principalities and powers and against the rulers of the darknesse of this world against spirituall wickednesse in high places Nothing but a divine power could keepe grace alive in such hearts as ours are Wee are kept saith the Apostle 1 Peter 1.5 by the power of God unto salvation Secondly His admirable goodnesse is the cause of this and the unchangablenesse of his love to them whom he hath once effectually called called according to his purpose and eternall counsell as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 8.28 Hee never loved any thus farre as to call them effectually and to worke truth of grace in their hearts but he loved them to the end Having loved his owne which were in the world saith the Evangelist of our blessed Saviour Iohn 13.1 he loved them to the end I have loved thee saith the Lord to his Church Ier. 31.3 with an everlasting love therefore with loving kindnesse have I drawne thee Them whom he hath shewed such loving kindnesse unto as to draw them to himselfe by an effectuall calling he loveth with an everlasting love The Lord advanced Saul to be King over his people and gave him his spirit that is such gifts of his spirit as might fit him for that calling As soone as Samuel had anointed him the spirit of the Lord came upon him as the Text saith 1 Sam. 10.6 9 and he was turned into another man God gave him another heart But this favour and love God shewed to Saul was not an unchangable and everlasting love It repenteth me saith the Lord 1 Sam. 15.11 that I have set up Saul to be King And 1 Sam. 16.14 The spirit of the Lord departed from Saul hee had received excellent gifts of Gods spirit and lost them quite againe But if God have advanced any of us to this dignity to be a true Convert to be effectually called Ioh. 1.12 he never repenteth him of it this favour and love of God is unchangable and everlasting The gifts and calling of God are without repentance as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 11.29 In respect of this good and perfect gift the Apostle calleth the Lord Iam. 1.17 the father of lights in whom is no variablenesse neither shadow of turning And were it not for this that Gods love to such as he hath once regenerated and given saving grace to is constant and everlasting if any thing could have changed or altered him alas there is none of us all but we have done enough a thousand times to have lost him for ever and to have caused him to depart quite from us and to have stripped us of all grace long ago Before we passe from this point let us apply it to our selves in a few words that is in five First Seeing sanctifying grace is of such constancie and a fruit of Gods everlasting and unchangable love ô how carefull should we be to get grace if wee want it and to get assurance that we have it in truth if we thinke we have it 1. All other blessings and good things wealth and pleasure and honour and health are of no continuance And that that Paul saith of Riches 1 Tim 6.17 may be said of them all they are uncertaine riches uncertaine good things But true grace is durable riches as Solomon calleth it Pro. 8.18 These are the sure mercies of David as the Holy Ghost calleth them Esa. 55.3 2. No other good thing we can enjoy is any certaine argument of Gods speciall love and favour No man knoweth either love or hatred by any thing that is before him saith Solomon Eccle. 9.1 Esau of whom it is said God hated him Mal. 1.3 yet did enjoy all worldly blessings in greater measure then Iacob did as is plaine by that speech of Moses Gen. 36.31 But true grace is a certaine argument of Gods love yea of his speciall and everlasting love According to that speech of the Lord Ier. 31.3 I have loved thee with an everlasting love therefore with loving kindnesse have I drawne thee Secondly So many of us as have by the mercy of God beene preserved any time in the state of grace let us blesse God for it let us admire and magnifie the power and goodnesse of God towards us in this behalfe It hath ever beene esteemed in Gods Church a great honour to a man to be an old Disciple The Holy Ghost maketh an honourable mention of Mnason of Cyprus for this Act. 21.16 And Paul saith of Andronicus and Iunia Rom. 16.7 that they were of note among the Apostles and honoureth them for this that they were in Christ before him If any of us have found mercy with God to be old Disciples Nay if we be of any standing in Christianity and keepe our standing let us give God the glory of it thinke of it often and never thinke we can be sufficiently thankfull to God for it O blesse our God ye people saith David Psal. 66.8 9. and make the voice of his praise to be heard which holdeth our soule in life and suffreth not our feet to be moved Praise God for keeping and preserving the life of grace in thy soule all this while Say with David Psal. 116.7 8. The Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee for thou hast delivered my soule from death mine eyes from teares and my feet from falling Praise God for keeping thee fom deadly and irrecoverable falls Yea take thou up that thanksgiving which of all the formes of thanksgiving that we read of in Scripture hath been most in use with Gods Saints as if it were not for spending of time I could give you many instances of I meane that Psal. 106.1 Praise ye the Lord ô give thanks unto the Lord for he is good for his mercy endureth for ever God is more to be praised by us for the unchangeablenesse and constancy of his love to such wretches as wee are then for any other of his mercies how great so ever they bee Thirdly Let none of us be proud of our standing in the state of grace but let us give God all the glory of it Let us all say with the Apostle 1 Cor. 15.10 By the grace of God I am that I am And that which the Apostle there speaketh of his labours we must say in this case It is not I that have held out all this while not I but the grace of God which was with me It is the Lord as Annah speaketh 1 Sam. 2.9 that keepeth the â—eet of his Saints for in his owne might shall no man be strong It is not by any strength of our owne that we have stood all this while but by the strength and free grace of God onely Fourthly Seeing our perseverance in grace dependeth wholly upon the power and goodnesse of God let none of us be secure but watchfull and wary and fearfull to offend God who if he do but let go his hold and withdraw his hand we cannot stand one moment longer no more then a child of a yeare old or the staffe ye walke
art Iohn 5.42 But I know you that ye have not the love of God in you 1. If thou be a profane person and goest on in a course of sinne thou canst not leave thy drinking nor thy swearing nor thy whoring then the Holy Ghost pronounceth of thee that thou lovest not God thou hatest him and art an enemy unto him Psal. 68.21 God shall wound the head of his enemies hath God any enemies So it appeareth Why who are they That he telleth you in the next words and the hairy scalpe of such a one as goeth on still in his trespasses 2. If thou be a superstitious person and such a one as dotest upon any will worship that is of thine owne or of any other mans devising whatsoever thou thinkest of thy selfe then the Holy Ghost pronounceth of thee that thou lovest not God but thou hatest him in thy heart For so the Lord speaketh of the transgressours of the second commandement Exod. 20.5 Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of them that hate me 3. Nay if thou be but a meere naturall man unregenerated unconverted there is no love of God in thee but thou hatest him in thy heart For so saith our Saviour Iohn 15.18 of the whole world of all men in their naturall estate Yee know that the world hated me before it hated you And verse 23. He that hateth me hateth my father also Neither is this the state of the reprobate in the world onely but even of Gods elect also while they are of the world before they be regenerated they cannot love the Lord but hate him in their hearts This is plaine by that promise God maketh to his elect Deut. 30.6 The Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart Till God circumcise our hearts and take away the hard fore-skin that is upon them we can never love the Lord with all our heart that is unfeignedly And the Apostle speaking to the elect Colosians putteth them in mind of this Col. 1.21 You were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mindes As if he had said you were not onely void of the love of God but you were quite alienated from him and enemies in your mind you hated him in your hearts Six evident demonstrations there be that may convince every naturall man that there is no true love of God in his heart First He loveth not God because he loveth other things more then God For so speaketh the spirit of God expressely 1 Iohn 2.15 If any man love the world the love of the father is not in him Secondly He loveth not God because he doth not desire to enjoy him to be where he is to have any communion with him neither in heaven nor in the assembly of his Saints and use of his ordinances For this hath beene the voice of such as have loved God 2 Cor. 5.8 We are willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord. And Psal. 42.1 2. As the hart panteth after the water brookes so panteth my soule after thee ô God my soule thirsteth for God for the living God when shall I come and appeare before God And 26.8 Lord I have loved the habitation of thy houses and the place where thine honour dwelleth And can he then have any love to God that cannot abide to thinke of death that if he might have his will would never go to God Can he have any love to God that careth not how seldome he commeth to Gods Sanctuary where of all places in the world the Lord sheweth himselfe to be present with his people in the most gracious and comfortable manner Thirdly He loveth not God because hee hath no delight to doe that that might please him nor feareth to doe that that he knoweth will offend and displease and dishonour him The carnall mind is enmity against God saith the Apostle Rom. 8.7 For it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be He that hath my commandements and keepeth them saith our Saviour Ioh. 14.21 is he that loveth me and none but he Fourthly He loveth not God because when he knoweth he hath offended him and lost his favour hee is not troubled with it nor seeketh in any good earnest to be reconciled to him againe I love them that love me saith the Lord Pro. 8.17 But how shall that be knowne That he telleth you in the next words and those that seeke me early shall find me As if he had said Those that love me will seeke peace with me when they have offended me yea they will doe it early they cannot rest they cannot sleepe till they have made their peace with me and thus will I shew my love to them againe I will be found of them I will be easie to be intreated by them Fiftly They love not God because they love not them that feare God Every one that loveth him that begat saith the Apostle 1 John 5.1 loveth him also that is begotten of him Nay there is a certaine signe they hate God because they beare a mortall hatred to all such as in whom they see any life or power of religion for that cause onely because they beare the image of God they reproach them nickname them slander them use them with all the despite they can He that is upright in the way is an abomination to the wicked saith Solomon Pro. 29.27 Like the Leopard and Tiger of whom we read that they doe so hate man that they will expresse their hatred to the very picture of a man wheresoever they see it Sixtly and lastly They love not God because they have no assurance of his love to them in Christ and of the forgivenesse of their sinnes We love him saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 4.19 because he loved us first And it is no more possible there should be any true love in the heart of man towards God till then then it is possible there should bee heate in the pavement before the sunne in his strength have showne upon it Now then to conclude this first part of my application let no man bee too confident that he loveth the Lord but let every one examine himselfe by these sixe arguments and if thou find by them as I dare say many of you may that there is no love of God in thee but that thou bearest in thy breast such a canckered and malicious heart against God 1 Bewaile thine estate 2 Thinke not so well of thy selfe as thou hast done but loath and abhorre thy selfe for it 3 Admire the patience and goodnesse of God towards thee 4 Let this drive thee to Christ who is our onely peace as the Apostle calleth him Ephes. 2.14 and who by his crosse hath slaine the enmity that was betweene God and us as hee saith verse 16. 5 Let This patience and bountifullnesse of his move thee to turne to
answer That this may bee indeed for a time the case of a deare child of God as we shall heare in the next use They cannot discerne in themselves for the present any goodnesse But even in this case observation and examination of their owne waies will be of great use unto them For then it will be good for them to call to minde the times that are past and those evidences they have had of the truth of grace in them in former times This course Iob took to recover his comfort sundry times as you shall find Chap 23.11 12. and in three whole Chapters together 29.30 31. And so did the Prophet likewise Psal. 77.6 I call to remembrance my long in the night I commune with mine owne heart and my spirit made diligent search He did by communing with his own heart and searching it diligently call to mind that there was a time when hee could sing in the night when the spirit of adoption had given him such assurance of Gods love as made him full of joy and comfort even in the night season And this course the Apostle prescribeth to Gods people Heb. 10. â—2 as a singular meanes to preserve and recover their confidence and assurance of Gods favour Call to remembrance saith he the former daies in the which after ye were illuminated ye endured a great fight of afflictions Alas will you say what comfort is it to mee to remember what goodnesse hath beene in me in times past which I am now fallen from and have lost I answer That if ever thou hadst grace in thee in truth although the sense and feeling of it thou mayst loose for a time the vigour and operation of it may be nipt and interrupted for a time but the grace and seed of regeneration is an incorruptible seed as the Apostle calleth it 1 Pet. 1.23 where it is in truth it is lasting I will pray the father saith our Saviour Iohn 14.16 17. and hee shall give you another Comforter that hee may abide with you for ever Even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it seeth him not neither knoweth him but ye know him for he dwelleth in you and shall bee in you Looke what heart the spirit of God did ever dwell in there he shall be there he will abide for ever Christ hath prayed the father that it may bee so The poore humbled sinner therefore that did ever in his life at any one time in any one action discerne the truth of grace in himselfe though now he can discerne none may from thence conclude infallibly that there is truth of grace in him still and consequently may receive great helpe from thence for the recovery of his assurance againe O what cause is there then that we should continually in all our wayes commune with our owne hearts about this and search diligently to find this truth of grace in our selves seeing this will stand us in such stead at a dead lift as wee say in our spirituall desertions to recover our assurance againe Lecture CXXVI On Psalme 51.7 August 18. 1629. A Third helpe that he must use that would get assurance of the favour of God in Christ that would preserve it when hee hath it and recover it when he hath lost it is carefully to observe and call to mind the experiments he hath had of Gods speciall favour and love formerly This course Gods people have taken in this case and found great successe in it Take the Psalmist for an example of this Psal. 77. who when he had so farre lost his assurance that it was a trouble to him to remember God and his spirit was overwhelmed in him as he complaineth ver 3. and that he cryed out ver 7 8 9. Will the Lord cast off for ever and Will he be favourable no more Is his mercy cleane gone for ever Hath God forgotten to be gracious He had strong tentations to doubt he should never recover Gods favour againe Now to raise himselfe out of this wofull estate he resolveth thus with himselfe ver 10. But I will remember the yeares of the right hand of the most high that is the yeares and times of my life wherein I had sweet experience of Gods mercy and love For so is this phrase interpreted Psal. 17.7 Shew thy marvellous kindnesse ô thou that savest with thy right hand them that put their trust in thee And 80.17 Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand This course also David tooke at another time Psal. 143.5 6. When his spirit was overwhelmed within him and his heart within him was desolate then I remember saith he the daies of old I meditate on all thy workes I muse on the workes of thy hands Hee called to mind and seriously thought upon the passages of Gods providence toward other of his people but specially toward himselfe in former times and sought to recover his comfort and assurance this way And see what successe Gods servants have found in this case how they have grounded their assurance upon this I will cry unto thee saith David Psal. 61.2 3. when my heart is overwhelmed for thou hast beene a shelter for me and a strong tower from the enemy Because thou hast beene my helpe saith he Psal. 63.7 therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoyce And 71.20 Thou which hast shewed me great and sore troubles shalt quicken me and shalt bring me up againe from the depthes of the earth And whereupon grounded hee this assurance and confidence That he had expressed before ver 5 6. Thou art my hope ô Lord God thou art my trust from my youth by thee have I beene holden up from the wombe thou art he that tooke me out of my mothers bowells my praise shall be continually of thee But you will haply object and say Can any man ground true assurance of Gods love upon the experience he hath had of Gods goodnesse towards him in these temporall and common favours Such experiments of Gods love as these are I could record a great many But alas these are poore grounds for any man to build his assurance and comfort upon 1. No man can say because God hath formerly beene good to him in this kind therefore he will be good to me againe God repented that he had made Saul King 1 Sam. 15.35 God giveth such gifts as these unto many and taketh them quite away againe and so seemeth to repent the bestowing of them Nay 2 no man can judge of Gods love or hatred by such things though he were sure to enjoy them alwaies as the Holy Ghost teacheth us plainely Eccl. 9.1 Many castawayes and Esau by name have had abundant experience of Gods goodnesse in such things and yet the Scripture saith expressely that God hated him for all that Mal. 1.3 But to this I have two things to answer First Though these outward blessings bee to reprobate men no arguments of Gods speciall
endure for us Iohn 18.11 The cup which my father hath given me shall I not drinke When we are once assured God is our father wee shall be made well content to take the bitterest potion from his hand And thus doth the holy Apostle reason Rom. 5. for when he had said that being justified by saith wee are able even to glory in tribulations hee giveth this for the reason of it verse 5. Because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost that is given unto us As if hee had said When once the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts and soaketh into them so as we have a comfortable sense and feeling of it how can we choose but beare tribulations patiently and even glory in them Thirdly and lastly Faith maketh the heart that hath it undoubtedly certaine of those promises God hath made to his people in their afflictions of which we heard when I spake of the motives unto this duty as namely 1. That they shall tend to our good in the end Heb. 12.10 Hee correcteth us for our profit And 2. that in the meane time he will not forsake us in them but assist and support us Psal. 91.15 I will be with him in trouble I will deliver and honour him These promises I say faith maketh the heart certaine of Heb. 11.1 Faith is the evidence of things not seene And he that is sure of these promises how can he choose but beare affliction patiently And say with David Psal. 56.4 In God will I praise his word as if he should say I will praise God for his word and promise And what followeth in the same verse In God have I put my trust I will not feare what flesh can doe unto me Let me apply this briefly 1. By way of exhortation 2. By way of comfort First Seeing faith will stand us in that stead in the evill day and yeeld us that strength and comfort in all afflictions it standeth us upon to get it in time and to looke well to our selves that that faith we thinke we have be such as will abide the tryall in the fornace of affliction such as will not deceive us in the evill day It is the exhortation of the Apostle 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves whether you be in the faith prove your owne selves For alas if we have no true faith no sound assurance that we are in Christ when death shall come when the troublesome time of persecution when the sword of the bloody enemy shall come what shall we doe How shall we be able to beare it What patience what comfort can wee looke to have in that day 1. Extreame affliction is wont to awaken the conscience and set it on worke to bring a mans sins to his remembrance that he never thought of nor was troubled with before As you have heard from the example of Iosephs brethren Gen. 42.21 And what will quiet the conscience when it falleth on brawling and exclaiming upon a man Certainly nothing but faith that sprinkleth the bloud of Christ upon it as the Apostle teacheth us Heb 9.13 14. 2. In the evill day Satan will be apt to cast into mens soules his darts of desperation his fiery darts as the Apostle calleth them And what is it that will quench these darts Surely nothing but faith as the Apostle teacheth Ephe. 6.16 Above all take the shield of faith whereby yee shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of that wicked one Let us therfore looke well to our faith sith our patience and comfort in affliction dependeth so much upon it Two notes I will give you to try it by First By the meanes and manner how it was wrought in thee How camest thou by it Did the Lord worke it in thee by the ministery of his word Did thy saith come by hearing Rom. 10.17 Canst thou say that before ever Christ came into thy heart Iohn Baptist came before him to prepare his way Mark 1.2 That the ministery of the law that effectually discovered thy sins and miserable condition unto thee was thy schoolemaster to bring thee to Christ Gal. 3.24 That before the Lord spake peace to thy heart by the still soft and sweete voice of his Gospel he prepared thy heart to receive it as he did Eliahs 1 Kin. 19.11 12. by great terrour This is certainly the ordinary way whereby God bringeth his elect to faith If thou came not to thy faith this way but in some other more extraordinary manner as I doe not deny but it is possible thou mightest for who can limit the holy one of Israel Psal. 78 41. or tye him to certaine rules thou hast the more cause to suspect it and to try it the more diligently by the second note and that is this Secondly Try it by the effects of it in thy selfe How hath thy faith thou sayest thou hast in Iesus Christ wrought with thee What change hath it made in thee Wee have all of us very lately renewed our faith and made solemne profession of it and confirmed it in the holy Sacrament In it we have by faith fed upon the Lord Iesus or els that bread we did eate at the Lords Table will be as gravell betweene our teeth one day as Solomon speaketh in another case Prov. 20.17 that cup we drunke of there will be as a cup of deadly poison unto us As therefore I exhorted you the last day to examine your selves well before you went to the Lords table so do I now exhort you to an after examination of your selves Hast thou Indeed by faith fed upon the Lord Iesus so lately Then certainly 1. Thou shalt find some abatement of the strength of thy corruptions and lusts Where Christ is by faith received he will purifie the heart Act. 15.9 The woman that had the bloody issue when she had by faith touched but the border of his garment she felt such vertue comming from him as dryed up stanched the issue of blood as you shall find Luke 8.44 And is it possible that wee should have by faith not only touched his garment but eaten and drunke his very body and bloud and yet feele no vertue at all come from him to dry up the fountaine of our corruption but it runneth as fresh and freely as ever it did 2. If thou hast by faith fed upon the Lord Iesus some increase of spirituall strength to resist tentation and to walke in Gods wayes is wrought in thy foule by it Didst thou ever with a good appetite eate thy corporall food but thou receivedst some refreshing and strength by it Arise and eate saith God to Eliah the second time 1 Kin. 19.7 8. for thou hast a great journey to goe and he arose and did eate and drinke and went in the strength of that meat fourty dayes and forty nights And is there not as much vertue in the body blood of Christ being fed upon by faith to give and increase
parents Ephes. 6.4 Colos. 3.21 Ye fathers provoke not your children to wrath exasperate them not But this is also certaine that the best children when they are young are of a servile disposition more moved with feare then love The best mans heire as long as hee is a child saith the Apostle Gal. 4.1 differeth nothing from a servant though he be Lord of all And Solomon observeth Prov. 29.19 that a servant will not be corrected by words No parent may hope to weaken and destroy the corruption that is in his childs heart though he teach him never so well and use all the allurements he can to draw him to goodnesse if he doe not also correct him and use the rod sometimes The Lord himselfe who is both the wisest and the best father and who loveth his children a thousand times more then any of us can love ours he taketh this course with his children yea resembleth himselfe therein unto all wise parents Deut 8.5 Consider in thine heart that as a father chasteneth his sonne so the Lord God chasteneth thee And Heb. 12.6 7. Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every sonne whom hee receiveth If you endure chastening God dealeth with you as with sons for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not This is a speciall meanes commended to us by the holy Ghost and sanctified to this end even to abate the strength of naturall corruption in children and to make them capable of saving grace And therefore it is to be observed in the law that no child was to be reputed gracelesse and past hope till he had shewed himselfe not only unteachable but incorrigible also till his parents had used meanes to reforme him not onely by counsell instruction and reproofe but by correction and chastisement also and all in vaine That would not obey the voice of his father nor the voice of his mother and that when they have chastened him will not hearken unto them Deut. 21.18 Hee that spareth the rod saith Solomon Prov. 13.24 hateth his son but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes Thou sayest it is nothing but love that maketh thee to beare with thy child and would you not have me love my child sayest thou Alas who could find in their heart to beat so sweet a child But the holy Ghost saith thou lyest it is not love indeed it is hatred We love not our children we hate them if wee correct them not nay wee love them not wee hate them if we correct them not betimes while they are such pretty ones Againe Prov. 19.18 Chasten thy son while there is hope that is while he is young then there is great hope of doing him good by it and small hope afterward if it bee neglected then O but thou wilt say I cannot endure to heare him cry But what saith the holy Ghost in the next words and let not thy soule spare for his crying It is a strange thing to observe how the holy Ghost speaketh of the efficacy and fruits of this and how hee meeteth with all excuses that foolish parents are wont to pretend for the neglect of it Foolishnesse is bound in the heart of a child saith Solomon Prov. 22.15 but the rod of correction will drive it farre from him But would you have me cruell to mine owne child sayest thou Nay saith the holy Ghost this is no cruelty thou art unmercifull to thy child if thou do not correct him Prov. 23.13 With-hold not correction from thy child for if thou beatest him with the rod he shall not dye He will dye he will perish if thou correct him not and art not thou cruell if thou wilt not doe what thou canst to keepe thy child from perishing O but thou wilt say alas childrens faults are nothing their stubbornnesse lying cursing swearing profanesâ—e But what saith the holy Ghost Prov. 23.14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod and deliver his soule from hell He will goe to hell if thou let him doe what hee list thou mayest keepe him from hell by correcting him O but this were the way to make my child hate me yea and to make him a dullard so as I should never have comfort of him No saith the holy Ghost there is no such danger in it Prov. 29 17. Correct thy son and he shall give thee rest yea hee shall give delight unto thy soule To conclude this first meanes O that parents would see their sin in the neglect of this 1. They loose that inward honour reverence and subjection also that their children owne unto them 2. They spoile and undoe their children and make themselves the authors of all their ungraciousnesse For the best natured child in the World if he bee not kept in awe if hee bee suffered to doe what he list must needs run ryot Prov. 29.15 A child left to himselfe bringeth his mother to shame yea and his father too though the mother bee there only named because she usually is most too blame in this kind 3. They dishonour God and quite pervert his ordinance For whereas by Gods ordinance their children should honour them they honour their children as the Lord told Ely 1 Sam. 2.29 Thou honourest thy sons above mee And whereas by Gods ordinance their children should feare them and be afraid to displease them they are afraid to displease their children as the holy Ghost saith of David 1 Kin. 1.6 hee durst not displease his son Adoniah no not so much as by a crosse word or by saying unto him why hast thou done so Lecture LX. On Psalme 51.5 Iune 12. 1627. THe second meanes all parents must use to destroy corruption of nature in their children and to breed grace in them is Instruction We heard in the motives that parents are as expressely and as often and as straitly charged by God to teach their children as any minister is to teach his flocke Yea this domesticall and parently instruction God hath appointed and sanctified for a speciall meanes to propagate religion and to restraine and weaken the corruption of nature and to prepare the heart and make it more capable of grace According as we heard from that speech of Hezekiah Esa. 38.19 The living the living be shall praise thee as I doe this day the father to the children shall make knowne thy truth Foure wayes there be whereby you that are parents may yea must do this First Betimes while they are very young as soone as they discover any capacity or understanding as that they will doe if you would observe it very soone teach them to know God to know what is good and what is evill teach them some few of the first and easiest principles of religion Solomon saith when he was young and tender his father taught him Pro. 4.3.4 Yea that his mother did so too Pro. 31.1 And he oft putteth Gods people in minde not onely of the instruction and charge they received from their fathers but also of the law
love and mercy towards men aright when the thing that moveth us to do them is the love we beare unto God So speaketh the Apostle of the workes of mercy Heb. 6.10 God is not unrighteous to forget your worke and labour of love which you have shewed towards his name in that yee have ministred to the Saints and doe minister It was their love to God that moved them to minister to the Saints and such workes of mercy as proceed from that root God will never forget to reward So speaketh the Apostle Iohn likewise 1 Iohn 5.2 By this wee know wee love the children of God when we love God Before we can love the children of God wee must first love God and for that cause love his children In a word to conclude the confirmation of this first branch this is made the root of all obedience in generall to any commandement of God of all good workes Deut. 7.9 He keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keepe his commandements First We must love him before we can keepe any of his commandements well In which respect the Apostle Rom. 13.10 calleth love the fulfilling of the law Hee that hath not this love can keepe no part of Gods law well he cannot fulfill it he that hath it keepeth the whole law yea fulfilleth it keepeth it so as God in Christ accepteth of it as if he had perfectly kept it Now before I passe from this branch an objection must here be answered Is nothing well done unlesse it bee done out of love to God Is nothing well done that is done out of feare of Gods judgements If a man abstaine from sinne and performe good duties out of feare of wrath even out of the feare of hell will God in no case be pleased with this I answer First Yes verily The feare of Gods wrath kept Iob from sundry sinnes It kept him from uncleannesse For hee professing Iob 31.1 that he durst not give himselfe liberty in wanton looks nor in wanton thoughts he telleth us verse 3. what moved him to it Is not destruction saith he to the wicked and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity And professing verse 21. that he durst not oppresse or wrong any poore man hee giveth this for the reason whereby he was kept from it verse 23. For destruction from God was a terrour to me saith he and by reason of his highnesse I could not endure As though he should say I was not able to beare the wrath and fury of that high and mighty God And the Apostle speaking of Noahs obedience unto that strange commandement that God gave him to prepare the arke one hundred and twenty yeares before the floud came wherein doubtlesse hee made himselfe a scorne and laughing stocke to all that knew him telleth us Heb. 11.7 that he was moved by feare to doe it And the same Apostle professeth of himselfe 2 Cor. 5.11 that he had not beene so diligent and conscionable in his ministery as he was if the feare of Gods wrath against all idle and unconscionable and unprofitable Ministers had not moved him unto it Knowing saith he the terrours of the Lord we perswade men So that it is certainly lawfull and pleasing unto God that we should both thinke oft of Gods wrath due to sinne yea even of the torments prepared in hell for sinners where the worme never dieth and the fire never goeth out and to abstaine and restraine our selves from evill even out of that feare Nay our Saviour commandeth us so to doe Luke 12.5 Feare him that after he hath killed and taken away your life hath power to cast you into hell yea I say unto you feare him But then I answer secondly That no godly man doth abstaine from sinne or doe good duties onely out of this feare of Gods wrath but out of the love hee beareth to God for his goodnesse as well nay more out of that then out of the feare of his wrath This is evident in the Apostle even in that very Chapter 2 Cor. 5. wherein as we have heard he professed what force there was in the terrours of the Lord to move him unto his duty hee telleth us of this other motive verse 14. and saith it was more forcible with him then feare For the love of Christ constraineth us saith he And of Noah it is said Heb. â—1 7 By faith he prepared an Arke There is in the obedience of the godly a holy mixture of feare and love As their love to God is not a fellow-like familiarity as is among equalls but is out of an apprehension of his greatnes and holinesse and justice tempered with feare and a dreadfull awe of him so neither is that feare of God that is in them a servile feare like that of the slave that hath nothing to move him unto duty but the feare of the whip but is out of an apprehension and assurance of his goodnesse mixed with love Like the feare that ought to be in every good child towards his parents Lev. 9.3 Yee shall feare every man his mother and his father Yea the love they beare to God for his goodnesse is the chiefe root of that feare they have of him according to that Hos. 3.5 They shall feare the Lord and his goodnesse in the latter daies The feare they have of God is not such a tormenting feare as wicked men have but there is joy and comfort mixed with their feare They rejoyce even in their trembling as David speaketh Psal. 2.11 Yea they have confidence in their feare Psal. 56.3 What time I am afraid I will trust in thee The feare of wicked men is like that of the souldiers that kept Christ Sepulcher when the Angell that rolled away the stone appeared unto them For feare of him saith the Text Matth. 28.4 the keepers did shake and became as dead men they had no comfort no hope But the feare of the godly is like that of the two Maryes of whom we read verse 8. that when they had both seene the Angell and heard his glorious voice also they departed from the Sepulchre with feare and great joy And thus have I finished the first branch of the Doctrine and shewed you that we can do nothing well we cannot please God in any thing we doe unlesse it proceed from the love we beare to God unlesse it grow from that root Cant. 1.4 The upright love thee Now let us proceed unto the second branch That the true love of God wheresoever it is is an infallible signe of a true and upright heart This you shall heare confirmed unto you by three sorts of proofes First This is oft made in the Word a proper note and character of the elect and upright hearted man that he is such a one as loveth the Lord. Yea these two properties are made convertible termes every good man every upright hearted man loveth the Lord Cant. 1.4 The upright love thee And every one
that loveth the Lord is a good man a sound elect Christian an upright hearted man Let them that love thy name all good men all sound hearted men saith David Psal. 5.11 be joyfull in thee So Psal. 119.132 Looke thou upon me and be mercifull unto me as thou usest to doe to those that love thy name If any man love God saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 8.3 the same is knowne of him As if he had said Whatsoever men may thinke of such howsoever men may account many of such to be no better then hypocrites yea howsoever they may oft times thinke so of themselves also yet God approveth and highly esteemeth of them Secondly All Gods promises are appropriated unto such as love the Lord and therfore all such must needs be upright in heart See this first in heavenly and eternall blessings Iames 1.12 He shall receive the crowne of liâ—â— which the Lord hath promised to them that love him and 2.5 Hath not God chosen the poore of this world rich in faith and heires of the kingdome which hee hath promised to them that love him All that love the Lord shall goe to heaven and none but they See this secondly in spirituall blessings All the comforts of the Gospell righteousnesse peace and joy in the Holy Ghost the fatnesse of Gods house comfort in the Word and Sacraments are promised to them that love the Lord and to none but them 1 Cor. 2.9 Eye hath not seene eare hath not heard neither have entred into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him See this thirdly in temporall blessings Because he hath set his love upon me saith the Lord Psal. 91.14 therefore will I deliver him Rom. 8.28 We know that all things worke together for the good of such as love God They that love God may be sure to be made the better by their prosperity and by their adversity by their sicknesse and by their health everything that befalleth them shall be sanctified unto them and to none but such And on the other side he that loveth not the Lord hath no right to any blessing of God no promise of God belongeth unto him but a certaine looking for of judgement and fiery indignation which shall devoure the adversaries as the Apostle speaketh Heb. 10.27 If any man love not the Lord Iesus saith the Apostle 1 Corinthians 16.22 let him bee Anathema Maranatha as if hee had said let him bee accursed even unto the comming of Christ to judgement Thirdly and lastly See this confirmed by a practicall experiment When Peter was so dejected in the sense of his fearefull sinne that hee thought himselfe unworthy ever to be imployed or to meddle any more in the worke of his Apostleship and ministery see how and by what argument our Saviour seeketh to raise him and comfort him Iohn 21.15 Simon thou sonne of Ionas lovest thou me As if he had said If this bee in thee be of good comfort thou art not quite fallen from God thy heart is upright for all thy fall And thus may we comfort any poore Christian in their greatest distresse of Conscience You see then that that we doe out of true love to God will give us a comfortable testimony that our hearts are upright so will not that doe that is done meerely out of such a feare of Gods wrath as hath no mixture of love in it See an instance for this in those false hearted Iewes that perished in the wildernesse as wee shall find it set downe Psal. 78.34 36 37. When he slew them sometimes by fiery serpents sometimes by strange pestilence and other judgements then they sought him and returned and enquired early after God They made great shewes of repentance great protestations of amendment as you have knowne many lewd men in extreame sicknesses doe But what came all these shewes unto That you shall find verse 36 37. They did but flatter him with their mouth and they lied to him with their tongues for their hearts were not right with him There is no truth of heart in those shewes of repentance and goodnesse that are extorted from us onely by the judgements of God and sense of his wrath that grow out of that feare that hath no mixture of love in it Now let us make some application of this that we have heard And seeing whatsoever good thing we doe out of love to God is pleasing to him and nothing els if we truly love the Lord our hearts are upright if the love of God be not in us there is no truth in our hearts but we shall be sure to have our portion with hypocrites Let us therefore try our owne hearts by this note Let us every one of us seriously bethinke our selves if the Lord should speake to every one of us particularly and by name and aske us that question that he did Peter Iohn 21.15 Simon thou sonne of Ionas lovest thou me what answer wee would be able to make unto him Certainely your answer to this question would be very indifferent Some of you that have no love of God in you at all but hate him in your hearts would be ready to answer him most confidently and some others of you that doe indeed intirely and unfeignedly love him would make a very doubtfull and fearefull answer unto this question Let mee direct my speech to you both severally and apart For the first of you I know you will be ready to say Is there any man so ungracious so lewd that he doth not love the Lord that he doth hate the Lord Yes yes alas there be many such in the world and in the Church too They hate the Lord not as he is their Creatour and preserver for in those respects they will seeme to love him but as he is a law-giver and hath given them such lawes as do curbe them and are most crosse and contrary to their nature as he is their Soveraigne Lord and King that requireth obedience of them unto those lawes as he is God the avenger as the Prophet calleth him Psal. 94.1 that will take vengeance of them for their sinnes in these respects they hate him His Citizens hated him saith our Saviour in the Parable Luke 19.14 we will not have him to reigne over us Yea they hate him with a mortall hatred Their soule abhorred me saith the Lord Zach. 11.8 and wish with all their hearts as to their most mortall enemy a fearefull thing to be spoken or thought that he had no being that he were quite rid out of the world Many such wretches I say there be in the world and even in the Church too and if thou knewest thy selfe well thou wouldst find thy selfe to be of that wretched number But though thou knowest not thy selfe the Lord knoweth thee well and will one day say to thee as he said to a great number that were members of the true Church as thou art professours of the true religion as thou
this naturall weakenesse there is a sinfull weakenesse also in the best of Gods children even weaknesse of faith which maketh them subject not to naturall feares onely but to sinfull feares also There is much lacking in their faith as the Apostle said of the Thessalonians 1 Thess. 3.10 And this is a chiefe cause of all their feares Why are ye fearefull ô ye of little faith saith our Saviour to his Disciples Mat. 8.16 pointing at the chiefe cause of all our feare When are apt to doubt of Gods favour and of the pardon of our sinnes and who can choose but bee much disquieted in his heart with â—eare when he doubteth of Gods favour When the Prophet complained Psal. 88.15 While I suffer thy terrours I am distracted he telleth us verse 14. what was the cause of those terrours he felt in himselfe Lord why castest thou off my soule why hidest thou thy face from me Hee could not be perswaded of Gods love hee thought God had cast him of And can you wonder then though his heart were full of terrour The second cause of these feares is the Lord himselfe Certainely his holy hand is to be acknowledged in this kinde of affliction as well as in any other These feares are therefore called the Lords terrours Psal. 88.15 and 2 Cor. 5.11 because they come from him And the Lord seeth it to bee good and profitable many waies for sundry of his servants to bee much exercised by them 1. This maketh them carefull by repentance to purge themselves from all their knowne sinnes So the Lord speaketh of the feare which they that travell by sea are in when they see the strange breaches which the whale by his rising doth make in the sea Iob 4â— 25 When he raiseth up himselfe the mighty and most stout hearted are afraid by reason of his breakings they purifie themselves As wee see the mariners that carryed Ionah did Ionah 1.5 The mariners were afraid and cryed every man to his God Every one sought to make his peace with God in the best manner that he could This effect wee know feare usually hath even in all men but much more certainely in Gods children 2. This keepeth them humble fearefull to sinne tractable and willing to obey God in all things This is also a naturall effect of feare to abate the pride of mans heart and to make it humble and tractible Put them in feare ô Lord saith David Psal. 9.20 that the nations may know themselves to bee but men Certainely if the Lord should not now and then visit them with inward terrours and gripes there be many in the world would even forget themselves to be men But this effect it hath in Gods children especially O that there were such a heart in them saith the Lord of his people Deut. 5.29 that they would feare me keepe my commandements alwaies As if he had said Now they are fearefull to offend me in any thing now they are willing to doe any thing I would have them as they protested verse 27. But when was that Surely when by seeing the law delivered in that terrible manner they were brought into a wonderfull feare 3. Lastly This prepareth them and maketh them fit to receive comfort from God Thus the Lord hath beene wont to prepare his servants whom he meant to give most comfort unto Before the Lord delivevered that large and comfortable promise unto Abram Gen. 15.13 21. it is said verse 12. Loe an horrour of great darknesse fell upon him Before Elijah could heare that still and small voice that spake so much comfort unto him concerning himselfe and the whole Church the Lord first affrighted him with a great and strong wind that rent the mountaines and brake the rockes in pieces and then by an earthquake and after that by a fire 1 King 19.11 12. hee deepely humbled him by feare and terrour first that he might prepare and make him fit to receive that comfort You see then that this may bee the case of them that are most upright hearted and such as truly love the Lord they may bee much subject to these feares And this is the first thing I told you I had to say for the comfort of such poore soules The second is this That it is not onely possible that thou maist love God unfeignedly though thou be so subject to these terrours but even while thou art in this case thou hast evident signes in thee that thou dost so and if thou couldst observe thine owne heart well thou wouldst be able to discerne that thou dost love God indeed For First Thou desirest Gods favour above all things in the world and no crosse afflicteth thy heart so much as this that thou thinkest thou hast lost it thou canst not be assured of it this is a certaine signe thou lovest him When the Churches diligence in seeking after Christ when she had lost him is described Cant. 2.1 4. she expresseth the cause that moved her so to seeke after him by calling him him whom her soule loved and this title she repeateth in every one of those verses Certainely if her soule had not dearely loved him she could not in that manner have sought after him So that this griefe and trouble thy heart is in because thou canst not be assured of Gods favour argueth plainely that thou art sicke of love as the Church saith she was Cant. 2.5 and 5.8 Thy love to God is the cause of thy sicknesse and griefe O how happy a thing would it be with many if they were sicke of this disease Secondly Thou darest not doe any thing that thou thinkest would offend God but makest conscience to doe his will therefore thou lovest God Hee that hath my commandements and keepeth them saith our Saviour Ioh. 14.21 is hee that loveth me And 1 Iohn 5.3 This is the love of God that we keepe his commandements we could not els do it constantly nor conscionably Thirdly When thou hast through infirmity done any thing to offend God thou grievest unfeignedly and art troubled with it This argueth that thou lovest the Lord. It was love that made Mary Magdalen to weepe so abundantly for her sinnes as our Saviour testifieth of her Luke 7.47 And this was the onely thing whereby Peter did expresse that though he haâ— so shamefully denied Christ yet he loved him above all things when he had so offended hee went out and wept bitterly Mat. 26.75 Fourthly Thou lovest the Word and ordinances of God and the sincerity of his worship Therefore thou lovest God For the Lord calleth them that keepe the second commandement specially and above all others such as love him Exod. 20.6 And David professing himself Psal. 119 132. to be one of those that did love Gods name declareth it by no argument so much as by this throughout that Psalme even by that love hee bare unto and that delight hee tooke in the Word of God Fiftly thou lovest the children of God even because of the
savoury knowledge This light of sanctified knowledge is not like the light of a gloworme or like the light that the Moone giveth which glittereth and shineth but hath no heate in it at all but it is like that of the Sunne yea of the spring or summer sunne which doth not onely give light unto the world but it warmeth also and quickneth every thing Therefore is this light called the light of life Ioh. 8.12 No man knoweth God aright with a saving and sanctified knowledge but he must needs feare him and love him and put his trust in him The spirit of knowledge is called Esa. 11.2 The spirit of the feare of the Lord. These graces goe alwaies together So speaketh the Apostle likewise of love 1 Iohn 4.8 He that loveth not knoweth not God for God is love So Psal. 9.10 They that know thy name will put their trust in thee for thou Lord hast not forsaken them that seeke thee No man knoweth himselfe or his owne sins both of nature and practise aright with a knowledge of the holy spirits working but he must needs loath himselfe in his owne sight as the Prophet speaketh Ezek. 36 31. No man can know Christ aright know him to be his Saviour but hee must needs be affected with it and joy more in it then in any thing in the world besides So speaketh the Apostle 1 Pet. 1.8 In whom though now ye see him not yet beleeving in him knowing that he loved you and gave himselfe for you ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory To conclude this second effect of saving knowledge No man can have any knowledge in the Scriptures of Gods teaching but he must needs affect the Word love it and delight in it So David in that very octonary and part of Psal. 119. that is to say part 13. wherein he speaketh of the knowledge and understanding he had gotten by studying the Scriptures professeth how he was affected to the Word verse 97. O how love I thy law And verse 103. How sweet are thy words unto my tast Yea sweeter then hony unto my mouth And verse 50. Thy Word hath quickned me As if he should say It hath not beene a dead and senslesse knowledge that I have gotten by it but such as hath enlightned me and bred holy affections in me Now if we would examine our selves by this note we should find that many of us that make a goodly shew in the Church of God after all these meanes of knowledge we have enjoyed have little or no saving knowledge in us Of a number of us it may be said as the Apostle speaketh 1 Cor. 8.1 We know that we have all knowledge and a great deale of it many of us But we are not affected with that we know it worketh not upon our hearts we have a great deale of light in our understanding but it is but like as the Moone-shine or the glittering of the glo-worme it warmeth not our hearts at all but they remaine still as cold and dead as any stone We have the knowledge of God and of all his attributes his holinesse his justice his omniscience his power his goodnesse but what affections doth this knowledge worke in our hearts What reverence what feare to offend him what desire to be reconciled unto him what love unto his name We know well enough what sin is and what the curse of God is that is due unto sin yea that our selves are sinners and that if we be not still yet certainely we were under this curse yet all this that wee know never maketh our hearts to quake worketh no feare nor sorrow nor humiliation in them We say we know Christ not onely to be an all sufficient Saviour to the elect but that he hath redeemed us from the curse of the law his body was broken for us and his bloud was shed for us but we are not affected with this at all we tast no more sweetnesse in Christ then in a chip wee rejoyce not in him In a word wee have knowledge in the Scriptures and increase in it daily by reading and hearing we learne more and more but nothing we read or heare or learne affecteth or moveth us or if it worke any motions in us they are but sudden flashes that vanish quickly and can this be saving knowledge No no beloved deceive not your owne soules the knowledge that Gods spirit worketh resteth not in the braine but sinketh and soaketh into the heart and worketh kindly upon the affections of a man Labour therefore for good affections and make much of them mourne for this that thy heart is so senslesse and dead Know that as good affections without knowledge will yeeld thee no comfort no more will knowledge without good affections It will doe you no good to know God unlesse you feare him and love him If any man love God saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 8.3 and that that he saith of love may be said of feare the same is knowne and approved of him It will doe you no good to know your selves to be sinners and to be able to make large confessions of them unlesse you can mourne and be humbled for them When Christ had said Matth. 5.3 Blessed are the poore in spirit he addeth verse 4. Blessed are they that mourne As if he had said Without this the other will never make us happy It will doe us no good to know Christ unlesse we can rejoyce in him We are the circumcision saith Paul Phil. 3.3 the true people of God which worship God in the spirit and rejoyce in Christ Iesus It will doe us no good to read and heare much and so to increase in the knowledge of the Word unlesse we be affected with that we heare and learne These words which I command thee this day saith the Lord Deut. 6.6 shall bee in thine heart If ye will not heare saith the Prophet Mal. 2.2 and if ye will not lay it to heart As if he had said As good not heare at all as not lay that to heart and not to be affected with that we heare The third effect of saving and sanctified knowledge is this It will reforme the heart and life of him that hath it it is an operative a powerfull and effectuall knowledge It will make the man that hath it a godly man In physick and law and other sciences a man may attaine to a good understanding and sound judgement in them though he never practise them himselfe But in Divinity it is otherwise a man knoweth nothing aright in religion till he become a practiser of that he knoweth This the Apostle teacheth us notably Ephes. 4.20 24. But ye have not so learned Christ saith he that is to say to professe your selves to bee Christians and yet to live lewdly still if so bee that ye have heard him and have beene taught by him as the truth is in Iesus Why What is it to be taught by Christ as the truth is
saving and sanctified knowledge must first see and be truly humbled for his sins Till men have a true sight and sense of their owne sins they can never attaine unto any cleare and certaine and comfortable knowledge in the matters of God That which is said in generall of all grace Iames 4.6 God giveth grace to the humble must needs be true of this God useth to give the saving knowledge of himselfe and of his will unto the humbled soule and unto it only God will teach sinners in the way saith David Psalme 25.8 that is such as know and feele themselves to bee sinners And in the next words verse 9. The meeke that is such as by sight and sorrow for sins are made meeke and humble as our Saviour also describeth the meeke Matth. 5.5 will hee guide in judgement As if he had said Vnto such God will give a good and sound judgment to guide them by in their whole conversation As the earth cannot receive the seed till it be plowed up no more can the heart of man receive the seede of the Word till the Lords plough have first bin in it It is the comparison that the Lord useth Ier. 4.3 Breake up your fallow ground and sow not among thornes Marke two things in this speech of the Prophet 1. It is to no purpose to sow good seed among thornes to heare and read and use the best meanes of knowledge while our sinnes remaine in us unrepented of 2. That these thornes will never be gotten out till our hearts be plowed and broken up by an effectuall sense and sorrow of heart for sin A kind of knowledge I will not denie may be in many a man that liveth securely in sin and never knew what true sorrow of heart and trouble of mind for sin doth meane but a cleare and setled a sanctified and comfortable knowledge of religion was never knowne to bee in any such man See an example of this in the woman of Samaria mentioned in the fourth of Iohn verse 10 29. How ignorant did she shew her selfe yea how blockish and uncapable of any thing Christ had said till Christ did effectually discover unto her the foule sin she had so long lived in Yea the maine cause why she was so blockish and unable to understand the words of Christ was because she lived securely in so grosse a sinne But after Christ had once touched her conscience with sight and sense of her sin see how the scales fell from her eyes presently how desirous she was of knowledge how savoury and profitable questions she propounded to our Saviour yea how capable and apt to understand and beleeve whatsoever Christ taught her And certainely this is a chiefe cause at this day why most men are so ignorant and unsetled in religion because there are so few to whom the Lord did ever yet effectually discover their sins and give them hearts to bee truly humbled for them The soft and tender heart is the onely teachable heart the heart that is secure and senslesse can never be capable of heavenly and sanctified knowledge Perceive yee not neither understand saith our Saviour to his owne Disciples Marke 8 17. have ye your heart yet hardned As if hee had said Even Gods owne children unlesse they be carefull to keepe their hearts soft and tender shall never be able to understand well what they read and heare nor to profit by the best meanes of knowledge that they do enjoy Thirdly He that would attaine unto sanctified and saving knowledge must attend diligently and conscionably upon the sound ministery of the Word preached He that loveth instruction saith Solomon Pro. 1â— 1 loveth knowledge As if he should say He and none but he hath any love to knowledge or desire to attaine unto it that loveth instruction which is the meanes to bring him to it Therefore the Holy Ghost having earnestly exhorted Gods people Pro. 4.5 12. to get understanding and heavenly wisdome addeth this as the chiefe meanes of it verse 13. Take fast hold of instruction let her not goe keepe her for she is thy life As if he had said Forsake not in any case be not drawne away neglect not this meanes of knowledge And Chap. 15.32 He that refuseth instruction despiseth his owne soule As if he had said He hath no care of his owne soule but neglecteth and despiseth it careth not what becommeth of it that careth not for instruction As there is no art and science that a man can get knowledge and skill in unlesse he have some to teach him so may no man hope without teachers and instructours to attaine to this knowledge this heavenly and supernaturall knowledge especially But though he have never so good capacity and naturall parts in him and use his best endeavour by reading and study to get it he shall still have cause to say with the Noble Eunuch Acts. 8.31 How can I understand what I read in the holy Scriptures except I had some to guide me But what is this may some say to prove the necessity of depending on the ministery of the Word preached May not a man have helpe enough in good Commentaries and printed Sermons to guide and instruct him in the meaning of the holy Scriptures though he heare no Sermons I answer It is very true that God giveth his people in this age especially much helpe that way But the instruction the Holy Ghost sendeth us to and calleth upon us to regard so much is that that is gotten not by reading but by hearing Heare instruction saith the Holy Ghost Pro. 8.33 and be wise and refuse it not yea by hearing and attending constantly upon the publique ministery of the Word as appeareth in the next words verse 34. Blessed is the man that heareth me saith Christ the wisedome of God watching daily at my gates and giving attendance at the posts of my dores The frequenting of the house of God to heare Christ in his ordinances there is the instruction that the Lord so much commendeth to us promiseth such a blessing unto God revealeth his will and teacheth his people no where so clearely and effectually as he doth in his house in the publique ministery Thy way O God is in thy Sanctuary saith David Psal. 77 1â— As if he should say It is no where so clearely and comfortably seene and learned as there There David learned to know and understand aright the doctrine of Gods providence of his wisedome and righteousnesse in ordering all things that fall out in the world when he could learne it no where els nor by any other meanes When I thought to know this saith he Psal. 73.16 17. it was too painefull for me untill I went into the Sanctuary of God then understood I their end And there it is that God saith Esa. 2.3 his people should exhort and stirre up one another to seeke the true knowledge of God and of his wayes Many people shall goe and say Come ye
experience 1 of Gods marvellous providence in sundry extreamities as Abraham had 2 of Gods gracious presence revealed to us in his house and in the use of his ordinances as Iacob had 3 of the comfortable answer that God hath given to our prayers as hee did to Hannah 4 specially of the fruit happy successe we have found in our fasts the great deliverances we have received by them as Gods people in the daies of Iehosaphat and Mordecai did that we should likewise take heed of forgetting these experiments use all the meanes we can to keepe them in remembrance for ever And that for this very cause because as the Apostle saith Rom. 5.4 Experience worketh hope And that upon this ground because though we be variable the Lord is constant in his love Whom he loveth he loveth to the end Iohn 13.1 In him is no uariablenesse or shadow of turning Iames 1.17 The fourth and last meanes that they must use who desire to obtaine assurance of Gods favour in Christ to preserve it when they have it and to recover it when it is lost is this They must renounce themselves and looke for it onely through the free grace and mercy of God in Iesus Christ. When a man can neither 1 by diligent examination find any goodnesse in himselfe for the present 2 nor call to mind any goodnesse that hath beene in him formerly 3 nor can remember any such speciall mercy or fruit of Gods love that he hath received in times past upon which he can ground any assurance yet if he can then with an humbled soule despairing to get it any other way cast himselfe upon the free grace and mercy of God in Christ and cry with Gods people 2 Chron. 20.12 We know not what to doe but our eyes are upon thee he may obtaine assurance and comfort by this meanes when he cannot doe it by any other By this means David looked to receive his comfort and assurance as you may find by that speech he useth to his owne soule Psalme 42.5 which he repeateth againe verse 12. Why art thou cast downe O my soule and why art thou disquieted within me Hope thou in God for I shall yet praise him for the helpe of his countenance He looked verily to recover the comfortable assurance of Gods favour How looked he to recover it Surely by hoping in God and resting in his mercy So by this meanes the faithfull professe they looked to obtaine the comfortable assurance of Gods love Psal. 33.20 22. Our soule waiteth for the Lord for our heart shall rejoyce in him because we have trusted in his holy name Let thy mercy O Lord be upon us according as we hope in thee Why but you will say can any man hope for mercy from God that can find no goodnesse in himselfe at all The righteous God loveth righteousnesse as we have heard out of Psal. 11.7 Ye that feare the Lord trust in the Lord saith David Psal. 115.11 The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting saith David Psal. 103.17 upon them that feare him But on the other side Such as have no goodnesse in them but are wicked men his soule hateth as David teacheth us Psal. 11.5 To this I answer That though no impenitent sinner can expect mercy from God neither would I have any such snatch at any thing that I shall say they have nothing to do with it yet the humbled and penitent sinner may as may appeare by examples Sundry that could find no goodnesse in themselves at all and therefore judged themselves utterly unworthy of mercy have yet relyed upon God trusted and looked to receive mercy from him neverthelesse for that Such a one was the Centurion Matth. 8.8 who though he judged himselfe unworthy that Christ should come under his roofe yet did trust to receive mercy from Christ for all that And the woman of Canaan who though she knew no goodnesse in her selfe but counted her selfe no better than a dog Mat. 15.27 yet trusted confidently in Christ for all that And two plain reasons there be for this First because they knew Gods mercy is free and not grounded upon any goodnesse that is in us I will love them freely saith the Lord Hos. 14.4 I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious saith the Lord Exod. 33.19 and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy Secondly Because they have trusted to receive mercy from God onely through Christ. In him they knew there was goodnesse enough though there were none in them Looke upon the face of thine annointed saith David Psal. 84.9 As if he should have said Though thou canst see no goodnesse in me for which thou shouldst shew me mercy yet thou maist see enough in him to content thee Cause thy face to shine upon thy Sanctuary that is desolate saith Daniel 9.57 for the Lords sake Christ hath deserued that God should be mercifull to all the belieue in him And whatsoever goodnesse is in him is theirs He is made to us of God saith the Apostle 1 Corinth 1.30 wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption So that an humbled sinner may rely upon and expect mercy of God through Christ though he can discerne no goodnesse at all in himselfe Nay I say more that because thou findest in thy selfe no goodnesse at all therefore art thou of all men the fittest to receive mercy from God through Christ. Hâ—e every one that thirsteth saith the Lord Esa. 55.1 come ye to the waters and he that hath no money As if he had said He that hath no goodnesse in him nothing whereby he may hope to purchase and deserve mercy is neverthelesse capable of mercy for that nay he is the more capable of it because of that that he finds himselfe so As the emptier a glasse is the fitter it is to receive any precious liquor that should be put into it Blessed are the poore in spirit saith our Saviour Matth. 5.3 And To him that worketh not but believeth in him that justifieth the ungodly saith the Apostle Rom. 4.5 To him that hath not any goodnesse not one good work to trust unto but can do God that honour as to believe in him expect and rest upon him for mercy though he know himselfe to be an ungodly man and void of all goodnesse to him his faith is imputed for righteousnesse As if he should say O that is a justifying that is an excellent faith indeed But though a man that feeleth no goodnesse in himselfe may yet expect to receive mercy and assurance of favour from God if he can rest himselfe upon the free grace and mercy of God in Christ and trust to receive it that way and that way alone yet how can such a one as I that am so full of feares and doubts and infidelity ever be able to do that my infidelity barreth me from all hope of mercy If Christ could do no mighty worke in Nazareth because of their infidelity
after Sermons these holy brethren that stand so much upon sincerity and can abide nothing that savours of Popery these precise fooles that must be singular forsooth that dare not sweare by small oathes were all well taxed to day We see they are no better than hypocrites all these things have beene found in hypocrites we heare Let no man I say say so For though these things have beene found in some hypocrites yet are they no signes to know an hypocrite by neither are they all hypocrites that do thus neither is an hypocrite that doth thus an hypocrite for that cause because he doth thus But thou in scorning any man for this very thing because he maketh profession of religion because he goeth to Sermons because he useth prayer and so seemeth more holy than his neighbours because he is scrupulous in the smallest thing that he thinketh to be a sinne bewrayest the profanenesse of thine owne heart and openest thy mouth against heaven as the Prophet speaketh Psal. 73.9 All these five things that I have instanced in are such things as God is highly pleased with and hath promised great reward unto as I will shew you particularly First It is a singular good thing to love and delight in the sound Ministery of the Word and such a thing as a Christian may take much comfort in Great peace have they saith David Psal. 119.165 that love thy Law And by the Law and Word of God the same thing is meant throughout that Psalme and nothing shall offend them And on the other side That man can have no true goodnesse in him that hath no love to the Word that careth not for it For faith commeth by hearing of the Word as the Apostle saith Rom. 10.17 Yea he must needs be in a most wofull estate though he feele it not For He that turneth away his eare from hearing the Law saith the Holy Ghost Prov. 28.9 even his prayer shall be abomination And what shall other his actions be if his prayer be so Secondly It is a singular good thing also to use prayer constantly The Holy Ghost praiseth Cornelius for this Acts 10.2 that he prayed unto God alway As if he should have said He kept a constant course in prayer He that useth it must needs receive a blessing from God by it This is so ordinary a thing with God to blesse them much that pray much that our Saviour saith Matth. 7.8 Every one that asketh receiveth It is said of Obed-Edom 2 Sam. 6.11 that while the Arke of God continued in his house the Lord blessed him and all his houshold And the blessing that he received by it was so sensible and apparent that others were able to take notice and to tell David of it It was told to David saith the holy story 2 Sam. 6.12 that the Lord had blessed the house of Obed-Edom and all that pertained unto him because of the arke of God And certainly there is no family where prayer and Gods Worship is constantly used morning and evening but the whole family useth to receive a blessing by it Yea God hath been wont to shew such respect unto this duty that he hath oft rewarded it and given a blessing unto it a temporall blessing I meane not onely when it hath beene performed by his owne faithfull servants with a good heart but even when it hath been used also by such as have had no truth of grace in them at all As appeareth in the example both of Iehoabaz the King of Israel 2 King 13.4 5 and of the mariners Ion. 1.14 15. And on the other side as they can have no true goodnesse in them but are Atheists in heart that use not to pray Psal. 14.14 The foole hath said in his heart there is no God He calleth not upon God so the many houses where no prayer is used seeme to prosper as well as any other doe yet certainly God hath given sentence already against them in that Propheticall prayer which we read Ier. 10.25 Powre out thy fury upon the heathen that know thee not and upon the families that call not on thy Name There wanteth nothing but that God give order for the execution of this sentence which he hath already given against them which how soone and in what manner he will doe it is knowne onely to himselfe no man can tell Lecture CXXXV On Psalme 51.7 Decemb. 22. 1629. IT followeth now that we confirme the same unto you in the other three particulars And for the third Although there be as I shewed you some hypocrites that seeme to be strict observers of the Sabbath Day yet is that no signe of an hypocrite neither is the conscionable and precise observation of the Sabbath to be misliked ever a whit the more for that For it is a singular good thing to be strict in the observation of the Sabbath and such a thing as God is highly pleased with and hath been wont to reward wheresoever he findeth it I will give you a full proofe of this in one particular To keepe a bodily rest upon that day from all our owne workes is but one particular that is required of us in the observation of the Sabbath Nay that is as I may say but the outside of the commandement and concerneth onely the outward man the outward and bodily observation of it Of the fourth commandement as well as of all the rest that may truely bee said which the Apostle speaketh Rom. 7.14 of the whole Law We know saith he that the law is spirituall The spirituall observation of it by the inward man when wee call the Sabbath a delight the holy of the Lord honourable as the Prophet speaketh Esa 58.13 That is When wee can joy in that day as in the Lords owne holy Day and esteeme it in our heart a farre greater and more honourable Day than any other day keeping the rest and performing the duties of the Day cheerefully reverently conscionably spiritually This spirituall observation of it I say by the inward man is the chiefe thing that God requireth of us in the fourth commandement The outward and bodily observation of it which may bee performed by a man that hath no truth of grace in him at all is nothing in Gods account in comparison of this And yet of this bodily observation of the Sabbath by the outward man the resting from our owne workes is but the least part The exercising of our selves upon that day in doing of the Lords worke the spending of it in such holy duties both publike and private as may breed and increase grace and sanctification in us is a greater matter and more pleasing to God a great deale than that is No man may think hee hath kept the Sabbath well because hee resteth from all the labours of his calling upon that Day So farre forth the bruit beast thy oxe and thy horse keepeth the Sabbath as well as thou For so is the expresse commandement Deuteronomie 5.14 Neither thy
and conferre together not against him as some translations readeth it but of him and of his Doctrine as the most and best interpreters read it and the context plainly sheweth it ought to be read so 6. Lastly they liked his Ministery so well that every one called upon and did what he could to draw his friends and kinsfolke to goe with him to it Is it possible will you say that these could bee hypocrites that went thus farre Yes verily they were no better then hypocrites for all this How may that appeare will you say By what note doth the Holy Ghost discover them to be so Surely by this that he saith twice of them They heare thy words saith hee Verse 31. but they will not doe them and againe Verse 32. They heare thy words but they doe them not They would not be ruled by the word they would not obey nor practice what they heard they would not reforme their hearts and lives by it And the Lord instanceth in one particular corruption that they would not leave Their heart goeth after their covetousnesse still saith he He chargeth them not with any grosse act or worke wherein they shewed their covetousnesse neither Vsury nor bribery nor oppression nor extortion but with mentall covetousnesse only Because they did not practise what they heard nor reforme their lives according to it because the word that was so faithfully preached unto them and which they did heare so constantly and with such delight had not power to bridle and mortifie the very lusts and affections of their hearts therefore they were hypocrites Marke this beloved and take it to heart every one of you In those sixe good things that the Holy Ghost hath noted in Ezekiels hearers none of you goe beyond them most of you come farre short of them 1. You frequent not the Ministery of the word so constantly as they did Many of you that did constantly frequent our ministery at the first while it was somewhat new and fresh and strange unto you like those Athenians Acts 17.21 are growne weary of your diligence that way Your goodnesse as the Lord said of Ephraim Hos. 6.4 Was as a morning cloud and as the early dew it is gone away I speake not of such whom distance of place or shortnesse of dayes or foulnesse of weather and wayes or infirmity of their bodyes doe keepe away but of such only whom nothing but their decay of affection and love to the word hath made so slacke in comming to it 2. You cannot so well brooke a faithfull ministery that will plainly reprove your sinnes as they would 3. You heare us not with that delight and alacrity but more heavily then they did 4. You shew not that love to our persons as they did to his 5. You use not to conferre together of that you have heard as they did 6. You labour not to draw and winne others to the love of the word as they did But in that brand and character of an hypocrite that the Holy Ghost setteth upon them the most of you doe match them fully You heare our words but you will not doe them our Ministery is of no power at all with you to reforme either your hearts or lives Many of you have by hearing of us gotten store of that knowledge that the Apostle speaketh of 1 Cor. 8.1 of that knowledge that puffeth you up and maketh you proud censurers and contemners of other men and even of your teachers too You come still to our Ministery not as Disciples to learne and be guided by us but only as judges to heare what we can say and passe your censure upon us And that which the Apostle speaketh in another sense Iames 4.11 may fitly be applied to sundry of our hearers Thou art not a doer of the law but a judge None of us are good enough to teach you but you will hold opinions and do things in your practice which no Minister of God that ever you heard doth approve of Even such of you as heare us constantly and praise our preaching and seeme both to love us well and to admire and magnifie our Ministery as Ezekiels hearers did yet will you not practise or do any thing that wee teach you I will not speake of the unreformed lives of ordinary hearers But is it not strange that some of our hearers of best note should bee implacable and irreconciliable A property whereby the Apostle describeth them Romans 1.31 whom the Lord hath given up unto a reprobate minde And implacable towards whom Even towards their brethren that are of the same judgement and profession with themselves I cannot stand upon this or any other particular wherein our hearers declare themselves to be like Ezekiels hearers They heare our words but they will not doe them But this I affirme confidently unto you all that you can never get assurance that you have upright hearts that you are any better than hypocrites till you can find that every truth that you heare in the Ministery of the Word hath a divine power and authority in your hearts And though you bee not able in all things to doe as you are taught but notwithstanding you have beene constant hearers of the Word a long time yet there remaineth a deale of corruption still in you that you cannot mortifie and subdue yet you dare not resist any truth that you heare but you yeeld unto it make conscience of it desire and endeavour to obey it and put it in practice David comforted himselfe in this testimony of his uprightnesse Psalme 119.161 His heart stood in awe of Gods Word hee durst not doe any thing against it And Paul commendeth the Thessalonians for this 1 Thessalonians 1.5 that his Gospell and Ministerie came unto them not in word onely but in power And 1 Thessalonians 2.13 that it wrought effectually in them And hee saith of them 2 Thessalonians 3.4 That hee was confident in the Lord concerning them that they both did and would doe the things that hee commanded them Nay hee saith expressely 2 Corinthians 2.9 that herein standeth the tryall of a true Christian and sound-hearted hearer To this end also saith he did I write as I did and reprooved you so sharply for your connivance toward the incestuous person that I might know the proofe of you whether you bee obedient in all things As if he had said He is no true-hearted hearer nor sound Christian that will not bee obedient to his teacher in all things True will you say they whom the Prophets and Apostles did teach were bound to obey them in all things because they could not erre in their Ministery but must we therefore obey you in all things who we know may be miscarried in your Ministery sometimes through want of judgement sometimes through passion I answer No verily thou must not obey us any further than wee bring the Word of the Lord for every thing that wee teach you to doe or to leave
the Spirit of Christ may be known which I will not therefore now make any mention of I will instance onely in foure effects of the Spirit whereby you may be able to judge whether you have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is of God as the Apostle speaketh 1 Corinth 2.12 The first is your Charity the second is your Constancy in cleaving to the truth which you have received the third is your Taking to heart the cause of God and religion the fourth and last is your Sympathizing with the fellow-members of Christs mysticall body For the first of these There is no one grace whereby the Spirit of Christ may be better and more sensibly known to dwell in us than charity and meeknesse of spirit Iohn Baptist saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and it abode upon Christ as we read Iohn 1.32 I beseech you saith the Apostle 2 Corinthians 10.1 by the meekenesse and gentlenesse of Christ. As if he had said Of all the graces of the Spirit that did abound in Christ his meekenesse and gentlenesse did most excell And we shall finde that this is oft mentioned for a certaine signe of a man that is in Christ. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples saith our Saviour Iohn 13.35 if ye have love one to another As if hee should say This is so evident and conspicuous a marke of one that is in Christ as not themselves onely but others also all men may know them by this Beloved let us love one another saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 4.7 for love is of God and every one that loveth is borne of God and knoweth God He that loveth not knoweth not God for God is love saith he Vers. 8. And Vers. 12. If wee love one another God dwelleth in us and his love is perfected in us And Ver. 16. He that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him My little children saith he againe 1 Iohn 3.18 19. let us not love in word neither in tongue but in deed and in truth And hereby we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before him As if he had said A man may confidently assure himselfe that hee is in Christ and that hee hath the Spirit of Christ in him if hee love his neighbour unfeignedly not in word onely but in deed if hee unfeignedly desire to doe him what good he can O that we would impartially examine our selves in this first point beloved now especially that we are to prepare our selves to the Lords Table If thou be not in charity certainely thou hast not the Spirit of Christ and consequently thou art none of his I know well that many that have not Gods Spirit but are meere carnall men use to glory much in their charity and thinke they farre excell any that professe religion in this vertue But if there could ever have beene any true love to man and such as God approveth of in any soule that is not regenerated and sanctified by the Spirit of God certainely neither our Saviour himselfe nor his holy Apostle would have spoâ—ken so of love as you heare they have done No no the holy Scripture is most plaine in this point that no man hath any true charity in him but he only that is truly regenerate By this we know that we love the children of God saith the Apostle 1 Ioh. 5.2 when we love God and keepe his commandements As if he should say All true love to men proceedeth from the love we beare to God as from the root and fountain This is love saith he 2 Ioh. 6. that we walk after his commandements As if he had said We cannot love our neighbour as we ought unlesse we love him out of conscience towards God and in obedience to his commandement The end of the commandement is love saith the Apostle 1 Tim. 1.5 out of a pure heart and of a good conscience and of faith unfeigned As though he should have said No man can have true love till he have first a pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfeigned I will therfore shew you how true Charity is to be tryed how you may discern and know whether you love your neighbour as you ought to love him and as no man that hath not the Spirit of Christ was ever able to do Try this First By the love thou bearest to all men Secondly By the loue thou bearest to them that have wronged thee and are thine enemies Thirdly By the love thou bearest to them that feare God especially Lecture CXLIII On Psalme 51.7 March 23. 1629. NO man hath true charity in him First that doth not love all men Secondly that doth not love his enemy Thirdly that doth not love such as feare God especially For the first They that have the Spirit of Christ in them do unfeignedly love all men See this plainely in that prayer of the Apostle 1 Thes. 3 12. The Lord make you to increase and abound in love saith he one toward another and towards all men How can this bee will you say Must wee love such as are wicked men Doth not the Holy Ghost make this a speciall note of a lewd and gracelesse man to love them that are wicked They hate the good saith the Prophet Mica 3.2 and love the evill Was not Iehosophat though otherwise so good a man greatly blamed for this Shouldst thou love them saith the Prophet Iehu to him 2 Chron. 19.2 that hate the Lord Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord. Doth not David glory in this as in one principall evidence of the truth of his heart that he did hate wicked men I have hated them saith he Psal. 31.6 that regard lying vanities that is I have hated all idolaters And 139.21 22. he appealeth to the Lord concerning this and glorieth of this even before the Lord Do not I hate them O Lord saith he that hate thee I hate them with a perfect hatred I count them mine enemies I answer That in all these places there is no more meant but this First That wee must hate their sinne and that that is evill in them And that we are bound to hate even in the best men and in those persons whose persons we are most bound to love Ye that love the Lord saith the Psalmist Psalme 97.10 hate that that is evill There is no love of God in that man that hateth not sinne wheresoever hee seeth it even in his owne child in them whom he doth most dearely love Secondly that we must shew our dislike even to the persons also of scaâ—dalous and lewd men For first we may give them no countenance but shew our dislike by shunning all voluntary familiarity and kindnesse unto them while they continue such Have no company with him saith the Apostle 2 Thes. 3.4 that he may be ashamed I have hated the congregation of evill doers saith David Psalme
faithfull Iewes that had beene before much offended with Peter for going unto Cornelius heard of the fruit and successe of his Ministery there it is said Acts 11.18 That they hâ—ld their peace and glorified God saying then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life Though we know that the Iewes naturally fretted at nothing so much as this to heare that the Gentiles should become Gods people as every naturall man doth to see others more Religious then him selfe yet the Iewes that were converted joyed greatly in this When Paul and Barnabas Acts 15.3 declared to them the conversion of the Gentiles they caused great joy unto all the brethren He that hath any grace in his owne heart will joy in the conversion of others And on the other side he that hath the spirit of Christ in him cannot choose but grieve to see how unfruitful the Gospel is in most places how little power it hath in the hearts of men This the Prophet foretold Esa. 53.1 should be the complaint and lamentation of the Ministers of the Gospell and daily experience proves it to be so Who hath beleeved our report and to whom is the arme of the Lord revealed And of our blessed Saviour it is said Mar. 8.12 that when he saw the infidelity and hardnesse of heart that was in the Pharisees and Iewes who though they had seene so many miracles of his and heard so many of his gracious and powerfull Sermons could not beleeve but asked still for a signe from heaven that he sighed deepely in his spirit to see and thinke of this And so will every one in some measure doe that hath the spirit of Christ in him when hee seeth the marvellous senselessenesse of most men under the powerfull and excellent meanes of grace that they doe enjoy The reasons of this point and the application of it I must deferre till the next day Lecture CLI On Psalme 51.7 November 29. 1631. IT followeth now that we proceed to give you the grounds and reasons of this point and then make some application of it unto our selves The reasons then why we should thus take to heart the cause of God and of his holy Religion why we should joy in the liberty of the Gospell and in the fruitfulnesse and good successe of it and mourne for the contrary are three principally according to the respect we ought to have unto three severall persons that are interested in it in respect had 1. Vnto other men 2. Vnto our selves 3. And principally unto the Lord. The first reason I will for the helpe of your understanding and memory deliver distinctly unto you in three degrees First we are bound in conscience to love the persons of all men and we can have no comfort in our owne estate unlesse our hearts can beare us witnesse we doe so The Lord make you saith the Apostle 1 Thes. 3.12 to increase and abound in love one towards another and towards all men Secondly If we do not love their soules unfeignedly desire their salvation there is no true love to them in our hearts I know well the most of you thinke otherwise you thinke you love your neighbours your friends your Wives your children well and dearely though you have no care at all of their soules but leave the care of them to God alone Nay they are of all others accounted the most loving and kind natured men that have least care of all either of other mens or of their owne soules whose kindnesse and good fellowship shewes it selfe in nothing more then in poysoning and destroying one anothers soules But be not deceived beloved the holy Word of God by which thou must be judged at the day of thy appearing before the judgement seat of Christ defineth love otherwise then thou doest and saith thou bearest no true love at all to the person whose soule thou hast no care of Thus Paul expressed and proved his unfeigned love to the Iewes his country men Rom. 10.1 Brethren my hearts desire and prayer to GOD for Israel is that they might be saved Because we are bound to love all men we are bound to desire the salvation of all men that God would give to all places to all people the meanes of their salvation and make them effectuall in their hearts This is plaine by that prayer of the Church Psalm 67.2 3. That thy way may be knowne upon earth thy saving health among all nations let the people praise thee O God let all the people praise thee If we doe not grieve to see how people lye in ignorance and infidelity and profanenesse and so under the power of Satan we beare no true love to them at all The Apostle professeth his love this way also unto his country men Rom. 9.1 2. his conscience did beare him witnesse in the Holy Ghost that he had great heavinesse and continuall sorrow in his heart for their blindnesse and obstinacy Nay he hateth them in his heart that cannot grieve to see them live in this estate Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thy heart saith the Lord Levit. 19.17 thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour and not suffer sinne upon him If we suffer men to live in any sinne were it in our power to helpe it if we be utterly carelesse of it and it never trouble us to see it the Lord you see saith plainly that we hate them in our hearts And whosoever hateth his brother is a murtherer saith the Apostle 1 Ioh. 3.15 and ye know that no murtherer hath eternall life abiding in him or is in the state of grace If this be so as doubtlesse it is alas how hainous a sin are we all guilty of that neither doe any thing to bring them out of this misery they lye in nor are at all grieved and troubled for it Thirdly If we doe truly desire the salvation of men and grieve to see them perish in ignorance and profanenesse then will we desire that sound preaching may abound and will grieve to see the preaching of the word hindred any way Because the meanes whereby the soules of men must be saved is preaching It hath pleased God by the foolishnesse of preaching to save them that beleeve saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 1.21 that is first by preaching hee workes faith in men according to that faith commeth by hearing Romans 10.17 and then by faith hee saveth them But why doth hee call it the foolishnesse of preaching Not that it is so indeed but that carnall men doe account it so for so he expoundeth himselfe Verse 18. The peeaching of the crosse is to them that perish foolishnesse they that perish and shall goe to hell account so of it But you will object and say cannot men be saved without preaching I answer that preaching is the meanes that he hath appointed to doe this worke by ordinarily Other sheepe I have saith our Saviour Iob. 10.16 which are not of this fould are not yet come
love p. 609. Proleps How ever men conceit its certaine all shall not have benefit by him but few in comparison Ibid. We may know we are Christs if we have his Spirit and specially by foure effects of it p. 610 611. He that would get comfortable assurance that Christ is his must 1 Desire and thirst after him more then any thing else p. 611. 2 Bee content to buy and purchase him by parting with whatsoever is dearest to him that he may obtaine him 3 feele the burden of his sins and see how damnable his estate is without him p. 612 613. Lect 121. No man can receive comfort by the blood of Christ till he hath it sprinckled upon his heart and applyed to him p. 614. None but the Lord himselfe can thus apply and sprinkle the bloud of Christ upon the heart of any man p. 615. For 1 the more a man knoweth of Christ the more will he be vexed if he cannot know hee hath any part in him himselfe Ibid. 616. 2 mans infidelity is such he cannot apply Christ to himselfe p. 616. Popery deprives men of true comfort in foure doctrines that they teach Ibid. We should give no rest to our selves till we have got Christs bloud sprinckled upon us and assurance it was shed for us p. 617. for 1 it is possible to get this assurance in this life p. 618. 2 Great is the benefit of it pag. 619. Lect. 122. Necessary to examine well that assurance wee seeme to have that Christ is ours for 1 Many most lewd men have seemed to bee strongly assured of it in whom certainely Gods Spirit never wrought it 2 it s much better to live in continuall doubt of it then to have such false assurance p. 620. The Spirit of God only workes true assurance because he is the onely comforter the Divell also worketh a kinde of peace and assurance but he can never be a true comforter p. 621. 1 Signe of true assurance Those in whom the Spirit worketh assurance were first humbled with doubts and feares and after they have it they never have it in this life in perfection yea they are subject oft to spirituall disertions Ibid. He that never doubted of his salvation was never acquainted with any feares or trouble of mind hath just cause to doubt of his assurance p. 622. 2 Signe All true assurance is grounded upon the Word the Spirit and the Word goe alway together the worke of the Spirit to be judged by the Word Ibid. Every true Christian hath the Word to assure him in particular that he is in the state of salvation p. 623. Proleps 1. A man that hath grace in him may certainely know that he hath it Ibid. 2. By the Word hee may know certainely that every grace that is in him is in him in sincerity p. 624. No trusting to any assurance but such onely as is grounded on the Word for 1 that onely is of the Spirits working Ibid. 2 by the Word only Sathan to be convinced when he shall question our assurance and â—ift us about it 3 the Lord will judge every one of us by his Word p. 625. Most men are confident they shall be saved though they have no Word of God to assure them of it nay though the Word give expresse testimonie against them Ibid. Lect. 123. The third signe of true assurance is the effects and fruits it produceth in them that have it 1 It is operative and will breed in him that hath it an unfeigned love to God and care to expresse his love by the uttermost service he is able to doe unto him p. 626. It will worke a thorow reformation in the inner man Ibid. Nothing will make the heart 1 So soft and apt to mourne for sinne 2 so fearefull to oftend God hereafter 3 So to desire and delight in the Word and meanes of grace 4 So carefull to practise what hee knowes and to please God in all things as this will doe p. 627. He that hath it cannot content himselfe to serve God inwardly and in Spirit but hee will also 1 Professe openly and declare himselfe to be Gods servant Ibid. 2 put forth himselfe to doe God in his place all the service and honour he can p. 628. Th' assurance most men have of their salvation appeares by this to be false and counterfâ—it because its idle and unfruitfull Nay it workes quite contrary effects 1 it hardneth the heart and keepeth men from sorrowing for sin Ibid. 2 it makes them bold to commit any sinne 3 it makes them despise the Word and meanes of grace 4 it maketh them utterly carelesse of practise 5 They count it their wisedome to conceale their love to God and religion and a disgrace to be noted for it 6 They have no care to honour God p. 629. 1 Masters of families may greatly honour God and their sinne that doe not p 630. 2 So may Ministers 3 So may Magistrates p. 631. Lect. 124. Though true assurance of the pardon of our sinnes bee the supernaturall worke of Gods Spirit yet doth the Spirit worke it by meanes p. 632. Great force there is in Gods solemne worship and conscionable use of his ordinances to work and preserve and recover it Ibid. and namely 1 in the Word because 1 it was given to that end chiefly p. 633. 2 God hath promised to accompany it by his Spirit in the hearts of his people 634. 2 in the use of the Lords Supper for therin Christ is 1 offered most particularly 2 applyed p. 635. 3 in prayer p. 636. Five causes why Gods people finde not the fruit of it p. 637. Lect. 125. 1 A constant care to please God in all things and feare to offend him is a singular meanes to get preserve and recover assurance and without it it will not be p. 638-641 2 If Gods people would diligently observe and examine their owne wayes they might get preserve and recover assurance better then they doe p. 641. for if we can finde that we doe any one good thing with an upright heart we may from thence grow assured that we are in Gods favour p. 642. yet a full and strong assurance will not be gotten in a day or two but by a long and constant continuance in well doing Ibid. A Christian even the meanest and when he is at the worst may by due examination finde the truth of grace in him Ibid. pag. 643. Though hee can for the present finde no goodnesse in himselfe yet it will be profitable for him to call to minde the signes of grace hee had in former times page 643. Lect. 126. 3 If Gods people would call to minde the speciall experiments they have had formerly of Gods goodnesse towards them even in temporall and common favours it would be a great helpe to obtaine and preserve and recover th' assurance of his love in Christ p. 644. But specially th'experiments of his love in spirituall things p. 645. We should take notice and
exercise those small abilities that God hath given us in prayer and wee shall find that by using they will greatly increase Lecture XIII On Psal. 51.1 2. Ianuary 24. 1625. FOlloweth the fourth and last impediment that keepeth men from flying to God and seeking helpe and comfort from him by prayer in their distresses and that is a conceit that it is to no purpose for them to pray This conceit as it prevaileth with wicked men and castawayes and keepeth them in a continuall neglect of this duty What profit should we have say they if we pray to him Iob 21. â—â— So have Gods dearest servants beene oft troubled with it and for a time kept from this duty by it And have beene apt to resolve as David doth of all the duties of piety in generall Psal. 73.13 Verily I have cleansed my heart in vaine so of this duty in particular certainely it is but lost labour for me to pray And as Satan will alway pretend reason for whatsoever he suggesteth to us so did he with our first parents Gen. 3.5 God doth know that in the day yee eate thereof then your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as Gods knowing good and evill And his chiefe strength still to keepe out Christ and his grace lyeth in the thoughts and imaginations in the reasons that he suggesteth unto men to object against goodnesse and to defend sinne as is plaine 2 Cor. 10.5 so hath he put foure reasons into the hearts of men to confirme them in this conceit that it is to no purpose for them to pray Let this short summe of the foure reasons suffice in the first propounding of them and the larger laying of them downe reserved to the place where they are to be answered particularly 1. That many doe well enough that never pray 2. That the use of the meanes with discretion will serve the turne without prayer 3. That God knoweth our necessities well enough and hath both decreed what to do for us and is apt enough of himselfe without seeking to 4. That themselves have used it long to no purpose Now before I come to answer these reasons in particular this I must say of them in generall that if any of Gods people such as I must judge all you to be that heare me now be troubled at any time with these thoughts as surely as I have already told you they may be they must resolve thus with themselves Certainely this is but a tentation this commeth of the evill one For it tendeth directly to atheisme and is high blasphemy against God Those thoughts that tend to the restraining of men from prayer tend directly to the casting off of all true feare of God Thou castest off feare saith Eliphâ—z Iob 15.4 and restrainest prayer before God The man that is once perswaded not to call upon God hath learned to say in his heart there is no God Psal. 14.1.4 And of them that said Mal. 3.14 It is in vaine to serve God the Lord saith verse 13. that their words had beene stout against the Lord. Poure out thy fury saith the Prophet Ier. 10.25 upon the heathen that know thee not and upon the families that call not on thy name 1. The persons the families that use not to pray know not God are no better then Atheists 2. God will poure out his fury upon such And seeing this is so what must they do that are troubled with this tentation Surely They must 1 Put on a resolution to resist it harden thy heart against it withstand it defie it Iam. 4.7 Resist the Divell and he will flee from you Say as our Saviour did when hee was tempted by Satan to such a foule sinne Mat. 4.10 Get thee hence avaunt Sathan Yea in a tentation farre lesse then this when Peter tempted him but to favour himselfe and shun the crosse Mat. 16.23 He turned and said to Peter get thee behind me Sathan thou art an offence unto me 2 By prayer and crying unto God for strength against it they must resist even this tentation against prayer For that is a chiefe remedy against all tentations Luk. 22.40 Pray that ye enter not into and be delivered into the power of temptation As Christ did for Iehoshuah when Satan stood at his right hand to resist him Zach. 3.2 The Lord rebuke thee ô Satan even the Lord that hath chosen Ierusalem rebuke thee 3 They must make use of the sword of the spirit whereby Christ our captaine did drive away the tempter Mat. 4.4 7.10 It is written by weighing with themselves how directly this tentation opposeth the whole tenour of the holy Scripture And say thus with themselves Shall I yeeld to this conceit that it is to no purpose to pray Why how oft hath God commanded us to pray Psal. 50.15 Call upon me in the day of trouble and Mat 7.7 Aske and it shall be given you and 1 Thess. 5.17 Pray without ceasing How frequent and constant have all the Saints even such as God hath given greatest testimony unto beene in prayer Even the wisest of them as Daniel who would not give over his constant course in prayer no not for the saving of his life Dan. 6.10 Nay our blessed Saviour was so himselfe even he was frequent in this duty Mar. 1.35 In the morning a great while before it was day he went out and departed into a solitary place and there prayed And shall I suffer Satan to perswade me that it is a needlesse thing to pray But let us now consider the reasons whereby Satan perswadeth men to this Atheisticall divellish conceit And to the first That they that never use to pray do as well as those that are most given unto it I answer that this is most false they do not so well For 1. The blessings they receive are but temporall and such as are no testimonies of Gods speciall love Mat. 5.45 He maketh his sunne to rise on the evill and on the good and sendeth raine on the just and on the unjust Whereas they that pray shall have better things then these Luk. 11.13 Your heavenly father will give the holy spirit to them that aske him 2. They that pray not can have no assurance to enjoy no not these temporall blessings neither to have them when they want them nor to hold them when they have them For they have no word nor promise of God for them Iob 21.16 Loe their good is not in their hand Whereas they that pray may be sure to have so much even of these things as shall be good for them For they have a promise that they may build upon Psal. 34.10 They that seeke the Lord shall not want any good thing This promise certainely to them that can beleeve it is more worth then a thousand pound land a yeere So that he that can pray may be secure for outward things and need not disquiet his heart with carking cares Pro. 16.3 Commit thy works thy labours and endeavours
in him I will go no further for the setting of this forth unto you then to those three things which David heere in my Text speaketh of and which he observed in the Lords gracious disposition and on which he grounded his hope 1. There is in the Lord loving kindnesse 2. There are in the Lord tender mercies 3. There is in the Lord a multitude of tender mercies For the first The Lord is of a gracious and kind and liberall disposition Ioel 2.13 The Lord is gracious and of great kindnesse The love he sheweth the good he doth to any of his people is most free and hath no cause no ground at all but in himselfe alone The love we beare to any useth to have some ground in the party that we do love we see somewhat in the party that moveth us to it at first But the love the Lord beareth to us had no ground at all in us but in his owne goodnesse and loving kindnesse alone The Apostle therefore calleth it 2 Thess. 1.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The good pleasure of his goodnesse He set his love upon us as Moses saith Deut 7 7 8 because he loved us He even resteth in his owne love as the Prophet speaketh Zeph. 3.1 and seeketh no further So speaketh the Lord Exod. 3 â—â— I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and I will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy Nothing moved him to be gracious and mercifull unto us but onely his owne good will and pleasure So Esa. 43.25 I even I am he that blâ—â—â—eth ouâ— thy transgressions for mine owne sake So 2 Sam. 7. â—1 For thy words sake and according to thine owne heart thou hast done all these great things True it is that after the Lord hath set his love upon us he worketh that in us by his grace that maketh us amiable and beautifull in his sight and so causeth him to love us the more This is excellently set forth Ezek. 16.9 14. He anointed his beloved one with oyle cloathed her with broidered work covered her with silke deâ—ked her with ornaments put bracelets upon her hands and a chaine about her necke decked her with gold and silver made her exceeding beautifull marke how grace and piety doth beautifie the soule in Gods eye But when he first set his love upon us he saw nothing in us that did move him to love us as is also notably set forth in that 16. of Ezek. When the Lord first passed by his beloved as it is said verse 8 and looked upon her and her time was the time of love when he first loved her what was there in her to move him to it See that verse 6. When I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine owne bloud I said unto thee when thou wast in thy bloud live yea I said unto thee when thou wast in thy bloud live Marke how earnest the Lord is to perswade us of the freenesse of his love to us and how it grew not at all from any respect he had to any goodnesse was or should be in us but from his owne loving kindnesse and goodnesse alone And this is the first thing that Daviâ— here considered in the mercy and goodnesse of the Lord that made him to hope he should find mercy with him for the pardon of his sin Secondly In the Lord there are tender mercies bowels of mercy as the word racham which is heere used doth properly signifie For thus it hath pleased the Lord to condescend unto our capacity and to make knowne unto us in his Word his gracious disposition by comparing himselfe unto a most tender hearted man or woman and attributing bowells unto himselfe Esay 63.15 Where is the multitude of thy bowells and of thy mercies towards me are they restrained Luke 1.78 Through the bowells of the mercies of our God whereby the day spring from an high hath visited us And this comparison standeth in two points 1. As a tender-hearted man or woman when they see any to bee in misery cannot choose but pitty them and grieve for them and feele their bowells within moved and pained with it and this is the very nature of man humanity and not the corruption of nature As it is sayd of our Saviour Mat. 9.36 When he saw the multitude fainting and scattered abroad as shâ—epe having no shepheard 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his bowells yearned or were moved towards them ô that the beholding of men in that misery could move us so and Hebr. 4.15 that hee is touched with the feeling of all our infirmities hee doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 condole and grieve and suffer with us when we do grieve and suffer So the Lord when hee seeth any of his people to bee in misery hee cannot but pitty them and be moved with it and grieve with them Iam. 5.11 He is pitifull and of tender mercy Exod. 22.27 When he cryeth unto me I will heare for I am gracious So it is said Iudg. 10.16 His soule was grieved for the misery of Israel And Esa. 63.9 In all their affliction he was afflicted How can that bee will you say seing himselfe was the author of all their affliction Amos 3.6 Shall there be evill in a City and the Lord hath not done it How is it possible that the Lord would so sharpely correct his people and bring them to that misery if it did so grieve him to see them in misery I answer 1. that this is possible enough Did you never heare of a Iudge that did shed teares even in giving of sentence of death upon a malefactor and shewed a fatherly affection towards the poore wretch even at that time like Ioshua to Achan Iosh. 7.19 My sonne I pray thee give glory to the Lord God of Israel Did you never know any father so tender-hearted as when he hath whipped his child hee hath done it with teares in his eyes yea he could not containe but must needs let his teares fall hee hath smitten and wept and beene as apt to cry even as the child it selfe Surely so it is with the Lord. Psalm 103.13 As a father pitieth his children so doth the Lord pitie them that feare him Even when he correcteth us he pitieth and his bowells yearne towards us 2. He never afflicteth us nor bringeth us unto misery but when his love constraineth him to doe it hee must needs doe it unlesse he would see us perish and that his love to us will not suffer him to doe The Lords love to his children is not fondnesse like the love of many foolish parents his pitie is not like the pitty that is in many men of which wee have a proverb foolish pitty marrs the City that may be called well Crudelis misericordia But the Lords love is guided by his infinite wisedome and judgement hee will correct the dearest of his children and that sharply too rather then hee will see them spoiled 1. Cor. 11.32 When wee are judged
receive their comfort And these directions are six principally First They must enquire into and labour to find out in themselves the cause of this affliction that by unfained repentance they may remove it Thou must examine what sin it is that is in thee or hath beene in thee that hath thus provoked God to with-draw the comfort of his spirit from thee This is the wisest course to be taken in any affliction David took this course in a grievous famine 2. Sam. 21.1 David enquired of the Lord. What he did enquire may appeare by Gods answer that is to say what the speciall sinne was that he or his people had committed that provoked God to this It is for Saul saith the Lord and his bloudy house because he slew the Gibeonite But in this kind of affliction of mind this course is specially to bee taken This course Saul before hee fell away from that goodnesse hee had learned by being brought up in Gods Church tooke when hee had sought unto God and could receive no answer from him 1. Sam. 14.37 38. Draw ye neare hither all ye chiefe of the people and know and see wherein this sinne hath bin this day As if hee should say Certainly some sin of ours is the cause why the Lord refuseth to answer us let us find it out and remove it Thus did Iob when he was in this case we now speake of when hee had lost the feeling of Gods favour for that was doubtlesse his chiefe affliction he beseecheth God to helpe him to find out the cause of it in himselfe Iob 10.2 Shew me wherefore thou contendest with me And 13.23 Make me to know my transgression and my sinne For 1. though not alway yet usually this is the cause even of this affliction either some sin they have fallen into as in this case of David or some secret corruption they nourish in themselves that choketh their peace and comfort and like a thicke fog or filthy vapour rising up in their soules keepeth the light of Gods countenance from shining on them according to that Esay 59.2 Your iniquities have separated betweene you and your God and your sinnes have hid his face from you Now this this speciall sin must be found out Lam. 3.40 Let us search and try our waies and turne againe unto the Lord. 2. This is a sure way to recover our comfort when wee can mourne more for this that by sin we have departed from God then that God hath by this spirituall desertion departed from us and so by repentance returne to him againe hee will certainly returne then to us and restore to us our comfort For this is his promise Mal. 3.7 Returne unto me and I will returne unto you saith the Lord of hosts The second direction is this Thou must call to mind the times that are past how it hath bin with thee formerly Hadst thou never any comfortable feeling of Gods favour and of the worke of Gods grace in thy heart Didst thou never heare in thy selfe that sweete voice of the spirit of adoption witnessing to thy heart that thou wert Gods child enabling thee to cry Abba Father of which the Apostle speaketh Rom. 8.15 16. Examine thy selfe well rub thy memory and call this to mind This direction the Apostle giveth the faithfull Hebrewes when hee would perswade them to hold fast their confidence and not to cast it away Hebrewes 10.35 Call to remembrance saith hee verse 32. the former dayes in which after ye were illuminated ye endured a great sight of affections and what joy you found in your selves then verse 34. Ye tooke joyfully the spoyling of your goods This course David tooke in this very case Psalme 77.5 6. I have considered the dayes of old the yeares of ancient times I call to remembrance my songs in the night I commune with mine owne heart and my spirit made diligent search and verse 10. And â— said this is mine infirmity but I will remember the yeares of the right hand of the most High By remembring the yeares of the right hand of the most High that is of the comforts hee had found in the assurance of Gods favour hee came to perceive that it was but his infirmitie to bee thus dejected now This course hee also tooke at another time when hee was in this case Psalme 143.45 My spirit is overwhelmed within mee my heart within mee is desolate I remember the dayes of old Observe beloved and take notice therefore I pray you of the working of Gods grace in your selves of the sweete comforts you finde at any time in the light of Gods countenance and assurance of his favour in the hearing or reading of his Word in receiving the Sacrament in your prayers and specially in your afflictions Yea doe as David did Psal. 85 8. I will hearken what the Lord God will speake for hee will certainely at one time or other speake peace to his people and to his Saints Keepe a Register of these times because the remembrance of them may stand you in stead when a change shall come For you may write as wee say and build upon this if ever thou wert in Gods favour thou art still if ever God by the spirit of adoption did say unto thy soule I am thy salvation thy God thy father Christ is thy Saviour his body was broken for thee his bloud was shed for thee he is so still The spirit of God in the holy Scripture teacheth this expressely Iohn 5.14 Verily verily I say unto you He that heareth my word and beleeveth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death unto life And Romans 11.29 The gifts and calling of God are without repentance that is such gifts and such a calling as God vouchsafed to the fathers Abraham Isaac and Iacob for of those the Apostle had spoken the gifts of Election justification santification effectuall calling God never repented him of This the Apostle Iames also teacheth Iames 1.17.18 that in those gifts of God that are good indeed and perfect gifts perfectly good such as hee instanceth in the next verse the gift of regeneration to bee there is no variablenesse nor shadow of turning in the Lord. Thus the Lord answereth his people that were in this very tentation Ieremy 31.3 The Lord hath appeared to mee of old say they so it is to bee read as in the Geneva As if they had sayd but now hee hideth himselfe and hath forsaken mee Yea saith the Lord I have loved thee with an everlasting love therefore with loving kindnesse have I drawne thee As if hee should have sayd I would never have drawne and effectually called thee to bee my people If I had not loved thee with an everlasting love If I had meant ever to cast thee off againe So that 1. this should make us all in love with Grace Wisedome is the principall thing saith Solomon Pro. 4.7 therefore get wisedome and with
thy heart a sorrow for all such as are corruptions in deede specially in the worship of God and professe also outwardly upon all just accasions thy dislike unto them or else thou wilt be in danger to be defiled by them as the Apostle telleth the Church of Corinth 1 Cor. 5.6 that the whole lumpe was in danger to be leavened because they did not mourne for the sin of the incestuous person and for the want or neglect of the discipline of the Church in that case as appeareth in the fourth verse Lecture XXXVI On Psalme 51.3 Octob 10. 1626. FOlloweth now the fifth and last way whereby we make our selves guilty of all the grosse sins committed in the places where we live and that is by neglecting to doe our best endeavour to bring these scandalous sinners to open shame and punishment for their sins We reade of Ely that the Lord pronounced him guilty of all those foule sins which his sons Hophny and Phinehas had committed 1 Sam. 2.29 Wherefore kicke ye at my sacrifice and at mine offerings to make your selves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people How could that be was Ely so prophane himselfe No but because his sons did so and he brought them not to that open shame and punishment which their foule sins deserved God imputeth their sinnes to him If any man shall object and say What it that to us Ely was a Iudge and magistrate he judged Israel 1 Sam. 4 18. and therefore had power to have restrained them from these sins by deposing and punishing them This the Lord chargeth him with 1 Sam 3.13 His sons made themselves vile and hee restrained them not He had a calling to doe it but we are no magistrates wee have no power to restraine or punish these lewd persons we are private men wee have no calling to doe it There are officers that haue a calling and are bound by their oath to present such offendours let them looke unto it It is through their negligence and default that these sinnes doe so much abound amongst us My answer unto this objection that hath as you see great colour of reason in it shall coâ—sist of two parts 1. I will grant that these officers are indeed in greatest fault or this and shew you reasons why it must be so 2. I will shew you that not they alone are in fault for this but that Christians of all sorts are deeply guilty this way First therefore they that by their office and oath stand bound to detect unto authority and to present these infamous persons if either out of negligence or partiality they wincke at any of them stand guilty of greater sin then they are aware of This we shall finde spoken of as one great cause of the captivity Ier. 5.28 that they did overpasse the deedes of the wicked they winked at them and made no reckoning of them and what followeth in the next verse 29. Shall I not visit for these things saith the Lord Shall not my soule be avenged on such a nation as this See the hainousnesse of their fault in three things First They sinne against the place where they live because they are a chiefe cause of the encrease of those foule sins in it that will provoke God to wrath against it If sinners were brought to open shame and punishment sin would not be so rise as it is This the Lord expresly teacheth oft in his Law when he commandeth open punishment to bee executed upon open offenders hee giveth this reason for it Deut. â—9 9 10. So shalt thou put evill away from among you and those which remaine shall heare and feare and shall henceforth commit no more any such evill among you The sparing of those whom God would have to be punished is a great wrong to the whole towne and countrey where they live even a meanes to bring Gods wrath upon it This is plaine Num. â—5 4 Take all the heads of the people and hang them vp that the fierce anger of the Lord may be turned away from Israel and verse 11. Phinehas hath turned away my wrath from the children of Israel while he was zealous for my sake among them that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousie And how can they be punished and brought to open shame if these officers winke at them and present them not Secondly They sinne against the soules of those poore sinners whom they seeme most to favour and love For the bringing of them to open shame and spâ—cially to confesse their sin and professe their repentance publikely is a meanes appointed of God to bring them unto repentance and so to obtaine of God assurance of the pardon of their sins That which Solomon saith of one kind may be said of all kinds of correction which God hath sanctified Pro. 22.15 Foolishnesse is bound in the heart of a child but the rod of correction will drive it away And of the censures of the Church which Christ hath appointed it may most truely be said as the Apostle speaketh 1 Cor. 5.5 They tend to the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. In winking therefore at such offendors they deprive them of the meanes ordained of God for their repentance and so for the salvation of their soules And what love call you this This is indeed hatred and not love Levit. 19.17 Hee hateth his brother in his heart that letteth his sinne to lye upon him Thirdly and lastly They sin against God and against their owne soules in that light account they make of the oath that they have taken 1. Let all men take heed before they take an oath that they binde not themselves thereby to doe that that is evill as they did that bound themselves by an oath that they would neither eat nor drinke till they had killed Paul Acts 23.12 An oath must not be Vinculum iniquitatis 2. When any man hath bound himselfe by oath to doe that that is evill let him repent of that sin and not double it by keeping that oath When the wise men had bound themselves to Herod if not by an oath yet by a very solemne promise certainely for Herod said they had mocked him and was in exceeding rage for that Mat. 2.16 to bring him word where Christ was yet perceiving afterward that the performance of that oath or promise was against the will of God and tended to the hurt of Christ they durst not performe it Mat. 2.12 And when Herod had unadvisedly taken an oath which afterward he perceived tended to the destruction of one whom in his conscience he knew to bee a good man it is noted to have beene his great sin that he made such conscience of keeping that oath Mat. 14.9 For we ought not to doe any thing to the open hurt of those whom God hath commanded us to be a shelter and a covert unto Esay 16.3.4 Hide the
the truth of this in three degrees First the greatest part of men were never troubled in their mind for any sin in all their lives yea the greatest sinners are of all men least troubled in mind for sin They are not in trouble saith the Psalmist Psal. 73.5 as other men Nay their conscience is so senslesse so fast asleep as nothing will waken it Such thundring Sermons they oft heare as one would think might break the rockiest heart that is and yet they never stirre these men But they are like Iudas who though he heard Christ so speake of his sin as made all his fellowes exceeding sorrowfull Mat. 26.22 though he heard him so particularly apply his speech as he could not choose but understand hee was the man hee meant for our Saviour said Iohn 13.26 Hee it is to whom I shall give a sop when I have dipped it and when hee had dipped the sop hee gave it to Iudas And when hee asked Christ as the rest had done Master is it I Christ said unto him Thou hast said Mat. 26.25 Though he had heard Christ with his powerfull voice denounce that fearefull woe against him Mat. 26.24 Woe unto the man by whom the sonne of man is betraied it had beene good for that man if hee had never beene borne Yet did not all this move him one whit but hee became worse and worse after all this Iohn 13 27. After the sop Satan entred into him And alas how many have we that are like to Iudas in this point No sermon will move them nay the Lord oft times layeth such stroakes upon them scourgeth them with such afflictions as one would thinke might pierce the most seared conscience in the world and bring their sins unto remembrance and yet you shall see these men when they are most vexed with paines and diseases in their bodies with troubles and perplexities in their outward estate yet as quiet in their consciences as free from all remorse and trouble of mind for sin yea as confident of Gods love toward them in Christ as the holiest man in the world So God speaketh of Israel Hos. 8.2 3. When they had cast off the thing that is good and for that cause the enemie the Assyrian should pursue them yet even then in that great affliction they should crye unto God My God we know thee Certainely this is the case of many a man no afflictions will awaken their consciences even upon their death beds you shall not be able to perceive that any of their sins doe trouble them but even as Iob speaketh Iob 21.23 they are wholly at ease and quiet that is wonderfully quiet in their conscience The strong armed man keepeth the pallace as our Saviour speaketh Luke 11.21 and all his goods are in peace Secondly Nay many though they can be content in generall to confesse that they and all men are sinners yet can they not discerne any particular sin to charge themselves withall and if any other man should charge them with it they would be ready to justifie themselves as Ephraim did of whom the Prophet speaketh Hos. 12.7 8 who though he were as a false merchant and the ballances of deceit were in his hand he used deceit in his weights and in his measures yet he justifieth himselfe and saith in all my labours and tradiâ—g they shall finde none iniquity in me which is sin As if he had said Though I have done a little wrong sometimes to men in my trading in my weights and measures and shewed my selfe my crafts-master in making my wares seeme better then they were tush that is nothing all of our trade doe so and must doe so or else we could not live tush that is no sin Alas the world is full of such blind wretches as being notorious sinners yet doe secure and blesse themselves in their estate even upon this ground that they know nothing by themselves that deserveth to be counted a sin at least a mortall sin They are Papists in this as in many other point either they have no sin at all or if any none but veniall sins These mens case is notably set forth by the Lord Ier. 2.34 35. In thy skirts is found the bloud of the soules of the poore innocents I have not found it by secret search but upon all these As if he had said Every thing that was about them their garments their houshold-stuffe their faire houses c. were monuments of and carried the print of their oppression see how grosse sinners they were and yet in the next words marke their extreame blindnesse and security yet thou sayest because I am innocent surely his anger shall turne from mee In times of greatest danger they feared nothing out of this conceit that they were so innocent But what followeth Behold I will plead with thee because thou saist I have not sinned Nay thirdly The most men count it a great happinesse to forget their sins and never to thinke of them and therfore they even study the art of oblivion in this point shunning all meanes carefully that might bring their sinnes into their remembrance as Ahab did Micajahs ministery 1 Kings 22.8 and Felix Pauls Acts 24.25 and they greedily hunt after all the meanes they can devise or thinke of that they may put their sinnes out of their thoughts According to that speech of Solomon Ecclesiast 7.4 The heart of fooles is in the house of mirth Now unto these men I have three things to say First If Iob and David and Paul were in a blessed estate then must the case of these men surely be most miserable Their sin as we heard the last day was ever before them came oft into their remembrance troubled their minds much and thou never thinkest of any of thy sins art never troubled with any such matter They counted it a great happinesse to have such friends to heare such ministers as would rouse and waken their sleepy consciences put them in mind of their sins Ps. 141.5 Let the righteous smite me and let him reprove me Yea they prayed to God for this Iob 13.23 Make me to know my transgression and my sin And thou cryest God blesse me from such preachers that should so disquiet my mind Secondly the blindnes and senslesnes of thy conscience is no such benefit as thou imaginest O no it is a fearefull judgement curse of God upon thee for it maketh thee unable to repent it keepeth thee from all comfort and benefit by Christ Ioh. 12.39 40. Therefore they could not beleeve because as Esaias saith he hath blinded their eyes hardned their hearts left they should be converted and I should heale them This is a judgement wherby God punisheth other grievous sins and of all punishments the most fearefull Psal. 81.11 12. My people would not hearken unto my voice Israel would none of mee so I gave them up to the hardnes of their hearts As they did not like to retaine God in their knowledge saith
on me and on my fathers house but not on thy people that they should bee plagued And see how long and how heavily the wrong that he had done lay upon Pauls conscience he could never forget it 1 Tim. 1.13 I was a persecutor and injurious And so it will do upon every one of our consciences one day if we have bin injurious to any man howsoever we sleight it now and make nothing of it upon pretence either of the basenes or of the badnes of the parties we have done wrong unto Remember what I told you of the Gibeonites and how Davids heart smote him for wronging Saul as bad a man as could live 1 Sam. 24.5 But of all the hurts and wrongs we have done unto men by our sins the hurt that we have done them in their soules if we have bin any way the cause of their eternall perdition that may be to us a just cause of sorrow and trouble of mind for our sins O the bloud of soules which wee have destroyed by our sins will lye heavy and give an intollerable weight to our sins when God shall charge us with it And that we may and many doe make themselves guilty of diverse wayes Not only 1. by drawing and forcing others to sin by our authority as David did here both the messengers he sent to bring Bathsheba unto him 2 Sam 11,4 and Ioab whom he commanded to make away Vriah 2 Sam. 11.15 and as Absalom did his servants to murder Amnon 2 Sam. 13.28 and as Paul had done upon whose conscience this lay a long time that he had compelled many to blaspheme Act. 26.11 And 2. by drawing others unto sin either by our example or perswasion as David and his messengers did Bathsheba here 2 Sam. 11.4 and as full many a one dayly doth by being the authors beginning of sin unto others as the Prophet speaketh Mica 1.13 But even 3. by with-holding from any the helpe and meanes that God hath charged us to afford them for the preserving of their soules from perdition As you all will account that nurse that famisheth the child by with-holding the breast and food from it to have bin a murderer of it as much as if she had poisoned or cut the throat of it And surely many of us have just cause to feare God will one day say to us concerning the soules of any that have perished in our flocks that are ministers or in our families that are parents or masters as he doth to the Prophet Ezek. 3.18 His bloud will I require at thy hand Now for the second branch of the Doctrine Though our sins may justly trouble us in all these respects yet the chiefe thing above all others that should move us to hate sin and to mourne for it is the consideration of that offence we have committed by our sins against the Lord our God Observe the proofe of this in three points First This is that that hath had chiefe force in keeping Gods people from sin when they have bin tempted unto it As we see in the example of Ioseph Genes 39.9 How can I doe this great wickednesse and sin against God He considered not so much the wrong he should do his maister though that he knew was very great as the offence he should cōmit against God So David professeth Ps. 19.11 I have hid thy word in mine heart that I might not sin against thee The cause why he loved Gods word so much and tooke such paines by meditation prayer to make it his owne was that he might bee kept from sinning against God Secondly This is that that hath broken the hearts of Gods people and caused them to melt in sorrow for sin after they have committed it that they have done the thing that God is displeased with that hee is grieved and dishonoured by This was Davids maine griefe here And so in the confession he maketh to Nathan 2 Sam. 12.13 I have sinned against the Lord. And Psal. 41.4 Lord be mercifull unto me heale my soule for I have sinned against thee This was the maine thing that troubled the prodigal child that he had displeased his father Lu. 15.18 I will go to my father and will say unto him father I have sinned against heaven and before thee Against thee thee only have I sinned and done evill in thy sight Thirdly and lastly this is the principall thing that distinguisheth the obedience repentance and sorrow for sin which is sincere from that that is counterfeit An hypocrite we know may make great shew of obedience of doing the will of God 2 Chron. 25.2 Amaziah did that which was right in the sight of the Lord but not with a perfect heart The main thing that approveth the truth sincerity of our obedience is this when in doing the good things we do we respect the Lord himselfe we doe that that we doe because we would not offend him because we desire to please and honour him When we live not to our selves but to the Lord Rom. 14.7 8. Thus the Apostle proveth the sincerity of heart that was in those weak Christians that did make conscience both of using not using the meats prohibited by the law of Moses that both of them did it to the Lord Rom. 14.6 So an hypocrite may be able to mourn deeply for sin and wish with all his heart it were undone in respect of the mischiefe punishment of sin that either he feeleth or feareth As we see in the examples of Cain Saul and Ahab Iudas But this is a certaine note of Gods child when the chiefe thing that maketh us mourne for sin is that we have displeased grieved our father by it Therfore is true repentance called by the Apostle Act. 20.21 Repentance toward God Such a repentance as the respect we have unto God hath wrought in us And the sorrow for sin that causeth repentance unto salvation is called 2 Cor. 7.10 A sorrow that is according to God So it is said of Gods people that they lamented after the Lord. 1 Sam. 7.2 This sorrow proceedeth not from selfe love as the other doth but from love to God when though a man know himselfe to be reconciled to God and delivered from the wrath to come yea because he doth so and hath the spirit of grace that assureth him of Gods favour therfore he mourneth is troubled in heart that he hath by his sins offended grieved so good a father This is that sincere sorrow that God promiseth to worke in the hearts of his people Zac. 12.10 I will powre upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Ierusalem the spirit of grace and of supplications and they shall looke upon me whom they have pierced and they shall mourne for him not for themselves as one mourneth for his only sonne Lecture XLIIII On Psalme 51.4 Decemb. 26. 1626. IT Followeth now that wee proceed unto the grounds and reasons of the
refuge for us Gods people have no other refuge to flye unto in all their distresses but him alone Yea nature hath taught this to all men as wee may see both in Scripture Ion. 1.5 and in dayly experience how the worst will looke towards God in their extreame sicknesse and send for the minister then to pray for them For that which Solomon saith of riches Prov. 11.4 may bee said of pleasures and friends and all other things wee have most set our hearts on they will not availe us in the day of wrath Loe thus good and gracious the Lord hath beene to every one of us even in the things that concerne this mortall life but 2. he hath shewed much more goodnesse to our soules then all this commeth to For as our soules are farre more excellent then our bodies so the Lord hath much more care of them then of our bodies Hee is in a speciall manner called the father of spirits Heb. 12.9 and hath doubtlesse a fatherly care of them in a speciall manner Let me therefore say to you as the Prophet doth Ps. 6â— â—6 Come and heare all ye that feare God I will declare what hee hath done not for my soule onely but for every one of your soules Neither will I speake of those bounties of the Lord that are peculiar to some choice servants of his but of those that are common to all that doe unfeinedly feare him even to the meanest of them Nor of all them neither but of three of them only which may sufficiently serve to demonstrate this point First When wee had lost our selves by the voluntary transgression of our first parents and made our selves the children of his wrath and slaves of the Devill hee bought us againe with no meaner a ransome then the bloud of his only Sonne Iohn 3.16 So God loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Sonne that whosoever beleeveth in him might not perish but have life everlasting And how did he give him The Apostle telleth us Rom. 8.32 Hee spared not his owne sonne but delivered him up for us all He did not remit unto him the least jot of those torments that were due in his justice to our sins but made him a curse for us as the Apostle speaketh Gal. 3.13 Hee dranke at the hand of the Lord the cup of his fury as the Prophet speaketh in another case Esa. 51.17 He drunke the dregs of the cup of trembling and wrung them out This amplifyeth greatly the goodnesse and bounty of the Lord to his people that this ransome was paid for them in a speciall manner Esa. 53.5 Hee was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities and verse 12. He hare the sins of many He prayed not for the world Iohn 17.9 Oh what a goodnesse of God was this to us that passing by and neglecting the greatest part of the world he should thinke upon us in a speciall manner to pay such a ransome for us Oh what cause have every one of us to admire this mercy of the Lord and to say with Iob 7.17 What is man that thou shouldest magnifie him and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him What was I that thou shouldest make so precious account of me that thou shouldest pay such a ransome to redeeme my soule Secondly when we lay snorting in our sins without all regard either to our owne wretched condition or to the ransome that was paid for us he awakened us and called us to the knowledge of our selves and of Christ. Hee cryed to us as Cantic 6.13 Returne returne ô Shulamite returne returne that wee may looke upon thee He besought us to bee reconciled to him as the Apostle speaketh 2 Cor. 5.20 stood long at our doore and knocked Rev. 3.20 waited long and endured many a repulse from us as he saith Rom. 10.21 All the day I have stretched out my hands unto a rebellious and a gaine saying people and at last overcame us with his kindnesse changed and converted our hearts and made us new creatures When the Apostle had said Ephes. 2.5 Even when wee were dead in sins he quickned us he addeth by grace yee are saved Nothing but grace nothing but the goodnesse of God was the cause of it He wrought such a change in us as is mentioned Esay 11.6 The wolfe shall dwell with the lambe and the leopard shall lye downe with the kid and the calfe and the young lyon and the fatling together and a little child shall leade them And this also doth greatly amplifie the goodnesse of God towards us in our conversion if we shall consider how rare a mercie it is 1. How the Lord vouchsafeth not so much as the outward calling in particular to the greatest part of the world by farre He sheweth his word unto Iacob saith the Psalmist Psal. 147.19 20. his statutes and his judgements unto Israel He hath not dealt so with any nation and as for his judgements they have not knowne them 2. How few of those that the Lord vouchsafeth the outward calling unto receive grace to believe and obey the truth as our Saviour speaketh Mat. 22.14 Many are called but few are chosen How many our selves may observe of our owne kindred of our owne neighbours of them that have as long as we obtained the same meanes of our betters every way of them whose lives have beene far more civill and unblameable then ours whom yet God vouchsafeth no such grace unto So that I may say to you as the Apostle doth 1 Cor. 1.26 You see your calling brethren how that not many wise men after the flesh not many mighty not many noble are called This consideration was the thing that bred such zealous love in Davids heart toward the Lord 2 Sam. 6.21 It was before the Lord saith he to scoffing Michall which chose me before thy father and before all his house to appoint mee ruler over the people of the Lord over Israel therefore will I play before the Lord. This was that that moved our blessed Saviour to rejoyce so in his spirit in the behalfe of the faithfull in his time and ascribe it all meerely to the free grace and goodnesse of the Lord. Luke 10.21 Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes Thirdly When after he had thus converted and called us wee have beene apt through our frailty and corruption ever and anon to fall away from him againe we are kept by the power of God unto salvation as the Apostle speaketh 1 Pet. 1.5 he will not suffer his to take such falls as shall breake their neckes or to fall into such pits as we should never get out of againe Hee will keepe the feet of his Saints from such falls as Hannah speaketh 1 Sam 2.9 Hee hath beat us for falling and haply for our carelesnesse left us to take such falls as have bruised us fore or broken an arme or a leg of us but he
will is so Thus the Apostle proveth it was no unrighteousnesse in God to love and chuse Iacob and to hate and reject Esau before either of them had done good or evil even before they were borne because his holy will was so Rom. 9.14 15. What shall we then say Is there unrighteousnesse with God God forbid For he saith to Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion And this is the first ground and reason of the Doctrine taken from the consideration of the Iudge himselfe The second respecteth them that are judged and corrected by the Lord. We must needs cleare the Lord from wronging any man in any of his judgements because he never judgeth nor punisheth any man before he hath deserved that and much more then that that God layeth upon him This reason Elihu giveth Iob 34.10 11. Hearken unto me ye men of understanding farre bee it from God that he should doe wickednesse and from the almighty that he should commit iniquitie for the worke of a man shall he render unto him and cause every man to find according to his wayes And the Apostle Rom. 3.19 That every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God As if he should have said Seing all the world is guilty before God and lyable to his curse for the transgression of his Law every mouth must needs be stopped if not yet certainly at the day of the Lord no man shall be able to open his mouth against or charge him with injustice in any of his judgements upon men Now this Doctrine serveth unto two uses especially 1. For instruction and the informing of our judgements 2. For exhortation and working upon our will and affections For the first This Doctrine serveth notably for convincing of an errour that hath too much place in the minds of most men All men by nature are apt at least secretly in their hearts to question the righteousnesse of God in many of his judgements When the Apostle had made this objection Rom. 3.5 Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance He addeth presently these words I speake as a man saith he As if he should say Every naturall man is apt to speake and thinke so This appeareth evidently by the generall opposition that is made against the doctrine of predestination which both our Church and other reformed Churches have long taught and received by cleare warrant of the word of God For not onely the Papist and the Anabaptist and the Pelagian but every naturall man in the world is apt to cavill against this Doctrine to account it a most absurd and unreasonable Doctrine and all because they cannot conceive how it can stand with justice that God should make such a decree as that is But the Doctrine you have now heard and the reasons of it being well understood and beleeved will stop their mouthes and convince their errour in this point This will be evident unto you if you will but observe these foure points First God had done no wrong if in his eternall decree he had chosen no man unto life but reprobated all men unto destruction For he is our absolute soveraigne Lord as we have heard and it was lawfull for him to doe with his owne what himselfe pleased And who hath deserved that God should choose him unto life As the Apostle speaketh in this very case Rom. 11.35 Who hath first given unto him and it shall be recompensed to him againe Secondly God never condemneth any nor did decree to condemne any but for sinne For he will render to every man according to his workes Rom. 2.6 So that if any man be damned the Lord is not the cause of it but himselfe Thou hast destroyed thy selfe saith the Lord to the wicked Iewes Hos. 13.9 And we have more cause to admire the mercy of God that he hath ordained to save any when he did foresee that all would cast away themselves then to doubt of the justice of God in appointing some to destruction which hee did foresee they would by their voluntary and wilfull transgression most justly deserve Thirdly Though God did foresee that such and such would by their sinnes and continuance in infidelity justly deserve eternall damnation yet it was not the end God aimed at and propounded to himselfe in the decree of reprobation that wicked men might perish for that is a thing God never tooke pleasure in As I live saith the Lord God Ezek. 33 11. I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked But the thing that moved God to make that decree and the end he intended and aimed at in it was the manifestation of his owne glory Pro. 16.4 The Lord hath made all things for himselfe yea even the wicked for the day of evill 1. The manifestation of his glorious justice and wrath against sinne upon the reprobate Rom 9.22 2. The manifestation of his glorious mercy towards his elect which could never have beene so glorious if it had beene common to all mankind And this reason also is gven by the Apostle Rom. 19.23 Fourthly The Lords decree as it is not the cause of the damnation of any but their owne sinne so neither is it the cause of their sinne It doth not impose a necessity upon any to sinne but notwithstanding this decree every man sinneth voluntarily and unconstrainedly neither is the Lord but his owne corruption onely and Satan the cause of his sinne Iam. 1.13 14. So that to conclude this first use Let every one of us strive to suppresse and to reject with detestation and trembling all thoughts that shall rise in our hearts to call into question the righteousnesse of God in any of his decrees or judgements According to the example of the Apostle Rom. 3.4 who when he had but by occasion of this doctrine of reprobation mentioned this objection Is there unrighteousnesse with God abhorreth it presently and rejecteth it in this manner God forbid saith he And if we be not able to comprehend how any thing that the Lord hath decreed or done can stand with equity and justice let us ascribe it rather to our owne weaknesse and shallownesse of understanding then impute the least shadow of injustice unto the Lord and check our selves in that manner that holy Iob did Iob 42.3 I have uttered that I understood not things too wonderfull for me which I knew not Lecture L. On Psalme 51.4 Febru 27. 1626. IT followeth now that we proceed unto the second use that this Doctrine serveth unto And that is to stirre up every one of us that we should strive and labour for this grace to be able to do as David doth heere when it shall come to be our owne case to yeeld this passive obedience unto God in all the degrees of it that we have heard of whensoever or howsoever the Lord shall be pleased to judge and correct us The necessity
conscience to confesse all their sinnes to the Priest and they had directions given them to helpe them in calling to mind their sins I know God required no such thing at their hands and it was but a counterfeit humiliation and repentance that was wrought that way But surely they did not so much offend in superstition then as we do in profanesse now No man holdeth himselfe bound now to call his sinnes to remembrance and make a particular confession of them unto the Lord before he goeth to the Sacrament and that is the cause why we find no more comfort in it I therefore heartily pray every one of you that desire to receive Christ in the Sacrament to the comfort of your soules that you would hearken unto and make conscience to do as the Apostle chargeth you to do 1 Cor. 11.28 Let every man examine himselfe And verse 31. If we would judge our selves we should not be judged of the Lord. If you would receive comfort by it you must examine your selves and finde out your speciall sinnes you must judge and afflict your owne soules for your sinnes if you will not doe this you shall be so farre from receiving comfort by the Sacrament as you shall become the worse by it God will judge and afflict you for comming unworthily unto it Lecture LIII On Psal. 51.4 April 3. 1627. FIftly He that would attaine unto this grace of true patience and be able to cleare the Lord as David doth heere when he shall judge him to beare patiently and comfortably whatsoever troubles and afflictions God shall bee pleased to exercise him withall must before that time commeth get a true and a lively faith even a comfortable assurance of his reconciliation with God through Iesus Christ. This power that there is in faith to make a man able patiently and comfortably to beare afflictions of what kind or degree soever they be is plentifully taught in the holy Scriptures and confirmed to us by the experience of the Saints of God The holy Apostle speaking of all the parts of the Christian armour and among the rest of that whereby the feet and legs are to be defended he calleth it Ephes. 6.15 The preparation of the Gospell of peace His meaning is that when once we are assured of our peace and reconciliation with God which is wrought by the Gospell then are we prepared to follow Christ through thicke and thin through the most hard and stony the most sharp and thorny way of any persecution and trouble whatsoever Being justified by faith saith the same Apostle Rom. 5.1 we have peace with God through our Lord Iesus And what followeth upon that Why when once we are justified from our sinnes and have peace with God then verse 3. We glory in tribulations And so doth the Apostle make this the ground of the strange patience of the Saints in the daies of the Maccabees when they were tortured and were tried with mockings and scourgings with bonds and imprisonment when they were some stoned and some sawne in sunder What made them able to endure such things and not to accept of deliverance when it was offered unto them if they would have yeelded a little Surely their faith as you shall find Heb. 11. 33.37 by faith they attained to this strength to this measure of patience I shewed you in the handling of the Doctrine that Gods servants and Martyrs could not be overcome nor made to yeeld unto adversaries when they endured such torments as were impossible for flesh and bloud to endure but became conquerours yea more then conquerours in them all as the Apostle speaketh Rom 8.37 But would you know how they came to this valour to this admirable strength to heare and to overcome such intollerable torments Surely it was their faith whereby they were assured of their peace with God that made them able to doe it as the Apostle speaketh in the same place and in the very next words For I am perswaded saith he verse 38 39. that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor any other creature shall bee able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. He that is so confidently perswaded of Gods unchangeable and everlasting love towards him in Christ no marvell though no affliction be ever able to overcome him though he become more then a conquerour in the greatest tribulations that can befall him So when it is said of the holy Martyrs Rev. 12.11 that they overcame the great Dragon in all the bloudy and extreame persecutions that he raised up against them under the cruell Emperours and Popes of Rome the meanes is also mentioned whereby they got such strength and patience to endure and overcome him They overcame him saith the holy Ghost by the bloud of the Lambe The faith they had in the bloud of Christ which was sprinkled upon their hearts made them able to beare and overcome so bitter torments as they did endure and so will it certainely doe any of us in the like case This is the victory that overcommeth the world even our faith saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 5.4 And this is the promise of God wee shall find Psal. 91.9 Because thou hast made the Lord which is my refuge thy habitation marke what followeth ver 13. thou shalt tread upon the Lyon and adder the yong Lyon and the Dragon thou shalt trample under thy feete You see what testimony the holy Scripture giveth to this fift meanes that is to say that faith will worke patience and make a man able to endure any thing consider also three effects of it and you will easily discerne it must needs â—ee so For first Faith worketh in the heart that hath it a light esteeme of all worldly things and he that is brought to that once will be easily able to suffer yea even to dye it is the over-much love we beare to these earthly things that maketh us so unwilling to dye or to endure any trouble By Christ saith the Apostle Galat. 6.14 the world is crucified unto mee They in whose hearts Christ dwelleth by faith the World becommeth base and contemptible unto them they feele the love and high esteeme of worldly things decayed in them Secondly Faith certifieth the heart that hath it of Gods love and he that is sure of that will bee able to endure any thing with patience from Gods hand Thus doth Iob stop the mouth of his impatient and foolish wife Iob. 2.10 What saith he shall we receive good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evill Shall we that have enjoyed so many moneths and yeeres of great prosperity and comfort thinke much to endure affliction and trouble for a few dayes We that have received so many demonstrations of Gods fatherly and unchangeable love shall we thinke much to receive correction from him Thus did our blessed Saviour confirme his owne heart in patience against those intollerable sufferings he was to
words this comfortable sentence verse 18. Wee know that whosoever is borne of God sinneth not This wee know and are most certaine of that hee can never fall into that sinne Insomuch as that which the Apostle speaketh of the whole Church of the Iewes Rom. 11.11 may be truly said of every elect child of God Have they stumbled that they should fall that is that they should fall finally and for ever for in the next verse 12. hee granteth they are fallen God forbid saith hee See this also plainly taught us Psal. 15. where the Prophet having described the upright hearted Christian by sundry properties and actions hee concludeth verse 5. Hee that doth these things shall never bee mooved never bee utterly and finally overcome by any tentation And this is that which our Saviour teacheth also Mat. 7.24 25. Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doth them I will liken him unto a wise man that built his house upon a rock and the raine descended and the flouds came and the winds blew and beat upon that house and it fell not because it was built upon a rock And that which hee saith of a godly life hee saith Matth. 16.18 of a lively and true faith also Thou art Peter a rocke impregnable whom Satan with all his might shall not be able to overcome though thou shalt fall thou shalt not fall utterly and upon this rocke this faith that thou hast made confession of I will build my Church and the gates of hell all the cunning all the power of Satan shall not prevaile against it If any man shall aske me and why cannot a chosen vessell and true beleever what tentations soever shall assault him perish irrecoverably I answer There bee two pillars that uphold him and make it impossible for him to fall in that manner of which I spake the last day 1. The almighty power of God 2. The unchangeable love of God Both fitly typified by those two pillars we read of 1 Kin 7.21 that were in Solomons Temple which was also it selfe a type of the Church and people of God the one was called Iachin that is to say he will establish the other Boaz in him is strength First Let us begin with Boaz. In the Lord is strength enough to keepe us from falling totally or finally Vpon this pillar our Saviour lyeth this Doctrine Iohn 10.28.29 None of my sheepe shall perish my father which gave them me is greater then all and no man is able to plucke them out of my fathers hand No no man if hee bee once one of Christs sheepe a true beleever no man can plucke him away Vpon this pillar doth Paul ground his confidence 2 Tim. 1.12 I am not ashamed for I know whom I have beleeved and I am perswaded that hee is able to keepe that which I have committed unto him against that day Yea upon this pillar hee groundeth the confidence even of the weakest Christian that is having an honest heart Rom. 14. For speaking of one that is weake in the faith verse 1. he saith thus of him verse 4. Yea he shall be held up for God is able to make him stand Now for the second pillar lachin hee will establish The Lord not only hath strength to keepe his people but wee are also sure he will establish them that they shall not perish This pillar God giveth his Church to ground and build upon Esa. 54.10 The mountaines shall depart and the hills bee removed but my kindnesse shall not depart from thee neither shall the covenant of my peace bee removed saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee Vpon this pillar doth the Church ground her confidence Esa. 64.5 Behold thou art wroth for wee have sinned in those is continuance and wee shall bee saved And so doth David Psalm 23.6 Surely goodnesse and mercy shall follow mee all the dayes of my life And 48.14 This God is our God for ever and ever he will be our guide even unto death Lecture LXXII On Psalme 51.5 Octob. 16. 1627. IT followeth now that wee proceed to the fourth and last point wherein the admirable goodnesse of God is set forth by the Doctrine of originall sin and that is this That the sinfulnesse and corruption of our nature being so great as it is it should doe us no more hurt then it doth And surely this is a thing that wee can never sufficiently admire that wee not onely slipping and falling oft into many actuall sins but having also still in us so vile a nature such a fountaine of corruption that maketh us wee cannot cease from sin any one moment and like the troubled sea that cannot rest it is the Prophets comparison though in another sense Esa. 57.20 is ever casting up some filthy myre and dirt or other to defile our best actions by that wee being such I say the Lord should not loath and abhorre both our selves and every thing that proceedeth from us That the Lord should notwithstanding all this have so gracious respect unto us and to our poore service as he hath this doth notably set forth his admirable goodnesse and mercy towards us This will the better appeare unto us if wee shall distinctly consider these three things 1. What wee and our best actions and performances are 2. What the Lord is in the holinesse of his owne nature 3. What the respect is that the Lord notwithstanding doth shew to us and to the service we do unto him For the first Our flesh and corrupt nature is such as it will not suffer us to doe any one duty in that manner as wee ought This blessed Paul complained of Rom. 7.18 To will is present with mee this was doubtlesse the speech of a regenerate man but how to performe that which is good I find not And that that hee saith of himselfe there hee saith of all the faithfull Galat. 5.17 Yee cannot doe the thing that yee would Nay it doth so palpably corrupt and defile every good thing wee desire to doe as our selves cannot choose if there bee any truth of grace in us but discerne and bee ashamed of it and complaine of it also as the Church doth Esa. 64.6 Wee are all as the uncleane man the leper and all our righteousnesses not one but all are as filthy rags So that when wee have done the best service that ever wee did to God wee have cause to cry God mercy for it and to pray with good Nehemiah 13.22 Lord pardon mee according to the greatnesse of thy mercy And if we as blind and senselesse and full of self-selfe-love as we are can discerne so much filth our selves in them what can the Lord doe Who is greater then our heart as the Apostle speaketh 1 Ioh. 3.20 and knoweth all things For the second point The Lord wee know is so infinitely holy that hee cannot abide to looke upon hee cannot but detest all filthinesse and sin Thou art of purer eyes saith the Prophet Hab. 1.13
driveth him to despaire in himselfe and to seeke helpe in Christ Yet in the Gospell Christ requireth nothing of the faithfull that is impossible for them to do His yoke is easie and his burden light as he saith Mat. 11.30 Secondly The faithfull may be in this life certaine of their salvation They may be sure of their justification Surely shall one say it is the promise made to the faithfull that should live in the daies of the Gospell Esa. 45.24 in the Lord have I righteousnesse They may be sure of their adoption Doubtlesse thou art our father say the faithfull Esa. 63.16 though Abraham be ignorant of us They may be sure of their perseverance in Gods favour unto the end Surely saith David Psal. 23.6 goodnesse and mercy shall follow me all the daies of my life They may be sure that after this life they shall inherit eternall glory We know saith Paul 2 Cor. 5.1 not speaking in his own person but in the person of all the faithfull that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternall in the heavens And we know saith Iohn 1 Ioh. 3.14 we are translated from death to life How knew he that By revelation No but by such an evidence as is common to all the faithfull Because we love the brethren saith he Now there could be no such assurance of their salvation in any of the faithfull if they knew not undoubtedly that their hearts were upright that they have truth of grace in them How could any conclude thus to the comfort of his soule I know I am translated from death to life because I love the brethren if he could not certainely know that he doth love the brethren and that in truth and sincerity and not in shew onely Hereby we know saith he 1 Ioh. 4.13 that we dwell in him and he in us because he hath given us of his spirit The spirit of sanctification and the truth of grace wrought in us thereby is the only thing that can assure us that we have any communion with God or are in his favour Thirdly and lastly That it is possible for us to know certainly that our hearts are upright is evident by the experience of Gods faithfull servants whose examples are recorded in the word for our comfort and incouragement We have a proverbiall speech probatum est Iob knew that his heart was upright or he would not have said as he did Iob 27.5 God forbid that I should justifie you till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me As if he should say I will die rather then beleeve you that would perswade me I am an hypocrite And 12.4 The just upright man is laughed to scorne And 16.17 19. There is not any injustice in my hands also my prayer is pure O earth cover thou not my bloud and let my cry have no place Also now behold my witnesse is in heaven and my record is on high Yea the poore soule had then beene in a most wofull case if he had not beene so certaine of the uprightnesse of his heart as that all those learned and worthy men could not make him to doubt of it David likewise was certaine of the uprightnesse of his heart or he durst never have said as he did Psal. 26.1 2. Iudge me O Lord for I have walked in mine integrity examine me ô Lord and prove me try my reines and my heart Hezekiah even in the time of his great affliction knew assuredly and was able to call God for a witnesse to his conscience Esa. 38.3 that he had walked before God in truth and with a perfect heart Yea Peter even then when he was so exceedingly dejected in himselfe for his fearefull fall knew so assuredly that his heart was upright that he did unfeignedly love Christ above all things in the world as that he durst confidently avouch it unto Christ himselfe and was grieved that Christ should question that the third time Lord saith he Iohn 21.17 thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee And to conclude the Apostle Iohn speaking in the name not of himselfe onely or of some rare and extraordinary persons saith 1 Iohn 5.19 We know that we are of God that is borne of God truly regenerate as appeareth by the former verse Thus you see there is no such impossibility no such difficulty in the matter but we may know and be certaine whether our hearts be upright or no. True it is the best Christian that is may be at some times doubtfull and uncertaine in this point unable to discerne that there is truth of grace in him If he could rightly examine his owne heart and waies he might find it out But he is not at all times in case to examine himselfe thus The best are subject 1 to spirituall desertion sometimes through their owne sloth and negligence as the Church was Cant. 3.1 and 5.6 2 To such tentations and sorrowes as doe even overwhelme their spirits Psal. 142.3 In such a case it is good 1 to call to mind the times that are past and the evidence thou hast formerly had of the uprightnesse of thy heart Psal. 77.5 6. 2 Even then cast not away thy confidence but having lost thine evidence seek and sue and cry to God for a new copy of it as David did even in that case Psal. 77. ◠3 Vse the helpe of some faithfull and experienced Christian who in this case may be better able to judge of thee then thou art thy selfe And that is the second Motive that may perswade us to examine our selves diligently in this point The third and last is taken from the benefit and comfort we shall receive in this when by diligent triall and examination of our selves wee can find that there is truth of grace in us that our hearts are sound and upright with God O the comfort that this will yeeld us will abundantly recompence all the paines wee can take about it This will appeare to be so in two points First This will make every duty every service we doe to God sweet and comfortable to us when we can know we have performed it in truth and uprightnesse of heart This motive the Apostle giveth us Gal. 6 4. Let every man prove his owne worke and then shall he have rejoycing in himselfe alone and not in another When the people in Davids time contributed largely towards the building of the Temple it is said they rejoyced and found great comfort and the reason is given 1 Chron. 19 9. because they did it with a perfect and upright heart So when all Iudah in Asa his time renewed their covenant and bound themselves by solemne oath to cleave unto the Lord and to the purity of his religion and worship it is said 2 Chron 15.15 they rejoyced at the oath and the reason is given because they had sworne with all their heart So Paul professeth of
and blind devotion in both these yet what great hurt was ther in them Had they not a shew of holinesse and mortification Surely if you weigh the matter well for as much as you may bee sure that neither Christ nor the Apostle could be thus vehement without just cause you will find that to be strict and precise in the observation of any thing as a part of Gods worship that God in his Word hath given us no direction for though it seeme to tend never so much unto holinesse and mortification is a most heinous sinne For 1 it is grosse Idolatry and high-Treason against God to give to our selves or to any creature this divine authority as to make him a law-giver to our conscience For this is the Lords royall prerogative in which he will endure no partner There is one law-giver who is able to save and to destroy saith the Apostle Iam. 4.12 I am the Lord saith he Esa 42.8 that is my name and I will not give my glory to another 2 This will quite steale and turne away the heart from God and his Word and breed a light account of the Word of the commandements and ordinances of God This is one reason our Saviour giveth for his vehemency against the Pharisaicall purifyings Mat. 15.6 Ye have made the commandement of God of none effect by your traditions And Mar. 7.9 Full well ye reject the commandement of God that ye may keepe your owne tradition Ahaz we know 1 brought his altar into Gods house and offered on it 2 King 16.12 13. 2 He set it cheeke by jowle as we say by the Lords owne altar verse 14. 3 He brought it in further and placed it above Gods altar verse 14. 4 He used it onely in the ordinary offerings and sacrifices with neglect of Gods altar verse 15. The more zealous any are for the religious observation of such things as God never commanded the lesse conscience we shall find they make of any commandement of God the lesse account they make of Gods Word When Ephraim had multiplied altars in a will worship being more abundant in sacrifices then God required Hos. 8.11 12. the great things of Gods written law were counted by him as a strange thing not belonging unto him Yea this will-worship will breed in the heart a hatred of God and his ordinances which is the cause why the Lord calleth the transgressours of the second commandement such as hate him Exod. â—0 5 And the Apostle saith Tit. 1.14 that the giving heed to the commandements of men in this case will turne men from the truth This experience hath proved most true not only in the Papists but in too many other fondly superstitious 2 Can any of you find in your selves a high and reverend esteeme of Gods Word doe you love it and delight in it do you depend upon it onely for direction in all your waies despising and rejecting all other rules besides it Canst thou say with David Psal. 119 113. I hate vaine inventions but thy law doe I love Certainely how ever thou maist be slouted and hated for this in the world this will one day even when thou shalt have most need of it yeeld a comfortable testimony to thee that thy heart is upright with God Remember as thou hast now heard what comfort Iob found in this Iob 33 10-12 Remember how oft David calleth him a blessed man that can doe thus Ps. 1. â— 112 1.128.1 Remember that our blessed Saviour accounteth such Luke 8.21 in respect of his deare and tender affection and respect unto them as his brethren and sisters and mother And that for this cause he professeth of Mary Luke 10.42 that she had chosen the good part which should not bee taken away from her Lecture LXXVIII On Psalme 51.6 Ianuary 22. 1627. IT followeth now that wee proceed unto the second property that is necessarily required in true goodnesse and righteousnesse it must have a good root We must therefore know that nothing that we can do is truly good and pleasing unto God unlesse the inward principle the root that produceth it and moveth us to doe it be good We read of holy Iob. 9 28. that he comforteth himselfe against the censures of his friends that judged him to be an hypocrite by this that the root of the matter was found in him he knew he had in him the root of true righteousnesse and goodnesse and therefore he was no hypocrite therefore his heart was upright And on the other side in the parable of the sower our Saviour giveth this for the reason why the hearer that is resembled to the stony ground fell quite away and so shewed himselfe to bee an hypocrite and that his heart was never upright Matth. 13.21 because hee had no root in himselfe Now if you aske me what is this root of true righteousnesse and goodnesse that a man must have in himselfe or els his heart cannot be upright I answer it is that which the Apostle speaketh of Gal. 5.6 In Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith that worketh by love Faith that worketh by love is that root from whence all true goodnesse and righteousnesse doth spring Here are you see two graces grow together in this root faith and love 1. Nothing that we doe is truly good and pleasing unto God neither will the doing of it argue the uprightnesse of our hearts unlesse we doe it out of love to God 2. The love that wee beare to God is not sound nor such as will argue the uprightnesse of our hearts unlesse it proceed from faith that assureth us of Gods speciall love to us in Christ. For the first The love of God is the root of all true obedience and that heart that truly loveth God is certainely an upright and true heart Two branches you see there are of this point which I will severally and distinctly consider of 1. The love of God is the root of all true obedience 2. The heart that truly loveth God is an upright heart First Nothing that we do is good in Gods sight unlesse we do it out of love unto him This is the root of all true obedience God hath chosen us saith the Apostle Ephes. 1.4 in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love When our Saviour giveth the summe of all the foure commandements of the first table he giveth it us in these termes Matth. 22.37 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy soule and with all thy soule and with all thy minde Then onely wee pray well and and heare well and preach well and receive the Sacrament well and keepe the Sabbath well yea then onely we put our trust in him aright and serve him aright when we doe all this out of love to the Lord our God So for the duties of the second table then onely we performe the duties of righteousnesse and
that is meat and drinke and clothes doe the Gentiles that are borne to no better hope seeke that is onely or chiefely but seeke ye first the kingdome of God and his righteousnesse And certainely if wee bee borne of God wee shall not bee so base minded as other men are but find in our selves such high and generous spirits as nothing but the reward of the inheritance as the Apostle calleth it Colos. 3.24 nothing but the kingdome of heaven will content us And thus are all they that shall bee saved described Rom. 2.7 They seeke for glory and honour and immortality And this is that Holy ambition that I desire to stirre up in my selfe and in every one of you that wee would strive to bring our hearts to this that wee may bee able to say life is sweete and a good blessing of God and so is health and so is peace and so is a plentifull estate and so is credite and so is mirth but all these things are nothing unto mee without the assurance of Gods speciall love unto mee in Christ. Rejoyce not in this that the spirits are subject unto you saith our Saviour to his Disciples Luke 10.20 and yet that was a great and a rare gift of God but rather rejoyce because your names are written in heaven That even as Absalom 2 Sam. 14.32 thought it nothing to bee restored from his banishment and to bee admitted to live in Ierusalem unlesse hee might see the Kings face so should we esteeme all other comforts and contentments whatsoever as nothing unlesse wee may see the light of Gods countenance see him looke cheerefully upon us and shew himselfe to bee reconciled unto us This is that that David preferred before all the World Psalm 4.6 Many say who will shew us any good who will shew us how wee may get wealth and credite and pleasure and such things but As if hee should say but I am not of their mind Lord lift up the light of thy countenance upon us upon mee and upon thy people this is all in all unto mee This this is that I desire to perswade you unto to get assurance that God loveth you with this speciall love Get assurance of it I say unto your selves Make your casting and election sure saith the Apostle 2 Peter 1.10 Content not your selves with an uncertaine hope in this case but seeke to bee sure of this Yea hee that is most sure of this let him seeke to bee more sure still as the Church doth Canticles 1.2 Let him kisse mee with the kisses of his mouth as if shee had sayd Let him still give mee more evidences of his love for thy love is better then wine Now for the better enforcing of this exhortation 1. I will give you some motives that may provoke you to seeke this assurance of the speciall love of God 2. I will shew you the meanes how you may attaine unto it Wee have all need of motives yea of strong motives to perswade us a strange thing to consider of to seeke Gods favour to seeke assurance that hee loveth us For 1. The most men are like the prodigall of whom wee read Luke 15.16 17. who so long as hee could have enough to fill his belly though it were but the huskes that the swine fed on never thought of his father nor sought for his favour And like profane Esau that despised his birthright Genesis 25.34 If God will but love them so farre as to let them live in wealth and peace and credit and mirth heere his speciall love that reacheth to the forgivenesse of their sinnes and life everlasting they care not for they seeke not after 2. Many that are possessed with the spirit of bondage and often vexed with terrible doubts and feares about this matter yet never seeke for this certainty 3. Many that thinke they have faith content themselves with an uncertaine opinion and wavering hope of Gods favour and never seeke to make this certaine unto themselves Hearken therefore unto sixe Motives I will give you out of Gods word to stirre you up to this First This love of God is an everlasting love I have loved thee saith God to his people to his elect in Christ Ier. 31.3 with an everlasting love And of Christs love the Evangelist saith Ioh. 13.1 Having loved his owne that is such as his father gave him such as beleeved in him unto the end he loved them I am perswaded saith the Apostle Rom. 8.38 39. that neither death nor life nor Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. Then get once the assurance of this love of God in Christ and thou maist bee certaine thou shalt never loose it Thy assurance of it I grant thou mayest loose for a time through thy owne folly but this love of God canst thou never loose if ever thou hadst it The Moone is subject to change and so are all things that are under it but the Sunne though through the interposition of somewhat betweene it and us it doe not alwayes shine upon us yet doth it never change So though our sinnes may raise up a thicke cloud as the Prophet speaketh Esay 44 22. betweene the Lord and us that keepeth the light of his countenance from shining upon us yet is there in this father of lights as the Apostle saith Iames 1.17 no variablenesse at all nor so much as a shadow of turning or changing his affection towards us This is a love therefore worth the having worth the seeking even the seeking to bee sure of it This property of Gods love hath made Gods people highly to esteeme of it O give thanks to the Lord saith David Psalm 118.1 for he is good because his mercy endureth for ever Yea see how the Prophet followeth this and insisteth upon it verse 2.4 This speciall love of God to us in Christ is called Esa. 55.3 The sure mercies of David All the other mercies of God and fruits of his love without Christ which yet men so much dote upon are transitory and such as wee can have no certainty of these only are sure mercies this only is an everlasting and unchangeable love Secondly This would free the heart from those feares that doe so vex and torment us if wee were once sure of this speciall love of God to us That even as when Christ was come into the ship where his Disciples were Marke 6 5â— the wind ceased presently and there was a â—alme so will it bee with thy heart get Christ once into it and it will bee quiet So David professeth that when he had seene the light of Gods countenance and rejoyced in it Psalme 4 8. I will both lay mee downe in peace and sleepe saith he And indeed what need wee to feare if wee have Gods favour If God bee for
God Thy loving kindnesse is before mine eyes saith David Psal. 26.3 therefore have I walked in thy truth If wee would set that oftner before our eyes meditate more seriously of that certainely it would make all Gods waies more easie and pleasant to us then they are On the other side he that hath no assurance of Gods love in Christ can never pray or heare or receive with any delight or comfort Wouldst thou know the true cause why it is so irksome a thing for thee to pray or to reade or to heare or to keepe the Sabbath that thou sayest of all these duties in thy heart as they did Mal. 1.13 O what a wearinesse is it Certainely thou hast in thee an evill heart of unbeliefe as the Apostle calleth it Heb. 3.12 Thou art not assured of Gods fatherly love to thee in Christ. Nor thou seekest not to be sure of it Get more faith and more assurance of Gods love and it will seeme no bondage to thee to serve God thou wilt finde ease and pleasure it Fiftly This and this only will cure us of that stone that is in our hearts and make them soft and fleshy make us able kindly to mourne for offending God by our sinnes When God once maketh thee able by the spirit of grace to see that Christ endured so much for thee that thy sinnes pierced Christ so then wilt thou bee able to mourne for thy sinnes saith the Prophet Zach. 12.10 as a man would mourne for the losse of his onely sonne When Mary was once assured by faith that her sinnes were forgiven yea how many sinnes God had forgiven unto her Luke 7.38.47 ô how she wept for her sinnes If thou wert indeed assured of the forgivenesse of thy sinnes and of Gods favour in Christ thou couldst never thinke of thy sinnes without griefe of heart And if thou desirest to grow more soft hearted labour to increase thy faith and to get more assurance of this speciall love of God to thee in Christ. Sixtly and lastly As no grace can grow in thy heart till thou have faith so as the measure of thy assurance of Gods love shall increase in thee so shall every saving grace increase and abound in thy soule Therefore the Apostle praying for the Ephesians Ephes. 3.19 that God would make them able to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge he giveth this for the reason of it that ye might be filled saith he with all the fullnesse of God And these are Motives strong enough if God be pleased to work with them to perswade our hearts to seek to be assured of Gods love in Christ to make our calling and election sure It followeth now I should shew you the Meanes how this may be attained but those I must I see leave till the next day Lecture LXXXII On Psalme 51.6 February 26. 1627. NOw then there be five things principally to be done by them that would get and preserve in themselves this assurance of Gods favour First If thou desire to get assurance of Gods speciall love to thee in Christ assurance that Christ is thine assurance of thy salvation thou must first settle this perswasion in thy heart that it is possible to be attained By harbouring this conceit in thy heart that it is presumption for any man to say he is sure of his salvation I hope well but it is not possible for me or any man to be sure of this thou makest thy selfe uncapable of this comfortable assurance Know therefore that though 1. It be a very difficult thing to get and keepe this assurance 2. Few attaine unto it 3. Though this assurance be not perfect in any while they live here but they that have it best have it with some mixture of doubting and unbeliefe 4. They that have had it in the greatest measure have not had it at all times Yet every true beleever may attaine unto it if the fault be not in himselfe â—or 1. God hath commanded the faithfull to make their calling and election sure 2 Pet. 1.10 2. God hath promised that he will certifie and assure his people of this Ezek. 34.30 They shall know that I the Lord their God am with them and that they even the house of Israel are my people saith the Lord God 3. God hath given his people in all ages experience of the truth of this his promise in themselves Rom. 8.15 16. Ye have not received the spirit of bondage againe to feare as if he should say once ye had it but yee have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba father This could not be without assurance of Gods favour and this he saith not of himselfe onely but of all the faithfull of all Gods children Gal. 4.6 Because ye are sonnes God hatâ— sent forth the spirit of his sonne into your hearts This spirit witnesseth with our spiritâ— saith the Apostle Rom. 8.16 that wee are the sonnes of God We know saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 3.2 not of himselfe but of all Gods children that when Christ shall appeare we shall be like him And againe verse 14. We know we are translated from death to life And againe Chap 4.16 We have knowne and beleeved the love that God hath to us Nay I say more It is not onely possible for thee if thou be Gods child to have this assurance of Gods love in some measure but it is in some manner necessary thou shouldst have it thou must get it the hope thou talkest of is to little purpose without it Know ye not your owne selves saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 13.5 how that Iesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates that is except ye be unsound and counterfait in the profession of the faith His house we are Heb. 3.6 if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoycing of the hope firme unto the end That hope that hath no confidence nor rejoycing in it is little worth Hope must bee as an anker of the soule both sure and stedfast as the Apostle speaketh Heb. 6.19 Well then seeing we both may and must get this assurance it standeth us upon to enquire how and by what meanes we may get it What is then next to bee done I answer Secondly We must bind our selves to a diligent and conscionable use of Gods ordinances which he hath sanctified to be the meanes whereby he will worke and increase all saving grace and consequently this in our hearts I will instance but in three and that briefly too First There is great force in the Word to worke in our hearts not onely faith Rom. 10.17 Faith commeth by hearing but this blessed fruit of faith also the assurance of Gods favour The Scriptures were written to this end to breed in us this assurance These things have I written to you 1 Iohn 5.12 that ye may know that ye have eternall life And 1.4 These things write we unto you that your joy may be full that you may have
from them about indifferent things Rom. 14.6 He that regardeth a day regardeth it unto the Lord and he that regardeth not a day unto the Lord he regardeth it not As if hee had said He doth it in obedience unto God and out of a care to please him therefore he is no hypocrite Thus may a man get a comfortable assurance to himselfe of the uprightnesse of his owne heart in every good thing he doth if he doe it to the Lord if he serve God in that that he doth if he doe it in obedience unto him the intent of his heart be in it to please God If we did thus when we preach and heare when we receive the Sacrament when we pray or sing Psalmes there is never a one of these duties but would yeeld as much more comfort then they doe Thus did Paul in preaching As we were allowed of God saith he 1 Thess. 2.4 to be put in trust with the Gospell even so we speake not as pleasing men but God which trieth our hearts Thus did Gods people in receiving of the Sacrament 2 Chron 30.19 They prepared their hearts to seeke God in that ordinance and so did Iosiah 2 Chron 35.1 He kept a Passeover to the Lord. So the Apostle requireth us to doe in singing of Psalmes Ephes. 5.19 make melody in your hearts to the Lord. Yea even in the duties we performe unto men in our almesdeeds in the labours of our ordinary callings we may get comfortable assurance to our selves of the uprightnesse of our hearts if we do them to the Lord we respect and serve God in them we doe them in obedience and care to please him Be not slothfull to doe service saith the Apostle Rom. 12.11 he meaneth one to another as appeareth verse 10. servent in spirit serving the Lord. As if hee had said even in the service ye doe to men serve the Lord. So in almes-deeds Pro. 3.9 10. Honour the Lord with thy substance and with the first fruits of all thine increase so shall thy barnes bee filled with plenty and thy presses shall burst out with new wine And 19.17 Hee that hath pity on the poore lendeth unto the Lord. So speaketh the Apostle to comfort poore servants that had infidells unto their masters Whatsoever ye doe saith he Col. 3.23 24. doe it as unto the Lord and not unto men As if he had said looke to God in it doe it in conscience and obedience unto him content your selves with this that he is pleased with that you do Knowing that of the Lord you shall receive the reward of inheritance for you serve the Lord Christ. As if hee had said Whatsoever good thing any man doth as a service unto God hee shall be sure to bee rewarded for it God will pay his servants their wages certainely And in this respect of all good duties that a Christian can performe those will yeeld him greatest comfort and assurance of the sincerity of his heart wherein there is least danger of having any other respect then unto the Lord onely I will instance in three sorts of those duties First Of all kinds of liberality that that is shewed to the poore will give us most assurance of our sincerity When thou makest a feast saith our Saviour Luk. 14.13 14 call the poore the maimed the lame the blind and thou shalt be blessed foe they cannot recompense thee for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just Secondly Of all love and kindnesse that is the surest signe of uprightnesse and truth of grace which we shew to our enemies and to such Christians as are poore and in whom we see sundry infirmities I say unto you saith our Saviour Mat. 5.44 45. love your enemies blesse them that curse you do good to them that hate you and pray for them that despitefully use you persecute you that you may be that is manifest your selves to be the children of your heavenly father So Mat. 10.42 Whosoever shall give to drinke unto one of these little ones contemptible for their poore estate contemptible for their infirmities a cup of cold water onely in the name of a Disciple verily I say unto you he shall in no wise lose his reward Thirdly and lastly Of all duties both of piety and charity those that are performed in secret will give a man more assurance of the uprightnesse of his heart then those will doe that are performed in the sight and presence of others When thou doest almes saith our Saviour Mat. 6.3 let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth And verse 6. When thou prayest enter into thy closet and when thou hast shut thy dore pray to thy father which is in secret The Prophet speaking of the sincerity and soundnesse of repentance that the Gospell should worke in the faithfull speaketh thus Zach. 12.12 The land shall mourne every family apart and their wives apart True it is there be other respects for which it is not onely lawfull but fit and necessary also for a man both to pray and give almes and to mourne for sinne so as others may take notice of it but in this respect for giving us assurance of the uprightnesse of our hearts they can never bee so well done as in secret nay they cannot bee done in sincerity of heart if they be done onely openly and not in secret also O then beloved let every one of us examine our selves oft in this point and in every good duty we doe aske our owne hearts that question that our Saviour did Andrew and his fellow Iohn 1.38 What seekest thou What aimest thou at What end dost thou propound to thy selfe in doing these things Let us all strive in our preaching and hearing in our praying and every other good thing we doe to doe it unto the Lord as a service unto him in obedience and care to please him The Apostle telleth us 2 Cor. 5.15 that Christ died for all that they which live should not hence forth that is to say from the time that they have given their names unto Christ and beleeve in him live unto themselves but unto him which died for them And speaking of all the faithfull he saith Rom. 14.7 8. None of us liveth to himselfe nor dieth to himselfe for whether we live we live unto the Lord and whether we die we die unto the Lord. O that we could so say of our selves that none of us liveth unto himselfe but to the Lord for then we might bee sure we should not die unto our selves but to the Lord. But what hope is there that he that hath lived onely to himselfe hath sought himselfe onely and had no respect to God no care to please or honour him all his life long should die unto the Lord should please the Lord in his death or that the Lord should then have any respect unto him Well certainely of most mens best workes and duties that they have at any time performed that may
shall have an understanding heart given unto him he shall not be onely taught by men God himselfe will be his teacher God will write his law in his heart Secondly This is the first worke of Gods grace in the regeneration and conversion of man As in the first creation this worldly and naturall light was the first worke that God made Genesis 1.3 so in the regeneration of man which is a second creation this spirituall and supernaturall light is his first work After two daies will he revive us saith the Church Hos. 6.2 3. speaking of their true conversion and turning unto God in the third day he will raise us up and wee shall live in his sight then shall wee have knowledge and endeavour our selves to know the Lord. As if she had said So soone as ever hee hath begun to revive us we shall have knowledge So when God sendeth Paul to convert the Gentiles he mentioneth this as the first worke and fruit of his ministery Acts 26.18 he saith he sent him to open their eyes and to turne them from darknesse unto light As if he had said To deliver them from their blindnesse and ignorance and to breed knowledge in them So speaketh the Apostle of the Iewes 2 Corinthians 3.16 Neverthelesse As if hee had said Though there bee now a vaile upon their heart when it shall turne to the Lord the vaile shall bee taken away As though hee should say So soone as ever they shall be converted they shall be able to understand what Moses hath written concerning Christ. Thirdly and lastly The change and conversion of a sinner is said to consist in this Bee yee transformed or changed saith the Apostle Romanes 12.2 by the renewing of your mind When the mind is once renewed a man is transformed the saving change and conversion of his heart is wrought Ye have put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge saith the Apostle Col. 3.10 after the image of him that created him As if he should say The man that hath this knowledge is certainely renewed become a new creature hath Gods image stamped upon him After ye were illuminated that is after ye were effectually called and converted saith he to the Hebrewes 10.32 ye endured a great fight of afflictions To be inlightned with this knowledge and to bee converted and effectually called he maketh all one thing And as the state wee were in by nature and all the misery we were subject unto in that estate is called darknesse and consisted chiefly in the blindnesse and ignorance we then lived in so the estate of grace and all the comfort and happinesse we enjoy in it is called light and consisteth chiefly in the spirituall knowledge and understanding that we doe enjoy in it Ye were once darknesse saith the Apostle Ephes. 5.8 but now are ye light in the Lord. So speaketh the Apostle 1 Pet. 2.9 Shew forth the praises of him that hath called you out of darknesse into his marvellous light Gods saving grace in the heart of man his effectuall calling and conversion is seene in nothing more then in delivering him out of that darknesse that blindnesse and blockishnesse and ignorance that was in him by nature then in opening of his eyes and renewing his mind then in causing him in his hidden part to know wisedome as the Prophet here speaketh Now if we shall inquire into the ground and reason of this why the Holy Ghost ascribeth so much unto knowledge we shall find two reasons of it principally First Because knowledge is the foundation and that that giveth strength and stability to all other graces If the good profession we make if our faith our love our zeale our repentance bee grounded upon sound knowledge then they will last and abide as the house that is built upon a rock But if these graces or any other holy affections seeme to bee in us in never so great a measure certainely they will bee of no continuance unlesse they bee grounded upon knowledge See this instanced in three particular graces First Our zeale and love to God and goodnesse will never hold out unlesse it be grounded upon sound knowledge This I pray saith the Apostle Phil. 1.9 that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgement As if he had said I know to my great comfort that you are now full of love to God and to his truth and to his servants and I pray God yee may continue and increase in this grace but that can ye never doe unlesse your love your holy and good affections be supported and grounded upon knowledge and sound judgement Secondly We shall never be able to abide constant in the profession of the truth unlesse we be well grounded in the knowledge of it The Apostle telleth us Ephes. 4.12 14. that the function of the ministery was ordained by Christ to bring us to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Sonne of God that wee might bee no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by sleight of men and cunning craftinesse whereby they lie in wait to deceive As if hee had said 1 The Church of God will never want seducers and false teachers and 2 they are very cunning and will bee ready to cheat us with their false dice and wee 3 are naturally like little children easily cousened or like ships upon the sea that have no anker 4 wee shall never bee able to hold the truth and keepe our selves from being deceived and seduced by them unlesse by living under a sound and constant ministery wee ground our selves well in the knowledge of the truth So the Apostle speaking of some that perverted the writings of Paul 2 Pet. 3.16 saith they were such as were unlearned and unstable men Vnlearned men and such as want knowledge must needs be unstable men they cannot continue constant and steady in the profession of the truth So our Saviour giving the reason why those hearers whom he compareth to stony ground proved temporaries indured but for a time saith of them Mar. 4.16 17. 1 that they had no root in themselves they were never well grounded in the truth 2 that they did receive the Word immediatly with gladnesse they were somewhat too hasty in receiving the truth if they had first taken paines to examine well the grounds of it as those Bereans did Actes 17.11 before they had received it they would not so soone have fallen from it Certainely no constancy in religion can bee expected from those men that are not well grounded in the knowledge of the truth Thirdly and lastly Patience and comfort in affliction will never hold out nor continue when the fiery triall shall come unlesse it be well grounded upon knowledge This is plaine by that prayer which the Apostle maketh for the Colossians Col. 1.9 11. I cease not to pray for you and to desire that you may bee filled with the
the eyes of our understanding as the Apostle speaketh Ephes. 1.18 all the light and clearenesse that is in the holy Scripture will doe us no good at all An this is therefore spoken of as a principall worke of the spirit of Christ in our conversion Esa. 35.5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened and the eares of the deafe shall bee unstopped then and never till then that we be converted and regenerated by the spirit of God That which the Apostle saith of the Iewes 2. Cor. 3.15 16. Even unto this day when Moses is read the vaile is upon their heart neverthelesse when it shall turne to the Lord the vaile shall be taken away may be sayd of every man while he is in his natural estate when the word is read or preached unto him the vaile is upon his heart and till he be regenerate and converted the vaile will never be taken away A little child that wanteth capacity though you teach him any thing never so plainely cannot possibly learne And such are wee all by nature wee have no capacity for heavenly and spirâ—tuall things The naturall man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 2.14 hee is not capable of them for they are fooliâ—hnesse unto him neither can bee know them because they are spiritually discerned Till the Lord doe renew us in the spirit of our minds as the Apostle speaketh Ephes. 4.23 give us new minds till hee give us an understanding that wee may know him that is true as the Apostle 1 Iohn 5.20 saith wee have no capacity at all in us for these things Therefore the holy Ghost commending the word of God for this property among others even for the perspicuity and lightsomnesse of it telleth us who they bee to whom it is so cleare and easie to bee understood Proverbes 8.9 They are all plaine to him that understandeth saith hee A strange manner of speech this is but the meaning of it is no more but this The Scriptures are plaine indeed but to whom are they plaine Not unto all but to them onely whose eyes God hath opened from whom God hath taken the vaile that was upon their heart whom hee hath by his spirit given capacity and an understanding heart unto and to no other man Yea proportionable to the measure of this grace of this worke of Gods spirit in the opening of our eyes and curing our naturall blindnesse in the renewing of our minds and enlightning of the eyes of our understanding shall the measure of our knowledge in heavenly things bee shall the meaning of the holy Scriptures bee plaine and easie unto us For wee must understand that this cure of our naturall blindnesse is not perfected in any man in this life The best of Gods servants may say with the Apostle 1 Corinth 13.9 We know but in part Hee that hath the clearest sight in spirituall things shall have cause while hee liveth heere to cry unto God with David Psalme 119.18 Open thou mine eyes Wonder not that every one of Gods servants doth not see the truth in some points that to thee are most cleare and evident though they heare as much as thou hearest and read and study as much to understand the truth as thou dost To every one of us saith the Apostle Ephes. 4.7 is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. So much light and understanding in heavenly things as Christ by his spirit is pleased to give unto us we shall have and no more When we shall come to heaven our blindnesse shall be perfectly cured the darknes that is in our understanding shall be fully done away as the Apostle teacheth â— Cor 13.12 All good men shall be of one mind and of one judgment in all things but never till then The second objection that may be made against this truth is this That common experience proveth that many a naturall man hath attained to the knowledge of the truth yea unto a great measure of it also so as they have beene able soundly to teach it unto others The Scribes and Pharisees sate in Moses chaire that is taught the doctrine of Moses so soundly and substantially that our Saviour commandeth the people Mat. 23 2 3. to observe and doe whatsoever they sitting thus in Moses chaire did bid and teach them to observe And the Apostle speaketh of knowledge 1 Cor. 8.1 as of a common gift that all that live in the Church under good meanes of instruction though they have no grace may easily yea cannot choose almost but attaine unto We know saith he that we all have knowledge To this I answer That a naturall man may indeed understand the literall sense and meaning of the holy Scriptures so as hee may bee able soundly to discourse dispute and write of them But this knowledge is not sufficient there is another manner of knowledge then this that is necessary to the salvation of every man Such a knowledge as you heard described to you when I delivered â—o you the properties and signes of saving knowledge 1. Such a knowledge as hath in it full assurance and undoubted perswasion of the truth full assurance of understanding as the Apostle calleth it Col. 2.2 2. Such a knowledge as is spirituall Paul prayeth Col. 1.9 that they might bee filled with the knowledge of Gods will in all wisedome and spirituall understanding Such a wisedome as worketh upon the heart and breedeth love and care to practise that wee know This was that knowledge of Christ that Paul so much desired and made such reckoning of Phil. 3.10 That I may know him saith hee and the power of his resurrection And thus wee should all desire to know every thing that we know in religion to know not onely the cleare and certeine truth of it but to know it with an experimentall knowledge to know the goodnesse the sweetnesse the life and power of it also A man may have the literall and historicall knowledge of the truth and yet want this saving and sound knowledge 1. He may be void of assurance and full perswasion of the truth of that he knoweth as they that are compared to the stony ground were Marke 4 17. 2. He may be void of spirituall understanding and have no feeling no love no conscience of the practise of that hee knoweth but scorne that and hate it and count it foolish precisenesse 1 Cor. 2.14 2 Tim. 3.5 And such is the knowledge that all naturall men have they are not fully perswaded of the truth and goodnesse of that they know their knowledge is not spirituall they feele no sweetnesse no life and power in it Now this assurance of understanding this spirituall knowledge which only deserveth the name of true knowledge and which onely is sufficient unto salvation no man with the best abilities he hath by nature without the supernaturall grace of Gods spirit is able to attaine unto Of this knowledge Elihu
much unto man But I will insist onely upon that which they teach touching the worke of Gods grace in the conversion of man which concerneth the present Doctrine I have now in hand And in three points they teach concerning that you shall find that whatsoever they pretend they do indeed impeach the grace of God and give either all or almost all the glory of this great worke unto man himselfe For first They teach that all that God doth upon the will of man in the worke of his conversion is no more but this He doth by his Word offâ—r Christ unto us and shew us what obedience he requireth of us and he doth also by his Word with most strong and effectuall arguments perswade us unto faith and obedience but he doth not conferre or inspire any such grace into the will whereby it is actually inclined and caused to receive Christ and to yeeld obedience unto God but leaveth it absolutely unto it owne liberty whether it will receive Christ and yeeld obedience unto God or not Whereas the Scripture expressely teacheth that God by his grace doth much more then so he actually enclineth reneweth and changeth our wills or we could never be converted This was that worke of Gods grace that David prayed for Psal. 119 36. Encline my heart unto thy testimonies And Solomon in the dedication of the Temple 1 King 8 58 The Lord our God incline our hearts unto him to walke in all his waies This is that which God promiseth to worke by his grace in them whom he will convert and save Ezek 36.26 A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you Secondly They teach that all that God doth in the worke of mans conversion he doth it for one as well and as much as for another for the reprobate as well as for the elect he did as much for Iudas and for them that are now damned in hell as for Peter or any of the Saints that are now in heaven hee loved all men before their conversion with an equall love his grace is universall and he giveth it to one as well as to another Whereas as you have heard it 〈◊〉 in the Doctrine the Scripture expressely teacheth That hee doth more for them that are converted then he doth for any other he did more for Peter then he did for Iudaâ— that the Lord doth not give the grace of conversion to all 〈◊〉 Psal. 147.20 He hath not dealt so with every nation neither have they knowne his judgements To you it is given saith our Saviour Matth. 13 â—1 to know the mysteries of the kingdome of God to them it is not given That this is a fruit not of the common love he beareth to all men but of his speciaâ—l love The Apostle speaking of that love of God whereby he was moved to qâ—icken and convert his people Ephes. 2 4 calleth it his great love â—e saith he shewed himselfe therein to be rich in mercy yea he saith ver 7. he did it to â—hew the exceeding riches of his grace in this his kindnesse towards us This is a fruit of that love which is in a speciall manner borne unto his elect As many as were ordained to eternall life beleeved Acts 13.48 Whom he predestinated them he called Rom. 8.30 All that the father giveth me saith our Saviour Ioh 6.37 shall come unto me that is beleeve in me as he had expounded himselfe ver 35. None but those that are given to Christ can beleeve in him and all such shall certainely beleeve Ye beleeve not because ye are not of my sheepe saith our Saviour Iohn 10.26 27. my sheepe heare my voice Thirdly and lastly they teach That as no man can convert himselfe without the helpe of Gods grace so Gods grace doth not convert any man without his owne helpe that when God hath done his part and given most sufficient grace unto any man for his conversion it lieth in the power of a mans own will whether the grace of God shall be effectuall to his conversion or â—o he is able of himselfe either to accept of it or to reject it so that in very deed they doe ascribe more to man himselfe in the work of his conversion then unto the grace of God God say they doth offer us his grace he perswadeth and stirreth up our stupid will to receive it but man of himselfe whereas he could reject it if he list doth not reject it God maketh us able to beleeve to turne unto God to repent and obey if we will but man doth of himselfe a 〈◊〉 convert and beleeve and repent and obey which is more Wherâ—as the Scripture expressely teacheth that man in the first act of his conversion is a meere patient no agent at all God in the worke of our conversion doth not onely offer his grace but cause us to accept of it doth not onely make us able to convert to beleeve to obey if we will but he doth cause us actually to convert to beleeve to obey hee doth all in all in this worke Turne thou me and I shall bee turned saith Ephraim Ier. 31.18 Christ turneth every one of us from our iniquities saith the Apostle Acts 3.6 He giveth repentance unto Israel Actes 5.31 I will cause you to walke in my statutes and ye shall keepe my judgements and doe thâ—m saith the Lord Ezek. 36.27 It is God that worketh in you both to will and to doe Pâ—al 2 1â— By the grace of God I am what I am saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 15. â—0 And thus have I made application of these three points I delivered unto you in the use of instruction unto such as are erroneous teachers Now let mee make some application of it to our selves in a word or two And herein I will conclude my speech unto you as the Apostle Peter did his first Epistle 1 Peter 5 1â— he made application of the doctrine he had taught them by exhorting and testifying unto them 1. By testifying and earnestly protesting to them And what did hee thus testifie Surely that that was the true grace of God wherein they did then stand And so doe I testifie and confidently avouch and protest unto you that that Doctrine and religion which hath through the marvellous goodnesse of God beene taught in this famous and Orthodox Church of England now by the space of these seventy yeares and in the profession whereof wee all now stand is the onely true Doctrine and religion of Christ. Because it onely giveth the whole glory of mans salvation unto Gods free grace in Christ but it abaseth man and giveth him no matter of boasting or glorying at all 2. The Apostle in his application of his Doctrine exhorted them And what was his exhortation That is not expressed but it was doubtlesse the same that Paul and Barnabas used Acts 13. â—3 They perswaded them to continue in the grace of God that is in the Doctrine of grace which they had
points it appeareth what pleasure lewd men take in the falls and sins of Gods people But ô that thou wouldest see thy sin and danger that art of this humour First This argueth that there is no love in thee to Gods people nay this argueth the height of malice against them to rejoyce in their sins Charity rejoyceth not in iniquity saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 13.6 And what comfort canst thou have either in life or death what hope canst thou have in God if thou be void of charity if thou nourish malice in thy heart specially toward them thou art most bound to love He that loveth not his brother saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 3.14 abideth in death in the state of damnation And verse 10. In this are the children of God manifest and the children of the divell whosoever doth not righteousnesse is not of God neither he that loveth not his brother And so he proceedeth to shew to the end of verse 15. that the chiefe fruit of righteousnesse that manifesteth a man to be Gods child is the love of the brethren and the chiefe sinne that manifesteth a man to bee the child of the divell is the hatred of the brethren But secondly which is worse this argueth that thou rejoycest in the dishonour that is done to God and in the shame that is cast upon his holy name For the Lord is more dishonoured as we have heard in the Doctrine by the sinnes of his owne people then by the sinnes of any other men And if thou canst rejoyce in the shame and dishonour that redoundeth to God be thou sure God will also rejoyce in thy confusion I will also laugh at your calamity saith the Lord to such men Pro. 1.26 and mocke when your feare commeth But let us leave them to God Let us that feare God learne That it is our duty out of these two respects to mourne when we see or heare of the falls of any of Gods people Paul blameth the Corinthians 1 Cor. 5.2 because they did not all mourne for the incest that one of that Church had fallen into See how himselfe was affected with it 2 Cor. 2.4 Out of much affliction and anguish of heart saith he I wrote unto you with many teares Nay we should bee grieved at the heart to heare the slanders to heare of the faults that Gods people are even unjustly charged with Remember Lord the reproach of thy servants saith the Psalmist Psal. 89.50 51. how I beare in my bosome the reproach of all the mighty people wherewith thine enemies have reproached ô Lord wherewith they have reproached the footsteps of thine Anointed Observe five points in the words 1. The mighty men men of chiefe place and power in the country were wont to reproach and slander and cast odious aspersions upon Gods servants Gods anointed ones nay all the mighty people did so he was not counted worthy the name of a Gentleman if he could not doe this Princes did sit and speake against me saith David Psal. 119.23 2. They that did so were Gods enemies though they pretended to dislike onely a sort of precise fooles that will needs be holier then all their neighbours and not for their holinesse neither but for their hypocrisie yet in very deed they that take such pleasure in reproaching Gods servants beare more spite to God then they doe to them they are Gods enemies Ye shall be hated of all men for my names sake saith our Saviour Matth. 10.22 The name of Christ the religion of Christ the spirit of Christ that is in them is the true cause of this hatred whatsoever els is pretended 3. Remember Lord saith he the reproach of thy servants The Lord taketh notice of he will remember he will not forget the slanders and reproaches that are cast upon his servants 4. The Prophet did beare the reproaches of Gods servants in his bosome he tooke them to heart he was much affected and troubled with them 5. Lastly he desireth the Lord to remember him for this hee tooke comfort in this even before the Lord that hee could doe so and doubted not but God would take notice of it and reward him for it And this is the first sort that are to bee reproved by this Doctrine The second are worse then these And those are they that impute all the sins of Gods people to their religion and take occasion thereby to insult against religion and to hate it the more If the weakest the meanest person that professeth religion doe but swerve from their duty any way though but a woman though but a servant as I shewed you the last day out of 1 Tim. 6.1 and Tit. 2.5 the name of God and his doctrine shall straight-way bee blasphemed by these men These are your professours will they cry this is their religion there is none of them any better they are all such kind of persons fie upon such a religion as this is Three things there be that may discover unto these men their sin and their danger too First If malice had not blinded thee thou wouldst never impute the faults of professours unto their religion nor blame their religion for it For 1. All professours are not such persons But there are many thankes bee to God yea and many that thou knowest that shine as lights in the world as Paul saith of the Philippians 2.15 2. Admit all professours were naught yet is the religion that they professe pure and undefiled it alloweth of none of those faults that thou usest to blame them for For it hath no other rule or ground but Gods Word and that alloweth of no sin All the words of my mouth are in righteousnesse saith the Lord Pro. 8.8 there is nothing froward or perverse in them If any professour be covetous or malicious or proud or censorious or unfaithfull or idle blame not his religion for it it teacheth him no such thing it teacheth him the contrary it teacheth him as the Apostle saith Tit. 1.12 To denie all ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world No professour of the Gospell dares justifie himselfe in the least of his corruptions much lesse in grosse crimes by the rules of his religion but will bee ready to cleare his religion and lay all the blame upon himselfe as the Apostle doth Rom. 7.12 The law is holy and the commandement is holy and just and good And verse 14. Wee know that the law is spirituall but I am carnall sold under sin Secondly I must say to thee that railest thus against religion that hatest it thus for the sinnes of them that professe it as Gamaliel spake to the Councell Acts 5.39 take heed wha◠thou dost for if this way be of God in hating it in railing on it thou wilt be found a fighter against God And as the Lord saith to Sennacharih Esa. 37.23 Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed and against whom hast thou lifted up thy voice Even
honour to God themselves The Lord upbraideth the Iewes with this as with a great sin Zach. 7.6 When ye did eat and when ye did drinke did ye not eat for your selves and drinke for your selves Why what fault was that may you say Whom should they eat and drinke for els but for themselves Yes the Apostle telleth you 1 Cor. 10.31 that whether we eat or drink or whatsoever we do we should do all to the glory of God that is eat and drink and sleep and recreate our selves that we may become the fitter to do God some honour in our places If we seek our selves only in all that we do if we live to our selves and die to our selves certainly we can never say that we are the Lords I might shew you heare how every Christian even the meanest and poorest may in this place gaine honour to God But I will tie my selfe to the methode I have already followed and instance onely in those three callings which I have given you examples of 1 the Master of the family 2 the Minister 3 the Magistrate and governour in the Common-wealth First Such as are masters of families have a great opportunity to honour God by reforming their families and planting religion in them Thus David vowed he would honour God and shew himselfe to be his servant Psal. 101.6 7. Mine eyes shall be upon the faithfull in the land that they may dwell with me As if he should say I will get me such servants as feare God if they be to be had in the whole land he that walketh in a perfect way he shall serve me He that worketh deceit and beareth a false heart and secret hatred to religion though he be not openly profane when I once know it shall not dwell in mine house Of this also Hezekiah speaketh Esa. 38.19 The living the living he shal praise thee as I do this day and who among the living hath best opportunity to praise honour God the father to the children shall make knowne thy truth As though he had said Parents by deriving religion unto their posterity may greatly honour God above others And therfore also we shal find this oft noted in the scripture that so soone as any became Gods people themselves they shewed themselves carefull that their whole families might be so too See an example of this in a meane man the Iailour of whom it is said Acts 16.34 He rejoyced that he with all his houshold beleeved in God Yea see an example of it in a weake woman Acts 16.15 Lydia was baptized and her houshold too Yea see an example of it in a souldier and great Captaine Acts 10.2 Cornelius feared God with all his house Yea see an example of it in a Magistrate and one that was in commission Acts 18.8 Crispus the chiefe ruler of the Synagogue beleeved on the Lord with all his house Lastly See an example of it in a Nobleman Ioh. 4.53 the Nobleman of Capernaum himselfe beleeved and his whole house And what shall wee say then of those men that professe confidently God is their God and they are his people and yet shew no care at all to honour God this way by reforming their families Nay it is held a great disgrace to a man to shew any care at all or endeavour this way If Ioshuah should have lived now and held that resolution which hee professed Iosh. 24.15 certainely he would have beene counted a ranke puritan amongst our gallants For a man of his place a master of so great a family to be so precise that he will keepe never a blasphemer never a whoremaster never a drunkard in his house what a base and unworthy speech would this be accounted in these daies Many professe themselves to be Gods servants but whether they of their family serve God or the divell it is all one to them so they serve their turne They like never the worse of a servant for being a common drunkard or whoremaster or blasphemer though hee dishonour God never so much so hee have any one quality whereby hee may bee usefull unto them That it may bee said now of the families of many a one that challenge as great interest in Christ as any of his people doe as the Holy Ghost speaketh of Babylon Revel 18.2 though in another sense they are become cages of every uncleane and basefull bird Secondly We that are Ministers may in our places greatly honour God above others and expresse our love to him I am glorified in them saith our Saviour Ioh. 17.10 In which respect Paul calleth the messengers of the Churches 2 Cor. 8.23 who were preachers as appeareth verse 18. the glory of Christ. And our Saviour biddeth Peter thrice Iob. 21.15 17. shew his love to him that way even by â—eeding his lambs and sheepe We can no way glorifie God so much as in winning soules unto him wee can no way expresse our love to Christ so much as by feeding his people with knowledge and understanding If it be the love of Christ that constraineth us to preach so diligently so painefully if we shew our selves in our ministery to be the friends of the bride-groome as Iohn speaketh Ioh. 3.29 we woo for him only and not for our selves we seek his honour only and not our selves we preach as we do not because we thinke this kind of preaching will gaine us more applause with the people but because we are perswaded this kind of preaching will feed them best and bee most effectuall to save their soules then may we by every Sermon we preach get further assurance to our selves that we are the Lords Otherwise if 1 either wee preach not 2 or we preach so unprofitably as we gaine God no honour by our preaching feed neither his sheep nor his lambs by our preaching or 3 if we do preach profitably yet we do it out of selfe-love we seek our selves in it not the Lord. Certainly we can have no assurance that Christ is ours how well so ever we can speake of Christ but when we have preached unto others as the Apostle speaketh 1 Cor. 9.27 our selves shall become cast awayes Thirdly and lastly Such as are Magistrates may in their places greatly honour God and that in some respects more then any other man When a number of foule sins whereby God was greatly dishonoured are mentioned the cause is oft assigned Iudg. 17.6 and elsewhere to be this that there was in those daies no King in Israel but every man did that which was right in his owne eyes And a Magistrate may by this shew himselfe to be the Lords and one that hath true assurance of his favour if he shew most zeale in executing justice upon such offences whereby God is most dishonoured God gave to Phinehas his covenant of peace that is an increase of comfortable assurance of his speciall favour as we read Num. 25.11 12. because he had shewed himselfe zealous for the Lord in punishing of filthy whordome And
of righteousnesse shall bee peace saith the Prophet Esay 32.17 and the effect of righteousnesse quietnesse and assurance for ever As if hee had said A righteous and godly life will certainely worke peace in the heart and no marvell for it will worke assurance of Gods favour yea assurance for ever a constant assurance of it an assurance that wee shall have it for ever and shall never loose it In the feare of the Lord saith Solomon Pro. 14.26 is strong confidence As if he should say Feare God be carefull not to offend him in any thing and thou shalt be confident of his favour yea strongly confident of it Yea this care to please God in all our wayes and feare to offend him will preserve in the heart of a man the assurance of Gods favour even in the time of the greatest tryall and tentations that hee can fall into Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doth them saith our Saviour Matth 7.24.25 whosoever hee bee that is not a hearer of the word only but maketh conscience to practise whatsoever he heareth I will liken him unto a wiseman that built his house upon a rocke and the raine descended and the winds blew end the flouds beat upon that house and it fell not because it was founded upon a rocke In which respect the Apostle 1 Tim. 6.19 calleth good workes a good foundation for the time to come whereupon men may lay hold upon eternall life As if he should have said A man may in the time to come that is in the time of sicknesse and triall build a well grounded assurance of eternall life even upon them I know well that experience seemeth to make much against this Many that are most carefull to please God in all their wayes and fearefull to offend him are of all other people in most doubt of their salvation are furthest off from confident assurance of it And on the other side they that live most licentiously are of all men freest from these doubts most confident of Gods love and of their owne salvation But to this I answer Let God be true and every mâ—n a lyâ—r Rom. 3.4 Certainly a constant care to please God in all our wayes will bring us to a comfortable assurance of Gods favour sooner or later in one measure and degree or other and without this it is not possible to â—â—taine unto it Two things there bee that may undoubtedly assure us of this 1. The promise of God that cannot lye 2. The nature of God First See what rich and precious promises we have from God concerning this To him that ordereth his conversation aright saith the Lord. Psal. 50.23 will I shew the salvation of God As if he had said I will cause him to see and know that he shall be saved And againe Mal. 4.2 To you that feare my name shall the sunne of righteousnesse arise with healing in his wings To every soule among you that truly feareth God I may boldly say that though it bee night with thee now thou seest no light no comfort thou art continually disguiâ—ted with feares and doubts of thy salvation yet certainly the sunne of righteousnesse will arise upon thee one day with healing in his wings thou shalt see the comfortable light of Gods countenance and have a sweet and full assurance of his favour Light is sowen for the righteous as the Prophet speaketh Psal. 97.11 and gladnesse for the upright in heart There is not a soule that unfeinedly feareth God but he hath in him the seed of true comfort and assurance and he shall certainly one day both see it spring and tast of the fruit of it If ye love me keep my commandements saith our Saviour Iohn 14. â—5 16. and I will pray the father â—nd hee shall give you another comforter that hee may abide with you for ever If any man keepe his commandements keepe them Evangelically that is out of love to God endeavour to keepe them let him not doubt of comfort certainly the comforter will come vnto that man and abide with him for ever But you will say When will the comforter come I have long desired to feare God and endeavoured to please him yet could I never attaine to this comfort hitherto I answer Doe so still and the comforter will certainly come For Christ whom his father alwayes heareth Iohn 11.42 hath prayed that it may be so Yea it will not be long too Yet a little while saith the Apostle Heb 10.37 and he that shall come will come and will not tary And for this also we have a promise Psalme 8â— 8 9. For when the Prophet had said God will speake peace unto his people and to his Saints God will certainly speake peace to the heart of every godly man he addeth Surely his salvation is nigh unto them that feare him As if hee had said Certainely it will not bee long before God giveth to every soule that truly feareth him a comfortable assurance of his favour though he doe delay it for a time surely hee will doe it ere long The second evidence for this is from the nature of God It must needs bee so for The righteous Lord loveth righteousnesse saith David Psal 11.7 his countenance doth behold the upright And Prov. 15.9 The Lord loveth him that followeth after righteousnesse Hee must needs have the love and favour of the holy God that leadeth an holy life Thus speaketh our blessed Saviour Iohn 14.21 He that hath my commandements and keepeth them is hee that loveth me And hee that loveth me shall bee beloved of my father and I will love him and will manifest my selfe unto him As if he should say As I and my father both cannot but love him that out of love to me maketh conscience of all my commandements so he shall know it and feele it and hide the assurance of it in himselfe I will manifest my selfe unto him saith he On the other side It is not possible for any man to have true assurance of his salvation and of Gods favour that doth not feare God and is not carefull in all his wayes to please him And certainely the want of assurance that is in any of us is chiefly to be imputed unto this that wee have not beene so fearefull to offend God so carefull to please him as we ought to have bene I speake not onely of such as are wicked men There is no peace saith my God to the wicked Esay 57.21 that is no true and sound peace But I speake of Gods dearest children Let a man that hath the strongest faith the most comfortable assurance of Gods favour once give himselfe liberty unto any grosse sin though hee loose not his faith utterly thereby Christ prayed for Peter that his faith should not faile in that his most fearefull fall Luk 22 3â— and the same prayer that hee made for Peter he made for all that truly beleeve in his name as you may read Iohn 17.20 yet shall that man
to everlasting confusion Cain had a greater portion of them then Seth and Esau then Iacob And what comfort can a man have in such fruits of Gods love as these are What comfort can the traitour take in that goodnesse of the King that being apprehended hee giveth order that hee may have a faire and good lodging in the tower and a good diet too till matters be ripe and ready for his arraignement and execution No no he taketh small comfort in all this nothing will assure him of the Kings mercy and love till his pardon bee brought him So may I say of all these outward blessings thou canst have no sound comfort in them till thou have Christ and hast through him gotten the pardon of thy sinnes These are indeed fruits of Gods common love but these are no fruits or signes of Gods speciall or everlasting love of that love that he beareth to them whom he meaneth to save eternally No man knoweth either love or hatred by any thing that is before him saith Salomon Eccl. ◠1 A man cannot argue God loveth him with his speciall love because he enjoyeth these things nor that God hateth him because he wanteth them And it is not that common but this speciall and everlasting love of God onely that we are to make reckoning of and to take comfort in In this was manifested the love of God towards us saith the Apostle 1 Ioh. 4.9 10. because that God sent his onely begotten Sonne into the world that we might live through him Herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Sonne to be the propitiation for our sinnes If thou canst say God hath given Christ unto thee and to thee an heart to receive him then thou maist be bold to say God loveth thee indeed But thou canst never say God loveth thee indeed till thou be in Christ. He is called the Sonne of his love 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Col. 1.13 He hath made us accepted in the beloved saith the Apostle Eph. 1.6 As if he had said He loveth us for his sake and he loveth none but for his sake and with respect unto him onely And what good will it do thee to have all the world if thou have not Gods love What comfort canst thou take in any thing thou hast if God have not given it thee in his love Now on the other side that this Motive may have the more force in thy heart consider what a happinesse it is for a man to be in Christ even in respect of these outward things The true believer and he that knoweth Christ is his may take great comfort even in these outward and common blessings of God God giveth to him saith Salomon speaking of these things Eccles. 2.26 that is good in his sight reconciled to him in Christ and justified before him wisdome and knowledge and joy He joyeth even in these outward blessings he useth them with joy and comfort In which respect it is said by David Psal. 37.16 that a little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked men Have he little or have he much he hath more comfort in that he hath than any wicked man in the world can possibly have For First That that he hath is his owne he hath the highest title unto it All things are yours saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 3.21 23. and ye are Christs In giving Christ unto us how shall he not with him also freely give us all things saith the Apostle Rom. 8.32 Secondly He shall have good of that he hath it shall do him good and no hurt it shall not hinder his happinesse it is sanctified unto him The blessing of the Lord it maketh rich saith Salomon Proverb 10.22 and he addeth no sorrow with it As if he had said He that hath wealth with Gods blessing shall have no cause to repent him another day that he lived so prosperously Thus God promiseth his people that are in covenant with him Deut. 30.9 The Lord thy God will make thee plenteous in every worke of thine hand in the fruit of thy body and in the fruit of thy cattell and in the fruit of thy land for good for the Lord will rejoyce over thee for good as he rejoyced over thy fathers Marke how the Lord doth not onely promise unto his people these outward things that he would increase them in their children and in their estates but that he promiseth them also and repeateth this promise twice in this one Verse that he would give them these things for their good they should have good of them they should receive good and no hurt by them To have the things is nothing unlesse we have them with the blessing unlesse God give us good of them When the Apostle had said 1 Tim. 4.3 5. that God hath created all meat to be received with thankesgiving of them that believe and know the truth he addeth in the next words that every creature of God is good As if he had said To the believer all Gods creatures are good and to none but him and he giveth this reason For it is sanctified saith he by the word and prayer As though he should say When Gods creatures are sanctified unto us when we have a holy use of them and are made the better by them then are they good to us and not els and to the true believer they are sanctified and to none but him Thirdly and lastly Whatsoever the true believer he that is in Christ hath in these outward things he hath it in Gods love and therefore he may well take comfort in it We are wont to say that an hearty welcome is the best cheere that any friend can make us Though our fare be but meane yet if we can find we have it with a good will and that our friend is glad of us and thereby we discerne that he doth unfeignedly love us this we esteeme of more worth than the best cheere in the world this maketh the homelyest fare most sweet and acceptable unto us And certainely it is much more so in this case When a man once knoweth he hath Gods love and that that which God hath given him be it little or much is given to him in love O this giveth a most sweet and pleasant relish to all Gods blessings that we do enjoy this maketh a man to take true and solid comfort in them Thus Iacob speaketh of his children Genesis 33.5 These are the children that God of his grace hath given unto thy servant and Verse 11. of his cattell Because God hath dealt graciously with mee and because I have enough Hee tasted Gods speciall love unto him even in these things I told you even now that no unbeliever can take any sound comfort in any of Gods outward blessings because hee cannot conclude from thence that God loveth him with a speciall love but though he cannot he that is in Christ may These common
Christ. Two plaine testimonies I will give you for this and trouble you with no more The first is that in 2 Cor. 3.6 8. where the Apostle having spoken of the fruit of his Ministery in the hearts of the Corinthians he telleth them God had made him and his fellow Apostles able Ministers of the New Testament not of the letter but of the spirit As if he had said by my preaching of the new testament the new covenant the covenant of grace you were converted the spirit of God was conveied into your hearts And making a comparison betweene the Ministery of the law and of the Gospell in the next verses he calleth the preaching of the Gospell in the new Testament the ministration of the spirit that ministery whereby the spirit of grace is infused into the hearts of men The other testimony which I will bring you for this is that of the Apostle Gal. 3.2 where appealing unto their owne consciences he asketh them how and by what meanes they first received the spirit of God This only would I learne of you saith he received ye the spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith that is by the hearing of the doctrine of faith the doctrine of the Gospell which teacheth justification by faith only And thus have I confirmed this fourth Motive unto you in the generall that we can never be sanctified till we be justified first that the man that desireth to amend his heart and life must first seeke to know that his sins are forgiven that he is reconciled unto God in Christ Followeth now that we shew you this likewise in both the parts of sanctification more plainly and particularly And first for mortification of the old man the best way that any man can take to mortifie and subdue any lust and corruption that is strongest in him and that troubleth him most is to get assurance by faith that Christ is his that his sinnes are forgiven him and God is reconciled unto him in Christ and when he hath once got this assurance to make use of his faith in this worke to stirre it up and exercise it by thinking and meditating oft of the marvellous love of God to him in Christ and by making claime to the promises of God which through Christ he hath just title unto Faith purifieth the heart saith the Apostle Acts 15.9 It purgeth out the corruption that it findeth in it it killeth sinne wheresoever it commeth Not all at once indeed but by little and little so soone as ever it entreth into the heart it giveth sinne the deathes wound so as it shall languish ever after and never recover the strength and vigour againe that it had before Every faithfull man hath this promise given him of God Rom. 6.14 Sin shall not have dominion over you for yee are not under the Law but under grace So that the man that knoweth himselfe to bee in Christ and so within the covenant of grace may goe boldly to the throne of grace when he findeth himselfe unable to subdue any strong lust and corruption and even ready to be mastered and overcome of it nay he ought then to exercise and make use of his faith by challenging and making claime to this promise of God and say Lord thou hast promised that no sinne shall have dominion over them that are not under the law but under grace and I know that thou art faithfull that hast promised this and able to performe what thou hast promised Lord make good this promise of thine now unto me let not this lust and corruption have dominion over me But I shall make this plainer to you and shew you what force there is in justifying faith that assureth us of Gods favour in Christ to mortifie sinne by instancing in foure of the strongest lusts and corruptions that the faithfull are wont to bee cumbred with all The first is covetousnesse and the love of the world And for the force that is in justifying faith to mortifie this corruption wee have an example first in Abraham and Sarah and some others of whom the Apostle speaketh Heb. 11.8 14 15. of whom the Apostle saith that they willingly forsooke their owne country and all the comforts that they had there and went willingly upon the Lords call they knew not whither and had no desire to returne to their owne country againe nor were so much as mindefull of it they never thought of it nor looked backe as Lots Wife did and he telleth us plainly it was nothing but faith that did thus weane their hearts from the world and made them so willing to part with it See an example of this in Zachâ—us like wise Luke 19. Of him we reade Verse 2. That he was the chiefe among the Publicans and Verse 7. That he was a sinner a noted and infamous man And for what sinne Surely for covetousnesse for getting his wealth by extortion and such like unjust meanes And yet so soone as this man had received Christ not into his house only but much more into his heart when he considered and weighed with himselfe the wonderfull love and goodnesse of Christ towards him that was so vile and unworthy a wretch how Christ tooke particular notice of him and called him by his name how he offered himselfe unsought to to bee his guest to abide in his house which was no more then he hath done for every poore soule amongst us that truly beleeveth in him when Zacheus I say saw and considered this wonderfull love of Christ towards him see what a change it wrought in him how it mortified that lust that had so raigned in him before he became presently a most liberall man as you may see Verse 8. both by his bounty towards the poore and by his readinesse to make restitution to all such as had beene wronged by him And thus doth the Apostle teach us to mortifie this corruption Heb. 13.5 6. Let your conversation be without covetousnesse and be content with such things as you have for he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee so that we may boldly say the Lord is my helper and I will not feare what man shall doe unto me As if he should say If thou wouldest purge thy heart from covetousnesse and get strength against it make use of thy faith remember the promises that thou being in Christ hast title unto If thou hadst no body to take care for thee but thy selfe thou hadst some reason to toile and moile to carke and care for this world as thou dost but being in Christ and having these promises it is madnesse for thee to doe it A second strong corruption and lust that Gods people are troubled with is uncharitablenesse towards them that have done them wrong How may a Christian best mortifie and get strength against this corruption Surely by getting assurance to his heart of Gods love in Christ and making use of his faith This is evident by that
faith that God hath so loved him hee cannot choose but love him againe and serve him out of love and not out of feare onely Faith worketh by love saith the Apostle Galathians 5.6 As if hee had said The first and chiefe fruit that it putteth forth and whereby it sheweth that life and efficacy that is in it is this it breedeth in the heart that hath it an unfained love unto God Yea proportionable to our faith and the assurance wee have of Gods love to us will our love unto God bee Many sinnes are forgiven her saith our Saviour Luke 7.47 for shee loved much but to whom little is forgiven the same loveth but a little Certainely beloved the true cause why the most of us beare no more love to God and goodnesse then wee doe is this that either wee have no faith no assurance of Gods love to us in the pardon of our sinnes or els wee have knowne but few sinnes by our selves and have beene but a little humbled for sinne and therefore we are not much affected with the mercy and love that God hath shewed to us in the pardon of our sinnes Now for the force that is in justifying faith to quicken and enable us unto every good duty which is the second particular that I promised to speake of I might be large in the handling of it There is no good duty either towards God or man that thou findest thy selfe most backward in but if thou hadst faith to assure thee of Gods love to thee in Christ and to beleeve the promises that God hath made unto that duty and if thou wouldst also stirre up and exercise thy faith in meditating of Gods mercy and love and of those particular promises thou shouldst find thy selfe thereby made farre more able to performe that duty and to performe it in a holy and comfortable manner then thou art This is that whereby David was wont to prepare himselfe to Gods publique worship I will goe to thine house saith hee Psalme 5.7 in the multitude of thy mercies But I will instance and that briefly too but in two particular duties that is to say the hearing of the word and prayer For the first No man can heare the Word with any affection and fruit till he have faith and be thereby perswaded of Gods love to him in Christ. As new borne babes desire the sincere milke of the Word saith the Apostle 1 Pet. 2.2 3. that you may grow thereby if so bee yee have tasted that the Lord is gracious As if he should say Then and not till then you shall be able to doe it God hath made many promises to such as heare his Word Generall promises 1. Hee will ever assist this ordinance and worke with it Matthew 28.20 Goe teach all nations and loe I am with you to the end of the world 2. That hee will save the soules of his people by this ordinance Iames 1.21 Esa. 55.3 3. That by this ordinance hee will begin grace and convert the soule Psalme 19.7 4. That by this ordinance hee will increase and perfect grace where hee hath begun it Vnto you that heare shall more bee given saith our Saviour Marke 4.24 And Acts 20.32 I commend you to God and to the Word of his grace which is able to build you up And particular promises God hath also made to them that attend upon this ordinance 1. That hee will by this ordinance give them strength to overcome their strongest corruptions Even a young man may cleanse his way thereby Ps. 119.9 2. That he will by this ordinance worke peace in their consciences Esa. 57.19 How falleth it out then that many of us heare constantly and find no such thing Surely the cause is rendred Hebrewes 4.2 The Word preached did not profit them not being mixed with faith in them that heard it In our hearing wee make not use of our faith to make claime to these promises and expect the performance of them unto us Secondly For prayer Till a man have some assurance by faith of the pardon of his sinnes and of Gods favour hee can never pray aright nor with any heart and affection Romanes 10 14. How shall they call on him in whom they have not beleeved It is the spirit of grace that is the spirit of supplications Zach. 12.10 He that goeth to God must apprehend him and conceive of him as of his father Matthew 6.9 And on the other side hee that is by faith perswaded that God is his gracious father cannot choose but resort much to him in hearty prayer Galathians 4.6 O God thou art my God saith David Psalme 63.1 early will I seeke thee And 86.4 5. Vnto the Lord doe I lift up my soule for thou Lord art good and ready to forgive and plenteous in mercy to all that call upon thy name Many are the promises that God hath made unto prayer Generall promises that he will heare and answer us Esa. 30.19 Hee will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry when hee shall heare it he will answer thee And Iohn 16.23 Whatsoever ye shall aske the father in my name hee will give it unto you And particular promises 1. Deliverance from any trouble and affliction Psalme 50.15 Call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee Or strength and patience to beare it Iames 1.5 If any of you lack wisdome let him aske of God and it shall be given him 2. Whatsoever spirituall grace we stand in need of Luke 11.13 Your heavenly father will give his holy spirit to them that aske him 3. Inward joy and peace of conscience Iob 33.26 Hee shall pray to God and hee will bee favourable unto him and hee shall see his face with joy Aske and ye shall receive that your joy may be full Iohn 16.24 Why then have wee no more heart to prayer Why receive wee no more good by it Surely wee doe not make use of our faith in thinking of and trusting to these promises of God when we goe to prayer and that is a maine cause of it And let not that man thinke saith the Apostle Iames 1.7 that hee shall receive any thing from the Lord. And thus have I finished those foure Motives I promised to give for the enforcing of this exhortation Lecture CXLII On Psalme 51.7 March 2. 1629. IT followeth now that we proceed unto those signes and notes that I promised to give you whereby they that have received Christ and are justified by him may be knowne And surely there is great need that we should have signes and notes given us in Gods Word whereby this may be discerned and judged of For we finde by experience of all ages that many doe verily thinke that Christ and all his merits doe belong to them who yet did never receive him nor have any title to him at all Many will say to me in that day saith our Saviour Matth. 7.22 23. Lord Lord have we not prophesied in
doth the spirit of God also in his ordinary manner of teaching the heart of man by the holy Scriptures which the Apostle 2 Pet. 1.19 calleth a more sure word of prophesy then any of those extraordinary revelations were speake so expresly as the people of God that have beene taught by him have beene so certaine of the truth that they have beene willing to seale it even with their dearest bloud So the Evangelist saith Luke 1.1 that all the parts of the Gospell all the articles of our faith were most surely beleeued among the faithfull And Peter saith of himselfe and the rest of the elect Apostles Ioh. 6.69 We beleeve and are sure that thou art that Christ the sonne of the living God And our Saviour saith of them all Ioh. 17.8 that they knew surely that be came out from God and beleeved that God did send him The people of God by the teaching of the holy spirit do attaine you see not unto a probable opinion onely but to an undoubted certainty of knowledge and faith And from this certainty hath growne that marvellous courage and comfort that the holy Martyrs have expressed in all their sufferings They were â—laine for the Word of God saith the Apostle Revel 6.9 and â—or the testimony which they held They did professe and give testimony to the truth of God which they had learned in his Word and they did hold fast this their testimony and would not by any meanes be drawne from it and therefore they were slaine If a man have no certainty in the matters of religion but is wavering and unsetled in it certainely he was never yet taught of God Fiftly No man can attaine to this undoubted certainty in religion by any other meanes but by the teaching of the spirit of God Though a man be a constant hearer of the most excellent teacher and enjoy all other the best meanes of knowledge that are upon earth yet shall he never bee able to attaine to a cleare and certaine knowledge in the matters of his salvation till the spirit of God doe teach and instruct him When Peter had made this confession of his faith Matth. 16.16 Thou art Christ the sonne of the living God Iesus answered and said unto him verse 17. Blessed art thou Simon Bar-jona for flesh and bloud hath not revealed it unto thee but my father which is in heaven Marke two things in this speech of our blessed Saviour 1. That till a man be taught of God he can never understand and know no not thus much 2. That he is a blessed and happy man that can find in himselfe that hee is taught of God Why but may you say May not flesh and bloud reveale so much to a man May not a naturall man be perswaded of this that Iesus is Christ the sonne of the living God I answer that he may say so and he may thinke so and he may in some sort know it to be so and be able to prove it to be so but he cannot be fully perswaded of this article he cannot beleeve it with all his heart as Philip speaketh Acts 8.37 till God by his holy spirit have revealed it unto him and perswaded his heart of it No man can say that Iesus is the Lord saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 12.3 but by the Holy Ghost As if he had said He cannot say and professe it from the full perswasion of his heart till the Holy Ghost hath taught it him that hee is so indeed No man can have a cleare and certaine perswasion in matters of religion but onely he that hath the spirit of sanctification and is instructed and guided by it Certainely saith Elihu Iob 32.8 there is a spirit in man and the inspiration of the almighty giveth them understanding There bee many arguments whereby a man may bee convinced and forced to acknowledge that the holy Scripture is undoubtedly the Word of God 1. The marvellous consent of all the holy Writers that penned it 2. The certaine fulfilling of all the Prophesyes contained in it 3. The strange miracles that have confirmed it 4. The admirable providence of God in preserving of it 5. The testimony that the Church and Saints of God in all ages have given unto it 6. The divine and supernaturall doctrine contained in it But none of all these arguments can undoubtedly perswade the heart certitudine fidei that the holy Scripture or any doctrine contained in it is the Word of God till we be taught it of God till the holy spirit of God have inwardly certified and assured us of it Therefore is this knowledge this cleare and certaine knowledge in matters of faith and religion called Pro 30.3 the knowledge of the holy and 9.10 The knowledge of the holy is understanding A carnall man by his naturall parts and by the helpe of learning of hearing of study and conference may know much in religion and teach it also excellently and maintaine it strongly against any adversary but this cleare and certaine knowledge this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that carryeth with it as with full saile the whole man to the love and obedience of it that makes a man able and willing to suffer and die for the truth can no man have till the holy spirit of God have sanctified his heart and perswaded him in the truth Sixtly and lastly Proportionable to the measure of the spirit of grace and sanctification that any faithfull man hath received shall the measure of his knowledge and certainty be in the matters of his faith and religion He that is spirituall saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 2.15 by whom though he oppose him to the naturall man he meanes not every one that hath the spirit and is regenerate but him that hath the spirit in a greater measure then many other of the regenerate have as appeares by the opposition he makes Chap. 3 1. betweene them that are spirituall and them that are â—aâ—es in Christ. He that is spirituall saith he judgeth all things that is to say is not only certaine of the truth that himselfe holdeth but can judge and clearely discerne and reject any errour that is held by other men yet he himselfe is judged of no man As if he had said He is so certainely assured of the truth that hee holdeth that the contrary judgement of other men whatsoever they bee cannot over-sway him or cause him to stagger Grow in grace saith the Apostle 2 Peter 3.18 and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ. The holyer and more spirituall a man is the more hee growes in grace in the feare of God in sorrow for sinne and hatred of it and in the love of goodnesse the better and with the more certainty of assurance shall hee know the mystery of Christ the clearer and more certaine assurance shall hee have in spirituall things And thus having opened and confirmed this first reason of the Doctrine I come to answer a maine objection which the Papist
so much the more and to take up Davids cry and resolution Psal. 119.126 128. It is time for thee Lord to worke and to shew thy power for the maintaining of thy truth and Gospell for they have made void thy law thy word and truth is of no reckoning and account with men therefore even for this very cause Oh happy man that can say so therefore love I thy Commandements above gold yea above fine gold therefore I esteeme all thy precepts concerning all things to bee right and I hate every false way And now that I have thus shewed you how much need we have of this exhortation to constancy in our Religion I will for the better enforcing of it first give you some motives to perswade and provoke you to it and then shew you the meanes how it may be obtained And the Motives I will give you shall be but two First take heed how you suffer your selves to be corrupted in judgement how you approve in your judgement of any erroneous Doctrine for corruption in judgement is the most dangerous corruption of all others worse then corruption in manners is specially in a man that hath beene formerly inlightned with the knowledge of the truth To allow of any evill we doe in our judgement and to defend it as lawfull is a greater sin and argues a man to be more under the power and dominion of sinne then the committing of sinne doth Therefore the Apostle in the person not of a naturall but of a regenerate man comforts himselfe in this Rom. 7.15 That which I doe I allow not and Verse 16. I consent to the Law that it is good and Verse 25. With my minde I serve the Law of God The Leprosie in the head was of all kinde of Leprosies most dangerous The Priest shall pronounce him utterly uncleane saith the Lord Leviticus 13.44 his plague is in his head As the soule is the excellency of a man so is the spirit and judgement the excellency of the soule and that that God hath set in a man to guide and governe all other the powers and facultyes of it The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord saith Salomon Prov. 20.27 a divine light set in the soule to direct the whole man And if the light that is in thee be darkenesse saith our Saviour Matth. 6.23 if thy minde and judgement be once corrupted how great how dangerous is that darkenesse Take heed therefore saith he Luke 11.35 that the light that is in thee be not darkenesse take heed that thy judgement be not corrupted Most men are of opinion that if a mans life and conversation be honest and good it is no great matter what his opinion in Religion be But they are much deceived An unsound and corrupt judgement in Religion will make a man more odious unto God then many foule corruptions in life and conversation will doe To the unbeleeving saith the Apostle Tit. 1.15 Nothing is pure for even their minde and conscience is defiled Even their minde is defiled saith he The corruption of the minde is the highest degree of corruption that can be Nay it is not only an high degree of corruption to be corrupt in judgement but it is also a grievous punishment of God when a man through want of judgement to discerne betweene truth and falshood shall receive errour and forsake the truth This is said to be the judgement that God did make choice of to punish the Gentiles for their most hainous sins God gave them over saith the Apostle Rom. 1.28 to a reprobate minde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to a minde void of judgement as your margin well renders it When thou once losest thy judgement that thou canst not discerne betweene truth and errour in the matters of thy faith and salvation know that thou art under a most heavy curse of God Secondly If any of you shall change your judgement in Religion and be apt to embrace errour and forsake the truth you shall thereby declare your selves never to have beene taught of God never to have had any truth of grace or goodnesse in you What will you say is every one that holdeth any errour in Religion utterly void of all grace For answer unto this you must understand that there is great difference in the errours that men hold and in the manner of their holding them also As in the law of God which is the rule of our practice there are some more weighty matters as our Saviour speaketh Matth. 23.23 and some that are lesse weighty So among those truths in Religion that are to be knowne and beleeved there are some that are more fundamentall of more absolute necessity to salvation to be knowne and beleeved then some others are As in the body of man some wounds are mortall Viz. such as touch the braine or heart or other vitall parts some others though they be very deepe and grievous yet are not mortall so it is in the errours of the minde some of them touch the head not holding the head saith the Apostle Col. 2.19 and destroy the faith as he speaketh 2 Tim. 2.18 they overthrow the Doctrine of justification only by faith in Christ which is the very life of a Christians soule but some of them doe not so To answer therefore more distinctly unto the question I say That errours of this latter kinde that doe not touch upon the foundation may doubtlesse be in the man that is in the state of grace He that held himselfe bound in conscience in the Apostles time to observe all those dayes that God in Moses dayes had made holy and to abstaine from all those meates that by that law were made uncleane did out of doubt hold an arrour in Religion and yet the Apostle Rom. 14.1 6. speakes of such a man as of the deare child of God and saith plainly of him Verse 3. That God had received him into favour yea hee shall bee holden up saith he Verse 4. he shall persevere in the state of grace for all the errour that he holds Yea he forbids Gods people that were sounder in judgement than he to despise him or judge him to be void of grace nay he commands them to receive him converse with him think well of him love him notwithstanding this errour of his As every errour of judgement doth not separate a man from Christ so neither should it separate the members of Christ in love and affection one from another When any two of us differ in judgement in any matter of religion whatsoever the one of us certainly must needs be in an errour And he that is in the errour so it be but an errour of this kind may be every whit as holy a man yea and holier too than he that holdeth the truth For the dearest of Gods children in this life may be subject unto such errours The best may say of themselves as the Apostle doth 1 Cor. 13.9 We know but in part
my God and â—or the offices thereof And indeed there is no way whereby we can expresse our love to God so well as by loving and delighting in and taking care for the house and pure worship of God Therefore in the reason of the second commandement as I told you the last day they that make conscience of that commandement that use and love that worship onely that he hath in his Word appointed are called such as love God Exodus 20.6 and they that are addicted to will-worship and care not for the true worship of God are called ver 5. haters of God Thus did David expresse his love to God Psal. 26.8 Lord I have loved the habitation of thy house and the place where thine honour dwelleth He that careth not for the house and worship of God whether it be maintained in purity or be corrupted whether it prosper or no certainely hath no love of God no zeale of Gods glory in his heart And this shall serve for my first sort of proofes which I told you should be more generall Now you shall see the point opened and confirmed unto you in foure particulars First He that hath the spirit of Christ will rejoyce to see religion prosper to see the purity and sincerity of Gods worship restored and set up See what Ioy there was in Ierusalem in the daies of David when the Arke of God was brought to Ierusalem 1 Chron. 15.28 And in the daies of Hezekiah when the Sacrament had beene celebrated according to the first institution of it which it had not beene of a long time before in such sort as it was written saith the Text 2 Chron. 30.5 and verse 26. from Salomons raigne to that time there had not beene such a Passeover kept it is said ver 25 26. All Gods people did marvellously rejoyce in it So when Nehemiah had reformed and purged the house and worship of God from sundry corruptions and restored it to the primitive purity and sincerity thereof It is said Neh 12.43 That Gods people did rejoyce for God had made them to rejoyce with great joy their wives also and their children rejoyced so that the joy of Ierusalem was heard even a farre off Nay he that hath the spirit of God in him will rejoyce to see any beginnings of reformation in places that were rude before to see religion get any entrance or footing any beginnings of a Church in such places It is said Ezra 3.11 that all Gods people shouted with a great shout when they praised the Lord because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid On the other side he that hath the spirit of God in him cannot chuse but grieve to see or heare that the true religion and worship of God is banished from any place and that Idolatry and a false worship is set up in it Old Ely is noted by the Holy Ghost 1 Sam. 4.17 18. to have grieved much more deepely for the taking away of the Arke of God then either for Israels flying from before the Philistines or for the great slaughter that had beene made of Gods people or for the death of his two sonnes Hophâ—i and Phineas It came to passe saith the Text that when the messenger made mention of the Arke of God hee fell from of his seate backward and his necke brake and hee died And this is also noted to have beene the chiefe griefe of his daughter in law and maine cause of her death too verse 22. this would never out of her mouth in all the extreamity of her paine and anguish while breath was in her body the glory is departed from Israel for the Arke of God is taken away And this was that that troubled that zealous man of God Eliah and made him even weary of his life through griefe and discontentment 1 King 19.10 The children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant saith he they are fallen from thy holy religion they have throwne downe thine altars that is they have abolished and shewed contempt and hatred to thy true worship and why should I desire to live any longer in such a time Hee that hath any love or zeale of God in him cannot but grieve to see or heare that idolatry is set up in any place that it groweth and increaseth any where specially in any place where God was truly worshipped before We read of blessed Paul Acts 17.16 that when hee saw even the city of Athens where God had never beene truly worshipped wholly given unto idolatry his spirit was stirred in him he was incensed with zealous griefe and indignation to see it O how would it have troubled the good man to have seene or heard of such a thing in Corinth or Galatia or Ephesus that were true Churches of Christ where the Gospell had beene and still was faithfully and plentifully preached Nay hee that hath any true love or zeale of God in him cannot but grieve at the least Eclipse that religion suffers in any place though the substance of it doth still remaine yet if it have lost any thing of that luster of that purity sincerity and power that once it had even that is sufficient cause of griefe to every good man Wee read that when in the dayes of Zerubbabel the foundation of the second Temple was laid and Gods people that had seene no better did greatly rejoyce in it Ezra 3.12 Many of the Priests and Levites and chiefe of the fathers who were ancient men that had seene the first house wept with a loud voice even when the rest shouted for joy and the noise of their weeping was as great every whit as the noise of the others rejoycing And why did they so Surely it grieved their hearts to see how farre the house that God was now to have in Ierusalem was short in beauty and glory of that that God had had before in that place Secondly He that hath the spirit of Christ in him will joy in the frequency and fullnesse of the Church-assemblies When David to aggravate the misery of his present estate Ps. 42.4 speakes of the joy and comfort that he had formerly taken in going to the house of God he names this twice in that verse as a maine cause of that great joy he tooke in going to the house of God that there went such a multitude with him And this is noted for one cause of that great joy the people of God expressed at the celebration of that Passeover in Hezekiahs time 2 Chron. 30.26 that the number of the communicants was so great as it is said verse 13. There assembled to Ierusalem much people to keepe the Passeover a very great Congregation On the other side even this hath grieved Gods people to see the Church-assemblies neglected and unfrequented to see the Congregations much thinner then they had wont to be I wil gather them saith the Lord Zeph. 3.18 that are sorrowfull for the solemne assembly who are of thee to whom the reproach of it
affected with the miseries of the Church and bow 562 c. Pray for the Church 567 Onely the Church hath benefit by Christ. 744 Nor all within that Ibid. Church-Assemblies Being come into them we must set our selves as in the presence of God 35 Their sin which behave themselves unreverently in them 36 That sleepe ordinarily there 708 709 That absent themselves from them 710 Reverence due in them in three regards 709 The fulnesse of them a comfort to Gods children 800 Civill-honesty In it selfe a good thing pleasing to God and such as he useth to reward 692 693 The great sinne of Professors that are defective in that 694 695 Yet no sound comfort to be found in this alone 695 696 Comfort Ministers must take care to comfort such as are afflicted in conscience though the greatest part of their audience stand not in need of the word of consolation 135 136 459 649 650 Reasons to perswade such as are afflicted in mind to give way to comfort 137 God intends good to his children by with-holding comfort from them for a time 142 Comfort for those that complaine and mourne for their unprofitablenesse in the use of Gods ordinances 595 Of their doubtings and infidelity 647 648 654 680 682 Common-wealth A great sin to be all for ourselves and to have no care of the common good 125 We must seeke the good of it 806 The Gospell brings blessings to it 806 807 Communion Their sin that forbeare it because they are out of Charity 113 Because we come not to it rightly humbled wee depart without comfort 265 266 There 's great force in that to work assurance of Gods favour in Christ. 635 And constancy in the truth 797 Concupiscence without consent is sin 306 Conference We should conferre of what we heare specially in our owne families 40 41 Good in trouble of mind to make knowne our case to some faithfull friend or Minister 151 Confession He that truly repents will willingly confesse and bewaile his sin 158 He that can rightly and truly confesse his sins may be sure to find mercy in the pardon of them 159 160 The Reasons why Gods people have beene so willing to confesse their sinnes and why the Lord hath so much delighted to see them do so 161 162 How farre forth confession of sinne in private to a Minister or other friend is not necessary 163 164 How farre forth it is profitable and fit 164 165 Those whose sinnes are publike and scandalous must be willing to make publike confession and profession of their repentance 171 c. Three cautions touching this 171 Confession of our sinnes to God is of all other most necessary and usefull 191 192 Five meanes whereby we may be enabled to confesse our sinnes aright 196 c. Five properties of sincere confession of sinne 198 203 Conscience Thy conscience will one day bring thy secretest sinnes to thy mind 207 And smite thee for them 208 No comparison betweene the pleasure of sinne and that 209 A good conscience a speciall meanes to make us beare affliction comfortably and patiently 272 And to get assurance of Gods favour 409 410 638 641 Make conscience of every truth 793 794 Conversion The power and goodnesse of God to us in it is admirable 342 c. God hath set a time for every mans conversion we must count the present time that 345 Reioyce in the truth of grace wrought in thee 346 In it a change and reformation wrought in the whole man 414 Three cautions 415 416 Conversion is to be ascribed wholly unto God and the mighty working of his grace 503 c. 519 The work of grace in the conversion of man is most free 510 511 God in denying the meanes of conversion or grace of conversion to any doth them no wrong because he is a solute Soveraigne 519 520 In that he denies effectuall grace to profit by the meanes to most he manifests his free grace and mercy to his elect 520 God in conversion not onely offers grace but conâ—ers and inâ—useth that grace into the will that actually inclines it 524 Covetousnesse True saith will subdue it 733 Curiosity Take heed of affecting the knowledge of curious intricate and unprofitable points 785 This discerned three wayes 786 788 D. Death ONe chiefe thing that should make the faithfull willing to die is that then they shall sin no more but be freed from all possibility of falling away 11 324 325 In the best an unwillingnesse to die 325 Delay Presently set upon the practice of what you have learned out of the Word 43 Seeke speedily the pardon of sin 9â— Without delay make thy best use of the meanes of conversion 346 Desire Vnfained desire to please God a signe of uprightnesse 438 439 463 Five differences between the desires of the godly and the wicked 442 443 Signes to know a true desire of grace 465 Doubting All doubting is not a signe of infidelitie 242 Yet a dangerous signe not to bee able to believe the Word nor to be troubled with infidelity Ibid. Or to dispute against the Word 243 Comforts for such of Gods children as doubt they are hypocrites 461 A man may be in the state of grace though hee perceive it not 650 651 He that finds least comfort in himselfe yet should rest upon Christ. 653 E. Enemies WE must love them and expresse it in eight duties 752 753 Errours Corruption in iudgement the most dangerous corruption 779 780 The faithfull may erre in matters of smaller moment 780 781 Yea in fundamentall points for a time 782 We must shun the hearing and conâ—erring with seducers 784 Examination Christians should daily examine their wayes 197 198 A meanes to get and increase assurance of Gods favour 641 643 Example Great force in example 298 Experience It is profitable to call to mind the signes of grace we had in former times 643 And the speciall Experiments wee have had of Gods love in temporall blessing 644 But specially in spirituall things 645 Exercises of Religion Every man is to spend some part of every day in them 320 Conscionable use of them is a meanes to mortifie corruption 321 F. Faith WIthout faith we cannot beare afflictions patiently but having it we may 266 267 How to trie it 268 Diverse effects of it 627 True faith is operative 626 Comfort for such as complaine of the weaknesse of it 269 Till faith come into the heart no sin can be mortified but when it commeth it will mortifie sin 326 327 Two reasons of that 327 330 We must exercise and make use of our faith 330 Faith the root of all true piety and love to God 397 There may be true faith where there is no assurance of salvation 411 650 652 Wherein the nature of true faith consisteth 411 413 653 It will bring comfortable assurance in the end 413 The inward instrument to sanctifie the heart 731 All men by nature unable to believe 746 Falls of the godly The truly
him and cry to him that is the God of love 2 Cor. 13.11 that by that blessed spirit of his which is the spirit of love 2 Tim. 1.7 hee would give thee an heart to love him And if thou canst seeke to him this way thou hast no cause to despaire For he that commandeth us Matth. 5.44 45. Love your enemies blesse them that curse you c. will doubtlesse love thee if in truth of heart thou desire to love him Lecture LXXIX On Psalme 51.6 Ianuary 29. 1627. NOw it followeth that we proceed unto the second part of this application and so unto the second grace whereof the right root of all true righteousnesse and goodnesse doth consist namely a lively faith I told you the last day that if God should move to every one of you particularly that that was moved unto Peter Iohn 21.15 as who knoweth how soone it may be moved to us either by the Lord himselfe when he shall wrestle with us as he did with Iacob Gen. â—2 or by Satan our adversary there is many a one among you that doe unfeignedly love the Lord would make a very doubtfull and fearefull answer unto this question because though you doe indeed love him yet you doe not feele or perceive in your selves that you doe so But you are ready upon the hearing of the former Doctrine to say Have none upright hearts but such onely as doe love the Lord Alas then I feare I am no better then an hypocrite for I am exceedingly subject unto slavish feare I cannot thinke of death but I tremble I cannot heare of any danger of an invasion or such like troubles but I am ready to quake for feare I cannot heare or see any great thunder or lightning but I am exceedingly distempered with slavish feare And can there be any true love of God in such a heart Now to these poore soules that object thus against themselves I have three things to say 1. Thou maist have the true love of God in thy heart though thou be subject unto these feares 2. Thou hast in thee evident signes that thou hast the true love of God in thy heart though thou bee so subject unto these feares 3. Yet thou must strive against these feares and labour to rid thy heart of them For the first I say It is possible for one that truly loveth the Lord and that hath an upright heart to be much subject to these feares This I will make evident to you 1 by some instances and examples that will make it plaine unto you that it may be so 2 by certaine reasons that will shew you why it may be and is so For examples we read Iob was subject to these feares even before the time of his great affliction while he enjoyed much prosperity and outward peace For whereas he saith of himselfe Iob 3.26 that in those daies I was not in peace neither had I rest neither was I quiet he telleth us in the former verse 25. that it was feare that did thus disquiet him David also oft complaineth of this Psal. 119.120 My flesh trembleth for feare of thee and I am afraid of thy judgements This may seeme to bee more then a child-like feare to offend God that he could not see nor heare of any strange judgements of God but his flesh trembled at it And Psal. â—â— 4 â— My heart is â—ore pained within me with what with feare as appeareth by the next words and the terrours of death are fallen upon me fearefullnesse and trembling are come upon me and horrour hath overwhelmed mee What poore Christian is there in the world can say more of his feares And yet Heman the Prophet goeth further Psal. 88.15 While I suffer thy terrours I am distracted and verse 16. Thy terrours have cut me off As if he had said For feare and terrour I know not what to doe I have no use of my understanding I am become even as a dead man Take another example for this in the Apostle Paul who professeth of himselfe 2 Cor. 7.5 that while he was in Macedonia he found no rest in his flesh but that as he had fightings without much opposition and trouble raised against him by men so he had terrours within Certainely he was much subject to these feares we speake of But what speake I of particular examples this is the condition of most Christians that at one time or other they are subject unto them Yea they are more subject unto them a great deale then the lewdest men are who have much more just cause to feare then they have as wee see the trees that have life and sap in them are shaken too and fro with the winds when those that are dry and dead are not moved at all but strand stone-still In which respect the Lord speaking to them to whom the promises of the Gospell do belong calleth them Esa. 35.4 such as are of a fearefull heart and chideth them for this Esa. 51.13 Thou hast feared continually every day because of the fury of the oppressour Now if you would know the reasons why Gods most faithfull and upright-hearted seruants may be so subject to these feares and why they are so I find two principall causes of this First Their owne weaknesse When the Apostle speaketh of those feares he was subject to among the Corinthians he imputeth them to his owne weaknesse I was with you saith he 1 Cor. 2.3 in weakenesse and in feare and in much trembling And there is a double weakenesse in the best of Gods servants a naturall weakenesse and a sinfull weakenesse and so there is a naturall feare and a sinfull feare in them Our blessed Saviour that had no sin in him yet when he was in the garden was sore afraid and being to pray durst not be alone but got three of his Disciples to be by him yea charged them to keepe themselves awake too as you shall find Mar. 14.32 34. Through this naturall weakenesse it is that the best man that is may feele in himselfe some feare of death and when he seriously thinketh of his appearing before God or when the Lord doth by any extraordinary worke as thundring and lightning and earth-quakes c. manifest unto him his glorious power he cannot choose but feare and tremble I remembred God and was troubled saith the Prophet Psal. 77.3 and that hath oft beene the case of many a good soule When God shewed his glory in the delivering of the law by darknesse and tempest by thunder and lightning it is said by the Apostle Heb. 12.21 that the sight was so terrible that Moses himselfe said I exceedingly feare and quake Yea when Christ did shew his divine and glorious power even in goodnesse by bringing such a multitude of fish to the net that it brake withall it is said Luk. 5.8 9. that Peter was so astonished with feare that he fell downe at Iesus knees saying depart from me for I am a sinfull man O Lord. But besides