seems to hide himself or withdraw himself from our souls withholding either his quickening or his comforting Spirit yet trust still You that walk in darknesse and see no light Trust in the Name of the Lord and rest upon your God Isa 50.10 Trust in God in the darkest night of Desertion cast anchor there as the Apostle did What though the soul were as dark as Hell yet God can make it as light as Heaven That God that caused light to shine out of darkness can also shine into our dark hearts What though there bee nothing within thee nothing without thee nothing round about thee to comfort thee yet there is something above thee Cast anchor in Heaven there 's an Almighty God to stay thy soul upon The Name of the Lord is a sufficient prop and rock to rest upon in any condition The Name of the Lord is a strong Tower the Righteous flye to it and is exalted Prov. 18.10 or is in safety There 's safety in the Tower when all other sorts and Bulwarks are gone when Out-works are taken and Walls are scaled there is yet safety in the Tower So here when all Out-works are gone when all our Evidences seem to bee gone when nothing appears to comfort us yet the Name of the Lord is a strong Tower to flye to a rock to rest on whereupon being exalted wee are delivered from danger and set out of gun-shot Hence wee read the Name of the Lord opposed to all staies and props which Faith had to rest on Isa 50.10 Hee that walks in darkness and hath no light let him trust in the Name of the Lord and stay upon his God Here is such a bottom for Faith to rest upon that if Faith should fail All God would fail with it His Mercy His Truth His Wisdome His Power c. Let us then cast anchor here and wait till the time of refreshment come wait till all storms and clouds bee blown over Light is sown for the Righteous and joy for the upright in heart But wee must wait with the Husbandman with patience till the crop bee throughly ripe Thou must not look for clear day so soon as thou hast taken shelter nor a calm so soon as thou hast cast anchor but there thou must abide ride at anchor wait till the time of Refreshment shall come from the Lord. Godly security and apprehension of safety do not ever attend the act of Faith at the heels To trust is the act of Faith and apprehended security is the fruit of beleeving and therefore comes not till afterwards Here is thy comfort as was said before if thou diest whilst thou lyest at anchor having anchored on this rock thou dyest in the ship not in the Sea thou dyest in the Covenant and there is safety though the storm never cease Thy condition is safe and secure though thou do not yet apprehend the safety and security of it Never soul miscarried in a trusting way There is not one example in the Word no not one in the World where ever man trusted in God and was ashamed Psal 22.4 5. Our Fathers trusted in thee They trusted and were delivered God hath ingaged himself hee hath not only set the Sun and the Moon and Stars to pawn not only Heaven and Earth but even himself too Hee hath ingaged his Truth his Mercy his Promise his Wisdome and Power to save and keep them who trust in him All Heaven would sink if that soul that truly leans and trusts in God should miscarry 6. In case of outward Calamity not only Personal but National Other Nations God hath dealt withal as with Jerusalem Hee turned them upside down as a Dish and wiped them 2 King 21.13 Indeed wee have injoyed Peace and Plenty Peace with Plenty and Plenty with Peace How many ships deep laden with Mercy hath the stream of the Gospel brought to our shore But yet our sins may give us occasion to suspect the water heating for us Rods are preparing for us except wee return Would you then bee safe in the evil day Trust in the Lord. Hee that trusts in the Lord Mercy shall compass him about Psal 32.10 Hee shall bee begirt with Mercy Mercy shall imbrace him on every side As Faith doth compass Mercy so Mercy compasseth Faith As the Beleever imbraces Mercy so Mercy imbraces him Hee shall bee begirt with Mercy And not Mercy only but all Gods attributes are for him As whilst a man is an Unbeleever all God is against him All the Power of God the Wisdome of God the Justice of God is against him so if one bee a Beleever all is for him Faith makes all God ours his Mercy ours his Power his Justice c. As Jehoshaphat said to Ahab I am as thou art and my people as thy people 2 Chron. 18.3 So God to a beleeving soul all hee is or hath is for its use Faith doth initiate us into Covenant with God And there being a Covenant All God is for us Well then Let this exhort us all to bee resolute and peremptory in beleeving as Esther If I perish I perish in a beleeving way 3. Let this exhort us to grow up in Trust to grow to Perfection There is a Perfection 1. Of Nature 2. Of Degrees All Beleevers have the same Perfection of Faith for kind but all have not the same Perfection of degrees Well then You have that Perfection in the kind labour for this Perfection of degrees also Grow up from trust of Affiance to the trust of Assurance Let us not ever bee staggering and doubting but come to some grounded perswasion of Gods Love labour to bee rooted and grounded in love labour to work out all doubts and fears whereby wee dishonour God wrong our selves 1. Weakening our Faith 2. Hindring our growth 3. Disabling our selves to work 4. Discouraging our selves in our Christian way 5. Gratifying Satan And let us labour to grow up to higher measures in Beleeving Many incouragements might bee named 1. The more thou growest in Faith the more thou growest in the love and favour of God the more thou win'st his Love There is nothing in the World doth so much win Gods favour as a great degree of Faith Abraham was therefore called the friend of God And therefore though thou mayest bee saved with a less degree yet if thou wouldest grow more in Gods favour grow more in Faith 2. The more Faith the more Grace the more love of God the more Hope the more Patience the more Courage Obedience Repentance Humility Thou weak Christian if thou desirest more brokenness of heart for sin more love to God c. Why the way is to strengthen thy Faith 3. The more Faith the more spiritual Comfort the more Peace Joy and consolation These are the fruits of Faith 4. The more Faith the more strength to prevail with God in Prayer And therefore let this put you on to labour for the increase of Faith Grow from Faith to Faith In Temporals
sinne and therefore because hee sins in aeterno sui hee is punished in eterno Dei. So I may say of a godly man if hee should live for ever hee would sorrow for ever His sorrow is infinite in desire and affection though finite in the act and expression of it And indeed a bounded a stinted sorrow is no sorrow Hee whose heart and eyes do dry up together whose expression in tears and affections of sorrow do end together though hee had wept a sea of tears hee hath not yet mourned for sin As I told you last day that a Sincere heart doth rise up praying from Prayer so hee goes away weeping from weeping with a weeping heart when his eyes are dry Godly sorrow hath affections of mourning when the expressions of mourning ceaseth because every drop of tears doth arise from a sea of tears within As every act of faith doth arise from a beleeving disposition a habit of faith within so every expression of sorrow from an affection of sorrow in the spirit every drop of tears from a spring and fountain of tears within the soul Hence wee read 1 Sam. cap. 7. vers 6. where their sorrow is expressed by this phrase They drew water as out of a well as out of a spring and poured out before the Lord Their eyes did not empty so fast as their heart filled Their eyes could not poure it forth so fast as their hearts did yeild it up All their expressions of mourning were less than their affections of mourning And shall I now tell you though your sorrow may bee sincere and yet not proportionable to the measure of sin yet your sorrow cannot bee sincere if not proportionable to the merit of Sin if it be not infinite sorrow infinite I say in the desire and affection though not in the act and expression And alas how few there are Sincere mourners you that are sturdy Sinners you dry eyed Sinners you hard hearted Sinners when was the time you have thus mourned for sin wee see your sinnings every day but who hears of your repentings wee hear of your drunkennesse your swearing your lying your gaming your dicing and revelling even till the morning watch upon the Lords day but wee hear not of your repentings In stead of that wee hear of your new sinning you adde Sin to Sin not repenting to sinning As it was said of Herod that hee added this to all his wickedness that hee shut up John in Prison this was the great aggravation of his sin this fill'd his measure hee added this to all So there are some who will adde this to all their sins that adde this to all their drunkenness their swearing gaming revelling to persecute and evilly intreat those who are Gods messengers to them Take heed of thus adding drunkennesse to thirst and malice and rage to drunkennesse lest Gods wrath and jealousie smoak against such excesses Deut. 29.19 20. 5 Character Sincere mourning is a faithfull mourning So much faith so much sincere mourning so much godly sorrow They are like the fountain and the flood the one arises no higher than the other In respect of donation faith and repentance are infused at the same instant of time though in respect of manifestation repentance goes before faith Faith being like the sap which is hid in the root more secret in the heart and repentance like the bud which is sooner discerned than faith both to a mans own self and others Yet in respect of the order of nature faith doth necessarily goe before repentance Nemo potâ—st agere paenitentiam nisi qui sperat de indulgentia As a legall faith before a legall sorrow so an evangelicall faith before an evangelicall sorrow No man can truely repent but hee who hath some hopes of pardon Well then sincere Repentance is a faithful Repentance such a Repentance as doth arise from Faith by which I mean not a legal Faith whereby a man beleeves the threatnings of the Law to bee true and hee guilty This is too low This may breed a vexing tumultuous turbulent slavish sorrow but not a godly sweet evangelical mourning But I mean here an evangelical Faith and yet not the Faith of assurance or the Faith of evidence this is too high There may bee godly sorrow sincere mourning in that soul which yet for the present wants the evidence and assurance of Gods love in Christ But such a Faith I mean which is the lowest spring of godly sorrow Whereby the soul is perswaded 1. Of the all-sufficiency of Gods Mercy and Christs Merits for the pardoning of sin 2. Of the freeness and willingness of God to pardon sin 3. And then throws it self upon the Mercy of God the grace of Christ for pardon and forgiveness Which though it appear to bee small yet it will cost you something before ever you reach this But now the mourning of an Hypocrite doth not arise from Faith but from sense either from some present sting or trouble of conscience or from some outward pressures upon the body And hence it comes to pass that his sorrow is not a constant sorrow while the trouble lasts the weight is upon him so long hee howles and cryes but if once the trouble bee blown over the Sky clears his mourning is done As Job saith of his praying will hee pray alwayes hee will not So I may say of his mourning will hee mourn alwayes hee will not When conscience wrings him when the heart is overwhelmed with trouble then hee falls a howling and crying but when the trouble is over hee wipes his eyes and mourns no more But now again hee whose sorrow doth arise from Faith hee doth not only mourn when conscience is troubled but when conscience is at peace Nay when the heart is fullest of peace and joy the eyes are biggest with tears when the pearle of joy is in the heart the dew of tears is in the eyes I say when the soul hath most assurance of Gods love then will Faith produce child-like arguments to raise up the springs of sorrows in us to open all the fountains of tears in the soul Oh will the soul say hath God been so mercifull and am I so sinfull Hath hee been so good to mee and I so evil to him As the frowns of God do break the heart so the smiles of God do melt and dissolve it 6. Character A sincere mourning is a filial mourning There are the mournings of a son and the mournings of a slave the one doth arise from fear the other from love love 1. Of God to the soul 2. Of the soul to God 1. From the consideration of Gods love to the soul When the soul sits down and recounts the immensity greatness of Gods love to it when it takes a view of what God might have done with it and what God hath done with it how justly hee might have damned the soul and how mercifully hee hath saved the soul what cost what care what pains
bitter Cup of wrath that wee might have the draught of Mercy Hee was slain But not for himself saith Daniel But wounded for our transgressions broken for our iniquities The Chastisement of our peace was upon him Faith looks upon these his sufferings as the meriting causes of our good 3. The Considerations of his sufferings as effects of sin as the effects of our sin as that which our sins have brought upon him Which Consideration must needs effect and break our hearts When the soul shall look upon Christ and say It was I that have been the murderer I that have been the Traitor my sins which brought all this evil on thee I sind and thou sufferedst It was I that did eat the soue Grape and thy teeth were set en edge My sins were thy death yet by thy death thou brought'st the sinner life I have wounded thee yet thou hast healed mee even out of that wound which my sins have made hast thou sent out a Plaisâ—er even thy Blood for my sins Oh! This must needs fill the heart with sorrow Faith still looks upon an Humbled Christ with an Humbled Heart upon a Broken Christ with a Broken Heart upon a Bleeding Christ with a Bleeding Heart upon a Wounded Christ with a Wounded Heart Hence Zach. 12.10 They shall look upon him whom they have peirced And how shall that sight affect them It follows They shall mourn for him as one mourneth for his only Son and lament for him as one lamenteth for his first born In that day there shall bee a great mourning as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the Vallie of Megiddon God made the same Organ for seeing and for weeping And the soul that sees well weeps well Never soul that did by the Eye of Faith look upon this Son of Righteousness but their frozen hearts did melt within them Would you ever bee mourning men and Women for sin would you bee in bitterness as one is in bitterness for his first born Oh! Steep your thoughts in the blood of the Lamb Dwell a little on Christ crucified Look wistly upon Christ by Faith and this will solvere Gelicidium melt and thaw our frozen hearts turn us from stones into flesh Eight Royalty 8. Christ is an Heart-transforming-Grace 8 Royalty of Faith It s an Heart-transforming-Grace Such a Grace as doth transform the Soul into the nature of the Object Faith is as powerful in this spiritual conception to work in us the image of the Object seen as Fantasy is oftentimes in the natural conception The Poets tell us of some that did transform such as beheld them into stones such a power there was in the Object the thing beheld as to transform say they But here it is true If by Faith wee cast our Eyes upon Christ of stones wee shall bee turned into men of sinners into Saints of a hard heart to a soft and fleshly of Children of Satan to the Sons and Daughters of God Joh. 1.12 As many as beleeved on him to them hee gave power to bee the Sons of God Sons not born of the flesh or the will of the flesh but of God who begets like himself As that which is born of flesh is flesh So that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit Hence wee are said to bee made partakers of the Divine Nature To bee transformed into the image and likeness of God To bee Holy as Hee is Holy Pure as Hee is Pure To bee as hee is in this World Never soul that looked on him by Faith but came away with another heart They looked to him and were enlightened saith the Psalmist Psal 34.5 But plainly you shall read the Transforming Power of Faith 2 Cor. 3.18 Whiles beholding as in a Glass the Glory of the Lord wee are changed into the same image from Glory to Glory Such a Glass hee is that never did the Eye of Faith behold him but the Soul was changed with the sight from a Wolf into a Lamb from a sinner into a Saint from Darkness to Light You were once Darkness now are you Light in the Lord. It turns a man upside down wholly transforms him Indeed there is no change of the substance of soul and body nor of the faculties of soul and body but the qualities of the faculties are cleer changed The Head is transformed where before was darkness now there 's Light where before it did judge highly of carnal things and low esteemed spiritual it doth now the quite contrary The Will is transformed where before it was full of obstinacy and stoutness contradiction and rebellion now there is pliableness to good and conformity between Gods Will and his They are not two but one Will. Gods Amen is his Amen Gods Fiat his Fiat Gods Will his will So the Heart that is transformed whereas before it was nothing but a noisome sink of sin nothing but a Cage of unclean birds the womb of sin a seminary of lust Now it is washed purged purified sanctified made a fit Receptacle for Christ an Habitation for God by his Spirit Thus you see Faith is an Heart-transforming-Grace Wee cry and say Oh! If I had another heart I could beleeve If my heart were more holy more sanctified why the way to get another heart is to beleeve do but beleeve and you shall see another heart come into you another Spirit another Soul Do but look upon Christ and you shall bee transformed It is such a look as sends a man away with another heart As the Wise men It is said After they had seen Christ beheld Christ they went home another way So when by Faith wee have seen Christ it sends the Soul another way with another spirit with other Principles with other Resolutions There is this Power of Faith to transform the Soul into the nature of the Object beleeved Belief of the Promises breeds Principles in the Heart suitable to the Promises Belief in Christ breeds a Spirit suitable to Christ As Faith Belief in God a Father breeds Principles of Love Fear Reverence and Obedience in the Soul such things as are agreeable So the belief in Christ a Saviour breeds Principles of Trust of Love of Desire with the like Ninth Royalty 9 Faith is an heart-pacifying Grace 9 Royalty of Faith It s an Heart-pacifying-Grace Isa 26.3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is staied on thee because hee trusteth in thee A place alledged by One who lying on his death-bed and injoying abundance of peace and calmness of spirit being demanded how it came to pass hee was not now assaulted with Satan replyed Hee knew no ground no cause save this God had promised To keep that soul in perfect Peace whose mind was staied on him who trusteth on him Hee relyed on Christ and therefore injoyed rest Isa 27.5 Let him take hold of my strength That is by Faith lay hold on my Covenant my Christ and I will bee at peace with him Hence the Apostle Rom. 5.1
give away to jealous mis-giving and mistrusting thoughts of God or of themselves Some there are who do nothing but make objections against themselves and Gods dealings with them And a quarrelsome heart is for the most part a troublesome heart You shall see some to whom God hath given evidences of their estate and condition and such as might content them such as they might have Peace in But they will quarrel against them Either their evidences are not so clear as others are not written in so fair and legible characters as others are Or else they want sealing And therefore they will take no comfort in them Thus do many forsake their own mercies breed their own disquiet and are injurious to their own peace When God hath spoken Peace and Peace to their Souls yet they return back again to folly to the folly of Unbeleeving Doubting Questioning of Gods love And no marvel if such do want Peace Men that will forgoe their evidences give up their claim and title to Christ Men whom Satan can make unsay what they know God hath said to their hearts may soon sit down in dumb silence and discouragement If when God hath manifested himself to you hath come and supped with you hath given you the white stone of absolution the Hidden Manna of comfort and consolation those manifest experiments of his love and yet you will joyn Issue with Satan give way to doubts No marvel if you disturb your peace bring insufferable fears and disquiets upon your selves And it were just with God to leave you to the doubts and mis-givings of your own hearts and never to give you a word of Peace more but suffer you to bring your gray hairs with sorrow to the Grave seeing nothing will satisfie you 6. The Reason why Beleevers have no more Peace is Because they seek Peace no more in a way of beleeving They seek it more in the Law than in the Gospel more in Sanctification than in Justification more in the Precept than in the Promise more in working than in beleeving more in their Obedience than in Christ. And therefore no marvel seeing all this is imperfect that they have no more perfection of peace So long as you make the grounds of your peace any thing within your selves or any thing wrought by your selves you will never have fulness of peace There may bee some peace for a time in these things but it is not a full and satisfying peace nor yet a permanent and constant peace It may be gotton to day lost or incumbred to morrow Every imperfection will disturb your peace Every failing will raise up a new and fresh storm breed a new quarrel in the soul Hee that would have peace must seek it in the God of Peace in the Prince of Peace in Christ himself in whom hee said Joh. 16.33 Wee should have Peace When there 's a storm in your selves there 's peace in him when there 's no peace in you in regard of your imperfections and failings there 's yet peace in Christ who is a perfect Saviour The Sacrifice is imperfect but the Priest is perfect Tenth Royalty 10 Faith is an Heart-inabling-Grace 10. Royalty of Faith It s an Heart-inabling-Grace It is such a Grace as inables a man 1. To do 2. To suffer A Beleeving Christian is a strong Christian He is strong for any service It is said By Faith Abraham obeyed God Faith did inable him to obey And it was a great act of Obedience as you may read scil The offering of his Son his only Son the Son of his love If it had been an adopted Son only and not his Natural or if his Natural and but one among many the trial had not been so great But hee was his own and only Son and the Son of his old age and therefore like to have no more the Son of the promise not an Ismael but an Isaac a Son long expected now exceedingly rejoyced in hee was the Son of his Love Now to part with such a Son was a great tryal But here was not all the tryal If hee had but parted with him in the way of Nature by a natural death this had not been so much but to part with him in way of Sacrifice wherein hee was to bee cut in peeces nay and hee himself must bee the Butcher of this Son of his Love must imbrue his own hands in the blood of this Son This was a great tryal yet here was seen the power of Faith tht it inabled him to obey Hee did not consult with Flesh and Blood did not dispute but obey By Faith hee obeyed Faith it is an Heart-inabling-Grace It will inable you to pray yea and to pray to purpose to wrestle with God Beleeving-prayers are wrestling prayers wherein the Soul wrestles with God by strength of his Promise his Covenant his Truth his Christ It inables you to hear and to hear with profit when Faith doth incorporate it self with the Word it will be profitable Faithful hearing is ever fruitful hearing It will inable you to receive the Sacrament and to receive with comfort Faith is the Organ whereby wee feed on Christ receive Christ Faith is the instrument that conveyes Christ the Conduit-pipe A beleeving Receiver is a blessed Receiver It will inable you to bring forth much fruit To bee fruitful in Obedience It plants us into a fruitfull stock and how can wee bee barren Plants It draws life and nourishment from Christ A faithfull Christian is a fruitfull Christian Men of a good Beleef are men of a good Life That soul that hath yeelded obedience to the Promise in a way of beleeving is ready to subject it self to every Precept in a way of Obedience Faith doth inable a man to contend with lusts with the strongest corruptions The sons of Zerviah which else would bee too hard for us It inables us to combate with Satan It is our shield whereby wee resist it is our weapon whereby wee conquer It sets Christ against Satan by whom wee over-overcome as the word is Wee are more than Conquerors It inables us to overcome the World This is our Victory whereby wee overcome the World even our Faith Whereas unbeleef doth slay and disable the heart both from doing and suffering An unbeleeving heart is an impotent heart The state of unbeleef is a state of impotency and disability to the performance of any thing that is good There is a total and universal impotency in an unbeleeving heart Hee cannot pray hear receive Faith on the contrary doth inable and strengthen the soul to all Obedience It inables a man to yeeld A willing Obedience cheerfull Obedience voluntary Obedience a constant a fruitful an universal Obedience It will inable a man to do his duty Towards God Towards others Towards himself It inables a man to walk through the duties of all relations faithfully The Husband to the Wife the Wife to the Husband The Parents to the Childe The Child to the
day and poor to morrow The Lord hath given Dominus dedit Dominus abstulit the Lord hath taken away Both with one breath Hence the wise man Riches make themselves wings and flye away But these are abiding Treasure A Treasure whose spring is in Heaven whose Foundation is in Christ Our life is hid with Christ in God not only hid for secrecy but hid for safety It is a safe life an abiding life Nay but if they should continue yet will they do us no good in the day of trouble They cannot save our souls from nor in the day of wrath They cannot save us from sicknesse nor from death not from Hell Nor are they able to mitigate our Torments to purchase one drop of water in that lake of fire What profit had Ahab of his Vineyard Baltazar of his cups Dives of his wealth Judas of his thirty-pence Agrippa of his gay apparel The rich fool of his full barns All these would do them no good Neither quench nor bribe these flames but rather afford Oile to increase them But now Grace that riches which Faith doth inrich us withall it is such as will uphold us in sickness bee a choice cordial in that bitter potion it will deliver us in death save us in the day of wrath and inable us to lift up our heads with joy and boldness in the day of Judgement that terrible day of the Lord when the wicked shall tremble before the Judge and call upon the Mountains to fall upon them and the Hills to cover them from the presence of him that sitteth on the Throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. Hast thou other riches and wantest thou Faith Hast thou Mountains of Gold Rocks of Diamonds shores of Rubies And wantest thou Faith wantest thou Grace Oh! thou art a poor man Thus you see Faith is an Heart-inriching-Grace A Beleever hath title to all A Beleever is the poorest and the richest man in the World As none is poorer than a godly man in himself so none is richer than a Beleever in Christ Hee is as having nothing and yet possessing all things Christ is the Heir of all things All are yours if you bee Christs No sooner can the soul say Christ is mine but hee may say His Blood is mine his Spirit mine his Glory mine all is mine Christ and all his are conveyed and made over by the same Deed of Gift Hence the Apostle saith Wee are made partakers of Christ Not of some part but of Christ all Christ not of Justification only but say Christ and there is all Fifteenth Royalty 15. Royalty Faith is an Heart-raising-Grace 15. Faith is an Heart-raising-Grace There is a threefold Death that Faith doth raise up the soul from 1. The Death of Sin 2. The Death of inward Trouble 3. The Death of outward Trouble 1. Faith raiseth up the soul from the Death of Sin Wee are all of us Dead by nature in trespasses and sins Ephes 2.1 Dead-Born And as dead men so wee have no notion to spiritual things no motion no strength to any good no sense being insensible of the weight of sin insensible of mercies and judgements wee have no desires after any thing good no affection to them And a Death it is not only Privative A meer absence and privation of spiritual life but a Positive Death wherein there is an Introduction of a Positive vitious Habit. As in Natural Death there is not only a Privation of Life of the former form but the Position of another form there is another form left in the body So in Spiritual Death there is not only a meer Absence a bare Privation of Life But there is a Positive Evil and Vitious Habit left in the soul Hence Heb. 9.14 The works of natural men are called Dead works There would bee a contradiction in calling them Dead works if unregenerate men were only deprived of spiritual life and had not another positive evil form in them Thus dead wee are then not only Privatively but Positively And it is Faith which doth raise up the Soul from the Death of Sin to the Life of Grace Faith is the Resurrection of the Soul from under the spiritual death the Death of Sin The first rise of the Soul from the Death of Sin is by beleeving Vita sancta aâ— fide sumit initium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fide regeneramut Calv. Resipiscentia non modo fidem subsequitur sed ex ea noscitur Calv. ibid. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fides justificationem praecipit sanctificationem efficit Tilen An holy life hath its rise from Faith The Fountain of all our spiritual Graces The worker of all good things That which begets Love Fear Repentance Hence Calvin saith Faith regenerates Repentance doth not only follow Faith but doth arise from Faith Hence Clemens Alexandrinus Faith is the first awakening the first inclination of the Soul to Christ. Hence by some Faith and the New Creation Faith and Sanctification do differ as much as the Cause and the Effect Faith is the Instrument of Justification but the efficient of Sanctification They who distinguish Regeneration which is part of our Vocation and Sanctification do make Faith and Sanctification differ as much as Cause and Effect Vocation say they produceth Faith â—nd Faith being begotten produceth Sanctification both habitual and â—ctual Hence it 's called the Mother-Grace But they who make Vocation and Sanctification all one and both to bee nothing else but our inherent Righteousness or those Habits that frame of Grace implanted in the Soul whereof Faith is a part they do say Faith doth not produce the Cause of the Habits of Graces but Faith produceth the acts of Grace of Love Repentance c. Faith doth not produce the Habits but the acts of Grace For the clearing of this Sanctification may bee considered as it is either In actu primo vel secundo 1. Habitual Or 2. Actual 1. For our Habitual Sanctification There wee say the Spirit of God is the only Cause and Faith is an Effect as well as others Faith is a part of our inherent Sanctification 2. For our Actual Sanctification or as those Habits do act and exercise and there wee say Faith doth help to produce the acts of Grace of Love of Repentance 1 Tim. 1.5 Love out of a pure heart and a good Conscience and of Faith unfeigned Faith doth not only lend an hand to its Fellow-Graces for the perfecting of Grace but Faith doth help to produce the Acts of Grace the Acts of Love of Repentance Zeal Patience c. Though at the same time they bee all implanted yet in Nature Faith hath the precedency and helps to produce the Acts of all the rest As God the Father is before the Son in Nature yet not in Time Hee is not a Father till hee have a Son So is it to bee understood concerning Faith and all other Graces 2. Faith raiseth us up
will bee nothing to the soul that loves him Love is as strong as Death You see it in the Apostles They counted not their lives too dear to give to death for the Love of Christ It is not the Bloud which is in the veins the spirits which are in the arteries the Life in the Body which will be too dear There is a kinde of unquenchablenesse in Love like the stone in Thracia which burns in the Water Much Water cannot quench Love 1. Much Afflictions from God cannot quench our Affections to God As all our dealings to God doth not alter Gods affections to us so all Gods dealings to us will not alter our affections to God Si diligis Domine fac quicquid vis was the speech of Calvin Lord if thou love mee do what thou wilt And Jobs Though thou kill mee yet I will still trust in thee And the Church professeth the like Psal 44.17 18 19. All this is come upon us yet do wee not forget thee nor have wee dealt falsely in thy Covenant Our heart is not turned back nor have our steps gone out of thy paths Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of Dragons and covered us with the shadow of death c. 2. Much afflictions for God shall not cool our affections to God Wee shall bee ready to go through a Sea through a Wildernesse through the sharpest incounters for Christ Nothing shall pose a strong Beleever When once the soul is perswaded of the Love of God by Faith then there follows abundance of love to God again 1 John 4. from 15. to 19. Whosoever confesseth that Jesus is the Son of God in him dwelleth God and hee in God And wee have known and beleeved the Love that God hath to us God is Love and hee that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him c. wee love him because hee loved us first And that of Mary Much was forgiven her and therefore shee loved much Whiles a man looks upon God as an enemy who hates him hee can never love him But when once the soul by Faith doth apprehend Gods love to him then doth the soul love God again The love of God begets love in the soul to God Amor Dei amorem animae parit No mans heart is warmed with the sense of Gods love but it is inflamed with love to God again As the Sun beams shining upon a Glasse begets a reflection of the Beams upon the Wall So the Love of God shed abroad in our hearts breeds a reflection of love back again to God 2. Strong in Faith and strong in Hope and expectations of the thing beleeved which is that which holds up our head and keeps the soul from sinking in the midst of all these worldly troubles 3. Strong Faith and strong Patience A strong Faith will bear strong Afflictions with strong Patience Faith doth strengthen a mans shoulders to bear evils and troubles with Patience A weak Tree is blown down with that which moves not a stronger Tree Weak shoulders sink under that burden which a strong one will bear away So a weak Faith would sink with that tryal which a strong Faith is able to undergo with strength of Patience And therefore it is Gods goodnesse still to proportion the Tryal to the strength A strong Faith can receive a mercy and bee thankful and can render a mercy and bee patient A strong Faith can injoy a blessing and bee chearful and can lose it and bee contented Hence saith Paul I have learned in all estates therewith to bee content I know how to abound and how to suffer want c. Hee was a man strong in Faith And the ground of all is this because a strong Faith having dear evidence and apprehensions that God is a Father doth conclude that all his dealings are for good All things shall work together for good to them that love God And hee hath said Hee will never depart from us from doing us good Faith like the Philosophers stone turns all into Gold sees all Gods dealings to bee for good If God then afflict a man why will Faith say It 's for good I have need of such Afflictions to work out such a strong corruption Are the Afflictions many why will Faith say I have need of many Afflictions because I have many corruptions Are they long why I have need of that too because sin and I are so hardly parted It is so hard to make a divorce betwixt sin and my soul and therefore the afflictions had need to continue long Faith sees that God aims at this to wean us from the World to win us closer to him to exercise and increase our Graces to weaken sin and corruption to make us more fruitful Therefore doth hee prune us that wee might grow more If a man lop Trees at sometimes they will wither and dye but if at other times they will be made more fruitful God useth to afflict the wicked at such time But the Saints when they may grow the more Therefore God winnows us fannes us to blow away the chaff Therefore hee puts us as Gold into the fire that wee may come out much more pure Strong Faith and strong Obedience Obedience is proportionable to our Faith The greater the Faith the more the Obedience A little Tree a young Tree may bring forth good fruit as well as a greater but not in equal quantity to the greater so hee that hath the least degree of true Faith lives a godly life brings forth some fruits of Obedience but they are not so plentiful in good works as those whose Faith is come to an higher degree Weak Faith doth obey and this Obedience is a willing a chearful a fruitful a constant an universal Obedience both 1. In respect of the Subject The whole Man and 2. In respect of the Object The whole Law There is a willing yeelding of the soul up to God to walk in every way of God As David Lord I am thine or as the Prophet Isaiah One shall say I am the Lords Otherwise it were not true Obedience But they are not able to act so much as the stronger They are as large in desires in affections to obey but not in expressions of Obedience But the stronger the Faith the stronger is the Obedience the stronger the Will the stronger the Affections and the spirit in his Obedience A Child may do actions as well as a Man but not with that strength as a man doth them hee cannot do them so strongly so vigorously A weak Beleever may pray hear c. but not pray so strongly so powerfully as others who have more Faith So that you see where there is strong Faith there is strong Obedience A strong Faith will follow God fully in every way In losing waies as well as in gaining waies In suffering waies as well as in doing waies In discountenanced waies as well as in such as the World doth countenance In strait waies
as well as in broad waies in rugged waies as well as in plain smooth waies In difficult as well as in easie waies You see this in Abraham concerning the sacrificing of his son In which act hee might seem to disobey in his Obedience And the dutiful yeelding to it might seem to contradict duty There seemed not only Nature and reason to cry down this act of Obedience but even the word too The yeelding of Obedience did seem to justle against the Precept of Obedience Yet you see hee obeyed God It is said By Faith Abraham obeyed God By Faith indeed It was a strong Faith That strong Faith that beleeved hee should have a Son did now obey God in offering of his Son Strong Obedience proceeded from his strong Faith Strong Faith produceth strong Obedience 1. Strong for Active 2. Strong for Passive Obedience The same Faith doth supply the soul with Active strength for doing duties and with Passive strength for suffering duties 1. A strong Faith is strong to bear Reproaches for Christ As Moses Hee esteemed the Reproach of Christ greater riches than the Treasures of Egypt Heb. 11.26 And Paul Therefore wee labour and suffer Reproach because wee trust in the living God 1 Tim. 4.10 2. A strong Faith is strong to bear losses for Christ As they Heb. 10.34 Who took joyfully the spoiling of their goods as if the enemy had done them a great courtesie A strong Faith is strong to bear Persecutions Scourges Death it self for Christ You see what the Apostles indured what Stephen indured Why saith the Text Hee was a man full of Faith Act. 5.8 Strong Faith did inable them to suffer and bear and to go through difficulties prisons persecutions scourgings c. for Christ A strong Beleever doth rejoyce if hee can hold up God as it were though himself bee down if hee can raise up Gods Glory though it bee by the ruine of himself save his honour by losse of himself What Epaminondas said who having resolved concerning his Buckler either to defend it or to dye for it being wounded to death brake forth into these words Num salvus est Clypeus meus Is my Buckler safe If that bee safe I am well So the Beleever in the midst of all his sufferings if hee can keep his Buckler safe hold up God and his Glory All is well 3. A strong Faith will beleeve nothing contrary to his belief All the temptations of Satan all the arguments of men shall never bee able to reason him out of his Faith A weak Faith is quickly brought to deny his conclusion to yeeld up the cause Satan may make a man unsay what formerly hee hath said But a strong Faith will hold the conclusion against all Satans sophistry His Faith hath been gotten up by many invincible experiences from Gods behaviour to him as a Father from the souls behaviour to him as a Child And all that Satan can do shall not out-reason his Faith What a man saith by feeling a temptation may make him unsay but what a man saith by Faith nothing can make him unsay If Satan do assault such a man and tell him God doth not love him God is not his Father yet will the soul binde it self to this Mast and hold his conclusion against all with the Church Isa 63.16 Doubtless thou art our Father thou Lord art our Father our Redeemer Say Satan takes up arguments from Gods 1. Inward Or 2. Outward dealings with us 1. From his Inward dealings May bee a man is in some present Desertion and wants the clear Evidences which formerly hee had and Satan from thence doth argue That God is not our God hee is not our Father yet will not a strong Faith bee reasoned out of his Faith The soul will yet conclude it though it cannot clear it and beleeve it when it cannot see it The strong Christian lives by Faith not by feeling and knows God may bee His God though by sense it bee not discerned but that God is not his God You see this in Psal 22.1 My God! My God! There 's Faith Why hast thou forsaken mee There 's sense Faith held the conclusion against sense That God was his God though sense could not apprehend but that hee was forsaken of God And therefore when the eye of Sense and Evidence is put out yet hee hath the eyes of Faith to see and beleeve And Blessed is the man saith our Saviour to Thomas who beleeves and sees not Joh. 20.29 A strong Faith will trust God further than hee sees him Faith is the Evidence of things not seen Heb. 11.1 Faith will trust upon the Promise of Mercy in the want of Sense of Mercy Our Faith is not begotten by sense and feelings but by the Promise and therefore in the want of sense and feelings the soul may beleeve Isa 50.10 Though a man walk in darkness and sees no light yet may hee trust in the Lord and lean upon his God A weak Faith if it want feeling it is gone but the strong Faith will Hope against Hope Beleeve against Sense Reason and present Evidence and can say God is mine though it want the present Sense and Evidence of it It will trust in God a Father when his dealings seem to argue him an Enemy Faith will read Love in his angry looks and look through the mist of Desertion and see the affections of a Father under the expressions of an Enemy Thus did Job by Faith Though thou kill mee yet will I trust in thee Full well it knows Though God hide his face yet hee cannot deny himself 2. Say hee takes an argument from Gods outward dealings in chastising and afflicting of us and say If God loved thee hee would not so afflict thee If God were thy Father hee would not so chastise thee However the weak Faith may bee born down with such a temptation as this yet the strong Faith is not moved with such a temptation it is able to retort on Satan because God loves mee therefore hee scourgeth mee that I might not bee condemned with the World That I might not love the World therefore hee suffers the World to frown on mee That I might bee crucified to the World therefore hee suffers mee to bee crucified in the World Because I am a Child therefore hee afflicts mee Hee scourgeth every Son whom hee receiveth Rom. 12.6 7 8.9 c. God takes liberty to chastise our bodies to save our souls And God loves tenderly when hee corrects severely Job 5.17 Pro. 3.11 Thus doth a strong Faith hold up the conclusion of Faith against all the Reasonings of Satan against it Let him produce never so many Evidences to the contrary yet will hee not bee born down in it It 's a maxime of Faith hee will hold to against all opposition whatsoever You see it was thus in Job When God had taken away his goods when his hand was upon his body and upon his spirit too not only withdrawing himself from
hath still support from him David Job Heman they wanted the Comforting-presence of God for a time but yet they had his Quickening and they had his Supporting presence As hee told Paul so hee did for all His strength was seen in their weakness and his Grace was sufficient for them Sufficient to bear them up in the tryal and sufficient to bring them out of the tryal So much for the second Conclusion 3. Conclusion God may forsake his People for a time not for ever It is but a Temporary not a Final not an Eternal forsaking Isa 54.7 8 9 10. For a moment have I forsaken thee but with everlasting kindness will I gather thee have mercy on thee For the Mountains shall depart and the Hills shall bee removed but my kindness shall not depart from thee And thus much shall serve for the answer of the Objection And notwithstanding that the Conclusion is firm That if the Heart of Christ bee once taken with his Church and People hee will never take it off hee will never clean forsake them And as God will not forsake his Church as Forsaking hath relation to Spiritual cases Soul-distresses So I might shew you at large to prevent another Objection That hee will not forsake his Church as Forsaking hath relation to temporal and outward distresses You may take his word for it Josh 1.5 I will not leave nor forsake thee It is true it was a promise made to Joshua in particular but belongs to the whole Church of God in general General promises may have particular applications and particular general As general promises belong to every paticular Member so particular promises may belong to the whole body And therefore though it was a promise to Joshua yet the Apostle who knew the mind of God makes it ours as well as his Hee brings it into the Common-stock and shews it part of our riches Heb. 13.5 Let your Conversation bee without Covetousness for hee hath said Hee will never leave thee nor forsake thee In brief Hee will not forsake his Church 1. Either hee will protect them from dangeâ—â— 2. Or hee will deliver them out 3. Or hee will support them in 4. Or hee will sanctifie all to them Which is the third Conclusion which flows from this Doctrin 3. Consectary If the Heart of Jesus Christ bee taken with his Church then all the passages of Gods providence in the World are for the good of his Church and People All the dealings of God in the world not a step God takes in the World but hee walks towards his people in it 1. All the passages of Gods Providence to the Church in general 2. All the passages of Gods Providence to any member of the Church in particular they are all for good 1. For the first All the passages of Gods providence to his Church in general they are for good Bee they sad or bee they joyfull they are all for good Are they sad it is to humble them to quicken them to purge them to purifie them to blow away their chaff This is certain Whatever is done in the World is done either by Gods Permission or by Gods Approbation God must either permit or allow of what ever is done in the World And assure your selves God would never permit much less would hee ever allow and approve of any thing to bee done in the World which should not bee for the good of those hee loves so dearly Whatever wind blows bee it North or South good or evil all is for the Churches benefit As the Physitian ordereth poisonous and destructive ingredients unto usefull services the health of the Patient So God turneth those things which in themselves are evil and destructive to the good and comfort of his Church and People Hence is it that Christ turneth the sadest and sorest perplexities that ever the World shall see into an use of Comfort to his Church Luk. 21.25 26 27 28. There shall bee signs in the Sun and Moon and Stars distress of Nations with perplexity c. Mens hearts failing them for fear and for looking after those things which are comming on the World for the Powers of Heaven shall bee shaken and then shall they see the Son of Man comming in a Cloud with Power and great Glory When these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your Redemption draweth nigh One would think this were a strange consequent deduced from such an Antecedent A Consequent so comfortable from an Antecedent so terrible It seems strange that such a terrible Doctrin as this should afford an use of Consolation Yet so it is Bee the Premises what they will the Conclusion is good Bee his Providences what they will his Promises are good and those Promises shall turn all his Providences to good at the last 2. As all the passages of Gods Providence to the Church in general So every passage of his Providence to any Member of it in particular is for the good of the Church 1. All your Injoyments they are love You may read the Heart of Christ the image of a friend ingraven upon all you have You may behold the impress of love the good will of God circled about all you do injoy All that wicked men do injoy is but from the Hand of God Ex largitate that is the highest tenure they can shew even his general Providence which causeth the Sun to shine upon the good and bad And this Tenure may bee cut off at pleasure But all that you do injoy is from the Heart and good will of God They are expressions of his good will to you and you may read Love in all Nay they are the Earnests of further love You may see and read Heaven and Glory in all you have Wee may well say whatever the People of God do injoy They are 1. The fruits of Prayer 2. The performance of Promises 3. Expressions of Love 4. Incouragements to beleeve 5. Inablements to obey 6. Earnest pennies of Heaven and Glory 2. All your wants as well as all your injoyments are mercy are love There is an Expedit in all the sad passages of Gods providence to you They are Expedient to try you Expedient to humble you to exercise you to winne you to wean you c. Whatever thy condition is it proceeds 1. From the best God 2. From the best of God his Heart and good will 3. It is the best for thee Wicked men have a curse hid in their best things a curse in their gold a curse in their silver a curse in their health But Gods people have a blessing hid in the worst things You have a blessing in poverty a blessing in sickness a blessing in crosses a blessing in death it self Riches are not in the Promise but Mercy is in the Promise Though Poverty yet Mercy though Afflictions yet Mercy And you can all tell mee A cross in Mercy is better than a comfort in wrath
the Church Cant. 3.4 Christ had withdrawn himself Shee makes inquiry after him but could not hear of him At last after all her trouble Christ appears to her soul And you may read there how exceedingly her heart was taken with his return I found him whom my soul loveth I held him and would not let him go untill I had brought him into my Mothers house Cant. 3.4 3. When the soul doth sit down to contemplate and read over the beauties and loves of Christ when it is in the contemplations of those surpassing excellencies and admired sweetness which is in Christ And Christ whiles the soul is busy in feeding on these thoughts doth make a discovery of himself to the soul makes the soul to see a vision of his glory Oh! how is the heart taken with him it is even drowned and sunk in a Sea of glory Ah! what clasping what imbraces what loves are there then betwixt Christ and the soul It is impossible for mee to express or for mee or you to conceive It is a vision of glory the porch of Heaven 4. When the soul is under outward pressures afflictions prison sickness upon death-bed Then a visit of Christ a discovery of himself doth exceedingly ravish and take the heart Here is kindness indeed riches for the poor liberty for a prisoner a cordial for the sick Here is all in Christs manifestation Well then wouldest thou know whether thy heart bee taken with Christ dost thou know Christ didst thou ever see the face of Christ in a promise what apparitions hath Christ made to thee what manifestations within thee in the work of Grace what manifestations to thee in the beginning of glory You who know not Christ cannot love Christ 2. Sign An heart taken with Christ is not excessively taken with any thing else The sweetness of Christ doth overcome all the sweetness in other things in the Creatures Vincit dulcedo dulcedinem As it is nothing but ignorance which makes men admire any thing here on earth if men knew the excellencie of other things they could not admire such trifles as they do So here it is nothing but ignorance of better things which makes us dote upon things here below Did wee see his beauties all the World would bee blackness Did wee see his fulness all the World were but emptiness I say did wee but know the excellencies and beauties of Christ and the satisfying-sweetness of his love Nothing should have a room in our hearts save hee only The higher wee ascend toward Heaven the lesser will the things on earth appear If you go to the top of the Mountains men would appear but small but if it were possible to go up to the Sun the Mountains would appear nothing The love of Christ hath a raising-power working our hearts as high as Heaven and being there all things here below are of no account and esteem to the soul So saith Paul a man on fire with the love of Christ Yea doubtless I count all but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ And do count them but dung that I may win Christ Phil 3.8 Well then they whose hearts are taken with the Creature taken with the World taken with sin and vanity These are too gross to bee taken with spiritual loves 3. Sign What the heart is taken withall the soul seems to live more in it than in it self Do but examine it in any thing the heart is taken withall whether your comforts your delights your happiness lies not in them The Worldling hee lives in his possessions The Voluptuous man in his pleasures And can no more live out of them than the Fish out of the water the Salamander out of fire So here If thy heart bee taken with Christ then thou livest more in Christ than thou doest in thy self I live yet not I but Christ saith the Apostle Gal. 2.20 Thou canst no more subsist without him than the Beam without the Sun than the spark without the fire Nay no more live without him than the body without meat nay the body without the soul Christ is to the soul as the soul is to the body Now as the body cannot live without the soul So the soul cannot live but in Christ who is Anima Animae the Soul of the Soul for mee to live is Christ I say if thy heart bee taken with Christ thou livest in Christ more than in thy self Thy life thy comforts thy happiness they are all folded up in him As Judah said of Benjamin Jacobs life was bound up in the Lads life Gen. 44.30 So the Soul of Christ my life my joyes my comforts they are all bound up in thee All my fresh springs are in thee saith God of his Church Psal 87.7 And whom have I in Heaven but thee and in earth in comparison of thee Psal 73.25 saith the inamoured soul of God his heart was taken with God and hee lived in God more than in himself It was the speech of Luther who being in a great distress and spirituall trouble had writ about the walls and table in his study in great letters Vivit A friend comes to him and demands the reason Hee replies Vivit Christus si non non optarem unam horam vivere His life was in Christ Hee lived more in Christ than in himself Which makes the life of a Christian so safe none can hurt him and so sweet too being a life in Christ out of himself The best of others lyes in themselves but the best of a Christian those precious things in him lies out of himself and lies in Christ 4. Sign What the heart is taken withall that the comforts of the life are upheld by from day to day Wee have many a weary step to go and can no more go without comfort than Elijah without food Comfort is to the soul as the soul is to the body As the body without the soul is dead so is the soul of men without comfort Now would you know what your heart is taken withall see what the comfort of your life is upheld by from day to day Is Jesus Christ the comfort of your life is hee the joy of your hearts Ex quovis fonte Wicked men have varity of springs If one bee drye they go to another But the Saints have but one Christ And if hee bee gone all is gone 5. Sign An heart taken with Christ hath high appretiations and valuations of Christ It values and esteems him above all the comforts and contentments in Heaven and Earth Psal 73 25. Whom have I in Heaven but thee and in the Earth in comparison of thee Here is the breathing of a soul taken with Christ Hee prizeth Christ above all the comforts and contents in the World For the better unfolding of this sign there is 1. Something considerable in the Act. 2. Something in the Object Christ prized 3. Something in the Measure above all the comforts contents c. 1.
the Apostle 2 Cor. 5. This should make us live more humbly more actively more studious to please more diligent to obey more carefull to serve him This should make us live at higher rates for Heaven more spiritual more heavenly minded It is a Cord let down from Heaven to fetch our souls up thither And doth this cause us to bee more remiss more careless Doth this which should quicken slacken our hand to duty Oh base ungrateful neglect of Love 3. when wee take heart to sin thereby Grow more loose careless This is an high abuse of this Love Because God is Good wilt thou bee Evil because hee is Merciful wilt thou bee sinful because hee is Gracious wilt thou bee impious What fearful abuse of Love is this This is to wound Christ in the house of his friends To return good for good is but Humane To return evil for good is Wicked To return good for evil is Christian-like But To return evil for good and the greatest evil for the greatest good Sin for Love this is devilish Were you his enemies hee knew how to deal with you hee could revenge himself and the abuses of his love upon you but you are his friends and those bowels which you wrong are stirred in him when hee goes about to punish you Oh Ephraim How shall I give thee up how shall I deliver thee Israel my bowels are turned within mee My repentings are kindled together Hos 11.8 The greatness of God prevails with wicked men that awes them often that they dare not sin against him But the goodness of God this should prevail with us There is mercy with thee therefore thou art to bee feared It is set down as the Principle in such with whom the heart of Christ is taken Hos 3. ult They shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter dayes None but venimous spirits will suck poison from such a sweet as thence to draw incouragements to sin from that which is the great incouragement to service The Love of Christ had so prevailed with Chrysostome that hee used to say Ego sic censeo sic assidue praedicabo And Anselme That if on the one hand hee should see sin and on the other the torments of Hell hee had rather chuse to fall into Hell than fall into sin 4. When wee stagger and doubt give way to misgiving thoughts of Christs Love and unbeleevings of our own hearts wee abuse this Love What is it possible that Christ should do or suffer more than hee hath done and suffered to perswade your hearts of his Love If Christ should ask the question of you who doubt most of his Love What shall I do to answer your scruples to satisfie your souls for ever in this that I love you could you rationally desire more than what hee hath expressed in his words and to your heart and if notwithstanding all bee in vain 1 Sam. 25.21 may hee not justly say as David of Nabal Surely in vain have I done all this when this all commeth to nothing 3. Direction to them of the Church 3. Bee much in the contemplation of this Love of Christ Dwell upon this This Love of Christ will bee matter of eternal perusal in Heaven Wee shall do nothing but read over this Love Oh! let us not bee strangers to it now View it in the 1. Fulness 2. Freeness 3. Bounty 4. Perpetuity thereof 1. Measure it in the Fulness of it It is a Love which reacheth to every necessity A love able to make you holy and able to make you happy Thou art under guilt and sin thou art terrified by the one and ashamed and confounded because so loathsomely defiled by the other Why It is a pardoning a purging a sanctifying Love it is a Love as large as himself though the persons beloved bee finite 2. Read it over in the Freeness of it 1. It was an undeserved 2. It was an unsought-for Love 1. It was an undeserved Love Wee may provoke him to anger but wee cannot tempt him to love Amat Deus non aliundè hoc habet The former doth arise from our sins the latter from himself His chusing justifying adopting saving love all are free 2. It was an unsought-for Love Never a prayer put up for it I am found of them that sought mee not Isa 65.1 3. Read it over in the Bounty and Expressions of it 1. What hee did 2. What hee suffered 3. What hee hath given to his Church 4. Look upon it in the Perpetuity Permanency and continuance thereof A Love which reaches from Eternity to Eternity From Eternal chusing to Eternal glorifying An unchangeable Love Let us then peruse this Love Read it over in all the Dimensions Dwell upon the thoughts of it till your hearts bee Humbled melted inabled in-nobled winned quickened comforted c. The Thoughts of this Love are 1. Soul-humbling Thoughts Nothing layes the soul lower than Love The consideration of this will vile a man to Hell Ezek. 36.25 to 33. where you may read some expressions of love how it affects These would bee 2. Soul-melting Thoughts They will not only humble but melt not only break but dissolve the heart Nothing doth melt the soul more than Love The Law may break us but it is as the breaking of a flint every dust retains hardness but it is the Gospel that melteth us The thoughts of Gods Justice do stone the heart make it more hard but the thoughts of Gods Mercy do melt the heart You know you never mourn indeed till Love till Mercy do melt you Every drop of tears sticks like an hailstone and congeals in the eyes but when Love comes in then all the springs are opened and a man is dissolved into waters So much apprehensions of this Love of Christ so much godly sorrow They are like the Fountain and the Stream whereof the one doth rise no higher than the other The thoughts of this Love have 3. A Soul-inabling Power It will not only ingage us to service as the Apostle The Love of Christ constrains mee But it will inable us to service make us pray and pray with affections pray with life make us hear and hear with strength This puts us upon work and puts life vertue and vigor into our actions No actions stronger than those that come from Love Things incredible and impossible to others are yet easy to them who love See what the Saints have gone through what they have done what they have suffered Let but the thoughts of this love lye on your spirits a little and you will finde that Love is strong as death Cant. 8.6 and will mightily carry us through that which otherwise may seem impossible They will bee 4. Soul-innobling thoughts They will make you like themselves Whatever the soul feeds on the soul is digested into the nature of it So here feed on the thoughts of this love and your spirit will bee digested into it Whiles wee behold as in
a glass the glory of the Lord wee are changed into the same Image from Glory to Glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord 2 Cor. 3.18 In nature the meat is digested into the nature of the eater Here the eater is turned into the nature of the meat The contemplation of his Glory makes you glorious They will bee 5. Soul-winning Thoughts Love you know is of an attractive nature Amor amoris Magnes Nothing wins more than Love Love is the Loadstone to draw Love again As the Sun shining upon a Glasse begets a reflection of the beams back again so the love of God shed abroad in our hearts begets a reflection of love back again toward God You see Mary Much was forgiven her shee had tasted of much love from God and shee returned much love again to him Shee loved much The Power of God doth shake the heart The Majesty of God doth dread the heart The Justice of God doth awe the heart But it is the Mercy of God the Love of God which doth perswade win and draw the heart Nothing wins a mans heart to God but his Love The fear of God dread of God may bring a mans feet into his wayes but it is the Love of God which brings his Heart into his wayes They are 6. Soul-quickening 7. Soul-comforting thoughts Oh then that wee were but wise to improve this Doctrin this truth to the good of our souls I tell thee Christian if thou wouldest give this truth but scope in thy heart it would help thee and relieve thee of all the burdens under which thou groanest 1. Dost thou labour under a proud heart this would humble thee 2. Dost thou labour under a dejected heart this would raise thee 3. Under a dark heart this would comfort revive thee 4. Under a dead heart this would quicken thee and put the Spirit of Heaven into thee whiles thou art on earth 5. Under an hard heart this would break thee Nay this would melt thee dissolve thee into waters I say the more thou gets up with Elijah into this Chariot of love the more would the mantle of sin and corruption depart from thee 6. Under a worldly heart This would dead thy heart for ever to the World and set thee all on flame with the fire of heavenly affections I am confident of it whatever a Christian desires to injoy whatever a Christian desires to bee rid of if hee can but dwell upon this truth and bee able to manage it Hee shall have it more fully hee shall have it more quickly than any other way Wouldest thou bee rid of a proud heart wouldest thou have an humble heart wouldest bee rid of a dead heart and desirest a quick heart wouldest bee rid of an hard heart and have a broken heart wouldest bee rid of an unbeleeving of a doubting of a dejected heart and wouldest bee mighty in Faith full of comfort Why do but let thy soul bee carried captive with this Truth bee but content this Truth should master thee bee but willing to entertain it beleeve it imbrace it I am confident on it all this will bee done I may set down a probatum est to it Oh! That wee were wise to manage this Truth There are many look upon this but as a pleasant dream a Chimera a fiction And some beleeve it but slightly there wants depth of earth And some there are poor souls to whom the comfort of this truth belongs who think this is too good news for them They think if they should own it it would bee but too great a sale for too small a Boat rather overturn them than do them good rather ruine them than help them And therefore they must feed upon black thoughts upon Hell upon justice upon sin upon their corruptions Ah! Poor souls Satan deludes you you take a way to undo your selves Either to discourage you to say there is no hope or else to break you that you shall never bee able to do God service Look as long as you will into Hell pry as long as you will into the dark vaults of your souls rake as long as you will into the kennel of your hearts You shall finde nothing in Hell but Hell in your hearts but sin and having found it run from him That man looks too much on sin who shutteth his eyes from a mutual interview of love between God and his soul And hither you must come at last Free-Grace must bee owned Free-Mercy must bee acknowledged and advanced by you if ever you would bee saved if ever you would bee comforted You mâ—y think what you will but sure I am 1. There are no Christians more chearfull 2. None are more thankfull 3. None are more humble 4. None are more beleeving 5. None are more active 6. None are more couragious 7. None more serviceable and usefull toward God and men than they who lye continually at the breast of the promise than they who set up Gods Free-Grace and own that good which God makes out to them Thou mayest bee a Christian but thou wilt bee a sad Christian an uncomfortable Christian a dark Christian a deserted Christian a dead Christian an unserviceable Christian if thou dost go on to feed upon black thoughts and wilt not own that comfort which Christ tenders imbrace that good which Christ speaks and beleeve the Riches of his Grace and Mercy to poor sinners Do but sit down and from the sight and sense of thine own unworthiness take but occasion to advance Free-Grace and Mercy Let there bee place for that to come in Let those thoughts finde entertainment And thou shalt quickly finde a strange change in thy spirit 1. Thou who couldest not mourn before shall now bee able to poure our tears as if thou wert all turned to water 2. Thou who before couldest not beleeve couldest not bee comforted wilt even think it a wonder that ever thy heart should bee so dark so doubtful 3. Thou who before wast dead shalt now finde a spirit of life come into thee and make thee active in the work of the Lord. Make but the Experiment and thou wilt converse more with the promise with the Love of Christ with the Free-Grace of God whiles thou livest if you would but remove your unbelief But who shall remove this stone God alone must do it But if this were done this truth would let in a flood of mercy upon you and even sink and over-whelm you in a Sea of mercy and glory where now you go drooping and hang down your heads because you will not own that portion which Christ hath left you nor that comfort which Christ doth tender and speak to you 4. Direction to them of the Church 4. Direction to them of the Church 4. Labour for a reciprocall affection a mutual taking between Christ and us Is Christs heart taken with you Oh! let your hearts bee taken with him Doth Christ love you Oh! do you love Christ Are you
Light of it Men will not seek after the Physitian before they feel themselves to bee sick for ease till they bee prest with burdens for a Plaister before they bee wounded for heavenly Riches before sense of their spiritual beggery for inlargement and pardon before they bee in Prison for Mercy before they smart under the sense of Misery Nor for a Christ till the soul do finde a necessity in the want of Christ Hence the Law is said to bee our Schoolmaster to bring us to Christ And it is upon this ground among others because it doth discover sin to us and lash us and humble us for it And then wee are ready to go from Sinai to Sion from the Law of Moses accusing to the Gospel of Christ excusing from the Law condemning to the Gospel absolving 2. God doth discover to the soul the fulness and al-sufficiency of Christ Who is able to save to the uttermost them that come to God by him and Heb. 7.25 That there 's enough in him to justifie and save so vile a sinner as thou hast been Christ his Righteousness is an everlasting Righteousness such as an eternity of sinning is never able to expend and draw dry As our Faith can never out-grow the Righteousness of Christ so neither can our sins Rom. 1.17 It is said to bee A Righteousness revealed from Faith to Faith The more Faith not the less but the more Righteousness is revealed The broader the Eye of Faith the wider the Righteousness beheld As all the Faith in the World could never over-clasp the Righteousness of Christ So all the sins in the World are not able to non-plus or pose it As it cannot bee over-lookt or comprehended by any Faith So it cannot bee exhausted by any sins Both of these wee have set down Joh. 16.8 9 10. I will send the Spirit and hee shall convince the World of sin There is Humiliation Of Righteousness That is that there is A compleat and Al-sufficient Righteousness in mee That I am able to save to the utmost to pardon sin This God discovers Faith must have a bottom to rest on An Al-sufficient Saviour No man will throw his soul away 3. With the fulness God discovers the freeness of this Righteousness to all commers How willing God is to bestow Christ on you and how willing Christ is to bestow himself upon you Hence wee have such invitations Ho! Every one that thirsteth come yee to the Waters Isa 55.1 And Let him that is a thirst come Rev. 22.17 And Come to mee all yee that are weary and heavy laden Matth. 11.28 And Him that comes to mee I will by no means cast out Joh. 6.37 4. God stirs up the soul to pursue Christ with inlarged desires and earnest prayers kindles desires in the soul after him Oh! That God would bestow Christ on mee I see I am in misery I see I am a sinner Oh! That thou wouldest bestow Jesus Christ upon my poor soul As the poor pursued Hart doth pant after the Brooks of water So panteth such a soul after the Lord Jesus Now Christ upon any termes is desireable 5. Now God works the Grace of Faith in the soul whereby the soul doth draw nigh to Christ and throws it self into the arms of Christ embraceth him with all his might casts it self wholly on him for Life and Salvation Have you not seen how a tender Infant in the apprehension of danger runs into the arms of the Parent for succour so doth the soul pursued by the Law and affrighted by the apprehensions of Gods wrath flye into the bosome and armes of Christ for succour bespeaking him with all the termes of Love and Confidence My Lord My God My Hope My Fortress My Strength My Redeemer save mee else I perish Hide mee in the clefts of this Rock Pitty mee Succour mee Thou who art a Saviour Lord save mee Thou that art Mercy shew mee Mercy And here now begins the Life of a Christian though as yet hee feel little motion Strong is hee now in desiring though feeble in performing Resolved hee is by any means to stick to Christ yet not sensible of any union with him Hee admires the brightness of the Beams of his Mercy shining in the Gospel but feels little warmth of joy and comfort in his heart Hee hungers after the Word but feels little nourishment Here is the beginning of true Faith Now then would you know whether you have Faith try your selves Have you found that God hath thus wrought in you what hast thou been thus humbled in the sight and sense of sin deeply affected with the fulness and freeness of the Grace of God in Christ so as to raise up in thee those earnest longings and pantings after him so as thus to cast and venture thy soul upon him this useth to bee the manner and way of Gods working Faith in us by which wee may come to know whether this Faith bee wrought in us or no. 2. Some Evidences are taken from the Grace it self In which because Faith doth admit of degrees some having stronger Faith some weaker Though all of us have as it is in 2 Pet. 1.1 The like precious Faith the same Faith for kind yet all have not the same Faith for degrees In some it is strong in some it is weak Sincere in all All men are not of like age all Trees not of the like growth Wee read of a little Faith Oh yee of little Faith Faith though little Wee read of a great Faith Oh Woman great is thy Faith All Beleevers are not of the like stature in Christ Some are but Babes and some are grown men there 's a little Faith comparatively and there 's a great Faith Therefore lest I should unsure the weak in satisfying the strong I will here give you 1. Some Evidences of a weak Faith 2. Some Evidences of a strong Faith 1. The Evidences of true Faith though weak 1. The weakest Faith hath strong desires to close with Christ in the Termes of the Gospel Is willing to take Christ in the whole latitude and extent of Christ not only totum Christum but totum Christi Christ in all his Offices not only as a Priest but as a King to whom the soul is as willing to yeeld Subjection as to have Salvation from him as desirous to submit to his services as to injoy his Priviledges to do duty as to partake of his bounty to throw it self at the feet of Christ with strong desires though it may bee for the present but with weak assurance of Mercy from him Quest But who doth not thus desire Christ who is not willing to accept of Christ Answ It is impossible that any Unbeleeving man should desire Christ in the latitude and extent of Christ Hee may desire him for Salvation but not for Sanctification as a Priest but not as a King to rule and govern him to bring every thought into subjection to himself for happiness but not for holiness
Such a one cares but to have a pardon from him but not purging Glory but not Grace Such a one can say with David thus far Hide thy face from my sins But Create in mee a clean heart There hee leaves him Hee desires the end of a Christian but not his beginnings Extremâ— Christianorum desiderat non exordia 2. The desires of a wicked man of an Unbeleeving man after Christ they are transient not permanent desires which may bee in times of trouble in a storm cares not if hee have him as a shelter under some rack of conscience when hee lies on his sick-bed But these continue not No sooner the storm is blown over but the desire is gone Or in a passion when hee is in a good mood as Balaam desired to dye the death of the Righteous so hee after a Sermon c. 3 The desires of an Unbeleeving man are faint not strong and earnest desires They are but slight and superficial desires such as are put off with every thing They are not vehement and strong desires such as will not bee put off with any thing but with the thing desired like the desires of David after the Wells of Bethlehem Oh! That some would give mee to drink of the Waters of Bethlehem c. Like the desires of Christ Luk. 22.15 With desire have I desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer That is with strong desires not a single but a double Desire a desiring Desire Such may have some slight and superficial Desires but they are put off with every thing As the Mother puts a toy into the Childs hand and the desire to the breast is gone So here The Devil hee puts a matter of profit or pleasure into their hands and then all their desire is lost True Desire is strong Desire that will not bee satisfied but with the thing desired as Rachel for Children Give mee Children or else I dye so here Give mee Christ or else I dye The soul is ready to faint and mis-carry with the longings it hath after Christ 4. They are idle not industrious Desires The Desires of the sluggard who will not put his hand to the use of the means for obtaining of his Desire who will not Hear Read Pray c. Where on the contrary a vehement intention after Christ is joyned with a vehement intention after the use of means for the getting of Christ True Desires after Christ are ever joyned with honest indeavours for Christ Hee who desires with an honest heart will labour with an industrious spirit 2. Weak Faith though it cannot close with the Promise yet will it close with the Precept Though not with the Priviledges of a Christian yet with the services of a Christian Though it cannot share in the Comforts yet it will side with the Duties of a Christian Though it cannot clear it whether God hath given Christ to him yet it will yeeld up the soul to him Though it know not whether hee will receive it when it commeth yet it will come Though with Mary it cannot say My Saviour yet with Thomas it will say My Lord. It wants strength to throw it self into the arms of Christ to save it Oh! but yet it will cast it self at the feet of Christ to serve him Though it want the Light of Comfort and Consolation yet it will walk in the Light of command and Direction There 's not one duty through the latitude and extent of a Christians walking but the soul desires and indeavours to walk in it 3 Weak Faith is joyned with mourning and sorrow for the weakness of it What it wants in Apprehension it makes up in Humiliation There is want of Sense but not of Sighs like the man in the Gospel It 's said Hee spake with tears Lord I beleeve Help my unbelief Lord I cannot lay hold on thee Oh! That thou wouldest lay hold on mee I cannot apprehend thee do thou apprehend mee Fold mee up in the arms of that mercy that never unfolds close mee up in the armes of that love that shall never unclose An humble wanter is better than a proud injoyer An humble craver than a proud haver 4. Weak Faith is an unfeigned Faith 1 Tim. 1.5 Not a Counterfeit and Hypocritical Faith Such an one as never comes to God for Love but in a Storm for shelter Psal 78.34 35 36 37. When hee slew them then they sought him and inquired early after God They remembred God was their strength and the most High God their Redeemer But they flattered him with their mouth and d ssembled with him with their Tongue for their heart was not upright with him nor were they stedfast in his Covenant But such a one as comes to him out of Love desires nothing more than to injoy him to injoy Him rather than His. 5. Weak Faith is an holy Faith Jude vers 20. Build up one another in your holy Faith c. Such a Faith as is accompanied 1. With Holiness of Heart 2. With Holiness in Life 1. With Holiness of the Heart The soul is universally sanctified Quantum credimus Tantum amamus Tantum speramus There 's a Treasury of Grace There are all Graces though as yet in weakness So much Faith as there is so much Love so much Hope so much sorrow for sin They are like the Fountain and the Flood whereof the one ariseth no higher than the other Thus where there is Faith there is Sanctification Though Sanctification bee no Ingredient to Justification yet Faith and Sanctification Faith and the new Creature never went asunder There is a new Judgement of things a new Will to things New Desires and Affections New Principles New Purposes New Practices Old things are past away behold All things are become new 2. With Holiness in Life Though it cannot bring forth as strong fruits of Holiness yet it will bring forth fruits according to its strength A little Tree a young Tree may bring forth some good fruits though not in equal quantity to another of greater growth So hee that hath the meanest Faith hee lives an holy Life brings forth some good fruits though not so plentiful in good works as they whose Faith is come to a more perfect growth 6. Weak Faith doth not rest in weaknesse but labours after strength Weak Faith is a growing Faith Though it begins in weakness yet it grows to strength which growth is a character of all true Grace And therefore doth it thirst after the Ordinances as a new born Babe that it may grow thereby As the Word was the Breeder of it so it thirsteth after it to bee the Feeder As it was the Begetter of it for true Faith is the Daughter of the Ministry Faith comes by hearing Rom. 10. so it thirsts after it for nourishment 7. Weak Faith will cleave to Christ will not forgo nor forsake Christ for any thing What it wants in Apprehension it hath in Adhesion what it wants in Evidence
you all to tremble And do you think the word Promising Beseeching Intreating could bee so unprofitable if you had Faith to mingle with it to apply it to your selves It is because you bring no Faith to the Word that the Word of God is not a raising a quickening a comforting word to your souls That it is not an inlightening a convincing a converting and a reforming word So for the Sacraments Could these bee so unprofitable could you live under them and get no further victory of lust no more increase of Grace if you did bring and exercise Faith here to fetch from this treasure opened It is necessary to every Ordinance necessary to your Callings necessary to every condition Wee had need of Faith to go through all the conditions of this life Through Prosperity Adversity Sickness Health Losses and Injoyments As the Apostle said of Patience the Daughter so I say of Faith the Mother You have need of Faith that after yee have suffered the Will of God yee might inherit the Promise Heb. 10.36 If our condition bee prosperous wee had need of Faith to see all is for good and need of Faith to inable us to make a good use of it 1. You had need of Faith to see the Tenor of your injoyments That you injoy them not only out of leave but out of Love not only from a general Providence but from a particular Promise 2. You had need of Faith to see further than your present Estates to look upon these pence and farthings as earnests of better things as something in hand for those things in hope 3. You had need of Faith to see the heart of the giver in the gifts his Affection in the expression the God of Mercy in the injoyment of Mercy to taste the fountain in the stream An unbeleeving man hee is not able to clear this Hee may have prosperity in Judgement and heap up Riches to his own destruction All his Wealth may bee but fuel to that fire to make Hell hotter as Oile to kindle the flame of lust so fuel to increase the fire of torment hereafter So if our condition bee troublesome and afflicted wee had need of Faith to see all is for the best and need wee had of Faith to make the best use of it to humble us wean us winne us c. Faith can see good in all making all good to him though in themselves never so evil 3. There are Motives drawn from the excellency of Faith I shall say no more of it but what I have already said and you may read in these several Royalties of Faith already laid down The second branch of the Exhortation is to you that have Faith Let mee exhort you to exercise your Faith 1. In matter of Justification under the guilt of sin Trust in God for Pardon for Justification What though thy sins bee never so great Iniquity Transgression and sin sins of Nature sins of Course sins of Custome what though they bee bloody and crimson sins yet hee can pardon hee can forgive them Thy sins are great his Mercy is greater Thy sins are many His Mercies are more Thy sins have abounded His Mercy superabounds As thou hast been plentiful in sinning so hee is in Mercy for pardoning sin Isa 1.18 Though your sins were as crimson they shall bee made white as Snow though as red as Scarlet they shall bee as Wooll Isa 55.7 Let him return to the Lord and hee will have mercy upon him and to our God for hee will multiply pardons Though thy sins have weakened the Law and made that unable to save thee or do thee good Rom. 8 3. yet they have not weakened Christ and Grace Christ is able to save to the utmost even to the utmost of your sins the utmost of your doubts and fears Non datur summum malum There is neither quality nor quantity of sins that can pose the fulness of Christ There is not so much evil in sin in all thy sins as there is Mercy in him If thou canst beleeve all things are possible to the Beleever They are Christs own words Mark 9.23 It is possible for thy greatest rebellions to pass away as a cloud and to bee dispelled and scattered as a mist if thou canst beleeve Hee can drown Mountains as well as Molehils 2. Trust in him for Sanctification Christ is full of all Grace and Truth Joh. 1.14 hee is able to fill a World of hearts with Grace Thou desirest more love brokenness of heart sincerity fruitfulness Christ is able to afford thee all of all this 3. Trust in him for mortification of thy lusts and corruptions Go over to Christ for power to subdue your lusts and unruly corruptions If ever you would make any happy conquest of lust by Faith have recourse to Christ there you shall have strength against your unruly affections Christ is as able to cleanse as to clear to purge to subdue and take down the power of sin as to take away the guilt of sin 1. Wee have his Prayer to subdue and conquer our lusts to sanctifie our Natures John 17.17 Sanctifie them through thy Truth 2. Wee have his Promise I will subdue your iniquities Micah 7.19 Sin shall no more have dominion over you Rom. 6.14 3. Wee have his Power who is able to subdue all things to himself Phil. 3.21 Hee will trample Satan under our feet 4. Wee have his office and fidelity to appeal unto where wee may complain of our own flesh Hee undertook it as a part of his business to purge and cleanse his people Tit. 2.14 Hee came not only to bee a Redeemer but to bee a Refiner a Purifier Hee gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquitie and to cleanse and purifie us to bee his peculiar people zealous of good works 5. Wee have his Merits as a Sanctuary to fly to as to a Laver as to a Fountain set open to wash us from all sin filthiness and uncleanness Zach. 13.1 4. Exercise Faith in case of Difficulties 1. In case of Temptation Thou art it may bee in many Temptations Exercise Trust. Thou knowest who hath conquered Death Hell who hath overcome Principalities and Powers all the Powers of Darkness who hath led captivity captive and triumphed over all on the Cross Trust therefore in him 1. For support and strength in the Combat Hee hath promised My Grace shall bee sufficient 2 Cor. 12.9 God is faithful who will not suffer you to bee tempted above what you are able But will with the Temptation give an issue that wee may bee able to bear it 1 Cor. 10.13 2. Trust in him for deliverance out of it and victory over it That hee should conquer the strong man and snatch us as brands out of the fire and tread down Satan under our feet Rom. 16.20 Deliver us out of Temptations 2 Pet. 2.9 The Lord knâ—ws how to deliver his out of temptations 5. Exercise Trust in case of Desertions When God
the more at their bringing in As you see Paul Luther Augustine All Gods people are Souldiers but few are Champions some hee hath for lighter skirmishes and less humimiliation will serve their turn to prepare them for them But such as hee intends for the main battle to bee Champions in his cause hee doth usually exercise with greater difficulties that so they might not start aside in the day of tryal 4. Some hee intends to bee patterns and examples of mortification in the world and therefore carries them on with troubles of spirit and lets them lye longer in them that being raised up they may bee dead to the World ever after Thus you see the like measures are not necessary neither inrespect of Gods ends nor in respect of your selves and why then should any mans humiliation bee a pattern for thee All that can bee said in it is this that so much is required as to cast us out of our selves make us weary of our sins willing to sell all cut off right hands pull out right eyes to part with the dearest and beloved sins for Christ Wee all agree it is sufficient when it doth cast a man out of himself and bring him over to Christ and how much that is who can set down A less degree will do that in one which it will not in another if the same measures were alike necessary for all then it would follow 1. That every one is so to labour to come to that measure as to receive no comfort in the Promise till hee have attained it 2. And it would follow that what comfort any may have gotten in the Promise they are to yeeld up if they have not had the like measures that others have attained to and what perplexities fears doubts would so bee left in the consciences of men so that they would never finde a bottome to stand on As in Grace a man would never have comfort if his comfort were to arise from the measures and not from the truth So in humiliation many poor souls in taking others for a pattern have lost the rule and put themselves into a greater in capacity to close with the Promise at a greater distance from Christ than they were before and have made themselves miserable for the present and for the future and so have gone drooping even to their graves And it had been better for many speakers and hearers too if this Doctrin had been pressed more before How many have had their heads broken in peeces with it and it is easier for these troubles to break the head than to break the heart But thus much for the second Thus you see wee have finished the two generals That wee are slow of heart to beleeve What are the grounds that men are slow of heart to beleeve 3. Wee come to the next what are the reasons that this temper of spirit is so offensive unto God I have given you many reasons in my Sabbath dayes discourse on the third of John Why God was so severe against unbeleef All which would serve as so many demonstrations of this point wee will at this time adde but these three more Reas 1. Slowness of heart to beleeve is a temper very offensive to God because it argues and speaks a corrupt heart A heart byassed with other respects which hinders from closing with Christ As Christ saith Joh. 5.44 How can you beleeve when you seek honour when you are byassed with such respects as these Such a spirit either it argues ignorance or pride or love of sin or jealousy of the truth of God the goodness of God and this is very offensive jealousy is the rage of a man c. which is more provoking because God hath so far condescended to our weakness for our establishment that hee hath not only given us his Promise his Covenant his Oath and Seal and all to comfort us And if notwithstanding all this wee shall nourish a spirit of jealousy and cherish our doubts and distrusts this must needs bee very displeasing unto God Vae nobis si nec juranti Deo credimus Aug. If a man should give you his Promise and yet to satisfie you to his Promise hee should annex his Oath and to his Oath his Seal c. If yet notwithstanding you will bee jealous and distrust him how would this make a mans bloud to rise how would hee break forth into rage what will you not beleeve mee do you think mee to bee a Devil do you think I will bee perjured c. And how much more must this provoke God who is immutably true of his word One syllable being a better bottome for a soul to rest upon than all the Protestations of men and Angels men though true Angels though true yet they are not in themselves immutably true because they are but Creatures but now God is hee is truth it self no shadow of change in him Nay and not only true but able to make good his Word what hee hath promised Men may bee true and yet want ability to perform but what God hath said hee will do because hee is faithfull and hee is able to do because almighty And hath God condescended to us so far as not only to give us his Promise his Oath Covenant and Seal and are wee yet slow of heart to beleeve do wee yet nourish jealousies and distrusts Why then judge if this must not needs bee a high provocation of God And that is the first reason because this sin speaks corruption of heart Reas 2. Because such a spirit what in it lyes makes void and null the great things of God I say as much as in thee lyes for thou canst not do it As the Apostle saith God is faithfull whether men beleeve or beleeve not so God is mercifull powerfull wise gracious true whether men will beleeve or beleeve not But this I say as much as in thee lies thou makest void all the great and stupendious things of God wee will name these seven 1. Thou makest void the great councels of God all the thoughts of his wisdome in contriving such a way to advance his glory in the salvation of men God had purposed and contrived from everlasting to make himself glorious to set up and advance the glory of his wisdome and grace and this is the way his wisdome pitched upon from everlasting to do all this by sending of Christ into the World and thou by standing out dost not only frustrate Gods ends in thy salvation but as much as in thee lyes nullest and makest void all the thoughts and contrivings of his wisdome for all this is to no purpose while thou stands out and wilt not beleeve 2. Thou makest void all the thoughts of his Mercy in which he desired to set forth himself and make himself visible to the lost sons of men by sending of Christ into the World But now if thou wilt not beleeve to what purpose were all these great things of God to what purpose
c. for the supply of strength 3. You make your selves every way unserviceable to God as I shewed you you make your selves unable to do unable to suffer for him You make your selves good for nothing unserviceable to God to the Church to his cause to your selves too c. Many there are that think they can do God better service in standing off than in comming in by Fear than by Faith They think that in nourishing their doubts and their fears they do cherish their care watchfulness humility And on the contrary they think that if once they should come to beleeve then they should bee more loose and careless and take more liberty to themselves Indeed you would have more liberty to service not to sin You would not bee tyed to service with coards of fear but with bands of love your principle of service and your manner of service would bee changed where now you serve nim out of fear then out of love now out of convictions of conscience then out of propensions of a divine nature now you serve him as slaves involuntarily then as sons with willingness and delight c. Now you do duty as a task then as your trade And you will walk in the wayes of duty though you see no commings in As a man that loves his trade that loves his calling hee will hold it up and follow it though hee get nothing by it though no gain or comming in by it So the soul which hath a Principle bred in him suitable to the things of God which is wrought by Faith hee will hold up to pray and to do duty though hee finde not commings in there is a natural agreeableness between him and duty between his spirit and the work and though hee never get good by it yet hee will hold up his spirit to the doing of it As it is with a man whose nature is sensualized that hath sinned away the very common Principles pluckt up the very senses of nature hee will drink and bee drunk though hee undo himself by it though hee hurt his body impoverish his estate yet hee will drink c. As Solomon saith a Whore will bring a man to a morsel of bread will undo a man yet hee will go on in sin hee will not leave his sin though undone by it hee will sin not only though hee get nothing but though hee get hurt though hee undo himself thereby yet hee will go on in sin and the reason is that universal sutableness that is between his soul and sin So on the other side a godly man hee will serve God hee will hold on in duty in obedience though hee finde no comming in by it There is such a sutableness between the spirit of a beleever and the work that though there is no commings in though hee finde no peace no comfort in the wayes of God yet hee will hold up to the work Where now an unbeleever if hee do not by these things get peace which is all hee looks after in the doing of it if he do not get comfort at last hee throws off all because there was no Principle of sutableness to hold him to the duty Therefore you see how Satan deludes you Faith alone is the spring of action that which sets us a work and quicken us in working if Faith bee up all his Graces will bee so too and if that bee down all other Graces are weak and down with it As Parisiensis saith it is the vertue of a Christal when the vertues of other precious stones are extinct to raise them and revive them again So doth Faith with our Graces when Davids heart was down in Psal 43.5 you see hee recovers himself by his Faith no sooner did hee exercise his Faith but his heart is raised That which quickeneth you to service and inables you in service is Faith and that which deads your spirit and makes you unserviceable is unbeleef and therefore bee convinced of your sin 2. Bee humbled for it this is the great sin the womb of sin the Mother and Nurse of sin as I have shewed That which holds up Satans Kingdome in you is your unbeleef if this fort were once taken all the rest would quickly yeeld up You see when Christ would conquer covetousness hee labours to conquer unbeleeving as you see Mat. 6.25 to the end That being overcome all the rest yeeld up and are vanquisht Nay it is a sin which doth not only uphold particular sins but the state of sin It is called a state of unbeleef wee do not say a state of drunkennesse a state of swearing c. but a state of unbeleef others are but particular this an universal sin And is there not then cause to bee humbled for it you see what a sin it is how you wrong God how you gratifie Satan how you injure your selves and is there not cause then to bee humbled for it Men are hard to bee humbled for this sin because hard to bee convinced either that they are guilty of it or that it is a sin Prophane and wicked men worldly men they will not bee convinced that they do not beleeve Though there bee nothing more plain if the Devil did not delude them for Faith and sin cannot stand together you can no more separate Holiness and Faith than Light and the Sun And humbled men they are hard to bee convinced that it is a sin Though it is easy to convince them that they do not beleeve they are sensible enough of that yet it is hard to perswade them that it is a sin not to beleeve that it is their duty to beleeve they think they do well in keeping off from the Promise they express their tenderness of Gods justice and holiness and judge it a great wrong to both that God should bee merciful to such sinners as they But I must tell thee it is a greater sin than all thy sins a killing a murthering an undoing sin It is a finishing sin that seals thee up in a state of sin and therefore you had need to bee convinced of it and humbled for it 3. Bee yee quickned to beleeve What shall I do now to perswade with you who are slow of heart to beleeve to come in and beleeve Alas all that I can say is nothing if God do not mightily work upon your hearts and perswade with you Shall I tell you there is an inexhaustible fulness of mercy in God and merit in Christ for the greatest sinner among you and this is something Shall I say that God is willing to forgive the greatest sinner of you if you will now come in and beleeve If you will go by Gods revealed will and thou hast no other rule to go by nor to bee judged by there God tells thee that hee keeps open house hee invites hee excites hee intreats hee beseeches to come these were something to perswade with our hearts But I shall pass them I will only name these two
Mover of all the affections Mat. 7.28 When the people heard him they were astonished at his Doctrin The like wee read Mat. 13.54 Mar. 1.22 Mark 11.18 Luk. 4.22 All bare him witness and wondred at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth All wondred but All were not savingly wrought upon That is the first 2. They may hear it with affections of fear and trembling Thus you know Foelix heard Paul Act. 24.25 When Paul preached of Temperance and Righteousness and Judgement to come Foel x trembled It struck dread and fear into his heart It set him on trembling 3. They may hear the word with affections of delight and some kinde of love You see in the Text They did delight to know Gods waies and did delight in approaching to God And Ezek. 33.31 32. They come and sit before thee as my people They hear thy words and thou art to them as a very lovely song They hear thy words but they do them not With their mouth they shew much love but their heart goes after their Covetousness 4. They may hear the word with affection of Joy It is said of Herod Mark 6.20 That Herod feared and observed John and when hee heard him hee did many things and heard him gladly The like you have Matth. 13.20 The stony ground heard the word and anon with joy received it yet wanting root in the time of Persecution they fell away So you see the first particular cleared A man may hear the word hee may hear it often abound in hearing Hee may hear it with affections and yet his heart may bee unsound 2. A man may not only hear but pray too nay and make many prayers abound in praying Hee may pray in publick pray in private pray in the Church pray in his family pray in his closet which last commeth nearer to sincerity And may make strong cries Hee may pray with affections i. e. such affections as sense stirs up but not such affections as Faith stirs up such affections as are raised up by some present sting and smart some trouble and pressure of conscience though not with such affections as are raised up by Faith quickned by Gods sanctifying Spirit Affections of love and desire Nay and they may joyn fasting to Prayer nay further adde mourning to fasting And yet their hearts may bee unsound I cannot stand to clear all the Particulars The main I shall make to appear to you in two or three places Read Isa 1.15 When you stretch forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you yea when you make many prayers when you multiply prayer adde prayer to prayer as the word imports Yet I will not hear your hands are full of blood i. e. you are unregenerate you are unsound in your spirits So that you see a great deal cleared in this A man may pray abound in praying multiply prayers c. And yet bee unsound And you may joyn fasting to prayer as you see in the next verse to my Text and in the example of the Scribes and Pharisees who prayed often and fasted often And you may joyn mourning to fasting Zach. 7.5 When you fasted and mourned in the fifth month even these seventy years did you at all fast to mee even to mee They served themselves not God in that action all those seventy years together Hos 7.14 and they have not cryed to mee with their hearts when they howled upon their beds they assemble themselves for Corn and Wine that 's the ground of their fasting and howling For they rebel against mee That 's the second Particular 3. A man may seem to bee humbled to mourn and weep for sin and yet bee unsound A man cannot mourn for sin as sin but his heart is sincere but a man may seem to mourn for sin and yet his heart not bee sincere Hee may mourn for sin clad with wrath for sin cloathed with Judgement and Displeasure for sin as it smels of Hell Fire and Brimstone for sin as it appears in its dooms-day attire So did Ahab so Judas There are Crocodile-tears There are false tears as well as false prayers As a broken heart doth not ever expresse it self in tears So tears are not ever the expression of a broken heart There are 1. Lachrymae Indignationis tears of Anger as was Esaus 2. Lachrymae Desperationis tears of Desperation such as of the damned in Hell 3. Lachrymae Compunctionis tears of Compassion such as were Christs for Jerusalem 4. Lachrymae Compunctionis tears of godly sorrow and Compunction Such tears they may expresse as sense and smart stirs up but not such as Faith and Love do raise up in the soul 4. A man may seem to do much walk in many wayes of duty go far in the outward shew of obedience the letter of command and yet his spirit bee unsound A man may do so much spin a thread so finely as they who have the most discerning spirit are not able to detect and discover him Hee may deceive the men of the world hee may deceive the Saints deceive the Devil hee may deceive himself Wee read of Zeuxes the Painter Hee drew Grapes so to the life that hee deceived the Birds they would come flying to them as though they had been real Grapes Dedalus hee made an Image by art that moved of it self insomuch that men beleeved it had been alive But Pigmalion made an Image so lively that hee deceived himself and taking the Picture for a Person fell in love with his own Picture So there are some who can spin so fine a thread limb out the picture of godliness so to the life that not only the men of the World but even the Saints who are of most discerning spirits nay and themselves may bee deceived and deluded 5. A man may cast up his vomit disgorge himself of all his former wayes his old lusts and sins hee may bee washed that is outwardly reformed in every thing hee may leave many sins and yet bee unsound You see this plain in 2 Pet. 2.20 21 22. And there is nothing more plain than that a man may leave sin and yet not hate sin Hee may leave sin either 1. Ex timore mali alicujus 1. Out of fear of evil 2. Ex taedio 2. Out of weariness of it 3. Ex amore mali alicujus oppositi 3. Out of love of some contrary sin 4. Ex deficientia organotum 4. Out of want of fit instrument and means to compass his sin 6. A man may accompanie himself with the People of God Saul may bee among the Prophets Judas Demas Simon-Magus among the Disciples and Apostles A man may get on Sheeps-cloathing accompany go in and out with the Sheep bee folded with the Sheep and yet bee no better than a Ravenous Wolf There are Tares as well as Wheat in Gods Field there is Chaff as well as Corn in Gods Floar bad Fishes as well as good in Gods net And unsound
is because thou hast been my Helpe I have had experience of thy goodnesse to me in such and such straits Therefore under the shadow of thy wings I will rejoyce Not onely Trust in thee but Rejoyce as being assured thou wilt help me in time to come Men unmindful of former experiences are still to seek in every fresh difficulty Where Experiences are the Premises Assurance may be the Conclusion David was a man of many choice experiences of Gods goodness to him and hee was a man that was choice of them hee laid them up and made use of them at every need Hee did not only make use of the Experiences themselves but of every thing that came in to it or was a Trophee of it It is a passage not to bee neglected that when hee was forced to fly from Saul comming to Ahimelech the Priest hee desired a weapon of him for his defence and safeguard Hee told him that there was none save onely The Sword of Goliah whom hee had slain and David said there is none like that give it mee 1 Sam. 21.9 This was a Trophee of Gods goodnesse to him It was an Ensign of a former Experience of Gods love to him And there was no better weapon for his defence than such a one as was both an experience and a weapon In carrying this he carried an Experience with him which might Comfort him and incourage him too 2 Corin. 1.10 Saith the Apostle hee hath delivered us from so great a death and doth deliver In whom we trust he will yet deliver us Thus from the former Experiences of Gods goodness to him hee makes out an argument of future deliverances And if we were but thus wise to treasure up former Experiences the former parts of our lives would come in to help the latter And the longer wee live the richer in faith we should be Wee ought indeed to trust God though wee had never Tryed him but when hee helps our faith by former Experiences this should strengthen our Confidence and make us to go unto God as unto a Tryed friend If wee were well read in the History of our Lives wee might have a Bible of our own drawn out of the Experiences of Gods dealings with us and wee should be able to say in any difficulty and distresse I dare trust God in this difficulty I dare adventure on him in this present distress I have tryed him and found him true Hee never failed mee And because hee hath been my help therefore under the shadow of his wings will I rejoyce This is the first part of this Reason God doth wonders to quicken and incourage his Church and People to trust in him and obey him 2 God doth it that the very generations to come might be incouraged to trust in the same God in the like distresses This use the Church made of Former Experiences Psal 22.4 5. Our Fathers trusted in thee they trusted and thou didst deliver them they cryed unto thee and were delivered they trusted in thee and were not confounded And from hence the Church gathers an argument that that God that had delivered others would also deliver them The like you have Isa 51.9 11. Awake awake Put on strength O arm of the Lord Awake as in the Ancient days in the Generations of old Art not thou hee that wounded the Dragon who dryed up the Sea and made the depths a way for the ransomed to pass over As if he had said All those Former Experiences of thy Gracious dealings and wonderfull deliverances of thy Church they are as so many incouragements to us to beleeve thy goodnesse to us And therefore the Psalmist tells us Psal 9.10 They that know thy name will trust in thee And hee gives the reason For thou Lord hast not forsaken them that seek thee Hee doth not say Thou Lord wilt not but thou Lord hast not Gods hath-not is his will-not too The Argument were not good would not hold in men They Have not therefore they Will not Men may change men may alter 1. Either they may repent of former curtesies 2. Or they may resolve to do no more Men wee see shut their hands because they Have opened them and their former curtesies are reasons of future denials But the argument is good here Hee hath-not therefore hee will not forsake his people Hee will bee gracious because hee hath been gracious Gods former dealings towards his Church and people do but publish to the world and inform us what his future behaviour shall bee to his Church and people Hee Hath not therefore he will not God blames the Israelites because hee had done so great works for them And yet they beleeved not 7. Reas God will do wonderfull things for his Church because His love and ingagements do move him unto it There are four loving ingagements of God which move him to do wonderful things for his Church 1. They are his 2. He hath promised 3. His people trust in him 4. They seek unto him 1. God is ingaged to do wonderful things for us Because wee are his We are his people hee is our God wee are his Spouse hee our husband wee are his children hee our father wee his Members hee our head wee are his portion his inheritance c. And this is a great ingagement for God to do great things for us what will not a loving father do for his child what will not a loving Husband do for his wife c. wee stand in the same relations with God He thought nothing too great to suffer for us Hee suffered great things and hee suffered cheerfully hee was in pain till the hour came And do you think hee will think any thing too much to do for you God doth what ever is done in the world And there is nothing that he doth that I may say his heart is more in that he doth with more Complacency and delight than those things he doth for his Church and People His whole heart is in them and therefore doth them cheerfully and doth them fully As you know whatever your heart is in that you do willingly that you do thoroughly c. Indeed there was Nothing to ingage him To make us his People before hee made us his People as Moses saith God chose you not because of thy righteousnesse the uprightness of thy heart for thou art a stif-necked People But because the Lord Loved you c. But there is something to ingage him To do for us now hee hath made us his People because wee are his People this is that that Samuel did comfort the Israelites withall 1 Sam. 12.22 The Lord will not forsake his people for his great Names sake And why what is the reason what is the ingagement why saith hee Because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people 2 A second loving ingagement which causeth God to do wonders for his People is Fidelis Dominus qui se nobis â—ecit debitorem non aliquid