of God or no first I wil tempt this man for to break the Law and when he hath broken the Law then will Itempt him to sin against the Gospel then will I strike at his faith his great design still is upon your faith in all his temptations But you will say Quest Why is Satans great design upon our faith in time of temptation He is the great Robber or Theef and if he can Answ he will be sure to spoil a man of that wich is the best Now faith is more precious than gold the trial of your faith is faith is the gift of God and therefore if he can get any thing from a man he will get that which is Gods gift He is the great hinderer of all good of every good work and he will especially labour to hinder that work which is The work of God in a special manner and this is THE Work of God that ye beleeve in his Son Satan knows that faith is the most Beneficial grace unto the Saints The Shield of faith it is called and the Anchor of faith If ye be in a storm at sea faith is your Anchor If ye be in danger at land before Enemies faith is your Shield If that a mans Faith fail his Duties fail his heart failes and all failes He knows well enough that he shall soon make us suffer shipwrack if he can but weaken faith and therefore his great design is upon our faith He knows that faith is most prejudicial to Himself for by faith we overcome the world whom resist stedfast in the faith And by faith we quench the fiery darts of the Devil Now then saies Satan Does faith quench my fiery darts then will I labour to quench faith if I can The Devil does labour alwaies to present himselfe in Christs cloathes unto a soul as an Angel of light and he does labout to rpesent Christ in his own cloathes as an Angel of darkness When as he is a lyar Himself he does labour to make the soul put the lye upon Christ and upon the Spirit The Spirit of God that comes and testifies unto a man or woman Thou art the child of God Satan saies No. When a man therefore does say He is not the child of God the language of his action is He gives the lye unto the Spirit and he saies that Satan speaks true So here he makes Christ and the Spirit of Chrhist a lyar by his unbelief he makes the devil to speak true Now this is Satans great design and therefore in all his temptations still he strikes at the faith of the Saints labours to weaken their faith his great design is upon their faith In the Fourth place Quest 4 How does Satan weaken our faith in time of temptation What are those strokes that Satan gives unto our faith and how shall we be able to bare them off In the general Answ Satan does sometimes labour to weaken our faith By drawing us from the means of faith Take the wood away from the fire it will soon lose it's heat if not put out And if a man be but drawn away from the means of faith the means drawn from him or he from the means by his own default his faith will be soon weakened This Satan labours to do sometimes Sometimes again He raises up Mountains of Difficulties and Discouragements in the way of a Christians obedience and so labours to wound his faith Throw water upon the fire it will soon be out But that I may speak the more fully unto this great Question the answer whereof is of concernment every day amongst you Ye know there the Three acts of faith There is the faith of Reliance whereby a soul does relye upon God in Christ There is the faith of Assurance Whereby a man is perswaded of Gods love towards him and his love to God and that he is the child of God And there is the faith of Acknowledgment whereby a man does own and acknowledge the Cause and Truth of Christ I shall now spend some time and shew ye How Satan strikes at all these faiths and withal labour to shew you How we may bare off his blows that so we may stand in the time of temptation and our faith may not fail First For the faith of Reliance Satan does sometimes strike at the faith of Reliance in the Saints by hiding from them their former Experiences of Gods gracious dealing with them So long as a man hath the sight and view of his Experiences of Gods gracious dealing with him before he does relye on God and he saies I will for ever rest upon God and relye upon God in Christ for thus and thus he hath dealt w th me heretofore Now therfore Satan does labour in the time of temptation to hide the Experiences of the Saints from them and so does strike at their faith and labours to make their faith faile But then How should we bare off this blow Quest Thus Take heed that ye never rest upon the promise barely Answ 1 or only because of your Experience but rather deal with your Experience because of the promise It is a good thing for a man to come up to the Promise by the ladder of Experience but it 's better for a man to go down to the promise by his Experience And if ye look into the 106. Psalm ye shall find that when a man does rest upon the Promise barely by reason of his Experience his faith will soon fail The waters covered their enemies at the 11. verse 't is spoken of the Israelites when they came through the red sea there was not one of them left Verse the 12. Then beleeved they his words Mark now because of their Experience now they beleeved Gods word now they beleeved his promise by reason of their Experience Then beleeved they his words they sang his praise But what became of this Reade the next words They soon forgate his works they waited not for his counsel So that I say take heed that ye don't rest upon the promise barely and only because of your Experience for if your Experience be but out of the way a little then your heart will fail and your faith fail presently Take heed that ye never mourn for any evil Answ 2 no not for sin it self so as to be unthankful for or unmindful of former mercies We are very apt to this and Satan he comes and tempts and saies unto a poor soul Are you speaking of former mercies or blessings to be thanful for them That is a good work for others but as for you you have committed such a sin and it 's your duty now to mourn for your sin committed look you to that to be humbled apply your self to that work and so when he hath gotten a mans heart fix't upon that work in opposition to thankfulness for former mercies received the soul loses the sight of his Experience and so his faith failes in the time of temptation
ye aske me Wherein the love and care of Christ is expressed unto his people under their temptations I answer Answ 1 First In the ordering of their temptations For there is no temptation befalls any of His but he measures out the temptation according to their abilities As a wise Phifitian does not give the same Physick unto every person but considers every ones ability that which he gives to one is too strong for another he considers first the ability of his patient and prescribes accordingly Now though our Saviour Christ don't direct Satan for to tempt yet he does order him in tempting and Satan cannot put the least dram into any temptation but as it is measured out by the hand of Christ And this is that which the Apostle speaks plainly in the 1. Cor. 10. Chapter and the 13. verse But God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able c. that ye may be able to bear it Psal 139 The Psalmist David saies Search me O Lord and prove me That is saies Gregory First O Lord look upon my strength and then if I must be tempted suffer me to be tempted according to mine ability Christ does measure out all the temptations of his people according to their abilities Secondly As he does measure out their temptations according to their abilities So he does also mortifie their temptations and weaken them as they come through his hand Mortifie them before they do come at his Disciples and people before they do come at you And upon this account partly it is said That we are more than conquerers through Christ that giveth victory Because our enemy is overcome before he strikes and his blow is broken as he strikes And therefore saies the Apostle concerning our Saviour That he hath spoil'd principalities and powers and made a shew of them openly upon the crosse All your temptations the power and strength of them were spoil'd upon the crosse There 's no temptation befals any of Gods people but it is mortified and weakned before it does come it them the sting teeth and the poison being taken out Thirdly He does not only thus mortifie and weaken a temptation before it does come at us But he does cause Satan so to lay his temptations as that he may be discerned and so overcome Satan tempted Adam and Eve but he tempted in a serpent and so Adam might easily have discerned the hand of Satan in it for Adam knew all the creatures he gave them their Names he knew their Natures and he knew well enough the serpent could not speak to him he might easily have known that the hand of Satan was in the business And so now though God does suffer Satan to tempt his people yet he does cause Satan so to lay his temptations as that the black feet of the tempter may be discovered and when a temptation is discovered 't is half overcome Fourthly He doth not only thus But the Lord Jesus Christ hath the Timeing of all our temptationps Time is a great matter in the point of temptation Should a temptation come at such or such a time possibly Gods child might be overwhelmed I praise the Lord saies one I did resist such a temptation but had it fallen out at such a time I should never have been able to have stood under it Satan observes his tempting times he knowes that great advantage may be made unto him by his time And therefore when Christ was an hungry he tempted him to turn stones into bread observed his time And as Satan does observe his time to tempt So our Lord and Saviour Christ does set him his time the time of his temptations are in the hand of Christ And therefore if ye look into the 20. chapter of the Revelation the 1. 2. and 3. verses ye shall find to this purpose thus I saw an Angel come down from Heaven having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand And he laid hold on the dragon the old serpent which is the Devil and Satan and bound him a thousand years and cast him into the bottomless pit and shut him up and set a seal upon him that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years should be fulfilled and after that he must be loosed a little season Mark The Lord Jesus Christ hath not only the tempter in a chain that he can go no further than he gives him leave to go but his hand also is in the hand of Christ and Christ hath an eye to the Time of his temptation a special eye upon the time of our temptation and this argues much of his care and love Fiftly He hath not only the Timeing of our temptations But he does also Sanctifie our temptations and does make them blessed means of our Sanctification And therefore saies Paul I received the messenger Satan for to buffet me that I might not be exalted Twice he hath that That he might not be exalted out of measure But for this I need go no further than the instance of Peter before Peter was tempted what abundance of carnal confidence was there in Peter Lord saies he though all men for sake thee yet will not I. But now I pray look upon him after his temptation and you shall see how this carnall confidence was laid down for our Saviour saies unto him Peter lovest thou me more than these Lord saies he thou knowest I love thee but not a word of the comparative More than these he had left comparing now having been under temptation and having fallen his carnal confidence was gone and he don't say now Lord though all men forsake thee yet will not I the comparison is left out now he answers to the other part but not a word to that So that I say If the Lord Jesus Christ do measure out all our temptation for us And mortifie them before they come at us And does cause Satan to lay them as we may most easily discover them And if the Lord Christ does Time our temptations for us And sanctifie them unto us Then certainly there is much of Oh rists love and mercy at work for his people under their temptations Secondly If you ask me yet further Quest 2 Wherein is the love of Christ exprest or drawn out unto his people under their temptations I answer It is seen and exprest in this In teaching of them Answ in and by their temptations Tempting times are teaching times unto Gods people the school of temptation is a great school Luther said that the temptations of Satan were the imbracings of Christ meaning that then Christ did imbrace his people most and discover most of his love unto them Three things he said there were that made a Preacher Meditation Prayer and Temptation And indeed when or where does God or Christ reveal himselfe more fully unto his people than in the times of their temptations 'T is said that at
hearts First A true Disciple does deny himself So long as a man is in the state of Nature he is alwaies in the Circle of self and Satan keeps him in it but when Christ comes he gets out of that Circle and then he denies himself Self saies whether Natural self Civil self or Sinful self Thou art now minding Christ and the waies of Christ but mind thy Estate more and thy Name more and thy Firends and Relations more and thy Health more and thy Pleasures and Recreations more Nay saies a true Disciple but I must mind Christ more I must mind mine own Soul more I must mind mine Eternity more so he denies himself his sinful self and Civil self and Religious self too his self-reason and his self-will and his self-affection Secondly He does take up his Cross A true Disciple takes up his crosse 'T is not said He does bear his crosse with patience there is a great deal of difference between these Bearing of a mans cross with patience when it is laid upon him and taking up his crosse when it is laid before him Properly a man is said to take up his crosse when there is Sin laid on one side and there is a Crosse and an Affliction laid on the other side Now either you must commit this Sin or else you must endure this Crosse or Affliction Nay then saies a true Disciple rather than I will commit that sin I will endure this affliciton and so he takes up his cross Thirdly He does also Follow Christ Some there are that having suffered for the Name and Cause of Christ they then grow Proud of their sufferings and they fal into foul miscarriages But a true Disciple of Christ when he hath taken up the crosse he follows Christ now properly a man is said to follow Christ when he does do those things at Christs command wherein Christ does differ from others As now a man is said to follow Luther when he does follow him in those things wherein he differs from Calvin and a man follows Calvin when he does follow him in those things wherein he differs from Luther So a man is said to follow Christ when he follows him in those things wherein he differs from others There are some things wherein Christ and Nature do agree Nature saies That a man must do by another as he would be dealt by himself Herein Christ and nature agree But Christ saies A new commandement give I unto ye That ye love one another as I have loved you Here Christ differs from Nature Nature teaches a man That there is a God and that God is to be Prayed unto and that a man is to pray for his friends But now Christ saies Pray for your Enemies I say a man is properly said for to follow Christ when he follows him in that wherein Christ differs from others Now whosoever thou art that makes this Objection That thou art not a Disciple of Jesus Christ and therefore he does not pray for thee in the time of thy temptation I appeal to ye Are ye not willing to take up your crosse rather to endure that affliction than commit this sin Do ye not set your self to deny your self your Pleasures Recreations Relations and all for Christ And do ye not desire to follow Jesus Christ in those things wherein he does differ from Anti-Christ and from Nature and from Moses then surely thou art a Disciple of Jesus Christ But besides this Our Saviour tels us in the 17. of John That he did not only pray for those his present Disciples but saies he I pray for all that shall beleeve on me through their word verse the 20. What is it to beleeve on Christ To rest upon Christ for life and glory in the time of our temptation this is to beleeve on Christ Now in the time of your temptation don't ye rest on Christ don 't ye relye on Christ then Christ hath prayed for ye And though thou art in such a temptation as thou complainest thou canst not pray yet the Lord Jesus Christ hath prayed for thee and he is heard in all that he prayed for But I fear will some say yet that the Lord Jesus Christ does not pray Object or intercede for me in the time of my temptation because my faith failes me Oh! my faith hath failed me in the time of temptation did Christ pray for me my faith would not fail for he is heard in all that he prayes for but Oh! my faith fails in time of temptation and therefore I fear that this love and mercy of Christ is not at work for me in the time of my temptation For Answer Answ 1 First There is a great deal of difference between the failing of your Faith and the failing of your Heart Possibly your Heart may fail in time of temptation and yet not your Faith Look I pray into the 73. Psalm the 26. verse and you shall find as much Saies the Psalmist there My flesh and my heart faileth I but did not his Faith fail now See what he saies his faith stands notwithstanding this But God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever here 's his faith So that though his flesh failed and his heart failed yet his faith did not fail There is a great deal of difference between a recoyling fit of a heart-failing in time of temptation and the failing of ones faith Secondly It is one thing for you to fail in your faith in our own opinion and another thing for your faith to fail in the opinion of Jesus Christ When Peter denied his Lord and Master in his own opinion he could not but think that his faith failed and yet in the opinion of Jesus Christ his faith did not fail for Christ prayed that his faith should not fail and it did not fail for Christ was heard in what he prayed for Thirdly There is great deal of difference between the failing of faith and failings that do accompany faith The poor woman that came to Christ and touched the hem of his garment failed very much for shee came behinde him and thought to have stolen a cure I but though there were many failings that did accompany her faith yet her faith did not fail for she came and touched the hem of his garment and was cured by her faith So I say there is a great deal of difference between the failing of faith and the failings that do accompany faith there may be many failings that do accompany ones faith and yet ones faith may stand and not fail But yet further Whosoever you are that say your faith fails you and therefore you are afraid that Christ prayes not for you Man or woman Did thy faith ever fail thee like Peters didst thou ever deny thy Lord and Master as Peter did and yet Christ said I have prayed that thy faith fail not and he was heard in the thing that he prayed for Oh! but that was but one Act in
Peter Object but my faith doth constantly fail Peter denied and his faith failed in the exercise as to one Act but my faith doth constantly fail in time of temptation I was heretofore more able to beleeve in the time of my temptation than now I am my faith is failed and it constantly fails and therefore I fear that the Lord Christ will not pray for me in the time of my temptation Well But if you be more able to relye upon meer free-grace Answ than ye have been heretofore then your faith is not less but increased rather If you be now more able to be contented with your condition than you were heretofore If you can let God and Christ alone to use his own means about you If you can leave the Events and successes of things more unto God than you could heretofore then your faith is not failed but rather increased Man or woman if that you are able now to take those hints of a word which you could not heretofore If your judgment be more setled in the Truth If you be more contented to suffer now for the Cause and the way of God than you were heretofore Then thy faith is not failed but thy faith is increased rather and so thou comest within the compasse of the Lord Christs prayer Oh! Object but yet will some say I have sinned greatly very much I have been a great sinner and therefore I fear that the Lord Jesus Christ will let me alone to wrestle with my temptations all alone and will not pray and intercede for me in the time and hour of my temptation Well Answ I must yet say again to you Hast thou sinned more than this Peter did when he denied his Lord and Master Yet Christ prayed for him and his prayer took and prevailed Have you sinned more than Jerusalem did Oh! Jerusalem thou that stonest the Prophets saies Christ when they put him to death And yet if you look into the 1. of the Acts you shall find that Christ after his Resurrection bids his Disciples for to stay and wait at Jerusalem and not stir from thence and preach the Gospel and mercy and free-grace in Jerusalem Hast thou man or woman that makest this objection sinned more than those that did put Christ to death that run him into his body with a spear that nailed him upon the crosse hast thou sinned more than these Ye know our Lord and Saviour when he was upon the crosse he prayed for them Oh! Father forgive them they know not what they do But Lord these are thine opposers these are persecutors and they persecute thee to death Well be it so saies Christ I know what I do and I know whom I pray for Father forgive them they know not what they do Oh! what grace and mercy and love is here Comfort yea Comfort unto all the Disciples of Jesus Christ when ye are in temptation the Lord Christ is at prayer for you And remember the Doctrine Never is his love and mercy more at work for ye than when Satan is most busie about ye to tempt ye most What comfort is here This was that in part that comforted the Martyrs in the Primitive times ye reade of very great comforts that the Martyrs had in the Primitive times those times next after Christ I have desired to consider what it was especially that bore up their hearts under all those persecutions And Turtullian pitches upon this as one thing We consider saies he the case of Peter Satan desired to winnow him Christ prayed for him Here were saies Turtullian two requests before God the Father One was the request of Satan and another was the request of Christ Now the Son having more credit with God the Father than Satan his request must needs prevail So saies he Satan hath desired for to tempt and to winnow us and persecute us but the Lord Jesus Christ hath requested for us There are two requests before God the Father There 's Satans request to winnow us and there 's the Sons request praying for us Now therefore seeing that the Son hath more credit with God the Father than Satan therefore are we assured that we shall be upheld and our faith shall not fail And so may you also This is matter of great comfort unto all the Saints You will say Indeed it is matter of great comfort Quest but is there no Duty that this Truth cals for at our hands Here is much comfort but what is that Duty that this Truth cals for Much every way If I be an Ungodly man Answ what a mighty incouragement is here for to get into Jesus Christ that I may be in the number of the true Disciples So long as a man is out of Christ not a true Disciple of Jesus Christ Satan may come and tempt and do what he wil with him and no Christ by to help Satan could not hurt or touch or tempt Job but he must ask leave But Satan went to the Sabeans and brought in them upon Jobs Estate and he did not ask leave for that they were in his power He ruleth in the children of disobedience Daniel was in the Lyons-den and they devouered him not their mouthes were stopt and they could not hurt him But when the Enemies were thrown into the Lyons they crack'd and crush'd their bones before they came to the ground If a godly man one that is a true Disciple of Jesus Christ if he be in a den with these Lyons Devils their mouths shall be stopt they shall not swallow him But oh for wicked men that are not in Christ these Lyons they crush their bones every day they crush their bones and a wicked man may say as Saul did The Philistims are upon me and God is departed from me So a wicked man that is not in Christ he may cry out and say Oh! temptations are upon me and Christ is departed from me I have none of Christ to help me as for the Saints and those that are true Disciples of Jesus Christ they have Christ at hand though they fall Christ is by for to help them up And Christ himself measures out all their temptations and Christ assists them and helps them but Oh! as for me I am all alone in my temptations I poor soul am all alone in my temptations Ah! who would be a Drunkard still who would be a Swearer still who would be an Unclean wanton still who would be a lyar and a Theevish servant still Let me tell ye that while ye go on in these sins you are out of Christ Poor soul a Swearer a Drunkard a common Lyar a Sabbath-breaker a Wanton out of Christ and thy temptations fall heavily upon thee the Lord knowes thou art all alone in the time of thy temptations Oh! but get into Jesus Christ get into Jesus Christ to be in the number of Christs true Disciples and when thou art tempted the Lord prayes for thee yea and the love and mercy of Christ
kept ibid 4 That their graces may encrease Page 105 5 That it may be discovered to themselves and others what their sins and graces are ibid 6 That they may be the more fit to receive Christ as a Saviour ibid 7 That they may be made like to Christ ibid 8Vpon the same reasons that God suffered the children of Israel to suffer under the Egyptians 1 That his power might appear Page 106 2 That they might not learn their manners ibid 3 That they might be provoked against them to cut them off Page 106 4 That they might long for the Land of Rest Page 107 5 That they might not return back to Egypt ibid Objection Answered Page 108 Application Do not question the love of God because of temptations Page 109 Object How shall I order my heart in temptations Answ 1 Take heed you do not yeeld to any part of a temptation that you may be delivered from Page 113 2 Do not carry the guilt of your old condition into a new condition ibid 3 Note what sutableness there is in your condition to the temptation and take away that Page 114 4 Turn your thoughts to another object Page 115 5 Take the Shield of Faith ibid 6 Doe not feare too much Do not fear too little Page 116 7 If you overcome be thankful if you be overcome hold up still Page 117 8 Make good improvement of it ibid Sermon 2. Heb. 2.18 Doct. The Lord Jesus Christ is a succouring Christ to tempted souls Page 220 Proved Page 221 Opened 1 Christ is able to do it Page 222 2 He is willing to do it 1 It is Gods will and he delights to do the will of God Page 224 2 He was willing to suffer it therefore to do ibid 3 He is much troubled if it be not done Page 225 3 He is faithfull in doing it Page 226 4 How Christ succours in temptation 1 Before temptation 1 By manifestation of him self Page 227 2 By laying in Gospel-principles ibid 3 By filling the heart with the Holy Ghost Page 228 2Vnder Temptation 1 By opening their eyes to see it is but a temptation Page 228 2 By letting fall some glimps of his love ibid 3 He doth succour from temptation by temptation Page 229 4 By casting in some promise ibid 5 By keeping the heart and the temptation assunder ibid 3 After temptation by filling the heart with unspeakable joy ibid Application 1 A gracious invitation to poore tempted souls to come to Christ Page 229 Object Why then are men damned Answered Page 230 Other objections answered ibid Object My temptation is mixed with corruption Answered 1 He succours sinners most when they are most tempted Page 231 2 When they cannot succour themselves Page 232 3 Notwithstanding all their failings ibid Application 2 Here is strong consolation to all Saints Page 233 Application 3 Let us be succouring Christians Page 235 Application 4 Why should we yeeld to temptations though never so violent Page 236 Application 5 Let us labour to answer Christ in this work 1 Observe his succours and lay them up against a rainy day ibid 2 Labour to keep the sence of his love upon your hearts Page 237 3 Look up to Christ ibid 4 Give thy soul up into his hands Page 238 5 Rest on him ibid 6 Do not rest upon means because great nor despise them because smal ibid 7 Do not live upon the letter of a promise Page 239 8 If you have the worst be humbled If the better improve your victory ibid SERMON III Luke 22.31 32. Text opened Page 241 Doct. Christ gives leave to Satan sometimes to tempt his own and best Disciples Page 242 Opened 1 What great power Satan hath to tempt and molest the children of men 1 He is an Angel Page 242 2 He is a Spirit Page 243 3 He is able to suggest what he pleaseth ibid 4 He knows what bait will soonest take ibid 5 He is able to follow his suggestions ibid 6 He is able to bemire the fancy ibid 7 To hold down a mans mind to that particular thing Page 244 8 The same words which are given to God for good are given to the Devil for evil ibid Wherein the Devil fals short of God ibid 2 He puts forth this power especially upon the best of Saints Page 245 Object Why doth Satan lie so heavy upon the Saints seeing he knows they shall be saved Answ 1 His envy Page 246 2 That they may be stumbling blocks to others ibid 3 He loves to molest them Page 247 3 How he comes by this power Page 248 4 Why God gives Satan leave to tempt his own children 1 To wean them from that sin they fall into Page 249 2 The manifestation of his own power wisdom faithfulness and free-grace Page 250 Application Why should any man doubt of his sonship Page 251 Object Mine is no temptation of Satan but the corruption of my own heart Answered 1 It is usual for Saints to charge all Satans temptations upon their own hearts Page 254 2 The Saints never fall into any great sin but Satan hath a special hand in it Page 255 3 It is the disposition of the Saints to be grieved for their sins as if all were from themselves and nothing from Satan ibid 4 The difference between Satans temptations and our corruptions Page 256 Object What comfort can we have in this condition 1 Nothing befals you but what may befal a child of God Page 257 2 Whilst thou art tempted Christ is praying for thee ibid 3 The enemy is overcome before he strikes ibid 4 He hath no more power than God gives him Page 258 5 Thou hast something cannot be taken from thee ibid Object 2 What shall I do that I may not not yeeld to temptation Answered Page 258 Object What shall I do that I may avoid temptation 1 Do not stand playing upon the borders of any sin Page 260 2 Get your hearts mortified to the objects of love and fear ibid 3 Take your temptation and dip it in the blood of Christ Page 261 SERMON IIII Luke 22.31 32. Doct. The great design of Satan is upon the faith of the Saints Page 263 Opened 1 What it is to fail in faith Page 264 2 What evil is in failing in faith Page 266 He loseth 1 An opportunity of glorifying God ibid 2 His joy and peace ibid 3 His present prize Page 267 4 The sweetness of his mercy ibid 3 That Satans great design in Temptation is upon our faith Page 268 Why it is so Page 269 4 How Satan weakens our faith Page 270 1 Our faith of Reliance ibid 1 By hiding our former experiences ibid How to bear off that blow 1 Take heed you never rest upon a promise barely because of experience Page 271 2 Take heed ye never mourn so for sin as to be unthankfull for mercies Page 272 2 By severing our souls from the promise How shall we bear of that blow 1 God commands
me to beleeve therefore the promise belongs unto me Page 273 2 If the Lord gives out a threatning that it may not be fulfilled then he gives out a promise that it may be fulfilled ibid 3 If I am more godly then I was when Satan told me that the promise did belong to me then is the temptation causeless ibid 4 God hath commanded me to beleeve Page 274 2 How Satan weakens our faith of Assurance 1 By telling us we have no faith ibid 2 By telling us we have no obedience Page 275 How to ward off this blow Page 279 That we have no faith How to ward off this blow 1 The Lord doth give out particular promises for men to measure their condition by Page 276 2 God doth not alwaies give out a particular promise ibid 3 Particular promises have a particular faith Page 278 3 How Satan weakens our faith of Acknowledgement By keeping us from owning Christ Page 278 How to bear off this blow 1 Possess your souls with the priviledge of suffering for Christ Page 279 2 Be sure you look on both sides of your sufferings Page 279 Quest What general Rules may be given to stay our faith that it fail not in temptation Answ 1 Study the Scripture much Page 280 2 Do not measure your selves by the Enlargement or Deadness of your owne hearts ibid 3 Look much unto the infirmities of Jesus Christ Page 281 4 Do not conclude it is no temptation ibid 5 Remember thy own soul of the waies of God with thee ibid 6 Apply the Attributes of Christ sutable to the temptation Page 282 7 Take the Shield of faith ibid SERMON V. Luke 22.21 22. Doct. Gods love and mercy is never more at work for his people than when they are most tempted by Satan Page 286 Cleared First Wherein the care of Christ is expressed to his people in temptation 1 In ordering their temptations ibid 2 He weakens them Page 287 3 He causeth them to be laid downe so as that they may be discerned ibid 4 He orders the time Page 288 5 He sanctifies them ibid How is Christs love drawn out to his people under temptation 1 In teaching them in and by their temptations Page 289 2 He upholds them with new supplies Page 290 3 He gives them a breathing time under temptations Page 291 4 He praies for them then especially ibid 2 His care is most expressed when they are most tempted 3 What there is in Christ that inclines him to this Page 293 1 The quintescence of all love he hath to them Page 294 2 The great interest he hath in them ibid Application Abundance of comfort to all Christs Disciples Page 295 Object I fear I am none of Christs Disciple Answ 1 All Christs Disciples deny themselves Page 296 2 They take up their Cross ibid 3 They follow Christ ibid 2 Christ doth not only pray for his present Disciples but for all such as beleeve through their word Page 297 Object My heart fails me in time of temptation Answ 1 There is difference between failing of ones faith and failing of ones heart Page 298 2 Between failing in faith in our own opinion and in Christs opinion ibid 3 Between failings of faith and failings that acompany faith ibid 4 Consider whether your faith failed like Peters Page 299 Other objections answered Page 300 1 Thessalonians 5.18 Doct. It is the will of God that we should be thankful to him for every thing Page 306 Reas 1. There is excellencies enough in God ibid 2 No condition is so sad but there is some good mingled with it ibid 3 Christians must be like Jesus Christ Page 307 Object Suppose a mans spiritual condition be overclouded Answ 1 Though God do not shine upon a Christian yet it may be light to him Page 311 2 Though Christ withdraw his comforting presence yet he doth not his supporting presence ibid 3 Though Christ withdraw yt he draws by his Spirit Page 312 4 What a man would not loose for all the world is worthy of praise ibid Object Suppose God do not only withdraw but Satan draws neer Answ Be thankful Because 1 Christ hath overcome him Page 312 2 He can do no more than God gives him leave to do Page 313 3 Nothing befals you but what befalls the best of the Saints ibid 4 Christ succours you in your temptations ibid What particular things we should be thankful for 1 We are redeemed of the Lord. Page 317 2 That we have so many dayes of Thanksgiving ibid Encouragments to thankefulness 1 If you can be thankefull when you are low you engage God to raise you up Page 320 2 Hereby your afflictions will bee made blessings ibid 3 The more thankefull you are the more your soules will be filled with peace Page 321 4 Thereby ye shall shame the Devil How this must be done 1 Observe your owne tempers and put your selves upon that duty your own disposition lies next to Page 314 2 Maintain your assurance fresh and green ibid 3 Let your eye be as well upon what you have as upon what you want Page 315 4 Be sure maintain a sence of your own unworthiness ibid FINIS SCRIPTURES Opened And occasionally Cleared in the First VOLVMNE Chap. Vers Pag. Numbers 6 24 25 79 16 41 43 20 12 267 1 Samuel 25 32 33 2 Samuel 24 10 254 Joh 1 11 321 Psalms 40 7.8 11 94 18 290 116. 11.12 271. 117 1.2 316 Canticles 1 6 68 2 3 12 2 14 62 Isaiah 24 15 307 53 9 11 Zachary 1 8 39.307 3 1 28 Malachy 3 2.3.4 56 Matthew 3 17 72 5 10 87 7 24 266 16 24 296 17 5 72 Luke 1 8 9 10 53 22 31 101 John 10 17 33 13 30 310 16 3 110 16 26 61 17 20 42 Acts 1 4 80 Romans 3 25 121 8 33 28 8 35 234 1 Corinthians 10 13 291 2 Corinthinans 12 7 314 13 14 79 Ephesians 1 3 77 3 12 55 5 2 8.12 6 12 245 Hebrews 2 14 15 230 3 1 2 37 8 4 26 9 24 47 10 6 11 10 11 12 34 1 John 2 1 42 5 18 107.265 Revelation 8 3 56 20 1 2 3 288 FINIS SCRIPTURES Opened And occasionally Cleared in the Second VOLVMNE Chap. Vers Pag. Genesis 3 15 70 8 21 29 12 3 72 Exod us 15 ult 160 Deuteronomy 11 10 11 63 18 15 72 Joshua 7 6 162 2 Chronicles 13 17 181 Job 2 4 70 11 13 57 33 14 55 Psalms 16 2.8 25 33 22 164 68 18 41 72 6 47 37 19 187 51 15 102 31 2 3 104 77 2 223 21 3 233 116 11 164 Proverbs 9 begin 13.253 16 1 100 8 29.31 118 Canticles 11 12 99 6 8 7 Isaiah 61 1 2. 24.97 43 13 28 54 8 9. 29 55 1 53 62 12 254 53 11 210 30 21 219 Jeremiah 7 4 6 3 8 177 31 22 187 31 33 79 Ezekiel 36 26 27. 30 20 41 42. 243 Zephaniah 2 3 168 Haggai 2 7 11 Zachariah
the Father He did not as the Socinians say die only as an example for to teach us how to die but he offered up himself a sacrifice unto God the Father then Yea as if all sacrifices were met in him all those titles that are given unto other Sacrifices they are given unto him There were Three sorts of Sacrifices some were living others were not living and those were either solid as bread and the like or else they were liquid as wine and oyle There was a alwaies Destructio rei oblatiae A destroying of the thing offered If it were a living thing that was sacrificed then it was said to be slain In answer to that Jesus Christ is said to be a Lamb slain from the beginning of the world If it were a dead thing that was offered up as bread or corn a solid thing then the sacrifice or offering was said to be bruised In answer to that our Lord and Saviour Christ is said to be bruised for our iniquities If it were a liquid thing that was offered up to God as wine or oyle then it was said to be powred out In answer to this it is said of our Lord and Saviour That his soul was powred out unto death Thus all Sacrifices meeting in him Behold the Lamb of God saies John the Baptist when he saw Christ He does not say Behold the Bull of God or the Goat of God and yet Buls and Goats were sacrificed Why does he rather say behold the Lamb of God than the Bullock or the Goat For when the High Priest went into the Holy of Holiest and sprinkled the Mercy-Seat he did not sprinkle the Mercy-Seat with the blood of the Lamb but with the blood of a Goat and yet notwithstanding it is not said Behold the Goat of God but Behold the Lamb of God Why so Not only because that Christ was of a lamb-like and meek disposition as some would have it Nor only because that the great Type of Christ was the Pascal-Lamb though these be reasons But there was a dayly sacrifice in the Temple whether men brought any offering or no there was a standing sacrifice in the Temple morning and evening and that sacrifice was a Lamb. Now therefore to shew that Jesus Christ is the dayly sacrifice therefore he cries out and saies Behold the Lamb of God and not the Goat of God for the Goat was not sacrificed every day as the Lamb was For proof of this take the Apostles Exhortation Ephe. 5.2 Walk in love as Christ hath loved us and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God Here are Three things considerable First He does not say Who hath redeemed us but to show his great love unto us Who hath given himself for us He doth not say Who hath given himself for our sins Yet he saies so in Gal. 1.4 Who gave himself for our sins But Who gave himself for us Why To shew who they were that he gave himself for He gave himself for us as sinners Again He saies here He gave himself for us an offering and a sacrifice not only an offering but a sacrifice too So that this first Proposition is cleerly proved That our Lord Jesus when he died upon the Crosse he did offer up himself as a sacrifice unto God the Father Secondly As he did offer up himself a sacrifice unto God the Father So when he was upon this Altar this sacrifice the sins of all beleevers were then laid upon Jesus Christ those that do now beleeve or shall hereafter beleeve they were all then laid upon Jesus Christ Look into the 53. of Isaiah ver 6. All we like sheep have gone astray and have turned every one to his own way and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all That which God laies on shall never be taken off no man shall take it off The Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all Yea Our iniquities are not only said to be laid on him but to use the same word that is used for the sacrifice it is said he bare our sins upon the Crosse as the Goat bare the sins of the people So saies the Apostle He himself bare our sins upon the Cross Moreover He did not only bare our sins upon the Cross but saies the Apostle he was made sin for us 'T is not said He was made a sinner or accounted a sinner only for us but he was made sin for us All our iniquities were laid on him he bare our sins and he was made sin for us upon the Crosse Thus briefly the Second Proposition is cleared That when he did thus offer up himself upon the Crosse as a sacrifice the sins of all beleevers were then laid on him Thirdly When the sins of beleevers were laid on him then he did make full satisfaction unto God the Father and Divine Justice for all our sins This is a bottom of much comfort For if the Lord Jesus Christ our surety had not satisfied to the utmost farthing our great Creditor God the Father for all our debts God the Father might come upon us the Debters But our Surety the Lord Christ hath given full satisfaction unto God the Father that no more demands can be made upon us And indeed else how could our Surety ever have come out of prison He was under arrest he was in the Jayle in the grave The Father the great Creditor lets him out and did not only let him out but the Lord Jesus Christ he goes inbto Heaven and sits down there at the right hand of the Father Surely if the Creditor had not been satisfied the Surety should never have bin released out of prison He was so fully satisfied That he looked for iniquity and he found none saies the text He look't over all his books to see if he could find any thing upon the score but he found none all our debts were paid Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world He does not say That takes away the sin of the Jewes only but takes away the sin of the whole world He does not say That takes away the sins in the plural Number but takes away the sin in the singular Number Sins go so together as if they were but one but let the sin be never so twisted together as if it were but one sin this lamb of God he takes away the sin of the world And he does not say That hath pardoned the sin of the World for then a poor soul might say I but though he hath pardon'd my sin yet my sin is not mortified Neither does he say Behold the lamb of God that Mortifies or Destroyes the sin of the world But he gives you a word that takes in both pardon and Mortification too Behold the lamb of God that takes them away both in regard of Pardon and in regard of Mortification Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world There is
all this for us as our great High-Priest that is the meaning of it So that this is plain what he doth when as our great High-Priest he offers up our Gifts unto God the Father But in the Second place Suppose he doth so What Favour Quest 2 or Acceptance hath this our great High-Priest in Heaven He hath very much Answ Father saies he I thank thee that thou hearest me alwaies He never spake a word unto God the Father but the father heard him alwaies We reade as I remember but of Two places in the new Testament where the Lord by an audible voice gives testimony of Jesus Christ his Son And in both those places we have the same words uttered This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased And again This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased We may know what favour a man hath with another by the Trust that he doth commit to and repose upon him Joseph had great favour in the eyes of Pharaoh and how did it appear It appear'd by this Because Pharaoh trusted him with so much Now God the Father hath trusted Jesus Christ this our great High-Priest very much This I shall evidence in Four Particulars viz. What a great Trust God the Father hath put upon him First It was an agreement between God the Father and Christ the Second Person before the world was That in due time he should come into the world take flesh upon him and die for sinners and he did so But before Christ came into the world there were thousands of souls saved How came they to be saved They came to be saved by the blood of Christ and before Christ had died So then God the Father saved them upon Christs bare word That he would come into the world and die for them What a mighty Trust was here That so many hundred thousand souls should be saved upon a bare word of Christ That he would come into the world and die for them afterward Again The Trust appears in this That he was made when he did come into the world the great Lord-Treasurer of all the Grace and Comfort that should be given out unto the children of men When Pharaoh trusted Joseph all the whole kingdom was put into his hand with the Corn thereof and not a grain was to be given out to any but as Joseph gave it out which argued a mighty Trust So now That not any Grace or Comfort given out to the children of men but only by the hand of Christ it argues a mighty Trust that the Father put upon him But yet further When our Lord and Saviour Christ died and ascended unto God the Father to Heaven as soon as ever he came into Heaven saith the Father to him Thou hast now suffered Aske of me and I will give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession all the world at one word Aske of me saith he and at the first word I will give thee the whole world It was a mighty and a great Trust that the Father did put upon him Yea as if all this were not enough The Father did put the keyes of Heaven and of Hell into his hand the keyes of Heaven and Hell into the hand of Christ So we reade in the 1. of Revel 18. ver I am he that liveth and was dead and behold I am alive for evermore Amen and have the keyes of Hell and of death There 's no man that goes to Hell but he is lok't in by Jesus Christ And there 's no man goes to Heaven but Christ hath the keyes of Heaven and he locks him in there unto all Eternity The Lord Jesus Christ he hath the keyes of Hell and of Heaven he hath the keyes of all mens Eternities hanging at his girdle Oh! what an infinite Trust is here that God the Father hath put upon him Then let us conclude if that Trust do argue favour and the Lord Jesus Christ our High-Priest hath such a great trust as this put into his hands by the Father what infinite Acceptance must he needs have with God the Father In the Third place Suppose that he have all this favour Quest 3 and Acceptance in Heaven Doth he Improve this his Favour and Acceptance for our Acceptance and for our Favour Yes He Improves all this his favour and acceptance Answ for our acceptance and does plant all our Prayers and Duties upon his own acceptance Lord saith he unto his Father concerning beleevers I will that where I am they may be also I will O Lord that they may be One even as thou Father and I am one He doth not count himself full and happy but in the happiness and fulness of the Church And therefore as Christ is called The fulness of God the Father So the Church is called The fulness of Jesus Christ in the 1. of the Ephesians and the last verse Which is his body the fulness of him that filleth all in all When our Lord and Saviour Christ came to die and the heart and love of God the Father was let out unto him Ye shall find if ye look upon that 17. of John and reade it all over That he spends his time not so much in praying for himself The time was but short and his prayer short Father if it be possible let this cup passe if not yet not my will but thine be done But he spends most of the time in praying and interceding for those that did beleeve or should afterward beleeve The favour and acceptance which the High-Priest had in the times of Moses was not for himself he had a Mitre upon his head and a golden girdle upon his loynes Priestly garments and he had great acceptance when he went into the Holy of Holiest but it was not for himself he did improve it all for the people he was to lay it out all for the people and not for himself Our High-Priest goes beyond all other High-Priests in this particular also for now as for other High-Priests though they went in with their incense and covered the Mercy-seat with a cloud yet it was but once in the yeer But our High-Priest is alwaies in the Holy of Holiest and never goes out of it ever covering the Mercy-Seat with his Intercessions Take their High-Priest and though he were very Holy as Aaron was yet sometimes he made the people naked unacceptable But our great High-Priest never makes his people naked but alwaies clothes them with his own righteousness Take their High-Priest and though he did go into the Holy of Holiest for the people yet he never led the people into the Holy of Holiest they stood without But our great High-priest is not only gone into the Holy of Holiest himself but doth also lead every poor beleever into the Holy of Holiest as we reade in the 10. of the Hebrews and the 19. verse Having therefore brethren boldness to enter into the Holiest
by the blood of Jesus Christ The people might not enter into the Holiest in the time of the Jewes But our great High-Priest hath improved his favour for us thus far that every man may come into the Holy of Holiest Now If our great High-Priest in this respect go beyond all the High-Priests that ever were before him and they did improve their interest and their favour and their acceptance for the people much more doth the Lord Jesus Christ our High-Priest improve the favour interest and acceptance that he hath in heaven for our acceptance and and the acceptance of all our Duties And that is a Third Particular But Quest 4 If that it be so then surely we have great acceptance in all our Duties but have we so Yes Answ very great in and through the Lord Jesus Christ our High-Priest And therefore if we look into the 14. of John our Lord and Saviour saith Whatsoever ye aske in my Name at the 13. verse that will I do I but may we be sure of this He repeats it again in the 14. verse If ye shall ask any thing in my name I will do it Yea that ye may see what great acceptance we have now through him in all those Duties that we offer up to God the Father saith he in the 16. Chap. and the 26. vers At that day ye shall aske in my name and I say not unto ye that I will pray the father for you for the father himself loves you It is a mighty high speech I don't say That I will pray for you Ye shall have so much favour and love in Heaven from the Father imediately that he will hear you presently I but is not all upon Christs account Yes and therefore saith he at the 13. verse of the 14. chapter Whatsoever ye shall aske in my name that will I do that the Father may be glorified in the Son So that all is upon Christs account Great was the testimony of Christs acceptance which he had from Heaven This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased Now if we look into the Scripture we shall find that the same words are given unto the Saints Is the Lord Jesus Christ called the Son of God My beloved Son So are Beleevers too As many as receive him have power to be called the Sons of God Is he called The Beloved Son of God This is my beloved Son So are the Saints also In the 31. chapter of Jeremy at the 20. verse Ephraim my deer Son a pleasant child Ephraim that is Israel my deer Son a pleasant child Well Is it said In whom I am well pleased my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased The same word also is given to men When our Lord and Saviour Christ was born into the world the Angels they came and sung at his birth and they sung Good will towards men So we reade it but it is the same word that is used concerning Christ himself My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased So that whatsoever word there is in all this speech This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased whatsoever word there is in that sentence concerning Christ 't is given also unto the Saints unto Beleevers so greatly does he improve his own favour acceptance for our acceptance and so great acceptance have we through Christ Yea As the Lord Jesus Christ is said to be made sin for us in the Abstract So are we said to be made Righteousnesses by him in the Abstract too As we have it in the 1. of the Canticles the 3. vers Therefore do the Virgins love thee so we reade it in our english translation But in the Hebrew it is Therefore do the Righteousnesses love thee The Saints and Beleevers through Christ are called Righteousnesses in the Abstract So that here is the great acceptance that the Saints and Beleevers do find through this acceptation of Jesus Christ our High-Priest But Quest Suppose a man be very poor and lives in some mean cottage which hath but one room to lie dine and sup in and that a smoky dark room too and this poor creature comes and prayes unto God Will the Great and Glorious God of Heaven and Earth take notice of such a prayer from such a worme as this and shall he find acceptance with God the Father For answer to that Answ look into the 2. of the Canticles and the 14. verse O my dove that art in the clefts of the rock in the secret places of the stairs let me see thy countenance they are the words of Christ let me hear thy voice Why for sweet is thy voice and thy countenance is comely But I pray where now is the Church In the clefts of the rock and in the secret places of the staires in a hole under the staires as it were in a poor distressed place an hidden place now saies he here thy voice is sweet and thy tountenance comely Well Quest But suppose that a Duty or service be performed by one that is weak weak in Grace or weak in parts and Gifts for this is my case will some say I am one of very weak parts and Gifts and I have little Memory or Ability of speech there are some men indeed that are of great Parts and Graces and when they pray I make no question but their prayers do find acceptance but as for me I am one of very mean Abilities Oh! can there be any acceptance of such prayers as mine are through Jesus Christ Will God answer such stammerings lispings halfe-words broken imperfect petitions Yes Answ We know that the paire of Turtles were accepted in the time of the Law by those that could offer no more Surely much more now will a poor Turtle be accepted in the time of the Gospel those that could but bring Goats-haire towards the making of the Tabernacle they were welcome and shall it not be so now much more in the times of the Gospel That which is little in regard of Quantity it may be great in regard of Proportion as the widdows mite was The Sun fals we know with a common influence upon all the Herbs and Plants but there is a several sweetness and flowers that are of a several and different growth There is the Rose and there is the Violet The Violet is not so Tall as the Rose the Violet lies on the ground but though the Violet be not so tall as the Rose the Violet hath its sweetnesse and it may say to the Rose Though I be not so tall yet I have my sweetness as well as thou hast So now there is a common influence from Jesus Christ upon all the Saints and they have their several sweetness one as the Rose and the other as the Violet It may be here lies a poor Christian upon the ground like the Violet and is not so tall in Gifts and Parts as the other is but yet notwithstanding he hath his sweetness Christ
as a great Type of and in relation to Jesus Christ our great High-Priest in the 7. Chapter of this book of the Hebrews and the 6. verse saith That he blessed Abrabam But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham and Blessed him that had the Promises So then this Blessing of the people being the work of both the High-Priests and both Aaron and Melchisedec being great types of Jesus Christ our High-Priest Surely it must needs be one of the great works of our High-Priest for to blesse the people For the opening and cleering up of this Truth I shall endeavour to discover First What the Blessing of Christ our High-Priest is wherein consists and what Christ doth when he doth Bless the people Secondly That it belongs unto Jesus Christ especially for to Bless the people Thirdly That our Lord and Saviour Christ our great High-Priest is exceeding willing for to Bless poor sinners and that this Blessing of the people is a work whereunto he is much inclined and wherein he is much delighted Fourthly That he doth this and doth it fully Fifthly according to our method How all this doth conduce unto our Comfort and unto our Holiness First If ye aske me What the Blessing of Christ Quest 1 and of the Gospel is and wherein it consists I answer First in the General That the Blessing of the Gospel Answ and of Christ consisteth in Spiritual things especially and not in Temporal And therefore saith the Apostle in that 1. of the Ephesians and the 3. verse Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all Spiritual blessings in Heavenly places in Christ The Curse and Judgments of God that do befal men now under the Gospel are not in outward afflictions and bodily troubles so much as in Spiritual miseries Blindness of mind and Hardness of heart And so also on the contrary the blessing of the Gospel doth not consist much in Outward things as in Spiritual Who hath blessed us with Spiritual blessings Indeed if we look into the old Testament we shall find That when Moses did bless the people he blest them much in Temporal blessings in the 28. of Deuteronomy and the 2. verse All these things shall come upon thee and overtake thee if thou shalt hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God What blessings are those Blessed shalt thou be in the city and blessed shalt thou be in the field blessed shall be the fruit of thy body and the fruit of thy ground and the fruit of thy cattel the increase of thy kine and the flocks of thy sheep blessed shall be thy basket and thy store Thus he goes on in outward blessings But now if we look into the Gospel and consider the blessings of Jesus Christ and lay them together with Moses we shall find them to be Spiritual blessings In the 5. of Matthew and the 3. verse c. Blessed are the poor in spirit for their's is the Kingdom of Heaven Blessed are those that mourn for they sall be comforted Indeed the promise of the earth comes is at the 5. vers but he returns again to Spiritual blessings Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after rightousness for they shall be filled Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Here are Spiritual blessings this is the stream of the Gospel it runs this way When the Lord blesseth a man he gives him that which is sutable to him In the times of the Gospel men are more Spiritual than they were in the times of the Law therefore Gospel-blessings they are Spiritual blessings Every thing gives and communicates to another according to what it hath it self The Sun communicates light unto the world because it hath light it self And man communicates the nature of man unto his child because he hath the nature of man himself So our Lord Christ when he Blesses he communicates according unto what he hath himself and his blessings especially consisting in spiritual things so he doth blesse Indeed as in the times of the Old Testament there were Spiritual blessings that were mixt with Temporal by vertue of the Covenant that was made with Abraham So now Outward blessings are thrown in as an overplus but yet notwithstanding though they be not spiritual in their nature they are spiritual in their end and so it is true to say That the blessing of the Gospel and of Christ is a spiritual blessing But more particularly if yet ask me wherein this consisteth I shall name but Two things First This Blessing of the Gospel or of Christ it consists in a supernatural and spiritual injoyment of God in Christ the love and favour of God in Christ When the Priests blest in the time of the old Testament in that 6. of Numbers they said The Lord cause his face for to shine upon you The Lord make his face for to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee the Lord blesse thee and keepe thee Verse 24 25 26. Which the Spostle Paul expounding in the 2 Cor. the 13. Chapter and the 14. verse renders it thus The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the communion of the holy Ghost be with you all Amen The Lord blesse thee the Lord cause his face to shine upon you the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you Three times the Lord the Lord the Lord noting the Trinity which the Apostle here explains by the Father the Son and the holy Spirit Blessed are the pure in heart Mat. 5.8 for they shall see God Seeing of God is a blessing out of the mouth of Christ a Gospel-blessign And what is it for a man to see God In the phrase of the old Testament the Hebrew to See it is ordinarily used for to Injoy In the 4. Psalme Who will shew us any good The word in the Hebrew is Who will make us to See any good that is t Injoy good So then to see God it is to injoy him When Jacob injoyed God he saw him and the place it was called Peniel for he had seen the Lord and there the Lord blest him There 's no seeing of God but in Christ And therefore I say that herein confists the blessing of the Gospel in a supernatural and spiritual in joyment of God in Christ the favour and love of God in Christ Again It consists also in the Inhabitation of the holy Ghost in our hearts the giving out of the holy Ghost unto the hearts of men And therefore it is added in that place of the Corinthians And the Communion of the holy Ghost be with you all Amen That must needs be the great blessing of the Gospel and so of Christ that is the thing promised in the Gospel What is that If we look into the 1. Chapter of the Acts of the Apostles and the 4. verse It is said
the Son of God putting another If upon his Son-ship So when he was upon the Cross the Devils Instruments speak his own Language they had not forgotten it If he be the Son of God let him come down putting an If upon his Son-ship again The Devil follows this close Oh! but I am tempted many times to use indirect means to get out of trouble out of mine affliction And was not Christ so when he was an hungry saies the Devil to him Command that these stones be made bread Oh! but I am tempted I am loth to say what it is sometimes even to lay violent hands upon my self And what said the Devil to Christ Throw thy self down off the pinacle of the Temple Oh! but I am tempted to horrid and blasphemous things that I am afraid to name and my heart trembles to think of And was not Christ thus tempted saies Satan to him All this will I give thee if thou wilt fall down and worship me What worship the Devil Oh! horrid blasphemy Blush O Heavens and be astonished All this will I give thee If thou wilt fall down and worship me Oh! but I am tempted to depair sometimes I confesse I am able to reade Gods love and to say that God is with me and I think I can say I know that God is with me but at another time Oh! how unlike am I unto my self and I say Mercy is gone and Christ is gone and hath left me as an orphan And I pray consider how it was with Christ in this respect he went as neer to it as could be without sin It is Musculus his Observation In the 16. of John Behold saies Christ at the 32. verse the hour cometh speaking of his suffering hour Yea it is now come when ye shall be scattered every man from his own and shall leave me alone and yet I am not alone because the Father is with me Speaking of his suffering hour And yet when he was upon the Cros he saies Father My God my God why hast thou forsaken me How diverse does he seem to be from himself Saies he I am not alone because the Father is with me And yet when he comes into the hour My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Oh! but I have suffered as much as ever any did I have suffered by the hand of my temptations they have been a continual torment to me and I have suffered much from them Well but have ye suffered more than Christ suffered It is said in the text For in that he suffered being tempted What a mighty suffering was it for the glorious God of Heaven and Earth to have such temptations thrown in upon him any one temptation to be lodged in his mind what a mighty suffering was this Thus you see how Christ suffered And beloved He suffered and was tempted that he might succour you that are tempted Will you question his love then because of your temptation or your own condition do ye know what you do Suppose that your Father should leave you a great Estate and give you good Evidences and a cunning Lawyer comes and writes upon the back-side of your Evidence Naught naught will ye because of that joyn with him and say that your Father hath given you nothing Christ hath given you in a great Estate of Mercy and hath given you good Evidences for it and Satan now comes writes upon the back-side of your Evidence and saies This is naught Will you joyn with him against God and Christ what wrong is this to his love think of it I pray you that are the Saints and people of God Be humbled under every temptation though it be never so small but never question your condition though your temptation be never so great There is indeed something of a suffering a malignant quality an affliction in every temptation when it takes least and therfore look how you would walk under an affliction so walk under your temptation In your affliction you will walk Humbly so under your temptation do In your affliction you will examine the Cause especially if your affliction lie long upon you So in your temptation do In your affliction you will seek God Early So in the morning of your temptation do In the day of your affliction you will Engage to God the day of affliction is the day of engaging and you say Oh! if the Lord will deliver me through his grace I will do so and so So in your temptation do In your affliction you will take heed of those sins that you are most apt unto in the time of affliction so do in the time of your temptation For example thus in affliction a man is very apt to be discouraged to have his heart sink and to die within him So in temptation take heed of that In affliction a man is apt so to mind his present burden as to forgit all his former mercy so in the time of temptation take heed of that In the time of affliction a man is very apt to be froward and impatient to break out into frowardness and impatiency though he did not so before As the wood that is laid upon the fire sends forth filth which you did not see in the wood before it came upon the fire So men are apt to send forth filth and much frowardness and impatiency in the time of affliction when you took them for good natured people before and thought there was no such frowardness in them and no such impatiency So in the time of temptation also take heed of that In the time of affliction men are apt to make an evil construction and interpretation of things Affliction raises Passion and Passion puts other colors upon things than formerly and so in time of temptation we are apt to make strange constructions of Gods dealings and Christ's dealings with us take heed of that In time of affliction men are apt to change their behaviour David did so he let fall his spittle upon his beard and faigned himself mad he changed his behaviour and so are men apt to change their behaviour in times of temptation take heed of that In time of affliction men are apt to stint and limit God and say Can God provide a table now and can God deliver now and so also in the time of temptation men are apt to say Can God provide now can God deliver now and so stint and limit the Holy One of Israel take heed of that In the day of affliction a gracious heart does rather rejoyce that he hath any opportunity to exercise his grace than mourn for his present burden so do you now In the day of affliction a gracious heart doth more desire to be cleansed than to be delivered wishes rather that his heart may be sanctified by his affliction thā that his affliction may be removed There is somthing of a suffering ye have heard in every temptation now then does a temptation arise and presse in upon
was but thought him a Prophet yet he would do it So willing as that though they did not desire it themselves but were brought by others yet he would do it So willing as that though they were unmannerly in their coming to him withness the pulling the tyles off the house yet he would do it And that so willing though much unbeleef express by those that were brought unto him yet he would do it I beseech you consider it this was a work that Christ came into the world to do this is The work the work that Christ came to do it was to bind up broken hearts The work that Christ came to do was to open the prison doors to poor captives The Spirit of the Lord is upon me you know the place To administer a word in due season to those that are weak He hath given me the tongue of the learned to administer a word in due season to those that are weak Now then if Jesus Christ was so willing to do the other work which was but his work by the bye which was not The-work that he did come about how infinitely willing must he needs be to do The-work that he did come about but I say to succour poor tempted ones this was The-work that he came upon Heaven hath not alter'd him he hath lost none of his love by going thither Surely therefore the Lord Jesus Christ is infinitely willing to succour poor tempted souls Well But though he be able and willing yet it may be he is not faithfull Yes saith the former verse Faithful merciful and faithful High-Priest Faithful in all his house as Moses was What honest man will break his word go contrary to his oath He is sworne into this office of the High-Priest Yea we have not only his Promise and his Oath but the fathers Bond for the Sons performance The seed of the woman shall break the serpents head it shall bruise his heel she shall break his head The pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand This is the work that is in his hand to succour tempted ones it shall prosper in his hand In the 8. Chapter of Matthew We reade there at the 16. verse That he cast out spirits with his Word and healed all that were sick That is might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the Prophet saying Himself took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses Because he took our infirmities and bare our sicknesses he took himself to be engaged for to heal the sicknesses and diseases among the people Beloved he hath taken our infirmities He hath borne our sins and therefore he takes himself engaged also for to heal our soul-diseases to heal those temptations He is very faithfull Well But suppose he is faithful How doth he succour those that are tempted in the day and time of their temptation that is the Fourth thing He succours Before temptation He succours In temptation He succours After temptation Christ succours tempted souls Before the temptation comes sometimes By a special manifestation of himself ihs love and fulness to them When Christ himself was to be tempted immediately before the Father said from Heaven This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased And so when Christ sees that a soul is to go into temptation he speaks out from Heaven and saies This is my beloved servant in whom I am well pleased Sometimes he succours Before temptation By laying in of Gospel-principles and Gospel-dispositions in the heart The Law is weak saies the Apostle As it is weak unto the point of Justification the matter of Justification so a legal disposition is weak as to the matter of resisting temptation a Gospel-disposition is able to bear it off Christ fore-seeing a temptation laies in such a disposition then when it comes Oh! saies the soul How shall I be able to close with all this love of the world having received so many love-tokens from my dear Saviour Again He succours Before the temptation By filling the heart with the holy Ghost When the vessel is fild with one liquor it keeps out another I will return to my house saith Satan and I came and found it empty and so he entered The Lord therfore fils the house the soul with the holy Ghost and so keeps Satan from entering He succours also Vnder temptation By opening the eyes of him that is tempted to see that 't is but a temptation A temptation is half cured when a man knows that 't is but a temptation when a mans eyes is open to see the tempter and the temptation Therefore men are so hardly cured because they are hardly perswaded that 't is a temptation when they see that then they say Get thee behinde me Satan Christ opens their eyes Again He succours Vnder temptation By letting fal some glimpse of his love some love-look upon a tempted soul And so when Peter was in the High-Priests hall Christ looks upon him and he went out and wept bitterly It was the sweet look of Christ that made Peter weep bitterly Peters tears came from Christs eyes first and though he were much engag'd yet having a love-look from Christ I 'le stay no longer and away he goes And so when a soul sees but the gracious eye of Christ looking on him he breaks off from his temptation thus he succours Again He succours Vnder temptation by temptation even from temptation Beloved the Devil seldom tempts with one single temptation As we seldom commit single sins or receive single mercies so the Devil seldom tempts with a single temptation One may be laid in our Natures and the other laid in our Callings Christ sees now that one is given to Uncleannesse or to Pride and so he lets out Satan upon him to trouble him with blasphemous thoughts and by the afflictions of those blasphemous thoughts they are kept from Pride and from Wantonnesse and delighting in other sins He does succour From temptation I say from temptation by temptation sometimes by causing a word in the temptation to standout so as thereby to give the tempted man an hint to Jesus Christ So when Christ tempted and tryed the woman of Canaan 'T is not lawful to cast childrens bread before dogs There stood out a word that word Dog she laies hold on it True Lord yet the dogs eate of the crums Christ does so order the very temptations of Satan that some word or other in the very temptation does so stand forth as to hint the soule again unto Jesus Christ Sometimes he succours Vnder temptation By throwing in a Promise lotting the soul upon some Promise which as a Cable keeps the heart fast in the time of a storm And sometimes he succours Vnder temptation again By weakending the temptation and by keeping the heart and the temptation asunder may be by raising up some Affliction Woe to that soul when the heart and temptation meet corruption and temptation meet The Lord Christ therefore sometimes is pleased to raise
a temptation but you are beleaguer'd by it and when your temptation is about you say O my soul be quiet yeeld not the Lord Christ is a succouring Christ and succour will come and therefore hold it out Shall the Lord Jesus Christ shall he succour me against my temptations with his bosom and shall I take my sins and temptations into mine own bosom Shall he come to succour me against my sins and shall I succour my sins that he comes against What a mighty argument is here to keep us from all our sins and from yeelding to our temptations Jesus Christ is a succouring Christ to tempted souls In the fift place If there be a truth in this Christ is a succouring Christ Let us all labour to answer Christ Beloved 't is the duty and the property of the people of God to observe what God is doing upon their hearts and to help on that work If Jesus Christ be succouring of any of your souls against your temptations Oh! help it on help on the work 't is your duty for to help it on and to answer him But you will say Quest Christ succours Before temptation and he succours Vnder temptation and he succours After temptation how shall I answer this how shall I help his work on Give me leave to give an answer unto this Question Answ and so I will winde up all Does the Lord Jesus Christ succour Before temptation Observe his succours and lay them up in your hearts against a rainy day Gird your sword upon your thigh it may not be to seek when the enemy comes have it in readinesse You don't lay the plaister on upon the wrist for the Ague when the Ague is on but before it comes Observe what those tokens of love are that Jesus Christ does throw into your bosom before a temptation comes and lay them up carfully there And beloved in the Lord Labour to keep the sence of his love warm upon your hearts Look as it is with water in winter so with your hearts in this respect So long as the fire is under the water and the water is hot it freezes not but when the heat goes off and the water is cold then ice comes upon it And so long as your heart is kept up in the sence of Christs love and warm with Christs love so long the ice comes not the temptation comes not The slumber of grace is a preparation to sin and a preparation to temptation When once our hearts grow cold and grow remisse then way is made to temptation and therefore if you would answer Jesus Christ Oh! labour to keep the sence of his love still upon your hearts And when the temptation is come Then look upon Jesus Christ No temptation so violent or fierce but a thought may steal out and get a look upon Jesus Christ The sight of Christ on the Cross is a Judge upon the Bench against all temptation The consideration of Three things keeps one from the power of temptation The worth of a soul The hainousness of sin And the love of Christ And you see all these in Christ upon the Crosse When temptation comes stand look upon him You know that when the Israelites were stung they were then to look upon the brasen serpent and by their very looking upon it they were cured thereby The Lord Jesus Christ is our brasen-serpent lift up upon Gospel poles having more excellency than any brasen-serpent That was but a piece of brasse he is the God of glory That for a time he is our High-Priest and lives for ever That for the Jewes only but he for Jew and Gentile That for those that could see and if any poor blind man was stung it was a case what should become of the blind man how should he look upon the brasen serpent how should he be cured but this our brasen serpent is able to give you an eye Beloved this Ordinance is still on foot spiritually And therefore Christ saies by the Prophet Esay Look unto me from all the ends of the earth and be saved Oh! when a temptation comes poor tempted soul addresse thy self to the Lord Jesus stand wishly looking upon him And then Give thy soul over into the hands of Christ all thou canst put thy self out of thine own hands So long as the planck or the board swims in the stream in the midst of the water you may draw it along with a little thred but if once it come towards the banck towards the shoare and touches upon the ground then you can hardly draw it So long as your temptation is in the stream of Christs love and of his blood you may draw it along the more easily but if once it come to touch upon your own shoare Oh! then you draw hard Whensoever therefore a temptation arises go unto Jesus Christ and say O Lord I have no strength to stand against this great Enemy I confesse it is my duty to resist this temptation but 't is thy promise to succour me under this temptation and therefore I put my self upon thee And then rest upon Christ As I use to say Your very resting on him makes him yours your resting on his strength makes it yours and your resting on his succour makes that yours And if the Lord command you to the use of any means Don't rest upon any because they are great Or despise any because they are small You do observe that the great Victories amongst the Jewes they were obtained by the weakest means and by the blowing of rams horns wals fell down Those were but Types of those spiritual Victories under the Gospel God seldom does wound the head of a temptation but first the heel the means is bruised whereby the head of the temptation is wounded As Christs heel is bruised in his wounding of Satans head So I say 't is in regard of means seldome that any means does wound the head of a temptation but the very heel of that means is first bruised and therefore don't despise it though it be small And if it please the Lord to cast in any Promise when you are under a temptation Oh! take heed that you don't live upon the letter of the Promise I mean don't live upon the Conveyance but upon the Land and yet how many do live upon the bare Promise bare letter of the Promise When a temptation comes passe from the temptation unto the Promise and through the Promise unto Jesus Christ and learn to live upon the thing Promised and not the letter of the Promise After temptation is over I can but touch on things Either you have the better of Satan Or else the worse If you have the worse Be for ever Humbled but never Discouraged And if you have the better of him Then rejoyce in the Lord and in all his goodness toward you and in all his succouring love and mercy Rejoyce in the Lord evermore and again I say rejoyce As one whom his mother comforteth
are in the deep and his footsteps are not known but as the Heavens are greater than the earth so are Gods waies of mercy beyond our waies Now therefore if a drak temptation do come upon ye and ye see no way to get out say O but my soul remember Gods waies are infinite and his waies are beyond our waies and though I see no way God hath infinite waies he walks over mulbery-trees and his waies have been in the deep and so it hath been all along with my soul and therefore now O my soul wait on God Sixthly Answ 6 If temptation come if Satan come Do you run to Christ and look how Satan appears to you so do you apply the Attributes of Christ to you sutable to his temptation Does Satan set a temptation unto your breast observe what temptation it is and take an Attribute of Christ sutable to that temptation and set it to the breast of that temptation For Example Does Satan come and tempt as a Serpent Then remember that Jesus Christ is the brasen serpent Does Satan come and present himself as a roaring Lyon Now remember that Jesus Christ is the Lyon of the tribe of Judah Does Satan come and present himself as an Accuser Now remember that the Lord Jesus Christ is an advocate Beloved in the time of temptation ye are to run to Christ that is true but that is not all but you are to observe how your temptation lies and apply that Attribute of Christ to your soul which is sutable to your temptation do this and your faith shall not faile in time of temptation Seventhly Answ 7 and lastly Above all things take the Shield of faith Take the Shield of faith that your faith may not fail for the way to beleeve is to beleeve the way to pray is to pray the way to hear is to hear the way to receive is to receive the way to perform duty is to perform duty the way to exercise grace is to exercise grace When temptation therefore does come upon thee that thy faith may not fail now stir up thy self to this work of faith and to beleeve and if ye beleeve that ye shall overcome ye shall overcome and if ye beleeve that ye shall prevaile against your temptations ye shall prevaile against your temptations And poor soul if thou canst relie upon Christ and beleeve that thou shalt be justified thou shalt be justified and if thou canst by faith relie upon the Promise the Promise shall belong to thee Wherefore stir up your selves now to beleeve when temptation comes When ye have to deal with an Enemy here among men I don't say beleeve ye shall overcome your enemy and ye shall overcome a man may beleeve he shal overcome his outward enemy here in the field and yet fall before him and not overcome but having to deal with this enemy Gods enemy your fathers enemy and your enemy beleeve ye shall overcome him and ye shall overcome him Quest But shall we overcome him Only if we beleeve Answ Who ever thou art that speakest or thinkest thus Doest thou make on Only of beleeving I tell thee from the Lord It is an harder thing to beleeve than to keep all the Commandements for there is something in Nature towards the keeping of the ten Commandements but nothing in Nature towards beleeving in Christ And poor soul doest thou make an Only of beleeving thou doest not know what beleeving means but I say unto thee from the Lord Beleeve that thou shalt overcome and thou shalt overcome beleeve that thou shalt prevaile against Satan and thou shalt prevail against him beleeve that thy sins shal be pardoned through Christ and relie upon him and thy sins shal be pardoned Whensoever therefore any temptation comes Oh! run to Christ cry unto Christ and rest upon Christ and say Lord I do beleeve help thou my unbelief Beloved in the Lord ye have heard That in all Satans temptations his great design is upon your faith to weaken your faith therefore let it be all your design in all your temptations to strengthen your faith and to look to your faith Which that ye may do think on all these things and the Lord bless them to you SERMON V. Of TEMPTATION LUKE 22.31 32. And the Lord said Simon Simon behold Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat Preached at Stepney Oct. 24 1647. But I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not THese words as ye have heard acquaints us with a great temptation that was to come down upon Christs Disciples Concerning which ye have here The Danger of the temptation And the Remedy against it For the Danger of the temptation I have spoken already and now come unto this 32. verse But I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not Here is something Implyed and somthing Exprest Satans design implyed which is and was to weaken the faith of Christs Disciples to make their faith to fail And of that ye have heard already Now that which is exprest is Christs tender care of and love unto his Disciples in regard of their temptations And this love and care of his towards his Disciples under temptation is Exprest in many things First in the forewarning of them of a temptation coming upon them there is his love and care in that he told them of the temptation before it came And then also He prayed for them Yea He prayed for them before they were tempted Yea And he tels them that he did pray for them that they might have assurance of his help in the time of their temptation Great was his love and care to and for his Disciples unders their temptation And so the Observation is this Christs love and mercy Doct. is never more at work for his Disciples and people then when they are most assaulted by Satan When Satan is most busie to tempt and assault their faith then is Christs love and mercy most at work to keep and defend both them and their faith We don't reade of such a prayer for Peter before We reade indeed that our saviour said unto Peter Vnto thee do I give the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven Thou art Peter and upon this rock will I build my Church but we don't reade there that he prayed for Peter But here he prayes and for Peter in particular I have prayed for Thee Why because now his temptations were to be more than Ordinary and therefore Christs love and care was drawn out and exprest in a more than ordinary way For the clearing of this Truth unto ye I shall labour to discover First Wherein the love care and mercy of Christ is expressed unto his people under their temptations Secondly That this love and care of his is most expressed when they are most tempted Thirdly What there is in the heart of Christ that does thus incline him to this indulgence or mercy And so to the Application First Quest 1 If
Massab and Meribah the waters of strife and of temptation there the Lord gave Israel his statutes How many experiences do Gods people get in and by their temptations tempting times are teaching and Christ teaches his people by their temptations Satans Buffetings are the Saints schoolings Yea Thirdly He does not only teach his people But he does also bear up and uphold their hearts with new supplies of his grace and Spirit in the times of their temptations Christ does not suffer his people to go into new temptations with old strength but as a new temptation does come from Satan so new supply of grace and strength does come from Christ Saies David in the 94. Psalm and the 18. verse When I said my foot slippeth thy mercy O Lord held me up He does not say thus when my foot slippeth thy mercy O Lord held me up but when I said my foot slippeth when I thought I was quite rejected cast off and forsaken when I said my foot slippeth then thy mercy O Lord held me up As new temptations do come in so new strength comes in Yea and supplies of greace in Proportion to our temptations My grace is sufficient for thee saies the Lord to Paul my grace is Fit for thee Yea he does not only give out Proportionable strength but an Cverplus of sirength As the woman that had oyle given her not enough barely to pay her debt but an Overplus to live on the rest So Gods people in the time of their temptations have not only strength given them to stand out against their temptations but an Cverplus to live on the rest Yea and they have not only in-comes of Assisting grace but of Accepting grace too more Accepting grace God doth and will then Accept lesser than at another time Though the prayer be weak and the faith low yet saies the Lord it is the time of temptation with this my poor servant and therefore I will take the Duty though it be never so little because it is the time of temptation it 's a time of darkness and a time of sadness Ye know what our saviour said unto Thomas Reach hither thine hand and put it into my side Come Thomas if thou wilt not beleeve without it I 'le take thy faith even upon these termes for I know it is a time of temptation with thee What grace what love and mercy is here Yea Fourthly The Lord Jesus Christ does not only come in thus with supplies of grace strength in the times of temptation But he does give his people an Ease and a Remedy a breathing time under their temptations though they be never so sad and never so great Indeed Job said That God was his enemy and would not suffer him to swallow his spittle he followed him so close but the good man was mistaken much for at the same time the time of his temptation he could say I know that my Redeemer liveth and he could blesse the Lord he had his breathing time in the midst of all When David was persecuted by Saul he was under temptation for as the Devil casts some men into prison so the Devil persecutes in wicked men yet David had his breathing time now and then Saul given into his hands as a pledge of that ful deliverance that David should have afterwards And this is no other than that which the Apostle speaks of in that same 1 of the Corinthians the 10. Chap. at the 13. verse Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape Make an Out-let so the word is He will make an Out-let Though the smoke be very offensive yet there shall alwaies be some window open for to let it out or some door open for a poor tempted soul to go out at stil an out-let some breathing time in the midst of these temptations Fiftly and lastly As the Lord Jesus Christ liveth for ever to make intercession for us So he doth it especially when his people are under temptation then he prayes for them and then especially I will not determine whether Christ now in Heaven does intercede Vocally or Really but when Satan lies hard upon a poor tempted soul and fetches blood from it then does the Lord Jesus step in unto his Father and present his wounds and his blood and saies unto his Father O Father I have prayed unto thee that this poor man or woman may not fail in the time of temptation Thus it was with Peter here I have prayed for thee and yet this was not the time of his full intercession when he was here on earth There are two parts of Christs Priestly Office Satisfaction and Intercession The proper place for him to make satisfaction for sin was here on earth and in Heaven the holy of holiest he does make intercession there he does do it fully but he could not for bear while he was here on earth but he saies unto Peter I have prayed for thee Though my great work in Heaven be to intercede and my special work here on earth be to satisfie yet notwithstanding I have prayed for thee already Peter And the Lord Jesus Christ was heard in all that he prayed for Now then if the Lord Christ doth intercede here on earth for his poor tempted servants and was heard here how much more when his Disciples are tempted does he intercede and pray for them in Heaven and is heard there Satan may come running in upon you with his temptation but when Satan runs in upon you with his temptation Christ runs into the presence of God the Father and spreads his blood and his satisfaction for you and there he saies unto the Father Father I have prayed that this man or womans faith may not fail Oh! what grace and mercy and love is here Thus in all these respects and many others that I might mention is the love of Christ and his mercy drawn out unto his people in the time of their temptation Well Quest 2 But how may it appear that Christs mercy is most at work when his people are most assaulted by Satan Christ deals by His Answ as God the Father did deal by Him Now ye shall find that Gods love was never more towards Christ than when Christ was under temptation When Christ came to die Satan was very busie it 's called The hour of darkness so busie was Satan with all his malice against him yet then was the Fathers love towards Christ then especially for saies Christ Therefore does the Father love me because I lay down my life If the Father did therefore love him because he laid down his life then his love was most at work towards Christ when this hour of darkness was And so I say when you hour of darknese is the hour of temptation Christs love is then most at work because he deals by His as the Father did deal by Him The truth is Christs dealing with his Disciples
was a pattern and plat-form of his dealing with all his people to the end of the world Now ye shall observe that Christs love was never more let out towards his Disciples than from this time after he had said these words Satan hath desired to sift you as wheat After this time they were all offended because of Christ and they all forsook him Peter denied him some doubted whether he were the Messiah or no and another would not beleeve his Resurrection as sheep they were all scattered and shattered great was their temptations yet from this time do but observe the love of Christ towards them after this speech then Christ preaches a most excellent and sweet Sermon to them in the 14 15 and 16. chapters of John Then he takes water and a towel and washes and wipes his Disciples feet Then he appoints the Lords Supper Then he spends a whol chapter the 17. of John in prayer for them makes a most excellent and sweet prayer for them Then he cals them his friends Ye are no longer my servants but my friends Yea his Children Yea his Little children Never was his love more drawn out or exprest towards them than after this time And I say this was a pattern and a plat-form of his dealing with all his people unto the end of the world And therefore though Christ do suffer his own people to be tempted yet his love and mercy is never more at work than when they are most assaulted by Satan Thirdly You will say Quest 3 What is there in the heart of Jesus Christ that does incline him to this indulgence toward his people that his love and mercy is then most at work when they are most assaulted by Satan My beloved Answ There is the quintescence of all the excellency of loving relations in Jesus Christ A Father a Mother a Brother a Friend He is the everlasting Father And his soul was in travel saies the Prophet He is not ashamed to all you his brethren And he is a Friend I call you my friends Now though parents be tender of their children at all times yet especially when they are sick then there 's a chair of love stands by the childs bed-side And so though Christ be alwaies tender of his people yet then especially when their souls are sick and labour under temptation There is the greatest pity in Christ that can be the most pitiful disposition in Christ which is alwaies laid out where he sees a fit object for it pray what is the object of pity The object of pity is One whom ye love in misery If ye see a man in misery yet if ye don't love him ye don't pity him if ye see a man whom ye love yet if ye don't see him in misery ye don't pity him ye love him but ye don't pity him but a person whom ye love in misery is the object of pity Now all the Saints and people of God are the beloved of Christ and when they are in temptation that is their greatest misery and therefore when they are most tempted then is the love and mercy of Christ drawn out unto them especially Besides The Lord Jesus Christ hath a great Interest and share in every beleever a share going in every beleever As the member hath an interest and a share in the head so the head hath also in every member Thine they were saies Christ and thou gavest them me Christ hath a special and great interest in all his people and he will not lose his interest The truth is when Satan does assault a beleever he does rather strike at Christ than at a beleever And therefore saies Gregory well The Devil in tempting Job did not so much strike at Job as at God for the Lord had said That Job was an upright man and now the Devil would go about to make Job an Hypocrite so that the Devill would fain have made God a lyar and he did not so much strike at Job as at Gods testimony of Job he did strike at God And so now in all the temptations of the Saints he strikes at Christ and they bear those temptations because of Christ Let a man go on in a wicked and ungodly way Satan won't vex him with temptations but let a man once become godly and be in Christ and then how many temptations will Satan vex him with Now saies Christ shall this poor soul endure all this for me and shall not I help shall not I assist shall not I deliver If a man break his Arme or his Leg before ye you will pity him but if he break his Arme or his leg in your work or service in a work that you set him about you count your self ingaged then to help him 'T is the work of Christ that the Saints are about and Christ sets them on work and when Satan comes to tempt 't is to disturbe them in the work that Christ sets them about Now therefore saies Christ shall they endure all this because of me and because of my work and shall not I assist and defend them and help them Surely I will Oh! my beloved if ye did but know what an Interest Jesus Christ hath in every beleever you would easily see the reason of this so great tenderness in him that his love and mercy is never more at work than when they are most assaulted by Satan For Application Applic. What abundance of Comfort is here unto all those that are the true Disciples of Jesus Christ you are not alone in your temptations Christ is with you and he is in Heaven too interceding and praying for you he hath sent his Spirit into your hearts to make intercession for you there and he himself is in Heaven making intercession and praying for you there when you are in temptation Christ is at prayer for you Yea he does not only pray for you but his love and his mercy is most of al at work then when you are most assaulted Oh! what Comfort is this But will some say I fear this comfort belongs not to me Object because I am none of these that are Christs true Diseiples Christ prayed for Peter because be was his Disciple and he prayed for therest because they were his Disciples but as for me though in profession I may be a Disciple yet really I fear I am no true Disciple of Jesus Christ and therefore I fear that he does not pray and intercede for me in the time of my temptation Two things for answer to this Answ First I pray consider that place in the 16. chapter of Matthew and the 24. verse Then said Jesus unto his Disciples If any man will come after me or if any man will be my Disciple so some books hath it let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me Mark Here are Three properties of a true Disciple To open the words a little unto ye that I may settle this comfort the more fully upon your
is never more at work for thee than when thou art most tempted and assaulted by Satan What a mighty incouragement is here to al that hear the word of the Lord to get into Jesus Christ But if I be godly and al this be true Why should I question the love of God towards me in the time of my temptation Beloved ye know it in your Experience ye are never more apt for to question the love of Christ than in temptation and yet Christs love is never more at work for you than in temptation Oh! what an unworthy answering of Christs love is here Again If I be Godly Why should I not be contented and quiet under all my temptations though they be never so great Christ prayeth for me Christs love is most at work now I am most assaulted his bowels then yern towards me Yea If I be Godly Why should I not with Paul Triumph over all temptations and make my boast of Christ and say as he did Now know I that nothing shall separate me from the love of God in Christ not Principalities nor Powers nor Devils nor Temptations for when I am most tempted Christ is most at work in love for me Yea beloved in the Lord why should we not all warm our hearts with this love of Jesus Christ it's a mercy that the Lord Christ will cast but an eye or a look upon a poor soul under temptation that is a mercy I but I tell ye more than so Christ does not only cast an eye and a look upon a poor tempted soul but his love and mercy is never more at work than when you are most assaulted and tempted by Satan Ah what grace and heart-warming love is here If I be Godly again upon this account why should I give over so soon and lay down my weapon in time of temptation If a City be beleaguer'd besieged and know that help will come they will not give over And though I am thus besieged and thus tempted help will certainly come for Christ hath prayed why should I give over then in time of temptation And if these things be so if there be so much love in the heart of Christ towards poor tempted souls then beloved should we not all run to Christ in the time and hour of our temptation run unto him by prayer It may be there are some that will say Quest If Christ pray for us in time of temptation what need we pray But I pray look into this chapter Answ and you will find our Saviour carries it otherwise In the text saies he But I have prayed for thee that thy faith fall not At the 46. verse Why sleep ye saies he rise and pray lest ye enter into temptation So that though he had said That he prayed for them yet he cals upon them also to pray It 's good praying my beloved when mercy is coming and mercy is then coming when Christ is praying and when you are most tempted then Christ is at prayer But to end all What ever your temptations therefore be you that are the servants of God still think ye hear Christ saying to ye Man Woman be of good comfort I have prayed for you though thy temptations be very great I have prayed for thee thought thou canst not pray for thy self as thou wouldst I have prayed for thee when flesh fails and eyes fail and heart fails and all fails yet remember this Christ prayeth for you in the time of your temptation Christ prayeth for you think that ye hear Christ speaking to ye in the time of your temptation for certainly he does it as well to his Disciples now as he did to his Disciples then he does speak and say Be of good comfort man or woman though thy temptations be great yet I have prayed for thee and thy faith shall not fail FINIS THANKFVLNES Required in every CONDITION 1 THESSALONIANS 5.18 In every thing give thanks Preached at Margrets New-fish street March 23. 1645 for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you WHAT is written to the Thessalonians is written for our instruction What they are commanded as Christians we are commanded as Christians In the latter part of this Chapter several Exhortations were given to them among the rest this is one In which ye have The Exhortation it self In every thing give thanks And the Reason in forcing that Exhortation for this is the wil of God in Christ Tesus conerning you In every thing give thanks In Prosperity and in Adversity whether things go well or whether they go ill In every thing give thanks He had said before verse 16 17. Rejoyce evermore Pray continually Unto those Exhortations he adds no such Reason as here Because it may seem strange that a man should give thanks in every thing he adds also for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you So that plainly here lies this Observation or Truth upon the words It is the will of God Doct. even our father that we should be thankfull to him in every thing When we are Full it will be granted that then we are to give thanks to God Deuteronomy the 8. and the 10. But ye are not only to give thanks when ye are Full but when ye are Empty not only when ye are strong but when ye are weak not only when you are delivered from the hands of your Enemy but when you are delivered into the hands of your Enemy Job 1.21 Therefore Job saies The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away blessed be his Name Job was plundered by the Enemy and yet he does blesse the Lord Job was emptied of a full Estate and yet he does blesse the Lord Job had lost his dear Children and yet he does blesse the Lord Job in a great measure given up into the hands of Satan and yet he blesses the Lord for which he is commended So then It is our duty and the will of God our Father that we should not only be thankful but we should be thankful in every thing For Reas 1 there is alwaies excellency enough in God and Christ to entertain your Thankfulnesse to draw out your Thankfulnesse and Praises Indeed there is a formal or notional difference between Praising God and giving thanks to God Praises respect the excellencies of God himself Thankfulness respect the benefits we receive from God I praise God when I honour him for the Excellency that is in him I am thankful to God when I blesse him for those benefits I receive from him But now in Scripture these are put one for the other ordinarily and whatsoever our condition be whether high or low rich or poor full or empty there is enough Excellency in Christ for to draw out our Praises and therefore in every thing we are to be Thankful There is no condition so sad Reas 2 but somewhat is good that is mingled with it No darknesse so dark but-some light withal No misery so miserable
whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy See who are to say so Let the Redeemed of the Lord say so whom he hath Redeemed from the hand of the enemy Beloved ye know that not long since we were in Captivity I mean a Spriitual Captivity we sate down by the waters side and said How shall we do to sing a Christian song The Lord hath Redeemed us he hath Redeemed us out of the hand of our Enemies And if the Lord hath not Redeem'd you out of the hand of your Enemy don't say so but if he have Let the Redeemed of the Lord say so Pesides Is it not worth our Thankfulness that we have had so many daies of Thanksgiving together A day of Fasting and Prayer is a sweet day a thanksgiving-Thanksgiving-day sweeter if I may make compate For in a day of Fasting and Prayer we deal with the anger and wrath and displeasure of God In a day of Thanksgiving with the love of God and the mercy of God In a day of Fasting and Prayer we exercise Grief But in a day of Thanksgiving we exercise Joy and love In a day of Fasting and Prayer your eye is upon your sins In a day of Thanksgiving upon your graces to be Thankful for them As the fish swims upon the top of the water when the Sun shines which in a storm lay at the bottom and wood and sticks tumbled up and down and those were seen So in a day of Thanksgiving there ye see and take notice of your own graces to be thankful for them In a day of Fasting and Prayer sometimes ye are so humbled for sin committed as the sence of your Justification is quite shattered But in the day of Thanksgiving your assurance for heaven is sealed they are sweet daies And beloved you have had many of them of late and surely this is worth our Praise But give me leave a little to Enumerate for Enumeration is one kind of Argument Hath not the Lord from heaven owned his own Cause in the hands of his servants our brethren in the field Hath not the Lord heard your Prayers Hath not the Lord opened many Mines of precious Truths that ye never knew before Hath not the Lord delivered you from the hand of a savadge Enemy Those that lay among the pots brought forth with doves-wings Victory after Victory one treading upon the heel of another overtaking another Does he not daily load you with his benefits I cannot say as David in the 9. Psalm and the 1. verse I will praise thee O Lord with my whole heart I will shew forth all thy marveilous works The former part I will praise thee O Lord with my whole heart you will say But the latter part I will shew forth all thy marveilous works Who can say they are beyond us And now Beloved if it be our duty to Praise God to be Thankful to him in every condition when we are low shall we not be thankful to him now that the Lord hath raised us and fill'd us thus You will say Object There 's one thing that hinders us in the work of Praise and Thanksgiving in these times A Reformation is now begun and things do not succeed according to our desires in the matter of Reformation should we can we be Thankful now Yes If the Lord give me a Child Answ should not I be Thankfull for it because it is not borne a man When the Jews built the Temple did not they shout and praise God that the Foundation was laid When the Israelites had overcome their enemies in Samuels time though the Enemies were round about them they set up a stone and called it Eben-ezer 1 Sam. 7.12 Hitherto the Lord hath helped us Beloved in our Thanksgiving we are to be like unto Jesus Christ He did not only praise God when he had the mercy but before he had it in the entrance upon it When he raises up Lazarus from the dead John 11.41 42. Father saies he I Thank thee that thou hearest me alwaies and then he commands Lazarus to come out But first he gives Thanks to God In the Scripture the holy-Ghost hath commmanded us Prov. 3.9 To honour the Lord with our substance and with the first fruits of all our increase Either ye have the first-fruits of Reformation or not If not what mean all those precious Ears and fruits which ye have been gathering in these latter times And if ye have the first fruits though ye have not reap't the harvest yet then honour the Lord with your substance and with your first-fruits So shall your barnes be fill'd with plenty and your presses with the new wine of the Gospel God does give one mercy as a seal unto another a First as a seal to the Second the Second as a seal to the Third the lesser as a pledge of the greater God does give a lesser mercy to try us whether we will be Thankful that he may give a greater Beloved these are trying times God tries us whether we will be Thankful for what we have A Reformation is now on foot what though things don't succeed according to your desire shall we not be Thankful for what we have because we want something of what we would have when then shall we be Thankful I but Quest 't is not only want of Reformation but many Errours that are risen up among us in these times and should we be Thankful now in this condition Yes Answ Shall I not be Thankful for some grace because it is mingled with much Corruption Shall I not be Thankful for my field of Corn because divers weeds are mingled therewith Shall I cast away the kernel because it is compast about with a shell Luther in the beginning of the Reformation met with many Errours and he comforted himself with this When the Corn is grown the weeds will die alone Meaning this When Reformation is come to greater strength Errours would die alone 'T is said of our Lord and Saviour Christ Isa 53.12 He was numbered among transgressors Should not I love Christ or own Christ or be Thankful for Christ because he was numbered among transgressors The Errours of the time you say are the transgressors of the time Shall I not love the Truth and own the Truth and be thankful for the Truth because it is numbered among the transgressors the transgressors of the time Blessed is that man that can see a beauty in Truth when it hath a scratch't face And indeed every Truth hath a beauty the Lord hath given you out many Truths in these times that ye were ignorant of before Beloved I do not say that ye should be thankful for any Errour we ought to be grieved for any Errour But shall we be so mindful against Errour crying out against Errour Errour as not to be thankful for any Truth we have If the whole world were spread with Errour that one Truth living Jesus Christ died for sinners there were