from the marriage-bed and the like Thirdly Abstaine from all worldly labour as upon a Sabbath day for worldly busines the cares thereof doe as well as worldly delights distract the thoughts and hinder humble devotion and a ceasing there-from giveth a full opportunitie to holy imployments the whole day Therfore the Iewes were commanded to sanctifie a fast And that yearely Fast called the day of Atonement was upon perill of their lives to be kept by a forbearance of all manner of worke Now albeit the Ceremonials of that day are abolished in Christ yet forbearing worke as well as meate and drinke being of the substance of a Fast doth remaine to bee observed in all such as may properly be called Religious Fasts Thus much for the outward fast you must be as strict in observing the inward Begin the day with prayer according as I directed you to doe every day but with more than ordinary preparation with fervency and faith praying for Gods special grace to enable you to sanctifie a fast that day according to the Commandement Then apply your selfe to the maine worke of the day which hath these parts 1 unfained Humiliation 2 Reformation together with Reconciliation and 3 earnest Invocation The soule is then humbled the heart rent and truly afflicted when a man is become vile in his owne eyes through conscience of his owne unworthinesse and when his heart is full of compunction and anguish through feare of Gods displeasure with godly sorrow and holy shame in himselfe and anger against himselfe for sinne These affections stirred doe much afflict the heart To attaine this deepe humiliation know that it is to be wrought partly by awakening your Conscience through a sight of the Law and apprehension of Gods just judgements due to you for the breach of it which wil break your heart and partly by the Gospell raising up your heart to an apprehension and admiration of the love of God to you in Christ which will melt your heart and cause you the more kindely to grieve and to loath your selfe for sin and withall to conceive hope of mercy whence wil follow reconciliation reformation and holy calling upon God by prayer To worke this Humiliation there must be First Examination to find out your sinne Secondly a Accusation of your selfe with due aggravation of your sinne Thirdly Iudging and passing sentence against your selfe for sinne Sinne is the transgression of the Law and revealed will of God Wherefore for the better search and finding out of your sinne you must set before youthe glasse of the Law for your Light and Rule And if you have not learned or cannot beare in minde the heads of the manifold duties commanded or vices forbidden then get some Catalogue or Table wherein the same are set downe to your hand which you may reade with pausing and due consideration staying your thoughts most upon those particular sinnes whereof you finde your selfe most guiltie If of those many that are you doe not meete with one more fit for this purpose or which you shall like better then use this Examinatorie Table in manner as Followeth But expect not herein an enumeration of all particular sinnes which is beyond my skill nor yet of all the heads of duties or kindes of sinnes which would require a volumne but of those which are principall and most common yet hereby if your Conscience be awake it will be occasioned to bring to your thoughts those other not mentioned in the Table if you bee thereof guiltie The first Table of the Law concerneth duties of love and pietie to God the performance whereof tendeth immediately to the glory of God and mediately to the salvation and good of man The first Commandement concerneth the setting up of the onely true God to your selfe to bee your God Examining your selfe by this and so in the other Commandements thinke thus with your selfe Doe I know and acknowledge the onely true GOD to be such a one as hee hath revealed himselfe in his Word works namely One onely Infinite Immateriall Immutable Incomprehensible Spirit and Everlasting Lord God having beeing and All-sufficiencie in and from himselfe One who is simply full of all perfections and uncapable of the least defect being Wisedome Goodnesse Omnipotencie Love Truth Mercy Iustice Holinesse and whatsoever is originally and of it selfe Excellent The only Potentate King of Kings Lord of Lords of whom through whom and to whom are all things The Father Sonne and holy Ghost God blessed for ever Amen Doe I Beleeve his Word in all things related commanded promised and threatned therein and that his holy and wise Providence is in all things Have I Him and his Word in continuall remembrance Doe I esteeme and exalt God in my heart above all so that it doth humbly adore him at the very mention and thought of him making my selfe to be nothing in mine owne eyes yea esteeming all creatures to bee nothing in comparison of him Have I given religious worship to him onely Have I beleeved in him and in him onely Have I sworne by him as there hath beene cause and by him alone Have I prayed onely unto him and have I sought to him and to obtaine helpe of him only by such meanes as he hath appointed giving the glory and thanks of my being and well-being and of al other things which are good unto him Is my Conscience so convinced of the truth Authority of God that it holdeth it selfe absolutely bound to obey him in all things that it doth incite to that which is good restrain from that which is evill encourage me in well-doing and check me when I doe ill Is my will resolved upon absolute and unfained obedience to doe whatsoever God commandeth to forbeare whatsoeuer hee forbiddeth to subscribe to whatsoever he doth as well done and have I borne patiently all which either by himselfe or by any of his creatures hee hath inflicted upon me Have mine affections beene so for God that I have loved him with al my heart loving nothing more than him nothing equally to him Doe I hate every thing that is contrary to him Hath my Confidence beene onely in him and my expectation of good from him Have my desires beene to him and for him longing above all things to have communion with him Hath it beene my greatest feare to offend him or to be severed from him Hath it beene my greatest griefe and shame that I have sinned against him Have I reioyced in God as in my chiefe Good Hath mine anger risen against whatsoever I saw crosse to his glory Have I beene zealous for God And have I made him the utmost end of all mine actions Hath my whole outward man as tongue senses and all other active powers of my body been readie to professe the true God and to yeeld obedience to his will Or contrariwise Am I not guilty of denying of God in word in workes or at least in heart
and strive to be obedient to his will as well as to beleeve his promises to hope for happinesse this iâ— to strive Now never any did thus strive in seeking to enter though it were but the last day of their life that was put backe and not received Wherefore say not it is to late But say the more time I have lost the more cause there is why now I should presently set to Religion in earnest not loose time in questioning whether I shal be accepted or no. And whereas you said you are afraid to use the meanes of Salvation for the reasons before objected hereby you may see that all this is but the malice and craft of the Divell by keeping you from the meanes to keepe you from Salvation For it is most false to say that to pray heare the Word c. is to increase your sin because you cannot performe these as you should and as you would I am sure it is a greateâ— sinne in you to for beare these necessary duties out of despaire that they shall ever profit you or that you shall be accepted oâ— God You should thinke thus if â—â— doe not use the meanes of salvation I shal certainly perish everlastingly but if I do pray heare c. I may be saved therefore in obedience to God I will doe as well as I can But little doth a man know how well hee may doe if he would indevour neither can a man conceive how acceptable a little indevour shall be if he doe but desire to be true in his indevour For as GODS power is seene in mans weakenesse so is Gods grace seene in manâ—insufficiencie When wee are weake then God in us can be strong And when wee in humilty like our services worst then through Christ God may be best pleased with them But whatsoever you doe Doe not neglect nor absent your selves from exercises of Religion for weakest observances where is truth are farre more acceptable than whole emissions Wherefore if as you say you would not increase your sinne and thereby your damnation be willing to use and to joyne with others in the use of all good meanes of Salvation then if you be not saved yet you shall have the lesse punishment But you may be assured that if in obedience to Gods Commandement you shall pray heare the Word receive the Sacrament and have communion and conversation with those that feare God you shall be saved in the end What if you doe not yet feele benefit and comfort when you use these meanes of salvation according to your desire yet you must waile the good houre both of grace and comfort even as the impotent folke did who lay waiting for the Angels comming to move the waters that they might be healed of their diseases at the â—oole of Bethesda For if when God hideth his face you will waite and looke for him then God will waite his time to be gracious and blessed shall you be that waite for him It may be it commeth justly upon you that God should make you waite his leasure and cause you to buy wisdome wise deare experience because you did once account it an easier matter to beleeve and repent and therefore you did not take the first offers but made God wait If it were thus yet despaire not of grace onely be humbled For God doth not deale with us after our sinnes nor reward us after our iniquities but according to his rich mercie and promise made to us in Christ Iesus SECTION 4. A removall of feares rising from doubts of Gods love THere are very many who have true proofes that they are the Elect of God and have reason to thinke that God not onely can but will doe them good yet because they will deny that to bee bestowed upon them and to be in them which indeed is therefore they feare and are causelesly disquieted I would have such to consider first whether they have not in them already evident proofes and sigues of GODS effectuall love towards them in Christ These will acknowledge that it is most true that if they were sure that GOD did love them they should not feare but this is all their doubt that GOD doth not love them Some give this reason of their doubt God hath afflicted them and still doth Plague them yea albeit they have professed the name of Christ they are in some thing or other chastened daily in so much that they seeme to bee in the condition of those whom GOD hath threatned to curse in every thing they put their handes unto Therefore say they GOD doth not love them Such weake and inconsiderate reasonings are incident to those whom GOD truely loveth Did not the holy men of GOD reason and conclude thus But when doe Gods Children thus It is in their haste before they be well advised what they think or say And whence is it Is it not from their ignorance and brutishnesse being carried away by sense So foolish was I and ignorant saith the Prophet c. But when they come to themselves and doe come to learne what is truth by the Word then they learn that it is not outward prosperitie will make wicked men happie neither is it outward affliction that can make a good man miserable Then they will neither applaud nor envie the prosperity of the wicked nor yet misconstrue nor repine at their own afflictions For they learne that no man can know Gods love or hatred by any outward thing that doth befall the sonnes of men in this life They learne that God doth oft smile on his enemies and that he doth oft frowne upon is angry with and doth correct those whom he dearely loveth even as a Father doth his Children They learne by the Word likewise that GOD hath excellent ends in all this even in respect of them and all for their good namely for tryall of their graces for prevention of sinne for to remove sinne bringing them to repenrance and that they might be made partakers of his Holinesse Besides herein he doth much glorifie himselfe shewing that he is wonderfull in Counsell excellent in Working causing the affliction to worke for his glory in his peoples good Yea you may learne by the Word and by your owne experience that although the childe of God in his infirmitie and passion when he is under the rod may let goe his hold of God yet that God in his love and compassion towards his childe will hold him fast by his right hand and will not leave him but will guide him with his Counsell that he may afterward receive him unto Glorie This is the way of GOD with his Children wherefore none from hence hath cause to question GODS love but to conclude it rather But I have brought afflictions upon my selfe by mine owne sin and folly I am impatient under them and am little or no whit better for
way and affoordeth meanes to attain both through the commands and promises thereof in the doctrine of faith and repentance Now therefore bring your self to the Gospell Try your selfe thereby first whether your first faith and repentance were sound then set upon reforming getting pardon of particular and later offences But learne to put a difference betweene the Commandements of the Gospell and of the Law the Law exacteth absolute obedience The gracious Gospell doth through CHRIST accept of the truth of Faith and Repentance so that there be an endevour after their perfection It would be too long to shew you at large the signes of unfained Faith and Repentance I will for the present onely say this Have you been humbled heretofore and through the promises and commandement of the Gospell which biddeth you beleeue have you conceived hope of mercy relying on Christ for it and thereupon have had a â—â—ue change in your whole man so that you make God your utmost end and out of hatred oâ—… and love unto Christ and â—is wayes have had a will in all things to live honestly and to â—…devour in all things to keepe alwayes a good conscience to wards God and man desiring the sincere milke of the Word to grow by it loving the brethren desiring and delighting in communion with them then be you confident that your first faith repentance and new obedience was sound If upon tryall you finde that they were not sound then you must begin now to repent and beleeve it is not yet too late Touching reformation and obtaining of pardon and power of your particular sinnes doe thus Consider the Commandement which biddeth you to repent and amend Consider the Commandements which bid you to come unto Christ when you are weary and beavie laden with your sin beleeving that through him they shall be pardoned and subdued to this end Consider that Christ hath fully satisfied for such and such a sinne yea for all sinne and that you have many promises of grace and forgivenesse yea a promise that God will give you grace to beleeve in him that you may have your sinnes forgiven Consider that there is vertue and power in Christs death and resurrection appliable by faith through his holy Spirit for the mortifying the old man of sinne and quickning the new man in grace as well as merit to take away the guilt and punishment of your sinne Improve this power of Christ in you unto an actuall breaking off your sinnes and living according to the wil of Christ which is done by mortifying the old man of sinne and by strengthning the new and inner man of grace In mortifying your sinne doe thus Take all your sinnes especially your bosome sins those to which the disposition of your nature and condition of your place doth most incline you your strongest and Captaine sinnes and with them the body of corruption in you the originall and mother-sinne smite at them strike at the very roote arraigne them condemne them in your selfe dragge them all to the Crosse of Christ and nayle them thereunto that is by Faith see them all nayled with Christ to the Crosse whereon he was crucified and beleeve that not onelyin respect of their guilt but also of their raigning power they are al crucified with him dead and buried as is signified to you lively in your Baptisme When you see that your old man is crucified with Christ that the body of sinne should be destroyed you will take courage against sinne and will refuse to serve it sith by Christ you are freed from the dominion of it When you thus by faith put on the Lord Iesus Christ you shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh Grieve heartily for your sinnes conceive deadly hatred against them displeasure against your selfe for them These like a corrasiue will eate out the core and heart of sinne Make no provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts of it but be sober in the use of all earthly things this by little and little will starve sinne Avoid all obiects and occasions of sinne yea abstaine from the appearance of it this wil disarme sinne When you feele any motion unto sinne whether it rose from within or came from without resist it speedily and earnestly by the Sword of the Spirit the Word of God as your Saviour did and as Ioseph did for which cause it must dwell plentifully in you Thus you shall kill sinne That you may strengthen the inner man by the Spirit whereby you may not onely mortifie the deeds of the flesh but bring forth the fruits of the Spirit doe thus First Apply Christ risen from the dead for you particularly beleeving that God by the same power quickneth you and raiseth you together with Christ to walke in newnes of life reckoning your selfe now to be alive unto God being dead unto sinne become the servant of righteousnesse This beleeving in Christ embracing and relying upon the precious promises of the Gospell doth draw downe Christ into your heart and doth more and more incorporate you into him by it he by his Spirit dwelleth in you wherby of his life grace you receive life and grace and so as the Apostle saith are made partaker of the divine nature flying the corruption which is in the world through lust Affect your heart with ioy unspeakeable and with peace in beleeving considering that you are iustified through our Lord Iesus Christ this Ioy of the Lord as a cordiall will exceedingly strengthen grace in the inner man Take heed of quenching or grieving the Spirit but nourish it by the frequent use of holy meditation prayer hearing and reading of the Word receiving the Sacraments by a Christian Communion with such as feare God and by following the motions of the Spirit of God which you shall know to be from it when the thing wherunto it mooveth is both for matter circumstance according to the Scripture the Word of the Spirit This is to be led of the Spirit and this will be to walke in the Spirit and then you shal not fulfil the lusts of the flesh Vpon your fasting day you shal doe well to renew your Covenant with God and in some cases so that it be done advisedly to enter into a particular vow to leave some grosse sinne with the occasions of it and to doe some necessary neglected dutie and to embrace all furtherances thereof This also will much strengthen your resolution against sinne and for holinesse There remaineth yet one principall work wherein a chiefe busines of the day of your fast lyeth for which all formerly spoken to maketh way and by which with the former meanes you may attaine to true reformation of your selfe reconciliation with your
for joy before ever they have made a legge and shewn any signe of thankfulnes you will easily be overtaken in this kinde and neglect God that gave it The furtherances of thankfulnesse are most of them directly contrary to the former hindrances of many take these First Get sound knowledge of God and of his infinite excellencies and absolutenesse every way of his independency on man or any other creature whence it is that he needeth not any thing that man hath or can doe neither can he be beholding to man But know that you stand in need of God and must be beholding to him for al things Know also that whatsoever God doth by whatsoever meanes it be hee doth it from himselfe induced by nothing out of himselfe being free in all that he doth Know likewise that whatsoever was the instrument of your good God was the Author both of the good and of the instrument Next Fill your selfe with a due knowledge of the full worth and excellent use of Gods gifts both common and speciall Wealth honour libertie health life senses limmes wit and reason c. considered in themselves and in their use wil be held to be great benefits but if you coÌ„sider them in their absence when you are sensible of poverty sicknesse and the rest or if you be so blessed that you know not the want of them then if you shall advisedly and humbly looke vpon the poore base imprisoned captives sicke deafe blind dumbe distracted c. Putting your selfe in their case you will â—ay that you are unspeakeably beholding to God for these corporal and temporall blessings But chiefely learne to know aâ—d consider well the worth of spirituall blessings One of them the peace of God passeth all understanding To enjoy the Gospell upon any tearmes to have â—â—â—vation such a salvation offered by Christ to have faith hope love and other the manifold saving graces of the Spirit though but in the least measure in the very first seed of the Spirit though no bigger then a grain of Mustard-seed with never so much outward affliction is of such value and consequent that it is more then eye hath seene eare hath heard or ever entred into the heart of man For besides that the least grace is invaluable in it selfe it doth give proof of better gifts namely that God hath given his Spirit hath given Christ and in him hath given himselfe a propitious and gracious God hath given all things also When you know God aright his gifts aright knowing all things in God and God in all things then you will be full of praises and thankes Secondly Be low and base in your owne eyes Let all things be base in your eyes in comparison of God account them worthlesse and helpelesse things without him Iudge your selfe to be as indeed you are lesse then the least of Gods mercies For what are you of your selfe but a compound of dust and sinne unworthy any good worthy of all misery You stand in need of God â—he not of you It is his mercy that you are not consumed When you can be thus sensible of your owne neede and that helpe can come onely from God and that you are worthy of no good thing then you will be glad and thankefull at heart to God for any thing An humble man will be more thankfull for a peny then a proud man will for a pound Thirdly Call all the forementioned knowledge of God and of his gifts into fresh memory Commune with your soule and cause it to represeÌ„t lively to your thoughts what God is in himselfe what to his Church and to you how precious his thoughts are to you-ward Tell your selfe oft what God hath done and what he will doe for your soule Call to minde with what varietie of good gifts he doth store his Church blesse you you will find that they will passe all account and number When withal you call to minde that God is free in all his gifts to you who are unworthy the least of them If you would cause your selfe to dwell upon these and the like thoughts they would worke in you an holy rapture and admiration out of which you shall with David break out into these or the like prayses Oh Lord our Lord how excellent is thy name in all the earth I thanke thee I praise thee I devote my selfe as my best sacrifice to thee I will blesse thy Name for ever and ever Fourthly Be perswaded of Gods love to you in these good things which he giveth unto you First he loveth you as his creature and if onely in that regard he doth preserve you and doe you good you are bound to thanke him Secondly you cannot know but that he loveth you with a speciall love to Salvation Gods revealed will professeth as much you must not meddle with that which is secret I am sure he maketh proffer of his love and you daily receive tokens of his love both in means of this life and that which is to come Did not he love you when out of his free and everlasting good will towards you He gave his Sonne to die for you that you beleeving in him should not dye but have everlasting life What though yet you be in your sinnes Doth hee not bid you turne and hath hee not said â—hee will love you freely What though you cannot turn to him nor love him as you would yet endevour these in the use of all good meanes to be and doe as God will have you then doubt noâ— but that GOD doth love you and you must wait till you see it in the performance of his gracious promises unto you But if you would consider things aright you may know certainly that the good things you have received of God are bestowed in love to you I will onely aske these Questions Hath Gods mercie made you to bethinke your selfe of your dutie and obedience to God have you had a will to be thankefull upon the thoughts thereof or if you finde a defect and barrennesse herein hath not this unfruitfull and unthankefull receiving of good things from God beene a great burden and griefe of heart to you If yea this is an evident signe that God gave those good things to you in love because this holy and good effect is wrought in you by them Againe Dâ—â— you love God would you love God and his wayes and Ordinances yet more This provetâ— that God loveth you for 〈…〉 man can love God till God have first loved him Likewise doe you love the children of God Theâ— certainly you are Gods childe and are loved of God By these you have proofe of your calling and election how that you are now translated from death to life after which time though God may give you many things in anger as a father giveth correction yet he never giveth any thing
doth care and will provide for you 4 Lastly you must oft-times actually casâ— your care on GOD by making your requests known to GOD by prayer and supplication for what you would have being heartily thankful for what you have had now have and hope to have hereafter Then the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keepe your heart and minde from vexing thoughts and heart-eating fears and that in and through Christ Iesus of which peace I intend next to speake and with it shall end these directions CHAP. XIIII Of Peace of GOD. SECTION I. Of Peace in generall and of the kindes of it THat you may be perswaded to walke before GOD in uprightnes in all wel-pleasing and to live without taking thought about any thing casting your care on GOD according to the former directions God hath assured you that peace shall be upon you even that peace of God which passeth all understanding which shall keepe your heart and minde through Christ Iesus if you thus doe Peace and quiet is most desireable Al things that have motion desire it as their perfectioÌ„ bodily things enjoy it by their rest in their places reasonable things enjoy this peace in the quiet of their minde and heart when they have their desires satisfied being freed from such opposition as might disquiet them Peace is a true agreement and concord betweene persons or things whereby not onely all enmitie is laid downe and all crossing and doing each other harme is forborne but all amitie is entred into and all readinesse of communicating and doing good to each other is shewed Naturall peace consisting of the harmony and good agreement of the severall parts of mans body Domesticks and Civill peace consisting of amitie and good agreement of persons in a familie or State is of great price and very much to be desired for the exceeding great benefit which it bringeth to the body family and state But the peace of which I am to speake which is promised to all which walk with God according to the rule of faith and of the new creature casting their care on God exceedeth all other peace as far as the soule heaven and eternitie exceedeth the body the earth and a moment of time Which will easily appeare if you shall observe by what motives and arguments the holy Ghost doth commend and set this forth unto you Phil 4. 7. It hath its commendation above all other peace in three respects First In respect of the excellency of the person with whom and from whom it is namely God therefore it is called peace of God It is so called 1 Because it hath God for its obiect it is a peace with God 2 Because God by his Spirit is the author of it it is peace from God a peace which God giveth such a peace which the world neither can nor will give Secondly this peace is commended in respect of the unspeakable inconceivable and surpassing goodnesse and worth that is in it It passeth all understanding and this it doth not onely because unsanctified men are meere strangers to it and understand it not but because regenerate men to whom it belongeth and in whom it is even they when God giveth them any lively feeling of it finde it to bee such a peace as they could not imagine it to be before they felt it For they cannot so distinctly and so fully conceive and comprehend the surpassing excellency of it as by any meanes fully to expresse it It rather taketh up the minde into an holy rapture unto admiration of what it seeth and of what it perceiveth is yet to be known beyond full comprehension then possibly can be taken up and bee distinctly and fully comprehended or expressed by minde or tongue It fareth with them that feele it in any speciall degree as it did with the Queen of the South when she saw Salomons Wisdoms Shee had a great opinion of Salomons Wisdome by that which she received by heare say but when she saw it she was stricken with such admiration and was so taken up with it that it is said shee had no more spirit in her his Wisdome was not only more than her expectation but more than her spirit was able throughly to comprehend in so much that shee giveth over to seeke to finde the depth of it but breaketh out into words of admiration saying the halfe was not told her of Salomons wisedome it exceeded the fame thereof So doth the peace of God It being like the dimensions of the love of Christ the root thereof and like the ravishing ioy of Christians the effect thereof passing all full and distinct knowlege and passing all meanes of full and cleare expression being as the holy Ghost also saith unspeakeable This peace is included amongst those other graces and gifts accompanying the Gospell which are such as eye hath not seene nor eare heard nor hath entered into the heart of man so as clearely to perceive them or fully to expresse them Thirdly This peace is commended in respect of the excellent effect thereof which is a proofe that it passeth understanding namely it keepeth the heart and minde in and through Christ Iesus This is a rare and most usefull effect on mans behalfe For it supplieth the place and office of a Castle or strong Garrison as the Greeke word signifieth to keep the principall Forts of the soule from being surprised or annoied either by invasioÌ„ from without or by insurrection from within The parts of man which are kept by this peace of GOD are the heart and minde by heart is meant the will and affections by minde the power of thinking and understanding For true peace of GOD doth fill the heart with such Ioy Patience Hope and Comfort in beleeving that it keepeth it from heart-eating and heart-vexing griefe feare distrust and despaire It likewise filleth the mind so full of apprehension of Gods favors fidelity and love that it maketh it rest secure in God and to forbeare to plod and beat the brain unnecessarily about any thing keeping out the dominion of all carking and distrustfull thoughts The strength which this peace hath whereby it keepeth the heart and mind as wâ—th a Garrison is impregnable It is derived from Christ it hath it in from Christ The Text saith through Christ that is throgh the power of Christs Spirit For as wee are kept by Faith from which this peace springeth as with a strong Garrison by the power of GOD to Salvation readie to be revealed in the last time so by the same power of Christ our hearts and mindes are kept by the peace of God as with a Garrison from discouragefull distractfull distrustfull and discomfortable thoughts in the meane time For what is this peace else but a parcell of the object of our Faith as wee apprehend it in God to us-ward and the fruit of Faith as wee feele it wrought in us by God This peace
fulfill their pennance injoyned if they be devout in certaine superstitions in their will-worship and voluntary religion their conscience is quiet for a time notwithstanding their soule and blacke sinnes even their abominable Idolatries I do these to wit that all this is but a blindfolding smothering and stupifying the conscience for a time laying a double and a farre greater guilt upon it it is farre from being any meanes truly to pacifie it For how can any man have true peace from any or from all such actions as are in themselves an actuall denying of the true head of the Church Iesus Christ and are a cleaving to a false head which is Antichrist And how can any man merit for himselfe when our Saviour saith when hee hath done all that is commanded hee is an unprofitable servant and hath done but his dutie which thing hee must say and acknowledge All these before mentioned build their hopes upon false grounds Those that follow build their presumptuous false hopes upon a misse-application of true grounds 7. Many acknowledge that they have sinned doe deserve eternall damnation but they say God is mercifull therefore their heart is quiet without all feare of Condemnation It is most true that God is most mercifull but how Know hee is not necessarily mercifull as if he could not choose but shew it to all men Hee is voluntarily mercifull shewing mercy onely to those unto whom he will shew mercie God could and did hate and in his justice comdemne Eâ—au notwithstanding his love and mercy to Iacob God is all iustice as well as all mercy but he hath his severall obiects of justice and mercy and hath his severall vessels of wrath and mercy into which respectively hee doth powre his wrath or mercy When God speaketh of obstinate sinners he saith that hee will not â—e mercifull to their iniquities and saith againe Hee that made them will not have mercy on them And David prayeth with a Propheticall Spirit saying to God Be not mercifull to wicked transgressours And who are these but such as hate to be reformed who are presumptuous and turne the grace of God into wantonnesse Now concerning them that alwayes erre in their heart hee hath in effect sworne that hee will shew them no mercy For hee hath sworne that they shall not enter into his rest 8. Some others goe farther they acknowledge that GODS Iustice must be satisfied and they thinke it is satisfied for them they dreaming of universall redemption by Christ who indeed is said to dye to take away the sinnes of the world This causeth their conscience to be quiet notwithstanding that they live in sinne It must be granted that Christ gave himselfe a ransome for all This ransome may be called generall and for all in some sense but how namely in respect of the common nature of man which he tooke and of the common cause of mankinde which hee undertooke and for that in it selfe it was of sufficient price to redeeme all men and it was paide in such sort that it is appliable to al without exception by the preaching and ministry of the Gospell And it was so intendedby Christ that the plaster should be as large as the sore and that there should be no defect in the remedy that is in the price or sacrifice of himselfe offered upon the Crosse by which man should be saved but that all men and each particular man might in that respect become saveable by Christ Yet doth not the salvation of all men necessarily follow hereupon nor doth it follow that all men may be saved if they will nor yet must any part of the price which CHRIST paid be held to be superfluous though many be not saved by it For it being of infinite value because he was the eternall son of God that suffered and so it was to be because he was to feele the wrath of an infinite God it receiveth not the consideration of more or lesse And the whole price and merits of Christ are not to bee applied by parts but the whole merit is to bee applyed to each particular maÌ„ that shal be saved But know that the application of the remedy and the actuall fruit of this all-sufficient ransom redoundeth to those which are saved onely by that way and meanes which God was pleased to appoint which for men of yeares iâ— faith by which Christ is actually applyed Which condition many to whom the Gospell doth come make impossibleto themselves through a wilfull refusing of the Gospell and saluation it selfe by Christ upon those termes which God doth offer it Vpon this sufficiency of Christs ransome and intention of God and Christ that it should be sufficient to save all is founded that generall offer of Christ to all and to each particular man to whom the Lord shall please to reveale the Gospell likewise that universall precept of the Gospell commanding every man to repent and beleeve in Christ Iesus as also the universall promise of salvation made to every one that shall beleeve in Christ Iesus Although in an orthodox sense â—ightly understood Christ may be said to have dyed for all yet let not every one nor any one presently presume he shall be saved For God did intend this all-sufficient price for all otherwise to his elect in Christ than to those whom he passed by not elected for he intended this not only out of a generall and common love to mankinde but out of a peculiar love to his Elect. He gave not Christ equally and alike to save all and Christ did not so lay downe his life for the Reprobate as for the Elect. Christ so dyed for all that his death might be applyable to all He so dyed for the Elect that his death might be actually applied unto them He so dyed for all that they might have an object of faith and that if they should beleeve in Christ they might be saved But he so died for the Elect that they might actually beleeve and bee saved Hence it is that Christs death becommeth effectuall to them and not to the other though sufficient for all Now that many beleeve not they having â—he means of saith the fault is in themselves through their wilfulnesse or negligence but that any beleeve to Salvation it is of Gods grace attending his Election and Christs dying out of his especiall love for them and not of the power of mans free will God sending his Gospell and giving the grace of faith new obedience to those whom of his free grace he hath ordained to eternall life both where he pleaseth and when he pleaseth Furthermore it must be considered that notwithstanding the all-sufficiencie of Christs death whereby the new Covenant of grace is ratified and confirmed the Covenant is not absolute but conditionall Now what GOD prodoundeth conditionally no man must take absolutely For God
that God will not call you before you dye It were a farre wiser and better course for you that will bee thus hasty in judging your selves to be Reprobates to busie your selves first with other things Acquaint your selves with Gods revealed will in his Word Learne to know what God hath commanded you to doe and do that also what he hath threatned and feare that and what hee hath promised and beleeve and rest on that After you haue done this you may looke into your selves and you shall reade your Election written in golden and great Letters For God never intended that the first lesson which a Christian should learne should be the hardest and highest lesson that can be learned taken out of the book of his eternall counsell decree and so to descend to the A. B. C. of Christianity Which were a course most perplexed and preposterous But his wil is that his schollers children should learn out of his written Word here on earth first that God made all things and that hee made man good and how that man hearkening to Sathan they found out evill devices and so fell from grace and from God and so both they and the whole world that came of their loynes became guilty of eternal dānation Next God would have you to learne that hee in is infinite wisdome goodnesse and mercy thought of and concluded a new covenant of Grace for the effecting whereof hee found out and appointed a way and meanes to pacifie his wrath by satisfying his justice punishing sin in mans nature by which he opened away unto his mercie to shew it to whom he would namely Hee gave his onely Sonne very God to become very man and being made a common person and surety in mans stead dyed and endured the punishment due to the sinne of man and rose againe and was exalted to sit at Gods right hand to raigne having all authority committed vnto him Thus he made the new covenant of grace established in his Sonne Iesus Christ the tenour and condition whereof required on mans part is that man accept of enter into this covenant beleeving in Christ in whom it is established then whosoever beleeveth in him shall not dye but have everlasting life This God did in his wisedome justice mercy and love to man that hee himselfe might be inst and yet a iustifier of him that is of the faith of Iesus And hath therefore given his Word and Sacraments and hath called and hath given gifts to his Ministers thereby to beget and increase faith in men by publishing this good newes and by commanding them as in Christs stead in Gods name to beleeve and to be reconciled to God and to live no longer according to the will of their old Masters the Divell the World and the Flesh under whom they were in cursed bondage but according to the will of him that redeemed them in holinesse and righteousnesse whose service is a perfect blessed freedome Now when you have learned these lessons first and by looking into your selves can finde faith and new obedience then by this your effectuall calling you may as by safe stayres ascend to that high point of your Predestination which will give you comfort through assurance that you shall never fall away When you observe this order in learning your Election to life it will not minister vnto you matter of curious and dangerous dispute either with God or man thereabout but of high admiration thankesgiving and unspeakeable comfort causing you to cry out with the Apostle O the depth of the riches both of the wisedome and knowledge of God c. And Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ who hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that wee should bee holy and without blame before him in love having Predestinated us unto the Adoption of children by Iesus Christ to himselfe according to the good pleasure of his will to the prayse of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us accepted in his well-beloved c. There are yet some who having heard that there is a sinne against the holy Ghost and that it is unpardonable are full of feares that they have committed that sinne thence conclude that they are Reprobates for they say that they have sinned willingly against knowledge conscience since they received the knowledge of the truth and tasted of the heavenly gift and of the good Word of God If you who thus object have sinned against knowledge and conscience you have much cause of griefe complaint against your selfe and have much cause of humbling your selfe before God confessing it to him asking pardon of him and grace to beleeve and repent both which you must endevour by all means Yet I see no cause why you should conclude so desperately that you have sinned against the holy Ghost and are a Reprobate For as few in comparison though too many commit this sinne so few know what it is All sinne against knowledge and conscience is not this sinne Nor yet all wilfull sinning It is not any one sinne against the law nor yet the direct breach of the whole law nor every malicious opposing of the Gospell if it be of ignorance neither is it every blasphemie or persecution of the Gospell and of those that professe the truth if these be done out of ignorance or passion Nor yet is it every Apostacie and falling into grosse sinnes of diverssorts though done against knowledge and conscience yet this sinne against the holy Ghost containeth all these and more It is a sinne against the Gospell and free offer and dispensation of grace and salvation by CHRIST through the Spirit Yet it is not any particular sinne against the Gospell nor yet a rejecting of the whole Gospell if in ignorance nor yet every denying of Christ or sudden revolting from the outward profession of the Gospell when it is of infirmitie through feare such like temptation Neither is it called the sinne against the holy Ghost and is unpardonable because it is committed against the Essence or Person of the holy Ghost for the essence of the three persons in Trinitie is all one And the person of the holy Ghost is not more excellent than the person of the Father and the Sonne but it is called the sinne against the holy Ghost and becommeth unpardonable because it is against the Office of the holy Ghost and against the gracious operations of the holy Ghost and therein against the whole blessed Trinitie all whose works out of themselves are consummate and perfected in the worke of the holy Ghost Moreover know that it is unpardonable not in respect of GODS power but in respect of his will Hee having in his holy wisedome determined never to pardon it And good reason why he should will not to pardon it in respect of the
Ministers cannot say yea and that such an instruction and such a promise in the Word did helpe him then you conclude that you are incurable But last of all let it be supposed that your case is worse than any bodies else Is there not a soveraigne Balme in Gods Word a Catholicon that will heale all spirituall diseases Gods Word is like himselfe to a beleever an Omnipotent Word Is any thing too hard for the LORD Neither is there any spiritual disease too hard for his Word When Christ healed the people with his Word did it not heale even such the like whereof were never knowne to be cured before They made no question whether he cured the like before Indeede Martha failed in this for she said of her brother Lazarus being dead LORD he stinketh for he hath beene dead foure dayes she conceived her brothers case to be desperate and that none in his case could be raised But Christ did blame her for want of faith and by his Word hee did as easily raise Lazarus from being dead so long as hee did cure Peters wiues mother sicke but of an ague It is not greatnesse of any mans distres whatsoever that can hinder from helpe and comfort but onely as then in curing mens bodies so now in curing and comforting mens soules nothing hinders the cure but the greatnesse of the unbeliefe of the party to be cured for all things are possible to him that beleeveth You will yet Reply indeed here lyeth the difficultie in the unbelife Well be it so If unbeliefe be your disease and trouble doe you thinke that God cannot cure you of unbeliefe as well as of any other sinne But know that if with him in the Gospell you feele your unbeliefe and complaine of it and confesse it unto GOD saying Lord I have cause to beleeve Lord I doe I would beleeve helpe thou my unbeliefe if withall you will waite untill GOD give you power to beleeve and to enjoy comfort in beleeving for faith maketh no haste this same is both to beleeve in truth and is a certaine meanes to increase in beleeving Wherefore let not Sathan nor yet a fearefull heart make you to judge your case to be desperate and remedilesse either in respect of Gods power or will though you yet be in distresse and doe feele in you much feare and unbeliefe Seeke to God and with patience waite the good time of deliverance and comfort and in due time you shall have helpe and comfort as well as any other There are yet some that feare God doth not love them because they have prayed oft and much but God rejected their prayers and hath not heard them There are many just causes why God may reject or at least not grant your prayers and yet may love your persons For first It may be you aske amisse either asking things unlawfull or asking things inconvenient for the present or in asking to have good things temporall or spirituall in that quantity degree which GOD doth not hold fit for you as yet or you aske good things to an ill end as to satisfie some lust as pride voluptuousnesse covetousnesse or some other or it may bee you might aske onely with a naturall desire or if with spirituall yet you did it but faintly without fervor or lastly though you failed in neither of the former yet you failed in this you were doubtfull you did not aske in faith you did not beleeve you should have the things so asked Whosoever doe thus faile in asking let them not thinke ever to receive any thing in favour from the LORD And it is a fruit of Gods love when he doth not answer prayers so made For it will cause you to seeke him and to pray to him in a better manner that you may be heard Secondly God doth many times in love and mercy heare his childrens praiers when they thinke he doth not God heareth prayers many wayes you must observe this else you will judge that he doth not heare your praiers when yet indeed he doth Sometimes yea alwaies when it is good for you he giveth the vâ—râ— thing which you pray for Someâ—â—â—â—s hee giveth not that thing which you aske but some thingâ—s good nay much better As when you aske corporall and temporall good things he denyeth to grant them but in stead therof doth give you things spirituall and eternall likewise when you aske grace in some special degree such as joy or comfort in God or the like it may please him not to let it appeare that hee giveth the same unto you but in stead thereof he doth enlarge your desires and he giveth humility and patience to wait his leisure which will doe you more good than that which you prayed for So likewise when you pray that GOD would rid and ease you of such or such a temptation God doth not alwayes rid and ease you of it but he in stead thereof giveth you strength to withstand it and keepeth you that you are not overcome by it thus Christ was heard in that which he feared so he said to the Apostle My grace is sufficient for thee Which is better than to have your particular request For now GODS power is seene in your weakenesse and God hath the glory of it and you hereby have experience of GODS power which experienceis of excellent use Likewise you may desire to have such or such a crosse removed yet God may suffer the crosse to remaine for a time but he giveth you stâ—ength and patience to beare it wisedome and grace to be lesse earthly and more heavenly minded by reason of it There was never any that with an holy and humble heart made lawfull requests according to the wil of Christ beleeving he should be heard but though he were a man of many failings in himselfe and did discover many weaknesses in his prayer was heard in that hee prayed either in what he did ask or in what he should rather have asked either in that very thing or in a better I would have you leave objecting and questioning whether God love you Consider this Hath hee not loved you that hath given his onely be gotten Sonne for you and to you who hath washed you with his bloud having given him to dye for your sinnes and to rise againe for your iustification and hath hereby translated you into the kingdome of his deare Sonne having also given unto you to beleeve in his Name hereby making you his children inheritours with the Saints in light What greater signe can there be of greater love of God towards you And what better evidence can you have of Gods love in justifying of you then the evidence of your faith whereby you are iustified SECTION 5. A removall of false feares rising from doubtings whether they have faith and are Iustified ALL men will grant that if they were sure that they
this which followeth Wheras man being fallen into state of condemnation by reason of sinne thereby breaking the Covenant of workes it pleased God to ordaine a new Covenant the Covenant of Grace establishing it in his onely Sonne Christ Iesus made man expressing the full tenour of this his Covenant in the Gospell wherein hee maketh a gracious and free offer of Christ in whom this Covenant is established with him the Covenant it selfe unto man now when a man burdened with his sinne understanding this offer giveth credit unto it and assenteth thereunto because it is true and approveth it and consenteth to it both because it is good for him to embraceit and because it is the will and Commandement of God and is one condition in the Covenant that hee should consent for his part and trust to it when therefore a man receiveth Christ thus offered together with the whole Covenant in every branch of it so farre as hee doth understand it resolving to rest on that part of the Cavenant made and promised on Gods part and to stand to every branch of the Covenant to be performed on his part Thus to embrace the Covenant of grace and to receive Christ in whom it is confirmed is to beleeve This offer of Christ and the receiving him by faith may clearly bee expressed by an offer of peace and favour made by a King unto a woman that is a rebellious subiect by making offer of a marriage betweene her and his onely sonne the heire apparant to the Crowne who to make way to this match undertakes by his Fathers appointmeÌ„t to make full satisfaction to his Fathers iustice in her behalfe and to make her every way fit to be daughter to a King And for effecting this match betweene them the Son with the consent and appointment of his Father sendeth his chiefe servants a wooing to this unworthy woman making offer of marriage in their Masters behalfe with the clearest proofs of their Masters good wiâ— to her and with the greatest earnestnes intreaties to obtaine her good will that may be This woman at first being a Ward or bond-woman unto this Kings sonnes mortall enemy and being in love with base slaves like her selfe companions in her rebellion may happily set light by this offer or if she consider well of it shee may doubt of the truth of this offer the match being so unequall and so unlikely on her part shee being so base and so unworthy she may thinke the motion to bee too good to bee true yet if upon more advised thoughts she doth take notice of the peril she is in while she standeth out against so puissaÌ„t a King in her rebellion and doth also see and beleeve that there is such a one as the Kings Sonne and beleeveth that he is in earnest in his offer to reconcile her to his Father and that hee would indeed match with her wherupon she considereth also that it shall bee good for her to forsake all others and take him and that especially because his person is so lovely every way worthy of her love Now when shee can bring her selfe to beleeve this and resolve thus though shee commeth to it with some difficulty and when with all she giveth a true and hearty consent to have him and to forsake all other and to take him as he is to obey him as her Lord and to take part with him in all conditions better or worse though she come to this resolution with much adoe then the match is as good as made betweene them for hereupon followeth the mutuall plighting of their troaths each to other The application is easie throughout I will onely apply so much as is for my purpose to shew the nature of justifying Faith God offers his onely begotten Sonne Iesus Christ yea Christ Iesus by his Ministers offers himselfe in the Gospell unto rebellious man to match with him onely on this condition that forsaking his kindred and fathers house forsaking all that he is in himselfe hee will receive him as his head husband Lord and Saviour Now when any man understandeth this motion so farre as to assent and consent to it and to receive Christ and cleave to him then hee beleeveth to Salvation then the match is made between Christ and that man then they are hand-fasted and betrothed nay married and are no longer two but are become one spirit By all this you may see that in saving faith there are these two acts First An assent to the truth of the Gospell and that not onely beleeving in generall that there is a Christ beleeving also what manner of person he is and upon what condition hee offereth himselfe to man to save him but also beleeving that this Christ graciously offereth his love and himselfe to a mans selfe in particular The second act is an approbation and liking well of this offer of Christ with consenting and heartie saying I will to the said offer resolving to take him wholly and fully as hee is accepting of him according to the full tenour of the marriage covenant not onely as a mans Saviour for to defend and shelter him from evill and to save him and bring him to glory but as his head to be ruled by him and as his Lord and King to worship and obey him beleeving in him not onely as his Priest to satisfie and to make intercession for him but also as his Prophet to teach and as his King to governe him cleaving to him in all estates taking part with him in gall the evils that accompany the profession of Christs Name as well as in the good The first act is not enough to save any The second act cannot be without the former where both these are there is a right receiving of the Gospell there is true faith The principall matter lyeth in the consent and determination of the wâ—ll in receiving of Christ Which that it may be without exception know with what manner of will you must consent and receive Christ First it must be with an advised and considerate will it must not be rash and on a sudden in your ignorance before you well know what you doe You must be well advised and consider well of the person to whom you give your consent that you know him and that you know the nature of this spirituall marriage and what you are bound unto by vertue of it and what it will cost you if you give your selfe to Christ Secondly Your consent must be with a determinate and compleat will touching present receiving him even with all the heart It must not be a faint consent in an indifferency whether you consent or no it must not be in a purpose that you will receive him hereafter but you must give your hand and heart to him for the present else yet it is no match Thirdly Your consent must be with a free and ready will it must not be as