give away to jealous mis-giving and mistrusting thoughts of God or of themselves Some there are who do nothing but make objections against themselves and Gods dealings with them And a quarrelsome heart is for the most part a troublesome heart You shall see some to whom God hath given evidences of their estate and condition and such as might content them such as they might have Peace in But they will quarrel against them Either their evidences are not so clear as others are not written in so fair and legible characters as others are Or else they want sealing And therefore they will take no comfort in them Thus do many forsake their own mercies breed their own disquiet and are injurious to their own peace When God hath spoken Peace and Peace to their Souls yet they return back again to folly to the folly of Unbeleeving Doubting Questioning of Gods love And no marvel if such do want Peace Men that will forgoe their evidences give up their claim and title to Christ Men whom Satan can make unsay what they know God hath said to their hearts may soon sit down in dumb silence and discouragement If when God hath manifested himself to you hath come and supped with you hath given you the white stone of absolution the Hidden Manna of comfort and consolation those manifest experiments of his love and yet you will joyn Issue with Satan give way to doubts No marvel if you disturb your peace bring insufferable fears and disquiets upon your selves And it were just with God to leave you to the doubts and mis-givings of your own hearts and never to give you a word of Peace more but suffer you to bring your gray hairs with sorrow to the Grave seeing nothing will satisfie you 6. The Reason why Beleevers have no more Peace is Because they seek Peace no more in a way of beleeving They seek it more in the Law than in the Gospel more in Sanctification than in Justification more in the Precept than in the Promise more in working than in beleeving more in their Obedience than in Christ. And therefore no marvel seeing all this is imperfect that they have no more perfection of peace So long as you make the grounds of your peace any thing within your selves or any thing wrought by your selves you will never have fulness of peace There may bee some peace for a time in these things but it is not a full and satisfying peace nor yet a permanent and constant peace It may be gotton to day lost or incumbred to morrow Every imperfection will disturb your peace Every failing will raise up a new and fresh storm breed a new quarrel in the soul Hee that would have peace must seek it in the God of Peace in the Prince of Peace in Christ himself in whom hee said Joh. 16.33 Wee should have Peace When there 's a storm in your selves there 's peace in him when there 's no peace in you in regard of your imperfections and failings there 's yet peace in Christ who is a perfect Saviour The Sacrifice is imperfect but the Priest is perfect Tenth Royalty 10 Faith is an Heart-inabling-Grace 10. Royalty of Faith It s an Heart-inabling-Grace It is such a Grace as inables a man 1. To do 2. To suffer A Beleeving Christian is a strong Christian He is strong for any service It is said By Faith Abraham obeyed God Faith did inable him to obey And it was a great act of Obedience as you may read scil The offering of his Son his only Son the Son of his love If it had been an adopted Son only and not his Natural or if his Natural and but one among many the trial had not been so great But hee was his own and only Son and the Son of his old age and therefore like to have no more the Son of the promise not an Ismael but an Isaac a Son long expected now exceedingly rejoyced in hee was the Son of his Love Now to part with such a Son was a great tryal But here was not all the tryal If hee had but parted with him in the way of Nature by a natural death this had not been so much but to part with him in way of Sacrifice wherein hee was to bee cut in peeces nay and hee himself must bee the Butcher of this Son of his Love must imbrue his own hands in the blood of this Son This was a great tryal yet here was seen the power of Faith tht it inabled him to obey Hee did not consult with Flesh and Blood did not dispute but obey By Faith hee obeyed Faith it is an Heart-inabling-Grace It will inable you to pray yea and to pray to purpose to wrestle with God Beleeving-prayers are wrestling prayers wherein the Soul wrestles with God by strength of his Promise his Covenant his Truth his Christ It inables you to hear and to hear with profit when Faith doth incorporate it self with the Word it will be profitable Faithful hearing is ever fruitful hearing It will inable you to receive the Sacrament and to receive with comfort Faith is the Organ whereby wee feed on Christ receive Christ Faith is the instrument that conveyes Christ the Conduit-pipe A beleeving Receiver is a blessed Receiver It will inable you to bring forth much fruit To bee fruitful in Obedience It plants us into a fruitfull stock and how can wee bee barren Plants It draws life and nourishment from Christ A faithfull Christian is a fruitfull Christian Men of a good Beleef are men of a good Life That soul that hath yeelded obedience to the Promise in a way of beleeving is ready to subject it self to every Precept in a way of Obedience Faith doth inable a man to contend with lusts with the strongest corruptions The sons of Zerviah which else would bee too hard for us It inables us to combate with Satan It is our shield whereby wee resist it is our weapon whereby wee conquer It sets Christ against Satan by whom wee over-overcome as the word is Wee are more than Conquerors It inables us to overcome the World This is our Victory whereby wee overcome the World even our Faith Whereas unbeleef doth slay and disable the heart both from doing and suffering An unbeleeving heart is an impotent heart The state of unbeleef is a state of impotency and disability to the performance of any thing that is good There is a total and universal impotency in an unbeleeving heart Hee cannot pray hear receive Faith on the contrary doth inable and strengthen the soul to all Obedience It inables a man to yeeld A willing Obedience cheerfull Obedience voluntary Obedience a constant a fruitful an universal Obedience It will inable a man to do his duty Towards God Towards others Towards himself It inables a man to walk through the duties of all relations faithfully The Husband to the Wife the Wife to the Husband The Parents to the Childe The Child to the
appear Bigger than it is The sufferings of the Saints the sorrows of the Saints the sufferings of the Damned are too short The Glass ot the Law the Glass of Christs sufferings which is the greatest this doth not shew sin greater than it is It doth but discover sin in its Just Proportions and Dimensions It had not been justice in God to have required more blood and to put his own Son to more suffering than sin deserved Nor would this have stood with Gods Love his Pity and Mercy to his Son to have put him to more than sin deserved Though now there be mercy more than enough for the greatest sinners as the Apostle saith 1 Tim. 1.14 yet there was not Justice more than enough exercised upon Christ for the demerit and guilt of sin The Death of Christ was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 An Adequate Ransome for our souls and sins And yet there is a Redundancy of merit an Overflowing of merit in the Satisfaction of Christ to Ransome a thousand worlds more to that if need were As sin is infinite in regard of the Object so Satisfaction is infinite in respect of the Merit Hence Christs death is not onely said to be A Satisfaction but A Purchase not onely A Payment but A Purchase A Satisfaction it was to the Justice of God for sin Full. And A Purchase of all good things from the Mercy of God to which his Justice in respect of the Validity and Worth of Christs Satisfaction is bound to us But this by way of Digression See then what need there is To Aggravate sin to the utmost because we cannot multiply sin to the greatness of it There will be many singular fruits of so doing 1. This will breed shame and confusion of spirit for sin 2. This will make you advance and relish mercy better When the debt seems little we are ready and apt to undervalue a pardon But when sin appears exceeding sinful this doth make us value mercy prize a pardon When sin is seen the greatest Evil Mercy and Pardon will be apprehended the greatest Good 3. This puts us into the neerest disposition To forsake sin As he who extenuates sin is resolved to continue in sin so he who truly aggravates sin desires to be rid of it 4. Besides It breeds a Displacency with our selves when we consider How ill we have dealt with God 5. It produceth self-judging and self-condemnation as we see in David Psal 51. 6. It will produce spiritual softness and tenderness of heart for sin But this I must pass over USE If sin be the Greatest Evil Then it is the Greatest Mercy in the world to be rid of sin The greater the evil is the greater is the mercy to be rid of it But now sin is the Greatest Evil. And therefore you shall see it set down as the only mercy that comes in by Christ Mat. 1.25 He shall be called JESUS because he shall save his people from their sins As if all other things coming in by Christ were included in this one He shall save his people from their sins He doth not say Hee shall save his people from Hell c but From sin From no other evil in the world And this is the Greatest Mercy When God would speak the utmost even the greatest thought of Mercy that ever came upon his heart when he would set down the greatest work of Mercy that ever the God of Mercy wrought he saith no more but He shall save his people from their sins Sin was the utmost Evil and therefore the saving from sin was the greatest good And hence David Psal 32.1 2. saith Blessed is he whose iniquity is forgiven and whose sin is covered Blessed is that man to whom the Lord imputeth not sin Indeed we have mean thoughts cheap thoughts of pardon of sin and the reason is because we have slight thoughts of sin But if God once open our understanding and make us see the vastness and wideness of the evil of sin and if that he should joyn a feeling sense to that sight and make us feel what sin is if he should let but the least sparkle of his wrath fall upon our spirits for sin it would make our faces gather blackness we should quickly change our note and say Oh! Blessed and for ever blessed are they whose iniquity is forgiven and whose sin is covered But lest I should seem to Beat the aire we will therefore Circumstantiate this Mercy a little and you shall see the Greatness of it Though indeed this were enough to tell you that sin is the Greatest Evil Thence would necessarily follow That it is the Greatest Mercy in the world To be rid of sin which will more fully appear if we consider the following particulars 1. First then The pardon of sin is the dearest-bought Mercy and that is something to shew the Greatness of the Mercy You know the Greater the sum is that is to be paid for the Purchase of a thing provided there be no want of wisdom in the Buyer nor want of Honesty in the Seller the Greater still and of more worth is the Thing bought or Purchased But now This Mercy Pardon of sin was a Mercy dear-bought It cost Blood Mat. 26.28 and that Not the blood of Bulls and Goats for that it was impossible it should take away sins as the Apostle hath it Heb. 10.4 What then was it Why it was The Precious blood of Christ 1 Pet. 1.18 19. You were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold from your vain conversation but with the precious Blood of Christ as of a Lamb without blemish and spot And this The Blood of God Acts 20.28 Feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own Blood Now sit down and think what a Mercy that must needs be which is the Price of blood and that of the Son of God There was no Want of Wisdom in the Buyer he could not be over-reacht he knew the worth of the Commodity Nor was there want of justice or goodness in the Seller He was just and would not take one drop of blood more than the thing was worth And he was A Father too and therefore would not put his Son to more sufferings and require more than the thing was worth 2. This is the purest Mercy of all other The Pardon of sin A mercy that comes from the Heart and Good-will of God to you God may give you all other things and hate you You may be Rich and yet Reprobates Great in the world here and be Damned hereafter Dives may have wealth Herod Eloquence Saul Command Agryppa Glorious Apparel a man may do wickedly and yet prosper These things are not Truly good nor Truly evil If good the wicked should not have them If evil the Saints should not have them These are such things as God reacheth from his Hand not from his Heart they are general favors not special Love But this is a Peculiar-Favor the Saints
will bee nothing to the soul that loves him Love is as strong as Death You see it in the Apostles They counted not their lives too dear to give to death for the Love of Christ It is not the Bloud which is in the veins the spirits which are in the arteries the Life in the Body which will be too dear There is a kinde of unquenchablenesse in Love like the stone in Thracia which burns in the Water Much Water cannot quench Love 1. Much Afflictions from God cannot quench our Affections to God As all our dealings to God doth not alter Gods affections to us so all Gods dealings to us will not alter our affections to God Si diligis Domine fac quicquid vis was the speech of Calvin Lord if thou love mee do what thou wilt And Jobs Though thou kill mee yet I will still trust in thee And the Church professeth the like Psal 44.17 18 19. All this is come upon us yet do wee not forget thee nor have wee dealt falsely in thy Covenant Our heart is not turned back nor have our steps gone out of thy paths Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of Dragons and covered us with the shadow of death c. 2. Much afflictions for God shall not cool our affections to God Wee shall bee ready to go through a Sea through a Wildernesse through the sharpest incounters for Christ Nothing shall pose a strong Beleever When once the soul is perswaded of the Love of God by Faith then there follows abundance of love to God again 1 John 4. from 15. to 19. Whosoever confesseth that Jesus is the Son of God in him dwelleth God and hee in God And wee have known and beleeved the Love that God hath to us God is Love and hee that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him c. wee love him because hee loved us first And that of Mary Much was forgiven her and therefore shee loved much Whiles a man looks upon God as an enemy who hates him hee can never love him But when once the soul by Faith doth apprehend Gods love to him then doth the soul love God again The love of God begets love in the soul to God Amor Dei amorem animae parit No mans heart is warmed with the sense of Gods love but it is inflamed with love to God again As the Sun beams shining upon a Glasse begets a reflection of the Beams upon the Wall So the Love of God shed abroad in our hearts breeds a reflection of love back again to God 2. Strong in Faith and strong in Hope and expectations of the thing beleeved which is that which holds up our head and keeps the soul from sinking in the midst of all these worldly troubles 3. Strong Faith and strong Patience A strong Faith will bear strong Afflictions with strong Patience Faith doth strengthen a mans shoulders to bear evils and troubles with Patience A weak Tree is blown down with that which moves not a stronger Tree Weak shoulders sink under that burden which a strong one will bear away So a weak Faith would sink with that tryal which a strong Faith is able to undergo with strength of Patience And therefore it is Gods goodnesse still to proportion the Tryal to the strength A strong Faith can receive a mercy and bee thankful and can render a mercy and bee patient A strong Faith can injoy a blessing and bee chearful and can lose it and bee contented Hence saith Paul I have learned in all estates therewith to bee content I know how to abound and how to suffer want c. Hee was a man strong in Faith And the ground of all is this because a strong Faith having dear evidence and apprehensions that God is a Father doth conclude that all his dealings are for good All things shall work together for good to them that love God And hee hath said Hee will never depart from us from doing us good Faith like the Philosophers stone turns all into Gold sees all Gods dealings to bee for good If God then afflict a man why will Faith say It 's for good I have need of such Afflictions to work out such a strong corruption Are the Afflictions many why will Faith say I have need of many Afflictions because I have many corruptions Are they long why I have need of that too because sin and I are so hardly parted It is so hard to make a divorce betwixt sin and my soul and therefore the afflictions had need to continue long Faith sees that God aims at this to wean us from the World to win us closer to him to exercise and increase our Graces to weaken sin and corruption to make us more fruitful Therefore doth hee prune us that wee might grow more If a man lop Trees at sometimes they will wither and dye but if at other times they will be made more fruitful God useth to afflict the wicked at such time But the Saints when they may grow the more Therefore God winnows us fannes us to blow away the chaff Therefore hee puts us as Gold into the fire that wee may come out much more pure Strong Faith and strong Obedience Obedience is proportionable to our Faith The greater the Faith the more the Obedience A little Tree a young Tree may bring forth good fruit as well as a greater but not in equal quantity to the greater so hee that hath the least degree of true Faith lives a godly life brings forth some fruits of Obedience but they are not so plentiful in good works as those whose Faith is come to an higher degree Weak Faith doth obey and this Obedience is a willing a chearful a fruitful a constant an universal Obedience both 1. In respect of the Subject The whole Man and 2. In respect of the Object The whole Law There is a willing yeelding of the soul up to God to walk in every way of God As David Lord I am thine or as the Prophet Isaiah One shall say I am the Lords Otherwise it were not true Obedience But they are not able to act so much as the stronger They are as large in desires in affections to obey but not in expressions of Obedience But the stronger the Faith the stronger is the Obedience the stronger the Will the stronger the Affections and the spirit in his Obedience A Child may do actions as well as a Man but not with that strength as a man doth them hee cannot do them so strongly so vigorously A weak Beleever may pray hear c. but not pray so strongly so powerfully as others who have more Faith So that you see where there is strong Faith there is strong Obedience A strong Faith will follow God fully in every way In losing waies as well as in gaining waies In suffering waies as well as in doing waies In discountenanced waies as well as in such as the World doth countenance In strait waies
VERA EFFIGIES SAMVELIS BOLTON S.S. THEOL D NVPER COLL C CANTAB MAG Qui Obiit 15 Oct bâ—s 1654 AEtatis 48. Ars vtmam mores animumâ— depâ—â—gere posset Pulâ—nrior in terris 〈◊〉 â—abella foret O 〈…〉 Art could pensâ—â—l ou◠〈◊〉 mind A fairer peice on Earth we should not find G. Faithâ—â—â—â—â—culp THE Dead Saint Speaking TO Saints and Sinners Living In severall TREATISES VIZ. The Sinfulness and greatest evill that is in Sin On 2 Sam. 24.10 Loves of Christ to his Spouse On Cant. 4.9 Nature and Royalties of Faith On John 3.15 Slowness of Heart to Beleeve On John 1.50 Cause Signes and Cure of Hypocrisie with Motives Helps to Sincerity On Isaiah 58.2 Wonderfull Workings of God for his Church and People On Exod. 15.11 Never before Published BY SAMVEL BOLTON D. D. Late Mr. of Christ Colledge in Cambridge Prepared for the Presse â—â— himself during Life Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver mee from the body of this Death Rom. 7.24 But God commended his love towards us in that whilst wee were yet Enemies Christ dyed for us Rom. 5.8 LONDON Printed by Robert Ibbitson for Thomas Parkhurst and are to be sold at his Shop at the three Crowns over against the Great Conduit in Cheapside 1657. TO THE Right Honourable and Right Religious Lord Robert Earle of Warwick Baron of Leez and to the truly Noble and truly vertuous the Lady Elianor Countess of Warwick his most pious Consort E. B. wisheth to your present prosperities the addition of many dayes increase of Grace in this life and the full fruition of Glory in the life to come Right Honourable IT was the purpose of my dear Husband deceased to have presented these his Works unto you Both by an Epistle Dedicatory wherein hee would have spoken his gratitude for your manifold favours And when his wasting weaknesses had rendred him unfit for that intended service hee desired if these manuscripts should bee esteemed worthy of publick view they might come abroad under your Honours Patronage to bee living evidences of his high respect and unfeigned thankfulness This Narrative will I humbly hope make a satisfying Apologie for my presumption in prefixing your noble Names before these his Sermons which are likely to find the same good acceptance from the Presse as some eminently pious and learned upon the perusall of them judge which they received from the Pulpit My prayers are that Your Selves and Your Family may both here and hereafter reap the fruit of all those encouragements which many famous Ministers some dead and others surviving to do service have received from Your Honours favour I humbly crave your acceptance of this Widdows mite of Gratitude for all the expressions of Your respect both to my reverend Husband and worthlesse self Right Honourable I am under many Obligations bound to bee Your Honours humble Servant ELIANOR BOLTON An Epistle to the Reader THE Books of learned and godly Ministers published by others after their death's do for the most part come far short of those Books which they themselves publish in their lives time The children of their brains being herein like unto the children of their bodies who many times live plentifully while their Fathers live but meet with much hardship after their death's It may bee said of the posthumous works of most men in comparison of their first works Printed by themselves as it is of Abishai and Benaiah 2 Sam. 23.19.23 They were very valiant and honourable men but they attained not unto the three first Worthies of David But it fairs far otherwise with this our Reverend Brother hee hath attained a double happiness which few arrive unto These ensuing Sermons were written out in a fair and legible Character and prepared for the Press in his life time and wherein they were defective they have been supplied and made up by an able learned and judicious Friend so that the Reader may assure himself that they are no whit inferior to those other Books which he himself set forth and that these Fatherless children suffer no considerable prejudice by their Authors death The Subjects treated on in this Book are all of them of singular use and benefit Here you have exactly proved That Sin is the greatest of Evils and therefore calls for the greatest sorrow the greatest hatred the greatest care to avoid it and to be rid of it That the heart of Jesus Christ is exceedingly taken with his Church and people and that therfore his people ought to be exceedingly in love with him Here you have the Nature Necessity and Difficulty of Faith learnedly and practically handled and especially the Priviledges and Royalties of it Here also is shewed the Cause and Cure of Hypocrisie And how far a man may go towards Heaven and yet fall short of it The truth is As the rude Satyre in Plutarch who strove to make a dead man stand upright had so much wit as to say Deest aliquid intus there wants a principle within to inable him to stand So may I truly say of him that shall read this Book and not be very well pleased with the matter therein contained Deest aliquid intus hee wants a principle of grace within to cause him to close with such wholesome spiritual and heavenly truths There are other very profitable Treatises of this our Reverend and godly Brother prepared by himself for the Press yet behinde which may happily be brought to light if God shall please to cause this Book to finde acceptance with his people for whose spiritual advantage it is intended And that it may obtain the end for which it is Printed is the Prayer of Thy Servant in the Work of the Ministry ED. CALAMY THE CONTENTS OF Sin the greatest Evil. 2 Sam. 24.10 And now I beseech thee take away the iniquity of thy servant for I have done very foolishly THe occasion of the words p. 1. Parts of the Text. p. 3. Words opened Ibid. The letter of the words speake three Doctrins First Gods servants may commit sin commit iniquity the iniquity of thy servant Ibid. Secondly Fresh sinning must have fresh repentings Ibid. Thirdly There needs fresh pardon for fresh revoltings Ibid. Doctrines handled are two First Sin is and Gods people do apprehend it to bee the greatest Evil in the World Secondly When God threatens to punish sin it is the best way to run to God to take away sin p. 3. First Doctrin p. 4. That sin is the greatest Evil Shewed First By Collation Secondly By Demonstration First By Collation and Comparison First Most of all other evills are but outward Secondly All other evills are but of a temporal nature they have an end this evil is of an eternal nature Thirdly All other evills do not make a man the subject of Gods wrath Fourthly Other evils do but oppose our well being nay only our well being for present Fifthly Other evils are but destructive to a mans self fight but against particulars Sixthly All other evils are
innoble his members p. 97 3 Faith puts us upon soul-innobling imployment p. 97. 4 Faith intitles us unto a soul-innobling inheritance p. 98 12 Royalty Faith is a soul-fatning grace which it doth after this manner 1 By destroying soul-consuming lusts p. 99 100 2 Faith puts a man into a soul-fatning pasture p. 100 3 Faith feeds upon soul-fatning dainties p. 101 1 On the Promises 101. 2 Upon a soul-fatning Christ. Faith feeds upon Christ 1 In the Word 2 In the Sacrament p. 102 103 13 Royalty Faith is a heart-emptying grace Ibid. 1 Of opinion of Righteousnesse in our selves p. 104 105 2 Of all opinion of strength to help our selves p. 106 107 14 Royalty Faith is an heart-inriching and filling grace p. 108 109 1 It inricheth the head with knowledge p. 110 2 The heart with grace p. 111 Four invaluable things 1 Favour of God in Christ 2 Souls of men 3 The Spirit 4 The Graces of the Spirit â—hese are such riches God bestowes upon none but beleevers Ibid. A Beleever the poorest and richest man in the world p. 112 15 Royalty Faith is an heart-raising grace 1 From the death of sin p. 113 2 From the death of inward trouble p. 114 1 By looking back upon soul-raising experiences p. 115 2 Looks upon soul-raising promises Ibid. 3 Layes hold upon a soul-raising Christ p. 116 4 Indites soul-raising prayers uses Arguments from it self from God p. 117 16 Royalty Faith is an heart-chearing grace p. 118 This joy of Faith is First Spiritual Secondly Hearty Thirdly Satisfying Fourthly Constant p. 119 Faith will inable to rejoyce 1 In Bonds 2 In Sicknesse 3 In Poverty Ibid. Five grounds of rejoycing p. 120 Objection Who more sad than Beleevers Answered 120 to 122 Five grounds of Sorrow arraigned at the bar of right reason p. 122 1 Is it thy former sin 2 Is it thy present corruption 3 Is it thy imperfections 4 Is it thy afflictions 5 Is it because under some present temptation Ibid. Matter of joy if Faith to see Gods aims in six particulars p. 122 123 17. Royalty Faith is an heart-guiding grace p. 124 It guides the heart in difficult cases p. 125 Faith will not own the flesh as a King nor as a Counsellor p. 126 18. Royalty Faith is an heart-establishing grace p. 127 Unbeleef unsettles the soul Ibid. Two things Faith establisheth the soul against First Against fears Secondly Against falling Against five sorts of fears p. 128 1 Of Men. 2 Of Want Ibid. 3 Of Death p. 129 4 Of Hell Ibid. 5 Of Judgement p. 130 2 Faith establisheth the heart against falling 1 Against total Apostacy p. 130 2 Against final Apostacy p. 131 1 Faith sets the soul upon a soul-establishing bottome 2 Interests the soul in a soul-establishing covenant Ibid. 3 Doth beget in a man soul-establishing principles p. 132 Six Principles Faith begets in a man p. 132 133 Use 1 Of Tryal incouragement to it 1 It is possible p. 134 135 2 Though possible yet it is difficult 1 In respect of the deceits p. 136 2 In respect of the doubts and mis-givings of our own heart at all times especially at three times First Of Humiliation p. 137 Secondly Of Temptation Ibid. Thirdly of Desertion p. 138 Secondly It is necessary to know whether wee are beleevers First In respect of comfort Ibid. Secondly In respect of Obedience p. 139 140 Two Rules observed in the Tryals following First Grand Rule the Word of God Secondly To lay down such evidences as are universal to all beleevers weak as strong p. 140 Method observed for Tryal are evidences taken First From the usual manner of Gods working Faith Secondly From the grace it self wrought First The manner of Gods working Faith 1 By discovering sin p. 141 2 By discovering the fulnesse and al-sufficiency that is in Christ p. 142 3 The freenesse of his Righteousnesse to all commers 4 Stirs up the soul to persevere 5 How God works Faith p. 142 143 Secondly Some evidences taken from the grace it self 1 Of a weak 2 Of a strong Faith Ibid. 1 The weakest faith hath strong desires after Christ wherein is shewed the difference between an unbeleevers desires and a beleevers p. 143 144. 2 A Weak faith will close with the precepts of God p. 144 145 3 Weak faith is joyned with mourning and sorrow for the weaknesse of it Ibid. 4 Weak faith is unfeigned faith not counterfeit 5 Weak faith is a holy faith accompanied with holinesse of heart holinesse in life p. 145 146 6 A weak faith doth not rest in weaknesse 7 A weak faith will cleave to Christ Five things by way of support to a weak faith 1 The smallest degree if true is saving p. 146 2 Though weak yet it is a growing 3 The weakest gives the soul union with Christ 4 It gives communion with Christ 5 It hath equal share in Gods love Difference between want and weaknesse p. 147 Evidences of a strong faith 1 An high prizing of Christ p. 148 Two things make Christ precious to a mâ—n 1 The knowledge of Christ and that 1 The want of Christ 2 The worth of Christ Ibid 2 The apprehension of the souls interest in him this a strong beleever doth p. 149. Four Tryalls whether we prize Christ p. 149. Some things more peculiar to a strong Faith than to a weak Faith p. 150 151. 2 Strong in Faith and strong in hope and expectations of the thing beleeved p. 152. Strong Faith and strong Patience Ibid. Strong in Faith and strong in Obedience p. 153. Strong for active and passive obedience p. 154 3 A strong Faith will beleeve nothing contrary to his beleefe Ibid. Though Satan takes up arguments from God 1 Inward or p. 155 2 Outward dealing with him p. 155 156 4 A strong Faith will trust God in difficulties 1 With small means p. 156 2 Without means p. 157 3 Against means p. 158 5 A strong Faith is accompanied 1 VVith much peace p. 158. 2 VVith much joy p. 159 6 Strong Faith will subdue strong corruptions Ibid. 7 Overcome strong temptations Ibid. 8 Over come strong doubts 159. 9 Strong Faith and strong prayers Strong 1 To wrestle with God p. 160 2 To prevail with God p. 160 161 10 Strong Faith can take 1 Long delays p. 161 2 Strong denials from Gods hand p. 161. 162. 11 Strong Faith hath strong desires 1 To go to Christ by death 2 That Christ would come to judgement p. 163 Use of Exhortation First To get Faith Motives 1 From the greatnesse of the sin of unbeleef it offers injury to all-God 1. VVisdome 2 Mercy and Love 3 Power 4 Truth p. 164 165 2 Unbelief is a mother sin the womb of sin entertainer maintainer of sin p. 165. 3 Unbeleef is a soul-killing sin p. 167. 2 Motive from the necessity of Faith 1 Needfull in respect of our persons Our persons are 1 Under the guilt 2 Power 3 Dominion of sin p. 167. 2 In respect of
Peculiar Pure-Mercy a mercy that came from the Bowels of mercy the Heart of Mercy 3. This is the Freest Mercy of all other Pardon of sin 1. There was nothing to ingage God to do it 2. Nor was there any thing we could do to purchase it All our Prayers our Tears our Services could not purchase the Pardon of one sin If for the Active Part we could do as much and for the Passive part we could suffer as much as all the Saints put together have done from the beginning of the world to this day If we should weep as many Tears as the Sea holds drops if we should humble our selves as many days as the world hath stood minutes from the creation c. All this were Too short to purchase us the Pardon of one sin though vve did all vvithout sin But Alas All that ever vve can do is so far from striking off any Former score that we do but set our selves further in debt thereby So far are we from purchasing a Pardon that we do but increase our Treason Operamur non in justificationem sed ex justificatione we must not work that we may be justified but we are justified that we may work So that it is the Freest-Mercy And therefore in Scripture you read it all attributed to Grace Tit. 3.7 We are justified freely by his Grace Rom. 3.24 Being justified freely by his Grace Rom. 4.5 God justifies the ungodly There is no motive in us All is from God And you shall see it plain one place for two In Isa 43. Verse 23 24 25. Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money nor hast thou made me drink with the fat of thy Sacrifices But thou hast made me serve with thy sins thou hast wearied me with thy iniquities I I am he that putteth away thy iniquities for my own names sake and will not remember thy sins Would a man have expected this this sheweth freeness when not onely no deservings as it is v. 23. and former part of v. 24. Thou hast not c. but contrary deservings Thou hast wearied mee with thine iniquities Oh infinite oh freest mercy God is mercifull only because hee will bee mercifull 4 It is an Intituling Mercy A Mercy that Intitles you to more Good than I am able to express or you able to conceive It is a Mercy that doth interest you in all other Mercies It Intitles you to all the Good on Earth to All the glory of Heaven Nay it is a Mercy-making-Mercy A mercy that makes all other things Mercy to you 1. Good things are mercies Your Riches your Greatness your Possessions your Husbands your Wives Children c. all these things are no Blessings till they be joyned with a Pardon and that makes them all blessings Nay not onely Good things But 2. Evil things are Mercies to you Pardon of sin makes Poverty Afflictions Sickness Death it self a Mercy Like the Unicorns horn it takes away the venome and poyson of every Water Like the Philosophers-stone it turns All into Gold So saith the Apostle All things work together for good unto them that love God A Sanctified-Cross is better than an Unsanctified Comfort A loss in Mercy is better than an enjoyment in Wrath. You are never able to make it good that God doth bestow any thing in mercy till sin be forgiven Guilt of sin upon you doth turn the nature of things and makes those things which are good in themselves evil to you 5. It is an irrevocable-mercy God may give in other mercies and call for them again Indeed other things are rather lent than given Lent Husband Lent Wife c. Hence they are said to be but Talents in our hands and we Stewards of them for a time God may call for them when he pleaseth or we may forfeit them and lose them How often do we forfeit and lose good things because of our unworthy walking in the enjoyment thereof Hos 2.8 9 I will take away my corn in the time thereof my wine and my flax in their season Mine It was Gods And would you know the reason see in the former verse Because they did not acknowledge him as the giver of them but bestowed them on Baal as though he had given them But now this Mercy is an irrevocable Mercy A mercy that God never recals A Mercy God never repents of The gifts and graces of God are without repentance And it is a Mercy never forfeited We may forfeit the sense of a pardon we may forfeit the comfort of a pardon nay we may forfeit the knowledge of a pardon I say you may sin away the sense the comfort the knowledge of a pardon as it was with David But we shall never forfeit a pardon Quod Scripsi Scripsi If all this foreseen could not hinder God from giving out a pardon neither can it make God repent of a pardon when he hath given it Now the Stability of the Mercy is that which addes a great deal of worth to the Mercy As things that are Evil so much more things that are good are heightned from the consideration of the continuance of them the Stability and Lastingness of them Now this is a Stable Mercy Take but one Place Isa 54.8 9 10 For this is as the waters of Noah unto me For as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth So have I sworn that I will not be wroth with thee nor rebuke thee Yet further For the mountains shall depart and the hills shall be removed but my kindeness shall never depart from thee nor shall the Covenant of my peace be removed This is the difference betwixt the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace The one is Temporary the other is Eternal It is a Temporary Covenant though an Eternal Rule The other is Eternal and Immutable 6. Pardon of sin is an Universal Mercy the Womb of Mercy a Productive-Mercy all other mercies grow upon this Tree of Forgiveness of sin It is a Tree the Root whereof is in Christ and the Fruit thereof are All good things on Earth and Glory in Heaven There are Seven glorious Fruits of Pardon of sin which I will but name and so come to the Last Use 1. Reconciliation with God 2 Cor. 5.19 Admission into his favour He who before was an Enemy is now become thy Friend for nothing makes God an Enemy but sin And such a Friend he is who will be a Friend in life a friend in Death when all other Friends forsake and a Friend after death 2. Adoption of Children which followeth upon our pardon in justification 3. Access to God as to a Father with childe-like boldness Sin was that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that great Gulf betwixt God and us Sin the Partition-wall betwixt God and us now sin being pardoned this Partition-wall is taken down and there is Access to God and Access with boldness 4. Acceptation of our Services Till sin be pardoned
yet here hee that beleeves most and loves most makes most haste The more the soul beleeves and the more the heart is taken with Christ the greater are the desires to bee with him Till Simeon had gotten Christ into his armes hee was unwilling to dye but after hee had Christ in his armes Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace for my eyes have seen thy salvation Indeed here are but the Espousals between Christ and the soul Some Broken-Rings Contracts Espousals betwixt Christ and us But then is the great Marriage-day the Solemnization of our Nuptials to all eternity Here wee do see him but dimly and darkly at the best and there are oftentimes clouds come in and interpose themselves between Christ and us but then wee shall see him face to face and never shall there cloud come between Christ and us to all eternity There wee shall see him in his Glory his full discoveries Here wee injoy him but in part The distance is great betwixt him and us All which distance doth arise from that within us Were it not for sin wee might bee in Glory even in Grace But then wee shall injoy him in fulness Heaven is the place which God hath intended to set forth himself to his People in his Glory to all eternity Where there shall bee no fears no sin never smoak of distrustfull thoughts shall arise more Where there shall bee no sorrow no tears All sighing and sobbing shall pass away and nothing but joy shall keep the house Wee are now the Sons of God But it doth not yet appear what wee shall bee for wee shall see him as hee is 7. Sign A heart taken with Christ thinks nothing too much to do nothing â—â—o much to suffer for Christ You know Love cannot bee posed Wee say there is no difficultie in Love Things impossible to others are easie to them who love And things burthensome to others delightfull to them who love If once thy heart bee taken with Christ thou wilt think nothing too much to do nothing too much to suffer for him As Christ thought nothing too much for us because his heart was taken with us neither shall wee think any thing too much for Christ Wee read how prodigal the Saints have been of their Riches their Blood their Lives for Christ because they loved him 1. They have not accounted their estates too dear for him Heb. 10.34 They took joyfully the spoiling of their goods 2. They have not accounted their lives too dear Rev. 12.11 They loved not their lives to death for him If they must dig in Mines or be cast to bee devoured by Wild-Beasts for Christ as it was the usual sentence of Christians Christiani ad nâ— talla ad Ecstias in the primitive times they were willing to do and suffer it See this in the Virgin of whom Basil speaks who was condemned to death because shee would not worship Idols And the like of old Polycarp and others This is certain A soul taken with Christ knows no difficulty in its love It loves him with an unlimited an uncircumscribed love which no duty no difficulty can pose 8. Sign A heart taken with Christ is exceedingly cast down with the withdrawings and absence of Christ The comforts of the soul are laid up in Christ and when hee is gone all is gone Comfort gone Joy gone the Heart gone with him As Mephibosheth said Take all now my Lord is come back so the soul saith Take all take the World take Riches take Heaven and Glory so far as Heaven and thou are two things That my Lord may return with my soul Datkness is terrible to the soul and this is thick darkness and therefore saith with Absolom let mee see his face mea non prosunt sine te nothing besides thee can either satisfie or profit mee 9. Sign A heart taken with Christ is fully content and satisfied with the injoyments and possession of Christ The possession of the thing beloved doth content the soul so far as there is satisfaction and contentment with it The reason why wee do not meet with full contentments and satisfactions here in the possession or our loves is because they want of fulness But now it is not so with Christ Hee is able to brim the soul to satisfie the spirit to answer all the desires of the heart and therefore the heart taken with him needs must rest satisfied and contented with him Such a gulf of desire is in the soul of men that if God should cast in a thousand worlds there would bee no contentment except Christ bee cast in And Christ is so full contentment that if God bestow him they will neither need nor desire any more And thus much shall serve for the use of tryal wee will now come to an use of Exhortation and conclude this Use of Exhortation 1. To them of his Church 2. To them who are not of the Church 1. To them of his Church Is it so that the heart of Christ is so much taken with his Church and People 1. Direction to them of the Church 1. Walk suitably to this love Dignities and suitable walkings to dignities must go together Now this suitable walking wee will express in these five things 1. Walk chearfully 2. Walk thankfully 3. Walk humbly 4. Walk watchfully 5. Walk obediently 1. Walk chearfully Walk as Heirs of such a Mercy Here is a truth speaks comfort when all the world speaks nothing but terrour 2. Direction to them of the Church 2. Beware of abusing this love Precious things are committed to us by a word of Caution This is a precious Truth and therefore let mee adde to it this word of Caution Beware of abusing this Love of Christ Christs Love are his bowels and hee will never indure to have his bowels injured his love abused You know a man will not have his Love injured the abuse of his power of his wisdome greatness doth not touch a man so nearly as the abuse of his Love This is an injury men cannot indure So to speak after the manner of men Christ can least indure his Love should bee abused There is no abuse like it Therefore beware of it Now this Love of Christ is injured these wayes and beware 1. When wee slight the intreaties reject the tenders cast aside the offers and beseeches of his Love When love stoops to you when the mercy and goodness of Christ doth as it were come on its knees to you and intreats you to do this or not to do that And yet you will stop your ears pull back your shoulder slight the intreaties This is an abuse 2. When the Love of Christ doth slacken our hearts to duty loosen our ingagements makes us more remiss to or in service This is to abuse his Love Wee should reason from Mercy to Duty and not from Mercy to Liberty Abundance of Grace calls in for abundance of Duty The Love of Christ should constrain us as
the Apostle 2 Cor. 5. This should make us live more humbly more actively more studious to please more diligent to obey more carefull to serve him This should make us live at higher rates for Heaven more spiritual more heavenly minded It is a Cord let down from Heaven to fetch our souls up thither And doth this cause us to bee more remiss more careless Doth this which should quicken slacken our hand to duty Oh base ungrateful neglect of Love 3. when wee take heart to sin thereby Grow more loose careless This is an high abuse of this Love Because God is Good wilt thou bee Evil because hee is Merciful wilt thou bee sinful because hee is Gracious wilt thou bee impious What fearful abuse of Love is this This is to wound Christ in the house of his friends To return good for good is but Humane To return evil for good is Wicked To return good for evil is Christian-like But To return evil for good and the greatest evil for the greatest good Sin for Love this is devilish Were you his enemies hee knew how to deal with you hee could revenge himself and the abuses of his love upon you but you are his friends and those bowels which you wrong are stirred in him when hee goes about to punish you Oh Ephraim How shall I give thee up how shall I deliver thee Israel my bowels are turned within mee My repentings are kindled together Hos 11.8 The greatness of God prevails with wicked men that awes them often that they dare not sin against him But the goodness of God this should prevail with us There is mercy with thee therefore thou art to bee feared It is set down as the Principle in such with whom the heart of Christ is taken Hos 3. ult They shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter dayes None but venimous spirits will suck poison from such a sweet as thence to draw incouragements to sin from that which is the great incouragement to service The Love of Christ had so prevailed with Chrysostome that hee used to say Ego sic censeo sic assidue praedicabo And Anselme That if on the one hand hee should see sin and on the other the torments of Hell hee had rather chuse to fall into Hell than fall into sin 4. When wee stagger and doubt give way to misgiving thoughts of Christs Love and unbeleevings of our own hearts wee abuse this Love What is it possible that Christ should do or suffer more than hee hath done and suffered to perswade your hearts of his Love If Christ should ask the question of you who doubt most of his Love What shall I do to answer your scruples to satisfie your souls for ever in this that I love you could you rationally desire more than what hee hath expressed in his words and to your heart and if notwithstanding all bee in vain 1 Sam. 25.21 may hee not justly say as David of Nabal Surely in vain have I done all this when this all commeth to nothing 3. Direction to them of the Church 3. Bee much in the contemplation of this Love of Christ Dwell upon this This Love of Christ will bee matter of eternal perusal in Heaven Wee shall do nothing but read over this Love Oh! let us not bee strangers to it now View it in the 1. Fulness 2. Freeness 3. Bounty 4. Perpetuity thereof 1. Measure it in the Fulness of it It is a Love which reacheth to every necessity A love able to make you holy and able to make you happy Thou art under guilt and sin thou art terrified by the one and ashamed and confounded because so loathsomely defiled by the other Why It is a pardoning a purging a sanctifying Love it is a Love as large as himself though the persons beloved bee finite 2. Read it over in the Freeness of it 1. It was an undeserved 2. It was an unsought-for Love 1. It was an undeserved Love Wee may provoke him to anger but wee cannot tempt him to love Amat Deus non aliundè hoc habet The former doth arise from our sins the latter from himself His chusing justifying adopting saving love all are free 2. It was an unsought-for Love Never a prayer put up for it I am found of them that sought mee not Isa 65.1 3. Read it over in the Bounty and Expressions of it 1. What hee did 2. What hee suffered 3. What hee hath given to his Church 4. Look upon it in the Perpetuity Permanency and continuance thereof A Love which reaches from Eternity to Eternity From Eternal chusing to Eternal glorifying An unchangeable Love Let us then peruse this Love Read it over in all the Dimensions Dwell upon the thoughts of it till your hearts bee Humbled melted inabled in-nobled winned quickened comforted c. The Thoughts of this Love are 1. Soul-humbling Thoughts Nothing layes the soul lower than Love The consideration of this will vile a man to Hell Ezek. 36.25 to 33. where you may read some expressions of love how it affects These would bee 2. Soul-melting Thoughts They will not only humble but melt not only break but dissolve the heart Nothing doth melt the soul more than Love The Law may break us but it is as the breaking of a flint every dust retains hardness but it is the Gospel that melteth us The thoughts of Gods Justice do stone the heart make it more hard but the thoughts of Gods Mercy do melt the heart You know you never mourn indeed till Love till Mercy do melt you Every drop of tears sticks like an hailstone and congeals in the eyes but when Love comes in then all the springs are opened and a man is dissolved into waters So much apprehensions of this Love of Christ so much godly sorrow They are like the Fountain and the Stream whereof the one doth rise no higher than the other The thoughts of this Love have 3. A Soul-inabling Power It will not only ingage us to service as the Apostle The Love of Christ constrains mee But it will inable us to service make us pray and pray with affections pray with life make us hear and hear with strength This puts us upon work and puts life vertue and vigor into our actions No actions stronger than those that come from Love Things incredible and impossible to others are yet easy to them who love See what the Saints have gone through what they have done what they have suffered Let but the thoughts of this love lye on your spirits a little and you will finde that Love is strong as death Cant. 8.6 and will mightily carry us through that which otherwise may seem impossible They will bee 4. Soul-innobling thoughts They will make you like themselves Whatever the soul feeds on the soul is digested into the nature of it So here feed on the thoughts of this love and your spirit will bee digested into it Whiles wee behold as in
Person 2. The Conveniency This is fully made out in the necessity of it and that with an advantage there is such a conveniency as that it riseth up to a necessity in all the former particulars so that to an holy heart there is a moral impossibility of the contrary How can I do this great wickednesse and sin against God said Joseph Gen. 39.9 This is the first way of Faiths purifying the Heart Argumentativè or by way of Argument 2. Operativè As Faith doth operate and work for the cleansing of our nature making use of Christ who is called A Fountain Zach. 13.1 A Refiner Mal. 3.3 A Purger Joh. 15.2 Hee is said to come with Refiners fire with Fullers Sope to purge and purifie us And thus Faith makes use of Christ by the least touch of whom the sinfull flux of sin is dryed up and staid And Faith makes use 1. Of the Merit of Christ the Blood of Christ which is apt to purge us and cleanse us from sin And for this end was his Blood shed even to cleanse us from sin Tit. 2.14 Hee gave himself not only to bee a Redeemer to redeem us from Hell and the guilt of sin but to purifie to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works Ephes 5.26 27. Hee gave himself for us that hee might sanctifie us and cleanse us by the washing of Water through the Word So Faith makes use of this Fountain to wash and cleanse the soul it opens this Fountain to the washing of the soul 2. It makes use of the Prayer of Christ John 17.17 Sanctifie them through the Truth thy Word is Truth 3. Faith makes use of the Promise of Christ wherein his Fidelity and Truth is ingaged for our Purification Jer. 33.8 I will cleanse them from all their iniquities whereby they have sinned against mee Ezek. 33.25 I will sprinkle clean water upon you and you shall bee clean from all your filthiness and from all your Idols will I cleanse you Isa 4.4 The Lord shall wash away the filth of the Daughter of Zion and purge away the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof Hence they are called Purging-Promises Thus Faith makes use of Christ of the Merit of Christ of the Blood of Christ of the Prayer and Promise of Christ whereby it sets on the work of Self-cleansing whereby it purifies the soul By vertue of which it washes the soul from all filthiness of Flesh and Spirit 2 Cor. 7.1 Third Royalty Faith is a Heart-commanding Grace Christs Vice-Roy here in the Soul which Governs Rules Third Royalty Faith It s an Heart-commanding-Grace and bears sway in the soul by vertue of the power and Scepter of Christ Christ hath made Faith his Deputy here in the Soul and not any other Grace but Faith Hee knows Faith will rule by Christ by his power not its own So Rule as not to wrest the Scepter out of Christs hand It will rule for Christ and to Christ for his Glory and to his Glory not its own and therefore hee hath given Faith jurisdiction in the Soul So that it is a Soul-commanding Grace It is the Taskmaster of the Soul puts every Grace upon its work and burden It will not suffer any Grace to bee idle but puts every Grace to its work Nay it inableth the Soul to Doe what it Commands the Soul to Doe To every Precept wee have still a Promise Nay every Precept is a Promise Where God Commands us to Repent and Beleeve to make our selves new hearts to wash and cleanse our selves to circumcise our hearts Hee hath promised in his new Covenant to do what hee hath commanded to give us Faith to work Repentance in us to make us new hearts to circumcise the heart to wash and cleanse us from our filthiness And Faith urging the Precepts of God makes use of the Promises of God sues out the Promise and fetches strength from the Promise to perform the Precept Lord thou hast commanded mee to make mee a new heart and thou hast promised to take this stony heart from mee and to give mee an heart of Flesh Lord performe thy Promise to thy Servant in which thou madest mee put my trust Thou commandest mee to bee Holy and thou hast promised to make mee holy Thou art the Lord that Sanctifies Lord make mee Holy Da quod jubes jube quod vis sic enim implebitur voluntas tua obedientia nostra give what thou commandest and command what thou wilt and so both our obedience and thy Will shall bee fulfilled Thus you see as God so Faith ruling by God from God doth not only authoritatively impose commands and lay duties upon the soul but mercifully and friendly helps and inables the soul to do what is commanded It is not a Rigid-Master Reaping where it sows not commanding fruit from that ground whereon it sows no seed but sows strength to reap Obedience inables to do what is commanded to do It is said by Faith Abraham obeyed Faith did inable him to obey and made his obedience fruitfull and acceptable Faith inabled him to obey even in that great act of Obedience when his Son his only Son the Son of his Love the Son of the Promise the Son of his Old Age c. was to bee taken away by death killed murdered and that by his own hands c. And yet Faith inabled him hereunto Fourth Royalty Faith is an Heart-quieting Grace an Heart-calming and stilling-Grace It is a Grace thay layes all the tumults in the Soul all the insurrections in the Soul Fourth Royalty of Faith It s an Heart-quieting-Grace When Passions are up and unruly Affections do stir Faith doth allay and hush them When Passions of Fear are up Faith laies them will not suffer unruly fears to come into the Throne to command the Soul When Passions of Anger are up Faith doth quench their heat when Grief stirs Faith doth bridle and moderate this when Discontent is up and the Soul is ready to murmur and quarrel against God and his dealings Faith doth lay all these risings Faith hath a special art to still the Soul to strike it dumb in these cases Hence you see David I was dumb and opened not my mouth because it was thy doing Faith struck him dumb Wee read indeed Zacharie was dumb but Infidelity struck him dumb David saith here hee was dumb but Faith struck him dumb The former was a Penal-dumbness God silenced his Tongue because hee suspended his Faith But this latter was a dutiful-Dumbness such a Dumbness as Faith hath caused in the Soul which shut up his lips from murmuring not from praying Psal 39.9 hee praies there I was dumb and opened not my mouth and yet Take thy Plague from mee I am consumed by the stroke of thy hand c. The like power of Faith you see in the case of Aaron when it silenced his Soul in such a sad condition Levit. 10.3 4. And Moses said unto him This
day and poor to morrow The Lord hath given Dominus dedit Dominus abstulit the Lord hath taken away Both with one breath Hence the wise man Riches make themselves wings and flye away But these are abiding Treasure A Treasure whose spring is in Heaven whose Foundation is in Christ Our life is hid with Christ in God not only hid for secrecy but hid for safety It is a safe life an abiding life Nay but if they should continue yet will they do us no good in the day of trouble They cannot save our souls from nor in the day of wrath They cannot save us from sicknesse nor from death not from Hell Nor are they able to mitigate our Torments to purchase one drop of water in that lake of fire What profit had Ahab of his Vineyard Baltazar of his cups Dives of his wealth Judas of his thirty-pence Agrippa of his gay apparel The rich fool of his full barns All these would do them no good Neither quench nor bribe these flames but rather afford Oile to increase them But now Grace that riches which Faith doth inrich us withall it is such as will uphold us in sickness bee a choice cordial in that bitter potion it will deliver us in death save us in the day of wrath and inable us to lift up our heads with joy and boldness in the day of Judgement that terrible day of the Lord when the wicked shall tremble before the Judge and call upon the Mountains to fall upon them and the Hills to cover them from the presence of him that sitteth on the Throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. Hast thou other riches and wantest thou Faith Hast thou Mountains of Gold Rocks of Diamonds shores of Rubies And wantest thou Faith wantest thou Grace Oh! thou art a poor man Thus you see Faith is an Heart-inriching-Grace A Beleever hath title to all A Beleever is the poorest and the richest man in the World As none is poorer than a godly man in himself so none is richer than a Beleever in Christ Hee is as having nothing and yet possessing all things Christ is the Heir of all things All are yours if you bee Christs No sooner can the soul say Christ is mine but hee may say His Blood is mine his Spirit mine his Glory mine all is mine Christ and all his are conveyed and made over by the same Deed of Gift Hence the Apostle saith Wee are made partakers of Christ Not of some part but of Christ all Christ not of Justification only but say Christ and there is all Fifteenth Royalty 15. Royalty Faith is an Heart-raising-Grace 15. Faith is an Heart-raising-Grace There is a threefold Death that Faith doth raise up the soul from 1. The Death of Sin 2. The Death of inward Trouble 3. The Death of outward Trouble 1. Faith raiseth up the soul from the Death of Sin Wee are all of us Dead by nature in trespasses and sins Ephes 2.1 Dead-Born And as dead men so wee have no notion to spiritual things no motion no strength to any good no sense being insensible of the weight of sin insensible of mercies and judgements wee have no desires after any thing good no affection to them And a Death it is not only Privative A meer absence and privation of spiritual life but a Positive Death wherein there is an Introduction of a Positive vitious Habit. As in Natural Death there is not only a Privation of Life of the former form but the Position of another form there is another form left in the body So in Spiritual Death there is not only a meer Absence a bare Privation of Life But there is a Positive Evil and Vitious Habit left in the soul Hence Heb. 9.14 The works of natural men are called Dead works There would bee a contradiction in calling them Dead works if unregenerate men were only deprived of spiritual life and had not another positive evil form in them Thus dead wee are then not only Privatively but Positively And it is Faith which doth raise up the Soul from the Death of Sin to the Life of Grace Faith is the Resurrection of the Soul from under the spiritual death the Death of Sin The first rise of the Soul from the Death of Sin is by beleeving Vita sancta aâ— fide sumit initium 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fide regeneramut Calv. Resipiscentia non modo fidem subsequitur sed ex ea noscitur Calv. ibid. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fides justificationem praecipit sanctificationem efficit Tilen An holy life hath its rise from Faith The Fountain of all our spiritual Graces The worker of all good things That which begets Love Fear Repentance Hence Calvin saith Faith regenerates Repentance doth not only follow Faith but doth arise from Faith Hence Clemens Alexandrinus Faith is the first awakening the first inclination of the Soul to Christ. Hence by some Faith and the New Creation Faith and Sanctification do differ as much as the Cause and the Effect Faith is the Instrument of Justification but the efficient of Sanctification They who distinguish Regeneration which is part of our Vocation and Sanctification do make Faith and Sanctification differ as much as Cause and Effect Vocation say they produceth Faith â—nd Faith being begotten produceth Sanctification both habitual and â—ctual Hence it 's called the Mother-Grace But they who make Vocation and Sanctification all one and both to bee nothing else but our inherent Righteousness or those Habits that frame of Grace implanted in the Soul whereof Faith is a part they do say Faith doth not produce the Cause of the Habits of Graces but Faith produceth the acts of Grace of Love Repentance c. Faith doth not produce the Habits but the acts of Grace For the clearing of this Sanctification may bee considered as it is either In actu primo vel secundo 1. Habitual Or 2. Actual 1. For our Habitual Sanctification There wee say the Spirit of God is the only Cause and Faith is an Effect as well as others Faith is a part of our inherent Sanctification 2. For our Actual Sanctification or as those Habits do act and exercise and there wee say Faith doth help to produce the acts of Grace of Love of Repentance 1 Tim. 1.5 Love out of a pure heart and a good Conscience and of Faith unfeigned Faith doth not only lend an hand to its Fellow-Graces for the perfecting of Grace but Faith doth help to produce the Acts of Grace the Acts of Love of Repentance Zeal Patience c. Though at the same time they bee all implanted yet in Nature Faith hath the precedency and helps to produce the Acts of all the rest As God the Father is before the Son in Nature yet not in Time Hee is not a Father till hee have a Son So is it to bee understood concerning Faith and all other Graces 2. Faith raiseth us up
from the Death of inward Troubles As the sense of Gods Love the apprehension of his favour is the life of the Soul Psal 30.5 In his favour is Life So the sense of Gods Displeasure is the Death of the Soul Psal 88.10 Shall the Dead arise to praise thee Hee speaks of that spiritual Desertion in which hee was labouring under the sense of Gods wrath and displeasure which hee calls the Death of the Soul Shall the Dead arise to praise thee Shall my Soul dead and sunk with discouragements and apprehensions of thy wrath Shall it arise to praise thee So that this is the Death of the Soul Now Faith doth raise the Soul up from this Death When the Soul seems to bee sunk and buried under the apprehensions of Gods displeasure is slain with discouragements lies gasping and breathing for comfort The least touch of the Promise by Faith doth raise up and revive the Soul and fetches a man to life again All the while that sense works a man sinks deeper and deeper into this sad condition But let sense sit still and Faith come in and act its part and the Soul cannot lye so low in Trouble but it will raise it up Psal 77.10 I said this is my Death yet will I remember the years of the right hand of the most high c. What a precious thing is Faith It is call'd precious Faith And so it is indeed that is able to work such wonders in the Soul in an instant What a Cordial is this when a man is in swounding and fainting-fits that one taste of the Promise by Faith will fetch him to life again when the soul lies in the dust under sad apprehensions heavy Agonies sinking and dying one dram one grain of Faith will fetch him to life again set him on his feet again walking and leaping and praising God This is precious Faith indeed Now for the manner how Faith doth work for the raising up of the Soul from under these spiritual Troubles wee will only adde these particulars 1. Faith doth in this condition look back upon soul-raising-Experiences It causes a man to consider the dayes of old the years of ancient time as David did in the same condition Psal 77.5 It makes a man revive those former experiences of Gods Love those former workings those fore-past evidences those broken Rings Pledges Love-tokens which have passed betwixt God and the Soul Such a time hee took mee up into his Chariot and spake friendly to mee Such a time I sate down under his shadow and his Banner over mee was love Such a time hee took mee down into his Winecellar staied mee with Flaggons Such a time hee brake into my soul discovered himself to mee a Reconciled God gave mee an earnest of his love a testimony that hee manifested himself to mee came and supped with mee gave mee the White stone the Hidden Manna the New Name c. This is the Act of Faith Thus doth it produce the former evidences and experiences of Love and from these doth take up arguments to raise the Soul in this dark condition Why will Faith say Once a Father and ever a Father Once a Friend and never an Enemy Though wee change yet God doth not change With him there is no variableness nor shadow of change His carriage may alter his heart cannot His expression may vary his Affections cannot God hath spoken Peace and hee will never unsay what hee hath said Hee hath given mee sure evidences and hee will never take them away again though hee may withhold the comfort of them Hee that hath been gracious will bee gracious Men shut their hands because they have opened them but because hee hath once opened his hands hee will never shut them 2. Faith looks upon Soul-raising-Promises Such as are not only made for support but for deliverance I will not contend for ever nor will I bee alwayes wroth least the Spirit which I have made should fail before mee and the Soul which I have created I was angry with him I hid my face from him But I will heal him I will lead him also and restore comfort to him and to his mourners Isa 57.16 17 18. For a moment I have forsaken thee but with everlasting kindness have I had compassion on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer c. Isa 54.8 9 10 11. Zion said the Lord hath forsaken mee My God hath forgotten mee Can a Woman forget her child that she should not have compassion on the Son of her womb Yea they may but I will never forget thee Behold I have Graven thee upon the Palms of my hands thy ways are ever in my sight These and such like promises Faith looks upon It doth not so much look at the Face of God Gods outward carriage and expression in the condition as at the Heart of God and his inward affection which lyes in the Promise Full well Faith knows The Ground of Comfort doth not lye in the Face of God the aspects of God If so then our comforts could not bee stable This alters as wee alter changeth as wee change But the ground of Faiths comfort lyes in the Promises and thither it hath recourse when from Outward appearance it can get no comfort Sense looks upon the face of God onely upon his outward presence But Faith looks upon the Heart of God in the Promise where it sees a Calmy heart under a Stormy countenance inward Smiles though outward frowns Inward Affections of Love under Outward expressions of displeasure As Joseph had the affections of a brother under the expressions of an Enemy Hee could put on expressions of an enemy An angry countenance but yet not put off Affections of a brother A loving heart so is it often with God And therefore Faith doth view him in The Promise hath recourse thither as you see poor David had in the like case Psal 77. to the tenth verse Hee was in sad Conditions and nothing could raise him God absented himself from him Hee fell to Praying to Complaining but yet no comfort came Hee complained and his spirit was overwhelmed Hee was so farre from Ease by this that his Spirit was more opprest Nay Hee cald to remembrance times past All this whie comfort came not in At last hee betakes himself to the Promise hath recourse to the Covenant and then his Soul revived ver 10. Thus Faith looks upon the firmness of the Covenant the stability of the Promise and is raised revived Read Isa 49.14 15. Isa 54. from seven to eleven which are Soul-raising-promises 3 Faith lays hold upon a soul-raising-Christ Upon whom whosoever doth lay hold hee will pull him out of the deepest waters If a man under water have hold of any thing above him it will pull him out hee shall not sink So here when wee are overwhelmed in these deep waters if by Faith the Soul lay hold on Christ it will bear him up and bring him forth John 12.46 I am come a
consulting with Faith and following the guidance thereof she was resolved to do the duty though see perished in the doing thereof And it was her safety The like in Abraham You see what an Exigent hee was put unto Hee was to part with his Son his only Son the Son of his Love the Son of his old age a Son of so many Prayers and so many Promises No doubt if hee had consulted with flesh and bloud and carnal reason they would have bid him to spare his Son but following the guidance of Faith hee was willing to sacrifice his Son Heb. 11.17 By Faith Abraham when hee was tryed offered up his Son Isaac of whom it was said that in Isaac shall thy seed bee called Accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead c. So it was Faith whic guided Moses to leave the pomp and glory of Pharaohs Court and to chuse rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to injoy the pleasures of sin for a season esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than all the treasures of Egypt Heb. 11.24 If hee had followed the guidance of Reason or sense hee had miscarryed That would have told him that hee was to regard himself and his present happiness and not throw himself out of all But then hee had been mis-led But following the guidance of Faith hee forsakes all This Guidance of Faith they wanted Joh. 12.42 Who durst not confesse Christi for fear of being thrown out of the Synagogue If they had had Faith it would have guided them to Jesus Christ bee the Issue what it will The like of the Young-man Hee went far but when it was put to him to leave all to follow Christ to sell all it is said Hee went away sorrowful Hee consulted with Sense and Reason hee wanted the Guidance of Faith which would have directed him to part with all to cast away all rather than to leave Christ The like of Balaam Either hee must forsake the wages of Unrighteousness or curse the People but hee had more desire of mans reward than hee had Faith to expect God and so hee miscarryed And my Brethren such like straits wee may meet withall in our way to Heaven And if wee follow not the Guidance of Faith wee are sure to bee mis-led It hath been the ordinary choice that the Saints have been put to Either forsake thy God or forsake thy Goods Either leave Christ or leave thy Comforts Either renounce Christ or lose thy Friends thy Father thy Mother nay thy liberty thy life To these exigencies and straits Gods people have been driven And had they not had Faith they had surely been mis-led but having Faith it guided them to suffer losse of friends loss of goods loss of liberty loss of life it self for Christ as you see up and down in Abraham in Moses in Jeremy in Paul and the rest of the Apostles who accounted not their lives dear to them for Christ And it was the usual speech of the Primitive Martyrs when they were perswaded to leave Christ rather than to suffer Parce precot Imperator tu Carcerem ille Gehennam Spare good Emperour thou canst but cast into prison God into Hell The like of Cyprian of Policarp The like of Frederick the Elector of Saxony who was prisoner to Charles the fifth and was promised inlargement and restitution to his former dignity If hee would come to Mass It was Faith guided him to return this answer In earthly things I am ready to yeeld to Caesar In heavenly only to Christ And Christ is more welcome to mee in Bonds than Caesars Court without Christ Thus I might run down in particular examples in all ages and shew you how Faith hath guided men in these straits which had they followed the direction of Reason and Sense they had been lost for ever It is Faith which guides the heart in these difficult cases It is an Heart-guiding-Grace And this is the way Faith doth reject the wisdome of the flesh and goes by Gods light It shuts our eyes and walks by Gods light It follows God as the blinde man follows his Guide all his dayes Hee who makes Gods Word all his Reason shall have God a Counsellor Faith will not own the wisdome of the flesh the carnal minde is enmity to God It will not bee subject It is full of contumacy and stoutness against God and his wayes Faith will neither own the Flesh as a King nor as a Counsellor As it will not obey the commands of the flesh so it will not follow the counsels of the flesh Peter would not consult with flesh and blood but was obedient to the heavenly vision where is implied if hee had hearkened to flesh and bloud hee had been disobedient to the heavenly vision But Faith makes God its guide Psal 48.14 This God is our God for ever hee shall bee our guide unto death Faith seeks direction from God who is the Counsellor the God of all wisdome And the Soul that leans upon God for wisdome shall not want it He who trusts in the God of wisdome shall not want direction I say hee who shuts his own eyes and sincerely falls down at the feet of God for counsel shall have direction from him If indeed wee seek as Balaam with a double heart or as the Children of Israel did Jer. 42. who asked counsel but were resolved of their way wee then may miscarry But hee who seeks with an humble and upright heart that asks the way to Sion with his face thitherward resolved to go as God directs Such will God direct in his way such hee will guide in all the wayes of Judgement As the Moon by darting her beams and influence into the Sea doth move that great body backward and forward which they say is the cause of the ebbings and flowings of the Sea so God doth in difficult cases dart such a beam of light into the Soul such strong influences into the Spirit as doth carry the soul the way it should go A man may follow his own wisdome and miscarry but hee that shuts his eyes and follows God is sure not to bee mis-led Hee who rejects the counsel of the flesh and is resolved to walk by the direction of the Spirit though never so unlikely to flesh and bloud is sure to go right You see an example of this in Balaam in Saul sparing of Agag and the best of the flock in sacrificing before Samuel came to him But I 'le name but one Jer. 41.10 to the end of the Chapter Johanan who was the Captain of the Residue of the Jews left in Jerusalem desired Jeremy though with a double and deceitful heart to enquire of the Lord whether hee should go down to Egypt or abide at Jerusalem And bound himself with a vow that Whatever the Lord said hee would do it Jeremy comes and tells him hee must abide at Jerusalem and God would preserve him
c. for the supply of strength 3. You make your selves every way unserviceable to God as I shewed you you make your selves unable to do unable to suffer for him You make your selves good for nothing unserviceable to God to the Church to his cause to your selves too c. Many there are that think they can do God better service in standing off than in comming in by Fear than by Faith They think that in nourishing their doubts and their fears they do cherish their care watchfulness humility And on the contrary they think that if once they should come to beleeve then they should bee more loose and careless and take more liberty to themselves Indeed you would have more liberty to service not to sin You would not bee tyed to service with coards of fear but with bands of love your principle of service and your manner of service would bee changed where now you serve nim out of fear then out of love now out of convictions of conscience then out of propensions of a divine nature now you serve him as slaves involuntarily then as sons with willingness and delight c. Now you do duty as a task then as your trade And you will walk in the wayes of duty though you see no commings in As a man that loves his trade that loves his calling hee will hold it up and follow it though hee get nothing by it though no gain or comming in by it So the soul which hath a Principle bred in him suitable to the things of God which is wrought by Faith hee will hold up to pray and to do duty though hee finde not commings in there is a natural agreeableness between him and duty between his spirit and the work and though hee never get good by it yet hee will hold up his spirit to the doing of it As it is with a man whose nature is sensualized that hath sinned away the very common Principles pluckt up the very senses of nature hee will drink and bee drunk though hee undo himself by it though hee hurt his body impoverish his estate yet hee will drink c. As Solomon saith a Whore will bring a man to a morsel of bread will undo a man yet hee will go on in sin hee will not leave his sin though undone by it hee will sin not only though hee get nothing but though hee get hurt though hee undo himself thereby yet hee will go on in sin and the reason is that universal sutableness that is between his soul and sin So on the other side a godly man hee will serve God hee will hold on in duty in obedience though hee finde no comming in by it There is such a sutableness between the spirit of a beleever and the work that though there is no commings in though hee finde no peace no comfort in the wayes of God yet hee will hold up to the work Where now an unbeleever if hee do not by these things get peace which is all hee looks after in the doing of it if he do not get comfort at last hee throws off all because there was no Principle of sutableness to hold him to the duty Therefore you see how Satan deludes you Faith alone is the spring of action that which sets us a work and quicken us in working if Faith bee up all his Graces will bee so too and if that bee down all other Graces are weak and down with it As Parisiensis saith it is the vertue of a Christal when the vertues of other precious stones are extinct to raise them and revive them again So doth Faith with our Graces when Davids heart was down in Psal 43.5 you see hee recovers himself by his Faith no sooner did hee exercise his Faith but his heart is raised That which quickeneth you to service and inables you in service is Faith and that which deads your spirit and makes you unserviceable is unbeleef and therefore bee convinced of your sin 2. Bee humbled for it this is the great sin the womb of sin the Mother and Nurse of sin as I have shewed That which holds up Satans Kingdome in you is your unbeleef if this fort were once taken all the rest would quickly yeeld up You see when Christ would conquer covetousness hee labours to conquer unbeleeving as you see Mat. 6.25 to the end That being overcome all the rest yeeld up and are vanquisht Nay it is a sin which doth not only uphold particular sins but the state of sin It is called a state of unbeleef wee do not say a state of drunkennesse a state of swearing c. but a state of unbeleef others are but particular this an universal sin And is there not then cause to bee humbled for it you see what a sin it is how you wrong God how you gratifie Satan how you injure your selves and is there not cause then to bee humbled for it Men are hard to bee humbled for this sin because hard to bee convinced either that they are guilty of it or that it is a sin Prophane and wicked men worldly men they will not bee convinced that they do not beleeve Though there bee nothing more plain if the Devil did not delude them for Faith and sin cannot stand together you can no more separate Holiness and Faith than Light and the Sun And humbled men they are hard to bee convinced that it is a sin Though it is easy to convince them that they do not beleeve they are sensible enough of that yet it is hard to perswade them that it is a sin not to beleeve that it is their duty to beleeve they think they do well in keeping off from the Promise they express their tenderness of Gods justice and holiness and judge it a great wrong to both that God should bee merciful to such sinners as they But I must tell thee it is a greater sin than all thy sins a killing a murthering an undoing sin It is a finishing sin that seals thee up in a state of sin and therefore you had need to bee convinced of it and humbled for it 3. Bee yee quickned to beleeve What shall I do now to perswade with you who are slow of heart to beleeve to come in and beleeve Alas all that I can say is nothing if God do not mightily work upon your hearts and perswade with you Shall I tell you there is an inexhaustible fulness of mercy in God and merit in Christ for the greatest sinner among you and this is something Shall I say that God is willing to forgive the greatest sinner of you if you will now come in and beleeve If you will go by Gods revealed will and thou hast no other rule to go by nor to bee judged by there God tells thee that hee keeps open house hee invites hee excites hee intreats hee beseeches to come these were something to perswade with our hearts But I shall pass them I will only name these two
what sweat what blood hee hath laid out to save us and how easily hee might have damned us Oh! this melts and dissolves the soul the soul even crumbles into dust and dissolves into water under the thoughts of it You see this set down in Ezek. 36.31 Then shall you remember your doings Then when when God shall expresse love as you see vers 25 26. why thâ—n will the soul say to it self as Absolom to Hushi is this thy kindness to thy friend art thou so cruel to him who hath been so kinde to thee so evil to him who hath been so good to thee Oh these thoughts do lay a man in the dust God hath taken such a way to justifie and save men that if wee bee but men it will break our hearts that wee have offended him Who is it that can read over that place without tears Isa 43.24 25. Thou hast bought mee no sweet Cane with money neither hast thou filled mee with the fat of thy sacrifices but thou hast wearied mee with thine iniquities and hast made mee serve with thy sins thou hast made my mercy to serve my patience to serve with thy sinnes even to look on while thou abusedst mee And what would a man imagine now would follow after this Therefore I will plague thee I will punish thee But read and wonder and read withhold from tears if thou canst if any spark of ingenuity bee in thee I even I am he who blotteth out thine iniquities for my own names sake and will not remember thy sins Here was the wonder of mercy 2. It ariseth from the love of thy soul to God The love of the person offended doth cause a godly man to mourn that hee hath offended him You see David Psal 51. Against thee against thee have I sinned godly sorrow sincere mourning is an ingenuous mourning scarce a thought of Hell and damnation comes into the mind if they do alas these do not trouble him so much as his sin that hee hath grieved and offended so good a God by Sin Hence Zachary hath this expression Zach. 12.10 They shall look upon him whom they have pierced and they shall mourn c. In which there is nothing but pure love the expression is observable the Prophet doth not say they shall mourn as a son for a Father there may bee self-self-love in that a child may see himself undone in the loss of a father but hee saith they shall mourn as a father for a son in which there is pure love But now with Hypocrites it is neither the consideration of Gods love to them nor any love or good will which they bear to God that makes them mourn but indeed love to themselves they have Sinned and are afraid God will damn them for Sin therefore it is terror no principle of love to God which draws them to mourn for Sin As they hate Sin only in reference to hell so they mourn for Sin only in reference to hell What St. Augustine saith of fear of sin I may say of sorrow for Sin Hee that fears sin for Hell fears not to Sinne but to burn but hee hates sinne indeed who so hates sin as hell it self Qui gehennam metuit non peccare metuit sed ardere So he who sorrows for Sin for fear of hell and wrath hee is not sorry for sin but howles for fear of hell but he sorrows truly who is more grieved for sinning than he is afraid of burning 7. Character Sincere mourning is a friutfull mourning There are paenal tears and fruitful tears Worldly sorrow that is paenal sorrow it is a weeping to weeping but godly sorrow is a fruitful sorrow a weeping to repentance and amendment as the Apostle Godly sorrow works repentance not to bee repented of 2 Cor. 7.10 There is a great deal of difference between the pains of the gout and of a woman in travel the one is pain to pain no fruit of the pain meer torture the other is pain to ease travel to rest a travel to birth Other sorrow is a sorrow to sorrow this is a sorrow to joy as Christ expresseth it under the parable of a woman in travell Sincere mourning is a fruitfull mourning for repentance is like the waters of jealousy which either rot or make fruitful And first It is a heart humbling sorrow 2 It is a soul fattening sorrow by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better 3 It is a grace strengthning a grace increasing sorrow And therefore doth God preserve such springs as these in the hearts of his people on purpose to water the seed of holinesse the garden of graces in the hearts of his people Every grace within us doth look fresh every disposition within us buds shoots forth after a showre of repentant tears that man who hath such springs as these within him his graces must needs flourish they cannot wither nor decay Observe it A mourning Christian is evermore a thriving a growing Christian 4 It is a divorcing sorrow it breaks the league and union between heart and Sin There is a league between the heart and sin they are as neer together as the skin to the flesh as the flesh to the bones the bark to the tree Godly sorrow doth divorce between a mans heart and sinne separates between them it sets the soul at a distance with sin Unsound hearts may mourn may lament sin but leave not Sin they Sin and Repent and Repent and Sin as if their Sinning did but make matter for repenting c. This is like the Drunken mans round his drink goes out in tears and then to drink again Pharaoh could say hee had sinned but hee left not his Sinne Saul could say hee had Sinned too yet hee retained his sinne Judas said the like yet if he had lived he had been the same if God had not changed his heart No if a man should have lain as long in flames as Cain hath and should come out of hell red hot out of flames hee would bee the same man still All the terrors of God all the horrors in the World all the flames of hell cannot change the heart These may dare a man make a man afraid to sin but not hate Sin this must come from a principle of Grace a Gospel work The justice of God may terrify the heart the power of God may awe the heart but it must be the love and mercy of God which must thaw the heart must change the heart Now godly sorrow doth work a change in the soul Job 34.32 such a man saith with Job If I have done iniquity I will do it no more hee lamenteth sin and leaveth Sin he confesseth and forsaketh Sin God forgives and he also foregoes sin Beside these fruits I might name many more which are the fruits of sincere mourning It worketh peace our tears end in joy it worketh spiritual tranquillity of Conscience as it worketh a change And besides these you have seven
The great work of Reformation hath gone so slowly forward because Gods People are not so strongly carried on in seeking 3 The third thing wee have to do is to shew you 3. Quere What are those wonders which God doth for his Church and People 1 God doth wonders for the souls of his People 2 God doth wonders for the body and outward man 1 Gods Wonder◠to the soul 1 For the soul And wee will give you a glance of these The first Wonder and indeed the Wonder of Wonders which God hath done for his Church and People is 1 Wonder for the soul 1 The giving of Christ for us and to us All wonders are swallowed up in this wonder Nothing is wonderful if compared to this God manifested in the flesh Hence the Apostle 1 Tim. 3.16 Great is the mystery of Godliness God manifested in the flesh That such greatness and such meanness such finiteness and such infiniteness such riches and such poverty such strength and such weakness Tantus Deus tantillus Homo So great a God and so mean a Man all in one Here is a Wonder There is four great Wonders conspicuous in this 1 Here is a Wonder of Humility which will appear if you consider 1 Of Humility 1 Who hee was 2 What hee became 1 Who hee was Hee was the Son of God The express Image of his Fathers person One equal with God and thought it no robbery to bee equal with God hee was God blessed for ever As the Apostle stiles him 2 VVhat hee became Hee took not upon him the Nature of Angels which yet had been a greater discent than if all the Angels in Heaven had been turned into Worms But hee took not the Nature of Angels but hee took upon him the Nature of Man and that not at the best but of Man fallen subject to infirmities Penal not Culpable General not particular And what a wonder of Humility was this There is not the meanest Angel in heaven but would have thought it a wrong above amends to have been so low abased Here was a wonder of Humility Factor terrae factus in terrâ The maker of the earth to bee made of earth 2 Here was a wonder of wisdome That God should find out such a way to recover us when we were lost If all the united Consultations of men and Angells had been laid together they could never have found out a way to Reconcile Gods mercy in the salvation of man and yet his Justice in the damnation of sin If God should have helped us thus farre You are miserable Creatures But I am a merciful God The demands of my justice I must not deny neither will I deny the intreaties of my mercy Find mee then but one that can satisfy my justice and I will shew my mercy to you Ah! where should wee have found one who was strong enough to bear sinne and to satisfy the wrath of God for us No it was his own wisdome that found out the way Here was a wonder of wisdome which wee adore and admire 3. Here was a wonder of Love An Heighth a depth a length a bredth a Love beyond all dimensions Hence said to bee a Love passing knowledge a Love that may bee apprehended by faith not comprehended by reason it was an infinite love And this is more than if wee could gather all the bowels of the Creation together Hence saith Christ who knew the greatnesse of it John 3.16 i. e. So God loved the world so infinitely so incomprehensibly that hee gave his only begotten Son that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life 4. Here was a wonder of mercy which will bee more conspicuous if we consider 1. The Person 2. The Time 1. The Person who undertook this It was the second Person in the glorious Trinity the Person against whom the first Sinne was in some special respect committed Hee is the wisdome of the father and called wisdome Prov. 8. And this sinne was an affectation of wisdome to bee like to God As the falling-sin is now the sinne against the Third Person Sinne against the Holy Ghost so the sin which did occasion the fall was in some special respects against the second Person And therefore the greater is the wonder of mercy That he against whom the first sinne was so committed should undertake the expiation of it 2 Consider the time when hee took our nature And that was when wee were brought to a desperate losse when it was made evident that nothing else could help us Heb. 10.6 7. Sacrifice and burnt-offerings thou wouldst not have Then said I Loe I come When Legal washings were declared unable to pacify God or to work our peace Then Christ comes into the world Christ came not into the world till it was made Evident That without him God could not be satisfied nor man bee saved And this is the first Wonder The sending of Christ in whom all is wonderfull His Incarnation the Hypostatical union of two natures in one Person His Passion Resurrection Ascention Session Intercession They are a chain of holy wonders Hence Isa 9.6 Christ is called wonderful because all in Christ is wonderfull 1 He is wonderful in his person and natures God-man and mortall-immortall finite and infinite so great and yet so mean so rich and yet so poor Here is a wonder 2 Hee is wonderfull in his Offices A King Priest and Prophet 3 Hee is wonderfull in his government That hee should bring us to life by death to glory by misery to honor by shame All wonders This is the first wonder and the root of all the rest 2 Another wonder God doth for the souls of his People is The second wonder to the soul 1 In Conversion 1 The work of Conversion and regeneration that a man should partake of another begetting of another birth of another nature than others have in the world Nay than hee himself had This is a wonder That a man should bee the same and not the same The same man for body yet as different in qualities as if another soul did dwell in the same body That hee should live by another life bee fed by other food refreshed by other comforts than others are Here is a wonder that of a Lyon should become a Lamb of a Wolf a sheep of a Saul a Paul a Persecutor become a Preacher Here is a wonder And the greater is the wonder if you look upon the weaknesse and contemptiblenesse of the means God works this by The ministery of a weak man It had been no great wonder if the Walls of Jericho had fallen down by the battery of a Canon But this made it the wonder that the blast of Rams-horns should bring down the walls of Jericho And this is that which makes this work more wonderful that by such weak and Contemptible means and men in the eyes of carnal men this great work should be effected When a man
hath still support from him David Job Heman they wanted the Comforting-presence of God for a time but yet they had his Quickening and they had his Supporting presence As hee told Paul so hee did for all His strength was seen in their weakness and his Grace was sufficient for them Sufficient to bear them up in the tryal and sufficient to bring them out of the tryal So much for the second Conclusion 3. Conclusion God may forsake his People for a time not for ever It is but a Temporary not a Final not an Eternal forsaking Isa 54.7 8 9 10. For a moment have I forsaken thee but with everlasting kindness will I gather thee have mercy on thee For the Mountains shall depart and the Hills shall bee removed but my kindness shall not depart from thee And thus much shall serve for the answer of the Objection And notwithstanding that the Conclusion is firm That if the Heart of Christ bee once taken with his Church and People hee will never take it off hee will never clean forsake them And as God will not forsake his Church as Forsaking hath relation to Spiritual cases Soul-distresses So I might shew you at large to prevent another Objection That hee will not forsake his Church as Forsaking hath relation to temporal and outward distresses You may take his word for it Josh 1.5 I will not leave nor forsake thee It is true it was a promise made to Joshua in particular but belongs to the whole Church of God in general General promises may have particular applications and particular general As general promises belong to every paticular Member so particular promises may belong to the whole body And therefore though it was a promise to Joshua yet the Apostle who knew the mind of God makes it ours as well as his Hee brings it into the Common-stock and shews it part of our riches Heb. 13.5 Let your Conversation bee without Covetousness for hee hath said Hee will never leave thee nor forsake thee In brief Hee will not forsake his Church 1. Either hee will protect them from dangeâ—â— 2. Or hee will deliver them out 3. Or hee will support them in 4. Or hee will sanctifie all to them Which is the third Conclusion which flows from this Doctrin 3. Consectary If the Heart of Jesus Christ bee taken with his Church then all the passages of Gods providence in the World are for the good of his Church and People All the dealings of God in the world not a step God takes in the World but hee walks towards his people in it 1. All the passages of Gods Providence to the Church in general 2. All the passages of Gods Providence to any member of the Church in particular they are all for good 1. For the first All the passages of Gods providence to his Church in general they are for good Bee they sad or bee they joyfull they are all for good Are they sad it is to humble them to quicken them to purge them to purifie them to blow away their chaff This is certain Whatever is done in the World is done either by Gods Permission or by Gods Approbation God must either permit or allow of what ever is done in the World And assure your selves God would never permit much less would hee ever allow and approve of any thing to bee done in the World which should not bee for the good of those hee loves so dearly Whatever wind blows bee it North or South good or evil all is for the Churches benefit As the Physitian ordereth poisonous and destructive ingredients unto usefull services the health of the Patient So God turneth those things which in themselves are evil and destructive to the good and comfort of his Church and People Hence is it that Christ turneth the sadest and sorest perplexities that ever the World shall see into an use of Comfort to his Church Luk. 21.25 26 27 28. There shall bee signs in the Sun and Moon and Stars distress of Nations with perplexity c. Mens hearts failing them for fear and for looking after those things which are comming on the World for the Powers of Heaven shall bee shaken and then shall they see the Son of Man comming in a Cloud with Power and great Glory When these things begin to come to pass then look up and lift up your heads for your Redemption draweth nigh One would think this were a strange consequent deduced from such an Antecedent A Consequent so comfortable from an Antecedent so terrible It seems strange that such a terrible Doctrin as this should afford an use of Consolation Yet so it is Bee the Premises what they will the Conclusion is good Bee his Providences what they will his Promises are good and those Promises shall turn all his Providences to good at the last 2. As all the passages of Gods Providence to the Church in general So every passage of his Providence to any Member of it in particular is for the good of the Church 1. All your Injoyments they are love You may read the Heart of Christ the image of a friend ingraven upon all you have You may behold the impress of love the good will of God circled about all you do injoy All that wicked men do injoy is but from the Hand of God Ex largitate that is the highest tenure they can shew even his general Providence which causeth the Sun to shine upon the good and bad And this Tenure may bee cut off at pleasure But all that you do injoy is from the Heart and good will of God They are expressions of his good will to you and you may read Love in all Nay they are the Earnests of further love You may see and read Heaven and Glory in all you have Wee may well say whatever the People of God do injoy They are 1. The fruits of Prayer 2. The performance of Promises 3. Expressions of Love 4. Incouragements to beleeve 5. Inablements to obey 6. Earnest pennies of Heaven and Glory 2. All your wants as well as all your injoyments are mercy are love There is an Expedit in all the sad passages of Gods providence to you They are Expedient to try you Expedient to humble you to exercise you to winne you to wean you c. Whatever thy condition is it proceeds 1. From the best God 2. From the best of God his Heart and good will 3. It is the best for thee Wicked men have a curse hid in their best things a curse in their gold a curse in their silver a curse in their health But Gods people have a blessing hid in the worst things You have a blessing in poverty a blessing in sickness a blessing in crosses a blessing in death it self Riches are not in the Promise but Mercy is in the Promise Though Poverty yet Mercy though Afflictions yet Mercy And you can all tell mee A cross in Mercy is better than a comfort in wrath
A loss in love better than an injoyment in displeasure More dye in the Flood than in the Ebbe Though prosperity bee more cordial yet afflictions are more physical Wee often surfeit of Cordials when Physick doth us good And a sanctified cross is better than an unsanctified comfort c. 4. Consectary If the Heart of Christ bee taken with his Church and People 1. Then see what a fearful thing sin is which doth cause God oftentimes to deal hardly with that which his soul loves so dearly God doth oftentimes afflict and punish his Church sharply and severely which yet his heart is much taken withall And sin is the cause And therefore what a fearful thing is sin How grievous would it bee to you to bee forced to take hard courses with a Child your heart is taken withall though it bee to do him good Why God is taken with his Church and do you not think it moves God to afflict and chastise it Wee would fain do all the good wee can to the persons wee love Oh! wee can never do enough for them Why so it is with God to his Church Hee loves his Church and willingly would hee do any thing for it And it is the grief of his soul that hee must take contrary courses with us to do us good that hee must bee forced to afflict and chastise them hee loves so dearly to bring them to Life by Death to Good by Evil to a Crown by Crosses When God parted with the ten Tribes you see what a conflict there was in him how his bowels stirred and were moved towards them notwithstanding all their sins Hos 11.8 How shall I give thee up Ephraim How shall I deliver thee Israel How shall I make thee as Admah How shall I set thee as Zeboim My heart is turned within mee my repentings are kindled together How loath was God to seal to a Bill of Divorce His heart loved her though shee was an Adultress to him And when Judah did justifie the sin of her Sister Israel exceeding her in Idols what trouble was it to God to cast her off How willing was hee to receive her after all her adulteries Jer. 3.1 Thou hast plaid the Harlot c. And when shee would go on in her adulteries yet how unwilling still was hee to give her up till at last it grew so high that there was no Remedy 2 Chron. 36.16 hee must needs do it And when hee had done it how exceedingly was Gods heart moved that hee must bee forced to deal so hardly with them hee loved so dearly read Jer. 12.7 8.9 c. See how God laments over the loss of that which their sins would not give him leave to keep I have forsaken mine house I have left mine heritage I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies And what was it that forced God to deal so hardly with them hee loved so dearly Why it was sin 2 Chron. 36.15 16. Hee sent Messengers because hee had compassion on them They mocked the Messengers of God and despised his words and mis-used his Prophets until the wrath of the Lord arose against his People till there was no Remedy And which of these hath remained to bee done among us How hath our Sun been darkened the Stars lost their light How many burning and shining lights have been taken out of our Candlesticks and planted in others How many blown out by the rage of wicked men Did wee not justly fear by reason of that Idolatry Superstition Prophanation of Sabbaths Persecution of the Saints and Messengers of God that our day was gone our night approaching Did wee not fear that wee were come up to this that there was no remedy That God should have opened the Sluces of his wrath and let in a Sea of his displeasure upon us made us an Aceldema a field of Blood long before this Ah my Brethren Never Nation never Church from whom God hath shewed himself more unwilling to depart and leave than England Look upon the passages of us to God and his wayes towards us and see how unwilling hee declared himself God hath upheld us as if hee himself should fall if wee did not stand as if his Glory could not stand if wee fall as if his Glory had depended upon our preservation And how can wee better answer Gods dealings towards us than to abandon that cast out that which was our fear and gave God just occasion to destroy us Let us now do by our sins as the Israelites did by their Leaven There was 1. Inquisitio fermenti There was search made for it So let us search out that Leaven of sin Superstition Idolatry which have sowred our Kingdome and laid us open to the stroak of Gods wrath Search your houses search the land search your hearts 2. Ejectio fermenti 3. Execratio fermenti And let all bee found in us if ever wee would have a Passover Otherwise our Preservations from former will bee but Reservations to future and worser evils sin will cause God to punish those hee loves 5. Consectary If the Heart of Christ bee so much taken with his Church Then let this discover to you into what you way resolve all the passages of Gods love to his Church and People even into his own Love His Grace is the rise and his Glory is the end There are two main streams in which the goodness of God doth run to his Church 1. The higher and 2. The lower But both these streams have the same Head the same spring from whence they come even his own Love 1. For the higher or upper streams and these are four 1. Election 2. Justification 3. Sanctification 4. Glorification And all these arise from the great Abyss and Sea of his mercy toward his Church His heart is taken with us and therefore 1. Hee chose us Deut. 7.7 8. The Lord loved you not nor chose you because yee were more in number than any people but because the Lord loved you So God did not set his heart on us because wee were better than others for there are others in the World who might have been made more lovely His heart is taken with us therefore Operamur ex Justificatione non in Justificationem 2. Hee justifies us Wee could do nothing to strike off any former score for all wee did set us further in debt it was but an adding of sin to sin guilt to guilt the sin of our righteousness to the sin of our unrighteousness Covering a blot with a blot as Isa 30.1 No it did arise from this His heart was taken with us therefore did hee justifie us Tit. 3.7 Wee are justified freely by his Grace The like Rom. 3.24 Rom. 4.5 All which shew that into this all the expressions of his love are resolved His heart is taken with us therefore 3. Hee did sanctifie us Our holiness is not wrought out of our own Principles spun out of own bowels