assumed body and shew of grace That is a common spirit without the life of grace The third propertie of assumed bodies they are unconstant That is assumed bodies walk for a time but they walk not alwayes even so if you have but a common spirit you will not be constant in good but off and on from the Rule A man that is living in Christ you shall find him living and moving and doing the Actions of the new man A man that hath a common spirit may do some things that are good he may keep and press down sin for a while but not alwayes nor then neither as it is sin but because it crosseth his profit or pleasure or some such thing Again he may have some taste or relish o spiritual things But he is not cleansed or purged by them Again they may walk as a living man walks That is perform holy duties but they are not constant in holy duties neither do they perform them in obedience but out of self love That is they are still ebbing and seldom flowing They omit ostner then they perform Therefore let me exhort you all You that are alive and have been dead be you careful to prize your life And you that have been alive and now are dead That is you that have faln from your holiness and zeal and have lost your first love and strength labour now to renew it again But you that are alive and yet are falling let me exhort you to strengthen the things that are ready to die If there be any here such let them now humble themselves and seek the spirit with earnestness That they may be renewed That they may be strengthned and quickned to good and received to favour again But if you will not but continue in this condition still you have but a name that you are alive but indeed you are dead In Rom. 6. it is said That they that die in Christ shall live in him That is if you once live the life of grace and have received the sanctifying spirit you shall never die but live for ever in Christ. This was the promise that Christ made unto his Disciples and in them unto every Christian. That he would send the spirit and he should abide with them for ever Therefore examine if the Spirit do remain in you and make you constant in good if not it is not the sanfying spirit The fifth sign whereby you shall know whether you have the sanctifying Spirit is this examine whether it be the Spirit of adoption That is if it make you to call God Father Then it is the sanctifying Spirit in Galat. 4. 6. We have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father That is this is the property of the holy man no wicked man can call God Father because he hath not any such relation unto God he neither loves God nor God loves him The Apostle saith unto the Church I do this to prove or know the naturalness of your â—â—ve That is they that have the spirit they have as it were a natural inclination wrought in them to love God again to delight in God and in the Communion of Saints And therefore our Saviour saith in Iohn 4. It is my meat and drink to do the will of my Father That is he that hath God for his Father will serve him willingly without constraint as willingly as a man will eat and drink without wages that is he needs not to have wages to do that so he that hath the spirit he will delight in doing Gods will he will serve God though he should give him nothing And in this that God is our Father it will raise some like affections in us to love God again so likewise in prayer to have God to be our Father it likewise raiseth Son-like affections in us whereby we do not only believe that the things we pray for we shall have but we have also boldness to come unto him as unto a Father which no man can do till he have this spirit of adoption Therefore examine with what confidence and boldness you pray with what reverence you hear with what affection you love That is examine whether you have the spirit that doth make you to call God Father The sixt sign whereby you shall know whether you have the spirit or no is this you shall know it by the manner of working That is if it change you and lie combating in you as in Galat. 5. The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh That is if you have the Spirit you will have continual fighting and striving in the soul and this will not be onely against some or more particular lusts but against all that it knowes to be a sin I say not onely that there is a striving or a suppressing but it is by way of lusting Because a natural man that hath not the sanctifying spirit may keep down a lust for â—â—me by-respects but it is not from a 〈◊〉 That is it is not because his heart hates it oâ—â—…sses it by another power then a natuâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 love of sin still But the opposing and resisting of sin in the godly is by way of lusting because they hate the sin and they fight against it with courage Therefore examine what lusting there is in you that is what hating of sin and then see with what courage and power you go about the subduing of it It is said that Iohn Baptist came in the spirit of Elias that is he came with that spirit that is full of power I say you will fight faintly against sin except you have the Spirit when the Disciples had received the Spirit in Acts 4. They spake with great boldness That is they had greater power to speak then before Therefore the Lord exhorts all men in Isai. 30. 3. Trust not in them they are men and not Gods As if the very name of men were weakness That is they are men that have no power it is God that hath power and therefore trust not in them but in every thing labour to see the power of God in it and seek for all spiritual power to good by God and examine your selves what power you have when you pray what power have you to go through to the end when you hear what power have you to edification when you see evil what power have you to avoid it when you are offered the pleasures and profits of the world what power have you to forsake them if they may prove hurtful unto the inward man if you have strong lusts in you what power have you to suppresse and lust against them Therefore you shall know by this whether you have the sanctifying spirit or no by the working of it The seventh sign whereby you shall know whether you have the sanctifying spirit or no is this you shall know it by your carriage in your words and actions and by your
thee and put beauty upon thee when thou wert a bondslave he made thee a King c. And not onely these standing favours but consider that every day he gives thee meat and drink and cloathes is it not he that takes the care of thee Consider what thou art that he doth this for art thou not in thy self and every man a more vile wretch then the dust thou treadest on a vile condemned person a lump and heap of sin and misery Now that the Lord should respect such a creature as this to be crucified for him to deny himself to lay aside his glory to do so much for him when he stood in such a condition Besides all this he hath done it out of love as the Apostle expresseth it he loved me and gave himself for me Love begets love as fire begets fire and makes a man ready to do any thing If a man consider that Jesus Christ abounded in love there is no creature in the world that ever loved another so much as Christ loves his Church He loved thee with all impediments he loved thee though thou didst forget him and recompence him evil for good and dishonouredst him again and again yet his love continued the same to thee Thou feest by experience he abounds in love to thee he hath all the properties of love he is not easily provoked he is long suffering he is bountiful he takes a small thing in good part Let all this work on thy heart and say Christ is worthy he deserves it And besides all this if thou stir up thy strength and put it forth with loss to thy self for his sake to his use consider he regards it and looks on all thy works and sufferings Rev. 2 I know thy works and thy sufferings that is I know every thing that thou doest for my sake I take notice of every thing thou suffrest for my sake So that every man is to take this into consideration to put him on to do this that the Lord sits in heaven and considers what cost thou art at for his sake upon any occasion what pains thou takest in matters that concerns him what solicitude is in thy heart for him what thoughts thou bestowest in any business of his to bring it to pass this he observes Remember he considers what advantages thou deprivest thy self of in thy estate or otherwise to do his work he considers what friends thou losest to keep close to him what advancement and preferment thou partest with for his service I say there shall none of these be lost not a cup of cold water that is not the least of these actions there is not one but it is upon Gods score he reckons it among his debts that he will be sure to pay All this shall further thy account all this is seed sown to the Spirit all these good works shall lie at thy door to do thee good one time or other Now add to all this the consideration of thy engagement how thou art tied I would ask any man for I speak to those that are in Covenant to those that have strength in them Our duty is now to exhort you to stir up your strength and to use it in difficult cases for Christs advantage I say consider what thou hast done thou hast given thy self to Christ and if thou hast given thy self doth it not follow that with thy self thou hast given all things As Christ when he gives himself to us he gives all with himself My well beloved is mine and I am his This is true on both sides so I say whatsoever is Christs is ours and accordingly whatsoever is ours should be his So I must think with my self is it so great a thing for me to part with my wealth and liberty for Christs sake or with life and all all this is none of mine A Wife when she is married nothing is hers all is her husbands the Lord that I bestow it upon it is all his I must not think it a great matter that is spent for his advantage There is that agreement between us so much we profess when we are baptized in his name You see that is added in that place 1 Cor. 1. Were you baptized in the name of Paul as if he should say what do you adhere to these men Christ was crucified and not Paul so you were baptized in the Name of Christ. The meaning is this That a man when he is baptized as you know it was at mens conversion then he enters a Covenant in Baptism and binds himself to him in whose Name he is baptized that is he then gives himself to him and all that is his that is to be baptized in his name As in Circumcision they were bound to keep the whole Law so when a man is baptized into Christ he is bound to seek the things of Jesus Christ and not his own any longer he is tied to it he hath made a vow to do it Consider this and see if there be not reason that thou shouldest deny thy self What if it be a difficult case what if it cost thee somewhat what if it cost thee thy own pains that thy own business lye still what if it cost thee much money that thou lose in thy Estate what if it cost thee friends what if it cost thee imprisonment or whatsoever yet consider if thou have not reason to stir up thy strength for Christs advantage to do him much service Let it not lie there and say such a thing should be done and it were well done of him that can put himself forward to it but thou must do it thy self thou art his Disciple thou art tied to it for when a man is married to Chiist he must resolve it the best way to give himself to please his Husband Is it not the best way shall not a man provide best for himself by seeking the things of Christ and not his own Lastly hath not Christ deserved it at thy hands is he not worthy Mat. 10. 33. you have that expression He that for sakes not father and mother is not worthy of me As if he should say when you come to me I require this that you forsake your selves and hate father and mother if need be that you do not love father or son or mother but let all go If you say this is a hard condition I will put you to this saith the Lord have not I done as much for you besides that which I will do will not Heaven pay for all will not I give you an hundred fold for the present have not I been crucified for you he that will not do this he is not worthy of me as if he should say I am worth more then that So if a man say it is a hard task that he should not seek his own things but stir up his strength with any loss to himself for the advantage of Christ is not the Lord worthy of more and thou art unworthy
I have declared to you what it is to win your hearts to a more full assent to this that nothing but godliness is accepted we will shew you some reasons for it For a man will ask this What is the reason that God delights not in nature or natural vertues or in moral habits Why doth he not delight in these Why will he accept of nothing but godliness First there is this reason for it because the Lord loves nothing but that which is like himself as indeed no man doth nor no creature No man loves any thing but that which hath a likeness a consimilitude with something within himself For all love you know comes from similitude all delight comes from likeness Therefore the things that have no similitude with us we neither love nor delight in them Now therefore when God looks upon man and sees his own Image upon him when he sees that stamp upon a man he loves it and delights in it for it is like himself But now whatsoever is from nature whatsoever is but moral vertues it is but from the earth and is earthly it is but from the flesh and it is fleshly But that which is supernatural that which is infused into us from God that Image of his which is stamped upon us is from Heaven and is heavenly it is from the Spirit and it is spiritual Now God that is a Spirit and is holy he loves that which is spiritual and holy he loves his own Image wheresoever he finds it Now godliness is onely heavenly for all other beauties that seem so gaudy to us are but from the earth and are the beauty of the flesh therefore the Lord delights not in them the Lord loves it not with the love of complacency so as to be well pleased with it That is one reason Secondly the reason why the Lord doth love nothing but godliness that he loveth none of the rest so as to delight in them for there is a kind of love that he gives them as you know our Saviour Christ looked on the young man in the Gospel and loved him but I say he doth not delight in them he loves them not with that special and peculiar love because all these ornaments they do but beautifie the creature in it self Now no creature may rejoyce in it self or boast in it self no creature may magnifie it self which it would do if it might find an excellency in it self Therefore the Lord will have the creature to find no excellency in it self and therefore he doth not magnifie these things he sets no price upon them And the Lord would have the creature to know so much he onely magnifies and esteems that which draws the creature from it self makes the creature his therefore he prizeth and esteemeth onely the emptying graces You shall see the Scripture doth not magnifie those moral vertues that Aristotle and Plutarch and Seneca and the rest of those Heathens magnified For the scope of the Scripture looks another way and magnifieth those emptying graces most As faith for instance which emptyeth the creature of it self and makes a man to see nothing in himself not to trust in himself but teacheth a man to look for all from God therefore the Scripture magnifieth faith O woman great is thy faith that is this is the thing that onely makes thee amiable this is it that makes me set a high price upon thee And so in that speech to the Centurion I have not found so great faith no not in Israel It was that which set Iacob in that high esteem with God that which got him that title of honour to be called Israel it was his faith And why is it but because the Lord regards that onely in the creature which makes a man his which draws a man nearer to him and more out of himself Now this godliness doth for it makes a man to see nothing in himself but all in God and therefore to follow God altogether to seek God altogether Now all other ornaments all natural and moral vertues do beautifie and adorn the creature within himself they make a man to see something within himself now no creature is to do this no not the creature when it was in the flower of all its bravery When Adam and the Angels would begin to look on something in themselves and forget God and to think that they were some body and would stand upon their own bottom then they fell For the creature of it self is as a glass without a bottom if you set it down it breaks for it hath nothing to sustain it but as long as a man holds it in his hand so long it is safe Such a thing is every creature in it self Angels and men they are without a bottom when the Lord doth not hold them in his own hand when they will go about to stand of themselves they fall and break and that was the cause of the fall of the Angels and the fall of Adam and of all of us in him viz. self-dependance Our repairing again the restoring of the creature must be by learning to be altogether Gods to magnifie God to look to God and to look to him altogether for that is indeed onely prized and magnified by him And this is the second reason wherefore godliness is only accepted by God because it teacheth a man onely to mind him to look to him to draw near to him it makes a man altogether his and not his own We will add one more the Lord regards onely godliness and nothing else because it gives him all the glory Now onely the Lord may seek his own glory because he hath no other end beyond himself Every creature you know is made for a further end and therefore is bound to seek something above it self even as it stands subordinate to that Every man is subordinate a man in the Common-wealth must seek the good of that Every man is subordinate to God therefore he must seek the glory of God for the subordination will so carry it But now the Lord he hath none above himself therefore he may and doth seek his own glory now nothing gives glory to God but godliness In 1 Cor. 11. The man is the glory of God and the woman is the glory of the man The meaning of it is this look how the woman is the glory of the man so is the man the glory of God that is a man must have nothing in himself for then he would have some glory to himself but he must be wholly the Lords he must be wholly fashioned and accommodated to him as the woman to the Husband for then he is the Lords glory Even as a picture you know it hath nothing of it self but all from the Painter therefore the picture is the glory of the Painter we use to phrase it so because it hath all from him we call it the glory of the Painter because it shews his glory And so a
his power no question to strike dumb the swearer as soon as the blasphemy is out of his mouth and to strike the Adulterer yet these are wrapt up in silence they hear no news from heaven of anger What is the reason of this because God hath made a day of great assize a more honourable day and he hath reserved this honor for that day to make that a notable day as the Scripture calls it Secondly I answer to the last objection and that is more pertinent and comfortable to the heart when we question how we shall do in the mean time till deliverance be sent if we be put upon hard service and tryals I answer it is a most usual and common thing in the providence of God and the dispensation of his goodness to his Church when men are at the lowest ebbe in the world and outwardly then he makes a more plentiful supply of the inward comforts and consolations of his spirit Mark and remember for now it is not a thing thaty ou must look to find till there be occasion A man cannot know whether this be true or no till he have experience that the world leave him when he hath little comfort in the world then he shall find the truth of this You heard that place opened at large in the forenoon 2 Cor. 5. 16. though our outward man perish our inward man is renewed day by day He saith not there after our outward man is perished when God hath pulled down the old building he will build a new house no but in the while he takes the ruins a pieces the timber of the outward man and builds a new house he makes it up in other comforts so in 2 Cor. 1. 3. 4. blessed be God the father of Christ c. Who comforteth us in all our tribulations he saith not that comforteth us after tribulation but in the time of tribulation so in 2 Cor. 11. When I am weak then I am strong This sounds as a riddle that is when I am full of infirmities when I am compassed with heavy dangers I am at the best pass and strongest in the inward man So David Psalm 94. 14. he saith there in the midest of my sorrowes and troubles thy comforts refreshed my soul. David stayed not till his sorrow was past but then when his troubles were about him the Lords hand was to comfort him And so diverse other places you shall find to the like purpose Now if you look you shall find examples of this When had Abraham the father of the faithful those frequent apparitions and revelations from God was it not after he had left his countrey When he was in his own land among his possessions there was nothing but silence but after he was abroad the Lord appeared to him from time to time And so in one place after this As long as Lot was with him to comfort him there is no mention that the Lord revealed himself to him but that is the particular expression Gen. 18. 6. Then saith he after Lot was departed from him the Lord came to Abraham and fell a talking with him and renewed that great promise that in him all the Nations of the world should be blessed So Iacob in his journey when a man would have thought he had had the hardest nights lodging that ever he had since he was man upon the earth when he had nothing but heaven for his Canopy and a hard stone for his pillow he had the most glorious and blessed vision of the ladder that had the top of it in heaven and the foot on earth So Hagar she never had an Angel to comfort her till she wept by the well and was cast out of her mistresses house And so in the story of Ioseph we shall not finde it expresly said that God was with him till he was in prison and there you shall find these very words Not to name all passages to this purpose in Dan. 3. Those three children as they are called they never had the familiar presence of the fourtâ— man till they were cast into the furnace They might have gone long enough and served God and faithfully too and yet never have had that interview that presence in a visible manner of the Sonne of God standing by them if they had not been cast into the furnace So Christ himself till he sweat drops of blood we read not of Angels sent from Heaven but then they were present to comfort him Luke 23. 43. And so in the history of the Acts we shall find still the Apostles when they were brought to any danger any trouble any imprisonment or the like evermore there were messengers sent from Heaven to them So we may assure our selves out of all these promises and experiences of the Saints of God that then we are likeliest to have the quickest commerce and the clearest interview between Heaven and us we are like to hear oftest from Heaven and have more plenty of comforts from God when we are deepest in trouble when we are plunged in troubles in the World then the Lord reacheth most plenty of joy from Heaven Therefore as Christ saith Iohn 16. concerning his presence with his Disciples It is expedient that I go the Comforter cannot come else but if I go I will send him to you So I say it is true it is expedient for us that God depart from us in outward things for till he leave us in these the comforts of the Holy Ghost come not so purely to us I say there is need that they should leave us that we may have those comforts This is the sixth means for us to assure our selves and know this with Saint Paul that all things shall work for the best There is onely one more remains that is that which must go along with all the rest Prayer You know there is a large Charter granted to prayer but besides that general oue Whatsoever we ask according to his will we shall receive there are special particular promises in this case that if any man be driven to a strait and necessity if he send this messenger into the presence of God he shall have a guard sent down presently to him Look in that place Phil. 4. 6. In nothing be careful saitâ— the Apostle but let your prayers and requests be made known to the Lord. And what follows The peace of God which passeth understanding shall keep your hearts and mindes in the Love of God through Christ Iesus As if he should say do but this if you be in any extremity or distress trouble not your selves and your thoughts about it but this is your course your onely wisdom is let your requests be made known to God with thanksgiving I told you before we must give thanks whatsoever the case was because light is working out for us as David saith Light is sown for the righteous therefore a man hath cause to thank God
within I speake of those actions which are actions of mercy be you mercifull therefore as your heavenly father is for that is a sign that you have the same spirit that he hath when God cometh into the heart of any man he receiveth the spirit of the father And therefore as you would have a witnesse and testimony to your selves that you are the sons of God be you merciful There is a natural mercy I confess found in those that have not mercy indeed but this God accepteth not because such mercies are but counterfeit to the true mercy Labour to be merciful as God is to abound in mercy that every one may fare the better for you wherever you dwell and whatsoever you doe let all your actions be works of mercy so will God accept them and be ready to render mercy to you again INWARD STRENGTH The desire of a Christian. Text EPHES. 3. 16. That you may be strengthened by the spirit in the inward man THese words are a part and indeed the sum of that excellent and divine prayer that Paul made for the Ephesians the principal thing that the Apostle prays for is this that they may be strengthened by the spirit in the inward man and this the Apostle sets down in such a manner that he answereth all doubts that might hinder the Ephesians from obtaining this gracious priviledge For first they might demand this of Paul you pray that we may be strong in the inward man but how or what means shall we use to get this strength the Apostle answereth to this and tels them the means to be strong in the inward man is to get the spirit that you may be strengthened by the spirit in the inward man Secondly but they might demand But how shal we do to get the spirit The Apostle answereth to this you must pray for him for your selves as I do for you for I pray that he would grant you the spirit that you may be strengthened in the inward man and thus you must do for your selves be earnest in prayer to get the spirit which he hath promised to those that ask it Thirdly They might demand but what should move God to give us his spirit and to hear our prayers To this he answers that the moving cause is the riches of his glory that you may be strengthened in the Inward man Fourthly they might demand yea but what shall we be the better for this strength if we get it To this the Apostle answereth in the verses following then saith he you shall be able to comprehend with all saints what is the length and the height the depth and the breadth of the riches of the love of God towards you in Christ. Now in that the Apostle above all other good that he wisheth unto them prayes for this that they may be strengthened by the spirit in the inward man I gather this point That which is to be desired of every Christian and to be earnestly sought for is this that they may be strengthened in the Inward man I gather it thus Saint Paul was now to pray for some special good to the Ephesians and considering what might be most profitable and advantagious he makes choice of this above all other good things making it the sum and substance of his prayer that you may be strengthened by the spirit in the inward man I shall not need to prove this by any other places of scripture because the place in hand sufficiently proves the point as being the main scope and intent of the spirit of God in this place to shew the necessity of this doctrine of strengthening the inward man But for the fuller explaning of this point we will first shew you what this strength is and then wee will come to the uses There is therefore a twofold strengthening 1 There is first a natural 2. There is a supernatural Strength First I say there is a Natural strength and this is when a man is naturally strong or able either in the parts of his body or in the guifts of his minde as for example a man that hath a strong memory this is a natural strength or in other qualities of the minde or else when a man is strong in the parts of his body these are natural strengths but this is not the strength that is here meant Secondly there is a Supernatural strength and this is two fold The first is a Supernatural strength which is received from the evil spirit which is when Satan shall joyn with the spirit of a man and adds a Supernatural strength and so makes him to doe more or suffer more then otherwise by Nature he were able to doe With this spirit are all the enemies of the Church strengthened Paul himself before he was committed was strengthened by this spirit Some men have more then a natural strength to undergo torments and yet not to shrink at them but this is not the strength here meant But there is a Second supernatural strength which comes from the sanctifying spirit whereby a Christian is able to do more then naturally he could doe and this is the strength which is here meant in this place and with this strength all the Saints are strengthened that is this was the strength that Eliah Stephen Iohn Baptist the Apostles and the rest had this made them speak boldly in the name of Christ. But you shall the better understand what this strength is if you doe but consider the particulars which are these The first particular wherein this spiritual strength is seen is this if a man chearfully thrive under many afflictions that is when they can rejoyce under great troubles and tryals they have this strength as Acts 5. 41. it is said of the Apostles that they departed from the Councel rejoycing that they were thought worthy to suffer rebuke for the name of Christ he that bears some troubles hath some strength but to bear great troubles is required great strength that is to stand fast to Christ to profess his name as the holy Ghost saith in Rev. 2. 13. there where Satan hath his throne must needs be a great Supernatural work of the spirit The Second particular is this in the hour of temptation when the storms arise and the flouds lift up their voyce the heart is stablished being founded upon the rock so that the gates of hell cannot prevail against it all Satans darts fall upon such a state as an arrow upon a rock the heart is fixed like mount Zion The third particular wherein this spirituall strength is seen is this when a man doth believe though hee have all reason and strength against him this is to be strong in the inward man but to go further that you may the better know what this strength is I wil give you a definition of it It is a general good disposition or right habit a temperature or a due frame of the mind wherby it is enabled to
the budding and putting forth of the spirit therefore all such blossomes are precious and they should be nourished in you you should not let them wither for want of sap and that you may have from Christ for it is he that quickeneth every man by his Spirit That look as the old Adam maketh sin active in every one that is born of him so the second Adam communicateth grace and life to those that are ingrafted into him by faith Therefore he is called a quickening spirit even as a man liveth when the soul is conjoyned to the body so the soul liveth when Christ is conjoyned to it Look upon all the living Saints the reason why they live among such a multitude of dead men is because Christ is in them if you see one more holy then another more active more nimble in the wayes of Gods commandments then another it is because Christ dwelleth more in him then in another if you find your selves more ready and more strong to perform any duty it is because Christ helpeth and quickeneth you for he is your life In a word all the life you have is derived from his inhabitation and dwelling in you And this is the fourth Benefit that we receive from Christ he makes us living men The fifth benefit we have and receive from Christ his dwelling in us is that he consecrateth us and maketh us holy Know ye not saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 3. 17. That ye are the Temple of God and that the spirit dwelleth in you That is Christs act no man is holy but he whom Christ consecrateth and he consecrateth the soul That is he sanctifieth it sets it apart maketh a temple peculiar to himself for holiness is nothing but an appropriating something to Gods use and sequestring it from common uses Now when Christ works such a work in the spirit of a man he is said to consecrate a man to sanctifie him And that he doth when he revealeth to us the vanitie of earthly things on one side And the excellencie of heavenly things on the other side By this means the heart is weaned from those and is knit and married to these in a conjugal love so that it loveth him and nothing besides and this I say Christ doth by revealing the truth making earthly things to appear vain as they are and God to appear beautiful and excellent as he is For when he appeareth as he is we cannot but love him and that is the reason it is said Sanctifie them with thy truth that is when any man hath the truth revealed unto him he seeth things as they are then his spirit cleaveth unto God loveth God marrieth it self unto God keepeth it self proper unto him weaneth itself and estrangeth it self from all other things That which is called sanctifying in that place you shall find in two places of Scripture exprest in such tearms as express this double act of Christ which I named unto you as in the 2 Tit. verse penult He hath purified to himself a peculiar people that is he hath emptied them of whatsoever may draw them from God and hath sanctified them by his spirit And so again in the 30. Deut. 6. And the Lord God will circumcise the heart that thou mayest love the Lord thy God with all thy heart c. That is I will draw you to me your hearts shall cleave to me Now then when these two acts are done the heart circumcised and love put into it that it cleaveth to God without separation This is the sanctifying of the heart this Christ works wheresoever he cometh And my Brethren this is not an easie thing to do and indeed no man can do it but Christ for this holiness of spirit is not onely an abstaining from the things common and unclean from pollution of flesh and spirit it is not an abstaining from them out of judgement onely but then a mans spirit it is holy when he hath an inward propence inclination to that which is good and an aversness to that which is evil When the spirit hath a new quality put into it Abhor that which is evil and cleave to that which is good this is holiness not to abstain from the evil onely but to abhor it not onely to do the good but his spirit cleaveth to the good loveth the good So it is said Lot had his righteous soul vexed with the unclean conversation of the Sodomites that is he had a holy soul and in this his holiness was seen that he vexed c. So Moses his holiness appeared when he wept when he saw the people commit idolatry so Paul his spirit was stirred within him when he saw the idolatry of the people of Athens So when a mans spirit stiâ—reth it self after this manner when from that new quality that is put into it it works out the uncleanness that is in it this is the holiness of the spirit and no man hath it but from Christ. As the needle unless it have it from the Loadstone could not have that property of looking to the North so it is with the spirit of a man before Christ dwelleth in him before he hath put a new quality of holiness he never looks towards God but when it is done once it cannot do otherwise therefore those in whom Christ dwelleth cannot sin that is cannot delight in sin this is a great benefit therefore and this holiness of spirit they have in whom Christ dwelleth To be holy in all manner of conversation to be holy at all times in all places in all that he doth to have a holiness of spirit acting and appearing therein It is a hard thing and therefore the benefit is the greater so now how much unholiness we may find in the spirits of men when the spirit of a man steppeth out and doth what it doth to its own ends and looks not to Christ but to other ends this is unholiness and adultery of the spirit therefore those the trade of whose life is not to look at God in their actions but to themselves to pass from pleasure to pleasure and from sport to sport and all for themselves those also that are so much occupied in worldly businesses that God is forgotten this is exactly contrary to holiness for here the spirit turneth it self from God whereas we should be holy in all manner of conversation holy in every thing holy in eating holy in drinking holy in recreation holy in all our business holy in mirth c. But you will ask how shall that be When you do all these as to God as fitâ—ing you for his service when you put God as the end unto all that you do then is your spirit holy you know that place Whether you eat or drink or whatsoever you do do all to the glory of God That is respect God in it make not your selves the utmost end of it for then your heart is unholy for holiness is to keep the
debt And the strength of the argument is thus If Christ had not risen again but been still in the power of the grave and kept under by the enemy of our salvation the poor believer might have been justly afraid his debt had not been paid but Christ being risen and out of hold he is out of doubt As when the debtor sees the Kings Son that was his surety at liberty and in the Kings Court he fears not but his debt is paid so when the poor believer sees Christ set free from the power of the grave c. he knows God hath accepted the payment he hath made as sufficient for him Let us therefore look upon our selves as having a part in Christ and know whatsoever he did it was for us even for every true believer so that he rising again we rise again which being so it manifests that God hath accepted Christ his payment if any thing could hinder it must be death and the grave but Christ being risen they have lost their power and so none able to condemn Rom. 6. 9. Christ rose for us never to dye again and therefore that we should never dye eternally A third reason is taken from the sitting of Christ at the right hand of God which puts all out of question that he paid our debt when he laid down his life in that he is risen and ascended up to his Father Now God would never have admitted him to sit at his right hand had the work been unfinished but now being ascended to the right hand of his Father where he is advanced to the highest pitch of honour glory and Majesty and that in our Nature sitting in full authority King of heaven earth there for ever by his spirit to gather and guide all his children and quell the power of their enemies it is apparent that our Sureties payment is accepted so that now nothing can condemn a Believer not his conscience nor any thing else can condemn him and therefore he may triumph over all accusations In the fourth place add unto all this that Christ doth not onely sit at Gods right hand but so as that he also maketh intercession for every true beleever having not onely power but even the same good will and mind that ever he had to do them good consider this well whether thou beleeving needest to fear the face of any enemy whatsoever The poor man that was indebted to the great King For whom the Kings son was pleased to undertake and satisfie when he sees him come out of prison set at liberty in his fathers Court in greater honor and not onely so but highly favoured of the King his father and continually requesting him for that poor man What needs he now care for all his enemies He need not be affraid to look all officers in the face c. Is this the secure and happy estate of every true believer out of himself in Christ. Then see the necessity of using all those means and that constantly whereby Christ our Blessed Redeemer is pleased to communicate himself and this his grace unto us Faith is a special gift and grace and comes from God in Christ and Christ he comes onely in the meanes which are channels and conduit-pipes Therefore if thou wouldest have this grace and be strengthened and increased therein even as thou wouldest have thy soul thus dignified use carefully all the means As The word which is the Scepter of Christs Kingdome submit thy soul to it If thou wilt have an excellent spirit such a one as Ioshua had pray to God for it and take heed of grieving the spirit of God by continuing in the practice of any known sin which is as water that quenches the fire but rather cherish thy faith and put fuel unto it by constant consionable hearing reading prayer meditation receiving the Sacrament holy conference and watching over thy heart For if thou put fuel to thy faith and keep away that which may quench it thou shalt clearly see this blessed truth and find the power of faith in this that hath been said Therefore as thou wouldest have this confidence and comfort in thy heart and soul use the means for it The dilligent hand becomes rich in Gods ordinary providence and so mayst thou in this grace if thou use diligence there is no way else Therefore whilst thou hast time use the means give attendance to the word and all those heavenly meanes before mentioned It s true indeed Christ hath freed himself by dying rising again and bring at the right hand of God and this I believe saith the poor soul in the midst of his fears temptations and troubles of mind but how should I bee comforted in knowing that I am freed from all that danger and condemnation which my sins do deserve Yes upon this ground every beleeving soul and so thou if thou doest believe mayest be sure to be freed as Christ himself is freed and that even because Christ undertook and did all this for the poor believing soul and he had not done it but for him Esai 9. 6. Toâ—us a child is born to us a Sonne is given All he did was for us and for our Salvation so that if Christ hath any happiness thou believing in him mayest be assured of it as Christ himself All Gods intentions towards thee are founded in love else how should that be true Iohn 3. 16. God so Loved the world c. Christ also took all upon him for our sake even to redeem and save us he needed not have done it for himself for he was God in glory c. lift up therefore thy heart by faith and beleeve this and thou shalt find it true though we miserable wretches are unworthy of any such mercies yet is God worthy to be believed Look on Christ and consider who he is and reflect it upon thy self and if thou canst believe the Lord Jesus hath done all this for thy sake To help and strengthen thee to this First Consider Christ did it for us that believe as a surety we were all bannk-rupts in the law of God for want of obedience thereunto now Christ the surety of mankind comes and undertakes for us and hath done iâ— Hebrews 7. 22. He was made surety of â—a better testament Therefore think on him alwayes as thy Surety in glory Christ there is said to be a Surety of better things then the legal Rites were even of the New Testament wherein whatsoever is contained it is for us and there it is treasured up ask and thou shalt have seek and thou shalt find All he did he did as my Surety all the evil he took away and all the good he purchased it was for me A second means or help to strengthen thee if thou art one that art humbled for sin and desirest more and more to believe is to know that God hath bound himself and sworn to it and he is true though every man
purse he cannot abide to let it be tryed but if it be sound and good he is not affraid to bring it to the touchstone God in this case will take nothing for currant but what hath his own stamp upon it The word of God hath that in it that will try us let us therefore every one deal sincerely with our own hearts as in the sight and presence of Almighty God that so we may know whether we have this blessed Grace of Faith or no. But before we come to this let us consider these grounds First That all that live under the Gospel have if not though it be called the word of Faith and be the very meanes to beget Faith For this look 2 Thess. 3. 2. where it is given as a reason why those that truly receive the Gospel are so reproached and hardly dealt withall by the world even because all men have not Faith for if all had Faith then could all be of the same minde and Holinesse Righteousnesse and Love would be their delight Secondly That this triumphing Faith which upholds a man and opens his mouth to speak upon grounds of Faith is so far from being a common giâ—t to all that but few indeed have it It is a special and peculiar grace that makes a man triumph over condemnation That this was hard to be found the Prophet complains in his dayes Isa. 53. 1. Lord Who hath believed our report And that not among the heathen onely but even among the people of God The like complaint Christ takes up in the very words of the Prophet Iohn 12. 38. Rom. 10. 16. He admires at the paucity of true believers So now the sound of the Gospel hath come to all of us but who shewes this faith of Gods elect in them This also we may see in the parrable of the sower wherein is set forth the estate of the visible Church Where there is but one sort of the four kinds of hearers that bring forth this fruit Three sorts come to hear some but for fashion sake or compelled thereunto some to get knowledge onely some to carpe scoff or catch somewhat to run to rulers with or to judge that which shall judge them one day This triumphing faith it ariseth from an Immortal seed of Gods word alone Thirdly That though there be but few that have this faith yet not the poorest and meanest of Gods children if they have any true hope of Gods mercy but in his time shall come to it Act. 13. 48. As many as were ordained to eternal life believed whosoever is Gods childe shall have this faith and therefore Titus 1. 1. it is set out to be a pecular grace and gift of God that onely belongeth to the elect Gal. 3. 6. all are said by faith in Christ to be Gods sons Iohn 10. our Saviour shewes as none will so none can believe but such as are Gods sheep that is his elect even those that are chosen in Christ to eternal life The fourth thing we are to consider as a matter to bee believed is That those that have this faith that will save their souls they may know they have it Which is against Bellarmines reasons of diffidence and doubting First They may know it to themselves for their comfort and next they may make it known to others by the fruits thereof 1 Cor 2. 12. That we may know saith the Apostle the things which are given us of God in Christ which is spoken in common to all that truly believe and not onely to any special person the true beleever hath such a light going along with his faith that he comes to know though not perfectly yet truly and infallibly that God hath chosen Adopted and sanctified him c. He takes hold of the promise of Salvation upon Gods commandment Faith is that which receiveth the word and promise and cherisheth himself in a special manner in the Word and Sacrament The Devils works are in darknesse God gives his in light and therefore his children are called Saints in light Col. 1. 12. and Iohn 15. 10. He that believes in the Son of God hath the witnesse in himself So that thou needest not have others tell thee that thou dost believe for if thou hast faith indeed t is not so hid and buried in thy heart but that thou mayest know it Secondly Others also may know it as it manifests it self in the fruits Rom. 1. 8. Their faith was spoken of far and near which was known by their wonderful change they were become new creatures such as were now of a holy life and conversation for which Paul thanks God and desires to be with them to be comforted with their faith and his own Nâ—xt to this considâ—r that this triumphing faith wheresoever it is kindled it will endure the tryal even the fire of Gods spirit it will endure also the fiery tryal of affliction 1 Cor 3. 13. It is not a chaffie or counterfeit faith that all the troubles or temptations can blow away But being begotten by the word it pacifies the conscience and stablishes the heart in the bloud of Christ And purges the heart to make it fit for the Holy Ghost to dwell in also it works by love and makes a man not churlish and froward but loving and that even to his very enemies for Christ sake thy heart will tell thee thus much and make thee say I thank God I have this faith in me Lastly seeing it is thus namely that it is the duty of all every one that lives under the Gospel to prove his heart and search it to the bottom 2 Cor. 13. 5. Examine your selves whether you be in the faith this shewes that it is not a thing to be taken as granted that we have this faith except we find that we have it indeed but to search and try our selves for it Because else we are in a great danger even in the state of reprobates Therefore examine thy self and if thou hast it bless God that ever thou wert born to be brought to such a blessed state wherein thou mayst thus triumph Now for the notes whereby thou mayest try thy self they may be these The first is taken out of Rom. 8. 15. yea have not received the spirit of bondage to fear again but the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abbâ—… Father Thou hast found thy self before to have bin in an estate of bondage as those believing Romans there who were accepted in an estate of fear and bondage under the curse of the Law and condemnation even in despair of themselves the spirit of Bondage for that time shews us the law that condemns us and makes it to triumph over a man so long as it lasts try therefore if thou hast felt thy conscience set on thee and found thy self to be condemned for thy sins Thus all Gods children truly converted indeed have felt though some more some less and lyen under it some a longer
hereditary As for example take the grace of faith I do not say that it heals all infidelity and doubting but it overcomes it so that it hath the mastery and prevalency over it faith is predominant above infidelity For it is a rule that the School-men have and a true one faith doth not exclude all doubting but faith overcomes doubting that is the nature of it though it be assaulted with doubttings yet it overcomes them and as it is the nature of faith so of every saving grace it is prevalent and powerful So is the grace of knowledge it comes with a full evidence and demonstration of the Spirit and brings every thought into subjection to it though it suffers ignorance and some other errors it may be to remain yet it overcomes ignorance And so spiritual love it brings under and eats up and swallows all other loves and spiritual fear brings under all other fears True desire subjugates all other inordinate desires whereas on the contrary when grace is not true you shall have a kind of faith and a kind of knowledge and some good purposes and desires and some fear of God but these though they be in the heart they are not commanding and prevailing objects that bring the heart into subjection they lie there glowing as a coal in the dark but they do not overcome the darkness but still their foolish heart is full of darkness as the Scripture saith Rom. 1. So that you must remember that it so heals these diseases that yet still it gets the victory over the disease though it doth not altogether take away the disease not that it dries up the fountain of these issues so that they are no more but the meaning is that it gets the dominion over them it masters them and brings them down that they have not the prevailing force as formerly for it is the nature of sincerity that it gets the mastery Sincerity is of that quality that though it be the least of all graces in the beginning yet it grows the strongest of all other So I say grace heals after that manner as for example when a man is recovered out of his sickness take the least degree of health this least degree hath the victory over the whole disease it hath overcome it We say it hath not overcome it fully and totally yet that little degree of health runs through the whole man and it over comes the disease and at length grows stronger and stronger So wheresoever these healing qualities of grace come they have so much power as to get the mastery over corruption Though the natural corruptions byass us and draw us aside yet I say they are healed For mark that by the way there is a great deal of difference between that unevenness and inconstancy that comes from the natural corruption of a man unsanctified and that that proceeds from the remainder of those corruptions that are left in the soul after saving grace In the one there is an unevenness of the kind in the other the unevennesâ— of degrees As for example a man that hath not his heart sanctified he hath his corruptions exprest by fits this we say is an unevenness of kind when a man sets himself in holy courses and presently gives over himself to all his lusts This is that unevenness spoken of Iam. 1. such a man is unstable in all his wayes the meaning is such a man hangs between two objects that he knows not whether he shall chuse this or that like a man that hath two wayes before him and knows not whether of them he shall go either this way or that but sometimes he is for God another time he is for his lusts his mind hangs in such an aequi librio that he hath nothing to sway him such an unevenness there is in a natural man Now this double-mindedness is opposed to singleness of heart when a man is resolved to chuse one in such a manner that he subjugates and leaves his choice and leaning to the other So it is when grace is come into the heart when it heals corruption it brings a man to such a pass that he chuseth the wayes of God he chuseth to serve God with all his heart with uprightness and he chuseth it in a fixed resolved manner And though he may be byassed and drawn aside through the weakness and sickness that is left yet behind yet I say he is pitched upon one object therefore he is not said to have the inconstancy of kind he is not instable in his wayes so that though he may be sometimes carried out of his way yet because he hath set himself wholly to serve the Lord we may say that he hath a single heart for grace doth not take away all unevennes The holiest men that have the most grace yet that grace is subject to ebbing and flowing it is sometimes in a greater degree somtimes in a less You see a bowl that is cast out of a mans hand so far as the strength of the man lasts it carries the bowl along to the place which he aims at notwithstanding the bias be at it were contrary so it is here the bias of corruption that is left within us is not quite cut off or taken away but yet the strength of grace with which the soul is first acted it keeps us along and carries us in the wayes of righteousness notwithstanding that biass that is within us that inclines to the contrary Hence it is that sometimes the Saints are carried aside in their wayes with some unevenness but it is the unevenness of degrees I say not the unevenness of kind This I add that as we should exclude those that have no grace notwithstanding they have some good intentions towards God so we must be careful that we discourage not those that have some failing and some expressions of their corruptions yet the bent of their soul is set aright This then is one thing wherein you shall see the evident power of grace when it is in the heart it heales the hereditary diseases of the heart Therefore let every man examine himself by that whether that grace which is in him hath so much power in it as to cure those natural diseases whereunto he is subject Now I say it doth not onely cure the diseases of the soul but it elevates and raiseth common nature to do more then that which otherwise it could do That is herein the power of grace is seen that it makes you able to do that which no man else can do and that which thou thy self couldest never do before As for example for a man to delight in the commandments of God it is more then any natural man in the world can do because delight as we say ariseth from a suitableness in the subject to the object Now unless there be a suitableness between the wayes of God and the heart of a man there cannot possibly be any delight in the
wayes of God It is one thing to approve the wayes of God and another thing to delight in them Other men that are but civil men may approve the wayes of God but they cannot delight in them this is more then a natural man can reach unto If therefore thou find this in thee be assured the strength of grace is there So to love God we find that peculiar to the Saints that is more then any hypocrite in the world can do if any man therefore find that grace so strong in him that it makes his heart cleave to the Lord wholly and long after him that he loves him and seekes his face that he loves him not for other respects but beholding him in his person in his attributes and in all his excellencies he can love him above all things this no man by nature can attain to And so to hate sin no man by nature can hate sin but by the power of grace for all hatred ariseth from contrary and onely grace is contrary to sin it is grace that makes a man a sin hater It is possible for another man sometimes to fall out with sin and to abstain from some particular acts of sin but to hate sin no man can do it naturally For there is no man that hates any thing but he hates the whole kind thereof as the sheep hates the wolf therefore it hates every wolf And again hatred we know is implacable when a man is angry he is reconciled again sometimes but when a man hates a thing he would have it quite taken away Now no man is able to do this but by the power of grace to hate all sin every where in himself as well as in others to hate it so as to desire to have it utterly destroyed and to be implacably out with it so as never again to be reconciled to it This is the property of grace This thou hast that thou hatest the works of the Nicholaitans We are deceived in that when we think we hate sinne because we abstain from some acts of sinne if thou didst hate it thou wouldest hate it every where and every kind of sin Thou wouldest not onely fall out with it when it doth thee a shrewd turn but thou wouldest be out with it for ever When a man finds that he can hate sin that he can love God and delight in his Commandements and love the Saints c. these are things that no man can do by nature therefore if thou find these things there is more in thee then nature herein is the strength of grace seen Now it is true there are other things which a man may do which hath not this saving grace but grace hath this efficacy that it makes thee do more then any man will or can do by common nature As for example wheresoever the power of grace is it makes a man deny himself whereas another man would not it will make a man refuse gain and profit and advantage to himself when another man would not it makes a man able to forgive his enemies which before he could not do But you will say other men may do this that have no grace But they never do it in sincerity here is the difference grace makes a man do it ordinarily in his common course another man may have some fits in these things but to do it when a man is himself to do it upon deliberation this is the strength of grace therefore you may try your selves by that Am I able to do more then common nature can do if thou canst not be sure that grace is not there for is there not an efficacy and power in grace and why should we say there is a power in it if we see not the effects of that power if thou do no more then another man can do thou givest just cause to those that are Atheists to think that this power of grace is but a meer notion but a fancy Is it thinkest thou for the honour of God that thou shouldest be reckoned a man within the Covenant and to be such a one as hath grace wrought in thy heart and have no power of grace in thy life Therefore examine thy self by that canst thou do more then a man can do by the strength of natural abilities or by the accession of moral vertues or good education or humane wisdom c This is the first thing wherein the power of grace is seen I named three to you We told you one is that it heals corrupt nature and raiseth common nature above its own sphear Now secondly that whereby you may examine whether you have this property of grace whether you have this strength of grace in you or no it is this Consider what you are able to do in the acts of new obedience the power of grace is seen that it enableth you to do them when another man cannot do them In the first we had to do with the nature and then I told you that grace heals corrupt nature and puts more into you then common nature This second thing is distinct from that and is seen in the actions And the third is seen in the intententions In these three the strength of grace is seen There is scarce any man but hath some good intentions some good purposes but when they come to the birth there is no strength to bring forth men are not able to perform them Now grace wheresoever it is hath so much strength as not onely to beget good motions but it is powerful and effectuall to bring them forth into act Grace is an effectual Mid-wife to bring purposes and conceptions to performances enabling us to do them Therefore by that you may try it whether grace strengthen you to performance and practice that which you purpose and desire to do It is observed that your fennish and rotten ground suddenly shootes out a broad blade of grass but we know it is unprofitable to any man whereas good ground that brings forth good grass brings it not forth so suddenly nor so broad so those that have unsoundness of heart they may go so far as to have some sudden good purposes and desires and motions and conceptions but yâ—t they come to nothing they are but foggy purposes as it wâ—re they do not last they vanish away and what is the reason of that they want true rooting they want this grace that should strengthen them and make the soyl good There wants that depth of earth that is there wants that depth of sincerity and there wants that sound and convincing knowledge to carry them through all objections and that is the reason that men have good desires and yet so little performance Let his desires be never so good when he meets with stronger reasons and arguments from the flesh or the world or the devil he gives over because he hath no strength to answer them So that when we come to perform our desires it is grace that must give
that is but little they may take away my life but I make no account of it saith he if other men made as little account of these things as I do they would be as bold as I. Therefore I say now it is a time for a man to stir up his strength to be willing to part with these things when actions come that have hazzard accompanying them and opposition and persecution and resistance from this temptation and from that Now be strong in the Lord Ephes. 6. When there comes temptations if any thing be to be suffered be strong to endure it If any thing be to be done be strong to go through with it if be any special duty be strong wrestle with the Lord as Iacob did in distresse there was his course stir up thy strength at that time and wrestle with all thy strength So if â—he businesse be to contend for the common truth and faith a man must be strong what though it be accompanied with hazzard this is a time for a man to stir up his strength that is one case A second is in all great changes of estate for that is a time when a man should stir up his strength because then a man is most apt to be weak That is if a man â—alâ— into great crosses and afflictions and adversities and again if he be raised to prosperity more then ordinary now 〈◊〉 him be strong that is let him look to himself and take heed now that his heart be not broken by the one nor puffed up with the other now is the time for a man to be strong upon these great changes As the body of a man when he comes into a strange Countrey to change of diet and air he is affected with it it works upon him so the soul of a man in all great changes of estate that it falls into cannot but be affected with them Therefore the Scripture calls it drunkennesse A man may be drunk with prosperity and adversity and a man is apt to be so that is when a man is drunk his brain is weak and the beer or wine is strong so when the heart of a man is weak and the operation is strong the estate that falls on him is strong it makes him drunk both wayes A man is drunk with prosperity one while another while with adversities this is a time to be strong As the Apostle expresseth it Phil. 4. I am able to want and to abound to pass through good report and evil report That is now in this great change if you talk of strength I am able to do all things through strength from Christ. A man in an even condition it is nothing for him to keep his minde in an even temper but in the unevenness of a mans condition now to keep his minde equally disposed that is the difficulty And it is not onely difficult in that which riseth from the unevenness of a mans estate but the suddenness of the change When a sudden change comes look to thy self be strong As we say of the body it is a rule of Physicians it indures not sudden changes no more can the minde but it is apt to be disquieted and put out of temper As when a man hath had a great heat and sudden cold comes when a man is in one condition and suddenly comes into another now is the time to stir up strength That is the second Thirdly and lastly there are certain seasons and opportunities wherein a man is called to exercise such and such a grace now is the time when we must be strong to put that grace in practice Sometimes there is a season of using the grace of patience sometimes of love sometimes of temperance sometimes one grace sometimes another whensoever these seasons and opportunities come now put forth these graces and let them have their perfect work every grace in his season That is the time now when a man is to stir up his strength in those opportunities and turnings of a mans life Such things fall out every day now one grace is to be used and then another now be careful to stir them up as we see 2 Pet. 1. 5. when a man hath one grace saith the Apostle let him add one to another Therefore give all diligence thereto join vertue with faith and with faith knowledge and with knowledge temperance with temperance patience with patience godliness with godliness brotherly kindness with brotherly kindness love That is suppose saith the Apostle thou hast faith perhaps there iâ— need of more then that there comes seasons when thou art to do good works to add works to thy faith therefore remember in such a case to join vertue to it for vertue is taken here for action a readiness in a man to perform to bring that faith into use But when you are set on work perhaps it may be a difficult case to know what a man in discretion should do in this ambiguous case therefore add knowledge and prudence to guide and direct you in that you do but when you have gotten prudence and know what is to be done then add to knowledge temperance It may be a man may know well enough what to do but he is drawn aside with some pleasure and lust for it is usual for a man to know but because he is byassed the wrong way with some inordinate affection he performs not that 〈◊〉 knows therefore saith the Apostle now is the season to add temperance to knowledge to abstain from those things And besides as pleasures are a means on the one side to keep him from the practise of what he knows so there are likewise some dangers and difficulties somewhat that a man is to suffer When a good action is to be done a men shall find many crosses and oppositions somewhat he must part with therefore add not temperance onely but patience that is a time for patience or else he cannot do any thing to purpose When both these are done joyn with patience godliness A man may do much and join temperance and patience but these are moral vertues a man may do them for other ends he may be a good servant but he may serve a wrong Master therefore saith he eye God in all you do join to these godliness do it out of sincerity advance him and his glory and do it not for your own ends and with godliness brotherly kindness that is that the work and business you do though it must be done to the Lord for his sake and so you must do it in a godly manner yet your business is with men for the most part therefore you must join with godliness brotherly kindness that you do it out of love to men as well as out of sincere respect to God I but there are other men in the world besides godly men and we have to do with them and there are many businesses to do for their sake and advantage therefore saith the Apostle
add to brotherly kindness love that is love to all mankind that when you do any action he means actions of mercy and compassion you must do it out of love to them though they be strangers from the Covenant of grace Now mark these are the times and seasons wherein a man is to stir up the strength of all these graces you see they come in season one after another Put case a man exercise one and leave another unexercised in its season there is a deformity and want when a man useth other graces and not temperance suppose a man will do any thing but when he is to suffer he will baulk the way because of the Cross he is loath to suffer he wants patience here is a thing wherein his weakness is seen therefore be strong that is in every thing in the practice of all the graces we receive that they may have their perfect work Well the use of this in a word is To put us in mind of our duty and to quicken us that we may all remember what person we sustain what we have to do for what end we come into the world and to do it for that which the Apostle saith here to Timothy we have all need to have it repeated to us and to be put in mind of it upon every occasion Now be strong to do this and this for all the actions of a mans life are divided into these two main heads Either they are such actions as are bestowed in gathering strength as when we pray keep the Sabbaoth and read and are occupied in holy duties now our business is to gather strength But now there are other actions that stand in converse in doing the business and works of our calling when we are to grapple with troubles and temptations when we fall upon change of our estate c. these are times of spending and not of gathering these are times to use strength now we must be as carefull to use our strength as to gather it we must be as careful to stir up our strength as the Apostle saith to Timothy Thou my Son be strong in the Lord we must stir up our strength I say we have need to be called upon for you must not think that the Lord doth all It is true he puts life in us but when we have life once then we may move and stir our selves he kindles the sacrifice from heaven at first but when the sacrifice is kindled when you have got fire you must keep it alive and blow it up and put fuel to it Therefore Iude 20. build up Edifie your selves It is true the Lord first layes the foundation he first layes us upon the corner stone he begins the building but when it is begun we must not think that it belongs onely to the Minister to build us up or to the Lord to build us up but we must edifie our selves that is we must still be adding to the building now one stone and then another so we have the building of grace going up in our hearts this should stir us up to use our strength And this is a matter of special moment the rather because all the graces we have otherwise are flitting habits in the soul. Some things we have that are altogether for use as money it is all for use if a man use it not he were as good not to have it And physick if a man have the best receipts and cordials if he use them not he were as good not to have them and so skill in a Trade if a man do not use it he were as good not to have it Of this nature is grace all the end of grace is for use the end of every habit is for action as we know not the Tree but by the fruit Now consider if the end of all the strength and grace we have be but for action that it may be stirred up Then you should not onely busie your selves in gathering strength but let half your thoughts at least be occupied in considering how shall I spend this strength use these graces To be on the thriving hand is good or else thou wilt have no strength to spend yet that is the special thing The rather because it is a general fault among us it is an old complaint we learn more for knowledge and dispute then for living That is when you come to hear you are glad of notions and there is delight in them and perhaps we add to our knowledge and perhaps some habitual strength too we add to that we had before but you must learn to live he that hath knowledge must learn to bring it into practice especially you that are able to do it Some cannot pray but you that can pray converse profitably stir up your own hearts to it when you are in company You neglect this and live as if you had not such grace wrought in you as if you were not regenerate as if you had not tasted of the powers of the world to come I say it is a shame for you therefore your business is now to stir up your selves to this And to help you in that I will briefly name to you some helps You must know that there is an essential power whereby a man is strong and able if he will put his strength to it to do of himself And besides this there is a certain energy an ability present as of body or mind ready at every turn to do holy actions Therefore if you ask how you shall do this how you shall bring this habitual power to this readiness and nimbleness I say exercise your selves to godliness Use makes perfect in other things so in this the more a man accustoms himself the more his soul is ready to do every good action As the hand gets a habit to play on the Lute or in writing or other things that are done with the hand by often applying it self to the work so the soul when it often applies it self to such actions it turns it self into it it gets readiness and nimbleness Therefore be ready to do it upon all occasions with facility and delight upon all sudden opportunities It fashions a man as it is said 2 Tim. 2. 21. as a vessel prepared to every good work The meaning is this that even as you see a vessel is fitted for such a turn as a spoon or a salt or a cup c. as there are variety of vessels so they are fitted for such a turn or use so a Christian should be a vessel fitted for good works Now this vessel is not fitted on the sudden but is moulded every day more and more and is brought to a better and better fashion and as it is fashioned more so it is readier to its proper work Now it is this suiting and applying your selves to good works that makes you ready If a vessel be not fit for the turn it will not do the business
strong and relie on him and then that will strengthen and stablish your hearts And here before we euter into conflict with trouble take heed that we do not strengthen our selves in other things this breeds a man much vexation of spirit in the day of fear and danger because he gives his heart to rely upon a broken staff the arm of flesh and when these come to break and disappoint him he falls to the ground Therefore my brethren however we be provided in regard of second means against the time of tryal as for example it may be we have healthfull bodies good estates and are full of friends in this countrey and in forreign countreys where we may betake our selves whatever may happen yet we must look on these things as David did on his sword and his bow when he went to the battel I will not trust in my bow my sword shall not helpe me Mark he sayth not that his bow should help him or his sword deliver him Now surely David knew what his sword was and what his bow could do but before he set out he gave these his good word he made sure before hand that these should not be his strength and if he did overcome they should not carry the praise and thanks of it but he would be sure to reserve these for the Lord which were his due So we should do in other things though we have this and that means to support and sustain our selves take heed that we be not strong in these for these will deceive us You know though a man of himself be never so weak and frail a creature as indeed our hearts being conscious and privy we are but earthen vessels very brittle capable of troubles and sorrowes and many paines and much bitterness and we have but little power to withstand them now this is a cause of trembling and fear But suppose we were weaker then we are and frailer yet notwithstanding if we have one to assist us and second us and stand by us that is able enough as able as we desire this makes us partakers of that strength As for example a feather or any light thing that is easiest tossed with the wind if it be tied fast to a rock it partakes of the same firmness and stability with the rock So we though we be never so frail and easily tossed up and down with the storms of afflictions and troubles in the world yet if we bind our selves with cords to the Lord the Scripture pronounceth such to be a rock constant It is a metaphor that Christ useth Look to the tract of the ancient fathers the patriarches and other servants of God where they found the Lord we shall be sure to find him he stands still he is a rock now as he was at the foundation of the world Now then there are two things to be considered that will help us to do this to be strong in the might of the Lord. First Consider what God hath done how he hath dealt with others in this case when they were under temptations when they were in the point and heat of tryal Look in Psalm 22. there are diverse places in that Psalm to this purpose I will onely name them Not far from the beginning Our Fathers trusted upon thee and thou heardest them and they were delivered And so in the verse following there is a place to the like purpose they cryed to thee and thou deliveredest them they trusted on thee and were not confounded This was one means whereby David got this strength of the Lord because the Lord always dealt so with other of his servants all those trusted in thee and were delivered They made thee their strength they were strong in thee and they found thy strength to support them And so in other places Psal. 119. 53. you shall find such a place David was greatly perplexed and troubled much but saith he yet nevertheless I called to mind the dayes of old and was comforted within me So I comforted my self by calling to mind the dayes of old This is a great matter of comfort and a reason why we should be strong in the Lord because the Lord hath alway done so for others there was never any that went away disappointed but sped of that they sought for Now if a man should hear a report of a fountain that were excellent to cure such diseases the man before he goes perhaps he hath no great conceit or opinion of it but yet he will try but all the way as he goes he meets with companies that come running one after another and they tell him that they went as diseased as he and he hears no news to the contrary at any hand but they all agree that they are perfectly sound this man will not imagine his case to be worse then the rest So brethren if you lock back and consider all the examples of the children of God in all ages if you hear but of one man that trusted in the Lord and was not delivered and supported then let all this fall to the ground let all we have said be accounted nothing but if the Lord have never disappointed any let it be acknowledged as a truth and encourage us to come to him Again more particularly consider what he hath done for us since we knew him and were acquainted with him since we came under his Government and protection I make no question but he that hath had the hardest measure hethat hath felt the worst since he came into the world yet he hath had some pledge of Gods mercy and favour towards him Now this course we ought to take at all times when we receive any favour as a pledge of Gods love we should lay it up in our store-house and treasury For the pledges of Gods love there is a double use to be made of them Carnal natural men go without that which is best and most comfortable for the present use it may be what they take that is welcom for God delivers them out of sicknesse out of fear c. to a better estate and favour Now a godly man besides the present comfort should lay up the things themselves For there will be a day and time of necessity when we shall need these comforts to strengthen our hearts For alwayes the Lord deals not alike he gives not alway a full cup now it is necessary that a man should be provided with grounds of comfort for a day of need In Luke 9 44. there is a notable place Christ there wrought a great miracle he cast out a devil and when the work was done he comes to his Disciples and bids them make this use of it Lay or put these words Let these sayings sink down into your ears When they were all amazed at the mighty power of God at the power of Christ that had wrought this miracle in dispossessing a devil but when they wondred every one at the thing that Jesus did
and that a man doth easily but to seek the things of Jesus Christ that is above nature and then there must be much intention a man must have something in him to move him to mind it most and above all other things When a boat goes against the streame and against the wind you know there must be much labour to drive it on So to seek the things of Christ it being above the the stream of nature there must be anintention from above you must beseech God to keep it in the intention of your hearts Now again to these two when a man hath given up himself to Christ and when he doth mind it and intend it and pray for it you must add to this faith without which no man can do it for this objection presently cometh what must I seek the things of Jesus Christ and not mine own what will then become of me how shall I provide for my self or for my family and those that depend upon me Now there must be faith to give this answer the Lord will provide for thee For till a man think that there is another that hath will and power to take care for him and to provide for him it is impossible that he should seek the the things of that other but believe this once that God will take care for thee and then thou wilt be content to deney thy self As if a Master should say to his servant be you diligent in my service I will take care for your meat and drink and clothing and when your apprentiship is out I will give you sufficient to live upon if the servant believe this he will be willing to neglect all other things and to seek his Masters profit and to intend his Masters business So here we should seek the things of Jesus Christ for saith he I will provide for you I will take care for you you shall want nothing in this present life you shall have all things necessary and when your appentiship is at an end I will provide an inheritance for you If you will believe these things and these promises you will then seek the things of Jesus Christ and not your own things You have a promise for this Mat. 6. seek ye first the Kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof that is mind this one thing seek not your own things seek the Kingdom of God and then all things else shall be ministred unto you that is God will undertake to provide for you the things of this life you shall have enough of them Now to believe this promise this faith in the promise is that which prepares and enables the heart not to seek its owne things but the things of Christ. Now you must have not onely faith in the promise but faith in the providence of God for a man may believe the promise but because he doth not believe the particular providence of God that he is not onely able but that he doth bring things to pass and that all things are guided by him he is ready to doubt and to fear a loss if he seek the things of Jesus Christ. As Iacob and Rebecka they had both faith in the promise but because they had not a faith in the particular providence of God about the bestowing of the blessing therefore we know how they missed So Moses had faith in the promise that God would provide meat for a moneths time but he knew not how therefore you see how many objections he brought shall all the fishes of the sea be brought together and all the beasts of the field c. Therefore I say put these together when a man hath faith in both that is in the promise of God and in the particular providence of God that enableth a man not to seek his own things You shall see them joyned together 2 Tim. 3. for I know saith the Apostle whom I have trusted and I am perswaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed to him to that day Mark it as if he should say do not wonder at me that I am willing to lose my liberty and my ease or to endure so much cold and nakedness to expose my self to so many perills as I do for I trust God I believe God I have committed my safety and my life and my health and all that belongeth to me to him and I know he is able to keep it So I say now when you are about any business of Christ in which there is any difficulty or any hardness or any likelyhood of losing any thing except thou believe the particular providence of God and canst commit that which thou hast to God and say I dare trust him and I know that he will keep it for me thou wilt never be able to deny thy self and to do the things of Jesus Christ but if thou think that what thou losest for God God will keep it for thee thou wilt say thus wiâ—h thy self I will commit this unto God I know it shall be reserved for me and therefore whatsoever becomes of these things I will do the work I will do the business of Christ I will imploy my self in his service this makes a man bold in the most difficult cases So David I will lay me down saith he and sleep because the Lord sustaineth me That is I care not for any thing I have committed my self and my safety and all unto God and therefore when his heart was quieted and setled upon this that he knew whâ—m he had trusted he had faith in God in his promise and in his providence he had ground enough for rest This is the third thing that prepares us to give up our selves to Jesus Christ. Now fourthly Wee must adde to our faith Love for Love enableth a man to seek the things of Jesus Christ. Therefore 1 Cor. 13. it is said that Love seeketh not her own things If you would bring your hearts not to seek your own things but the things of Christ get Love That is you must know that self-love seeks its own things and the more self-love is in any man the more respect he hath to himself the more he seeks his own things which tend to his own advantage but the love of another makes a man seek the things of another it makes a man bountiful as Saint Paul saith I am ready to be bestowed for your sakes And therefore you have that saying that love edâ—fieth that is it makes the magistrate to take care for the good of the people the Minister for his charge c. The Mother and the nurse where they love you see what pains they take what neglect they expresse of themselves and all that they may do good to the Child for that is the nature of love And therefore when we do not seek the things of Christ it is an argument that we want the love of Christ and the love of God You see the
Apostle Paul 2 Cor. 5. he gives this reason why he sought the things of Christ with the neglect of himself The Love of Christ constraineth me saith he As if he should say though I undergoe much scorn and discredit and losse in the world yea I am content to be thought to be out of my wits to be accounted any thing for the love of Christ constraineth me that is it makes me ready to do any thing seeing it is for Christ and his advantage I am willing to be so accounted of Now how came he to this love of Christ why thus we judge saith he that if Christ died for us c. So that if you would bring your hearts not to seek your own things but the things of Jesus Christ you must labour to have your hearts enflamed with the love of Christ and that you may do so use the means that Saint Paul layeth down he died for me he is worthy of it he deserves it of me he hath done this and this for me therefore there is reason I should no longer live to my selâ— therefore there is reason I should seek his things that I should do his work Thus to stir up our hearts to love the Lord Jesus is the means â—o prepare us to seek him And so you see the business we have to do we are to seek the things of the Lord Jesus willingly diligently and faithfully And also what it is that prepares and disposeth the heart so to do First to give up our selves to Christ. Secondly to labor to have it kept in the purpose of our hearts Thirdly to have faith in the promises and providence of God Lastly to have Love to the Lord Jesus And so much for this point and for this time PRAYERS PREVALENCY 2 CHRON. 32. 24 25. And in those dayes Hezekias was sick unto the death and he prayed to the Lord who spake to him and gave him a sign but Hezekias did not render according to the mercies bestowed upon him but his heart was lifted up and wrath came upon Israel WE made some entrance into these words in the morning In those dayes Hezekiah was sick to the death Those words we have done withall And he prayed to the Lord hence we observed this That Prayer is the chief means to obtain any thing at Gods hands It was the means whereby Hezekiah obtained his recovery when he was sick to the death So it is a general rule that prayer is the chiefest means of all other to obtain any thing at Gods hands The reasons of it we gave in the morning we came to apply it And the first Use was this If it be the chiefest means of all other therefore we should learn to esteem of our prayers more then we do to set them at a higher rate to know what the efficacy of prayer is When prayers are performed in a customary negligent manner when men think it may be they will be answered and it may be they will not it may be they will do them good it may be not no marvel if they misse of the effect If men did believe that prayer were so effectual to bring their enterprizes to passe they would surely be more frequent and fervent in this duty We shewed you in the morning what the efficacy of prayer was we purpose to repeat nothing Onely there is an objection or two that we will answer and so passe from this point First This may be objected how can prayer be so effectual a means to obtain any thing at Gods hands when the Lord is purposed to do what he will do and how can the intreaty of a weak man change the purpose of God or altar his mind he knows what we have need of before-hand before we ask and God is subject to no alteration To this I answer It is true when we seek to the Lord by prayer he is not changed by any of our petitions that we make to him but the change is wrought upon us because we are made more fit to receive mercy from him then before we were As for example When a patient desires his Physician to give him a cordial to give him some restoring physick something that is pleasant to him The Physician delayes and defers he will not for the present hearken to his request at length he doth it Why is it not because the Physician is altered but because there is an alteration in the patient he is now purged and vomitted his body is cleansed and so made fit to receive the cordial therefore the Physician yields to his request there is some suitablenesse now between him and the physick which he requires there is no alteration in the Physician but in the patient So when we seek any thing at Gods hands we do not cause him to alter his mind but there is a change wrought in us so that when we think we bring God to us by our prayers we rather bring our selves to God That is when we contend with God in prayer and use arguments to perswade him those arguments perswade our selves to repentance to faith to more obedience and willingnesse to serve him and so our hearts are drawn more near to him when we think we draw God near to us in this action we draw our selves near to him and when our hearts are drawn near to him when our faith is strengthened by the arguments that we use then the Lord is moved to do that which before he was not moved to do Not because he is altered or any way changed but because the change is in us we are more fit to receive the mercy that we beg for then before Again Secondly it may be objected many obtain mercies and blessings at Gods hands without prayer therefore it seemes that prayer is not so great a means to obtain mercies because they are ours sometimes without prayer I answer it is true men may have and have usually many great mercies bestowed upon them without prayer but there is a great deal of difference because that mercy which is obtained by prayer it comes with a blessing and it comes by vertue of the promise that the Lord hath made And it is one thing to receive the same mercy in a way of blessing and another thing to receive it iâ—…n ordinary course The same comfort may come to one man with a blessing and may be conveyed to another man with a curse There is a two-fold way of Gods bestowing of mercies One is when he conveyes them to a man by vertue of a promise Another is when he bestowes them by a common providence When God dispenseth mercies by a common providence thou must not think thy self to be such a gainer in the receiving of such a mercy when thou hast not sought the Lord for it it may be thou hast more cause to judge thy self better in the want of that mercy Ahab had been better to have wanted a vineyard Ieroboam
to beseige Ierusalem upon the Covenant that they made with the Lord though it were feigned the Lord drew him back and set them at liberty but afterward because they did not keep their promise and observe the Covenant that they had made the Lord sent him the second time and destroyed them utterly Do we know what the Lord will do yet further The Lord hath removed this sickness but who knows whether he may not send a greater then this if we do not render according to the mercies received although the sickness be removed yet be assured that there is wrath out and it will seize upon us Indeed it is possible to defer it and to stay it yet if we do not render to the Lord if we do not humble our selves we have cause to fear that there is not an end In 2 Chron. 7. 14. See what conditions the Lord requires when he will heale a land indeed If my people humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turne from their evill wayes then I will hear in heaven c. Marke it The Lord never heals a land to purpose he never heals the wound to the bottom but when their sins are healed and forgiven when the disease is taken away till men turne from their evill wayes till they seek the Lords face and his presence till men be humbled aright till they do thus their healing is but a skinning of the wound it will break out again Therefore we must not think that all is past because the Lord hath removed it for the present he may send the sword and a greater plague and therefore we are to consider this and no man is to put it off God observes how every man is affected with these works of his he that doth not consider but neglect it he takes the name of God in vain In a special manner I say the Lord observes this how men behave themselves at such times whether they do more for him then they were used to do These great actions of the Lord ought not to be passed by negligently but he expects great answering of such great mercies But you will say wherein doth this rendring to the Lord according to the mercies received consist What is this thankfulnesse I answer as it is said of love so it may be said of thankfulness it must not be in word onely but in deed and in truth Not but that it must be in word Psal. 107. It is required that we confesse the loving kindnesse of the Lord before men we should be ready to speak of it but that is not all it must be indeed and in truth And that consists in two things One is that our hearts be affected with the mercies and loving kindness of the Lord that the heart be enlarged towards the Lord with love and fear of his holy Name For when a man doth kindness to another that which winneth love is to consider the bountifulness of the mans disposition When we observe the Lords patience and long-suffering this should teach us the knowledge of the Lord and this should make us consider what a God he is that so his mercies may cause us to love him and that thereby our hearts may be enlarged towards him So David in Psal. 18. I love the Lord for he hath done thus and thus c. This is to be thankful indeed when our hearts are affected towards God when we think the better of the Lord for therein Davids affections were right that he was still speaking good of the Lord more and more he is worthy saith he to be praised So when we learn to trust the Lord he hath done thus and thus therefore we will trust him And when our hearts remember the Lord when we think of him continually And secondly as one part stands in this in the affection of the heart so likewise in our actions then we are thankful to the Lord indeed when we do something for him when our thankfulness is not a thing consisting onely in fancy and notion and imagination but when it produceth action and when we do the works of the Lord more abundantly When a man will set his thoughts on work to study what he may do or what he can do for the Lord. And when he shall do this not onely for the reward to come for that gives not a lustre to the action but it proceeds from thankfulnesse indeed when a man doth that which he doth because the Lord hath done thus and thus for him therefore he will serve him Herein our thankfulnesse is seen when we do something really because it is for the Lord. Saint Paul as he abounded in thankfulnesse so he abounded in labour Iacob because the Lord had heard him he would give him the Tenth of his goods and the Lord should be his God So when we have received special mercies we should do some special thing for God some extraordinary thing to pray more to be more frequent and fervent to be at more cost for the Lord upon such occasions to be more exact in reforming our lives and more fearful of offending God In a word as the Lord enlargeth himself in mercies to us so our hearts should be enlarged to him to do as much as may be And thus our thankfulnesse is exprest when we have opportunity when ever men come in place and occasions wherein they have opportunity to do service to God now to venture more to be more zealous for his sake to be more solicitous to do something to be more intent for the glory of God this is to be thankful according to the mercies received a man must set his thoughts on work to do something extraordinary when there is an extraordinary mercy bestowed To help us now to do this is to remove that which hinders it You shall see what hindred Hezekiah His heart was lifted up he did not render according to the mercies received from the Lord for his heart was lifted up In this there are three things First his heart was lifted up to other things to minde them and it was not lift up to the Lord to think of him and to serve him So that there was forgetfulnesse in him that is one thing intended when a man shall lift up his heart to other things to minde other things to do other things his heart forgets the Lord. Therefore the Lord when he would have his mercies remembered he appoints something to keep them in mind He hath appoynted the Sacrament of the Lords Supper do this in remembrance of me The passeover was appoynted to be taught to their Children that when they should ask them what they did meane by such a thing they should tell them that the Lord had delivered them out of the land of Egypt Forgetfulness is the cause of unthankfulness therefore to remember the mercies of the Lord is one thing that helps us to be thankful that is to observe the passages of his providence towards us