strength of love of ours it is his own free grace and love which is shed by the holy Ghost and springs only from his own goodnesse and loving nature and not from us at all this is Grace It must be distinguished from the fruits of it as the Apostle doth distinguish them Rom. 5. 15. Grace and the gifts of grace There is favour and the gifts of favour which is grace inherent in us Here especially is meant the fountaine and spring of all the favour of God with the manifestation of it with the increase of it with the continuance of it He wisheth these things the favour of God with the manifestation of it to their souls that as God would be gracious to them so that he would shew his Grace that he would discover it and shine upon them and to that end that he would give them his holy Spirit to shed his love into their hearts This shining of God into the heart this shedding of the love of God into the heart is the Grace here meant Gods favour with the manifestation of it to the soul and with the continuance of it and the increase of it still Grace unto you As if he should have said I wish you the favour of God and the report of it to your souls that as he loves you through his Christ so he would witnesse as much by his holy Spirit to your souls And I wish you likewise the continuance of it and the increase of it and the fruits of it likewise for that must not be excluded all particular graces which are likewise called Graces They have the name of favours because they come from favour and favour is the chief thing in them What is the chief thing in joy in faith in love they are graces they cannot be considered as qualifications as earthly things in us they proceed from the grace and love of God and have their especial value from thence So I wish you the manifestation the continuance and increase of favour with all the fruits of Gods favour especially such as concern a better life The word is easily understood after the common sence Grace is the loving and free respect of a superiour to an inferiour the respect of a Magistrate to such as are under him such a one is in grace with the Prince we say we mean not any inherent thing but free grace So in Religion it is not any inherent habitual thing Grace but it is free favour and whatsoever issues from free favour This must be the rather observed this phrase against the Papists we say we are Justified by Grace and so do they what do they mean by being justified by Grace that is by inherent Grace we say No we are justified by Grace that is by the free favour of God in Jesus Christ so is the acception of the word But to come to the point that which I will now note is this that A Christian though he be in the state of Grace and favour with God yet still he needs the continuance of it He stands in need of the continuance of God St. Paul here prayes for Grace and peace to those that were in the state of Grace already Why The reason of it is that we run into new breaches every day of our selves as long as there is a spring of corruption in us a cursed issue of corruption so long there will be some actions and speeches and thoughts that will issue that would of themselves break our peace with God or at least hinder the sweet sence of it therefore we have continual occasion to renew our desires of the sence and feeling of the favour of God and to renew our pardon every day to take out a pardon of course as we have now the liberty to do so oft as we confesse our sins he is mercifull to forgive us and to win his favour we have need every day still still of Grace I list not to joyn in conflict here with the Papists concerning their opinion I will but touch it by the way to shew the danger of it They will not have all of meer Grace but Christians are under Grace while they are in this World as St. Paul saith all is Grace Grace still nay at the day of judgement The Lord shew mercy to the house of One siphorus at that day at the day of judgement Grace and mercy must be our plea till we come to heaven They stand upon Grace to enable us to the work and then by the work we may merit our own salvation and so they will not have it of Grace of gift but as a stipend a thing of merite Directly contrary to St. Paul Rom. 6. ult Eternal life is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word comes of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of gift The gift of God a free gift through Jesus Christ our Lord. So from the first Grace to Eternall life which is the complement of all all is Grace As for the New Testament it is the Covenant of Grace the whole carriage of our salvation is called the Covenant of Grace because God of Grace doth enter into Covenant with us He sent Christ of Grace who is the foundation of the Covenant The fulfilling of it on our part is of Grace he gives us faith Faith is the gift of God he puts his fear in our hearts that we should not depart from him And when he enters into Covenant with us it is of Grace and love It was of Grace that he sent Christ to be the foundation of the Covenant that in the satisfying of his justice he might be gracious to us without disparagement to his justice Of Grace he fulfils the condition on our part we are no more able to believe then we are to fulfil the law but he inables us by his word and spirit attending upon the meanes of Salvation to fulfil the Covenant And when we have done all he gives us of Grace Eternal life all is of Grace There is nothing in the Gospel but Grace therefore in the Ephes. 1. it is stood upon by the Apostle To the praise of the Glorie of his rich Grace From Election to Glorification all is to the Glorie of his Grace We ought to conceive of God as a Gracious Father withholding his anger which we deserve to be poured upon us by the intercession of Christ withholding that anger and the fruits of it And notwithstanding we are in Grace if we neglect to seek to God the Father if we neglect to seek to Christ who makes intercession for us then though we be in the first Grace still we are not east away yet we are filii sub ira sons under wrath we are under Anger though not under hatred Therefore every day we should labour to maintain the Grace of God with the assurance of it It is a great matter to carrie our selvs so as we may be under the sence and feeling of the Grace of God It
hath all to do again Another man sees an end of his work but in this the Devil and corruption hath undone all again We enforce good things on people on the Lords day but within one day ill company and imployment in worldly businesse overthrowes all the Sea banks are down they must be new repaired Therefore there is a necessity laid on us of the Ordinances to our lives end till our soules be in heaven there is a necessity of repairing them We cannot be too diligent in our places And those that have the oversight of others let them make conscience of it it is needful And mark here in the next Point the language of Canaan the language of the Spirit of God that he puts the name of Grace upon every benefit especially those that concern a better life Grace usually we take to be nothing but a gracious frame of heart the new creature as we call it but indeed in the language of the Holy Ghost every free gift of God that concerns our soules any way is a grace The very Ministery is a grace It is the grace and free love of God to give us the Ministery The very heart to imbrace it and to hear it is a grace The very heart to give almes is a grace saith S. Paul 2 Cor. 9. Thanks be to God for this unspeakable gift for this unspeakable grace that you had a heart to give so that every thing that is good it is a Grace a gift of God Saint Paul conceived of his coming to them as a grace Indeed the Grace of God moved and directed S. Paul to come to them It is Grace that God directs the Preacher to speak to the people It is a grace that the Minister speaks gracious things It is a greater grace when you close with and entertain that which is spoken all is of Grace Your ready minds to do good it comes of God it is a grace your acceptance of God as well as eternal life all is of free grace The ground of it is this as Austin as I said defines Predestination well It is a destinating and ordaining to a supernatural end to everlasting salvation in the world to come and a preparing of all means to that end Why now as it is a grace that God pulls oft some men to an eternal estate of salvation in heaven to a supernatural estate that they could never attain without his especial Grace so the preparing of all means to that end it falls within the compasse of Predestination within the grace So when we have any means prepared to bring us to that end the offer of the Word and the Spirit of God disposing us to imbrace the Word this preparing of the means to that end it falls within the compasse of Predestination we may gather our Election by it when we see the Word sent in favour and have gracious hearts to receive it this is a preparation wrought to bring us to heaven a man may know his Election by it all is of grace that falls within the decree of grace When God decrees to bring a man to heaven all that helps to the main must needs be grace The Minister is a grace the Word a grace opportunities to do good a grace the communion of Saints a grace all that helps a man forward is a grace A gracious heart sees God in every thing it sees Gods love in every thing it considers of every thing that befalls it as a Grace Why From this disposition especially because with the grace there is grace to make a blessed use of and to improve every thing If this be so let us look upon every benefit that concerns salvation though it be remote even the very direction of good speeches to us account it a grace It is the grace of God that I have this opportunity especially the publick Ministery Saint Paul calls it a grace let us think of it as a grace And as we do in Clocks we go from the hammer that strikes to the wheeles and from one wheel to another and so to the weights that make it strike we go to the first weight the first wheel that moves all and leads all So when we see good done look not to the good done onely but go to the wheeles to the weights what moves it and makes it strike what sets all a going The grace and free love of God when good things are spoken when any good is done go higher to the first wheel that sets all a going to the grace and free love of God This is the language of the Scripture and of the Spirit of God thus we must speak and think to the end that God may have the glory of his grace in whatsoever good is done or offered When Abigail met David and diverted him from his bloody intention to kill Nabal and gave him counsel another way O blessed be God and blessed be thou and blessed be thy counsell So when opportunities are offered to do good and to hinder us from evil intentions O blessed be thou and blessed be thy counsel When a benefit is done if it be a benefit of this life take it as a grace coming freely from God So a poor man his almes is a grace Thanks be unto God for this unspeakable gift saith S. Paul It is grace in him that hath it that God should respect him so much as to relieve him It is grace in the party that gives it that he hath a heart enlarged to do it So when any thing outward or spiritual is done that is good look on it as a grace put that respect on it and that will make you holy-minded to give God his own Our life should be a praising and blessing of God we should begin the employment of heaven while we are on earth How should we do that In all things give thanks Every good thing from God take it as a grace as a largesse not as due not as coming by chance but as a grace and this will make us improve it as a grace for the best it will make us to give God the glory and improve it to our own good when we are thankful for grace that we may have cause to account it a grace Our hearts would not be so full of Atheisme and our tongues so full of blasphemies if we had learned this lesson our lives would be a praising of God And that we may not want matter to feed a thankful spirit alway consider what good things we have are of grace we deserve not so much as a crumb of bread therefore we pray Give us this doy our daily bread Every thing is a Grace especially the things of a better life How shall I know that the Minister is a grace or a good speech from a Minister to be a grace as S. Paul saith here I intended you a second grace that is to speak gracious thing to you I shall know it if by that
bonds and when he pleaseth he can sue his bonds and God is well pleased with it Therefore indeed there is little difference between a Christian in poverty and a rich Christian onely the one hath more for the present but God is the riches of the other As for a worldling he hath but a Cistern when he hath most the other hath the spring he hath God in Covenant and Gods promises Let us therefore consider every day the exigents we are in whether in want of grace or want of assistance and necessaries or want of comfort and according to that let us consider what we are to do are we at our wits end now is there no hope for this in Israel Yes God hath left us rich and precious promises let us look to them In the next place then from our wants look to the Promises and proportion the promises to our wants ranck the promises it were a good work Oh that we should have so many promises and yet have them to seek when the Devil besiegeth us he layeth siege to shake our consciences and we are to seek in the time of temptation Let us remember the promises answerable to our necessities If we be troubled with sin call to mind the promise of forgivenesse If we be troubled with want call to mind the promise of supply If we be troubled with fear for the time to come call to mind the Covenant of grace the marriage for everlasting God whom he loves he loves to the end God loves us in Christ he loves Christ for ever therefore he will love us for ever So as I said before suit the promises to our present estate And from the promises have a higher rise yet go to him in whom they are made they are rich promises indeed good promises but how shall I know they shall be performed in whom are they made In whom God loves thee in Christ. What is he God and man he is God and therefore able to perform them he is man and therefore he loves thee as his own flesh and therefore he will perform them He is the Son of Gods love God for his sake as Mediatour will perform them heaven and earth shall conspire for thy good rather then thou shalt misse of the performance of the least promise Therefore from thy wants go to the promises and from the promises go to Christ and consider him he is anointed of God for thee he is anointed that he might be thy Christ and thy Jesus that he might be thy Saviour Immanuel God with us that he might reconcile God and us that in office he might be so that he might bring God and us together Consider him And then go to God and consider what relation in Jesus Christ God hath put upon him In Christ God is a Father and what can a Father deny to his adopted son in Christ whom he looks on in his natural Son Christ Yea and to settle our minds the more let us consider the relations that God and Christ have put upon them and the relations we stand in and the many promises we have in Christ who is anointed and sealed by God the Father to be our Saviour and to bestow good upon us God is become our Father what a world of promises is in that word Father what will a father deny to his son What if God had not left particular promises in Scripture if he had left but the relation of a Father it had been promise enough what can a father deny his child And then Christ what relation hath he taken on him he is our Husband what a world of promises is there in that what can a loving husband deny his spouse that he hath given himself for He hath taken upon him to be our head what want of influence can there be from such a head that hath taken all upon him for the body the head sees and hears and doth all for the body so Christ heares and sees and doth all for us What a world of promises is in this relation of a head if there were no particular promise Again Christ stiles himself sweetly our brother what a world of promises are in these relations God the Father is ours Christ is ours here is the grand Promise I will be your God and will give you my Son And then in the third place he hath promised his Spirit he will give his Spirit to them that beg him what a world of Promises is in that promise of the Spirit It is a comforting Spirit a sanctifying Spirit a quickening Spirit a strengthening Spirit all is in the Spirit As our soul doth all that the body doth so it is by vertue of the Spirit all the grace and all the comfort we have God hath promised himself and Christ and the Spirit the whole Trinity There is the grand Promise I will be your God Christ shall be your Christ and I will give you my Spirit If we had not other promises what a world of comfort have we in these Now in what relation stand we to these We are children we are heires we are Temples of the Holy Ghost c. put case our memories do not serve to call to mind particular promises in the time of trouble Consider in Christ how God loves thee he is thy God in Christ how Christ loves thee he hath taken thy nature on him to be thy husband he makes love to thee and desires thee to be reconciled And the Spirit is given thee by Christ he hath promised to give him if thou ask him the holy Spirit is the Spirit of Promise Think therefore of the general of the Covenant of grace and these relations that have the force of promises for sometimes particular promises may not come to our mind perhaps and these will stablish a man against the gates of hell and against all particular temptations This course we ought to take then to feed our thoughts with the promises the promises are the food of faith let not our faith languish and famish for want for want of meditations of God and Christ what relations they have put upon them and for want of meditating on particular promises in all kinds How well thriving might our faith be if we would oft think of these things And to make us the more to think of these things consider that all other things alas what are they when we have not a promise of them in Christ They are all vain fading things they will all come to nothing That which we have by promise grace and comfort and glory they are ours for ever God is ours for ever Christ is ours for ever the Spirit is ours for ever the relations we are in are for ever all other things are nothing they will come to nothing ere long This course we ought to take then that we may have comfort by the Promises Again in the next place if we look to the
as his Word was at the first in the creation of the World it hath a creating Power he raiseth an excellent frame in the heart of a man he scatters his natural blindnesse he sets in order his natural confusion that a man becomes a new creature and an heire of a new World Let no people despair nor no person for God hath his Church in Corinth But what is become of this Church now Why alas it is under the slavery of the Turks it is under miserable captivity at this day At the first Corinth was overthrown by Numeus a Roman Captain for the abusing the Roman Ambassadors it was ruinated for the unfit carriage to the Ambassadors who would not suffer themselves to be contemned nor the Majestie of the Roman Empire But Augustus Caesar afterwards repaired it And now for neglecting of Gods Ambassadors the Preachers of the Gospel it is under another misery but Spiritual it is under the bondage I say of that Tyrant What is become of Rome that glorious City It is now the habitation of Devils a cage of unclean birds What is become of those glorious Churches which St. John wrote those Epistles to in his Revelation and which St. Paul wrote unto Alas they are gone the Gospel is now come into the Western parts And shall we think all shall be safe with us as the Jewes did crying the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord Jer. 7. No No unlesse we respect Christs blessed Gospel of Salvation except we bring forth fruits worthy of it except we maintain and defend it and think it our honour and our crown and be zealous for it if we suffer the insolent enemies of it to grow as vipers in the very bosom of the Church what is like to become of us If there were no forraign Enemies to invade us we would let slip the glorious Gospel of Salvation God will not suffer this indignity to this blessed Jewel his truth he will not suffer the Doctine of the Gospel to be so disrespected You see the fearful example of the Church of Corinth Let those whom it may concern that have any advantage and authority let them put in for Gods cause put in for the Gospel labour to propagate and to derive this blessed truth we enjoy to posterity by suppressing as much as they may the underminers of it It is an acceptable service To the Church of God at Corinth And all the Saints in Achaia COrinth was the City Achaia the country wherein Corinth was There were then Saints holy men in all Achaia And St. Paul writes to All Saints to weak Saints to strong Saints to rich Saints to poor Saints because every Saint hath somewhat that is lovely and respective in them somewhat to be respected The least grace deserves respect from the greatest Apostle And all have one head all have one hope of Glory all are redeemed with the same precious blood of Christ and so I might run on The many priviledges agree to all Therefore all should have place in our respect To all Saints that the least should not think themselves undervalued weaknesse is most of all subject to complayning if it be disrespected Therefore in heavenly wisdom and prudence the Apostle puts in All Saints In all Achaia whatsoever Besides the mother City the Metropolis of that Country which was Corinth there were Saints scattered God in heavenly wisdome scatters his Saints As seed when it is scattered in the ground it doth more good then when it is on heaps in the barn so God scatters his Saints as Jewels as the lights of the World here he will have one to shine and there another here he will have one fruitful to condemne the wicked world where they are and by their good example and their heavenly and fruitful conversation to draw out of the wicked estate of nature those with whom they are Therefore he will have them scattered here and there not onely at Corinth but Saints in all Achaia besides scattered in other places But we must know by the way that these Saints had reference to some particular Church for though it be sufficient to make a Christian to have union with Christ there is the main the head yet notwithstanding he must be a branch he must be a member of some particular Congregation therefore we have it in Act. 4. God added to the Church such as should be saved Those that are added to salvation must be added to the Church a man must be a member of some particular Church So though these were scattered they were members of some Church Gods children are as stones in some building and there is an influence of Grace comes from Christ the Head to every particular member as it is in the body God quickens not stragling members that have no reference to any particular Church that I note by the way To the Church of God at Corinth and all the Saints in Achaia Saints The Apostle calls them Saints all believers are called Saints Are they so are all in the visible Church Saints Yes say some and therefore they say that our Church is not a true visible Church because many of them are not Saints say some that went out from among us I Answer all are or should be Saints St. Paul wrote here to those that were sacramental Saints and such as by outward covenant and profession were Saints not that they were all of them inwardly so but all should be so done he calls them so to put them in mind of their duty To cleare this point a little Sometimes the Church of God in the Scripture hath its name from the commixtion of good and bad in it so it is called a field where there is a mixture of good and bad seed so it is called a house wherein there are vessels of honour and vessels of dishonour because there is such a mixture in the visible Church Sometimes the Church hath the name from the better part and so it is the Spouse of Christ the love of Christ a peculiar people a holy nation and Saints as it is here Not that all are so but it hath the denomination from the better part all should be so and the best are so and it is sufficient that the denomination of a company be from the better part As we say of Gold Oare though there be much earth mixed with it yet in regard of the better part we call it Gold we give it that name so in regard that the best are Saints and that all should be so therefore he calls them all Saints should all in the visible Church be Saints by profession and by Sacrament should all that are Baptized and receive the Communion enter into a profession of sanctity What say you then to a prophane atheistical Generation that forsooth make a shew of holinesse and therefore we must look for none of them I say all prophane persons are grosse Hypocrites why
hypocrite in many respects but in this one mainly that a true Saint of God is altered in the inward frame and qualification of his soul he is a new Creature therefore there is a spring of better thoughts of better desires of better aimes in him then in other men And he labours more after the inward frame of his heart then after his outward carriage what he is ashamed to do he is ashamed to think he is ashamed to lust after what he desires to do he desires to love in his heart he labours that all may be true in the inward man because grace as well as nature begins from the heart from the inward parts An hypocrite never cares for that all his care is for the outward parts he is sale-work so his carriage be acceptable to others all his care is taken he lives to the view therefore he looks not to the substance and the truth but to the shadow and appearance Now I come to the Salutation it self VERSE 2. Grace be unto you c. GRace doth enter into the whole conversation of a Christian and doth sweeten his very Salutations Which I observe because many men confine their Religion to places to actions and to times there is a relish of holinesse in every thing that comes from a Christian in his Salutations and Courtesies St. Paul salutes them Grace and peace from God c. And the use of holy Salutations are To Shew Love Win To shew love and respect therefore he salutes them and by shewing love to gain love for there is a Loadstone in love And thirdly the use of salutations is by them to convey some good for these salutations are not meer wishes but prayers nay blessings Gods people are a blessed people and they are full of blessing they carry a blessing in their very speeches What is a blessing A blessing is a prayer with the application of the thing prayed for it is somewhat more then a prayer Grace be with you and peace It is not onely a meer wish I desire it nay my desire of it is with an applying of it grace shall be with you and peace and the more because I heartily wish it to you It is no light matter to have the benediction and salutation of a holy man especially those that are Superiours for the Superiours blesse the Inferiours there is a grace goes even with the very salutations with the common prayers of a holy man It is a comfortable sign when God doth enlarge the heart of a holy man to wish well to a man And surely the very consideration of that should move us to let them have such incouragement from our carriage and demeanour that they may have hearts to think of us to the throne of Grace to give us a good wish to give us a good desire for every gracious desire every prayer hath its effect when it comes from a favourite of God especially from such a man as St. Paul was from a Minister a holy man in a calling a man of God they have their efficacy with them they are not empty words Grace and peace The Popes think it a great favour when they bestow their Apostolical benediction and blessing their blessing is not much worth their curse is better then their blessing but surely the blessing of a man rightly called those that are true Ministers of Christ they are cloathed with Power and efficacy from God Grace be with you and peace it is no idle complement And here you see likewise what should be the manner of the salutation of Christians as they ought to salute to shew love and to gain love so all their salutations should be holy There is a takingthe name of God in vain in salutations oft times God save you c. and it must be done with a kind of scorn and if there be any demonstration of Religion it becomes them not that which should become them most What should become a Saint but to carrie himself Saint-like and yet men must do it with a kind of scorn with a kind of gracelesse grace that which in the religious use of it is a comfortable and sweet thing and is alway with a comfortable and gracious effect in Gods Children Either it hath effect and is made grace to them to whom it is spoken or returns to them that speak it As Christ saith to his Disciples when you come into a house pronounce peace to them and if the house be not worthy your peace shall return to you So the salutations of a good man if they be not effectual to the parties if they be unworthy rebellious creatures they return again to himself they have effect one way or other Let it not be done therefore with a taking the Name of God in vain in a scornful manner but with gravity and reverence as becometh a holy action There is some limitation and exception of this Salutations in some cases may be omitted As in serious businesse salute no man by the way as Christ saith to his Apostles A neglect sometimes is good manners when respect is swallowed up in a greater duty As it was good manners for David to Dance and to carry himself as it were unseemly before the Ark because he was to neglect respect to meaner persons to forget the respect he was to shew to men being altogether taken up with higher matters it was a kind of decencie and comlinesse And overmuch scrupulousnesse and nicenesse in lesser things when men are called to greater is but unmannerly manners in these cases these lesser must give way and place to the greater Salute no man by the way dispatch the businesse you are about that is if it may be a hindrance in the way salute not this is in respect of time And as for time so for persons a notorious incorrigible Heretick salute not to salute such a one would be as it were a connivence or an indulgence to him salute him not The denying of a Salutation many times hath the force of a censure the party neglected may think there is somewhat in him for which he is neglected in that manner In these cases salutations may be omitted sometimes But I go unto the particulars Grace be unto you and peace These are the good things wished We see the Apostle a blessed man that had been in the third heaven wrapt up that had been taught of Christ what things were most excellent and had himself seen excellent things which he could not utter when he comes to wishes we see out of heavenly wisedom and experience he drawes them to two heads all good things to Grace and peace If there had been better things to be wished he would have wished them but Grace and peace are the principal things What is meant by Grace here Grace in this place is the free favour and love of God from his own bowels not for any desert or worth or
is great in security and assurance a shilling may secure a bargain of a thousand pounds perhaps so the Spirit it is little in quantity it may be but it is great in assurance And as we value an earnest not for the bignesse of the piece for alas it may be it is but little but we value and esteem it for that which it is an earnest of So the work of the Spirit the joy and peace of the Spirit the comforts of the Spirit though they be little yet they are great in security and are to be prized according to that excellent bargain and possession of which they are an Earnest Fourthly an Earnest is given rather for the security of the party that receives it then in regard of him that gives it so God gives the Earnest of the Spirit grace and comfort this not so much in regard of God for God meaneth to give us heaven and happinesse he hath passed his Word and he is Master of his Word be is Jehovah that gives a being to his Word as well as to every other thing but notwithstanding having to deal with doubtful mistrustful persons he doth it for our security he regards not himself so much but us He works answerable to his own greatnesse strongly but he speaks according to our weaknesse and therefore here is the term of Earnest borrowed for this purpose And lastly an Earnest is never taken away but it is made up with the bargain so it is with the Spirit of God the graces and comforts of it are never wholly taken from a Christian but accomplished in heaven I will leave you the Comforter saith our Saviour Christ that shall abide with you for ever So that in these and such like other respects the Spirit of God by it self together with the graces of it and the comforts it bringeth for they go both together are called an Earnest Hence then having thus cleared the words we may observe some particular Doctrines As first I Observe from the first property of an Earnest that it secures the whole bargain this That A Christian ought to be and may be assured of his estate in grace Because as I said before an Earnest is given for security and that not so much for Gods sake as for our sakes this then must needs follow either none have this earnest or those that have it may be assured or else God is fickle and playes fast and loose with his children which is blasphemy to affirm If none have this earnest then the Apostle speakes false when he saith here he stablisheth us and gives us the earnest of his Spirit and us with you both together ordinary Christians as well as grand ones as well as Paul may be assured of their salvation And if this be so then either those that have this earnest this seal of the Spirit they may be assured or no and if not where is the fault doth not God mean in good earnest to them when he gives them this undoubtedly he doth and why is it given but for assurance he is desirous that we should be perswaded of his love in all things and therefore Gods Children they may and they ought to be assured of his love in this world It is a Point that we have often occasion to meet with in other portions of Scripture I speak it therefore here only as a ground out of this place in that the Spirit of God together with the graces and comforts are called an Earnest I say therefore from hence that we may be assured of our salvation I beseech you what is the aim of the Epistles to the 〈◊〉 to the Ephesians of the Epistle of S. John but a stirring of them up to whom they wrote to be perswaded of Gods love to them and to shew what excellent things we have by the love of God in Christ And S. Johns Epistle it is for nothing else in respect of the substance of it but to give evidences how we may know that we are the sons of God Wherefore did God become man Wherefore was Christ himselfe sealed by the Father Son and Holy Ghost to his office when he was baptized and wherefore he did dye and rise againe and wherefore doth he make intercession in heaven that we should doubt of Gods love when he hath given us that which is greater then salvation that which is greater then all the world his own Son Would we have a greater pledge of his love Is not all this that we should not doubt of his love to us if we cast our selves upon him by faith Christians may and ought and have had assurance these here had assurance and the Scripture speaks of such as had it they have had it we may have it because the Spirit is a Seal and an Earnest and we ought to have it because God hath framed both his Word and his Sacraments and all his dealing to man so as to perswade us of his love Yet adde this Caution That Christians have not at all times a like assurance of their salvation neither all Christians at all times have it not nor the best have it not at all times For there is an infancy of grace when we know not our own estate and condition and there is a time of temptation after infancy when likewise we stagger in our assurance there be times likewise of desertion when God to make us look better to our footing leaves us a little as if he would forsake us when indeed he leaves us to draw us after him to cleave more closely to him for this shaking is to settle us deeper So there be times and seasons wherein though we be assured yet we cannot then know our own assurance And this assurance differeth in Christians for some have more some lesse even as the constitution of the body some are of a melancholy constitution that helps Satan in his temptations and they are subject to fearing and misdoubting and so as there is a difference in regard of tempers some are more hardly brought to be perswaded then others so there is a difference likewise in care and diligence for those that use more care and diligence have more assurance there is a difference likewise in growth and continuance in Christianity some are fathers and some are babes Answerable to the difference of constitutions and of care and diligence and of age and growth in Christianity so is the difference of assurance Nay it is possible that for a long time Gods child may want this act of assurance for there is a double act of faith An Act whereby the soul relies upon God as reconciled in Christ and relies upon Christ as given of God and relies upon the promise And then there is a reflect act whereby knowing we do thus we have assurance Now a man may perform the one act not the other we may do that deed that may found our assurance if the waters of the soul
which I observe the rather because I would raise your hearts to hate unbelief and distrust exceedingly because God labours to undermine it by all means possible Wherefore doth he use so many terms here of Sealing Anointing and Earnest with words and Sacraments and all whatsoever may confirm you The Holy Ghost applyes it to us all this is that we may not doubt of the favour of God and therefore when we find any goodnesse in us let us accompt that to give false witnesse against our selves is a horrible sin it is to make God a liar God stands upon his credit and therefore take heed what we say specially if we have found the work of grace in former time any Earnest that we have no grace God doth this for our assurance all his dealing of Word and Sacraments of Earnest and Oath and all that may be to assure us and therefore we should not crosse the goodnesse of God so as to cherish such a disposition as is most contrary to him that he labours to undermine by all means And therefore here is the poyson of Popish Religion that it maintaines doubting and leaves men doubting indeed they do well to maintain it in their Doctrine for indeed they false found a man upon satisfaction they false found him upon Purgatory and merits and the foundation they have of a Christian soul is uncertain and therefore they may well teach doubting it suits with the course that they take but I say it is very corrupt for God useth all means that we should not doubt and therefore it is idly objected God for his part will but for our part we have reason to doubt why he in all things stoops to us he labours to secure us and therefore in the Covenant of grace he doth his part and ours too But I hasten to that which followes because I would end with the time To touch that a little distinctly by it self that the Spirit doth all the Earnest of the Spirit for indeed though Spirit be not added to stablishing yet the Spirit stablisheth by Christ and the Spirit it anoints and the Spirit seales to the day of redemption and the Earnest of the Spirit So it is the Holy Ghost doth all here you have the three Persons in the Trinity we have three grand Enemies the world the flesh and Satan Now here are the three persons in the Trinity stronger then all our enemies He which stablisheth us is God the Father by his Spirit upon whom upon Christ â—…n Christ and gives us the Earnest of his Spirit you have I say the three Persons of the Trinity here but why doth the Spirit give us the Earnest why doth the Spirit give us grace and comfort seal us and doth all and stablisheth us I answer First of all because now since the fall we have no principles of supernatural good and therefore it must be a principle above our nature to work both grace and comforts in our barren hearts Again as there is no principle to that which is supernaturally good so there is opposition to that which is supernaturally good and therefore there must be somewhat to overpower the corruption of our nature But why the Spirit rather then the Father and the Son He comes from both and proceeding from both he is fit to witnesse the love of both for the Holy Ghost is in the breast of the Father and the Son and proceeds from both and he knowes the secret love of the Father to us and the love of Christ Jesus Mediatour to us Now the Spirit knowing the secrets of God as a mans spirit saith the Apostle knowes his own secrets he knowes his love and he knowes whom he loves So the Spirit of God knowing the affection of the Father and the affection of Jesus Christ to us is fit to be an Earnest fit to be a Seal Indeed all things are wrought by the Spirit in grace for application the desert is from the Son originally from the Father but in regard of application of what is wrought by the Son all is by the Holy Ghost both graces and comforts the Holy Ghost takes from Christ for if grace be wrought it is with divine reasons from the love of God in Christ if grace he wrought it is from the wondrous love of God reconciled in Christ wherein heaven is opened hell is vanquished it is by reasons fetched from Christ and so he takes of mine as Christ saith He shall take of mine and give to you he takes reasons from Christ the holy Ghost whereby he makes all the application is altogether by the Spirit And it must be by the Spirit again because the Spirit of God and no lesse then the Spirit can quiet our spirits for when the soul is distempered it is like a distempered lock that no key can open So when the Conscience is troubled what creature can settle the troubled Conscience can open the ambages of a troubled Conscience in such perplexity and confusion and therefore to settle the troubled Conscience aright it must be somewhat above Conscience and that which must quiet the Spirit must be such a Spirit as is above our spirits This is excellently set down in this Epistle in the 3. Chap. the work of the holy Ghost in this kind But I cannot stand upon it now at this time I go on Likewise in the first Epistle to the Corinthians the second Chapter and 11. ver that one place shall stand in stead of all What man knowes the things of a man but the spirit of a man that is in him So the things of God no man knowes but the Spirit Now We have received the spirit not of the world but the Spirit of God to know the things that are freely given us of God if our spirits were in the heart and soul of another man in the breast of another man we should know what another man thinks if a man had a spirit in another mans spirit surely he would know all his thoughts and all his affections Now the holy Spirit of God is in the breast of the Father and the Son and he knowes our spirits better then we know our own spirits he searcheth he is a searcher as the word is in the original the Spirit is a searcher he searcheth our own hearts and he searcheth the secret love of God to us that is the Spirit must stablish us Well then if the Spirit doth all how shall we know then that we have this Spirit A note or two and so go on If we have this Spirit of God to seal us and to be an Earnest I will not speak all that may be but a little for indeed all comes from the Spirit Even as in our souls how may a man know that he hath a soul by living and moving by actions vital c. So we may know a man hath the Spirit of God by those actions that come onely from the Spirit which is to
flesh is purged and the Spirit strengthened and weaning from the world is wrought and a desire to heaven By the daily crosses we suffer as men not for Religion we are much bettered and those in some sort may be called the sufferings of Christ because by them we are conformed to Christ more in holinesse we grow more out of love with the World and more heavenly minded This distinction is necessary to know which are best the sufferings of Christians as good men It is a point I say of wonderous comfort that we should be conformable in our sufferings with our Head Christ Jesus our Glorified head in heaven is it not a wonderous comfort Nay is it not a glory It is a wondrous glory that God will set us apart to do any thing that God will take any thing of us much more that he will single us out to be Champions in his quarrel and more that he will triumph in us that the comfort shall abound To give an instance if a Monarch should redeem a slave a Traitor from Prison and take him to fight in the Quarrel of his own son to be his Champion were it not an honour so the very sufferings for Christ are an encouragement the disgraces and whatsoever they are that we suffer in a good cause they are ensigns of honour they are badges of honour of Christian knighthood If a Golden Fleece or a Garter or such things be accounted so highly of and glorified in because they are favours c. much more should the sufferings for Christ be glorified in as ensigns of the love God and of our Christian profession when we fight under Christs Banner we are like to Christ we are conformable to him he went before and we follow his steps and if we suffer with him we shall be Glorified with him Therefore be not discouraged that which we think to be matter of discouragement it should be our Crown it is our Crown to suffer reproach in a good cause It is a sign God favours us when he takes our credit our goods or our life to honour himself by Is it not an honour to us doth he take any thing from us but he gives us better he takes our goods but he gives us himself he takes our liberty but he gives us enlargement of conscience he takes our life but he gives us heaven if he take any thing from us for to seal his truth and stand out in his quarrel as Christ saith he gives an hundred fold in this World that is a gracious spirit of contentment and comfort We have God himself hath not he more that hath the spring then he that hath twenty Cisterns Those that have riches and place and friends they have Cisterns but he that suffers for God and for Christ he hath Christ he hath God he hath the spring to go to if all be taken from him he hath God the spring to go to if all particular Beams he hath the Sun It is durable wondrous comfort to suffer for Christs sake Therefore let it encourage us in a good course notwithstanding all the opposition we meet with in the World let us here learn what is our duty let the malicious world judge or say or do what they will if God be on our side who can be against us And if we suffer any thing for Christ he suffers with us and in us and he will triumph in us over all these sufferings at last I will add no more to set an edge upon that I have said then this they are the sufferings of Christ we should be many wayes encouraged to suffer for him For did not he suffer for us that which if all the creatures in heaven and earth had suffered they would have sunk under it the wrath of God And what good have we by his sufferings are we not freed from Hell and Damnation and have we not Title to Heaven hath he suffered in his person so much for us and shall not we be content to suffer for him and his mystical body that in his own body suffered so much for us Again when we suffer in his quarrel we suffer not only for him that suffered for us but we suffer for him that sits at the right hand of God that is glorious in heaven The King of Kings and Lord of Lords Our sufferings are sufferings for him that hath done so much for us and for him that is so able now to over-rule all to crush our enemies for him that is so able now to minister comfort by his Spirit This is a notable encouragement that they are the sufferings of Christ that is so glorious as he is and that will reward every suffering and every disgrace we shall be paid well for every suffering we shall lose nothing And will not this encourage us likewise to suffer for Christs sake because he will be with us in all our sufferings he will not leave us alone it is his cause and he will stand by his own cause he will maintain his own quarrel he will cause comfort to increase Is it not an encouragement to defend a Princes quarrel in his own sight when he stands by to abet us it would encourage a dull mettle When we suffer for Christs cause we have Christ to defend us he is with us in all our sufferings to bear us up he puts his shoulder under by his holy Spirit to support us We cannot live long in this world we owe God a death we owe nature a death the sentence of death is past upon us we cannot enjoy the comfort of this World long and for favour and applause of the World we must leave it and it will leave us we know not how soon and this meditation should inforce us to be willing however it go with us for any thing here for life or goods or friends or credit and reputation or whatsoever to be willing to seal the cause of Christ with that which is dearest to us If we suffer with him we shall be glorified with him The very sufferings of Christ are better then the most glorious day of the greatest Monarch in the world that is not a Christian it is better to suffer with Christ then to joy with the world The very abasement of St. Paul was better then the triumph of Nero. Let Moses be judge he judged it the best end of the ballance the very sufferings and reproach of Christ and of Religion is better then the best thing in the world the worst thing in Christianity is better then the best thing out of Christ. The best thing out of Christ is the honour of a King the honour of a Prince to be a Kings Son c. but the reproach of Christ for a good cause is better then the best thing in the world I say let Moses be judge if we will not believe it our selves till we feel it the worst day of a Christian is better then the best day of
a Carnal man for he hath the presence of Gods Spirit to support him in some measure Therefore let us not be afraid before hand fear nothing saith the Apostle that thou shalt suffer And with Moses let us not be ashamed of the rebuke of Christ but Let us go out of the Campe with Christ learning our reproach And because we know not what God may call us to let us entertain presently a resolution to endure whatsoever in this world God calls us to to passe through thick and thin to passe through all kind of waies to the hope of our Glorious calling if by any way by any meanes saith St. Paul I may attain the resurrection of the dead If by any meanes I may come to heaven by fair death or by violent death he scorned reproach if by any means he might be happie And for others it is a wondrous quailing to the spirits of men that offer any wrong if it be but a disgrace a scoffe is a persecution to a Christian for a good cause when wicked men oppose a Christian in a good cause and course let us learn what they do they kick against the pricks Do they know what they do when they reproach Christians it is the reproach of Christ. What was Ishmaels scorning a persecution Christ is scorned in his members will he endure this at their hands When good causes are opposed Christ is opposed and Christ is scoffed This doth enable our suffering being an abasing of it self that Christ accounts it done to him Base men of the world they think when they scoffe at goodnesse and wrong the Image of God in his Children they think they deride and despise a companie of weak creatures that they scoffe at silly persons meaner then themselves but they are deceived they scoffe Christ in them and he takes it so Saul Saul why persecutest thou me The foot is trode on on the earth and the head speaks from heaven It is the reproach of Christ and it will be laid to thy charge at the day of judgment that thou hast scoffed and persecuted and reproached Christ in his members it will be a heavy indictment Men should not regard what they conceive of things but what he that must be their judge will conceive of things ere long and he interprets it as done to his own person It is true both of good and ill whatsoever good we do to a Christian as a Christian to a Disciple in the name of a Disciple Christ takes it as done to himself Matth. 25. In as much as you have done it to these you have done it to mee It should animate us to do good offices to those that are Christs what we do to them we do to Christ. Let us be willing to refresh the bowels of Christ in his members at home or abroad as occasion serves to maintain the quarrel of Christ as much as we can to relieve Christ he comes to us in the poore and asks relief he that shed his blood for us he that dyed for us he that hath given us all asks a little pittance for himself that we for his sake would be so good to him in his members as to do thus and thus that for Jonathans sake we would regard poore lame Mephibosheth his son Christ though he be gone he hath some Mephibosheths some poore weak members and what offices we do them he accounts done to himself it runs on his score he will be accountable for every good word we speak in his cause for every defence for every act of bountie It is a point of large meditation to consider that the Crosses and Afflictions of Christians they are the sufferings of Christ. Do but consider the spirit of God intended in this phrase to dignifie all disgraces and indignities that are put upon us in a good cause and quarrel could he have said more in few words he calls them not disgraces or losses or death but he puts such a comfortable title upon them that might make us in love with suffering any thing and set us on fire to endure any thing in a good cause they are the sufferings of Christ. As the sufferings of Christ abound so our consolations c. The third general point is That our consolations are proportionable to our sufferings Our consolations abound We suffer in this World that is hard I but they are the sufferings of Christ there is sweetnesse And then another degree is our consolations abound as our sufferings abound Consolation is as I shewed before in the unfolding of the word an inward support of the soul against trouble felt or feared and it must be stronger then the grievance or else the action of comfort will not follow There is a disproportion between the agent and the patient in all prevailing actions or else there is no prevailing if the comfort be not above the maladie it is no comfort And therefore no comforts but divine comforts will stand at length because in all other comforts sedet medecinum morbo the maladie is above the remedie they may make glorious pretences as the Philosophers do Plutarch and Seneca and the rest but they are as Apothecaries boxes they have goodly titles but there is nothing within Alas when there is trouble in the conscience awakned with the sight of sin and the displeasure of God what can all those precepts compose and frame the soul in petty troubles They have their place and surely the neglect of them many times is that that makes the crosse heavier but alas in divine troubles in terror of conscience it must be divine comfort it must be of like nature or else the effect of comfort will never follow and those be the comforts that he meanes here As our troubles and afflictions abound so our consolations our divine supports they abound the point is this that Our comforts are proportionable to our sufferings What did I say proportionable it is above all proportion of suffering As it is said Rom. 8. the afflictions of this life are not worthy of the glory that shall be revealed And indeed in this life the consolations abound as the sufferings abound For God keeps not all for the life to come he gives us a taste a grape of Canaan before we come to Canaan as the Israelites they sent for grapes to taste the goodnesse of the land and they had them brought to them by the spies by which they might guesse of the fruitfulnesse and sweetnesse of the land it self so the taste and relish that Gods Children have of that fulnesse which is reserved in another world it is answerable and proportionable to their sufferings and in the proportion the exceeding part is of comfort there is an exceeding if not for the present yet afterwards The Ark did rise together with the water and comforts rise together with matter of suffering But what is the reason of the proportion why the greatest comforts follow the greatest sufferings
be like thy self thou thinkest I hate those that thou hatest that are my dear Children therefore Herod presumed to go on and lay hold on Peter but the Church falls a praying and God smites Herod with a fearful death he was eaten up with lice with worms bred in his body So I say it is no good argument to say I have prospered in wicked courses I do prosper and therefore I shall prosper I have gotten a great deal of goods by ill means and I have kept such ill company and though some mislike my courses yet I hope to morrow shall be as to day c. Take heed blesse not thy self Gods wrath will smoak against such Treasure not up wrath unto thy self against the day of wrath argue not so upon Gods patience It is an argument for Gods Children he hath been my God he is my God and he will be my God it is a Sophisme else for others and as the Prophet Amos saith He that hath escaped the Lyon shall fall into the hands of the Bear so the wicked that escape one danger shall fall into another at length it is no good argument for them to hope for the like of that they have had Nay rather it is the worst outward sign in this world of a man in the state of reprobation of a man hated of God to prosper and have security in ill courses God blesseth him and lets him go on in smooth courses as the streames of Jordan go on smooth and still and then enter into the dead sea so many men live and go on in smooth easy courses and we see at length they either end in despair as Judas or in deadnesse of heart as Nabal So that of all estates it is the most miserable when a man lives in a naughtie course and God interrupts him not in his course with some outward judgment It is a reason onely for the Children of God to support themselves with in a good cause wherein they walk with a good conscience then they may say truly God that hath been my God till now will be my God to the end of my dayes Is God so constant to his Children in his love and in his fatherly care providence that whom he hath delivered he doth deliver and will deliver let us be constant in our service and love back again let us return the echo back again and say I have served God I do serve God and I will serve God because he hath loved me he doth love me and he will love me he hath delivered me he doth deliver me and he will deliver me as he is constant in love to me so will I be constant in respect in reverence and obedience to him Therefore we see the Saints of God as God loves them from everlasting to everlasting being Jehovah as he never alters in his nature so not in his love to them so they never alter in their love to him therefore it is a clause in Scripture expressed by holy men To whom be praise for ever as they knew that he was their God for ever and for ever so they purposed to be his people and to praise him for ever and for ever And because they cannot live here alway themselves they desire that there may be a Generation to praise him for ever and for ever and they lay a plot and ground so much as they can that Gods Name may be known that Religion may be propagated for ever They know God is their God for ever they know he is constant in love to them and they are constant in their love to him and for his glory To whom be glory for ever See here the happinesse of a true Christian that is in Covenant with God he can say I have had my happinesse and my portion I have it and I shall have it for ever Take a worldling can he say so he cannot God will confound his insolence if he should say so I have been rich I have prospered in my course I have attained to this and that means I yet thrive and I shall thrive I is it so No thou buildest upon the sands howsoever God hath done and howsoever he doth thou canst not secure thy self for the time to come Onely the Christian that makes God his rock and his fortress his shield and strong tower of defence he may say he hath had that which is certain he enjoyes that which is immutable and constant God is his portion his eternal portion he hath been good he is good and he will be good to eternity no man else that hath a severed happinesse out of God can say so A sound Christian take him in all references of time he is a happy man if he look back God hath delivered him from Satan from hell and damnation and many dangers If he look to the present he is compassed about with a guard of Angels and with the providence of God God doth deliver him he hath a guard about him that cannot be seen but with the eye of faith The Divel sees it well enough as we see in Job Thou hast hedged him about how can I come to him He looked about to see if he could come into Job to see if the hedg had any breach but there was none Gods providence compassed him about God hath and doth deliver And if he look to the time to come he will deliver he seeth that neither things present nor things to come shall be able to separate him from the love of God And this is not onely true of outward dangers but especially in spiritual God hath been gracious he hath given Christ How shall he not with him give us all things A Christian is in the favour of God now how shall he not be so for ever He hath eternity world without end to comfort himself in that God as long as he is God he hath comfort as long as he hath a soul so long Jehovah the living God will be his God both of his body and soul he is the God of Abraham therefore he will raise his body he is the God that raiseth the dead and he will for ever glorifie both body and soul in heaven Look which way he will a Christian hath cause of much comfort why should he be dismayed with any thing in the world why should he not serve God with all the encouragement that may be when he hath nothing to care for but to serve him As for matter of deliverance and protection it belongs not to us but to him let us do that that belongs to us and he will do that belongs to him if we commit our soules to him as to a faithful Creator in weldoing he hath delivered us he doth deliver us and he will deliver us and preserve us to his heavenly Kingdom VERS 11. You also helping together by prayer for us IN these words the holy Apostle sets down the subordinate means that God hath sanctified to continue
deliverance to his children He hath delivered he doth deliver and he will deliver us for the time to come Was this confidence of St Paul a presumption without the use of means he will deliver us you also helping together by prayer for us The chief cause doth not take away the subordinate but doth establish it And though God be the great deliverer and salvation belong to the Lord as the Scripture speaks salvation and deliverance it is his work yet notwithstanding he hath not for defect of power but for the multiplication and manifestation of his goodnesse ordained the subordinate means of deliverance and as he will deliver so he will deliver in his own manner and by his own means He will deliver but yet notwithstanding you must pray you also helping together by prayer for us The words have no difficulty in them you helping together that is you together joyning in prayer with me I pray for my self and you together helping me by prayer God will deliver me The points considerable in the words are these First of all that in the time of peril or in the want of any benefit the means to be delivered from the one and to convey the other it is prayer God will do this you praying The second is this that Gods children can pray for themselves The third is that notwithstanding though they can pray for themselves yet they require the joynt help of others and they need the help of others The fourth is that our own prayers and the prayers of others joyning all together is a mighty prevailing means for the conveying of all good and for the removing of any ill God will deliver me you helping by your prayers Prayer is a means to convey all good and to deliver from all ill Because God hath stablished this order Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver thee Psal. 50. he joyns deliverance to calling upon him So in Psal. 91. 15. a notable place besides others indeed the Psalmes are wonderous full in this kind He shall call upon me and I will answer him I will be with him in trouble I will deliver him and honour him mark it He shall call upon me and I will deliver him and more then so for Gods benefits are complete he doth not onely deliver but he honours I will deliver him and advance him God doth not onely deliver his Children by prayer but he delivers them from evil works and preserves them to his heavenly Kingdom he delivers them and advanceth them together he doth not do his work by halves Psal. 34. The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears are open to their cry his eyes are upon them to see their miseries and wants I but though his eyes be open his ears must be open too to hear their cry if his eyes were open to see their wants if his ears be not open to hear their cry his children might be miserable still Sometimes God delivers wicked men he preserves them but the preservation of a wicked man is but a reservation of him for future judgment to feed him for the slaughter and that deliverance is not worth the speaking of But for his children his eyes are open on them and his ears to hear their cry as they be in misery that he sees them so they must cry that he may hear them God hath stablished this order he will deliver but prayer is the means Now the reason that he hath established this order It is for his Glory our own good It is for his own glory because prayer gives him the glory of all his attributes for when we go to him do we not give him the glory of his omniscience that he knowes our hearts and knowes our wants Do we not give him the glory of his omnipotence that he can help us Do we not give him the glory of his omnipresence that he is every where do we not give him the glory of his truth that he will make good his promise which we alledge to him and presse him with what a world of glory hath God by prayer And then for our sakes he hath established this order to convey all by prayer to shew our dependance on him for we being in such a low distance under God it is good that we should know from whom we have all therefore he will have us to pray to him he commands it Prayer is an act of self-denial it makes us to look out of our selves higher Prayer acknowledgeth that we have that which we have not of our selves but from him Prayer argueth a necessary dependance upon him to whom we pray for if we had it at home we would not go abroad And then again it doth us good because as it gives God all the glory so likewise it exerciseth all the graces in a man There is not a grace but it is put into the fire it is quickned and kindled by prayer For it sets faith on work to believe the promise it sets hope on work to expect the things prayed for it sets love on work because we pray for others that are members of the Church it sets obedience on work because we do it with respect to Gods command prayer sets humility on work we prostrate our selves before God and acknowledge that there is no goodnesse or desert in us there is not a grace in the heart but it is exercised in prayer The Divel knowes it well enough and therefore of all exercises he labours to hinder the exercise of prayer for he thinkes then we fetch help against him and indeed so we do for in one prayer God is honoured the Church is benefited grace is exercised the Divel is vanquished what a world of good is by prayer So that God hath established this order upon great reasons fetched from our own comfort and good and from his glory Since God hath established this order away with idle suggestions partly carnal and partly divellish God knowes what we want and God knew before all time what we have need of and he may grant it if he will I but that God that decreed at the same time that he decreed to convey good at the same time he decreed to convey it this way by prayer therefore let us not disjoyn that which God hath joyned Christ knew that God decreed all and yet he spent whole nights in prayer and who knew Gods love more then he Yet because as he was man he was a creature because as he was man he received good from his Father to shew his dependance he continually prayed he sanctified every thing by prayer And all holy men of God from the beginning the more certain they were of any thing by promise the more eager and earnest and fervent they were in prayer it was a ground of prayer they knew that this was Gods order therefore if they had a promise they turned it into prayer presently The
higher rule of life What then shall become of a Christian when he hath renounced that which is in him by nature when he hath denied his wit and his will when he hath renounced a bad guide shall he have no guide at all Yes For a man is never lawlesse he is alwayes under some guide or other a man is alway under one Kingdome or other when he ceaseth to be under the Kingdom of Satan he comes under the Kingdom of Christ and when he is not led by the flesh he is led by the Spirit Gods Children when they have renounced natural carnal wisdome they have not renounced all wisdome they are wise still but they are wise by a supernatural light they are wise in supernatural things yea and in natural things after a supernatural manner They are new creatures advanced to a higher ranck and order of creatures so their wisdome is a gracious wisdome when they are Christians When a Christian hath renounced carnal wisdome God leaves him not in the storm in the world as a ship without a stearn he leaves him not as having no pole star to guide his course by but he gives him better direction he hath the Word of God he hath the Spirit of God he hath the Grace of God to guide him Therefore after the negative here Not in fleshly wisdome the holy Apostle tells us how the Child of God is led in his own person but By the Grace of God It is good for Inferiours alway to be under the Government of Superiours and so God hath framed the world for beasts because they have no wisdome of their own they are led and guided by men and man because he is as I said before a beast by his own knowledge and hath but a finite a limited understanding he is guided by a larger understanding he is guided by God if he be good And it is the happinesse of the creature to be under the guidance of a better wisdome All things in the world are guided to their end things without life are guided to their end without their privity We see there is an end in every thing there is nothing in nature but it hath its end whereupon comes that saying of the Philosophers which is good That the work of nature is a work of deep understanding not so much as the leaves but they serve to shelter and cover the fruit from the Sun and the stormes that it may thrive the better there is nothing in nature but it is of great use the work of nature is a work of deep understanding Now man because he hath a principle of understanding in himself he is so guided by the wisdome of God to his end as that he understands his own end himself he is so led by the wisdome of God as that God hath created a work of wisdome in himself that he together with God is carried to his end Now as I said when we are out of the regiment and government of the flesh we come under the gracious Government of God Therefore the Apostle saith here Not in fleshly wisdome but by the Grace of God The holy Apostle means here especially the particular grace opposite to fleshly wisdome that is spiritual wisdome But why should the Apostle here not say thus Not with fleshly wisdome but with spiritual wifdome why should he not say so rather then thus Not with fleshly wisdome but by the Grace of God why should he put Grace instead of Wisdome I answer he doth it for heavenly ends First to shew that that wisdome whereby we are governed it is not from our selves but it is a grace he considers wisdome not so much as it is in our selves in the Conduit but as it is in the Spring in the free love of God It is a Divine consideration to consider all habituall graces in us not as they are streams derived to us and resting in us but as they are knit to a Spring which is never drawn dry which besides is a free Spring therefore they are graces And that is the reason of the comfort of a Christian he knowes he shall never be destitute of necessary strength of necessary comfort of necessary direction and grace to lead him to heaven because those things that are necessary in him he considers them as graces not as habits as it was the proud term of the Philosophers to call them We must consider them not as things in us invested in our nature but as things that have their Original from the free constant and eternal love of God as what is so free as Grace So a Christian looks on his disposition wrought by Grace and on every particular grace he hath as Love Wisdome Patience he looks to all as Graces as they come from the free love of God that is constant for whom he loves he loves to the end And his joy is more in the spring then in the stream it is more in the Sun in Christ himself then in grace from him therefore the Apostle instead of the abstracted distinct grace of wisdome or any such thing he saith Grace There is a savour in the very terms of Scripture a sweet taste in the very language of the Holy Ghost And then to shew that we are not onely governed by wisdome but by other graces to shew the connexion of it with other graces therefore he saith We have had our Conversation not in fleshly wisdome but by the Grace of God To shew likewise that where wisdome failes in us it is supplyed by Grace for the wisdome of God for us is larger then the wisdome of God in us The wisdome that God works in us by his Spirit it teacheth us to avoid dangers and teacheth us how to lead our lives but we are led by a higher wisdome the Grace of God for us it is higher then that which is in us The wisdome of God for us it watcheth over us it keeps us from more evil and doth more for us then that which is in us although that be spiritual and heavenly Therefore the Apostle here he names not distinctly gracious wisdome which he mainly intends as we see by the opposition Not by fleshly wisdome but by gracious wisdome why doth he not say so but by Grace Because our Christian conversation it is not onely by wisdome in us but by grace and love partly in us and partly for us For indeed there is a watchful providence there is a waking love about the guiding of a Christian in his course to heaven that keeps him him in more then any Grace that is in him And a Christian at the hour of death and at the day of Judgment will be able to say with experience That the wisdome of God for me hath been more then any wisdome he wrought in me though by the wisdome in me he inabled me to discover many discouragements to see many wants and to take many good courses that he blessed for
not rob God of any honour It was a proud term the Philosophers had as I said sometimes they called their moral vertues habits and if we consider them meerly as they are in the person they are habits but indeed they are graces the Scripture gives them a more heavenly term Grace those things that we guide our lives by as Wisdome Love Temperance Sobriety Grace is a fitter word then habit because then we consider them as they come from God freely they are graces they come from grace and favour And when men differ one from another in wisdome they differ in grace and favour he gives more light he opens the understanding of one more then another Therefore S. Paul was wise and careful this way when he speaks of that he had done himself lest he should rob God Not I oh not I 1 Cor. 15. but the Grace of God that was in me that was all in all For indeed we are what we are and we do what we do by Grace Even as by our selves we are men we are what we are and we do what we do by our soules by our reason and understanding so it is with spiritual grace we are what we are out of our selves by spiritual grace and we do what we do by spiritual grace And when that ceaseth when God suspends the blessed motions of his Spirit to humble us alas we are dark a man is a confused creature he is at a losse he is in darknesse for the particular managing of his life he knowes not what to do he knowes not what to speak he is puzzled in every particular action And therefore when he hath spoken or done that which is fit he should consider it is a grace My Conversation hath been in the Grace of God saith the Apostle Therefore let us sanctifie God in our hearts this way And when we stand in need of any direction desire God of his grace to give us wisdome and to give us the grace that we stand in need of That is for the phrase The point as I told you was this That All wisdome comes from Grace And God is ready to give us his Grace For saith S. Paul My Conversation hath been in Grace which God did minister to me and hath ministred to me to lead my life by The Reason is this Christ hath undertaken to give us grace if we be his Men under grace shall never want grace to lead a Christian life For Christ hath undertaken to be our Head to be our Husband to be our guide in our way to heaven As our head he is to give us motion to move us as his members As he is our Shepherd as he saith I am the good Shepherd so he is to lead us in our wayes and passages in his paths to conduct us to happinesse And as he is our husband so he is to be the head of his wife to guide us it is his office And he works according to his own office He is a King to subdue in us whatsoever is contrary to his good Spirit to subdue our rebellions and to bring all our Imaginations under his Spirit as well as to be a Priest to make peace between God and us He is a King to rule us and to over-rule in us whatsoever is ill And he is a Prophet to teach us and to guide us He is the Angel of the Covenant the great Counsellour that hath the Spirit of Counsel in him Esay 9. 6. not for himself onely but for his Church Therefore as all the things that we need come from grace and from the favour of God so we need not doubt of the grace of God in Christ being reconciled he is willing to give us grace This I observe to cut off all cavils of flesh and blood and to arm us against all discouragements There are two things that greatly hinder us from a Christian course Presumption and Despair Presumption to set upon things without asking grace of God without depending upon his direction by the strength of naturall parts of naturall wit And then Despair when a man saith What should I go about these things I shall never bring them to passe No First consider thy standing thy place and calling and then consider the abilities that God hath given thee consider thy parts consider thy duty that thou art to do And beg of God assistance and strength and if it be a thing that belong to thee go on set on all the duties that belong to thy place in this confidence that thou shalt have grace Go to the Fountain to Christ for grace for the direction of thy life he is the light of life he is the Way he is all in all to bring us to heaven Wherefore serves all the Promises not onely of life everlasting but even of grace but to encourage us to set on holy duties in confidence that if we have a will to be out of Satan's Kingdome and if we have a will to be out of fleshly wisdome God will take us into his Kingdome and into his Government He will give the Spirit to them that ask him Now the Spirit is a Spirit of direction a Spirit of assistance a Spirit of strength and comfort it serves all turnes How many Promises are wrapped in that promise of the Spirit In want of direction he shall be our Counsellour in want of strength to assist us In perplexities when we know not which way to turn us to advise us In extremities when we are ready to sink to comfort us He will give us his holy Spirit to supply all our defects in a fit time if we ask him If we find our need and if we will renounce our carnal wisdome Therefore set on those duties that God calls you to And withall do as S. Paul doth here he sets the negative before the affirmative renounce carnal wisdome be not guided by that trust perfectly to the Word of Grace and to the Spirit of Grace for the Word of Grace and the Spirit of Grace go together and then you shall find that God will do abundantly above all that you are able to ask or think Luther when he set on the work of Reformation those that saw him at the first might have said Get thee into thy Cloyster and say Lord have mercy upon thee for thou settest on a work impossible But he saw the parts that God had given him that he had wit to understand the abuses of the times and he had given him courage he saw by his profession he was called to be a Divine his conscience was awaked to see the abominations of the times and he set on to discover these things Did Christ leave him No he did not but gave successe to him to be admired of all When all the world was set against one man yet he prevailed against them all even because he walked as S. Paul did here in sincerity and simplicity that is he looked
stones and pearles Solomon presseth it have a high estimation of wisdome of the government of Gods Spirit as the best government And be out of love with carnal reason with carnal affections and their guidance account them as base things not worthy to come into the esteem of a Christian heart Those that highly prize wisdome God will lead them by it those that sell all for the pearl shall have it There must be a high price set on the guidance of Gods Spirit and on grace as indeed it is worthy of it and then we shall have it Again if we would lead our lives according to spiritual and heavenly wisdome according to grace and gracious wisdome let us learn as it is Job 22. to be more and more acquainted with God by prayer for grace comes not from within us Grace is in Christ as in the root as in the spring as in the Sun we have it but as the beam as the stream therefore let us learn to be acquainted with God and with Christ by prayer and meditation and search into his Word by reading and by hearing him speak to us and let us often speak to him Let us acquaint our selves with him by prayer and by hearing his Word and then we shall have his grace to guide us For grace is a fruit of his peculiar love he gives grace to his own peculiar people How do you think shall he have a peculiar delight in us if we labour not to be more and more acquainted with him by often speaking to him by often hearing of him by coming into his presence and attending as much as we can upon his holy Ordinances by conversing as much as we can in the holy things of God Those that will be warm they come under the beams of the Sun those that would have the Spirit work effectually they must come where the Spirit is effectual where the Spirit works Now the Spirit is effectual in the Word preached the Spirit fell upon Cornelius and the rest when they were hearing of S. Peter And the Spirit is where there is conversing in good company Where two or three are met together I will be in the middest of them saith Christ. If we walk with the wise we shall be wiser It must be the heavenly wisdome of a Christian if he would lead his life by grace to attend upon all the meanes of grace because the Spirit of God is effectual by his own means he works by his own means therefore use the meanes that the Spirit hath sanctified for the working of grace I do wonder at a company of vain sottish creatures that carry themselves according to their vain conceits according to the whirling of their own brain in toyes and baubles that come into their heads they care not for the hearing of Gods blessed truth either they abstain altogether or else they hear it carelesly as if it were a thing that concerned them not Oh but those that will lead their lives by grace they come to it by the Spirit and the Spirit is onely effectual in holy Ordinances It must be our wisdome therefore to bring our selves under some meanes or other that the Spirit may be effectual The wisest and the best men in the world are no longer gracious then they are wise this way if they neglect good company good acquaintance if they neglect the hearing of the Word if they neglect prayer they will grow dead and dull and carnal-minded they will be possessed with base thoughts How do men differ one from another not so much by any habitual grace that is in them as by avoiding all that might prejudice them in a Christian course and by using all means whereby the Spirit of God may be effectual Again the way ro be under the grace of Gods Spirit is often to meditate of the grace of God the free love of God in Jesus Christ for so it comes first The first grace of all is Gods free love in the forgiving of our sins and accepting us to life everlasting and then he doth alter and change our natures more and more he transforms us more and more when we find therefore any defect of grace in our hearts when we find coldnesse and deadnesse and dulnesse go to the first fire to the first Sun to the free grace of God in Christ pardoning all our sins and accepting us to life everlasting and promising us grace to lead our lives in the mean time If you have fallen into any sin by the temptation of Satan or your own weaknesse beg not first grace to alter your course to sanctifie your life but renew every day your interest in the first grace in the forgivenesse of sins and your acceptation to everlasting life For till God have pardoned your sinnes and have witnessed to your soules that you stand reconciled he will not give the best fruit of reconciliation which is grace Therefore every day examine your lives if you have offended God in what termes you stand with God and if you stand in ill termes that there is any sin against conscience the best way is not presently to amend that for that will not be except the heart be warmed with Gods love and favour in the pardon of your sins first and in the acceptation of you in Christ notwithstanding your sins as he justifieth us every day not onely in the first act of conversion but daily he acquits our consciences daily from our sins and therefore in the Lords Prayer Christ teacheth us every day to say Forgive us our sins And then after forgivenesse of sins to beg the particular graces for our lives that we want I would this were better thought on Challenge likewise the Covenant of grace we have a promise of all grace and the spring of all grace We have a Promise of Love God will teach us to Love one another We have a promise of Fear he hath promised that He will put his fear into our hearts that we shall never depart from him We have a promise of the holy Spirit Let us challenge these Promises every day So much for the Directions how to lead our lives by Grace But by the Grace of God Saint Paul here makes it the ground of his rejoycing that he led not his life by fleshly wisdome but in simplicity and sincerity and by the Grace of God and all that are led by S. Paul's spirit live thus There is a Religion in the world that bears it self very big on high terms of Universality Succession Antiquity c. and they will have it thought to be a spiritual and holy Religion Well if a man be a carnal man that is led with fleshly wisdome and not by the grace of God that Religion must needs be a naughty Religion that hath onely the support and the foundation of it in fleshly wisdome which is an enemy and opposite to the grace of God and to simplicity and sincerity But Popery is this
being out of prison he being risen again But all this must be opened to us and offered to us and applyed to us by the Ministery what Christ hath done and what he will doe it must be opend to us and offered to us to receive Christ thus graciously bringing us to God And faith must be wrought in us to joyn us to Christ and this is by the Ministery Now in the next place when the Ministery doth this it doth teach us that God is reconciled by the satisfaction of Christ and teacheth the nature and offices of Christ and the benefits we have by Christ it unfolds the unsearchable riches of Christ. The Ministerie offers Christ and God by his Spirit works Grace in the Ministerie to believe and to walk worthy of Christ. Hereupon comes glorying in the Ministery in the preaching of Christ faithfully crucified and risen and teaching us to walk worthy of Christ. So it is not that any man should glory in the Minister for himself but in that he brings us to Christ which Christ brings us to God in whom is all our glory So we see the ground of it how S. Paul was the rejoycing of the Corinthians because he brought them to Christ. The Office of the Ministers is to be wooers to make up the marriage between Christ and Christians soules now herein is the rejoycing in a good Minister when we are brought to Christ and then see the riches of our husband unfolded by the Ministery here is matter of joy especially at the day of Judgment then we shall joy indeed that ever we knew such a Minister that ever we knew such a holy man that was a means to bring us to Christ and to God Hereupon it is that the Ministers are said to be a special gift of God Ephes. 4. Christ when he ascended on high he led captivity captive gave gifts to men What gifts Some Apostles some Prophets some Pastors some Teachers to the end of the world for the building of his Church Christ when he went in triumph after his Resurrection when in his Ascension he went triumphantly to heaven as the great Emperours on the day of their Triumph they scattered money so he scattered gifts and they were not mean gifts money and such trifling things but when he went in his Triumphant Chariot to heaven he had no better gifts to leave to the world then to give such kind of gifts as these he left Ministers Apostles to found a Church he left Pastors and Teachers to the end of the world These were the gifts that Christ gave when he went in Triumph to heaven therefore well may they joy in the Ministers as a special gift of God So there is a notable place Jer. 3. 14 15. there is a Promise if they would turn to God and be a gracious people what he would do I will giveyou Pastors according to my own heart and feed you with knowledge and understanding insinuating that it is a special blessing it is a blessing above all blessings in this world indeed none comparable To live in a place where all solaces are where all worldly contentments yet to be there where the sound of the Gospel is not where the best things are not it is but a dead place What is it to be fatted to destruction what life to the life of Grace and how is the life of grace begun and strengthened but by the meanes of salvation When God gives Pastors according to his own heart to feed his people with understanding and judgment it is a great blessing and so it is matter of rejoycing and glorying For may not the soul reason thus Who am I that when thousands sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death God should send his Ambassadours to me to offer Christ Jesus with all his riches to me and by his holy Spirit effect it by such and such a Ministery working grace in me to give me the first fruits of glory the pledge of salvation the beginning of grace here when millions of other people sit in darknesse Thus a Christian rejoyceth in God first and then rejoyceth in the Minister he rejoyceth in every thing that is an occasion to bring him to heaven What is the reason God brings us to heaven by the Ministery of men and doth not send Angels or do all by his Spirit without help Amongst the rest this is one he would have one to glory in another he would tie one to another therefore it ties one man to another this relation to see the need of Gods Ordinance And that people might rejoyce one in another as the gift of God Therefore he calls man by man to knit man to man And that they may see Gods love to them in men They saw Christs love to them in S. Paul Saint Paul saw Christs love to him in them in their obedience this is the reason that God useth men to call men Therefore those that neglect the Ordinance of God let them never think of glory by Christ that glory not in the Minister that brings them to Christ. Therefore 2 Cor. 5. 19. they are excellently joyned together God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself What then what need the Ministery if God be reconciled to the world in Christ God is mercifull and Christ dyed and there is an end No he hath put to us Apostles and after us to Pastors and Teachers the Word of reconciliation and we as Ambassadours intreat you in Christs stead to be reconciled to God So there is no word of reconciliation effectual to any but we must have the efficacy of it by Ambassage it must be offered by the Ministery This Ministery contemned by the world must be the meanes to bring us to Christ we have no benefit brought to us from God unlesse it be by the Word of reconciliation Neglect the Word neglect reconciliation it self Therefore it is called The Word of the Kingdom the Word of Grace the Word of life insinuating that if we neglect the Word unfolded by Gods Ordinance in the Church we neglect Grace we neglect life we neglect Kingdome and all because we see they are joyned together I will not be long in this point in this place Onely this when God doth vouchsafe any abroad wheresoever or to any of us to partake of his Ordinance in an effectual holy manner to joy in it As Solomon saith Prov. 19. 14. Inheritance comes by parents but a good Wife is the gift of God So a good Minister or a true Christian friend is the gift of God that he bestowes on men a speciall gift because it is in order to eternall happinesse it is such a gift as Christ gave when he ascended into heaven So much for that point We are your rejoycing As also ye are ours There is an entercourse of joy we are your rejoycing and ye are ours in the day of the Lord. How were they S. Paul's
to their Childrens good I come to bestow a grace on you How this is observed I list not to speak therefore I leave it and come to that which concerns us all I was minded to come to you To bestow a grace on you We see then That The Preaching of the Gospel is a special Grace It is a free and bountiful benefit of God Gracce implies freedome and mercy and bounty It is a free mercy of God to have the Gospel Why Because this is the means to work all that is savingly good in us This is a means to open to us Gods love in Christ and to work in us a disposition answerable to his love therefore it must needs be a grace Heaven is a grace life is a grace reconciliation a grace and such like therefore the Word must needs be a grace by which all these are communicated Therefore the Word hath the name of these things It is the Word of the Kingdome of heaven It is called the Kingdome of heaven the preaching of the Gospel because it puts us into the state of the Kingdome of heaven and the Word of reconciliation because by it we know our reconciliation with God it is offered and wrought in our hearts and faith to apply it by this Word It is the Word of life Act. 20. the life of grace and the life of glory all come by this Word I commend you to God and the Word of his Grace saith the Apostle All grace and spiritual life is wrought in us by the Word therefore the Word preached it is a special grace and favour of God Saint Paul here calls his coming to them to strengthen and confirm them a grace For all means come under the same decree of Gods eternal love with the decree it self When God out of grace resolves and sets down that he will bring such a one to heaven of his free love he doth out of the same grace fit him with opportunities of persons and means he accommodates him with all means for he intends in such a way to bring him to heaven And therefore S. Austin doth well define Predestination it is an ordaining to salvation and a preparing of all means tending thereto Therefore all fall in the compasse of grace both the free favour of God setting a man down to make him happy and likewise by sending men that have an outward calling and inwardly furnishing them with gifts and whatsoever all is of Grace The preaching of the Word is a grace It concerns us therefore so to esteem it Do not many sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death Is it not a grace therefore that we partake of the means of salvation What is in us by nature better then in Turks and Pagans or then many other people under Satan and under Popish Teachers and so rot away in their Ignorance nothing we differ onely by the grace of God therefore let us esteem it as a grace How shall we esteem it as a grace Receive it thankfully as a largesse and bounty and free grace of God receive it as a bounty with thankful hearts Grace begets grace it begets thankfulnesse so to receive it as a grace is to receive it with thankful minds to be more thankfull for the means of salvation then for any outward thing How shall we come to be thankful Never unlesse we find some grace wrought by the Word of Grace Therefore to receive it as a grace is to receive it as a free loving gift of God and to yield to it when by it holy motions are stirred in our hearts not to suppresse and quench holy motions but to yield to them Not to quench and resist the Spirit but to yield our selves pliable to the Word This is to acknowledge it a grace to be thankfull for it because you find your hearts wrought to holy obedience by it Give it way in your soules that it may be an ingraffed Word that all the inward and outward man may be seasoned with it and relish of it that the Word may season your thoughts and speeches and desires and season your course of life that what you think may be in the relish and strength of the Word in the strength of some Divine truth and the guide of your actions may be Divine truth or some motives from it Then you will give thanks for what is wrought on you when it is an ingraffed Word in your soules and all relish of it your speeches and actions and your whole course when a man may know by your carriage that there is something invested and ingraffed in your soules that gives a blessed relish to all the expressions of the outward man Such a one indeed will account the Word a special grace by a sweet experience wrought in his heart I will not presse that Point any further Again whereas S. Paul saith he would come to bestow a second grace on them we see here That Those that are in the state of Grace already they need a second grace Those that have initial grace to be set in a good course they need confirming and strengthening Grace S. Paul had planted them before I but he must come to water them there is alway somewhat left for the Minister to do till he see their soules safe in heaven he hath alway somewhat to do to the Christian soules under him For he must not onely get them out of Satans Kingdome into a good estate but he must labour to build them up he must water them and fence them and strengthen them against all discouragements A man is never safe till he be in heaven therefore he saith I will come to you but I will come to bestow a second Grace on you you have need of it and my love is such to you that you shall have it To enforce this a little because we set termes to our growth and go on plodding in a course and many years after we are no better then we were at the first and some out of a prophane fulnesse out of a Laodicean temper they think they have enough they are rich when indeed they are empty and miserable and wretched and poor and if temptations set upon them they have nothing in them To let you see that we stand in need of a second grace and of a third grace and a fourth grace that we need continual building up First look within what opposition there is to saving goodnesse within what rebellion of lusts what Ignorance and blindnesse and darknesse and indisposition what head the flesh makes in us against the Word of God Let a man a little continue out of the means and he shall see what growth of corruptions there will be a distasting of all means that a man shall be ready to begin anew with them almost having a double principle in them of grace and corruption there needs continually strengthening and stablishing Grace Consider outwardly what discouragements from the ill
assistance this is the disposition of a modest Christian. You see in Psal. 2. how the Psalmist there insults over those that threaten to do this and that Why do the Heathen rage and the people imagine a vain thing c. against the Lord and against his anointed As if they would swallow up the Church and Christ the anointed why do they do this and that God that sits in heaven he laughes them to scorn You see the grounds of lightnesse so far forth as is needful I will name no more The way to prevent it may be in observing these grounds of constancy Especially this Stablish your thoughts with counsel for the time to come consult go not rashly and headlong about matters It is not with our common life as with those that run in a race for their swiftnesse gets all but in matters of government in Common-Wealth there the most staid get all those that weigh things and then execute upon mature deliberation that ripen things first and go not rawly and indeliberately about it this every man takes for granted but it is not thought on Then again labour to suppresse passion in any thing that comes from us speak nothing in passion for one of these things will follow If we execute it we are in danger for the things in passion and inconsiderately spoken if not we shall have the shame of being frustrate we undergo the shame of lightness that we speak that in our passion and heat that we retract after One of these inconveniencies will follow either you will do it and then it will be dangerous or you will not do it and then you will be ashamed a fit reward of rashnesse God gives us passions to be guided and ruled and not to rule us they are good servants and onely servants that should be raised up and stirred up onely when reason and judgment raiseth them and not otherwise But to go on Another cure of this rashnesse is holy dependance on God by prayer and by faith to commit our wayes to him our thoughts to him for the time to come leave all to him entertain nothing wherein we cannot expect his gracious assistance the best Christian is the most dependant Christian. That is the first thing the Apostle declines What is the second thing Or the things that I purpose do I purpose according to the flesh They thought he was a Politician as this is the lot of Gods Children sometimes if so be that God hath given them parts either of nature or breeding carnal devillish men that are led altogether by plots themselves esteem them by themselves The things that I purpose do I purpose according to the flesh He propounds this interrogatory to their conscience not idly but he knew that they had a prejudice in them by his corrivals false Apostles therefore he labours to wipe away that imputation likewise that he did not purpose and consult of things according to the flesh What is flesh here Flesh is the unregenerate part of man whereof fleshly wisdome is the chief for that guides the old man that is the eye of old Adam Carnall wisdome it is the fleshes counsellour in all things therefore especially he means that But why is it called flesh For many reasons among many this is one that the soul so far as it is sinful it is led with things that are fleshly that are outward and thereupon a man is called flesh and the soul it self is called flesh because it cleaves in its affections and desires to earthly things And because the poor understanding now which ruled all and should rule all is become an underling to the carnal will and carnal lusts Therefore it self is called flesh likewise The wisdome of the flesh is enmity with God For now it is swayed even which way carnal fancy and opinion and the flesh lead it The reason is it is betwixt God and heavenly things and betwixt earthly things And if it were in its right original as it came out of Gods hands being a Spirit it should be led by God and by Gods Spirit and Gods Truth by better things then it self as every infirm thing is guided by that which is better then it self as brute creatures are guided by men and weaker persons by Magistrates that are or should be better but now since the fall without Grace renew a man the understanding part of mans soul instead of lighting its candle from heaven it often lights it from hell and is ruled by Satan himself and takes advice even from things meaner then it self and plots and projects altogether for things worse then it self It was not given for that end God knows that give it this soul of ours to proul for earthly things for the ease and honour and profits and pleasures of the world That excellent Jewel that all the world is not worth it was not given for that end no it was given to attain a higher end then this world to attain communion with God but now since the fall it is thus with it that it is a slave Carnal wit is a slave to carnal will and that carnal will is drawn by carnal affections affections draw the will and the will drawes the wit and makes it plot and devise for that which it stands for for carnall lusts and affections which whet the wit that way therefore the whole soul is called flesh even reason it self And hereupon wicked men are called the world why the world because they are led with the things of the world with the guise and fashion of the world A man in the language of the Scripture is termed by that which he cleaves to therefore if the heart and soul cleave to the flesh and the things of the flesh it is flesh if it be led with the world and the things of the world it is called the world Wicked men are the world because the best thing in them is the love of worldly things and their wit is for worldly things all the inward parts of their soul are spent upon worldly things therefore they are called flesh and the world And sometimes Satan himself a man as far as he is carnal is called Satan yea good men Go after me Satan saith Christ to Peter A man as far as he yields to any thing he is named from that which he yields to when fleshly things rule a man he is called flesh when worldly things rule him profits and pleasures a man is the world when a man yields to Satan he is Satan This should make us take heed by whom we are led under whose government we come Saith S. Paul Do I purpose according to the flesh that is according to the profits and pleasures and honours which the flesh looks after are those my advisers my intelligencers my counsellours in the things I take in hand what may make for my honour my pleasure my estate my worldly ease here No saith he I
we must swear by him And indeed it is a service of God and to good purpose when Christians swear to stablish and determine truths that otherwise are doubtfull They were doubtfull of S. Paul's doctrine and his person saith he To put you out of doubt of the truth I speak to you I dare call God to witnesse it is true and sound The Apostle doth so once after in this Chapter therefore I reserve the further handling of an oath to verse 23. because the word there is more infallible I call God to record upon my soul c. The next thing I observe hence is this That The believing that Gods Word is Gods Word and is certain it is a matter of great consequence It is of great consequence for Gods people that look to be saved to be stablished in their opinion and judgment of Divine truth that it is certain and not flexible and mutable according to our wills and conceits and dispositions but is yea alway the same as God himself the Authour of it For laying this for a ground that I said before that S. Paul takes God to witnesse he would not enterpose an oath but in a matter of great consequence therefore it is a matter of great consequence to be setled in this that the Scripture is Divine truth unalterable and unchangeable An oath is never good as I said but when it is necessary It must not onely be in truth but there must be a necessity It must not only be taken in righteousnesse but in judgment a man must do it in discretion when the thing is not determinable any other way Therefore it is a matter of great consequence that men take the Word of truth not to be as the Oracles of Apollo and of the Devill true one way and false another The Devil would escape the imputation of a lie though he be a liar but Gods Oracles be Divine they be yea And it is good that we think them to be so to be constant undoubted certain and unmovable Therefore the Apostle seales it with an oath he would not seal a slight truth by an oath but saith he As God is true our word to you was not yea and nay c. And Saint Paul saw a disposition in them to suspect the truth of God as indeed we are proner to believe the lies of our own hearts and the suggestions of Satan and the counsell of Politicians of carnall friends then to believe God himself Therefore partly for the indisposition in us and partly for the great exigence and necessity of the thing to believe that Gods Word is his Word that it is truth he seales it with an oath God is true It is a point of great consequence The reason is God can have no service else and we can have no comfort If we do not believe the Word of God to be undoubtedly true in great temptations and assaults what armour of proof shall we have we can have no comfort nor grace For sometimes subtile and strong temptations to evill come if the Word of God be not more undoubted to me then the present profit or pleasure or whatsoever if the temptation be ready and I be not built on and settled on some grounded truth that I know to be true as God is true when the temptation is strong and our faith weak where are we a man presently yields to base lusts and temptations And so in matter of danger and despair when a man is tempted to despair if he cannot build on this God is true and his Word is as true as himself he will not the death of a sinner c. here a man is swallowed up It is no matter how strong the foundation be if the building on that foundation be weak If a strong man stand in a slippery place down he falls if a man stand slippery and have a weak standing on a strong place on a strong foundation if he have a weak building on a strong foundation he shall soon be cast off So the Word of God is true in it self but if we be not perswaded so that it is infallibly true that it is alway yea we shall be shaken with temptations When we are tempted to sin the temptation is present we are sure of the temptation if we be not more sure of somewhat against the temptation somewhat out of the Word to beat back the darts of Satan when we are tempted to sin and to despair for sin down we go and therefore it is a matter of infinite consequence to be perswaded of Divine truth What makes many as they are in courses that are corrupt in their callings nothing but this they stagger whether it be true or no that there shall be a Judgment they stagger whether it be true or no that the Scripture saith if they were perswaded that it were yea as true as God is in heaven as true as they have soules so their soules must be called to Judgment for that they speak and do would they do as they do Therefore S. Paul stablisheth them by an oath God is true and as God is true our Word to you was not yea and nay Therefore take in good part with thankfulnesse the means that God hath ordained to strengthen our faith and assurance of the Word of God and the Promises of God Therefore he hath appointed the Sacrament for that purpose I say there is nothing in the world so strengthened as the soul of a Christian if he give himself to Gods truth to be ruled by it For if we will believe God we have his promise That Whosoever believes in Christ shall not perish but have everlasting life rich promises precious promises as the Scripture calls them We have not onely promises but they are sealed with an oath Now an oath is an unchangeable thing Heb. 9. 16. we have promises and oath that we might have strong consolation whatsoever might secure man we have Besides his oath we have his seal his Sacrament It was his love to condescend to make any Covenant with sinfull creatures that upon any terms he would give them life everlasting It was a higher degree of love to set Christ to be the foundation of this peace and of this Covenant that now God and we may be at peace with satisfaction to Divine Justice that he is the foundation of the peace between God and us Now God may be mercifull without wrong without impeachment to his Justice that is a higher degree of mercy to enter into Covenant and to give Christ to be the foundation of all And then it is a higher degree then that to secure us of the Covenant that Christ is ours to seal the Word with an oath and with the Sacrament which is the seal of the Covenant what could God do more What a horrible sin therefore is unbelief that we should tremble at to call Gods love and truth in question But yet we are prone to it
distinction is good faith looks to the Word of the thing and hope looks to the thing in the Word faith looks to the Word promising hope looks to the performance of the thing promised Faith is the evidence of things not seen because it sets the things that are absent as if they were present hope is for the accomplishment of that If there were no promise to hope what needed hope and where were a foundation for faith Now God being willing to exercise faith and hope feeds them both and satisfies both that we may be heavenly wise in trusting and believing and not foolish as men in the world Therefore God hath given us promises and sealed them with an oath as we shall see afterward Now all promises coming from love what love can there be in God to us since the fall but it must be grounded on a better foundation then our selves If God love us it must be in one that is first beloved hereupon comes the ground of the Promises to be Jesus Christ God-man For all intercourse between God and us it must be in him that is able to satisfie God God will so in the Covenant of Grace entertain covenant and league with us as that he will have his Justice have full content he will be satisfied and therefore he that will be the foundation of intercourse between God and us he must be God-man perfectly able to satisfie Divine Justice he must be a friend of Gods and a friend to us hereupon the Promises must come from Gods love in Jesus Christ and he must first receive all good for us and we must have it at the second hand from him Hereupon it is said here that All the Promises of God in him are Yea and Amen It is a rule The first in any kind is the cause of all the rest Now Christ is the first beloved thing therefore in Coloss. 1. 3. he is called the Sonne of Gods love Christ being the only begotten Son of God he looks on him first before he looks on any thing else and whatsoever is lovel y he looks on it as it is in him in whom his love is first because he being his onely begotten Son he is the first object of all the respect that God hath therefore whatsoever is beloved it is as it hath a consistence in Christ. Therefore Christ he must first be loved and then we in him Consider him as the Son of God Consider him as man he is the first beloved being a holy man above all other men for the nature of man hath a subsistence in the second person in Christ therefore Christ as man is beloved before all others having a subsistence in his Godhead which is first beloved he is the prime and most excellent creature as man God looks first upon Christ as his onely begotten Son and upon Christ as man secondarily Upon the Church in the third place as united to Christ and all other creatures in reference to the Church and therefore there was never any thing in the world nor shall be that ever was or shall be loved but in the first-beloved Christ Jesus Again Christ is first because Christ is the Mediatour between God and man by office Consider what relation he hath between God and man and we may easily see that God first respects him and us for him For Christ being God and man and Mediatour therefore between God and man he is loved of both he is a friend to both to bring both together he is first regarded as Mediatour and then we for whose cause he is Mediatour Then again Consider Christ not as he is between God and us but as he is to us so he is first beloved To God he is his first begotten to God and us a Mediatour To us a head to us a husband to us a brother a head from whence there is all influence of life and motion a husband from whence we have all riches he is all in all to us in the relations he stands in to us therefore he is first in all things as the Apostle saith In all things he must have the preheminence and it is fit it should be so Especially since the fall leave the consideration of Christ and this may be a reason consider us since the fall as we are in the masse of corruption are we fit objects for Gods love are we not fuel for consuming fire is not he a consuming fire and we stubble for his wrath is not our nature defiled and tainted and can it otherwise be amiable then considered as knit to him that is first amiable that is Christ it cannot be So look to Christ as the Son of Gods love whether as God or as man look to his Office as Mediatour look on him as in relation to us as our husband and head look on us without him you may see that Gods love is first founded in Christ and then in us I mean in regard of execution in the passages of our salvation For at first it was a free love that gave Christ to us and us to Christ So God loved the world that he gave his Son that was the first that set all the world in execution but in the execution from predestination to glorification before all worlds he loved us in Christ to everlasting from the everlasting in election to everlasting in glory all is in Christ in regard of execution We subsist in him we are sanctified in him we are justified in him his righteousnesse is ours we are glorified in him we are loved in him God blesseth us with all spiritual blessings in him Ephes. 1. 5 6. God hath made us accepted in his beloved In him who is his beloved Son in whom he is well pleased not onely with whom but in whom in him and all his in him as mystical Christ head and members God now looks upon our nature as it is united to the person of his onely begotten Son and thereupon our nature is lovely in the eyes of God and enriched and honoured and advanced in Christ. Even as a base woman by marriage with a great person is advanced so our nature being mean of it self taking our nature when it was defiled with sin though that particular masse was sanctified by the Holy Ghost it was much advanced and ennobled by having a subsistence in the second person so God looks on us in Jesus Christ and loves us in him and bestowes all spiritual blessings in Christ. Therefore whatsoever we have Christ must have it first for us whatsoever is done to us must be done first to Christ. Christ is first predestinate as it is 1 Pet. 1. he is the predestinate Lamb of God he was ordained before all worlds to be a sacrifice for us and to be the head of his Church he was ordained before we were ordained Christ is first beloved and then we are beloved in his beloved He is well pleased in him and
below to have an earthly mind and earthly thoughts it is a shrewd presumption that he is but onely a titular Christian and hath not received this inward and spiritual anointing It was a speech of the Martyrs in the Primitive Church when they were asked their names they gave this answer Christianus sum I am a Christian and that satisfied all questions so when we are basely tempted to courses unbefitting our dignity answer them from our Baptisme I am baptized into Christ and so am become a Christian and this is unbeseeming the profession of Christianity I beseech you let us remember our calling we are called to be Prophets Kings and Priests and not onely here but in the world to come we shall be so we must not think to be Kings in Heaven except we begin it here It is with a Christian as it was with David he was anointed many yeares before he was actually a King upon the Throne while Saul lived he did not enjoy the Kingdome So we are anointed in this world in part we are Kings while we are here Kings over our selves and over the world a Christian sees all under him that is worldly he treads the Moon under his feet but our anointing hath then especially its effect when we are in heaven as Davids anointing it had its special effect when Saul was dead We must now carry our selves as those that shall be Kings those that are not Kings here shall never be Kings hereafter those that are not Priests here shall never walk with Christ in heaven in long white Robes for ever Eternal life is begun here in all the parts of it And therefore I beseech you if our memories be so shallow that we cannot remember other bonds let us remember our Baptisme let us read our duty in our Baptisme what are we baptized into Into Christ that is to take the Name of Christ upon us to be Christians which name implies these three to be a King Priest and Prophet What do we then when we sin We reverse our Baptisme in some sort let it be an aggravation then when we are tempted to sin it is Treason to God I shall leave my Captain under whose banner I have vowed to fight against the Devil the world and the flesh and to forsake my colours is the greatest treachery Yea it is sacriledge and so God accounts it when thou prophanest thine eyes and thine eares in seeing and hearing of vanity as you do when you frequent Play-houses and the like I say it is sacrilegious Kings and Priests were dedicated persons and to imploy dedicated things about any other businesse then to God is sacriledge it is a committing of folly with thy soul. Men have slight conceits of Religion and scarce a tincture of it if they did deeply consider what Religion is that it seizeth upon the soul that it alters and changeth it that whosoever will have benefit by the Promises he must have an inward qualification and be anointed with the Spirit they would have better conceits of it then they have and hence it is therefore that men make so little conscience of giving liberty to their eares and eyes to hear and see vanity and defile themselves in evil courses and cleave to the occasions of sin Let us oft I beseech you be stirred up to think of our high prerogatives with high admiration what love what love hath God shewed That we should be called the sons of God that we should be made Kings and Priests to God the Father And if every you hope to have comfort by Religion you must find this anointing in your selves raising you above other men to holy duties to be Kings and Priests and Prophets Who hath anointed us and sealed us c. You see then a Christian is stablished this way in Christ because he is anointed by the Spirit of God he is dedicated and consecrated to God Hence before I go on to that which followeth in that the Apostle coupleth anointing and sealing and earnest to the Promises observe this briefly None have interest in the Promises of mercy none can find comfort by them but such as find some change in themselves The Promises of God as I have often said are the riches of a Christian and his inheritance take all from him you must needs leave him this you cannot take this from him and as an Usurer thinks he is a rich man though he have not two pence in his house but all that he hath is in Bills and Bonds so a Christian though haply he have not much in actual possession yet he is rich in that he hath Gods bonds in the promises but now a man cannot say that he is interessed in the promises that he can lay claim to them if he be an unfruitful man an unhallowed man that hath not the sweet oyntment of the Spirit changing of him as it is said of Saul into another man for God wheresoever he reconciles himself and gives any promise of favour and mercy there he works a qualification Of necessity it must be so because he is reconciled to amity now in friendship there must be a correspondent similitude of disposition and sympathy Now as long as we are in our natural estate and remain unhallowed and defiled we are in such terms as God and we cannot meet in amity and therefore wheresoever the promises of the favour of God and reconciliation are of force there must be a change God when he intends to shew favour to any he alters and changeth them that they may be such as he may have content and complacency and delight in We see then there is a necessity of examining our selves in this point If thou be anointed examine thy self what inward power of grace thou hast what sweet work of the Spirit whether thou find in thee a principle above corruption that makes thee rule above that which the world is inthralled unto undoubtedly as our title to heaven it is out of our selves by the promises we have of salvation and reconciliation in Christ so the evidences must be found in our selves there must be anointing and sealing and the Earnest of the Spirit therefore I beseech you think seriously of what I have delivered of that Point before But we shall have occasion in the particulars after to speak more of this I go on therefore to the second word Who hath sealed us The same God that anoints us seales us Anointing and sealing go both together both are to secure us of our estate in Christ both wrought by the Spirit of God Now Christ is the first sealed Job 6. Him hath God the Father sealed Christ is sealed to be our Redeemer that is God hath set apart Christ from others hath distinguished him and sealed him and set a stamp upon him to be the Messiah sealed him to the great work of Redemption first by the graces of the Spirit for he is full of them having received the Spirit above measure and not
witnesse to the soul that we are the sonnes of God Secondly a voyce or speech in us again to God causing us to have accesse to the Throne of grace with boldnesse Thirdly a work of Sanctification Fourthly Peace of Conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost By these four wayes we may know the sealing of the Spirit after we believe and that our faith is a sound belief and that we are in the state of grace indeed First I say the Spirit speaks to us by a secret kind of whispering and intimation that the soul feeles better then I can expresse Be of good comfort thy sins are forgiven thee saith he to the soul I am thy salvation there is I say a sweet joyning a sweet kisse given to the soul I am thine and thou art mine God by his Spirit speaks so much there is a voyce of Gods Spirit speaking peace to his people upon their believing And then secondly the Spirit of adoption stirres up the speech of the soul to God that as he sayes to the soul Because thou believest now thou art honoured to be my child so the Spirit stirres up in the soul a Spirit of prayer to cry Abba Father it can go boldly to God as to a Father for that Abba Father it is a bold and familiar speech There are two things in a prayer of a Christian that are incompatible to any carnal man there is an inward kind of familiar boldnesse in the soul whereby a Christian goes to God as a child when he wants any thing goes to his father a child considers not his own worthinesse or meannesse but goeth to his father familiarly and boldly so I say when the Spirit of God speaks to us from God and tells the soul I am thine I am thy salvation thy sins are forgiven thee be of good comfort and when the soul again speaks to God when it can pour forth it self with a kind of familiar boldnesse and earnestnesse especially in extremity and in time of trouble and can wait in prayer and depend upon God this spiritual speech of God to the soul and of the soul to God it is a seal of the Spirit that indeed we are true believers because we can doe that that none can do but Christians God speaks to our souls he raiseth our souls and by his Spirit he puts a spirit of supplication into us and helps our infirmities for we know not what to ask but he helps our weaknesse and enables us to lay out the wants of our soules to God these are evidences of the presence and of the seal of the Spirit In the third place this sealing of the Spirit after we beleeve is known by the sanctifying work of the Spirit for as I told you before in the unfolding of the Point the Spirit seals our spirits by stamping the likenesse of the Spirit of Christ on us so that when a man finds in his soul some lineaments of that heavenly Image of Christ Jesus when he finds some love he may know by that love that he is translated from death to life when he finds his spirit subdued to be humble to be obedient when he finds his spirit to be heavenly and holy as Christ was when he finds this stamp upon the soul surely he may reason I have not this by nature naturally I am proud now I can abase my self natureally I am full of malice now I can love I can pray heartily for mine enemies as Christ did naturally I am lumpish and heavy now in afflictions I can joy in the Holy Ghost I have somewhat in me contrary to nature surely God hath vouchsafed his Spirit upon my believing in Christ to mark me to seal 〈◊〉 to stamp me for his I carry now the Image of the second Adam I know the Holy Ghost hath been in my heart I see the stamp of Christ there Know you not that Christ is in you except you be cast awayes saith the Apostle so upon search the Christian soul finds somewhat of Christ alwayes in the soul to give a sweet evidence that he is sealed to the day of redemtpion The fourth evidence that the Spirit of God hath been in a mans heart is the joy of the Holy Ghost and peace of conscience sanctification is the ordinary seal that is alwaies in the soul this is an extraordinary seal peace and joy when the soul needs incouragement then God is graciously pleased to superadd this to give such spiritual ravishings which are as the very beginnings of heaven so that a man may say of a Christian at such times that he is in heaven before his time he is in heaven upon earth but especially God doth this when he will have his children to suffer or after suffering after some special conflict after we have combated with some special corruption with some sinfull disposition with some strong temptation and have got the victory To him that overcometh will I give of the hidden Manna and a white stone and a new name that none can read it but he that hath it that is he shall have assurance that he is in the state of grace and the sweet sense of the love of God and that sweet heavenly Manna that none else can have thus God dealt with Job after he had exercised that Champion a long time at the last he discovered himself in a glorious manner to him so it is usually after some great crosse or in the middest of some great crosse when God sees that we must be supported with some spiritual comfort we sink else then there is place and time for spiritual comfort when earth cannot comfort thus St. Paul in the middest of the dungeon when he was in the stocks being sealed with the Spirit he sang at midnight Alas what would have become of blessed Paul his spirit would have sunk if God had not stamped it with Joy in the Holy Ghost and so David and the three young men in the fiery furnace and Daniel in the den God doth then even as parents smile upon their children when they are sick and need comfort so above all other times God reserves this hidden sealing of his children with a spirit of joy when they need it most sometimes in the middest of afflictions sometimes as a reward when they come out of their afflictions sometimes before so our Saviour Christ had James and John with him upon the mountain to strengthen them against the scandal of suffering after so God when he hath a great work for his children to do some suffering for them to go through as an encouragement before-hand he enlargeth their spirits with the joy of the Holy Ghost and some times also after a holy and gracious disposition in the Ordinances of God God doth adde an excellent portion of his Spirit a seal extraordinary for indeed God thinks nothing enough for his children till he have brought them to heaven seal upon seal and comfort upon comfort and the more we depend upon him
God alone with that but above all beg of God that he would encrease in us and renew the Earnest and the stamp of the Spirit that we may have somewhat in our soules wherein we may see the Evidences of a Christian estate I might adde many things to this purpose but this is sufficient to any Judicious Christian to encourage us to labour for the Spirit above all things in the world all other are but grasse but fading but grace and glory grace and peace and joy nay the very Earnest of the Spirit is better then all earthly things for the Earnest of it is joy unspeakable and glorious and peace that passeth all understanding If the Promise and the Earnest here be so I beseech you what shall the accomplishment of the promise be if the Promises laid hold on by faith so quicken and cheer the soul and if the giving a teste of heaven lift a Christians spirit above all earthly discouragements what shall it be when the Spirit shall be all in all in us if the Earnest be so comfortable But I go on to the next Verse VERSE XXIII Moreover I call God to record upon my soul that to spare you I came not yet to Corinth IN this Verse the Apostle labours to remove suspition of levity and inconstancy there were jealousies in the minds of the Corinthians which were also fomented by some vain-glorious Teachers amongst them that laboured to undermine S. Paul in the hearts of the Corinthians as if he had not loved the Corinthians so well as they did therefore he is so carefull to clear himself in their thoughts from suspition of inconstancy and want of love to them because suspition grounded upon the lightnesse in his carriage might reflect upon his doctrine He knew well enough the malice of mans nature and therefore he is very curious and industrious to make a clear passage for himself into the hearts of these Corinthians by all means possible as we heard in part out of the 17. Verse Moreover I call God to record c. Saint Paul is here purging himself still to clear himself First he labours to clear himself from the suspition of inconstancy and want of love to them in not coming Secondly he sets down the true cause why he did not come I came not to spare you You were much to blame in many things and among the rest of the abominations among you you cherished the incestuous person and many of you doubted of the resurrection I should have been very severe if I had come therefore I came net to spare you hoping that my letter would work upon your spirits so that I need not be severe to you therefore do not suspect that for any ill mind I came not for it was to spare you that I might not be forced to be severe Then the third thing is the sealing of this speech with a serious oath I call God for record upon my soul that I came not to spare you So here is the wâ—…ping away of suspition And the setting down the true cause why he did not come And the ratifying and confirming it by an oath he makes his purgation here by an oath These three things I will briefly touch First of all you see here he avoids suspition of lightnesse which the Corinthians had of him partly by the false suggestion of proud Teachers among them who fomented their suspitious dispositions because they would weaken S. Paul's esteem among the Corinthians they had a conceit he was an uncertain man he promised to come and did not now here he declines that suspition Where first Observe these two things briefly First that the nature of man is inclined to suspition And secondly that it is the duty of men to avoid it as much as may be and to wipe it away if it cannot be avoided Mans nature is prone to suspition Mans nature is prone to suspect ill of another though never so good Christ could not avoid it because he conversed sociably with other men he was thought to be a Wine-bibber a companion of sinners And God himself was suspected of Adam in innocency the Devil is so cunning that he calls God himself into question as if he had not meant so well to him What will that impudent spirit do that will bring the creature in suspition of him that is goodnesse it self God knowes that when you eat your eyes shall be open and you shall be as Gods knowing good and evil Do you think that he intends you any good in forbidding you to eat c He did not spare Christ innocency it self cloathed with mans flesh and will he spare to bring uncharitable suspitions upon others surely he will not And then mans nature of it self is prone to suspect and think ill of another From many grounds Sometimes out of experience of the common infirmities thnt men meet with in the world out of the experience of the falshood of men they are many times prone to suspition But most commonly it is out of guiltinesse that men think ill of others because others have cause to think ill of them none are so prone to suspition as those that are worst themselves because they judge others by their own hearts The better sort of people think of others as they are and as they deserve themselves but others because they are naught they think others are so because they deserve ill they think others have deserved an ill opinion of them so many times it comes of guilt because we are not as we should be Then again it ariseth from a guilty conscience in another respect we think because men have cause though they have no wrong to themselves yet because our own hearts tell us we are ill we suspect them So from an uncharitable disposition and guiltinesse of conscience it oft-times comes Then again sometimes from the concurrence of probabilities the suiting of circumstances that makes things somewhat probable whereupon suspition may be fastened Sometimes when there is a concurrence of probabilities of the likelihood of things there suspition is prone to rise for suspition is not a determining of a thing it is but a slight kind of conceit it is more then a fear and lesse then judgment of a thing It is more then fear for he that fears suspects not suspition is a degree to judgment it doth not fully judge for then it were not suspition it is more then fear suspects not but fears It conceives slightly that such a thing should be done and yet he dares not say it is done Suspition is nothing else but an inclination of the soul to think and imagine ill of another a looking curiously under a thing or person As we use to say Envy pries into things an envious person searcheth so a suspitious person looks under to see if he can see matter of ill to fasten his ill soul upon So it inclines the soul to think
ill upon slight grounds Now this oft-times ariseth and is fed with seeming probability Christ conversed with wicked men here was some colour for them to conjecture him so We say things have two hands a right hand and a left now suspition takes hold of the left hand alwayes if things will admit of a double construction suspition alway takes hold of the worst suspition takes hold of the ill part That is the nature of a diseased soul to take things by the wrong hand We see then it is a disposition that we are subject unto naturally and it is cherished by Satan and Satans instruments wicked men And why doth the Devill so cherish suspition and a jealous disposition Oh it hath been wondrous instrumental to Satan I dare say there is no disposition or frame of soul that hath been the occasion of more blood-shed of more unjustice in the Church and State from the beginning of the world then a jealous disposition especially in great ones Therefore the Devil labours as to breed jealousies of God so of Gods Church and Children from the beginning Was it not ever the disposition of ill-minded men to put jealousies into the hearts especially of those that were in authority concerning men far better then themselves Was it not Hamans policy when the Jewes had angred him Oh they are a people that care not for the Laws c. perhaps they were more obedient then himself had it not been the occasion of their ruine if God had not been more merciful Herod had a jealousie and suspition that Christ when he was born would turn him out of his Kingdome and all Jerusalem was in an uproar Alas Christ came to give a heavenly Kingdome and not to take away earthly yet this jealousie cost the lives of the poor Infants So in the Primitive Church there were wicked men put jealousies concerning the Christians into the heads of the Emperours when alas they reverenced the Emperours next God above all yet alway there were wicked instruments that sought to domineer and have their own ends under the Emperours they conveyed jealousies and thence came so much blood-shed In later times in Popish Countreys if a man read the stories whence came that blood-shed This was one chief cause jealousies and suspitions cast into the heads of Popish Princes by wicked men about them set on work by Satan himself O they are such as will turn you out of your state a people that are rebellious and unquiet This was the policy among us in former times we may consider of later times to see the disposition of a man that was a great States-man in his time and a man of great parts and learning but of a very fierce and cruel disposition I mean Stephen Gardiner The chief hurt that was done in that magnanimous Princes time it was done by him And how By jealousies as appears by his Letters c. Oh if these things prevail this and that will come he cast such jealousies that did affright thas great Prince Oh other Princes will fall out with you if you maintain not these things they will break with you And so upon his death-bed this doctrine of Justification if the people once know it all is gone God shewes that all these jealousies are but follies for all that he feared came to passe In good Queen Elizabeths time Religion that he was so jealous of was established and she cared not for Princes correspondency that were of other Religions further then might stand with reasons of State and did not she flourish and her people in quiet all her time notwithstanding all former jealousies as if Religion established could not stand with peace So that the event proved what kind of jealousies these were Do we think then that a great deal of hurt is not done among particular persons when in States there is such a world of hurt done by Satan and his instruments Well let us take notice therefore of our disposition and of the inclination of men this way that we may the better prevent it and that will appear in the second thing That We should labour by all means to avoid suspition and to decline it as much as we can It should be the care of Ministers and others it generally belongs to all Christians to free themselves from any ill suspition in the hearts of others as much as they can as S. Paul did here the suspition of inconstancy and lightnesse and want of love to them that he did not come among them Suspition is a Canker that eats into the soul where it is and it will consume and waste all love It is the very venome of Love and friendship A little thing will breed it but will not work it out Therefore we ought first of all to take great heed that we give no ground of suspition at all or if we do that we be careful to get it out as soon as we can for usually where it takes place it boyls till it break out into words and then words when they are discovered breed strangenesse and that breeds other inconveniences And the rather we should labour to avoid it because Quod suspectum c. that which is suspected is made unprofitable for a man when he unwarrantably suspects another thing it is unprofitable to him We take little good by those that we suspect are ill or ill-affected to us and then we do little good to them for love is much danted by the ill conceit we have taken against them A man cannot do that good that he might when he is suspected there lies a barre in the way ill suspition in the other party which is an obstruction between him and the good he might do Therefore even for the love of others we ought to avoid suspition as much as may be that they may receive good from us As we ought not uncharitably to suspect others that we may do good to them so we ought to avoid by all means suspition from them left it be a barre for that good we might do towards them Let us labour to clear our selves from all suspition of want of love and ill carriage what we may that so there may be nothing between our spirits and theirs that may hinder the good that might come from us to them but that all may passe clear You see how curious holy men have been in all times to avoid suspition as much as they could Even God himself we cannot have a more glorious pattern what course hath he taken from the beginning of the world with mankind he hath condescended and stooped to mans weaknesse to clear himself of suspition of unkindnesse to man that man might not cherish suspition that he doth not love him For there is that poyson in the cursed nature of man that do God what he can he will lay imputations upon God to bear himself out in stubborn courses as if God delighted not in him
nor regarded him And as you have it in Ezek. 18. I am punished for other folks sins God deales hardly with me and brings the sins of my fathers upon me and The fathers have eaten sour grapes and the childrens teeth are set on edge God knowes the cankred disposition of man since the fall Satan lyes upon the disposition of man and broods upon it to make it like himself malicious even against God himself God as it were puts himself to his purgation even with no lesse then an oath As I live saith the Lord I will not the death of a sinner You think I am severe to you and men they will rather impute it to Gods severity then their own sin that is the pride of mans nature A sinner is wondrous proud till he cometo destruction it self and the book of conscience be opened Sin will have something to shelter it self with sin is a proud thing God purgeth himself by an oath As I live saith the Lord I will not the death of a sinner If you dye you may thank your own sins though you be so bad if you will repent I will not the death of a sinner but rather that he return and live Yet notwithstanding man to countenance himself in sin he-will fly perhaps to the decree of God God perhaps doth not delight in me whereas the rule of our life is He hath shewed thee O man what is good to do good and abstain from evil and then that question will be out of question whether thou be Gods or no. But man will force upon himself that God doth not regard him that he may sin with more freedom As the unfaithful servant I knew thou wert a hard Master that exactedst that that thou hadst not given and therefore I hid my talent The bad servant forceth upon himself hardnesse in his Master when he was not so that he might be idle So men force upon themselves somewhat in God to be hard Gods dealings to be so and so that they may take more liberty For if God be so loving and so gracious as he hath discovered himself to be their hearts would melt they would never live in such courses but rather put all to the venture then to clamour upon Gods Justice Therefore God himself purgeth himself from a disposition of unkindnesse and unmercifulnesse As I live saith the Lord I will not the death of a sinner fo his whole course is to shew that he loves us And what is our Saviour Christs whole course but to free men from suspition of want of love did he ever turn any back from him but those that went away of themselves did he not shed tears for those that shed his blood so merciful and gracious was he If so be that holy men of all times have laboured to clear themselves to others We ought not to rage against the ill dispositions of men If we were as good as God and as Christ men would have false suspitions of us It is no innocency in the world that will free a man from suspition the wicked poysonful disposition that the Devill stirres up against him Therefore rage not against it but bear it with a spirit of moderation And let us decline as much as we can and free the hearts of people from evil suspition and if we cannot avoid it yet to bear it without discontent considering it is the Lot of Gods childen to be suspected as we see here S. Paul was To spare you I came not to Corinth S. Paul besides his labouring to remove suspition he sets down here the true cause of his not coming to them it was not lightnesse and inconstancy it was to spare you They had many abuses among them and amended they must be that was a conclusion But the question is De modo whether by gentle means by writing an Epistle and staying a while or afterwards by coming and telling them their sin to their face and by being severe and terrible among them Now he concludes I came not among you for this very cause that I might not be so severe and terrible among you as by office I should have been if you had not amended before I came as indeed they did for they cast out the incestuous person and reformed other abuses comfortably They prevented S. Pauls severity with their reformation they had not at the first cast out the incestuous person and they had factions among them they had Atheists among them that doubted of the resurrection many abuses were crept in among them S. Paul wrote a former Epistle upon a desire to reform those and there was a blessed reformation wrought S. Paul did not delight in austerity therefore he deferred his coming that he might have more joy and contentment then sorrow To spare you I came not Before I come to the Points take this for a ground Sin must be judged and censured when it is committed It must be undone by repentance or by eternal punishments in hell it must be censured here or hereafter For it is against Gods nature and Gods Word The soul that sinneth shall dye It must be repented of of necessity or eternally punished in hell Censured it must be one way or other It is of such a contrary nature so opposite to the holinesse of God that is a ground Now this being laid as a ground the question is What is the best way to take away sin whether by gentle means or severe by gentle means if it may be if not then by severe S. Paul would not have spared them if he had come if they had not amended So the Points are two First of all That the best way for the redressing of sin is by gentle means if it may be Secondly if that will not then by severe if men would not have men damned I came not to spare you because I desired that gentler courses might prevail So I say the first Point is this That If gentler courses will prevail they ought especially and in the first place to be taken It should be the care both of Ministers and of all those that deal with others first of all to use mild and winning and gaining courses Now to prove this First they are more suitable to the nature of man for the nature of man is best wrought on by rational courses suitable to his nature suitable to his principle man is a reasonable creature therefore rationall courses will prevail with a rational man a course of perswasion and discovery A man that is not beast-like tell him but the danger of his sin tell him the peril of it in gentle words and he will amend if so be he be not hardened by God to destruction or if God do not reserve him to a more severe redresse Gentle courses ought first to be used because they are agreeable to the nature of man Again they suit most to Gods disposition for God is love and his course to man is
with a spiritual holy affection and a spirit of love though with severity for there is a severity of love and gentlenesse it will prevail when it comes from such a spirit But if there be a discovery of flesh not only in Ministers but in those that deal with others flesh will rise against flesh A man may sometimes find fault with another with greater corruption then the thing he finds fault with in another he may be more to blame for his dealing then the other for his fault I came not to spare you Therefore when Ministers are plain in discovering the danger of the times the danger of the persons and places where they are to deal people must hear them as they love their own souls If they have any quarrel let them quarrel with their master for what we speak is from the Word of God we come as his Ambassadors and servants and should be considered as Ambassadours therefore considering whose message we bring they must take it in good part to be told of their sins in a good manner As S. Austin saith very well Christ saith he speaks to the Sea and it was quiet Christ said Be still the Sea heard and the waves were still but he speaks to us in the Ministery to stay our violent courses in sin and we puffe and swell when we are told of our faults is this good think you No if we do so it is a sign that God intends to seal us to destruction As we know Elies sons when they did not hearken to their Fathir God had appointed them to destruction Those that will not hearken to Ministerial reproof it is a sign God hath sealed them over to destruction If we would not have either Ministers or others to be severe in telling us let us be severe to our own sins first Men are like to children first they foul and defile them selves and they cry when they are washed so men soil themselves with sin and cry when they should be purged from them If we cannot endure to be told of our faults how shall we endure to be tormented for our faults in hell Those that are so tender that they will not endure a word contrary to their dispositions how will they endure that sentence Go ye cursed when they shall be turned into hell Consider what will come of it if we live in sin I beseech you therefore suffer the Word of exhortation at our hands Our salvation lyes upon it if we discover not the danger of the sins of people to whom we speak if we discern them we shall perish for it because we are unfaithful in our Ambassage Therefore for your own souls and likewise that we may discharge our duty as we should patiently and quietly fit under exhortation and reproof not only publick but private if occasion be O Beloved at the latter day it will be a matter of vexation that we were cherished too much in our courses Do you not think that the damned spirits in hell wish O that we had been told O that we had been dealt with violently that we had been pulled out of this flame There is an excellent place in Judes Epistle Have mercy upon some Use some gently that are of tractable dispositions and pull some out of the fire with fear with threatning eternal damnation with terrible courses that they may have cause to fear first with admonitions and if that will not prevail with suspension with further censure and if that will not prevail with excommunication cast them out of the Church as this incestuous Corinthian that their souls may be saved in the day of the Lord. There is a threefold correction or finding fault that are gradual one after another and they should be of vigour in the Church in all times First a friendly telling of a fault between man and man if we see any thing dangerously amisse Then when a man takes another man before company when he takes him before those that he respects when privately he will not amend Then correction if admonition of friends will not do tell the Church rather then suffer his soul to perish These steps and degrees were observed in the best times of the Church and if they were observed now many souls would be saved This is that that S. Jude speaks of Save some pulling them out of the fire that is snatch them out by violent means by excomunication that their souls may be saved in the day of the Lord. Those that are in hell wish that they had been pulled out with fear with violent courses O that we had been told of our filthy courses of our sâ—…vearing of our iâ—…justice that we had had violence offered us rather then to have come into this place of torment O those will blesse God another day for that gracious violence And those that are let alone will curse all another day Ministers friends and parents they will curse all that there were not more violent courses taken with them to stop them in their way to hell to deal plainly with them it is the best mercy that can be shewed to be faithfull in this kind Therefore while it is time suffer the word of Exhortation and reproof the time will come else that you shall condemn your selves that you were so impatient and shall wish O that we had had those that would have dealt more violently with us It is cruel pitty as can be in Ministers to be flatterers and to daub or in parents and governours of others to dissemble with them in their courses and not to tell them of it it is the most cruel pitty of all it is betraying of them to eternal torments For sin as I said it must be judged and censured here or hereafter if it be not here there is more reserved for the time to come when God will open the treasures of his wrath We put into his treasury fast enough and the time will come of opening all the treasuries of his vengeance when he will pour out the vials of his wrath upon sinners that are not reformed So much for that Point I call God for a record upon my soul. S. Paul to purge himself from suspition seals all this with an oath Herein he doth shew his great love to them and his care over them that he would so seriously purge himself to gain their love and good opinion of him Is was an argument of the great esteem he had of them he was willing they should think he was very desirous of their love and of their good opinion for whose sake he would sweare and clear himself by an oath As God esteems mans love much when he will condescend so far as to seal his love and promise with an oath God would have us to think that he values and esteems our respect very much so S Paul would have them think he esteemed them much that he would make such a solemn oath for their
abuse Promises of this life 2. Gods Promises wondrously performed 3. God deferreth his performance To wait Gods time Believe contraries in contraries To have Amen for Gods Amen Complaint of Unbelief Faith in the Promises honours God Why God honors faith so much To make the Promises familiar How to make use of former examples What use to make of the story of our own lives Comfort in the false dealing of men To deceive trust odious Comfort in all changes in the world How the Word of the Lord endures for ever To rely constantly on the constant Promises To observe how God daily fulfills his Promises 1. For temporals 2. For spirituals Turn Promises into Prayers Labour to know the Promises Work the Promises on our hearts Evidences of believing the Promises 1. They breed joy 2. They quicken to obedience 3. They purge 4. They quiet the soul. 5. A staying of tâ—…e soul when all iâ—… contrary 6. Faithfulnesse in our Promises to God Quest. Answ. God gives grace to perform the Covenant God promiseth the things be requires Promises Legacies Covenant a Testament Threatnings of God Amen as well as Promises 7. Opposition of flesh and fleshly men Carnal men despise those that trust in Gods Promises To go to God in Christ to perform the promises How to think of Christ. All in the world nothing without Christ. Observ. Gods glory manifested in the Gospel More then in the Creation Our estate in Christ better then Adam's Glory of Gods Justice His Mercy Wisdome Power Truth To see Gods Attributes in Christ. To honour God by believing the Gospel Glory of God by the Ministery Observ. A double Amen 1. In Gods Promises 2. In our Faith Necessity of application Difference between faith and presumption Observ. Stablishing grace necessary Reason 1. In regard of our indisposition 2. In regard of oppositions Difference between true Christians and others Degrees of faith Observ. Christ the foundation of our stability 1. Our Judgment stablished in Christ. 2. Our Will 3. Our affections A Christians stability more then Adam's or Angels None are firm but Christians Observ. God onely can stablish the soul. 1. By shewing our misery and Christs excellency The ground of believing Gods Word Reason of Apostasie The reason of unfruitfulnesse The reason of Despair Spiritual knowledge necessary Observ. God will stablish us 1. Because he is constant All of Grace from God Ground of a Christians not falling away God stablisheth bâ—… working stablishing graces Fear Wisdome Faith Peace To value all good Christians The Spirit works as we are in the body Bond of communion of Saints Use. To give God the glory of our stablishing Strengthen radical graces 1. Humility 2. Faith 3. Knowledge Knowledge must be spirituall 1. Be acquainted with Gods Word 2. Take no scandal at those that shrink 3. Retain the truth in love 4. Practise truths â—…nown 5. Be frequent in holy conference 7. Pray to God to stablish us 8. Be spiritually poor 9. Hate lukewarmnesse Use 2. Examination of our stablishing 1. When it is grounded on the Word 2. When weak men overcome strong temptations 2. By freedome from base fears cares c. Examine our knowledge Examine our course of life None but a Christ an truly couragious in death 2. Desire of Christs coming Why God useth so many several words to secâ—… us What the Spirit is an Earnest of The Spirit an Earnest 1. For security 2. It is part of the whole 3. An Earnest is little to the whole 4. It serves the party receiving it 5. It is never taken away Observ. A Christian man be assured of his estate in grace All in the work of Redemption is for that end Christians not alike assured at all times Double act of saith 1. Direct 2. Reflect The reflect act may be hindred Naughty hearte content with a state of doubling Observ. Gods Children may be assured they shall held out to the end Grace and glory differ but in degrees Observ. Those that look to be happy must first be holy Observ. We may be assured from a little measure of grace The Spirit appears not in all graces at once A Christian is a mixed creature Use 2. To examine the truth of grace We may know grace is true though little 1. The soul mournes that it is little 2. Wait 3. To wait with Patience 4. Constancy 5. To purge our selves 6. Desire of accomplishment Cautions 1. When conscience is wounded 2. Have been carelesse 7. Growth in grace 8. Quieting of the soul. 9. True gold will endure the tryal 10. It will persevere Christians get strength by their falls To labour for assurance Earnest given for our sakes To labour against unbelief Earnest the work of the Spirit 1. He proceeds from Father and Son 2. He only can quiet the soul. How to know we have the Spirit 1. By life and motion 2. By transforming us 3. By Conflict 4. By supernatural obedience 5. It dwells in us 6. It mortifies sin 7. It leads us 8 It is a Spirit of adoption 9. It teacheth to pray 10. And to wait Directions to have the Spirit 1. Attend Gods means 2. Not to grieve the Spirit 1. By cherishing Lusts. 2. Obey the Spirit 3. Pray for the Spirit The Spirit makes impregnable No thankfulnesse without the Spirit No joy without the Spirit No willâ—…ngnesse to dye without it Parts of the Verse Observ. Mans nature prone to suspition Grounds of suspition 1. The infirmity of men 2. Guiltinesse 3. From Probabilities Suspition more then fear lesse then judgment Suspition what Suspition makes the worst construction Why the Devil cherisheth suspition Mischief from suspition Observ. To labour to avoid suspition Suspition a Canker That that is suspected is made unprofitable God labours â—…o free himself from suspition Christ labours to be freed from suspition Sin must be censured and judged Doctr. Gentle courses first to be used Reason 1. It is suitable to â—…ns nature Reason 2. To Gods disposition Reason 3. To the carriage of our salvation Reason 4. Gods course Reason 5. It is most successeful Reason 6. It is tasting Use. To deal gently with others Doctr. When gentle means prevail not severe must be used Reason Men must not spare that God may Against selfrâ—…spects in reproos of sin Use. People to be willing to bear of their sins How to prevent severity in others Vexation in hell to those that were cherished in sin Three-fold correction 1. Private admonition 2. Before others Definition of an Oath None but good men should take an Oath To swear by none but God Invocation in an Oath Imprecation Oath to be taken onely in serious matters An Oath must be 1. In Truth 2. In Judgment 3. In Justice Against equivocation An oath only in matters in determinable Oath lawful Ordinary Swearing forbidden Object Answ. Swearing without good life nothing Object Answ. Custome no plea for swearing Object Answ. Company no excuse for swearing Swearing ordinarily argues a vile heart Original of common swearing 1. Atheisme 2. Cherishing passion 3. Affectation 4. Shame Men should abstain swearing in love to the Kingdome For love to theâ—…r own sam lies Conscience of lessâ—…r oathes Ordinary Swearers curse themselves A Christians life a kind of oath Doctr. No man hath dominion over anothers faith 1. What it is not to have dominion over the faith of others What â—…ranny over the faith of others is Quest. Answ. The Church of Rome domineers over the faith of others 1. By Traditions 2. Will-worship 3. That the Pope cannot erre A grand lie that hinders their Reformation 4. Church Judge of Controversies 5. In the intentioâ—… of the Minister in the Sacrament Confession Satans malice to sit in Gods throne Popery would subdue all Use. To be thankful for freedome from this tyranny How to think of Popery Grounds of spiritual Tyranny Salvation termed joy why Doctr. 1. The state of a Christian is joy Nature teacheth it God gives matter of joy 1. Freedom from ill 2. The good they are brought to Reason 1. That God may have glory Reason 2. It makes active in doing good Reason 3. And able to suffer ill Reason 4. To encourage others Doctr. 2. The Word unfolded helps this joy To comfort what The Ministers helpers of joy 1. By shewing people their ill 2. By shewing the remedy 3. By advice Light Liberty Victory 4. By forcing it as a duty 5. In death Object Answ. Ministers trouble the joy of carnal men Object Answ. Private means will not comfort when publick are neglected Object Answ. The sorrow caused by the Ministery tends to joy Simile Object Answ. Simile Comfort what Use. To esteem the Ministery To open the case of our soules to spiritual Physitians Doctr. 3 Ministers but helpers not the authours of joy Simile Gods Spirit only specks comfort 1. He only knowes our hearts 2. He only can set down the soul. Use To look for comfort from the Spirit by the means Not to idolize the Ordinances why S. Paul varies the phrase Observ. Faith breeds joy 1 Faith takes away all that may discourage 2. It shewes Gods love in Christ. Pedigree of joy Use. To try if our joy be good 1. If it spring from the Word 2. It springs from faith 3. It is above discouragements or allurements 4. It is with humility Standing what meant by it Quest. Answ. Why our stand ing is by faith Four degrees of assent 1. Opinion 2. Knowledge 3. Believing 4. Experience How we stand by faith Quest. Answ. What faith it self stands on God our Father The nature of God Observ. The foundation of faith out of us Faith withstands opposition Quest. Answ. How we stand by faith when conscience is awakened for sin The firmnesse of a Christians standing If our knowledg of Scripture be not spiritual 1. We fall into sin 2. To despair 3. To Apostasie The Sacrament strengthens faith Faith the radical grace