if she had said So soone as ever hee hath begun to revive us we shall have knowledge So when God sendeth Paul to convert the Gentiles he mentioneth this as the first worke and fruit of his ministery Acts 26.18 he saith he sent him to open their eyes and to turne them from darknesse unto light As if he had said To deliver them from their blindnesse and ignorance and to breed knowledge in them So speaketh the Apostle of the Iewes 2 Corinthians 3.16 Neverthelesse As if hee had said Though there bee now a vaile upon their heart when it shall turne to the Lord the vaile shall bee taken away As though hee should say So soone as ever they shall be converted they shall be able to understand what Moses hath written concerning Christ. Thirdly and lastly The change and conversion of a sinner is said to consist in this Bee yee transformed or changed saith the Apostle Romanes 12.2 by the renewing of your mind When the mind is once renewed a man is transformed the saving change and conversion of his heart is wrought Ye have put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge saith the Apostle Col. 3.10 after the image of him that created him As if he should say The man that hath this knowledge is certainely renewed become a new creature hath Gods image stamped upon him After ye were illuminated that is after ye were effectually called and converted saith he to the Hebrewes 10.32 ye endured a great fight of afflictions To be inlightned with this knowledge and to bee converted and effectually called he maketh all one thing And as the state wee were in by nature and all the misery we were subject unto in that estate is called darknesse and consisted chiefly in the blindnesse and ignorance we then lived in so the estate of grace and all the comfort and happinesse we enjoy in it is called light and consisteth chiefly in the spirituall knowledge and understanding that we doe enjoy in it Ye were once darknesse saith the Apostle Ephes. 5.8 but now are ye light in the Lord. So speaketh the Apostle 1 Pet. 2.9 Shew forth the praises of him that hath called you out of darknesse into his marvellous light Gods saving grace in the heart of man his effectuall calling and conversion is seene in nothing more then in delivering him out of that darknesse that blindnesse and blockishnesse and ignorance that was in him by nature then in opening of his eyes and renewing his mind then in causing him in his hidden part to know wisedome as the Prophet here speaketh Now if we shall inquire into the ground and reason of this why the Holy Ghost ascribeth so much unto knowledge we shall find two reasons of it principally First Because knowledge is the foundation and that that giveth strength and stability to all other graces If the good profession we make if our faith our love our zeale our repentance bee grounded upon sound knowledge then they will last and abide as the house that is built upon a rock But if these graces or any other holy affections seeme to bee in us in never so great a measure certainely they will bee of no continuance unlesse they bee grounded upon knowledge See this instanced in three particular graces First Our zeale and love to God and goodnesse will never hold out unlesse it be grounded upon sound knowledge This I pray saith the Apostle Phil. 1.9 that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgement As if he had said I know to my great comfort that you are now full of love to God and to his truth and to his servants and I pray God yee may continue and increase in this grace but that can ye never doe unlesse your love your holy and good affections be supported and grounded upon knowledge and sound judgement Secondly We shall never be able to abide constant in the profession of the truth unlesse we be well grounded in the knowledge of it The Apostle telleth us Ephes. 4.12 14. that the function of the ministery was ordained by Christ to bring us to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Sonne of God that wee might bee no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by sleight of men and cunning craftinesse whereby they lie in wait to deceive As if hee had said 1 The Church of God will never want seducers and false teachers and 2 they are very cunning and will bee ready to cheat us with their false dice and wee 3 are naturally like little children easily cousened or like ships upon the sea that have no anker 4 wee shall never bee able to hold the truth and keepe our selves from being deceived and seduced by them unlesse by living under a sound and constant ministery wee ground our selves well in the knowledge of the truth So the Apostle speaking of some that perverted the writings of Paul 2 Pet. 3.16 saith they were such as were unlearned and unstable men Vnlearned men and such as want knowledge must needs be unstable men they cannot continue constant and steady in the profession of the truth So our Saviour giving the reason why those hearers whom he compareth to stony ground proved temporaries indured but for a time saith of them Mar. 4.16 17. 1 that they had no root in themselves they were never well grounded in the truth 2 that they did receive the Word immediatly with gladnesse they were somewhat too hasty in receiving the truth if they had first taken paines to examine well the grounds of it as those Bereans did Actes 17.11 before they had received it they would not so soone have fallen from it Certainely no constancy in religion can bee expected from those men that are not well grounded in the knowledge of the truth Thirdly and lastly Patience and comfort in affliction will never hold out nor continue when the fiery triall shall come unlesse it be well grounded upon knowledge This is plaine by that prayer which the Apostle maketh for the Colossians Col. 1.9 11. I cease not to pray for you and to desire that you may bee filled with the knowledge
of doctrine as the Apostle speaketh Ephes. 4.14 certainely were never taught of God had never any saving knowledge in them Secondly Saving knowledge hath no fullnesse nor satiety in it but the more any man hath of it the more he still desireth to have A wise man will heare saith Solomon Pro. 1.5 and will increase learning And 15.14 The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge And 18.15 The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge and the eare of the wise seeketh knowledge David may bee a notable example for this who though hee had attained to that measure of this knowledge as hee excelled all his teachers yet seeketh still to God for more knowledge as if hee had beene the most ignorant man in the world Psalme 119.27 Make mee to understand the way of thy precepts verse 73. Give mee understanding that I may learne thy commandements verse 125. I am thy servant give mee understanding that I may know thy testimonies verse 144. The righteousnesse of thy testimonies is everlasting give me understanding and I shall live They then that thinke they have knowledge enough and feele no need they have to learne any more that wonder at and deride the folly of them that thinke they can never heare enough or read enough certainely were never taught of God nor have any saving knowledge in them Wo unto you that are full saith our Saviour Luke 6.25 for ye shall hunger Lecture XCVIII On Psalme 51.6 Septemb. 16. 1628. THe third and last sort of the signes of saving knowledge is taken from the effects of it and those are foure principally First Whereas carnall knowledge even of heavenly things I meane such a knowledge of them as a man by the strength of his owne wit in hearing or reading or study even of the Word of God attaineth unto will puffe up a man and make him proud and apt to censure and despise others Knowledge puffeth up saith the Apostle 1 Corinthians 8.1 Yea Paul himselfe was apt to bee exalted above measure with the abundance of revelations he had received above other men as himselfe saith 2 Corinthians 12.7 Saving knowledge that is wrought in the heart by the spirit of grace hath a quite contrary effect for it humbleth a man and maketh him thinke more lowly of himselfe then ever he did before See this is Iames 3.13 Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you saith he let him shew out of a good conversation hit workes with meeknesse of wisedome As if he had thus said If he have true and saving knowledge and wisedome indeed let him shew it by his meekenesse and humility in his whole conversation The meeke will he guide in judgement saith David Psal. 25.9 and the meeke will he teach his way As if hee had said Those that are taught of God will be meeke and humble men And indeed it must needs be so For the more this light shineth into the heart of a man the more ignorance and corruption shall he see to be in himselfe All things that are reproved evill and reprovable saith the Apostle Ephes. 5.13 are made manifest by the light This experience sheweth us in the best of Gods servants and such as have most saving knowledge in them None complaine so much of their ignorance none so much humbled in the sense of their owne corruptions as they are Nay themselves before their conversion when they had farre lesse knowledge and lesse goodnesse then now they have never thought so basely of themselves as now they doe What is the cause of this Surely God hath now opened their eyes that were shut before this light of grace hath discovered that ignorance and corruption of heart unto them that before they never discerned nor thought had beene in them Let every one of us by this note try his owne knowledge whether it be the good knowledge of God such as will doe us good whether it be the worke of Gods spirit and grace or of nature onely 1. Seest thou no matter of shame and humbling in thy selfe no ignorance and blockishnesse no sluttish and foule corners in thine owne heart that thou never discernedst before Nay art thou not indeed humbled oft for these things Certainely this light of saving knowledge never yet shined in thy heart The first worke of it wheresoever it commeth is the discovering of ignorance and corruption and the humbling of the heart for it 2. Art thou well perswaded of thine owne knowledge and proud of it doth it puffe thee up and make thee censorious and apt to despise others that thou thinkest have not that knowledge and grace that thou hast like the supercilious Pharisees Iohn 7.49 This people who know not the law are accursed a fault that many of our young professours doe much dishonour the Gospell by certainely thou maist have knowledge I will not deny but thou wert never yet taught of God saving and sanctified knowledge thou hast not For so saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 8.2 If any man thinke he knoweth any thing if he be conceited and proud of his knowledge if it make him swell and puffe him up as he had said verse 1. he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know The second effect of saving knowledge is this It swimmeth not nor floteth aloft in the braine onely of him that hath it but it soaketh and sinketh downe to the heart it worketh upon the heart and affections of a man And a God is said to know them onely whom he doth affect and love and care for as he saith to his people Amos 3.2 You onely have I knowne of all the families of the earth And of wicked men whom he loveth not nor affecteth he saith Mat. 7.23 that he never knew them So man is said to know nothing in religion unlesse his heart be affected with that which he knoweth Thus speaketh Ioshuah of the knowledge of Gods people Iosh. 23.14 Ye know in all your hearts and in all your soules As if he had said Ye know the truth of God in his promises not speculatively onely but feelingly comfortably and experimentally So speaketh the Lord of his peoples knowledge Esa. 5â— 7 Hearken unto mee ye people that know righteousnesse in whose heart is my law As though hee should say No man knoweth righteousnesse and religion indeed and with a saving knowledge unlesse the law of God and that that he knoweth in religion be in his heart and affection as well as in his braine and understanding O tast and see saith David Psalme 34.8 that the Lord is good As if hee had said You can never see nor discerne and understand it well unlesse yee tast and feele the sweetnesse of it in your owne hearts So the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 2.14 that by his ministery God made manifest the savour of his knowledge in every place That knowledge of God which the faithfull gat by his ministery and whereby they were converted had savour in it it was a
foure principally First The regenerate sinne against greater meanes of knowledge and obedience then other men doe and therefore their sinnes are greater more heinous and odious unto God then the sinnes of other men True it is that all wicked men doe sin against the meanes and that is that that doth aggravate the sinne of every man and will make him inexcusable as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 1.20 that he sinneth against the meanes God hath given him to keepe him from sinne But Gods people that live in his Church in the valley of vision as the Prophet calleth it Esa. 22.1 under the ministery of the Gospell enjoy farre greater and stronger meanes then all other men do For that is the power of God unto salvation as the Apostle calleth it Rom. 1.16 And proportionable to the greatnesse and excellency of the meanes that God vouchsafeth to any to keepe him from sinne is the greatnesse and heinousnesse of his sinne in the sight of God All men shall find one day that even the having of a sound ministery of the Word whether they profit by it or profit not even the having of such meanes will greatly increase the heinousnesse of their sinnes Whether they will heare or whether they will forbeare saith the Lord Ezek. 2.5 yet they shall know that there hath beene a Prophet among them As if he should say They shall know what it is to have had excellent meanes and not to be bettered by them So saith our Saviour of the Iewes that enjoyed his ministery Iohn 15.22 If I had not come and spoken unto them they had not had sinne that is their sinne had beene nothing in comparison of that that now it is but now they have no cloke no excuse for their sinne And for this cause he saith Mat. 11.24 that it should be more tolerable for Sodom in the day of judgement then for Capernaum The sinnes of Capernaum were more heinous and odious unto God then the sinnes of Sodom because they were committed against greater and stronger meanes then the other were Secondly The regenerate sinne against greater knowledge then other men doe and therefore their sinnes are greater and more heinous then other mens are True it is that all wicked men doe sinne against their knowledge and conscience for by the light of nature they know many things that they doe to be evill Iohn 1.9 Rom. 2.15 And this sinning against their knowledge and conscience is that that greatly increaseth the sinne of every naturall man Because knowing the judgement of God that they that commit such things are worthy of death saith the Apostle Rom. 1.32 yet they not onely doe the same but have pleasure in them that doe them This shall stop the mouth of all iniquity as the Psalmist speaketh Psal. 107.42 at the day of Iudgement when the bookes of conscience shall bee opened and men shall be judged according to that that is written therein Revel 20.12 But all that live in the Church sinne more against knowledge sinne against a farre greater light then any other man doth The light men have by nature is but a dimme light they that seeke God by that light do but grope after him as the Apostle speaketh Acts 17.27 The word is a farre clearer light and they that are instructed by it have a farre clearer knowledge then by any other meanes a man can have The commandement is a lamp saith Solomon Pro. 6.23 and the law is light And yet they that are inwardly inlightned by the spirit of God as all the regenerate are have a farre clearer light and knowledge of God then any man can have that enjoyeth the outward light of the word onely when in the hidden part the Lord hath made a man to know wisedome as David speaketh here For though the word be a most cleare light yet every naturall man hath such a vaile over his heart as he cannot cleerely discerne it but when the heart is once turned to the Lord and converted as the Apostle teacheth 2 Cor. 3.15 16. that evill is taken away The regenerate mans knowledge is farre greater and clearer then any other mans can bee and consequently his sin must needs be also greater then any other mans For the greater measure and degree of knowledge that any man hath the greater is his sin To him that knoweth to do well and doth it not saith the Apostle Iam. 4.17 to him it is sin What and to no body els yes but not so much to any other sin shall not be imputed and laid so heavy to the charge of any man as to him that hath sinned against his owne knowledge and conscience If you were blind saith our Saviour Iohn 9.41 ye should have no sinne that is nothing so much sin so hainous sin as now ye have The servant that knoweth his Lords will saith our Saviour Luke 12.47 and prepared not himselfe nor did according to his will shall bee beaten with many stripes And no marvell for all sins against knowledge are in some degree presumptuous sins and are committed with an higher hand and in more direct contempt of God then other sins are as appeareth by that opposition that is made betweene sins of ignorance and presumptuous sins both in Numb 15.27.30 and Psal. 19.12 13. Thirdly The regenerate sin against greater mercy and kindnesse they have received from God then other men do and therefore their sins are greater and more hainous then the sins of other men True it is there is no wicked man but he hath received much mercy and kindnesse from God The Lord is good to all saith the Psalmist Psalme 145.9 and his tender mercies are above all his workes And his sinning against this goodnesse and mercy of God is that that greatly increaseth the sin of every wicked man and will much aggravate his condemnation This is that that treasureth up wrath unto them against the day of wrath as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 2.4 5. But the mercies and kindnesses that God hath shewed to any wicked man are nothing if they be compared with that which he hath shewed to every regenerate soule They are but common mercies they are but as the crummes that fall from their masters table as that poore woman speaketh Matth 15.27 Remember mee ô Lord saith David Psalme 106 4 with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people The Lord hath shewed another manner of favour and love to his owne people he hath done more for the poorest wretch that is regenerate he hath given him more then all the world besides Hee hath given them his owne sonne To us a sonne is given Esa. 9.6 He hath given them a full and free pardon of all their sinnes Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people thou hast covered all their sinne saith David Psalme 85.2 Hee hath given them his holy spirit Because yee are sonnes saith the Apostle Gal. 4.6 God hath sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts He will give them the
kingdome Feare not little flocke saith our Saviour Luke 12.32 For it is your fathers good pleasure to give you the kingdome Yea which addeth much to all his former favours he giveth them to know that he hath done all this for them Wee have received saith the Apostle in the name of the faithfull 1 Cor. 2.12 the spirit which is of God that wee might know the things that are freely given us of God Hee hath given them the comfortable sense of this his speciall love that he beareth to them above any other in the world They have tasted that the Lord is gracious as the Apostle speaketh 1 Pet. 2.3 Now proportionable to the goodnesse and bounty that the Lord hath shewed unto any must the greatnesse and hâ—inousnes of his sin needs be If a man be treacherous and unfaithfull to his dearest friend to his master to his owne father this we know will make him odious unto all men To whomsoever much is given saith our Saviour Luke 12 4â— of him shall much bee required and to whom men have committed much of him they will aske the more And thus doth the Lord aggravate the sin of his people Deut. 32.6 yea thus will the conscience of every child of God when it shall be awakened aggravate his owne sin Doe ye thus requite thâ— Lord ô yee foolish people and unwise Is not hee thy father that hath bought thee Hath he not made thee and established thee Fourthly and lastly The sins of the regenerate do more hurt then the sins of other men and therfore their sins are greater and more heinous then the sins of other men First The evill example of one Christian of note doth more encourage and harden wicked men in their sinnes then twenty examples of lewd men can doe If any man see thee that hast knowledge sit at meate in the idols temple saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 8.10 and that which he saith of that one sin may bee said of others shall not the conscience of him that is weake be emboldened to eat of meates offered unto Idols So the Lord saith Ezekiel 16.54 that the Iewes were a comfort to them of Sodom and Samaria As if hee should say It is a comfort to lewd men to see professours as bad as themselves And this is that that greatly aggravateth their sin will make it lye heavier on their conscience even when they have repented that they have beene the meanes of the damnation of others And thus God aggravateth the sin of the Iewes Iere. 6.28 They are all corrupters Secondly There redoundeth more dishonour to God from the sinnes of the regenerate then from the sins of any other man Yee shall keepe my commandements and doe them saith the Lord Levit 22.31 32. neither shall yee profuse my holy name As if hee had sayd If yee doe not my Holy Name will bee profaned All the sinnes of professours specially of men of chiefe note for piety will bee imputed by lewd men unto the Lord and cast as dirt upon his Holy Name and religion If but a woman that professeth religion be an idâ—e huswife or unquiet with her husband the word of God will be blasphenied saith the Apostle Titus 2.5 Nay if but a servant that professeth religion faile any way in his duty to his master the name of God and his doctrine will bee blasphemed saith he 1 Timothy 6.1 When Simeon and Levy had dealt so lewdly against the Shechemites Iacob telleth them Genes 34 30. they had made him to stinke among the inhabitants of the land Alas hee had no hand in their sinne hee did shew his utmost detestation to it so soone as hee knew of it True but the world is wont for the sinne of one or two of Gods people to open their mouthes against all of their profession yea to loath and abhorre them all and Gods holy religion it selfe for it In which respect it may bee sayd of Gods owne people as our Saviour speaketh of the Scribes and Pharisees Matth. 23.13 that by their foule and scandalous sinnes they doe even shut up the kingdome of heaven against men they doe utterly alienate the hearts of men from entring into the way that should bring them to heaven And this this is that that above all other things doth make their sinnes out of measure sinfull The sinne of Elies sonnes was very great before the Lord 1 Sam. 2.17 for men abhorred the offering of the Lord they loathed the worship and religion of God for their sin And this was that that the Prophet laid so heavily to Davids charge even after he had repented 2 Sam. 12.14 By this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme O that is an heavie thing Lecture CXI On Psalme 51.6 February 24. 1628. IT followeth now that we proceed unto the uses that this doctrine may serve us unto And they are to be referred all unto three heads principally For 1. Some of them have relation unto the fitnes and falls of other of Gods people which we see or heare of 2. Some of them have relation unto the judgements of God executed upon the Church and people of God 3. Lastly Some of them have relatâ—on unto our owne sinnes who professe our selves to bee the people of God and in the state of grace For the first The Doctrine wee have heard teacheth us how wee should judge of and bee affected with the foule and scandalous sinnes that wee see or heare that the professours of the Gospell and servants of God doe fall into And reprooveth three sorts of men that offend much this way The first are such as rejoyce in the falls of Gods children 1. Most wicked men are of this humour they have no better sport nothing that they do so heartily rejoyce in as in seeing or hearing or talking of the falls of such as have beene of note for piety and religion Heare me saith David Psal. 38.16 lest they should rejoyce over me when my foot flippeth and I catch a fall they magnifie themselves against me 2. Yea they rejoyce not onely in the sinnes that Gods people doe indeed fall into but out of the pleasure they take in it and that they may not want matter of rejoycing this way they devise slanders against them and charge them with such crimes as they were never guilty of They cast iniquity upon me saith David Psal. 55.3 and 35.11 They laid to my charge things that I knew not 3. And the most odious slanders that can bee devised against such men will goe for currant every where and be beleeved as Gospell The words of a tale-bearer of a slanderer in this kind especially are as flatterings saith Solomon Pro. 18.8 as your old translation readeth it that is please a man as much as it doth to heare himselfe flattered and they goe downe to the bowells of the belly that is they are received with such delight that they are perfectly digested In these three
unlesse he understand what I say as the Apostle teacheth 1 Cor. 14.16 so neither can I have confideâ—ce to receive any good by mine own prayer unlesse I know I pray according to Gods will as the Apostle saith 1 Iohn 5.14 Therefore hearing is the first duty that is injoined to them that goe into Gods house When thou goest into Gods house saith Solomon Eccl. 5.1 bee more ready to heare then to give the sacrifice of fooles As though he should have said All our prayers and other services we doe to God in his house are but the sacrifice of fooles till we have first by hearing beene instructed how to doe them according to Gods will For God hath no pleasure in fooles as he there saith verse â— hee taketh no pleasure in the prayers or other services that fooles and ignorant sots doe offer unto him Fiftly Our singing of Psalmes pleaseth not God nor can doe us any good unlesse we endeavour to understand what we sing Sing ye praises with understanding saith â—â—avâ—â— Psal 47.7 Sixtly and lastly No man can please God in taking of an oath which is also a part of Gods worship and a duty iâ—joined in the first table but he onely that can doe it with understanding Thou shalt swear in truth in judgement and in righteousnesse saith the Lord Ier. 4 2. As if he should say Though it be never so true that any man sweareth though the oath be taken in righteousnesse and no man wronged by it 〈◊〉 if it be not taken also iâ— judgement with good advisednesse and understanding it is an unlawfull oath Therefore in one of the best oathes that ever was taken wherein men women and children did bind themselves to walke in Gods law Nehemiah 10 28 29. there was care taken that this holy and necessary oath should yet be taken onely of every one having knowledge and having understanding You see then in all these particulars that we must labour to understand what we do in every part of Gods service and that no ordinance of God will do us any good unlesse we use it with understanding The reason of this first branch of the Doctrine is this That as God is a spirit and therefore delighteth in that service that is spirituall The true worâ—â—ippers shall worship the father in spirit and in truth saith our Saviour Ioâ— 4 23 for the father seeketh such to worship him he longeth for such worshippers as worship him with feeling and affection and they that doe not so worship him not in truth are no better then hypocrites So is it not possible to serve God spiritually and with feeling in any part of his worship if wee doe not understand what we doe in it For the devotion and good affections that grow not from knowledge are vaine and of no worth in the sight of God Knowledge is the root and foundation of all holy affections This I pray saith the Apostle Phil. 1 9. that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgement And this shall suffice to have beene spoken of the first branch of the Doctrine David did understand the meaning of the ceremoniall worship and so must we labour to understand what we do in Gods service Now wee must proceed to the second branch of the doctrine and for the plaine and distinct handling of it we must observe these foure things First Every part of Gods worship is spirituall and there is in it both an outward and bodily action done by man and an inward and spirituall worke that is done by the Lord himselfe In these purifications that David here alludeth to man did wash the body and sprinkle with hysope the water blood upon it for the legall purging and cleansing of it and God did wash the soule in the bloud of Christ and sprinkle it upon the consciences of his people So in circumcision man did cut of the fore-skin of the flesh and God did circumcise the heart Deut. 30.6 In baptisme Iohn baptized the body with water as hee saith Matth. 3.11 and God himselfe baptized the soule with the holy Ghost So in the ministery of the word man speaketh to the eare and outward man and God openeth the heart to attend unto that that is taught and beleeve it as we see in the example of Lydia Acts 16.14 Lastly In prayer man worketh and God worketh too The spirit it selfe maketh intercession for us as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 8.26 Secondly The Lord hath bound himselfe by promise to his people that hee will thus accompany his owne ordinances and worke with them in their hearts God will worke with us in every part of his worship he will doe his part if we doe ours This promise God made concerning that worship of his which he ordained under the law Exod. 20.24 In all places where I record my name where I establish my publique worship I will come unto thee and I will blesse thee saith the Lord to his people And this promise he hath likewise made concerning his worship under the Gospell Matth. 28.19 20. Goe and teach all nations baptizing them c. preach my word administer my sacraments and loe I am with you alwayes even unto the end of the world Where men do their parts in the use of any of his ordinances God will not faile to doe his part also Thirdly Whatsoever man can do in Gods worship is nothing worth unlesse God worke with it All the outward parts of Gods worship are indeed great helps to us and the least of them as we heard the last day may not be neglected by us for they are the meanes and instruments that God hath sanctified and appointed to worke by in our hearts But if God withdraw his hand and refuse to worke by them they can do us no good at all no more then the best toole that is in the world can if the workemâ—n doe not put to his hand I have planted saith Paul 1 Cor. 3.6 7. and Apollo watered but God gave the increase so then neither is he that planted any thing neither he that watered but God that giveth the increase And verse 9. Wee are labourers together with God ye are Gods husbandry ye are Gods building And that which the Prophet speaketh of the materiall building Psalme 127.1 may much more truly be said in this case Except the Lord build the house they labour in vaine that build it All that the best man can do in Gods worship is nothing worth unlesse God do his part if he worke not with him The inward vertue and power that God by his blessing and worke doth give unto it is the very life and soule of every part of Gods worship without it it is no better then a dead and loathsome carkasse The kingdome of God saith the Apostle speaking of preaching a chiefe part of Gods outward worship 1 Cor. 5 20 is not in word but in power As if he had said That is the right
also but not els 3. Lastly the Lord himselfe will judge thee at the last day by his Word and by that onely The word that I have spoken saith our Saviour Ioâ— 12.48 the same shall judge him at the last day And therefore it standeth thee upon to judge thy selfe by that too Secondly Now alas most men though they say they be undoubtedly assured of their salvation have no ground at all in Gods Word for this assurance they boast of Nay though the Word give most expresse and direct evidence against them yet are they most confident that they shall be saved for all that Though Gods Word say expresly Psal. 119.155 Salvation is farre from the wicked for they seeke not thy statutes Yet many a one that never seeketh after Gods Statutes taketh no paines for the Word nay shunneth it all that ever he can and though he may enjoy it without any labour or charge at all will not stirre out of his doores for it nay that counteth you all arrant fooles and hypocrites that take so much paines for it as many of you do yet is this man I say as sure of his owne salvation as any of you can be Though the Scripture say expresly yea though he that must judge us all at the last day say expresly Matth. 5.37 Whatsoever is more than yea and nay the least oath that is in our ordinary communication commeth of that evill one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from the Divell And though the Apostle say Iam. 5.12 Above all things my brethren sweare not by any oath least ye fall into condemnation least ye be damned yet have we many a one that sweare ordinarily not by faith and troth onely but by fowler oathes a great deale that yet never doubted of their salvation but are confident Christ died for them his blood hath been sprinkled upon their hearts Though the Scripture say expresly 1 Cor. 6.9 10. Neither fornicators nor wantons nor theeves nor drunkards nor raylors nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdome of God yet where have you any in Gods Church that are more confidently assured that have lesse doubt of their salvation than these men have But let God be true saith the Apostle Rom. 3.4 and every man a lyar Thou wilt one day find that the Lords testimonies against thee are very sure as the Psalmist calleth them Psal. 93.5 and that thine owne heart hath prophesied a lie unto thee that thou mightest perish as the Lord saith of them that prophesied peace unto the Iewes Ier. 27.10 I know thou art apt to alledge that thou hast repented and that thou dost believe in Christ and therefore thou hast the Word to build thy assurance upon But because neither thy faith nor thy repentance are according to the patterne according to the Word I may say of thy confidence thou reposest therein as Bildad doth of the hope of all hypocrites Iob 8.14 Thy hope shall be cut off and thy trust shall be as the spiders webb Lecture CXXIII On Psalme 51.7 Iuly 21. 1629. THE third and last signe whereby we may judge of our assurance and discerne whether God by his holy spirit hath sprinkled upon our hearts the bloud of his sonne and certified us that it was shed for us whether that assurance we seeme to have be of God or no is to be taken from the effects that this assurance hath wrought in us It is not possible for any man that knew before his owne wretchednesse by nature to be assured by Gods spirit that God hath so dearely loved him as to send his owne sonne to shed his bloud for him but this must needes worke a great change and alteration in him It must needs kindle in his heart an unfeined love to God Faith worketh by love saith the Apostle Galat. 5 6. As if he should say It cannot be idle but it is operative and full of vertue and the hand and instrument it worketh by is love It must needes make him that hath it desirous and studious to expresse his love to God by all meanes he can and to say with David Psalme 116.12 What shall I render unto the Lord Yea the deeper sense a man hath had of his owne sinne and wretchednesse before the more will his heart be inflamed with love to God when once hee feeleth the bloud of Christ sprinkled upon his heart by Gods spirit the more studious will he be to expresse his love by any duty hee is able to performe Mary had had many sins forgiven unto her and therefore she loved much as our Saviour saith Luke 7 47. she thought no service too base too much for her to doe unto Christ who had so dearely loved her Shee waâ—hed his feet with her teares and wiped them with the haires of her head as you may see verse 38. of that chapter The Papists blaspheme our Doctrine touching this certainty a man may have of Gods favour and say it tendeth to loosenesse of life and liberty But they speake of it by heare-say as strangers doe of a thing that they never knew or had experience of in themselves For the true assurance of salvation which the spirit of God hath wrought in any heart hath that force to restraine him from loosenesse of life and to knit his heart in love and obedience to God as nothing else hath in all the world It is certainly either the want of faith and assurance of Gods love or a false and carnall assurance of it that is the true cause of all that licentiousnesse and lewdnesse that raigneth in the world But to speake distinctly yet briefly of this point you shall see the effects that true assurance will worke both in the inward and outward man First True faith whereby wee receive and apply Christ unto our selves will purifie the heart as the Apostle speaketh Actes 15.9 It will worke a thorow change and reformation even in the hidden part This difference the Apostle observeth Hebr. 9.13 74. betweene the sprinkling of the bloud of the sacrifices upon the people by the Priest under the law and the sprinkling of Christs blood upon the heart by the spirit of God that sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh saith he that is that made a man legally in the judgement of men cleane from all outward pollutions but Christs bloud being sprinkled by the spirit of God upon any heart will purge the conscience from dead works that is from all sins which as they deserve so will they certainly bring death eternall upon all that are not purged from them this saith he will purge the conscience from dead works to serve the living God There is certainly an admirable vertue in the bloud of Christ when it is once by the spirit of God sprinkled and applyed to the heart of any man it will purge and heale it from all the corruptions that were in it before Vnto you that feare my name saith the Lord Malachi 4.2 shall the sunne of righteousnesse arise with
Nehemiah knew that God was his God and would remember him in goodnesse as is plaine by his prayer Neh. 13.22 because he had shewed such zeale in punishing the profanation of the Sabbath day And what shall we say then of such Magistrates as having good law and authority to punish swearing and whoring and profanation of the Sabbath have no zeale at all for the execution of such lawes but when any come to them for justice against such offences they are ready to put them off as much as is possible and to extenuate such faults and to say with Gallio Acts 18.15 I will be no judge of such matters and verse 17. Gallio cared for none of those things Certainly these men whatsoever they say have no true assurance that Christs bloud was shed for them if they had they would shew more love to God and care of his honour Lecture CXXIIII On Psalme 51.7 August 4. 1629. NOw concerning the meanes whereby we may attaine to a particular assurance of the pardon of our sins we must first understand that this is a supernaturall worke of the spirit of God and that no man is able of himselfe and by his owne endeavour in the use of any meanes whatsoever to attaine unto it It is the spirit that beareth witnesse saith the Apostle 1 Ioh. 5.6 And againe The spirit it selfe saith the Apostle Paul Rom. 8.16 beareth witnesse with our spirits that we are the sons of God Yet doth the spirit worke this assurance in the heart of man not by immediate and extraordinary inspirations and revelations but by ordinary meanes And he that shall with an honest heart use these ordinary meanes hath no cause to doubt but that the Lord will be pleased by his holy spirit to work it in him And these meanes we find are of two sorts The first are more outward and bodily the second more inward and spirituall The first are those ordinances of God and exercises of his holy religion which he hath appointed and sanctified which as they were all ordained for this end principally to bring us unto salvation and to worke in us a comfortable assurance of it so he that useth them diligently and conscionably may obtaine it by them Of them all in generall specially of all the parts of Gods solemne and publique worship it is to be observed that David professeth this to be the cause why he was so in love with it why he desired the comfort and benefit of Gods worship and ordinances more then he did any thing in the world besides why he resolved to make this his only suit unto God that he might never be deprived of them One thing saith he Ps. 27.4 have I desired of the Lord that will I seecke after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the daies of my life It is to be observed I say that he professeth this to be the chiefe cause why he was so highly in love with Gods house and ordinances That I may behold saith he the beauty of the Lord and visit his temple And what meaneth he by beholding the beauty of the Lord That he expoundeth himselfe in Ps. 48.9 We have thought of thy loving kindnesse O God in the midst of thy temple The loving kindnesse of God and his speciall mercy to his elect in Christ his favourable and cheerefull countenāce upon his servants that is the Lords beauty that is it that maketh him amiable to his people and that Gods people do behold they do think and meditate upon it farre more cleerly and comfortably in his house and temple in the use of his ordinances then any where els or by any other meanes in the world besides This made him in his troubles and banishment thirst and long after the sanctuary of God so as he professeth he did Psal. 63.1 Every place he lived in where he was deprived of the liberty and comfort of the sanctuary was unto him as a dry and thirsty land where no water is he could find nothing in it to refresh and satisfie the thirst of his soule And verse 2 he giveth the reason why he did so long after the sanctuary To see thy power and thy glory saith he so as I have seene thee in the sanctuary As if he had said I shall never see it so as I have seene it there And what meaneth he by the power and glory of God which he had seene in the sanctuary That he expresseth verse 3. Because thy loving kindnesse is better then life He had seene the mercy and loving kindnesse of God toward him in Christ he had obtained a more comforaable assurance and feeling of it in the Sanctuary in the use of Gods solemne worship and ordinances there then ever he did or could do in any place or by any meanes in the world besides All other places were to him as a dry and thirsty land where no water is in comparison of the sanctuary And certainely they that beleeve this to be so as David did they that know this to be so in their owne experience as he did and as many of you I doubt not have done will stand affected to Gods house and ordinances as he was will highly prize and esteeme of a sound ministery as he did will desire this above all things as he did that they may never want the benefit and comfort of it But to speake of this point distinctly I will instance in three parts of Gods worship onely for this and shew you what force there is in them to breed in the heart of Gods child the assurance of his favour to make him able to behold the beauty of the Lord and the light of his countenance The first of them is diligent and conscionable use of the Word of God both in the reading and hearing of it Two things there be which God hath spoken concerning his Word and the ministery thereof that may give a Christian good ground of hope that by a diligent and conscionable attendance upon this ordinance he may be able to attaine unto a comfortable assurance of Gods favour in Christ. The first is this That the Lord gave his Word and the ministery thereof to that end principally The maine thing that the Lord aimed at both in writing his holy Word and in sending of preachers to his Church is that he might by this meanes bring his people to the knowledge of himselfe and of his mercy in Christ. The second is this That the Lord will by his spirit accompany his Word and the ministery thereof in the hearts of his people and make it effectuall in them unto this end that he hath ordained it for For the first Of the Word in generall it is said that it was written principally for that end to breed in the hearts of Gods people sound comfort Whatsoever things were written asoretime saith the Apostle Rom. 15.4 were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scripture might have hope These
Iohn 16.2 and whosoever killeth you will thinke he doth God service And unto Peter he saith Iohn 21.18 When thou shalt bee old thou shalt stretch forth thy hands and another shall gird thee and carry thee whither thou wouldst not Shall wee thinke his meaning was this Thus and thus will God correct and punish you for your sins Or were any sinnes that ever they committed the cause whereby God was moved to bring them to these afflictions No verily for hee telleth them all Matth. 10. â—2 that these things should befall them not for their sins but for his names sake And in speaking so to Peter hee signified to him by what dâ—ath hee should glorifie God as the Evangelist saith Iohn 21.19 The cause why Peter dyed so violent and shamefull a death was not any sinne of his but that hee might so glorifie God Secondly Neither are those afflictions that God inflicteth upon the faithfull for their sins properly to be accounted and called punishments but fatherly chastisements and corrections onely For all punishments to speake properly that God inâ—licteth upon any for sinne are curses and fruits of his wrath wherein hee seeketh not the good of the party that is punished but the glorifying of his owne justice upon him and satisfying his most righteous law as the judge doth in condemning and executing of malefactors In which respect also all Gods punishments are called evill things I make peace and create evill saith the Lord Esay 45.7 And shall there be evill in a city saith the Prophet Amos 3.6 and the Lord hath not done it But 1. all the afflictions of the faithfull are unto them blessings and not curses Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest ô Lord saith the Prophet Psalme 94 1â— and Iames 1.12 Blessed is the man that endureth tentation Blessed are yee when men shall revile you and persecute you rejoyce and be exceeding glad saith our Saviour Mat. 5.11 12. 2. They are fruits of his speciall love to them and not oâ— his wrath Whom the Lord loveth saith the Apostle Heb. 12.6 he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth As many as I love I rebuke chasten saith our Saviour Rev. 3 â—9 3 He seeketh their good in it and not their destruction or the satisfying of his law and glorifying of his justice upon them We know saith the Apostle Rom. 8.28 speaking there specially and purposely of the afflictions of the faithfull that all things worke together for good to them that love God When wee are judged saith the Apostle 1 Corinthians 11.32 wee are chastened of the Lord that wee should not be condemned with the world Every father usually in correcting his child seeketh nothing but his good in it Thou shalt beat him with the rod saith Salomon Proverbes 23.14 and shalt deliver his soule from hell He would not beate him but to doe him good But howsoever mortall parents faile oft in this they correct their children sometimes in a rage without respect to their good our heavenly father never doth The fathers of our flesh saith the Apostle Hebrewes 12.10 chastened us after their owne pleasure but hee for our profit that wee might bee partakers of his holinesse Yea if hee could procure their good their repentance their holinesse their keeping of them in awe and so from perishing any other way so well he would never scourge nor afflict them at all Behold I will melt them and try them saith the Lord Ieremy 9.7 for how shall I doe for the daughter of my people As if he had said How should I else keepe them from perishing how should I bring them to heaven if I should not deale thus with them And many of Gods people have beene able to say with David Psalme 119.71 from their owne experience It is good for me that I have beene afflicted Perijssem nisi perijssem I have received more good by my affliction then by any other thing in the world And thus have I answered this first objection that notwithstanding all the afflictions the faithfull endure in this life yet the pardon that Christ hath purchased for them by his bloud is most full and absolute they are perfectly discharged by it not onely from all their sins but also from the whole punishment that was due to them for sin But then it may be objected secondly If so soone as ever we be purged with hysope so soone as ever the bloud of Christ is applied to us by the spirit of God we be made perfectly cleane from all our sins as we have beene taught what need we and why are we commanded to pray daily unto God for the forgivenesse of oâ—r sinnes as our Saviour teacheth us to do Mat. 6.12 Have wee so full and absolute a pardon and yet must we sue and seeke for it all the daies of our life To this I answer Yes verily though Christ hath by his bloud purchased for us a most full and generall pardon yet must we sue to God for the forgivenesse of our sins every day First In respect of our sinnes formerly committed Remember not the sinnes of my youth nor my transgressions saith David Psalme 25.7 And ô remember not against us cryeth the Church Psalme 79.8 out former iniquities Which though the Lord hath forgiven and wee doe in some measure beleeve that they are forgiven yet our faith is so weake that wee have need to pray daily for increase of assurance of the forgivenesse of them David upon his repentance obtained a full and generall pardon from God of all his sinnes and hee did doubtlesse beleeve it to bee so for it had beene strange infidelity for him not to beleeve that which the Prophet of the Lord in the Lords name did so expressely and directly pronounce unto him 2 Sam. 12.13 The Lord hath put away thy sin thou shalt not die and yet because this faith of his concerning his pardon was but very weak he prayeth oft in this Psalme for pardon most earnestly ver 2 9 14. So that in this first respect our daily prayer for forgivenesse is no other in effect then that which the Apostles make Luk. 17.5 Lord increase our faith our assurance of pardon Secondly In respect of our present and daily sins For the best man that is falleth every day and oft every day into new sins And in respect of them yea even of the least of them we have need to renew our suit unto God for pardon every day As David doth Psal. 19.12 Clense thou me from secret faults What needs that will you say seeing the bloud of Christ once applyed by faith cleanseth us from all our sinnes as the Apostle speaketh 1 Ioh. 1.7 past and present and future too and when God pardoneth sin he pardoneth all at once To this I answer That though in respect of God and of the merit of Christs bloud so generall a pardon be purchased and given yet in respect of us in respect of the benefit
then God created him in his owne image saith Moses Genesis 1.27 and hee repeateth it againe in the same Verse In the image of God created he him saith he And this is expounded by Salomon Eccles. 7.29 God made him righteous And by Paul this image of God saith he Ephes. 4.24 was righteousnesse and true holinesse And great was our losse doubtlesse in being stripped by his fall of this garment But wee have recovered more by Christ than wee lost by Adam the robe of righteousnesse which wee have gotten by Christ the second Adam is farre more glorious than that which wee were deprived of by the fall of the first Adam Every true believer is in a more blessed estate by Christ more white and beautifull in Gods eye than Adam was in his innocencie before hee had ever sinned And that in these three respects First That righteousnesse that Adam had was uncertaine and such as it was possible for him to lose yea he did lose it and that in a very short time God gave him power and freedome of will to hold and keepe it to stand in that blessed estate if he would himselfe and he gave him also power and freedome of will to part with it and lose it if he would to fall into sinne yea even into that sinne which is unto death But the righteousnesse that we have by Christ is made more sure unto us it is that good part yea the best portion of that good part which Mary had chosen of which our Saviour saith Luk. 10.42 that it should never be taken away from her And indeed how is it possible we should be spoiled of it Who should take this robe from us or spoile us of it Who shall separate us saith the Apostle Rom. 8.35 from the love of Christ And he concludeth verse 39. I am perswaded that neither height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. 1. Not all the policies of the world how strong soever they be It is not possible saith our Saviour Mat. 24.24 that false Christs and false Prophets with all their great signes and wonders should be able to deceive the elect of God 2. Not Satan with all his strength and subtilty he that is built upon this rocke saith our Saviour Matth. 16.18 he that hath gotten Christ and his righteousnesse the gates of hell shall not prevaile against him 3. Lastly Not the corruption of our owne heart He that is borne of God saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 3.9 cannot sinne he meaneth the sinne unto death It is not possible for an elect child of God so to sinne as that he should utterly lose Christ and this robe of righteousnesse which he hath received from him Secondly the righteousnesse that Adam had was in his owne keeping the spring and root of it was founded in himselfe and that was the cause why he lost it so soone He like the Prodigall Luke 15.12 13. had all his portion his blessednesse and righteousnesse in his owne hands and so made it quickely all away as he did But the righteousnesse we have by Christ is in our Fathers keeping Our life is hid with Christ in God saith the Apostle Colos. 3.3 The cause why it is not possible for any of our ghostly enemies to spoile us of it is not any inherent strength that is in us to keepe and hold it fast but the faithfulnesse and power of God whereby he watcheth over us and keepeth us from sinning that sinne which is unto death whereby we should lose Christ. The Lord is thy keeper saith David to his own soule Psal. 121.5 We are kept by the power of God unto salvation saith the Apostle 1 Pet. 1.5 My sheepe shall never perish saith our Saviour Ioh. 10.28 29. neither shall any pluck them out of my hand my father that gave them me is greater than all and none is able to plucke them out of my fathers hand Thirdly and lastly Admit the righteousnesse that Adam had in his creation had beene unchangeable and that he could never have lost it yet had it been but the righteousnesse of a man But the righteousnesse that we have by Christ is the righteousnesse of such a person as was God aswell as man And therefore as the second Adam was a farre more excellent person than the first Adam was The first was of the earth earthy as the Apostle speaketh 1 Corinth 15.47 The second was the Lord from heaven So his righteousnesse also must needs bee farre more absolute and sufficient to satisfie the infinite justice of God and the exact perfection of his holy law than Adams righteousnesse could possibly have done That righteousnesse that we have by faith in Christ is the righteousnesse of God saith the Apostle Roman 3.22 He made him to be sinne for us saith he 2 Corinth 5.21 who knew no sinne that wee might bee made the righteousnesse of God in him Now to make some application of all this that you have heard You see how just and sound a ground of true comfort this Doctrine is unto all true believers Let us then stirre up and provoke our selves to take comfort in it to rejoyce in Christ as we have just cause to doe Are the consolations of God small with thee saith Eliphaz to Iob 15.11 and so should every one of us say to our soules We should checke and chide our selves for this as David oft doth even thrice in two short Psalmes Psalme 43.5 11. and 43.5 Why art thou cast downe O my soule and why art thou disquieted within me Why takest thou no more comfort in Christ why dost thou not rejoyce in him As every breach of Gods commandement is a sinne so it is certainly a sinne and a just cause of humbling to every true believer that he doth not rejoyce in Christ. For this is also a breach of Gods expresse commandement Rejoyce in the Lord that is rejoyce in Christ alway saith the Apostle Phil. 4.4 and againe I say rejoyce Nay in some respect it is a greater sinne than the breach of any of the commandements of the morall law for it is a breach of the commandement of the gospell which is greater than the law as is plaine by that comparison the Apostle maketh betweene them Hebr. 2.2 3. 8.6.10.28 29. It is a sinne that carryeth in it a contempt and light esteeme of Christ thy Saviour and wherein canst thou sinne more hainously than in this Charge therefore this sinne upon thine owne heart be humbled for it and strive against it Labour to find out in thy selfe the cause of it and purge thy heart of it strengthen thy selfe against it For certainly it is some dangerous humour and corruption or other that distempereth thy soule so as thou canst relish no more sweetnesse in Christ than thou dost Three things there are principally that Gods poore servants that Christ hath done all this for object and alledge
and conferre together not against him as some translations readeth it but of him and of his Doctrine as the most and best interpreters read it and the context plainly sheweth it ought to be read so 6. Lastly they liked his Ministery so well that every one called upon and did what he could to draw his friends and kinsfolke to goe with him to it Is it possible will you say that these could bee hypocrites that went thus farre Yes verily they were no better then hypocrites for all this How may that appeare will you say By what note doth the Holy Ghost discover them to be so Surely by this that he saith twice of them They heare thy words saith hee Verse 31. but they will not doe them and againe Verse 32. They heare thy words but they doe them not They would not be ruled by the word they would not obey nor practice what they heard they would not reforme their hearts and lives by it And the Lord instanceth in one particular corruption that they would not leave Their heart goeth after their covetousnesse still saith he He chargeth them not with any grosse act or worke wherein they shewed their covetousnesse neither Vsury nor bribery nor oppression nor extortion but with mentall covetousnesse only Because they did not practise what they heard nor reforme their lives according to it because the word that was so faithfully preached unto them and which they did heare so constantly and with such delight had not power to bridle and mortifie the very lusts and affections of their hearts therefore they were hypocrites Marke this beloved and take it to heart every one of you In those sixe good things that the Holy Ghost hath noted in Ezekiels hearers none of you goe beyond them most of you come farre short of them 1. You frequent not the Ministery of the word so constantly as they did Many of you that did constantly frequent our ministery at the first while it was somewhat new and fresh and strange unto you like those Athenians Acts 17.21 are growne weary of your diligence that way Your goodnesse as the Lord said of Ephraim Hos. 6.4 Was as a morning cloud and as the early dew it is gone away I speake not of such whom distance of place or shortnesse of dayes or foulnesse of weather and wayes or infirmity of their bodyes doe keepe away but of such only whom nothing but their decay of affection and love to the word hath made so slacke in comming to it 2. You cannot so well brooke a faithfull ministery that will plainly reprove your sinnes as they would 3. You heare us not with that delight and alacrity but more heavily then they did 4. You shew not that love to our persons as they did to his 5. You use not to conferre together of that you have heard as they did 6. You labour not to draw and winne others to the love of the word as they did But in that brand and character of an hypocrite that the Holy Ghost setteth upon them the most of you doe match them fully You heare our words but you will not doe them our Ministery is of no power at all with you to reforme either your hearts or lives Many of you have by hearing of us gotten store of that knowledge that the Apostle speaketh of 1 Cor. 8.1 of that knowledge that puffeth you up and maketh you proud censurers and contemners of other men and even of your teachers too You come still to our Ministery not as Disciples to learne and be guided by us but only as judges to heare what we can say and passe your censure upon us And that which the Apostle speaketh in another sense Iames 4.11 may fitly be applied to sundry of our hearers Thou art not a doer of the law but a judge None of us are good enough to teach you but you will hold opinions and do things in your practice which no Minister of God that ever you heard doth approve of Even such of you as heare us constantly and praise our preaching and seeme both to love us well and to admire and magnifie our Ministery as Ezekiels hearers did yet will you not practise or do any thing that wee teach you I will not speake of the unreformed lives of ordinary hearers But is it not strange that some of our hearers of best note should bee implacable and irreconciliable A property whereby the Apostle describeth them Romans 1.31 whom the Lord hath given up unto a reprobate minde And implacable towards whom Even towards their brethren that are of the same judgement and profession with themselves I cannot stand upon this or any other particular wherein our hearers declare themselves to be like Ezekiels hearers They heare our words but they will not doe them But this I affirme confidently unto you all that you can never get assurance that you have upright hearts that you are any better than hypocrites till you can find that every truth that you heare in the Ministery of the Word hath a divine power and authority in your hearts And though you bee not able in all things to doe as you are taught but notwithstanding you have beene constant hearers of the Word a long time yet there remaineth a deale of corruption still in you that you cannot mortifie and subdue yet you dare not resist any truth that you heare but you yeeld unto it make conscience of it desire and endeavour to obey it and put it in practice David comforted himselfe in this testimony of his uprightnesse Psalme 119.161 His heart stood in awe of Gods Word hee durst not doe any thing against it And Paul commendeth the Thessalonians for this 1 Thessalonians 1.5 that his Gospell and Ministerie came unto them not in word onely but in power And 1 Thessalonians 2.13 that it wrought effectually in them And hee saith of them 2 Thessalonians 3.4 That hee was confident in the Lord concerning them that they both did and would doe the things that hee commanded them Nay hee saith expressely 2 Corinthians 2.9 that herein standeth the tryall of a true Christian and sound-hearted hearer To this end also saith he did I write as I did and reprooved you so sharply for your connivance toward the incestuous person that I might know the proofe of you whether you bee obedient in all things As if he had said He is no true-hearted hearer nor sound Christian that will not bee obedient to his teacher in all things True will you say they whom the Prophets and Apostles did teach were bound to obey them in all things because they could not erre in their Ministery but must we therefore obey you in all things who we know may be miscarried in your Ministery sometimes through want of judgement sometimes through passion I answer No verily thou must not obey us any further than wee bring the Word of the Lord for every thing that wee teach you to doe or to leave undone
Two plaine testimonies I will give you for this and trouble you with no more The first is that in 2 Cor. 3.6 8. where the Apostle having spoken of the fruit of his Ministery in the hearts of the Corinthians he telleth them God had made him and his fellow Apostles able Ministers of the New Testament not of the letter but of the spirit As if he had said by my preaching of the new testament the new covenant the covenant of grace you were converted the spirit of God was conveied into your hearts And making a comparison betweene the Ministery of the law and of the Gospell in the next verses he calleth the preaching of the Gospell in the new Testament the ministration of the spirit that ministery whereby the spirit of grace is infused into the hearts of men The other testimony which I will bring you for this is that of the Apostle Gal. 3.2 where appealing unto their owne consciences he asketh them how and by what meanes they first received the spirit of God This only would I learne of you saith he received ye the spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith that is by the hearing of the doctrine of faith the doctrine of the Gospell which teacheth justification by faith only And thus have I confirmed this fourth Motive unto you in the generall that we can never be sanctified till we be justified first that the man that desireth to amend his heart and life must first seeke to know that his sins are forgiven that he is reconciled unto God in Christ Followeth now that we shew you this likewise in both the parts of sanctification more plainly and particularly And first for mortification of the old man the best way that any man can take to mortifie and subdue any lust and corruption that is strongest in him and that troubleth him most is to get assurance by faith that Christ is his that his sinnes are forgiven him and God is reconciled unto him in Christ and when he hath once got this assurance to make use of his faith in this worke to stirre it up and exercise it by thinking and meditating oft of the marvellous love of God to him in Christ and by making claime to the promises of God which through Christ he hath just title unto Faith purifieth the heart saith the Apostle Acts 15.9 It purgeth out the corruption that it findeth in it it killeth sinne wheresoever it commeth Not all at once indeed but by little and little so soone as ever it entreth into the heart it giveth sinne the deathes wound so as it shall languish ever after and never recover the strength and vigour againe that it had before Every faithfull man hath this promise given him of God Rom. 6.14 Sin shall not have dominion over you for yee are not under the Law but under grace So that the man that knoweth himselfe to bee in Christ and so within the covenant of grace may goe boldly to the throne of grace when he findeth himselfe unable to subdue any strong lust and corruption and even ready to be mastered and overcome of it nay he ought then to exercise and make use of his faith by challenging and making claime to this promise of God and say Lord thou hast promised that no sinne shall have dominion over them that are not under the law but under grace and I know that thou art faithfull that hast promised this and able to performe what thou hast promised Lord make good this promise of thine now unto me let not this lust and corruption have dominion over me But I shall make this plainer to you and shew you what force there is in justifying faith that assureth us of Gods favour in Christ to mortifie sinne by instancing in foure of the strongest lusts and corruptions that the faithfull are wont to bee cumbred with all The first is covetousnesse and the love of the world And for the force that is in justifying faith to mortifie this corruption wee have an example first in Abraham and Sarah and some others of whom the Apostle speaketh Heb. 11.8 14 15. of whom the Apostle saith that they willingly forsooke their owne country and all the comforts that they had there and went willingly upon the Lords call they knew not whither and had no desire to returne to their owne country againe nor were so much as mindefull of it they never thought of it nor looked backe as Lots Wife did and he telleth us plainly it was nothing but faith that did thus weane their hearts from the world and made them so willing to part with it See an example of this in Zachâ—us like wise Luke 19. Of him we reade Verse 2. That he was the chiefe among the Publicans and Verse 7. That he was a sinner a noted and infamous man And for what sinne Surely for covetousnesse for getting his wealth by extortion and such like unjust meanes And yet so soone as this man had received Christ not into his house only but much more into his heart when he considered and weighed with himselfe the wonderfull love and goodnesse of Christ towards him that was so vile and unworthy a wretch how Christ tooke particular notice of him and called him by his name how he offered himselfe unsought to to bee his guest to abide in his house which was no more then he hath done for every poore soule amongst us that truly beleeveth in him when Zacheus I say saw and considered this wonderfull love of Christ towards him see what a change it wrought in him how it mortified that lust that had so raigned in him before he became presently a most liberall man as you may see Verse 8. both by his bounty towards the poore and by his readinesse to make restitution to all such as had beene wronged by him And thus doth the Apostle teach us to mortifie this corruption Heb. 13.5 6. Let your conversation be without covetousnesse and be content with such things as you have for he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee so that we may boldly say the Lord is my helper and I will not feare what man shall doe unto me As if he should say If thou wouldest purge thy heart from covetousnesse and get strength against it make use of thy faith remember the promises that thou being in Christ hast title unto If thou hadst no body to take care for thee but thy selfe thou hadst some reason to toile and moile to carke and care for this world as thou dost but being in Christ and having these promises it is madnesse for thee to doe it A second strong corruption and lust that Gods people are troubled with is uncharitablenesse towards them that have done them wrong How may a Christian best mortifie and get strength against this corruption Surely by getting assurance to his heart of Gods love in Christ and making use of his faith This is evident by that
faith that God hath so loved him hee cannot choose but love him againe and serve him out of love and not out of feare onely Faith worketh by love saith the Apostle Galathians 5.6 As if hee had said The first and chiefe fruit that it putteth forth and whereby it sheweth that life and efficacy that is in it is this it breedeth in the heart that hath it an unfained love unto God Yea proportionable to our faith and the assurance wee have of Gods love to us will our love unto God bee Many sinnes are forgiven her saith our Saviour Luke 7.47 for shee loved much but to whom little is forgiven the same loveth but a little Certainely beloved the true cause why the most of us beare no more love to God and goodnesse then wee doe is this that either wee have no faith no assurance of Gods love to us in the pardon of our sinnes or els wee have knowne but few sinnes by our selves and have beene but a little humbled for sinne and therefore we are not much affected with the mercy and love that God hath shewed to us in the pardon of our sinnes Now for the force that is in justifying faith to quicken and enable us unto every good duty which is the second particular that I promised to speake of I might be large in the handling of it There is no good duty either towards God or man that thou findest thy selfe most backward in but if thou hadst faith to assure thee of Gods love to thee in Christ and to beleeve the promises that God hath made unto that duty and if thou wouldst also stirre up and exercise thy faith in meditating of Gods mercy and love and of those particular promises thou shouldst find thy selfe thereby made farre more able to performe that duty and to performe it in a holy and comfortable manner then thou art This is that whereby David was wont to prepare himselfe to Gods publique worship I will goe to thine house saith hee Psalme 5.7 in the multitude of thy mercies But I will instance and that briefly too but in two particular duties that is to say the hearing of the word and prayer For the first No man can heare the Word with any affection and fruit till he have faith and be thereby perswaded of Gods love to him in Christ. As new borne babes desire the sincere milke of the Word saith the Apostle 1 Pet. 2.2 3. that you may grow thereby if so bee yee have tasted that the Lord is gracious As if he should say Then and not till then you shall be able to doe it God hath made many promises to such as heare his Word Generall promises 1. Hee will ever assist this ordinance and worke with it Matthew 28.20 Goe teach all nations and loe I am with you to the end of the world 2. That hee will save the soules of his people by this ordinance Iames 1.21 Esa. 55.3 3. That by this ordinance hee will begin grace and convert the soule Psalme 19.7 4. That by this ordinance hee will increase and perfect grace where hee hath begun it Vnto you that heare shall more bee given saith our Saviour Marke 4.24 And Acts 20.32 I commend you to God and to the Word of his grace which is able to build you up And particular promises God hath also made to them that attend upon this ordinance 1. That hee will by this ordinance give them strength to overcome their strongest corruptions Even a young man may cleanse his way thereby Ps. 119.9 2. That he will by this ordinance worke peace in their consciences Esa. 57.19 How falleth it out then that many of us heare constantly and find no such thing Surely the cause is rendred Hebrewes 4.2 The Word preached did not profit them not being mixed with faith in them that heard it In our hearing wee make not use of our faith to make claime to these promises and expect the performance of them unto us Secondly For prayer Till a man have some assurance by faith of the pardon of his sinnes and of Gods favour hee can never pray aright nor with any heart and affection Romanes 10 14. How shall they call on him in whom they have not beleeved It is the spirit of grace that is the spirit of supplications Zach. 12.10 He that goeth to God must apprehend him and conceive of him as of his father Matthew 6.9 And on the other side hee that is by faith perswaded that God is his gracious father cannot choose but resort much to him in hearty prayer Galathians 4.6 O God thou art my God saith David Psalme 63.1 early will I seeke thee And 86.4 5. Vnto the Lord doe I lift up my soule for thou Lord art good and ready to forgive and plenteous in mercy to all that call upon thy name Many are the promises that God hath made unto prayer Generall promises that he will heare and answer us Esa. 30.19 Hee will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry when hee shall heare it he will answer thee And Iohn 16.23 Whatsoever ye shall aske the father in my name hee will give it unto you And particular promises 1. Deliverance from any trouble and affliction Psalme 50.15 Call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee Or strength and patience to beare it Iames 1.5 If any of you lack wisdome let him aske of God and it shall be given him 2. Whatsoever spirituall grace we stand in need of Luke 11.13 Your heavenly father will give his holy spirit to them that aske him 3. Inward joy and peace of conscience Iob 33.26 Hee shall pray to God and hee will bee favourable unto him and hee shall see his face with joy Aske and ye shall receive that your joy may be full Iohn 16.24 Why then have wee no more heart to prayer Why receive wee no more good by it Surely wee doe not make use of our faith in thinking of and trusting to these promises of God when we goe to prayer and that is a maine cause of it And let not that man thinke saith the Apostle Iames 1.7 that hee shall receive any thing from the Lord. And thus have I finished those foure Motives I promised to give for the enforcing of this exhortation Lecture CXLII On Psalme 51.7 March 2. 1629. IT followeth now that we proceed unto those signes and notes that I promised to give you whereby they that have received Christ and are justified by him may be knowne And surely there is great need that we should have signes and notes given us in Gods Word whereby this may be discerned and judged of For we finde by experience of all ages that many doe verily thinke that Christ and all his merits doe belong to them who yet did never receive him nor have any title to him at all Many will say to me in that day saith our Saviour Matth. 7.22 23. Lord Lord have we not prophesied in
in him I will go no further for the setting of this forth unto you then to those three things which David heere in my Text speaketh of and which he observed in the Lords gracious disposition and on which he grounded his hope 1. There is in the Lord loving kindnesse 2. There are in the Lord tender mercies 3. There is in the Lord a multitude of tender mercies For the first The Lord is of a gracious and kind and liberall disposition Ioel 2.13 The Lord is gracious and of great kindnesse The love he sheweth the good he doth to any of his people is most free and hath no cause no ground at all but in himselfe alone The love we beare to any useth to have some ground in the party that we do love we see somewhat in the party that moveth us to it at first But the love the Lord beareth to us had no ground at all in us but in his owne goodnesse and loving kindnesse alone The Apostle therefore calleth it 2 Thess. 1.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The good pleasure of his goodnesse He set his love upon us as Moses saith Deut 7 7 8 because he loved us He even resteth in his owne love as the Prophet speaketh Zeph. 3.1 and seeketh no further So speaketh the Lord Exod. 3 â—â— I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and I will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy Nothing moved him to be gracious and mercifull unto us but onely his owne good will and pleasure So Esa. 43.25 I even I am he that blâ—â—â—eth ouâ— thy transgressions for mine owne sake So 2 Sam. 7. â—1 For thy words sake and according to thine owne heart thou hast done all these great things True it is that after the Lord hath set his love upon us he worketh that in us by his grace that maketh us amiable and beautifull in his sight and so causeth him to love us the more This is excellently set forth Ezek. 16.9 14. He anointed his beloved one with oyle cloathed her with broidered work covered her with silke deâ—ked her with ornaments put bracelets upon her hands and a chaine about her necke decked her with gold and silver made her exceeding beautifull marke how grace and piety doth beautifie the soule in Gods eye But when he first set his love upon us he saw nothing in us that did move him to love us as is also notably set forth in that 16. of Ezek. When the Lord first passed by his beloved as it is said verse 8 and looked upon her and her time was the time of love when he first loved her what was there in her to move him to it See that verse 6. When I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine owne bloud I said unto thee when thou wast in thy bloud live yea I said unto thee when thou wast in thy bloud live Marke how earnest the Lord is to perswade us of the freenesse of his love to us and how it grew not at all from any respect he had to any goodnesse was or should be in us but from his owne loving kindnesse and goodnesse alone And this is the first thing that Daviâ— here considered in the mercy and goodnesse of the Lord that made him to hope he should find mercy with him for the pardon of his sin Secondly In the Lord there are tender mercies bowels of mercy as the word racham which is heere used doth properly signifie For thus it hath pleased the Lord to condescend unto our capacity and to make knowne unto us in his Word his gracious disposition by comparing himselfe unto a most tender hearted man or woman and attributing bowells unto himselfe Esay 63.15 Where is the multitude of thy bowells and of thy mercies towards me are they restrained Luke 1.78 Through the bowells of the mercies of our God whereby the day spring from an high hath visited us And this comparison standeth in two points 1. As a tender-hearted man or woman when they see any to bee in misery cannot choose but pitty them and grieve for them and feele their bowells within moved and pained with it and this is the very nature of man humanity and not the corruption of nature As it is sayd of our Saviour Mat. 9.36 When he saw the multitude fainting and scattered abroad as shâ—epe having no shepheard 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his bowells yearned or were moved towards them ô that the beholding of men in that misery could move us so and Hebr. 4.15 that hee is touched with the feeling of all our infirmities hee doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 condole and grieve and suffer with us when we do grieve and suffer So the Lord when hee seeth any of his people to bee in misery hee cannot but pitty them and be moved with it and grieve with them Iam. 5.11 He is pitifull and of tender mercy Exod. 22.27 When he cryeth unto me I will heare for I am gracious So it is said Iudg. 10.16 His soule was grieved for the misery of Israel And Esa. 63.9 In all their affliction he was afflicted How can that bee will you say seing himselfe was the author of all their affliction Amos 3.6 Shall there be evill in a City and the Lord hath not done it How is it possible that the Lord would so sharpely correct his people and bring them to that misery if it did so grieve him to see them in misery I answer 1. that this is possible enough Did you never heare of a Iudge that did shed teares even in giving of sentence of death upon a malefactor and shewed a fatherly affection towards the poore wretch even at that time like Ioshua to Achan Iosh. 7.19 My sonne I pray thee give glory to the Lord God of Israel Did you never know any father so tender-hearted as when he hath whipped his child hee hath done it with teares in his eyes yea he could not containe but must needs let his teares fall hee hath smitten and wept and beene as apt to cry even as the child it selfe Surely so it is with the Lord. Psalm 103.13 As a father pitieth his children so doth the Lord pitie them that feare him Even when he correcteth us he pitieth and his bowells yearne towards us 2. He never afflicteth us nor bringeth us unto misery but when his love constraineth him to doe it hee must needs doe it unlesse he would see us perish and that his love to us will not suffer him to doe The Lords love to his children is not fondnesse like the love of many foolish parents his pitie is not like the pitty that is in many men of which wee have a proverb foolish pitty marrs the City that may be called well Crudelis misericordia But the Lords love is guided by his infinite wisedome and judgement hee will correct the dearest of his children and that sharply too rather then hee will see them spoiled 1. Cor. 11.32 When wee are judged
we are chastened of the Lord that we should not bee condemned with the world Yet taketh he no pleasure in correcting them but as hee doth it most unwillingly Psal. 103.8 He is slow to anger Lament 3.33 He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men so is he most apt to repent him of the evill hee is constrained to bring upon them and to bee troubled with it Therefore it is said of him Ioel 2.13 and in many other places that he repenteth him of the evill Both which properties are most pathetically expressed Hosea 11.8 How shall I give thee up Ephraim How shall I deliver thee up Israel How shall I make thee as Admah How shall I set thee as Zeboim Mine heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together And this is the first point in this comparison Secondly the very sight of the misery another is in will move a man that hath the bowells of a man and is tender-hearted to pitty his case and bee willing to helpe without any other respect at all to the person be he friend or foe good or bad onely because he seeth him to bee in misery Mine eye affecteth my heart saith the Church Lamen 3.51 because of all the daughters of my City yea the more the misery is that he seeth any man in the more he will pity him and be ready to helpe him as we see in the example of the Samaritan Luke 10 33 34 When he saw the Iew stripped of his cloathes and wounded and halfe dead he had compassion on him and went to him and bound up his wounds c. And in this respect it is oft mentioned as a duty wee owe to them that are in misery to visit them to go and see them Iam. 1.27 Pure religion and undefiled before God is this to visite the fatherlesse and the widow in their affliction But you will say is that enough I answer yes he that doth that if he have a mans heart in him cannot choose but doe what he can to helpe him They have cut off my life in the dungeon saith the Church Lament 3.53 and cast a stone upon me because they would not see my misery and therefore that is noted for the cause why neither the Priest not the Levite helped the poore man they could not abide to looke on him but passed by on the other side Lu. 10.31 32. Even so is it with our most mercifull and tender-hearted Father the very sight of our misery without any other motive in the world is sufficient to move him to pitty and helpe us yea the more our misery is the more ready will he be to succour us Exod. 3.7 See how pathetically the Lord speaketh Surely I have seene the affliction of my people for I know their sorrowes and am come downe to deliver them Ieremy 31.20 My bowells are troubled for him I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. Yea the sight of the misery even of wicked men doth worke this upon his tender heart Psal 146.7 8 9. The Lord looseth the prisoners the Lord openeth the eyes of the blind the Lord raiseth them that are bowed downe the Lord preserveth the strangers hee relieveth the fatherlesse and widow So againe Psalme 78.38 He being full of compassion forgave their iniquity and destroyed them not yea many a time turned he his anger away and did not stirre up all his wrath and yet these men were but hypocrites they never sought to God but in their affliction verse 34. and 36. They did but flatter him with their mouth and lyed unto him with their tongues And thus have you seene the tender mercies of the Lord. Thirdly In the Lord there is a multitude of tender mercies He is aboundant in goodnesse Exod. â—4 6 Plenteous in mercy Psal. 86.5 Full of compassion Psal 86.15 Rich in mercy Ephe. 2.4 Admire it we may but no man is able to expresse and utter how great the mercy of the Lord is Psal 36.7 How excellent is thy loving kindnesse The mercies and kindnesses of all the men in the world compared to it are but as a drop of water to the great Ocean My thoughts are not your thoughts neither are your wayes my wayes saith the Lord. Esay 55.8 9. For as the heavens are higher then the earth so are my wayes higher then your wayes and my thoughts then your thoughts See this difference in three points 1. A man can forgive small wrongs but the wrongs may bee so great as no man can forgive but there is no sin so heinous but the Lord is able to forgive it Exod. 34.7 Forgiving iniquitie transgression and sin Matth. 12.31 All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men Hee is able to forgive a debt of ten thousand talents and not be undone nay be never the poorer Matth. 18.27 2. A man can forgive one a great wrong if it were but in one action but the wrongs may be so many and of so many kinds as no man can forgive them but the Lord is able to forgive sins though they were as many yea more then the haires of our head as David complaineth his were Psal 40.12 3. A man is able once to forgive yea to forgive it may be even such wrongs as hee counteth very great and manifold but hee can never forgive or thinke well of him whom hee having forgiven sundry times yet hee still wrongeth him in the same kind but the Lord is able to forgive him that hath relapsed often into the same crime For hee requireth this mercy even in us Matth. 18.22 Thou shalt forgive him I say not unto thee untill seven times but untill seventy times seven times So that Gods children shall have no cause to say to their heavenly Father as Esau said to his father Gen. 27.38 Hast thou but one blessing my father Canst thou forgive but once yes hee is able to forgive the same offence often times if it be truly repented of The use of this Doctrine is first for instruction even to teach and assure you to testifie unto you as the Apostle did to Gods people 1. Pet. 5.12 that this is the true grace of God wherein you stand that the religion and Doctrine that is at this day and hath beene through Gods mercy now many above sixty yeeres without interruption taught and professed in the Church of England the Lord in mercy grant it may continue so to bee and which you have received and found comfort in is the only true ancient Catholique Propheticall and Apostolike faith Because it giveth the whole glory of mans salvation and of every degree and piece of it from the beginning to the end to the free grace and mercy of God and to nothing else Therefore the Apostle in that place I last named 1. Pet. 5.12 calleth the true religion and Doctrine of God for that is it hee meaneth in that place by a Metonimy the true grace of God because the whole