professors of the christian Religion and seeming zealous worshipers crying Lord Lord may deceive themselves and misse heaven but also Preachers of the Gospel yea and Prophets yea and men indued with the gift of doing miracles and casting out of devils in Christs name not a few shall be disclaimed by Christ and condemned by him in the day of judgment If it be asked what can be their mistake and the cause of Christs rejecting of them we answer Such men deceive themselves 1. because both they and beholders also think them holier then they who are inferiour in place and gifts unto them 2. They compare themselves with those they live among and not with the law of God 3. They put not due difference between common gifts and saving graces 4. They consider not that to whom much is given much will be required of them and therefore after tryal they will be found pust up with the estimation of gifts induements imployment and successe which they have had as if these were the undoubted evidences of their regeneration and of Gods special love towards them they will be found men void of repentance and far from humble walking in the sense of their natural habitual and actual sins they will be found void of all fear of wrath which might drive them in the acknowledgment of their blindnesse poverty and misery unto Christ the Redeemer and justifier of sinners and they will be found void of all care of and endeavour after new obedience conceiving that the exercise of their gifts and successe in their imployments are sufficient holinesse and evidence of the holy Ghosts dwelling in them and working by them for otherwayes Christ will never disclaim them who have fled to him in the sense of their sin and haunted him as their refuge in the fear of deserved wrath and studied by faith in him to be furnished to bring forth the fruits of the Spirit which he hath promised to them that abide in him It is one thing to be justified before God another thing to be reputed righteous by men and esteemed so by a mans own self it is one thing to be indued with the knowledge of divine mysteries another thing saveingly to believe them and have them written in their heart it is one thing to teach others the way of salvation whereby the hearers may be saved another thing to apply saving doctrine to themselves and make right use of it it is one thing to cleanse the outer side of the plater and reform the mans outward carriage another thing to be inwardly renewed it is one thing to teach repentance and mortification of lusts another thing by he Spirit of Christ ro mortifie in-bred pride and the love of the world vain glory and other carnal lusts The course which Paul followed is the only safe way though he was a man most laborious in the work of the Lord yet he lived most sensible of his natural corruption and the body of death he did not trust in his holy life but in Jesus Christ Rom. 7. 24 25. he so made use of faith in Christ as he did not neglect the means of mortification of his sinfull nature 1 Cor. 9. 27. I keep under my body and bring it under subjection lest that by any means when I have preached to others I my self should be a cast-away The fifth and last sort of self-deceivers by absolving of themselves without the Lords allowance or approbation are temporizers who for their temporary believing temporary repenting temporary motions of their affections and temporary amendment of their maners do seem to themselves and others also true believers This sort however it be in sundry cases coincident with one or moe of the former four self-absolvers yet because our Lord in the parable of the sower of seed Matth. 13. 21. and Luke 4. 17 doth put a difference between the stony ground and the other sorts of ground we shall give it a room by it self specially because it may have the own proper considerations Temporizers then we call such as upon temporary motives from temporary principles for temporary ends do imbrace the Word of the Lord readily but slightly and do as readily and lightly passe from it upon temporary motives in special when persecution arileth for the Word Mark 4. 16. when they have heard the Word immediatly they receive it with gladness and afterward when affliction or persecution arises for the Words sake immediatly they are offended Lightly they take up truth delivered and lightly do they passe from it again they have no root in themselves or solid believing of the truth for the truths cause but what pleaseth others pleaseth them and what displeaseth others doth displease them in the maters of religion the way of God set down in Scripture when they hear it they can say nothing against it yea they think it good to hear the Gospel and the largenesse of Gods grace and because it sheweth unto them a possibility of their salvation they receive it with a sort of natural gladnesse which sort of believing doth endure for a time to wit so long as the way of others among whom they live and the laws of the country and prosperity and good estimation with others goeth along with the profession of the truth received but when the wind of another doctrine bloweth and doth carry with it power to trouble and persecute them who will not receive it by and by they are offended and renounce the truth controverted because it draweth trouble with the profession of it for such persons suppose that gain ease and applause are very godlinesse It is true sometime the true believer may be surprised with a sudain tentation to renounce the profession of truth in some point for fear of death as Peters example doth shew us but true faith recovereth strength and ariseth after a fall and endureth persecution for that truth as temporary belief doth not but faileth altogether And the temporizers repentance failleth also because it ariseth from natural principles and is for natural motives and ends Such was the repentance of Saul in weeping and justifying David for sparing his life 1 Sam. 27. 21. Such was the repentance of the carnal Israelits Psal. 78. 36. and the humiliation of Ahab and such is their amendment of life all nothing but temporary and which doth not continue as Hosea chap. 6. 4. sheweth O Ephraim what shall I do unto thee O Judah what shall I do unto thee for thy goodnesse is like the morning cloud and like the early dew that passeth soon away Neither is it any wonder that unrenewed men may attain to something like unto faith and repentance and outward amendment of maners if we consider that humane writings find so much credit with men as not to be called in question but believed to be true for experience testifieth that their affections are moved sometime with delight and sometime with indignation and pity not only when they read Histories but also when
the end of his life which he suffered both in soul and body they were the compleating of his formerly begun and running obedience but were not his only obedience for us or his only suffering for us for he had done and suffered much from his incarnation before his last passion and death but the highest degree of his obedience whereby he bought deliverance unto us from sin and misery and whereby he bought unto us immortality and eternall blessednesse in heaven was his death on the crosse compleating our ransom 3. Whereas some have said that one drop of His blood was sufficient to redeem moe worlds then one if there wre any moe it is but an inconsiderat speech and destitute of Scriptural authority for when Christ had suffered all things before the time of His death it behoved Him to be crucified also Luke 24. 26. but it behoved Him not to suffer more then justice required for a ransom but only as much as was agreed upon and no less could satisfie Now this commandment He received of the Father that He should lay down His life for His sheep Ioh. 10. 18. For the wisdom of God thought good to testifie His own holiness and hatred of sin and to testifie His love to the elect world and riches of His grace toward them to whom He would be mercifull by inflicting no less punishment of sin on the Mediator His own dear Son taking upon Himself full satisfaction to justice for all the sins of all the Elect given unto Him to redeem then the death both of His body and soul for a season And indeed it was suteable to His holy and soveraign Majesty that for the ransom of so many thousands and millions of damnable sinners and saving of them from everlasting torment of body and soul no less price should be payed by the Son of God made man and surety for them then His sufferings both in His body and soul for a season as much as should be equivalent to the due deserved punishment of them whom he should redeem and it became the justice of the infinite Majesty offended to be reconciled with so many rebels and to bestow upon them heaven and eternal blessedness for no less price then the sufferings of the eternal Son made man whose humiliation and voluntary obedience even to the death of the cross was of infinite worth and value and therefore he yieldeth himself to the sufferings agreed upon in the covenant of Redemption both in body and soul. Of the sufferings of Christ in His soul. OUr Lords sufferings in His body did not fully satisfie divine justice 1. because as God put a sanction on the law and covenant of Works made with us all in Adam that he and his should be lyable to death both of body and soul which Covenant being broken by sin all sinners became obnoxious to the death both of body and soul So the redeemed behoved to be delivered from the death of both by the Redeemers tasting of death in both kinds as much as should be sufficient for their redemption 2. As sin infected the whole man soul and body and the curse following on sin left no part nor power of the mans soul free So justice required that the Redeemer coming in the room of the persons redeemed should feel the force of the curse both in body and soul. Ob. But how can the soul die seing it is by the Ordinance of God in creation made immortal Ans. The death of the soul is not in all things like to the death of the body for albeit the spiritual substance of the soul be made immortal and not to be extinguished yet it is subject to its own sort of death which consists in the separation of it from communion with God in such and such degrees as justly may be called the death of the soul from which sort of death the immortality of the soul not only doth not deliver but also it doth augment it and perpetuat it till this death be removed Obj. But seing the humane sould of our Lord could never be separated from the permanent holiness wherewith it was endued in the first infusion of it in the body and could never be separated from the indissolvable personal union with the second person of the God-head assuming it how could His soul be subject to any degrees of death Ans. Albeit the con-natural holiness of the soul of Christ could not be removed nor the personal union of it be dissolved no not when the soul was separated from the body yet it was subject by Christs own consent to be emptied of strength-natural to be deprived for a time of the clearness of vision of its own blessedness and of the quiet possession of the formerly felt peace and of the fruition of joy for a time and so suffer an ecclipse of light and consolation otherwise shining from His God-head and so in this sort of spiritual death might undergo some degrees of spiritual death The degrees of the suffering of Christs holy soul. AMong the deprâ—â—s of the death suffered by Christ in His soul we may number first that habitual heaviness of spirit which haunted him all the dayes of His life as was foretold by Isa. 53. 3. He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief We hear He weeped but never that he laughed and but very seldom that he rejoiced 2. He suffered in speciall sorrow and grief in the observation of the ingratitude of them for whom he came to lay down his life we hid as it were our faces from him he was despised and we esteemed him not Isa. 53. 3. 3. The hardnesse of mens hearts and the malice of his own covenanted people and the daily contumelies and despightfull usage he found from day to day increased his daily grief as by rivolets the flood is raised in the river he was despised and rejected of men Isa. 53. 3. 4. He was tempted in all things like unto us and albeit in them all never tainted with sin Heb. 4. 15. yet with what a vexation of his most holy soul we may easily gather by comparing the holinesse of our Lord with the holinesse of his servants to whom nothing is more bitter then the firie darts of the devil and his suggestions and sollicitations to sin especially if we consider the variety of temptations the hainousnesse of the sins whereunto that impudent and unclean spirit boldly sollicited his holinesse Matth. 4. and withall the importunity and pertinacy of the devil who never ceased partly by himself partly by those that were his slaves and partly by the corruption which he found in Christs disciples to pursue presse and vex the God of glory all the time he lived on earth 5. The guilt of all the sins crimes and vile deeds of the elect committed from the beginning of the world was imputed unto him by accepting of which imputation albeit he polluted not his Conscience yet he burdened his soul binding himself to bear
due to us in full measure but also because that which Christ suffered in the point of torment and vexation was in some respect of the same kind with the torment of the damned for in the punishment of the damned we must necessarily distinguish these three things 1. the perverse disposition of the mind of the damned in their sufferings 2. the duration and perpetuity of their punishment and 3. the punishment it self tormenting soul and body The first two are not of the essence of punishment albeit by accident they are turned into a punishment for the wickednesse vilenesse and unworthinesse of the damned who neither will nor can submit themselves to the punishment and put the case they should submit are utterly unable to make satisfaction for ever do make them in a desperat dolefull condition for ever though obstinat sinners do not apprehend nor believe this but go on in treasuring up wrath against themselves pleasing themselves in their own dreams to their own endlesse perdition Of these three the first two could have no place in Christ Not the first because He willingly offered Himself a sacrifice for our sins and upon agreement payed the ransom fully Not the second because He could no longer be holden in the sorrows of death then He had satisfied Justice and finished what was imposed on Him and His infinit excellency made His short suffering to be of infinit worth and equivalent to our everlasting suffering The third then remaineth which is the reall and sensible tormenting of soul and body in being made a curse for us and to feel it so in His reall experience And what need we question hellish pain where pain and torment and the curse with felt wrath from God falleth on and lyeth still till Justice be satisfied Concerning which it is as certain that Christ was seased upon by the dolours of death as it is certain in Scripture that He could not be holden of the sorrows of death Acts. 2. 24. Quest. But what interest had Christ God-head in His humane sufferings to make them both so short and so precious and satisfactory to Justice for so many sins of so many sinners especially when we consider that God cannot suffer Ans. Albeit this passion of the humane nature could not so far reach the God-head of Christ that it should in a physicall sense suffer which indeed is impossible yet these sufferings did so affect the person that it may truly be said that God suffered and by His blood bought His people to Himself Acts 20. 28. for albeit the proper and formall subject of physicall suffering be only the humane nature yet the principall subject of sufferings both in a physicall and morall sense is Christs person God and man from the dignity whereof the worth and excellency of all sort of sufferings the merit and the satisfactory sufficiency of the price did flow And let it be considered also that albeit Christ as God in His God-head could not suffer in a physicall sense yet in a morall sense He might suffer and did suffer for in as much as He being in the form of God and without robbery equall to God did demit His person to assume humane nature and empty Himself so far as to hide His glory and take on the shape of a servant and expose Himself willingly to all the contradiction of sinners which He was to meet with and to all railings revilings contempt despisings and calumnies shall it seem nothing and not enter in the count of our Lords payment for our debt Obj. But how could so low a downthrowing of the Son of man or of the humane nature assumed by Christ consist with the Majesty of the person of the Son of God Ans. We must distinguish in Christ these things which are proper to either of the two natures from these things which are ascribed to His person in respect of either of the natures or both the natures for infirmity physicall suffering or mortality are proper to the humane nature The glory of power and grace and mercy and superexcellent Majesty and such like are proper to the Deity but the sufferings of the humane nature are so far from diminishing the glory of the divine nature that they do manifest the same and make it appear more clearly for by how much the humane nature was weakned depressed and despised for our sake by so much the love of Christ God and man in one person toward man and His mercy and power and grace to man do shine in the eyes of those that judiciously look upon Him Obj. But seing Christs satisfaction for sinners doth not stand in any one part of His doings and sufferings but in the whole and intire precious pearl and compleet price of His whole obedience from His incarnation even to the death of His crosse how cometh it to passe that in Scripture the whole expiation of our sins is ascribed so oft to His passion and particularly to His blood Ans. This cometh to passe 1. Because the certainty and verity of His assumed humane nature and the certainty of His reall suffering and the fulfilling of all the leviticall sacrifices did most evidently appear unto sense in the effusion of His blood 2. Because the expression of His sufferings both in soul and body appeared in the effusion of His blood for in the garden while His body was not as yet touched or hurt by man from the meer pains of His soul drops of blood fell down out of all His body to the earth 3. Because His blood-sheding and death was the last act of compleeting the payment of the ransom to the Father for us which payment began in His humble incarnation and went on through all His life and was compleeted in His bloodshed and death whereof our Lord gave intimation on the crosse when He cryed as triumphantly victorious it is finished The use of this article of the covenant of Redemption WE have at some length spoken of the price of Redemption and of Christs defraying the debt by His passion 1. That hereby the merit of our sins may the more clearly be seen 2. That the sublimity and excellency of divine Majesty offended by sin may appear 3. That we may behold the severity of Gods justice till He have satisfaction and reparation in some sort of the injuries done to Him 4. That the admirable largenesse of Gods mercy may be acknowledged and wondered at For in the price of Redemption payed as in a mirror we may see how greatly the Lord hateth sin how great His love is to the world in sending his Son Christ amongst us how heavy the wrath of God shall lye upon them that flee not to Christs satisfaction for their delivery how great the dignity and excellency of the Lord our Redeemer is for whose cause reconciliation is granted to all that take hold of the offer of grace through him how great the obligation of believers is to love God and serve him and how
to your selves lest at any time your hearts be over-charged with surfeting and drunkenness and cares of this life No wonder then that such men profit not by the Word of God but remain fruitlesse because they are by our Lord compared to the ground that receiveth the seed among thorns Mat. 13. 22. He heareth the word but the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choaks the word and he remaineth unfruitfull 6. Some there are who having received a sufficient measure of gifts whereby they may promove the kingdom of Christ and be profitable to the society they live in by making use of their gifts do pack up all their duties in a sequestration of themselves from all businesse conceiving this way to be fittest both for God's service and their own salvation Whereupon they betake themselves to a private life in some obscure corner choosing rather to live as Monks and Eremits then to appear in publick and make use of their gifts with the hazard of toyling themselves and tossing of their estimation among beholders of them And this their resolution is backed with a pretended purpose to spend their time in reading and prayers without provoking any man to hatred or emulation against them thus they conceive they shall provide best for their own ease and safety and if withall they apprehend that they are not fitted with gifts which may be profitable to others and do think what they have bestowed upon them by God to be scarce sufficient for the carrying of themselves on in the course that tendeth to happinesse then they conceive they are well excused if they let all publick works alone without putting forth their finger to help what they see amisse We do not deny but sundry godly persons in the heat of persecution have been forced to luâ—k in a wildernesse among wild beasts during the time of the danger of whose fellowship the world was not worthy neither do we deny that age and infirmity of body may make men unfit for all publick imployment But the fault we tax is of such men as being able in Church or State to do service to God and the society they live in do for the love of their own ease hide their talent and not make use thereof for the benefit of others for if a narrow search be made of such mens resolution the fear of outward trouble in the world a declining to fight the fight of faith impatience to be at any pains and a desire to keep the estimation of their parts from the hazard of mens censure and love of their own fleshly ease will be found the fountain of their resolution But here we deal with none but such as the Apostle and Christ doth speak against to wit such as in some honest imployment for the common utility refuse to be at pains and work and therefore are not worthy of their bread 2 Thess. 3. 10. And let us hearken to Christs judgement of such men whom the world admireth for most holy Moncks in the parable of the talents he taketh up the lazy lubbart of whom we speak under the reckoning of a kâ—avish servant who because he had but one talent which amounteth to no small sum went away and hid it in the earth Mat. 25. 26. Thou wicked and slothfull servant saith he c. and ver 30. cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth The remedy is that men of parts and abilities do not yield unto their lazy humor nor to their discouragements which may foster their temptations to idlenesse but study rather to live in the sense of their obligations to God and to improve all that they have received from him for his honour and the well-fare of his people and to this end it is fit they should hearken to the counsel of judicious friends rather then lean to their own judgment over-swayed with temptations lest the Lord deciâ—her them and lead them forth with the workers of iniquity Ps. 125. 5. 7. Some are very like in all externals to the true converts so far as can be observed by beholders for they professe the true religion with others they seem to have consecrat themselves unto Christ they associat themselves unto and haunt the company of these who are in best esteem and joyn themselves alwayes with the reputed godly they seem ready prepared to bear Christs crosse and to go forth out of the city after him bearing his reproach and to be waiters upon his second coming yet inwardly they were never renewed they are not troubled with the sense of sin and sinfullnesse they do not in earnest or seriously seek after Christs righteousnesse and remission of sin through him nor worship God in their spirit These are described to us in the parable of the foolish and wise Virgins Matth. 25. the foolish were in company and outward fellowship of religion with the wise their outward conversation was without scandal as was the behaviour of the wise they had lamps of profession as the wise and were not suspected by themselves or others to be unsound they went forth in profession waiting for the coming of the Lord as the wise did and last of all no other infirmities were found in them then such as the wise Virgins were subject unto also they all fell asleep now and then nothing could be outwardly found to difference them from the wise Virgins which external likenesse as it deceived the beholders of these foolish Virgins So also it deceived themselves neither shall this personal difference be openly manifested till the Judge the searcher of hearts shall come and separat the goats from the sheep and the hypocrits from the unfeigued believers The remedy is that every one who pretend unto holinesse externally search their own hearts and inward sinfulnesse daily and flye to Christ in earnest that their nakednesse may be covered and their affections made spiritual seeking after things above and that by faith in Christ they may be filled with the unction of the holy spirit for bringing forth true fruits of faith 8. Unto the former we may joyn such as for their eminent gifts above the common sort of pious people and their abilities to conset discourse and dispute of maters of religion seem to themselves and to beholders also eminent Saints especially if they appear sharp censurers of others and zâ—alous against every least degree of sin in others but most of all if they for their enduements be fitted and called to pray in publick and preach the Gospel to others and withall do live without scandal they doubt nothing but they are high in Gods estimation as they are set up in reputation among the godly in the visible Church Now that such gifted men may deceive themselves and passe sentence in their own favours for their own absolution from any challenge which may condemn them our Lord doth fore-warn us Matth 7. 21. 22. telling us that not only many private
a notable defection from aiming at the measure felt in his first love at his conversion for we speak not here of daily distempers which the convert doth mark and mourn for and is about to have healed by bringing his wounds unto Christ to be cured in the exercise of faith and repentance daily The second is the not observing of this decay of love or the mans ignorance of his duty to entertain communion with Christ in the sense of his daily sins wants and wounds for the removing and curing whereof Christ is to be loved daily no lesse then at the man his first conversion The third is the mans being well pleased with this condition so long as his conversation is blamelesse whereof we have an instance in the condition of the Ephesians Rev. 2. whose labour in the work of the Lord zeal against hypocrits patience in troubles for Christs cause is commended by Christ. But he reproveth them first because they had left their first love and did not only come short of the measure of their first love but did not lay to heart this sin did not repent it or take course to have that measure recovered thou hast left or laid down thy first love that is 1. thou hast remitted and come short of that measure of love which formerly thou had 2. Thou hast not been displeased with thy self in this thy defection 3. Thou hast laid aside the care of recovering the measure of thy former love This condition is very dangerous as is manifest in the experience of the Galatians who falling from their first love did cast themselves open to superstitions and errours and in danger to be cut off from Christ by their defection from the faith of the Gospel once received The reasons for which we say this defection in love is dangerous are three the first is this the greatest measure of love to Christ and rejoycing in him is lesse then his excellency and merit at our hands doth deserve If therefore we shall slide from our duty in aiming to hold up this measure of love to him which we have once attained and cease to grow therein because his new mercies are daily letten forth upon us from day to day in effect we judge our first love hath been too too vehement and so Christ is lightly esteemed of as if he were not still to be loved withall our mind heart and strength The next reason is this when love to Christ to his Ordinances and sanctified ones beginneth to relent and cool incontinent the external exercises of religion and righteousnesse begin to fall short of this principle of love and to go on more and more slowly and so peece and peece to decay for as when a tree is smitten in the root it may retain for a time green leaves but after a time it withers and neither â—eareth ripe fruits nor leaves So also in the exercise of plety and righteousnesse if love toward God our Redeemer and delection in his service and obedience inwardly be diminished it may readily come to passe that the very outward works yea and the profession of duties due to Christ be taken away also and this is the judgment wherewith Christ doth threaten Ephesus I will come upon thee and remove thy candlestick out of his place except thou repent Rev. 2. 5. The third reason is because Christ who is altogether lovely and love it self the very Son of the Fathers love is a jealous God and cannot long indure not to be met with love from them to whom he hath manifested his love Therefore he doth make hast to correct this slighting of his love and to manifest his wrath against these that lye still well pleased with themselves under this condition I will come unto thee quickly saith he and remove thy candlestick Rev. 2. 5. 2. That the conscience of the true convert who is lying in this condition or is declining from his former measure of love may discharge its duty more easily and solidly it is needfull that the man being convinced of his fault first consider how reasonable it is that he should return to his first love or formerly felt measure of it for the forgivenesse of his manifold sins wherein he lay before his conversion for the translating of him from darknesse to the glorious light of Christs Kingdom should never be forgotten the proof which he hath gotten by his conversion that Christ hath loved him and given himself for him should be alwayes called to minde with hearty affection the great need of Christ wherein he standeth for renewed pardon of sins for furnishing him with his Spirit to mortifie the deeds of the flesh and to bring forth more ripe and abundant fruits of new obedience should bind him to abide and grow in his love Secondly let him consider how usefull and profitable unto us is fresh green and growing love unto him for love to him makes us frequently to think of him frequently with delight to speak of him to seek after more and more near-communion with him to have our conversation with him in heaven where he sits at the right hand of the Father and to live in heaven where our love is more then where we sojourn in this world Love makes us love what he loveth and hate what he hateth love sharpens our desires after God in Christ kindles and inlarges our affection toward him as the beginning of the 63. Psalm doth make evident And if the Lord shall seem to with-draw himself love makes the true convert follow hard after him Ps. 63. 8. Love makes â—old to encounter all difficulties and troubles which may meet 〈◊〉 in the course of following after him much water cannot quench love in Gods service love keeps a man 〈…〉 strong and stout against his enemies in 〈…〉 patient in profession sincere in pursuing duties 〈…〉 all conditions submissive and after evidencing of his affection with the Psalmist Ps. 116. 12. to â—ay with the same Psalmist What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits toward me Ps. 116. 12. Thirdly 〈…〉 convert who is begun to cool in his love to Christ 〈◊〉 to remembrance what a felicity he felt when he entertained love to Christ when the loving kindnesse of the Lord was better to him then his life and sin was more formidable then death when Gods Commandments were not grievous but the joy of his heart when Gods Word seasoned and sanctified his bitterest afflictions Fourthly let him consider at what a losse he is of many spiritual comforts whereof he hath deprived himself and in how many sins of omission at least he hath fallen since his declining from his first love and what miseries he hath drawn upon his own spirit at least if not also temporal chastisements joyned therewith and after comparison of his condition when his love was servent with his present condition since his fall from his sometime-measure of love let him humble himself before Christ and flye in unto his rich
of the love of God through Christ in all his tentations he cannot stand out in the conflict Therefore that he may guard and strengthen his saith first let him seek wisdom from God to expound the Lords dispensations toward himself by the word and working of God in his children set down in the holy Scripture in exercising of whom by affliction he hath discovered the corruption of their nature the bitter fruits of sin and promoved the work of the mortification of sinfull lusts that are in the world to wit the lust of the eye the lust of the flesh and pride of life and taught them humility meeknesse patience temperance and compassion toward others in affliction Secondly let him set his affections on things spiritual and on our blessed Redeemer Jesus Christ who is at the right hand of the Father making intercession for all them that call upon him that they may be saved alwayes remembering that as the Law is a pedagogue to lead us and draw us unto Christ So affliction is a pedagogue to lead us to the Law and to Christ the end of the Law for righteousnesse and life Thirdly let him learn in examination of his own condition accuratly to distinguish the Lords part exercising him with trouble for tryal and training him on in the obedience of faith as for his own glory so for the good of his afflicted child and Sathans part in cruelty craftinesse and malice tempting and and vexing him and his own part who hath deserved much more affliction then is come upon him which considerations may keep him from fretting and murmuring in his trouble how heavy soever it be Fourthly let him put difference between sinning and suffering of trouble that he may choose to endure affliction rather then by sinning draw on much more trouble 3. But if the afflicted convert seem to himself deserted of God in respect of the speciall operations of the holy Ghost let him be of good courage he is not altogether deserted who can observe the decaying of saving graces from the measure he hath found before he is not altogether deserted who loveth communion with God and longeth after it and can go to God and regrat his desertion as a sad affliction for if our loving Lord Jesus Christ hath withdrawn himself out of the sight of his afflicted child yet hath he persumed his own foot-steps with the unction of his own Spirit that he may quicken and kindle his childs love and desire toward him This regrated desertion is but in part not altogether yea it is not a reall but a seeming desertion The Lord resteth in his love albeit he hide the effects of his love for a time He preserveth the habits of saving grace as his own seed in the afflicted heart albeit he do not alwayes draw them forth unto action if he withdraw the sight of saving graces yet he augments the estimation of them and langour to find the Lord working in him If the afflicted observe well he shall see the hand of the Lord in some part of his works so that in his hardest condition he may say with the Psalmist Ps. 73. Neverthelesse I am continually with thee thou holdest me with thy right hand 4. If it shall please God with immediat afflictions from himself to suffer not only Sathan to fight against the faith and consolation of his child but also to super-add a fiery tryal of his faith by cruell persecution for righteousnesse let him still for all this be of good courage because in all such battel 's the Lord of hostes shall be with him who will not suffer his souldiers to be tempted above their strength but with the tentation will give an issue that they may escape and will furnish strength to them that they shall overcome for he hath laid up a crown of righteousnesse for all them that keep the faith and at last will give it to all that love the coming of our Lord Jesus Wherefore let the afflicted convert humble himself under one or all these exercises and not doubt of his condition seing it is agreeable to the Scripture and lot of the Saints 5. It is true that all affliction to the flesh for the present is a bitter potion but yet reached forth to the patient by the hand of our Physician and heavenly Father It is a fire but will not consume the burning bush it is a furnace but will not destroy any mettal but drosse only it is a labour but shall in due time bring forth the quiet fruits of righteousnesse it is a rough fyle but the more sharp it be it shall so much sooner rub away the rust of the vessel of grace make the soul of the penitent more bright and by the blessing of God render him more humble in his thoughts more fervent in prayer mor constant in the faith more strong to bear whatsoever burthen shall be laid on him more desirous to grow in all vertue more carefull to keep communion with God more innocent in his conversation more clean in his conscience and at last more blessed Let not then the afflicted convert regard the labour he is put to but look to the fruit reckon the worth of healing and not the bitternesse of his potion let him not look to the pain of the affliction but to the fatherly love of God chastiseing him who expressely hath told us that he chasteneth all whom he loveth lest they perish with the world let him not shift the battel but set his eye on the crown and go on in the way of God how many soever his tribulations shall be for as the outward man by trouble doth decay So the inward man is renewed daily for the Apostle who who was most acquaint with such exercise hath for incouragment of all who are under the crosse said Our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory while we look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for the things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal 2 Cor. 4. 17 18. The seventeenth and last question shall be about the relicts of sin in the Saints in this life THe remainder of sin doth often-times drive true converts to many doubts for when carnal lusts and sinfull passions seem to be subdued and in a good measure mortified incontinent upon the least occasion as dying ashes when sulphureous pouder is cast upon them they kindle and are inflamed and when their spirit is most willing and ready to do good corrupt nature standeth up and maketh opposition so that the coâ—vert cannot do the good he would yea such is the power thereof that oft-times it forceth him to the ill he would not In which warfare being oft overcome he is so weary that he falleth out with the Apostle in his lamentation Rom. 7. 24 crying O miserable man that I am who shall deliver me