men would beleeve it to quench this thirst to the creature were to enkindle another after Christ and Heaven Get but a large heart vehemently thirsting after these and the other will die alone As the Fevourish thirst doth when nature comes to her temper Secondly others labour not thus to perfect grace because they have a conceit they are perfect already and upon this fancy throw away praying hearing and all other Ordinances as strings for those babes in grace to be carried by who are not arrived to their high attainments O what fooles does pride make men Truly Heaven were no such desirable place if we should be no more perfect then thus a sort of people that are too high for this world and too low for another The way by which God cures this phrensie of pride we have in these days seen to be something like that of Nebuchadnezzar To give them a heart of a beast I mean for a time suffer them to fall into beastly practices by which he shewes them how far they are from that perfection they dreamed of so vainly Thirdly others who have true grace and desire the advancement of it yet are discouraged in their endeavour for more from too deep a sense of their present penury Bid some such labour to get more power of corruption more faith on and love to God that they may be able to do the Will of God chearfully and suffer it in the greatest afflictions patiently yea thankfully and they will never believe that they whose faith is so weak love so chill and stock so little in hand should ever attain to any thing like such a pitch You may as well perswade a beggar with one poor penny in his purse that if he will go and trade with that he shall come to be Lord Major of London before he die But why poor hearts should you thus despise the day of small things Do you not see a little grain of mustard seed spread into a tree and weak grace compar'd to it for its growth at last as well as littlenesse at first Darest thou say thou hast no grace at all If thou hast but any though the least that ever any had to begin with I dare tell thee that he hath done more for thee in that then he should in making that which is now so weak as perfect as the Saints grace is now in heaven First he hath done more considering it as an act of Power There is a greater gulfe between no grace grace then between weak grace and strong between a Chaos and nothing then between a Chaos and this beautiful frame of heaven and earth The first days work of both Creations is the greatest Secondly consider it as an act of grace it is greater mercy to give the first grace of conversion then to crown that with glory It is more grace and condescent in a Prince to marry a poor Damosel then having married her to cloth her like a Prince he was free to do the first or not but his relation to her pleads strongly for the other God might have chose whether he would have given thee grace or no but having done this thy relation to him and his Covenant also do oblige him to adde more and more till he hath fitted thee as a Bride for himself in glory CHAP. V. Of the use of our spiritual Armour or the exercise of grace THe fourth and last branch in the Saints furniture is the use they are to make thereof 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Put on the whole Armour of God Briefly what is this duty put on These being Saints many of them at least he writes to 't is not only putting on by Conversion what some of them might not yet have but also he means they should exercise what they have It is one thing to have armour in the house and another thing to have it buckled on to have grace in the principle and grace in the act so that the instruction will be It is not enough to have grace but this grace must be kept in exercise The Christians Armour is made to be worne no laying down or putting off our Armour till we have done our warfare and finished our course Our Armour and our garment of flesh go off together then indeed will be no need of watch and ward shield or helmet Those military duties and field-graces as I may call faith hope and the rest they shall be honourably discharged In heaven we shall appear not in armour but in robes of glory but here they are to be worne night and day we must walk work and sleep in them or else we are not true souldiers of Christ this Paul professeth to endeavour Acts 24.16 Herein do I exercise my self to have alwayes a conscience void of offence towards God and towards man Here we have this holy man at his armes training and exercising himself in his postures like some souldier by himself handling his pike and inuring himself before the battel Now the Reason of this is SECT 1. First Christ commands us to have our Armour on our grace in exercise Luke 12.35 Let your loines be girded about and your lights burning Christ speaks either in a martial phrase as to souldiers or in a domestick as to servants If as to souldiers then let your loynes he girded and your lights burning is that we should be ready for a march having our armour on for the belt goes over all and our match light ready to give fire at the first alarm of a temptation If as to servants which seems more natural then he bids us as our Master that is gone abroad not through sloth or sleep put off our clothes and put out our lights but stand ready to open when he shall come though at midnight 'T is not fit the Master should stand at the door knocking and the servant within sleeping indeed there is no duty the Christian hath in charge but implies this daily exercise Pray but how without ceasing Rejoyce but when evermore Give thanks for what in every thing The shield of faith and helmet of hope we must hold them to the end The summe of all which is that we should walk in the constant exercise of these duties and graces Where the souldier is plac't there he stands and must neither stir nor sleep till he be brought off When Christ comes that soule shall only have his blessing whom he findes so doing Secondly Satans advantage is great when grace is not in exercise When the devil found Christ so ready to receive his charge and repel his temptation he soon had enough it is said He departed for a season as if in his shameful retreat he had comforted himself with hopes of surprising Christ unawares at another season more advantagious to his designe and we finde him coming again in the most likely time indeed to have attained his end had his enemy been man and not God Now if this bold fiend did
own Thus do thou consider what thou standest engaged to thy worldly credit profit slavish feare of God and selfish desire of happinesse and when thou hast allowed for all these see then what remaines of thy feare of God love to God c. if nothing thou art nought if any the lesse there be the weaker Christian thou art and when thou comest to be tried in Gods fire thou wilt suffer losse of all the other which as hay and stubble will be burnt up SECT V. Every soule clad with this Armour of God shall stand and persevere Or thus true grace can never be vanquish't The Christian is borne a Conquerour the gates of hell shall nor prevail against him He that is borne of God overcometh the world 1 John 5.4 Mark from whence the victory is dated even from his birth There is victory sowen in his new nature even that seed of God which will keep him from being swallowed up by sin or Satan As Christ rose never to die more so doth he raise soules from the grave of sin never to come under the power of spiritual death more These holy ones of God cannot see corruption Hence he that believes is said in the present tense to have eternal life At the Law that came foure hundred years after could not make void the promise made to Abraham so nothing that intervenes can hinder the accomplishing of that promise of eternal life which was given and passed to Christ in their behalf before the foundation of the world If a Saint could any way miscarry and fall short of this eternal life it must be from one of these three causes 1. Because God may forsake the Christian and withdraw his grace and help from him Or 2. Because the believer may forsake God Or lastly because Satan may pluck him out of the hands of God A fourth I know not Now none of these can be First God can never forsake the Christian Some unadvised speeches have drop't from tempted soules discovering some fears of Gods casting them off but they have been confuted and have eaten their words with shame as we see in Job and David O what admirable security hath the great God given his children in this particular First in Promises He hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee Five negatives in that promise as so many seals to ratifie it to our faith he assures us there never did or can so much as arise a repenting thought in his heart concerning the purposes of his love and special grace towards his children Rom. 11.29 The gifts and calling of God are without repentance even the believers sin against him their froward carriage stirs not up thoughts of casting them off but of reducing them For the iniquity of this covetousnesse I was wroth and smote him I hid me and was wroth and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart I have seen his wayes and will heal them Isa 57.27 28. The water of the Saints failings cast on the fire of Gods love cannot quench it Whom he loves he loves to the end Secondly God to give further weight and credit to our unbelieving and mis-giving hearts seals his promise with an oath See Isa 54.9 10. With everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer this is as the waters of Noah unto me for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should not return over the earth so have I sworn that I will not be wroth with thee Yea he goes on and tells them The monntaines shall depart meaning at the end of the world when the whole frame of the heavens and earth shall be dissolv'd but his kindnesse shall not depart neither shall his Covenant of peace be removed Now lest any should think this was some charter belonging to the Jewes alone we finde it v. 17. setled on every servant of God as his portion This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their righteousnesse is of me saith the Lord. And surely God that is so careful to make his childrens inheritance sure to them will con them little thanks who busie their wits to invalid and weaken his conveyances yea disprove his will if they had taken a bribe they could not plead Satans cause better Thirdly in the actual fulfilling these promises which he hath made to beleevers to Christ their Attourney As God before the world began gave a promise of eternal life to Christ for them so now hath he given actual possession of that glorious place to Christ as their Advocate and Attourney where that eternal life shall be enjoyed by them for as he came upon our errand from heaven so thither he returned again to take and hold possession of that inheritance which God had of old promised and he in one summe at his death had paid for And now what ground of feare can there be in the believers heart concerning Gods love standiog firme to him when he sees the whole Covenant performed already to Christ for him whom God hath not only called to sanctified for and upheld in the great work he was to finish for us but also justified in his Resurrection and Jayle-delivery and received him into heaven there to sit on the right hand of the Majesty on high by which he hath not only possession for us but full power to give it unto all believers A second occasion of feare to the believer that he shall not persevere may be taken from himself He has many sad feares and tremblings of heart that he shall at last forsake God The journey is long to heaven and his grace weak O saith he is it not possible that this little grace should faile and I fall short at last of glory Now here there is such provision made in the Covenant as scatters this cloud also First the Spirit of God is given on purpose to prevent this Christ left his mother with John but his Saints with his Spirit to tutour and keep them that they should not lose themselves in their journey to heaven O how sweet is that place Ezek. 36.27 I will put my Spirit in you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my judgements and do them He doth not say they shall have his Spirit if they will walk in his statutes no his Spirit shall cause them to do it But may be thou art afraid thou mayest grieve him and so he in anger leave thee and thou perish for want of his help and counsel Answ The Spirit of God is indeed sensible of unkindnesse and upon a Saints sin may withdraw in regard of present assistance but never in regard of his care as a mother may let her froward childe go alone till it get a knock that may make it cry to be taken up again into her armes but still her eye is on it that it shall not fall into mischief The Spirit withdrew from Samson and he fell into the
if they be not worth sending this messenger to Heaven truly they are worth little Thirdly consider that although the Christian be secured from a total and final apostasy yet he may fall sadly to the bruising of his conscience enfeebling his grace and reproach of the Gospel which sure are enough to keep the Christian upon his watch and the more because ordinarily the Saints back-slidings begin in their duties As it is with tradesmen in the world they first grow carelesse of their businesse often out of their shop and then they go behinde-hand in their estates So here first remisse in a duty and then fall into a decay of their graces and comforts yea sometimes into wayes that are scandalous A stuffe loseth its glosse before it weares The Christian the lustre of his grace in the lively exercise of duty and then the strength of it Secondly take heed of abusing this doctrine unto a liberty to sin shall we sin because grace abounds grow loose because we have God fast bound in his promise God forbid none but a Devil would teach us this Logick It was a great height of sin those wretched Jewes came to who could quaffe and carouse it while death look't in upon them at the windows Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we shall die They discovered their Atheisme therein But what a prodigious stature in sin must that man be grown to that can sin under the protection of the promise and draw his encouragement to sin from the everlasting love of God Let us eat and drink for we are sure to live and be saved Grace cannot dwell in that heart which drawes such a cursed conclusion from the premisses of Gods grace The Saints have not so learn't Christ The inference the Apostle makes from the sweet priviledges we enjoy in the Covenant of grace is not to wallow in sin but having these promises to cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of flesh and spirit 2 Cor. 7.1 'T is the nature of faith the grace that trades with Promises to purifie the heart Now the more certain report faith brings of Gods love from the promise to the soule the mote it purifies the heart because love by which faith works is thereby more inflamed to God and if once this affection takes fire the room becomes too hot for sin to stay there SECT VI. The fourth note and last is That it will abundantly recompence all the hardship and trouble the Christian endures in this war against sin and Satan that he shall be able when the war is ended to stand In mans wars all do not get by them that fight in them the gaines of these are commonly put into a few pockets The common souldiers endure most of the hardship but go away with little of the profit they fight to make a few that are great yet greater and are many times themselves turn'd off at last with what will hardly pay for the cure of their wounds or keep them from starving in a poor Hospital But in this war there is none loseth but he that runs away A glorious reward there is for every faithful souldier in Christs Camp and that is wrapt up in this phrase Having done all to stand Now in this place to stand imports three things which laid together will clear the point First to stand in this place is to stand Conquerours An Army when conquered is said to fall before their enemy and the Conquerour to stand Every Christian shall at the end of the war stand a Conquerour over his vanquish't lusts and Satan that headed them Many a sweet victory the Christian hath here over Satan But alas the joy of these Conquests is again interrupted with fresh alarms from his rallied enemy One day he hath the better and may be the next he is put to the hazard of another battel much ado he hath to keep what he hath got yea his very victories are such as send him bleeding out of the field Though he repulses the temptation at last yet the wounds his conscience gets in the fight do overcast the glory of the victory 'T is seldome the Christian comes off without some sad complaint of the treachery of his own heart which had like to have lost the day and betrayed him into his enemies hand But for thy eternal comfort Know poor Christian there is a blessed day coming which shall make a full and final decision of the quarrel betwixt thee and Satan Thou shalt see this enemies Camp quite broke up not a weapon left in his hand to lift up against thee Thou shalt tread upon his high places from which he hath made so many shots at thee Thou shalt see them all dismantled and demolished till there be not left standing any one corruption in thy bosome for a devil to hide and harbour himself in Satan at whose approach thou hast so trembled shall then be subdued under thy feet he that hath so oft bid thee bow down that he might go over thy soule and trample upon all thy glory shall now have his neck laid to be trodden on by thee Were there nothing else to be expected as the fruits of our watching and praying weeping mourning severe duties of mortification and self-denial with whatever else our Christian warfare puts us upon but this our labour sure would not be in vain in the Lord. Yea blessed watching and praying happy tears and wounds we meet with in this war may they out at last end in a full and eternal victory over sin and Satan Bondage is one of the worst of evils The baser an enemy is the more abhorred by noble spirits Saul feared to fail into the hands of the uncircumcised Philistines and to be abused by their scornes and reproaches more then a bloody death Who baser then Satan what viler tyrant then sin Glorious then will the day be wherein we shall praise God for delivering us out of the hands of all our sins and from the hand of Satan But dismal to you sinners who at the same time wherein you shall see the Saints stand with crowns of victory on their heads must like fettered captives be dragg'd to hells dungeon there to have your eare bored unto an eternal bondage under your lusts And what more miserable sentence can God himself passe upon you Here sin is pleasure there it will be your torment Here a sweet bit and goes down glib but there it will stick in your throats Here you have suitable provision to entertain your lusts withal Palaces for pride to dwell and strut her self in Delicious fare for your wanton palates houses and lands with coffers of silver and gold for your covetous hearts by their self-pleasing thoughts to sit brooding upon but you will finde none of these there hell is a barren place nothing grows in that land of darknesse to solace and recreate the sinners minds You shal have your lusts but want the food they long for O what a torment must
presently indeed as the loud windes do blow away the raine so these terrours do keep off the soule from this Gospel-sorrow While the creature is making an out-cry 't is damn'd 't is damn'd it is taken up so much with the feare of hell that sin as sin which is the proper object of godly sorrow is little look't on or mourned for A Murderer condemned to die is so possest with the feare of death and thought of the gallowes that there lies the slaine body it may be before him unlamented by him but when his pardon is brought then he can bestow his teares freely on his murdered friend They shall look on him whom they have pierced and mourne Faith is the eye this eye beholding its sin piercing Christ and Christ pardoning its sin affects the heart the heart affected sighes these inward clouds melt and run from the eye of faith in tears and all this is done when there is no tempest of terrour upon the spirit but a sweet serenity of love and peace and therefore Christian see how Satan abuseth thee when he would perswade thee thou art not humbled enough because thy sorrow is not attended with these legal sorrowes CHAP. VI. A brief Application of the second Branch of the Point viz. Of Satans subtilty as a Troubler and Accuser for sin Vse 1 IS Satan so subtile to trouble the Saints peace this proves them to be the children of Satan who shew the same Art and subtilty in vexing the spirits of the Saints as doth their infernal father not to speak of bloody Persecutors who are the devils slaughter-slaves to butcher the Saints but of those who more slily trouble and molest the Saints peace First such as rake up the Saints old sins which God hath forgiven and forgotten meerly to grieve their spirits and bespatter their names these shew their divellish malice indeed who can take such pains to travel many yeares back that they may finde a handful of dirt to throw on the Saints face Thus Shimei twitted David Come out thou bloody man When you that feare God meet with such reproaches answer them as Beza did the Papists who for want of other matter charged him for some wanton Poems penn'd by him in his youth Hi homunciones invident mihi gratiam Dei These men said he grudge me the pardoning mercy of God Secondly such as watch for the Saints halting and catch at every infirmity to make them odious and themselves merry 'T is a dreadful curse such bring upon themselves though they little think of it no lesse then Amaleks the remembrance of whose name God threatened to blot from under heaven why what had Amalek done to deserve this they smote the hindermost those that were feeble and could not march with the rest And was it so great a cruelty to do this much more to smite with the edge of a mocking tongue the feeble in grace Thirdly such who father their sins upon the Saints thus Ahab calls the Prophet the Troubler of Israel when it was himself and his fathers house What a grief was it think you to Moses his spirit for the Israelites to lay the blood of those that died in the wildernesse at his door whereas God knows he was their constant Baile when at any time Gods hand was up to destroy them and this is the charge which the best of Gods servants in this crooked generation of ours lie under We may thank them say the profane for all our late miseries in the Nation we were well enough till they would reforme us O for shame blame not the good Physick that was administred but the corrupt body of the Nation that could not bear it Fourthly such as will themselves sin meerly to trouble the Saints spirit Thus Rabshakeh blasphemed and when desired to speak in another language he goes on the more to grieve them Sometimes you shall have a profane wretch knowing one to be consciencious and cannot brook to hear the Name of God taken in vain or the ways of God flouted will on purpose fall upon such discourse as shall grate his chaste eares and trouble his gracious spirit such a one strikes father and childe at one blow think it not enough to dishonour God except the Saint stands by to see and heare the wrong done to his heavenly Father Vse 2 Secondly This may afford matter of admiration and thankfulnesse to any of you O ye Saints who are not at this day under Satans hatches Is he so subtile to disquiet and hast thou any peace in thy conscience To whom art thou beholden for that serenity that is on thy spirit to none but thy God under whose wing thou sittest to warme and safe Is there not combustible matter enough in thy conscience for his sparks to kindle Perhaps thou hast not committed such bloody sins as others that 's not the reason of thy peace for the least is big enough to damne much more to trouble thee Thou hast not grossely fallen may be since Conversion that 's rare if thou beest of long standing yet the ghosts of thy unregenerate sins might walk in thy conscience thou hast had many testimonies of Gods favour hast thou not who more then David yet he at a losse sometimes learning to spell his evidences as if he could never have read them The sense of Gods love comes and goes with the present tast He that is in the dark while there sees not the more for former light O bless God for that light which shines in at thy window Satan is plotting to undermine thy comfort every day This Thief sees thy pleasant fruits as they hang and his teeth water at them but the wall is too high for him to climbe thy God keeps this Serpent out of thy Paradise 'T is not the grace of God in thee but the favour of God as a shield about thee defends thee from the wicked one Vse 3 Thirdly let Satans subtilty to molest your peace make thee O Christian more wise and wary thou hast not a fool to deale with but one that hath wit enough to spill thy comfort and spoil thy joy if not narrowly watch't this is the dainty bit he gapes for 't is not harder to keep the flies out of your Cup-boards in Summer from tainting your provision then Satan out of your consciences many a sweet meal hath he robbed the Saints of and sent them supperlesse to bed take heed therefore that he roams not thine away also CHAP. VII Containing some Directions tending to entrench and fortifie the Christian against the assaults and wiles of the devil as a Troubler of the soules Peace Quest HOw shall I stand in a defensive posture may the Christian say against these wiles of Satan as a Troubler SECT I. First if thou wouldest be guarded from him as a Troubler take heed of him as a seducer The hast of Satans hatchet with which he lies chopping at the root of the Christians comfort is
Satan though a General will shew little pity to a souldier that should traiterously throw down his armes and run to the enemy yet if another in fighting receives a wound and be worsted it will be no dishonour for him to expresse his pity and love no though he should send him out of the field in his own coach lay him in his own bed and appoint him his own Chirurgion God doth not encourage wickednesse in his Saints but pities weaknesse Even when the Saints fall into a sin in its nature presumptuous they do not commit it so presumptuously as others there is a part true to God in their bosomes though over-voted Moses spake unadvisedly but the devil had his instruments to provoke him quite against the good mans temper David numbers the people but see how the devil dogg'd and hunted him till at last he got the better 1 Chron. 21.1 Satan stood up and provoked David to number Israel How bravely did Job repel Satans darts no wonder if in such a shower some one should get between the joynts of his armour And for Peter we know good man with what a loyal heart yea zealous he went into the field though when the enemy appear'd his heart fail'd him Secondly consider but the way how God communicates his love after his Saints falls not in sinning or for sinning but in mourning and humbling their souls for their sins Indeed did God smile on them while acting sinfully this might strengthen their sin as wine in a feaver would the disease but when the fit is off the venome of the disease spent and breathed out in a kindly humiliation now the creature lies low Gods wine of comfort is a cordial to the drooping spirit not fuel for sin When David was led into temptation first he must be clad in sack-cloth and mourning and then God takes it off and puts on the garment of joy and praise 1 Chron. 21.10 15. Job though he exprest so much courage and patience yet bewraying some infirmities after he was baited long by so many fresh dogs men and devils he must cry peccavi and abhor himself in dust and ashes before God will take him into his armes Job 42.6 and the same way God takes with all his children Now to his Saints in such a posture God may with safety to his honour and their good give a larger draught of his love then ordinary their feares and sorrow which their sin hath cost them will serve instead of water to dash this strong wine of joy and take away its headinesse that it neither fume up into pride nor occasion them to reele backward into Apostasie Quest But why doth God now communicate his love Answ 1 First from his own pitiful nature You have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord that the Lordis very pitiful and of tender mercy God loves not to rake in bleeding wounds he knowes a mourning soul is subject to be discouraged A frown or an angry look from God whom the Saint so dearly loves must needs go near the heart therefore God declares himself at hand to revive such Isa 57 15. and he gives the reason verse 16. For I will not contend for ever neither will I be alwayes wreth for the spirit should faile before me Whose spirit is there meant not of the presumptuous sinner he goes on and never blunks but of the contrite and humble ones As the father observes the disposition of his children one commits a fault and goes on rebelliously despising his fathers anger another when offending him layes it to heart refuseth to eat gets into some corner to lament the displeasure of his father the father sees it and his bowels yerne towards him Indeed should he not put his childe out of feare by discovering his love the spirit of such a one would faile 't is not possible there should be a long breach between such a father and such a son the one relenting over his sin the other over his mourning son Secondly God doth thus to poure the greater shame upon Satan who is the great make-bate between God and the soule How is the man ashamed that hath stirr'd up variance between husband and wife father and son to see the breach made up and all set themselves against him It went ill on Christs side when Herod and Pilate were made friends and can it go well with Satan to see all well between God and his children If Esther be in favour Haman her enemy shall have his face covered Indeed this covers Satans face with shame to see a poor Saint even now his prisoner whom he had leave to rob and plunder tempt and disquiet now sitting in the Sun-shine of Gods love while he like a ravening Lion takes on for the losse of his prey Secondly Satans aime is to weaken the Saints faith on God and cool his love to God but befool'd in both for first God turnes their temptations yea their falls to the further establishment of their faith which like the tree stands stronger for its shaking or like the Gyant Anteus who in his wrestling with Hercules is feigned to get strength by every fall to the ground False faith indeed once foiled seldom comes on again but true faith riseth and fights more valiantly as we see in Peter and other Scripture-examples Temptation to faith is as fire to gold 1 Pet. 1.7 The fire doth not only discover which is true gold but makes the true gold more pure it comes out may be lesse in bulk and weight because severed from that soile and drosse which embased it but more in value and worth when Satan is bound up and the Christian walks under the shines of divine favour and encouragement of divine assistance his faith may appear great if compared with another under the withdrawings of God and buffetings of Satan but this is not equall judging as if to try who is biggest of two men we should measure one naked and the other over his clothes or in comparing two pieces of gold weigh one with the drosse and dirt it contracts in the purse with the other purged from these in the fire faith before temptation hath much heterogeneal stuffe that cleaves to it and goes for faith but when temptation comes these are discovered Now the Christian feels corruption stir which lay as dead before now a cloud comes between the soule and the sweet face of God the sense of which latter and the little sense of the other bore up his faith before but these bladders prick't he comes now to learne the true stroke in this heavenly Art of swimming on the promise having nothing else to beat him up but that and a little of this carries more of the precious nature of faith in it then all the other yea is like Gideons handful of men stronger when all these accessaries to faith are sent away then when they were present and here is all the devil gets in stead
is most personal that corruption which David calls his own iniquity Psal 18.23 This is the skirt which Satan layes hold of observe what it is and mortifie it daily then Satan will retreat with shame when he sees the head of that enemy upon the wall which should have betrayed thee into his hands Secondly the Romane wrestlers used to anoint their bodies so do thou bathe thy soul with the frequent meditation of Christs love Satan will finde little welcome where Christs love dwells love will kindle love and that will be as a wall of fire to keep off Satan it will make thee disdain the offer of a sinne and as oile supple thy joynts and make agile to offend thy enemy Think how Christ wrestled in thy quarrel sin hell and wrath had all come full mouth upon thee had not he coped with them in the way And canst thou finde in thy heart to requite his love by betraying his glory into the hands of sin by cowardise or treachery say not thou lovest him so long as thou canst lay those sins in thy bosome which pluck't his heart out of his bosome It were strange if a childe should keep and delight to use no other knife but that wherewith his father was stabb'd Thirdly improve the advantage thou gettest at any time wisely Sometimes the Christian hath his enemy on the hip yea on the ground can set his foot on the very neck of his pride and throw away his unbelief as a thing absurd and unreasonable now as a wise wrestler fall with all thy weight upon thine enemy though man think it foule play to strike when his adversary is down yet do not thou so complement with sin as to let it breath or rise Take heed thou beest not charged of God as once Ahab for letting go this enemy now in thy hands whom God hath appointed to destruction Learne a little wisdome of the Serpents brood who when they had Christ under their foot never thought they had him sure enough no not when dead and therefore both seale and watch his grave Thus do thou to hinder the resurrection of thy sin seal it down with stronger purposes solemn covenants and watch it by a wakeful circumspect walking Vse 3 This is ground of consolation to the weak Christian who disputes against the truth of his grace from the inward conflicts and fightings he hath with his lusts and is ready to say like Gideon in regard of outward enemies If God be with me why is all this befallen me why do I finde such struglings in me provoking me to sin pulling me back from that which is good Why doest ask The Answer is soon given because thou art a Wrestler not a Conquerour Thou mistakest the state of a Châ—istian in this life when one is made a Christian he is not presently call'd to triumph over his slaine enemies but carried into the field to meet and fight them The state of grace is rhe commencing of a war against sin not the ending of it rather then thou shalt not have an enemy to wrestle with God himself will come in a disguise into the field and appear to be thine enemy Thus when Jacob was alone a man wrestled with him until breaking of the day and therefore set thy heart at rest if this be thy scruple Thy soule may rather take comfort in this that thou art a wrestler This strugling within thee if upon the right ground and to the right end doth evidence there are two Nations within thee two contrary natures the one from earth earthly and the other from heaven heavenly yea for thy further comfort know though thy corrupt nature be the elder yet it shall serve the younger Vse 4 O how should this make thee Christian long to be gone home where there is none of this stir and scuffle 'T is strange that every houre seems not a day and everyday a year till death sounds thy joyful retreat and calls thee off the field where the bullets flie so thick and thou art fighting for thy life with thy deadly enemies to come to Court where not swords but palmes are seen in the Saints hands not drums but harps not groanes of bleeding souldiers and wounded consciences but sweet and ravishing musick is heard of triumphing Victors caroling the praises of God and the Lambe through whom they have overcome Well Christians while you are below comfort your selves with these things There is a place of Rest remains for the people of God You do not beat the aire but wrestle for a Heaven that is yonder above these clouds you have your worst first the best will follow You wrestle but to win a Crown and win to wear it yea wear never to lose it which once on none shall take off or put you to the hazard of battel more Here we overcome to fight again the battel of one temptation may be over but the war remaines What peace can we have as long as devils can come abroad out of their holes or anything of sinful nature remains in our selves unmortified which will even fight upon its knees and strike with one arme while the other is cut off but when death comes the last stroak is struck this good Physician will perfectly cure thee of thy spiritual blindnesse and lamenesse as the Martyr told his fellow at the stake bloody Bonner would do their bodily What is it Christian which takes away the joy of thy life but the wrestlings and combates which this bosome-enemy puts thee to Is not this the Peninnah that vexing and disturbing thy Spirit hath kept thee off many a sweet meale thou mightest have had in communion with God and his Saints or if thou hast come hath made thee cover the Altar of God with thy teares and groans and will it not be a happy hand that cuts the knot and sets thee loose from thy deadnesse hypocrisie pride and what not wherewith thou wert yoak't 'T is life which is thy losse and death which is thy gaine Be but willing to endure the rending of this vaile of thy flesh and thou art where thou wouldest be out of the reach of sin at rest in the bosome of thy God And why should a short evil of paine affright thee more then the deliverance from a continual torment of sins evil ravish thee Some you know have chose to be cut rather then to be ground daily with the stone and yet may be their pain comes again and canst thou not quietly think of dying to be delivered from the torment of these sins never to return more And yet that is not the half that death doth for thee Peace is sweet after war ease after pain but what tongue can expresse what joy what glory must fill the creature at the first sight of God and that blessed company none but one that dwells there can tell Did we know more of that blisseful state we Ministers should finde it as hard a work to perswade Christians to be
God proclaims so much and would have the proud man know where-ever he meets him he will oppose him he resists the proud Great gifts are beautiful as Rachel but pride makes them also barren like her Either we must lay self aside or God will lay us aside Secondly pride of gifts hinders the receiving of good from others Pride fills the soule and a full soul will take nothing from God much lesse from man to do it good Such a one is very dainty It is not every Sermon though wholesom food nor every prayer though savoury will go down he must have a choice dish he thinks he hath better then this of his own and is such a one like to get good And truly we may see it that as the plain Plowman that can eate of any homely food if wholesome hath more health and is able to do more work in a day then many enjoy or can do in their whole life that are nice squeamish and courtly in their fare so the humble Christian that can feed on plain truths and Ordinances which have not so much of the Art of man to commend them to their palate enjoy more of God and can do more for God then the nicer sort of Professours who are all to be served in a lordly dish of rare gifts The Church of Corinth was famous for gifts above other Churches 1 Cor. 1. but not in grace none so charged for weaknesse in that 1 Cor. 3.2 he calls them carnal babes in Christ so weak as not able to digest mans meat I havé fed you saith Paul with milk and not with meat for hitherto ye were not able to beare it neither yet now are ye able Why what is the matter the reason lies verse 3. Ye are carnal there is among you envie and strife v. 4 One saith I am of Paul another I am of Apollos Pride makes them take parts and make sides one for this Preacher another for that as they fancied one to excel another And this is not the way to thrive Pride destroyes love and love wanting edification is lost The devil hath made foul work in the Church by this engine Zanchy tells of one in Geneva who being desired to go hear Viretus that preach't at the same time with Calvin answered his friend If Paul were to preach relicto Paulo Calvinum audirem I would leave Paul himself to heaâ— Calvin And will pride in the gifts of another so far transport even to the borders of blasphemy what work then will pride make when the gifts are a mans own SECT II. Vse 1 Doth Satan thus stir up Saints to this spiritual pride of gifts first here is a word to you that have mean gifts yet truth of grace be content with thy condition Perhaps when thou hearest others how enlargedly they pray how able to discourse of the truths of God and the like thou art ready to go into a corner and mourn to think how weak thy memory how dull thy apprehension how straitened thy spirit hardly able though in secret to utter and expresse thy minde to God in prayer O thou art ready to think those the happy men and women and almost murmur at thy condition well canst thou not say though I have not words I hope I have faith I cannot dispute for the truth but I am willing to suffer for it I cannot remember a Sermon but I never hear the Word but I hate sin and love Christ more then ever Lord thou knowest I love thee Truly Christian thou hast the better part thou little think'st what a mercy may be wrapt up even in the meannes of thy gifts or what temptations their gifts expose them to which God for ought I know may in mercy deny thee Josephs coat made him finer then his brethren but this caused all his trouble this set the Archers a shooting their arrows into his side thus great gifts lift a Saint up a little higher in the eyes of men but it occasions many temptations which thou meetest not with that art kept low what with envie from their brethren malice from Satan and pride in their own hearts I dare say none finde so hard a work to go to heaven as such much ado to bear up against those waves and windes while thou creepest along the shore under the winde to heaven It is with such as with some great Lord of little estate a meaner man oft hath money in his purse when he hath none and can lâ—nd his Lordship some at a need great gifts and parts are titles of honour among men but many such may come and borrow grace and comfort of a mean gifted brother possibly the Preacher of his poor neighbour O poor Christian do not murmur or envy them but rather pity and pray for them they need it more then others his gifts are thine thy grace is for thy self thou art like a Merchant that hath his Factour goes to sea but he hath his Adventure without hazard brought home Thou joynest with him in prayer hast the help of his gifts but not the temptation of his pride Vse 2 Secondly doth Satan labour thus to draw to pride of gifts this speaks a word to you to whom God hath given more gifts then ordinary beware of pride that is now your snare Satan is at work if possible he will turne your Artillery against your selfe thy safety lies in thy humility if this lock be cut the legions of hell are on thee Remember whom thou wrestlest with spiritual wickednesse and their play is to lift up that they may give the sorer fall Now the more to stir up thy heart against it I shall adde some soul-humbling considerations First consider these spiritual gifts are not thy own and wilt thou be proud of anothers bounty Is not God the Founder and can he not soon be the Confounder of thy gifts thou that art proud of thy gourd what wilt thou be when it is gone surely then thou wilt be peevish and angry and truly thou takest the course to be strip't of them Gifts come on other termes then grace God gives grace as a free-hold it hath the promise of this and another world but gifts come on liking though a father will not cast off his childe yet he may take away his fine coat and ornaments if proud of them Secondly gifts are not meerly for thy self As the light of the Sun is ministeriall it shines not for it self so all thy gifts are for others Gifts for the edifying of the body Suppose a man should leave a chest of money in your hands to be distributed to others what folly is it in this man to put this into his own Inventory and applaud himself that he hath so much money Poor soul thou art but Gods Executour and by that time thou hast paid all the Legacies thou wilt see little left for thee to brag and boast of Thirdly know Christian thou shalt be accountable for these talents now with what face
the most Saint-like conversation that ever any lived on earth yet if this be thy shelter against the evil day thou wilt perish No salvation when that flood comes but Christ yea being in Christ hanging on the out-side of the Ark by a specious Profession will not save Me thinks I see how those of the old world ran for their lives some to this hill and others to that high tree and how the waves pursued them till at last they were swept into the devouring flood Such will your end be that turn any other way for help then to Christ yet the Ark waits on you yea comes up close to your gate to take you in Noah did not put forth his hand more willingly to take in the dove then Christ doth to receive those who flie to him for refuge O reject not your own mercies for lying vanity Vse 3 Let it put thee upon the enquiry whoever thou art whether thou beest in a posture of defence for this evil day Ask thy soul soberly and solemnly Art thou provided for this day this evil day how couldest thou part with what that will take away and welcome what it will certainly bring Death comes with a voider to carry away all thy carnal enjoyments and to bring thee up a reckoning for them O canst thou take thy leave of the one and with peace and confidence reade the other will it not affright thee to have thy health and strength turn'd into faintnesse and feeblenesse thy sweet nights of rest into waking eyes and restlesse tossings up and down thy voice that has so often chanted to the viol to be now acquainted with no other tune but sighs and groans O how canst thou look upon thy sweet and dear relations with thoughts of removing from them yea behold the instrument as it were whetting that shall give the fatal stroke to sever soul and body think that thou wert now half dead in thy members that are most remote from the fountain of life and death to have but a few moments journey before it arrive to thy heart and so beat thy last breath out of thy body Possibly the inevitable necessity of these do make thee to harden thy self against them this might indeed in some Heathen that is not resolv'd whether there be another world or no help a little to blunt the edge of that terrour which otherwise would cut deeper in his amazed heart But if thou believest another world and that judgement which stands at deaths back ready to allot thee thy unchangeable state in blisse or misery surely thou canst not relieve thy awakened conscience with such a poor cordial O therefore think what answer thou meanest to give unto the great God at thy appearing before him when he shall ask thee what thou canst say why the sentence of eternal damnation should not then be pronounced against thee Truly we deale unfaithfully with our owne soules if we bring not our thoughts to this issue If now you should ask how you should provide against the evill day so that you may stand before that dreadful bar and live so in the mean time that you might not be under a slavish bondage through the fearful expectation of it Take it in a few directions First if ever you would have a blessed issue of this evil day so as to stand in judgement before the great God rest not till thou hast got into a Covenant-relation with Christ Dying Davids living comfort was drawn from the Covenant God had made with him this was all his desire and all his salvation how canst thou put thy head into the other world without horrour if thou hast not solid ground that Christ will own thee for his Heaven hath its proper heires and so hath hell The heires of heaven are such as are in Covenant with God The foundation of it was laid in a Covenant and all the mansions there are prepared for a people in Covenant with him Gather my Saints together that have made a Covenant with me But how mayest thou get into this Covenant-relation First break thy covenant with sin Thou art by nature a covenant-servant to sin and Satan may be thou hast not expresly in words and formally as witches seal'd this covenant yet virtually as thou hast done the work of Satan and been at the command of thy lusts accepting the reward of unrighteousnesse the pleasure and carnal advantages they have paid thee in for the same therein thou hast declared thy self to be so Now if ever thou wilt be taken into Covenant with God break this a Covenant with hell and heaven cannot stand together Secondly betroth thy self to Christ The Covenant of grace is the joynture which God settles only upon Christs Spouse Rebeccah had not the Jewels and costly raiment till she was promised to become Isaaks wife Gen. 24.53 All the Promises are Yea and Amen in Christ If once thou receivest Christ with him thou receivest them He that owes the tree hath right to all the fruit that is on it Now that thou mayest not huddle up a marriage between Christ and thee so as to be disown'd of Christ and it prove a nullity at last it behooves thee to look to it that there be found in thee what Christ expects in every soul that he espouseth First therefore consider whether thou canst heartily love the person of Christ Look wishly on him again and again as he is set forth in all his spiritual excellencies are they such as thy heart can close with doth his holy nature and all those heavenly graces with which he is beautified render him desirable to thee or couldest thou like him better if he were not so precise and exactly holy yea is thy heart so inflamed with a desire of him that thou canst love him with a conjugal love A woman may love one as a friend whom she cannot love so as to make him her husband A friendly love may stand with a love of some other equal to it yea Superiour But a conjugal love is such as will bear neither canst thou finde in thy heart to forsake all other and cleave to Christ does thy heart speak thee ready and present thee willing to go with thy sweet Jesus though he carry thee from father and fathers house Is thy confidence such of his power to protect thee from all thy enemies sin wrath and hell that thou canst resolvedly put the life of thy soul into his hands to be saved by the sole vertue of his blood and strength of his omnipotent arme and of his care to provide for thee for this life and the other that rhou canst acquiesce in what he promiseth to do for thee In a word if thou hast Christ thou must not only love him but for his sake all thy new Kindred which by thy marriage to him thou shalt be allied unto How canst thou fadge to call the Saints thy brethren canst thou love them heartily and forget all the old grudges thou
this Point will fall in under the next which is CHAP. IV. Of acting our faith on the Almighty Power of God as engaged for our help THat it is the Saints duty and should be their care not only to believe God Almighty but also strongly to believe that this Almighty Power of God is theirs that is engaged for their defence and help so as to make use of it in all straits and temptations SECT I. First I shall prove that the Almighty Power of God is engaged for the Christians defence with the grounds of it Secondly why the Christian should strongly act his faith on this First the Almighty Power of God is engaged for the Saints defence God brought Israel out of Egypt with an high hand but did he set them down on the other side the Red-sea to finde and force their way to Canaan by their own policie or power When he had opened the iron gate of their house of bondage and brought them into the open fields did he vanish as the Angel from Peter when out of prison No as a man carries his son so the Lord bare them in all the way they went Deut. 1.31 This doth lively set forth the Saints march to heaven God brings a soule out of spiritual Egypt by his converting grace that is the day of his power wherein he makes the soule willing to come out of Satans clutches Now when the Saint is upon his march all the countrey riseth upon him How shall this poore creature passe the pikes and get safely by all his enemies borders God himself infolds him in the arme of his everlasting strength We are kept by the Power of God through faith unto salvation 1 Pet. 1.5 The Power of God is that shoulder on which Christ carries his sheep home rejoycing all the way he goes Luke 15.5 These everlasting armes of his strength are those Eagles wings upon which the Saints are both tenderly and securely conveyed to glory Exod. 19.4 There is a five fold tie or engagement that lies upon Gods power to be the Saints life-guard First the near relation he hath to his Saints they are his own dear children every one takes care of his own the silly Hen how doth she bussle and bestir her self to gather her brood under her wing when the Kite appears No care like that which Nature teacheth How much more will God who is the Father of such dispositions in his creature stir up his whole strength to defend his children He said They are my people so be became their Saviour Isa 33.8 As if God had said Shall I sit still with my hand in my bosome while my own people are thus misused before my face I cannot beare it The Mother as she sits in her house heares one shreek and knowes the voice cries out O 't is my childe away she throws all and runs to him Thus God takes the alarm of his childrens cry I heard Ephraim bemoaning himself saith the Lord his cry pierced his eare and his eare affected his bowels and his bowels call'd up his power to the rescue of him Secondly the dear love he beareth to his Saints engageth his power He that hath Gods heart cannot want his arme Love in the creature commands all the other affections sets all the powers of the whole man on work thus in God love sets all his other attributes on work when God once pitch't his thoughts of doing good to lost man then wisdom fell on projecting the way Almighty power that undertook to raise the fabrick according to wisdomes modell All are ready to effect what God saith he likes Now the believing soule is an object of Gods choicest love even the same with which he loves his Son John 17.26 First God loves the believer as the birth of his everlasting counsel when a soul believes then Gods eternal purpose and counsel concerning him whom he chose in Christ before the foundation of the world and with whom his thoughts went so long big brings forth And how must God needs love that creature whom he carried so long in the wombe of his eternal purpose This goodly Fabrick of heaven and earth had not been built but as a stage whereon he would in time act what he decreed in heaven of old concerning the saving of thee and a few more his Elect and therefore according to the same rate of delight with which God pleased and entertained himself in the thoughts of this before the world was must he needs rejoyce over the soule now believing with love and complacency unconceivable and God having brought his counsel thus far towards its issue surely will raise all the power he hath rather then be disappointed of his glory within a few steps of home I mean his whole design in the believers salvation The Lord who hath chosen his Saints as Christ prayes for Joshua their representative will rebuke Satan and all their enemies Secondly God loves his Saints as the purchase of his Sons blood they cost him dear and that which is so hardly got shall not be easily lost He that was willing to expend his Sons blood to gain them will not deny his power to keep them Thirdly God loves the Saints for their likenesse to himselfe so that if he loves himself he cannot but love himself appearing in them and as he loves himself in them so he defends himself in defending them What is it in a Saint that enrageth hell but the image of God without which the war would soon be at an end It is the hatred the Panther hath to man that makes him flie at his picture For thy sake we are slain all the day long and if the quarrel be Gods surely the Saint shall not go forth to war at his own cost Thirdly the Covenant engageth Gods Almighty power Gen. 17.1 I am the Almighty God walk before me There is a League offensive and defensive between God and his Saints he gives it under his hand that he will put forth the whole power of his Godhead for them 1 Chron. 17.24 The Lord of Hostes is the God of Israel even a God to Israel God doth not parcel himself out by retaile but gives his Saints leave to challenge whatever a God hath as theirs and let him whoever he is sit in Gods throne and take away his crown that can fasten any untruth on the Holy One as his Name is so is his Nature a God keeping Covenant for ever The Promises stand as the mountains about Jerusalem never to be removed the weak as wel as the strong Christian is within this line of Communication Were Saints to fight it out in open field by the strength of their own grace then the strong were more likely to stand and the weak to fall in battel but both castled in the Covenant are alike safe Fourthly the Saints dependance on God and expectation from God in all their straits oblige his power for their succour whither doth a gracious soule
faithful Creatour Secondly improve this Almighty power of God and thy interest therein in temptations to sin when thou art over-powered and fliest before the face of thy strong corruption or fearest thou shalt one day fall by it make bold to take hold of this attribute and re-inforce thy self from it again to resist and in resisting to believe a timely victory over it The Almighty God stands in sight of thee while thou art in the valley fighting and stayes but for a call from thee when distressed in battel and then he will come to thy rescue Jehoshaphat cried when in the throng of his enemies and the Lord helped him much more mayest thou promise thy self his succour in thy soul-combates Betake thy self to the throne of grace with that promise Sin shall not have dominion over you and before thou urgest it the more to help thy faith comfort thy self with this that though this word Almighty is not exprest yet it is implied in this and every promise and thou mayest without adding a title to the Word of God read it in thy soul sin shall not have dominion over you saith the Almighty God for this and all his attributes are the constant seale to all his promises Now soule put the bond in suit fear not the recovery 't is debt and so due He is able whom thou suest and so there is no feare of losing the charge of the suit and he that was so gracious to binde himself when he was free will be so faithful being able to perform now he is bound only while thou expectest the performance of the promise and the assistance of this Almighty power against thy corruptions take heed that thou keep under the shadow of this attribute and condition of this promise The shadow will not cool except in it what good to have the shadow though of a mighty rock when we sit in the open Sun To have Almighty power engaged for us and we to throw our selves out of the protection thereof by bold salleys into the mouth of temptation The Saints falls have been when they run out of their trench and hold for like the conies they are a weak people in themselves and their strength lies in the rock of Gods Almightinesse which is their habitation Thirdly Christian improve this when opprest with the weight of any duty and service which in thy place and calling lies upon thee Perhaps thou findest the duty of thy calling too heavy for thy weak shoulders make bold by faith to lay the heaviest end of thy burden on Gods shoulder which is thine if a believer as sure as God can make it by promise When at any time thou art sick of thy work and ready to think with Jonas to run from it encourage thy selfe with that of God to Gideon whom he call'd from the flaile to thresh the mountains Go in this thy might hath not God call'd thee fall to the work God sets thee about and thou engagest his strength for thee The way of the Lord is strength Run from thy work and thou engagest Gods strength against thee he 'll send some storme or other after thee to bring home his runaway servant How oft hath the Coward been kill'd in a ditch or under some hedge when the valiant souldier that stood his ground and kept his place got off with safety and honour Art thou call'd to suffer flinch not because thou art afraid thou shalt never be able to bear the crosse God can lay it so even thou shalt not feel it though thou shouldest finde no succour till thou comest to the prison-door yea till thou hast one foot on the ladder or thy neck on the block despair not In the Mount will the Lord be seen And in that houre he can give thee such a look of his sweet face as shall make the blood come in the gastly face of a cruel death and appear lovely in thy eye for his sake He can give thee so much comfort in hand as thou shalt acknowledge God is aforehand with thee for all thy shame pain thou canst endure for him And if it should not amount to this yet so much as will bear all thy charges thou canst be put to in the way lies ready told in that promise 1 Cor. 10.13 Thou shalt have it at sight and this may satisfie a Christian especially if he considers though he doth not carry so much of heavens joy about him to heaven as others yet he shall meet it as soon as he comes to his Fathers house where it is reserved for him In a word Christian relie upon thy God and make thy daily applications to the throne of grace for continual supplies of strength you little think how kindly he takes it that you will make use of him the oftner the better and the more you come for the more welcome else why would Christ have told his disciples Hitherto ye have ask't nothing but to expresse his large heart in giving loath to put his hand to his purse for a little and therefore by a familiar kind of Rhetorick puts them to rise higher in asking as Naaman when Gehazi asks one talent entreats him to take two such a bountiful heart thy God hath while thou art asking a little peace and joy he bids thee open thy mouth wide and hee 'l fill it Go and ransack thy heart Christian from one end to the other finde out thy wants acquaint thy selfe with all thy weaknesses and set them before the Almighty as the Widow her empty vessels before the Prophet hadst thou more then thou canst bring thou mayest have them all fill'd God hath strength enough to give but he hath no strength to deny here the Almighty himselfe with reverence be it spoken is weak even a childe the weakest in grace of his family that can but say Father is able to overcome him and therefore let not the weaknesse of thy faith encourage thee No greater motive to the bowels of mercy to stir up Almighty power to relieve thee then thy weaknesse when pleaded in the sense of it The pale face and thin cheeks I hope move more with us then the canting language of a stout sturdy beggar Thus that soule that comes laden in the sense of his weak faith love patience the very weaknesse of them carries an argument along with them for succour CHAP. V. Wherein is answered a grand Objection that some disconsolate soules may raise against the former Discourse Object O But saith some disconsolate Christian I have prayed again and again for strength against such a corruption and to this day my hands are weak and these sons of Zerviah are so strong that I am ready to say all the Preachers do but flatter me that do poure their oyle of comfort upon my head and tell me I shall at last get the Conquest of these mine enemies and see that joyful day wherein with David I shall sing to the Lord for delivering me out of the
doest not go up to heaven and pry into Gods secrets but heaven comes down to thee and reveals them Again he will ask the Christian what was the time of his Conversion Art thou a Christian will he say and dost thou not know when thou commencedst now keep the Plains content thy self with this that thou seest the streams of grace though the time of thy Conversion be like the head of Nylus not to be found God oft comes betimes before grosse sins have deflowered the soule and steals into the creatures bosome without much noise In such a case Satan doth but abuse thee when he sends thee on this errand you may know the Sun is up though you did not observe when it rose Again what will become of thee saith Satan if God should bring thee into such an affliction on trial when thou must burn or turn or when all thy outward estate shall be rent from thee no meal in the barrel no money in the purse darest thou have so good an opinion of thy selfe as to think that thy faith will hold out in such an houre of temptation It thou hast but half an eye Christian thou mayest see what Satan drives at this is an ensnaring question by the feare of future troubles he labours to bring thee into a neglect of thy present duty and indispose thee also for such a stare whenever it falls If a man hath much businesse to do on the morrow 't is his wisdom to discharge his minde thereof when composing to sleep lest the thoughts thereof break his rest and make him the more unfit in the morning The lesse rest the soule hath in God and his promise concerning future events the lesse strength it will finde to beare them when the pinch comes When therefore thou art molested with such feares pacifie thy heart with these three plain Conclusions First every event is the product of Gods Providence not a sparrow much lesse a Saint falls to the ground by poverty sicknesse persecution c. but the hand of God is in it Secondly God hath put in caution he will never leave thee nor forsake thee He that enables thee in one condition will in another God learns his servants their whole trade Grace is an universal principle At the first moment of thy spiritual life suffering grace was infused as well as praying grace Thirdly God is wise to conceale the succours he intends in the several changes of thy life that so he may draw thy heart into an entire dependance on his faithful promise Thus to try the mettal of Abrahams faith he let him go on till his hand was stretch't forth and then he comes to his rescue Christ sends his disciples to sea but stayes behinde himself on a design to try their faith and shew his love Comfort thy self therefore with this though thou seest not thy God in the way yet thou shalt finde him in the end Secondly Satan perplexeth the tender consciences of doubting Christians with obscure Scriptures whose sense lies too deep for their weak and distempered judgements readily to finde out and with these he hampers poor soules exceedingly indeed as melancholy men delight in melancholy walks so doubting soules most frequent such places of Scripture in their musing thoughts as encrease their doubts how many have I known that have look't so long on those difficult places Heb. 6.7 Heb. 10.26 which passe the understanding as a swift stream the eye so that the sense is not perceived without great observation till their heads have turned round and they at last not able to untie the difficulties have fallen down into despairing thoughts and words of their own condition crying out O they have sinned against knowledge of the truth and therefore no mercy remains for them who if they would have refreshed their understandings by looking off these places whose engraving is too curious to be long pored on by a weak eye they might have found that in other Scriptures plainly exprest which would have enabled them as through a glasse more safely to have viewed these Therefore Christian keepe the Plaines thou mayest be sure 't is thine enemy that gives thee such stones to break thy teeth when thy condition calls rather for bread and wine such Scriptures I mean as are most apt to nourish thy faith and cheere thy drooping spirit When thou meetest such plain Scriptures which speak to thy case go over where it is fordable and do not venture beyond thy depth Art thou afraid because thou hast sinned since the knowledge of the truth and therefore no sacrifice remains for thee See David and Peters case how it patterns thine and left upon record that their recovery may be a Key in thine hand to open such places as these mayest thou not safely conclude from these this is not their meaning that none can be saved that sin after knowledge Indeed in both those places it is neither meant of the falls of such as ever had true grace nor of a falling away in some particular acts of sin but of a total universal falling away from the Faith the doctrine of it as well as seeming practice of it Now if the root of the matter were ever in thee other Scriptures will first comfort thee against those particular apostasies into which thou hast relapsed by sweet promises inviting such to return and Precedents of Saints who have had peace spoken to them after such folly and also they will satisfie thee against the other by giving full security to thy faith that thy little grace shall not die being immortal though not in its proper essence because but a creature yet by Covenant as it is a childe of Promise Thirdly Dark Providences From these Satan disputes against Gods love to and grace in a soule First he got a commission to plunder Job of his temporal estate and bereave him of his chilchildren and then labours to make him question his spiritual estate and sonship his wife would have him entertain hard thoughts of God saying Curse God and die and his friends as hard thoughts of himself as if he were an hypocrite and both upon the same mistake as if such an afflicted condition and a gracious state were inconsistent Now Christian keep the Plaines and neither from this charge God foolishly for thine enemy nor thy self as his Reade the saddest Providence with the Comment of the Word and thou canst not make such an harsh interpretation As God can make a streight line with a crooked stick be righteous when he useth wicked instruments so also gracious when he dispenseth harsh Providences Joseph kept his love when he spake roughly to his brethren I do not wonder that the wicked think they have Gods blessing because they are in the warme Sun Alas they are strangers to Gods counsels void of his Spirit and sensual judging of God and his Providence by the report their present feeling makes of them like little children who think every one loves
them that gives them plums But 't is strange that a Saint should be at a losse for his afflicted state when he hath a Key to decipher Gods character Christian hath not God secretly instructed thee by his Spirit from the Word how to reade the short-hand of his Providence doest not thou know that the Saints afflictions stand for blessings Every son whom he loves he corrects and prosperity in a wicked state must it not be read a curse doth not God damne such to be rich honourable victorious in this world as well as to be tormented in another world God gives them more of these then they seem to desire sometimes and all to binde them faster up in a deep sleep of security as Jael served Sisera he shall have milk though he asked but water that she might naile him the surer to the ground Milk having a property as some write to encline to sleep SECT IV. Fourthly be careful to keep thy old receits which thou hast had from God for the pardon of thy sins There are some gaudy dayes and Jubilee-like Festivals when God comes forth clothed with the robes of his mercy and holds forth the Scepter of his grace more familiarly to his children then ordinary bearing witnesse to their faith sincerity c. and then the firmament is clear not a cloud to be seen to darken the Christians comfort Love and joy are the soules repast and pastime while this feast lasts Now when God withdrawes and this chear is taken off Satans work is how he may deface and weare off the remembrance of this testimony which the soule so triumphs in for its spiritual standing that he may not have it as an evidence when he shall bring about the suite again and put the soule to produce his writings for his spiritual state or renounce his claim It behoves thee therefore to lay them up safely such a testimony may serve to non-suit thy accuser many yeares hence one affirmative from Gods mouth for thy pardoned state carries more weight though of old date then a thousand negatives from Satans Davids Songs of old spring in with a light to his soule in his midnight-sorrowes Quest But what counsel would you give me saith the distressed soul who cannot fasten on my former comforts nor dare to vouch those evidences which once I thought true I finde indeed there have been some treaties of old between God and my soule some hopes I have had but these are now so defaced and interlined with back-slidings repentances and falls again that now I question all my evidences whether true or counterfeit what should one in this case do Answ First renew thy repentance as if thou hadst never repented Put forth fresh acts of faith as if thou hadst never believed This seriously done will stop Satans mouth with an unexpected answer Let him object against thy former actings as hypocritical what can he say against thy present repenting and beleeving which if true sets thee beyond his shot It will be harder for Satan to disprove the present workings of Gods gracious Spirit whilest the impressions thereof are fresh then to pick an hole in thy old deeds and evidences Acts are transient and as wicked men look at sins committed many yeares since as little or none by reason of that breadth of time which interposeth so the Christian upon the same account stands at great disadvantage to take the true aspect of those acts of grace which so long ago passed between God and him though sometimes even these are of great use As God can make a sinner possesse the sins of his youth as if they were newly acted to his terrour in his old age so God can present the comforts and evidences which of old the Saint received with those very thoughts he had then of them as if they were fresh and new And therefore secondly If yet he haunts thee with the feares of thy spiritual estate ply thee to the throne of grace and beg a new copy of thy old evidence which thou hast lost The Original is in the Pardon-Office in Heaven whereof Christ is Master if thou beest a Saint thy name is upon record in that Court make thy moane to God heare what newes from Heaven rather then listen to the tales which are brought by thine enemie from hell Did such reason lesse with Satan and pray over their feares more to God they might sooner be resolved Can you expect truth from a liar and comfort from an enemy Did he ever prophesie well of believers Was not Job the Devils hypocrite whom God vouch't for a non-such in holinesse and prov'd him so at last If he knew thou wert a Saint would he tell thee so if an hypocrite he would be as loath thou shouldest know it turn thy back therefore on him and go to thy God feare not but sooner or later he will give his hand again to thy Certificate But look thou doest not rashly passe a censure on thy self because a satisfactory answer is not presently sent at thy desire the Messenger may stay long and bring good newes at last Thirdly shun battel with thine enemy while thou art in a fitter posture and that thou mayest draw into thy trenches and make an honourable retreat into those fastnesses and strengths which Christ hath provided for his sick and wounded souldiers Now there are two places of advantage into which deserted souls may retire the Name of God and the absolute Promises of the Gospel these I may call the faire Havens which are then chiefly of use when the storme is so great that the ship cannot live at sea O saith Satan doest thou hope to see God none but the pure in heart shall be blest with that vision Think'st thou to have comfort that is the portion of the Mourners in spirit Now soule though thou canst not say in the hurry of temptation thou art the pure and the Mourner in spirit yet then say thou believest God is able to work these in thee yea hath promised such a mercy to poor sinners 't is his Covenant He will give a new heart a clean heart a soft heart and here I wait knowing as there was nothing in the creature to move the great God to make such Promises so there can be nothing in the creature to hinder the Almighty his performance of them where and when he pleaseth This act of faith accompanied with a longing desire after that grace thou canst not yet finde and an attendance on the meanes though it will not fully satisfie all thy doubts may be yet will keep thy head above water that thou despairest not and such a shore thou need'st in this case or the house falls Fourthly If yet Satan dogs thee call in help and keep not the devils counsel The very strength of some temptations lies in the concealing of them and the very revealing of them to some faithful friend like the opening and pricking of an imposthume gives the soule present ease
of destroying his faith which he aimes at he is the occasion of the refining of it and thereby adding to its strength Secondly the love of tempted Saints is enkindled to Christ by their temptations and foiles in their temptations Possibly in the fit there may seem a damp upon their love as when water is first sprinkled upon the fire but when the Conflict is a little over and the Christian comes to himself his love to Christ will break out like a vehement flame First the shame and sorrow which a gracious soule must needs feele in his bosome for his sinful miscarriage while under the temptation will provoke him to expresse his love to Christ above others as is sweetly set forth in the Spouse who when the cold fit of her distemper was off and the temptation over bestirs her to purpose her lazy sicknesse is turned to love-sicknesse she findes it as hard now to sit as she did before to rise she can rest in no place out of her Beloveds sight but runs and asks every one she meets for him and whence came all this vehemency of her zeale all occasioned by her undutiful carriage to her husband she parted so unkindly with him that bethinking what she had done away she goes to make her peace If sins committed in unregeneracy have such a force upon a gracious soule that the thought of them though pardoned will still break and melt the heart into sorrow as we see in Magdalen and prick on to shew zeal for God above others as in Paul how much more will the sins of a Saint who after sweet acquaintance with Jesus Christ lifts up the heel against that bosome where he hath layen affect yea dissolve the heart as into so many drops of water and that sorrow provoke him to serve God at a higher rate then others No childe so dutiful in all the family as he who is return'd from his rebellion Again secondly as his own shame so the experience which such a one hath of Christs love above others will encrease his love Christs love is fuel to ours Ex iisdem nutrimur quibus constamus as it gives its being so it affords growth It is both Mother and Nurse to our love The more Christ puts forth his love the more heat our love gets and next to Christs dying love none greater then his succouring love in temptation The Mother never hath such advantage to shew her affection to her childe as when in distresse sick poor or imprisoned so neither hath Christ to his children as when tempted yea worsted by temptation When his children lie in Satans prison bleeding under the wounds of their consciences this is the season he takes to give an experiment of his tender heart in pitying his faithfulnesse in praying for them his mindfulnesse in sending succour to them yea his dear love in visiting them by his comforting Spirit Now when the soul hath got off some great temptation and reades the whole history thereof together wherein he findes what his own weaknesse was to resist Satan nay his unfaithfulnesse in complying with Satan which might have provok't Christ to leave him to the fury of Satan now to see both his folly pardoned and ruine graciously prevented and that by no other hand but Christs coming in to his rescue as Abishai to David when that gyant thought to have flaine him This must needs exceedingly endear Christ to the soul At the reading of such records the Christian cannot but enquire as Ahashuerus concerning Mordecai who by discovering a treason had saved the Kings life what honour hath been done to his sweet Saviour for all this And thus Jesus Christ whom Satan thought to bring out of the soules favour and liking comes in the end to sit higher and surer in the Saints affections then ever CHAP. X. A brief Application of the Point in two Branches Vse 1 THis affords a reason why God suffers his dear children to fall into temptation because he is able to out-shoot Satan in his own bowe and in the thing wherein he thinks to out-wit the Christian to be above him God will not only be admired by his Saints in glory for his love in their salvation but for his wisdom in the way to it The love of God in saving them will be the sweet draught at the marriage-feast and the rare wisdom of God in effecting this as the curious workmanship with which the cup shall be enamel'd Now wisdom appears most in untying knots and wading through difficulties The more crosse wards there are in a businesse the more wisdome to fit a key to the lock to make choice of such means as shall meet with the several turnings in the same On purpose therefore doth God suffer such temptations to intervene that his wisdom may be the more admired in opening all these and leading his Saints that way to glory by which Satan thought to have brought them to hell The Israelites are bid remember all the way that God led them in the wildernesse for fourty yeares Deut. 8.2 The History of these warres Christian will be pleasant to reade in heaven though bloody to fight on earth Moses and Elias talk't with Christ on Tabor an Embleme of the sweet communion which shall passe between Christ and his Saints in glory and what was their talk Luke 9.30 but of his death and sufferings It seems a discourse of our sufferings and temptations are not too low a subject for that blisseful state Indeed this left out would make a blemish in the faire face of Heavens glory Could the damned forget the way they went into hell how oft the Spirit of God was wooing and how far they were overcome by the conviction of it in a word how many turnes and returnes there were in their journey forward and backward what possibilities yea probabilities they had for heaven when on earth were but some hand so kinde as to blot these tormenting passages out of their memories it would ease them wonderfully So were it possible glorified Saints could forget the way wherein they went to glory and the several dangers that interven'd from Satan and their own back-sliding hearts they and their God too would be losers by it I mean in regard of his manifestative glory What is the glory wherein God appears at Zions deliverance those royal garments of salvation that make him so admired of men and Angels but the celebration of all his Attributes according to what every one hath done towards their salvation Now wisdom being that which the creature chiefly glories in and chosen by Satan for his first bait who made Eve believe she should be like God in knowledge and wisdome therefore God to give Satan the more shameful fall gives him leave to use his wits and wiles in tempting and troubling his children in which lies his great advantage over the Saints that so the way to his own Throne where his Wisdome shall at last as well as his mercy sit in
Christians that are not instructed in the grounds of Christianity The want of this is the cause why many are so unstedfast First of this way and then of that blown like glasses into any shape as false Teachers please to breath Alas they have no center to draw their lines from think it no disgrace you who have runne into error and lost your selves in the labyrinths of deep points which now are the great discourse of the weakest professors to be set back to learn the first principles of the Oracles of God better too many are as Tertullian saith in another case pudoris magìs memores quà m salutis more tender of their reputation then their salvation who are more ashamed to be thought ignorant then careful to have it cured Fifthly If thou wouldst attain to divine knowledge wait on the Ministery of the Word As for those who neglect this and come not where the Word is Preacht they do like one that should turn his back on the Sunne that he may see it if thou wouldst know God come where he hath appointed thee to learn Indeed where the meanes is not God hath extraordinary wayes as a Father if no School in Town will teach his childe at home but if there be a publick School thither he sends him God maketh manifest saith Paul the savour of his knowledge by us in every place 2 Cor. 2.14 Let men talk of the Spirit what they please He will at last be found a quencher of the Spirit that is a despiser of Prophecy they both stand close together 1 Thes 5.19 20. Quench not the Spirit Despise not Prophesying But it is not enough to sit under the meanes Wofull experience teacheth us this there are some no Sun will tan they keep their old complexion under the most shining and burning light of the Word preached as ignorant and prophane as those that never saw Gospel-day and therefore if thou wilt receive any spirituall advantage by the Word take heed how thou hearest First Look thou beest a wakefull hearer Is it any wonder he should go away from the Sermon no wiser then he came that sleeps the greatest part of it away or heares betwixt sleeping and waking It must be in a dreame sure if God reveales any thing of his mind to him So indeed God did to the Fathers of old but it was not as they prophanely slept under an Ordinance O take heed of such irreverence He that composeth himselfe to sleep as some do at such a time or he that is not humbled for it and that deeply both of them betray a base and low esteeme they have of the Ordinance Surely thou thinkest but meanly of what is delivered if it will not keep thee awake yea of God himselfe whose message it is See how thou art reproved by the awfull carriage of a Heathen and that a King Ehud did but say to Eglon I have a message from God unto thee And he arose out of his seate Judge 3.20 And thou clapest downe on thy seat to sleep O how darest thou put such an affront upon the great God How oft did you fall asleep at dinner or telling your money And is not the Word of God worth more then these I should wonder if such Sermon-sleepers do dreame of any thing but hell-fire 'T is dangerous you know to fall asleep with a candle burning by our side some have been so burnt in their beds but more dangerous to sleep while the candle of the Word is shining so neare us What if you should sinke downe dead like Eatychus here is no Paul to raise you as he had and that you shall not where is your security Secondly Thou must be an attentive hearer He that is awake but wanders with his eye or heart what doth he but sleep with his eyes open It were as good the servants should be asleep in his bed as when up not to minde his Masters businesse When God intends a soul good by the Word he drawes such a one to listen and hearken heedfully to what is delivered as we see in Lydia who 't is said attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul And those Luke 1948. The people were attentive to heare him They did hang on him as you shall see Bees on some sweet flower or as young birds on the bills of their dammes as they feed them that is the soul which shall get light and life by the Word Heare ye children and attend to know understanding Prov. 4.1 Labour therefore in hearing the Word to fixe thy quicksilver-minde and set thy selfe to heare as 't is said Jehosaphat did to pray and that thou maiest before thou goest get thy heart into some deep sense of thy spirituall wants especially of thy ignorance of the things of God and thy deplored condition by reason of it till the heart be toucht the minde will not be fixt Therefore you may observe 't is said God open'd the heart of Lydia that she attended Acts 16.14 The Minde goes of the Wils errand we spend our thoughts upon what our hearts propose If the heart hath no sense of its ignorance or no desires after God no wonder such a one listens not what the Preacher saith his heart sends his mind another way They sit before thee as my people saith God but their heart goeth after their covetousnesse They do not come out of such an intent or desire to heare for any good to their soules then they would apply themselves wholly to the work no it is their covetousnesse hath their hearts and therefore as some idle servant when he hath waited on his Master brought him to his pew then he goes out to his good fellowes at the Alehouse and comes no more till Sermon be almost done so do the thoughts of most when they go to the Ordinance they slip out in the street market or shop you may finde them any where but about the duty before them and all because these have their hearts more then God and his Word Thirdly Thou must be a retentive hearer without this the worke will ever be to begin againe Truths to a forgetfull hearer are as a seale set on water the impression lasts no longer then the seale is on the Sermon once done and all is undone be therefore very carefull to fasten what thou hearest on thy memory which that thou maiest do First receive the truth in the love of it An affectionate hearer will not be a forgetfull hearer Love helpes the memory Can a woman forget her childe or a maide her ornaments or a bride her attire No they love them too well Were the truths of God thus precious to thee thou wouldest with David think of them day and night Even when the Christian through weaknesse of memory cannot remember the very words he heares to repeate them yee then he keeps the power and savour of them in his spirit as when sugar is dissolved in wine you cannot see it but you may taste it
of these then the other There is hardly a fleshly lust but hath some spiritual sinne analogical to it as they say there is no species of creatures on the land but may be pattern'd in the sea Thus the heart of man can produce spiritual sinnes answering carnal lusts for whoredom and uncleannesse of the flesh there is idolatry call'd in Scripture spiritual adultery from which the seat of Antichrist is call'd spiritual Sodom for sensual drunkennesse there is a drunkennesse of the minde intoxicating the judgement with errour a drunkennesse of the heart in cares and feares for carnal pride in beauty riches honour there is a spiritual pride of gifts graces c. Now Satan in an especial manner assaults the Christian with such as these it would require a larger discourse then I can allow to runne over the several kindes of them I shall of many pick out two or three As first Satan labours to corrupt the mind with erroneous principles he was at work at the very first plantation of the Gospel sowing his darnel assoon almost as Christ his wheate which sprung up in pernicious errours even in the Apostles times which made them take the weeding-hook into their hands and in all their Epistles labour to countermine Satan in this design Now Satan hath a double design in this his endeavour to corrupt the mindes of men especially Professours with errour SECT I. First he doth this in despite to God against whom he cannot vent his malice at a higher rate then by corrupting his truth which God hath so highly honoured Psal 138.2 Thou hast magnified thy Word above all thy Name Every creature bears the Name of God but in his Word and truth therein contained 't is writ at length and therefore he is more choice of this then of all his other works he cares not much what becomes of the world and all in it so he keeps his Word and saves his truth Ere long we shall see the world on a light flame the heavens and earth shall passe away but the Word of the Lord endures for ever When God will he can make more such worlds as this is but he cannot make another truth and therefore he will not lose one iota thereof Satan knowing this sets all his wits on work to deface this truth and disfigure it by unsound doctrine The Word is the glasse in which we see God and seeing him are changed into his likenesse by his Spirit If this glasse be crackt then our conceptions we have of God will mis-repesent him unto us whereas the Word in its native clearnesse sets him out in all his glory unto our eye Secondly he endeavours to draw into this spiritual sin of errour as the most subtil and effectual means to weaken if not destroy the power of godlinesse in them The Apostle joynes the Spirit of power and a sound minde together 2 Tim 1.7 Indeed the power of holinesse in practice depends much on the foundnesse of judgement Godlinesse is the childe of truth and it must be nurst if we will have it thrive with no other milk then of its own mother Therefore we are exhorted to desire the sincere milk of the Word that we may grow 1 Pet. 2.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if this milk be but a little dash't with errour it is not so nutritive All errour how innocent soever any may seem like the Ivy draws away the strength of the souls love from holinesse Hosea tells us Whoredom and wine take away the heart now errour is spiritual adultery Paul speaks of his espousing them to Christ when a person receives an errour he takes a stranger into Christs bed and it is the nature of adulterous love to take away the wises heart from her true husband that she delights not in his company so much as of her adulterous lover and do we not see it at this day fulfill'd do not many shew more zeal in contending for one errour then for many truths how strangely are the hearts of many taken off from the wayes of God their love cool'd to the Ordinances and Messengers of Christ and all this occasioned by some corrupt principle got into their bosomes which controuls Christ and his truth as Hagar and her son did Sarah and her childe Indeed Christ will never enjoy true conjugal love from the soule till like Abraham he turns these out of doors Errour is not so innocent a thing as many think it it is as unwholesome food to the body that poisons the spirits and surfeits the whole body which seldom passeth away and not break out into sores As the knowledge of Christ carries a soule above the pollutions of the world so errour entangles and betrayes it to those lusts whose hands it had escaped Thirdly Satan in drawing a soule into this spiritual sin hath a designe to disturb the peace of the Church which is rent and shattered when this fire-ship comes among them I hear saith Paul there are divisions among you and I partly beleeve it for there must be heresies 1 Cor. 11.18 19. implying that divisions are the natural issue of heresie Errour cannot well agree with errour except it be against the truth then indeed like Pilate and Herod they are easily made friends but when truth seems to be overcome and the battel is over with that then they fall out among themselves and therefore it is no wonder if it be so troublesom a neighbour to truth O Sirs what a sweet silence and peace was there among Christians a dozen years ago me thinks the looking back to those blessed dayes in this respect though they had also another way their troubles yet not so uncomfortable because that storme united this scatters the Saints spirits is joyous to remember in what unity and love Christians walk't that the Persecutors of those times might have said as their Predecessours did of the Saints in primitive times See how they love one another but now alas they may jeere and say See how they that loved so dearly are ready to pluck one anothers throats out SECT II. The application of this shall be only in a word of exhortation to all especially you who bear the Name of Christ by a more eminent Profession of him O beware of this soul-infection this leprosie of the head I hope you do not think it needlesse for 't is the disease of the times This plague is begun yea spreads apace not a flock a Congregation hardly that hath not this scab among them Paul was a Preacher the best of us all may write after and he presseth this home upon the Saints yea in the constant course of his preaching it made a piece of his Sermon Acts 20.30 31. he sets us Preachers also on this work Take heed to your selves and to all the flock for I know this that after my departure shall grievous wolves enter also of your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things therefore watch And then he presents his
should use him more then themselves And 't is observable that the lusting for flesh broke out among the mixt multitude and baser sort of people Numb 11.4 5. but this of pride and envie took fire in the bosomes of the most eminent for place and Piety O what need then have we poor creatures to watch our hearts when we see such precious servants of God led into temptation The Spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy James 4.5 Our corrupt nature is ever putting on to this sin 'T is as hard to keep our hearts and this sin asunder as it is to hinder two lovers from meeting together Thatch is not more ready to be fired with every flash of lightening then the heart to be kindled at the shining forth of any excelling gift or grace in another It was one of the first windows that corrupt nature look't out at a sin that shed the first blood Cains envy hatcht Abels murder Now if ever thou meanest to get the mastery of this sin First call in help from heaven No sooner hath the Apostle set forth how big and teeming full the heart of man is with envy but he shews where a fountain of grace is infinitely exceeding that of lust The Spirit within us lusteth to envie but he giveth more grace v. 5. And therefore sit not down tamely under this sin it is not unconquerable God can give thee more grace then thou hast sin more humility then thou hast pride Be but so humble as cordially to beg his grace and thou shalt not be so proud as wickedly to envy his gifts or grace in others Secondly make this sin as black and ugly as thou canst possibly to thy thought that when it is presented to thee thou mayest abhor it the more Indeed there needs no more then its own face wouldest thou look wishly on it to make thee out of love with it For first this envying of others gifts casts great contempt upon God and that more wayes then one First when thou enviest the gifts of thy brethren thou takest upon thee to teach God what he shall give and to whom as if the great God should take counsel or ask leave of thee before he dispenseth his gifts and darest thou stand to thy own envious thoughts with this interpretation such a one thou findest Christ himself give Matth. 20.15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own as if Christ had said what hath any to do to cavil at my disposure of what is not theirs but mine to give Secondly thou malignest the goodnesse of God It troubles thee it seems that God hath a heart to do good to any besides thy selfe thy eye is evil because his is good Wouldest not thou have God be good you had as good speak out and say you would not have him God he can assoon cease to be God as to be good Thirdly thou art an enemy to the glory of God as thou defacest that which should set it forth Every gift is a ray of divine excellency and as all the beams declare the glory of the Sunne so all the gifts God imparts declare the glory of God Now envy labours to deface and fully the representations of God it hath ever something to disparage the excellency of another withal God shewed Miriam her sin by her punishment she went to bespatter Moses that shone so eminently with the gifts and graces of God and God spits in her sace Numb 12. yea fills her all over with a noisome scab Doest thou cordially wish well to the honour of God why then hangest thou thy head and doest not rather rejoyce to see him glorified by the gifts of others Could a Heathen take it so well when himself was passed by and others chosen to places of honour and government that he said he was glad his City could finde so many more worthy then himself and shall a Christian repine that any are found fit to honour God besides himself Secondly thou wrongest thy brother as thou sinnest against the law of love which obligeth thee to rejoyce in his good as thy owne yea to prefer him in honour before thy self Thou canst not love and envy the same person envy is as contrary to love as the hectical feavourish fire in the body is to the kindly heat of nature Charity envieth not 1 Cor. 13. How can it when it lives where it loves and when thou ceasest to love thou beginnest to hate and kill him and doest not thou tremble to be found a murderer at last Thirdly thou consultest worst of all for thy self God is out of thy reach what thou spittest against heaven thou art sure to have fall on thy own face at last and thy brother whom thou enviest God stands bound to defend him against thy envy because he is maligned for what he hath of God in him Thus did God plead Josephs cause against his envious brethren and Davids against wicked Saul Thy selfe only hast real hurt First thou deprivest thy self of what thou mightest reap from the gifts of others That old saying is true Tolle invidiam mea tua sunt tua mea What thou hast is mine and what I have thine when envy is gone Whereas now like the leach which they say draws out the worst blood thou suckest nothing but what swells thy minde with discontent and is after vomited out in strife and contention O what a sad thing is it that one should go from a precious Sermon a sweet prayer and bring nothing away but a grudge against the instrument God used as we see in the Pharisees and others at Christs preaching Secondly thou robbest thy self of the joy of thy life He that is cruel troubles his own flesh Prov. 11.17 The envious man doth it to purpose he sticks the honour and esteem of others as thornes in his own heart he cannot think of them without paine and anguish and he must needs pine that is ever in paine Thirdly thou throwest thy self into the mouth of temptation thou needest give the devil no greater advantage it is a stock any sin almost will grow upon What will not the Patriarchs do to rid their hands of Joseph whom they envied that very pride which made them disdain the thought of bowing to his sheaf made them stoop far lower even to debase themselves as low as hell and be the devils instruments to sell their dear brother into slavery which might have been worse to him if God had not provided otherwise then if they had slaâ—n him on the place What an impotent minde and cruel did Saul shew against David when once envy had envenomed his heart from that day which he heard David preferr'd in the womens Songs above himself he could never get that sound out of his head but did ever after devote this innocent man to death in his thoughts who had done him no other wrong but in being an instrument to keep the crown on his head by the
he had said I knew the time if Paul had been come to town and newes spread abroad in the City that Paul was to preach you would have flock't to hear him and blessed God for the season but then you were poor and empty now ye are full you have got to a higher attainment Paul is a plain fellow now he may carry his cheere to a hungry people if he will we are well apaid And when once the heart is come to this 't is easie to judge what will follow Secondly this trusting to the strength of grace will make the soule bold and venturous The humble Christian is the wary Christian he knows his weaknesse and this makes him afraid I have a weak head saith he I may be soon disputed into an errour and heresie and therefore I dare not come where such stuffe is broach't lest my weak head should be intoxicated the confident man he 'll sip of every cup he fears none no he is stablish't in the truth a whole team of hereticks shall not draw him aside I have a vain light heart saith the humble soule I dare not come among wicked debautch't company left I should at last bring the naughty man home with me but one trusting to the strength of his grace dares venture into the devils quarters Thus Peter into the rout of Christs enemies and how he came off you know there his faith had been slain on the place had not Christ founded a retreat by the seasonable look of love he gave him Indeed I have read of some bragging Philosophers who did not think it enough to be temperate except they had the object for intemperance present and therefore they would go into Taverns and Whore-houses as if they meant to beat the devil on his own ground but the Christian knows an enemy nearer then so which they were ignorant of and that he need not go over his own threshold to challenge the devils He hath lust in his bosome that will be hard enough for him all his dayes without giving it the vantage ground Christian I know no sin but thou mayest be left to commit it except one It was a bold speech of him and yet a good man as I have heard If Clapham die of the plague say Clapham had no faith and this made him boldly go among the infected If a Christian thou shalt not die of spiritual plagues yet such may have the plague-sores of grosse sins running on them for a time and is not this sad enough therefore walk humbly with thy God Thirdly this high conceit of the strength of thy grace will make thee cruel and churlish to thy weak brethren in their infirmities a sin that least becomes a Saint Gal. 6.1 If any one be overtaken you that be spiritual restore such a one with meeknesse but how shall a soul get such a meek spirit It follows considering thy self lest thou also be tempted What makes men hard to the poor they think they shall never be so themselves Why are many so sharp in their censures but because they trust too much to their grace as if they could never fall O you are in the body and the body of sin in you therefore feare Bernard used to say when he heard any scandalous sin of a Professour Hodie illi cras mihi He fell to day I may stumble tomorrow SECT II. The second way a soule may be proud of his grace is by resting on it for his acceptance with God The Scripture calls inherent grace our own righteousnesse though God indeed be the efficient of it and opposeth it to the righteousnesse of Christ which alone is called the Righteousnesse of God Rom. 10.1 Now to rest on any grace inherent is to exalt our own righteousnesse above the righteousnesse of God and what pride will this amount to If this ware so then a Saint when he comes to heaven might say This is Heaven which I have built my grace hath purchased and thus the God of Heaven should become tenant to his creature in Heaven No God hath cast the order of our salvation into another method of grace but not of grace in us but grace to us Inherent grace hath its place and office to accompany salvation Heb. 6.9 but not procure it This is Christs work not graces When Israel waited on the Lord at Mount Sinai they had their bounds not a man must come up besides Moses to treat with God no not touch the Mount lest they die thus all the graces of the Spirit wait on God but none come up to challenge any acceptance of God besides faith which is a grace that presents the soul not in its own garments But you will say what needs all this where is the man that trusts in his grace Alas where is the Christian that doth fully stand clear and freely come his off his own righteousnesse he is a rare Pilot indeed that can steere his faith in so direct a course as not now and then to knock upon this duty and run on ground upon that grace Abraham went in to Hagar and the children of Abrahams faith are not perfectly dead to the Law and may be found sometimes in Hagars armes witnesse the fluxe and refluxe of our faith according to the various aspect of our obedience when this seems full then our faith is at a spring-tide and covers all the mountains of our fears but let it seem to wain in any service or duty then the Jordan of our faith flies back and leaves the soule naked The devils spight is at Christ and therefore since he could not hinder his landing which he endeavoured all he could nor work his will on his person when he was come he goes now in a more refined way to darken the glory of his sufferings and the sufficiency of his righteousnesse by blending ours with his this doctrine of Justification by faith hath had more works and batteries made against it then any other in the Scripture Indeed many other errours were but his slie approaches to get nearer to undermine this and lastly when he connot hide this truth which now shines in the Church like the Sun in its strength then he labours to hinder the practical improvement of it that we if he can help it shall not live up to our own principles making us at the same time that in our judgement we professe acceptance only through Christ in our practice confute our selves Now there is a double pride in the soule he makes use of for this end the one I may call a mannerly pride the other a self-applauding pride First a mannerly pride which comes forth in the habit and guise of humility and that discovers it self either at the soules first coming to Christ and keeps him from closing with the promise or afterward in the daily course of a Christians walking with God which keeps him from comfortable living on Christ First when a poor soul is staved off the promise by the sense
Philistines hands and this makes him cry to God and the Spirit puts forth his strength in him again Thus here indeed the office of the Spirit is to abide for ever with the Saints Iohn 14.16 He shall send you another Comforter that he may abide for ever with you Secondly it is one main businesse of Christe intercession to obtain of God perseverance for our weak graces I have prayed saith Christ to Peter that thy faith faile not But was not that a particular priviledge granted to him which may be denied to another O Sirs do we think that Christs love looks a squint doth he pray for one childe more then another such feares and jealousies foolish children are ready to take up and therefore Christ prevents them by bidding Peter in the very next words When thou art converted strengthen thy brethren Luke 22.31 that is when thou feelest the efficacy and force of my prayer for thy faith carry this good newes to them that their hearts may be strengthened also and what strengthening had it been to them if Christ prayed not for them as well as Peter does Christ pray for us yea doth he not live to pray for us O how can children of so many prayers of such prayers perish The Saints prayers have a mighty power Iacob wrestled and had power with God this was his sword and bowe to allude to what he said of the parcel of ground he took from the Amorite by which he got the victory and had power with God This was the Key with which Elijah opened and shut heaven And if the weak prayers of Saints coming in his Name have such credit in heaven that with them they can go to Gods treasure and carry away as much as their armes of faith can hold O then what prevalency has Christs intercession who is a Son an obedient Son that is come from finishing his great work on earth and now prayes his Father for nothing but what he hath bid him ask yea for nothing but what he is before-hand with him for and all this to a Father that loves those he prays for as well as himselfe Bid Satan avaunt Say not thy weak faith shall perish till thou hearest that Christ hath left praying or meets with a repulse Thirdly let us see whether Satan be able to pluck the Christian away and step betwixt him and home I have had occasion to speak of this subject in another place the lesse here shall serve Abundant provision is made against his assaults The Saint is wrap't up in the everlasting armes of Almighty power and what can a cursed devil do against God who laid those chaines on him which he cannot shake off when he is able to pluck that dart of divine fury out of his own conscicnce which God hath fastened there then let him think of such an enterprise as this How can he overcome thee that cannot tempt thee but in Gods appointed time And if God set Satan his time to assault the Christian whom he loves so dearly surely it shall be when he shall be repulsed with greatest shame Vse 1 Away then with that doctrine which saith one may be a Saint to day and none to morrow now a Peter anon a Judas O what unsavoury stuffe is this a principle it is that at once crosseth the main design of God in the Gospel-Covenant reflects sadly on the honour of Christ and wounds the Saints comfort to the heart First it is derogatory to Gods design in the Gospel-Covenant which we finde plainly to be this that his children might be put into a state sure and safe from miscarrying at last which by the first Covenant man was not See Rom. 4.16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be of grace to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed God on purpose because of the weaknesse of the first Covenant through the mutable nature of man makes a new Covenant of a far different constitution and frame not of works as that was but of faith and why the Apostle tells us that it might be sure to all the seed that not one soule who by faith should be adopted into Abrahams family and so become a childe of the promise should faile of inheriting the blessing of the promise which is eternal life called so Titus 1.2 and all this because the promise is founded upon grace that is Gods immutable good pleasure in Christ and not upon the variable and inconstant obedience of man as the first Covenant was But if a Saint may finally fall then is the promise no more sure in this Covenant then it was in that and so God should not have his end he propounds Secondly it reflects sadly on Christs honour both as he is intrusted with the Saints salvation and also as he is interessed in it First as he is intrusted with the Saints salvation He tells us they are given him of his Father for this very end that he should give them eternal life yea that power which he hath over all flesh was given him to render him every way able to effect this one businesse John 17.2 He accepts the charge ownes them as his sheep knowes them every one and promiseth he will give them eternal life they shall never perish neither shall any pluck them out of his hand John 10.27 28. Now how well do they consult with Christs honour that say his sheepe may die in a ditch of final apostasy notwithstanding all this Secondly as he is interessed in the salvation of every Saint The life of his own glory is bound up in the eternal life of his Saints It s true when Adam fell God did save his stake but how can Christ who is so nearly united to every believing soul There was a league of friendship betwixt God and Adam but no such union as here where Christ and his Saints make but one Christ for which his Church is called Christ 1 Cor. 12.12 As the body is one and hath many members and all the members of that one body being many are one body so is Christ Christ and his members make one Christ now is it possible a piece of Christ can be found at last-burning in hell can Christ be a cripple Christ can this member drop off and that 'T is as possible that all as any should and how can Christ part with his mystical members and not with his glory doth not every member adde an ornament to the body yea an honour The Church is called the fulnesse of him Eph. 1.23 O how dishonourable is it to Christ that we should think he shall want any of his fulnesse and how can the man be full and compleat that wants a member Thirdly it wounds the Saints comfort to the heart and layes their joy a bleeding Paul saith he did not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He did not dash the generous wine of Gods Word with the water of mans conceits No he gave them pure Gospel Truly this principle
the light 214 Love Saints the object of Gods love in a threefold respect 30 31 The best way to quench our love to the creature is to set it on Christ 79 Satan ambitious to tempt after manifestations of Gods love and why 96 Why God communicates his love to Saints after their falls 149 Saints love to Christ advanced by their temptations 150 How this comes to passe 151 Gods love to the soul sometimes an occasion of pride 302 Saints should watch against this 303 How to prevent it ib. M. Man Man is flesh 174 Why seeing his better part is a spirit is he called flesh 175 Man not to be trusted in 176 Memory How to remember what we hear 248 Ministers Ministers duty towards the ignorant 235 Four wayes they may be guilty of their peoples ignorance 236 Ministery Ministery of the Word the means to get knowledge 246 Motions Satan annoyes Saints with sinful motions 260 Saints should resist thsee motions for three reasons 262 Helps against them 26â— O. Obedience Obedience strong or weak as our faith is on the power of God 34 Weak endeavours with sincerity accepted by God as full obedience 373 Old-age The misery of old-age yoked with ignorance 241 P. Parents Parents duty to instruct their children and why 229 230 Parts What fooles men of the greatest parts are without grace 55 Perfection Perfection of grace to be prest after and why 77 78 How God confutes those that dream of perfection here c. 80 Persecute When wicked men persecute us we should pity them and save our wrath for the devil 181 Perseverance See falling away Perseverance necessary 9 How to persevere in our Christian course against all opposition 12 Without true grace no perseverance 377 Where true grace is that soul shall persevere 381 The doctrine of perseverance not to be abused 388 Pity God's pity to the fraile nature of his children in three particulars 178 Pleasure The sinners pleasures but short 209 Policy Sinful policy thrives not with Saints 105 It makes men like the devil 110 Poverty Not poverty but ignorance makes miserable 241 Power Satans power discovered in five particulars 196 Saints not to be dismayed at his power and that for three reasons 204 205 Prayer Prayer sometimes answered when it is not perceiv'd and in what cases this is 43 44 Preach What truthes are to be preached often 331 Against lazy Preachers 333 Preferment To stand before God in Heaven the highest preferment 394 Prevent God to be admired for preventing mercy 258 Pride Pride makes use of good and evil to draw her chariot 273 Pride double carnal and spiritual The Saint commonly in most danger of the latter and why 274 Pride of gifts See Gifts Pride of grace See Grace A mannerly pride how it hinders from Christ 290 291 It hinders from peace 292 A self-applauding pride what it is and the evil of it 294 Pride of priviledges what 299 Prince Satan a great Prince 183 How he obtained it 185 Trialls whether Christ or Satan be our Prince 187 188 The blessednesse of those that have Christ to be their Prince 193 See Christ Prison How Paul spent his time in prison Profession Heaven not won by good words and a faire Profession 371 Profit How to profit by the Word 247 248 Promise The end of the Promises to give security to the Saints faith 34 Not to endeavour an establish't faith on them is to undervalue them ib. In claiming the benefit of the Promise we must keep close to the condition 41 When absolute Promises stand the soul in great stead 136 Protection An unregenerate soule cannot claim Gods protection 55 Providence Dark Providences used by Satan to trouble Saints 133 Q. Question Satan pusles the Christian with nice questions 130 R. Reserve Satan hath his reserves to fall on when former temptations are beaten back 101 Retreat Satans politick retreats 102 Rich. Rich men poore with knowledge 242 Rule The time when Satan rules 209 The place where 211 The subjects whom he rules 212 Now to get from under Satans rule 221 His policy to keep sinners under his rule 222 S. Satan The reason why Satans conquests are so great 97 Of Satans rule 209 Of Satans wiles See Wiles Scripture Obscure Scriptures most mused on by tempted soules 102 Satans policie therein and what is to be done 133 Security The danger of security 363 Sense Affliction grievous to sense 353 Sincerity Sincerity a comfort in the evil day 370 Sinne. In troubles of conscience for the greatnesse of sinne what to do 39 Satan hath a strange Art in aggravating the Saints sins 116 How he fathers his own sin upon the Christian 115 Satans method to tempt to sin before he troubles for sinne 128 Why sin is call'd flesh 129 The state of sin a state of misery 217 The devils design in tempting to sin an argument to hate it 258 Sin hardens the heart 305 Sins against rebukes of conscience very grievous 365 We must not take liberty to sin because if true Christians we shall not fall away 389 Sinner The sinner and Satan friends when they seem to fight 57 Every sinner under Satans rule 213 The sinner an unserviceable creature 215 Singularity How it is necessary in the Saints 7 Sloth The difficulty of recovering a soule out of spiritual sloth 83 Solicitour Christ in heaven the Saints Solicitour and his faithfulnesse therein 32 33 Spiritual Of spiritual sins and how Satan annoyes the Saints with them 259 How to know our spiritual state 251 Stability The stability of the Saints not from their grace but from God reinforcing their grace 20 Strength A Christians strength in God not in himself 13 God takes it kindly we will make use of his strength 42 Lesse assisting strength given to advance accepting grace 46 The sweetnesse of being at Gods finding for assisting and comforting strength 19 A Christian when foiled stronger then another when a seeming Conquerour over the same temptation in two respects 71 72 Subtilty Satans subtilty in drawing to sin 98 Suffering No reason to be proud of our suffering for God 300 T. Tempt Temptation Satan chooseth the best season to tempt 93 How the presence of the object gives force to the temptation 96 Satans subtilty in tempting 98 His approaches in tempting are gradual 100 The same sin Satan tempts to purged by the temptation 143 Satan in tempting one Saint hath a designe against others 144 How God disappoints him 144 145 Why God suffers his Saints to be tempted 152 Temptation to one sin God orders to prevent another 143 Thoughts How thoughts good for the matter may be sinful 266 Trouble Satan the troubler of the Saints for sin 114 Troublers of the Saints thereby prove themselves Satans children 125 Foure wayes wicked men may trouble the Saints spirits 126 The mercy of being kept out of Satans hands as a troubler 127 It s dangerous in temptation to keep our troubles secret 137 The Saints troubles but short 211 The Christians life in this world full of trouble 349 Trust To trust God when he withdraws yea frowns very hard 8 The evil of trusting to the strength of grace 286 287 U. Unregenerate Unregeneracy a state of ignorance 50 Unthankfulnesse Unthankfulnesse for what we have hinders our receiving what we would have 48 Uprightnesse See Sincerity W. Waiting Waiting on God under discoucouragements a signe of strong grace 50 Such are assured to speed well at last 50 51 War How hard to war with bosome-sins 5. Weak Encouragements to the weake in grace to presse for more 80 Weak endeavours with sincerity accepted by God through Christ as full obedience 373 A cordial to weake believers 387 Wicked Wickednesse The attempts of the wicked against the Saints are folly and why 16 Wicked men trouble the Saints 180 The devils wickednesse 253 The wickednesse of mans nature 256 Wicked men the worse for affliction 356 Wiles Christians should labour to know Satans wiles 112 How we may know them ib. Wisdome The Wisdome of God in baffling Satan 140 Great wisdome to provide for the evil day 360 Word How to profit by the Word 247 248 Wrath. The devil is in the wrath of wicked men Wrestling The Saints life is a wrestling 159 It s dangerous wrestling with God 161 How sinners wrestle against the Spirit 162 163 How against Providence in two particulars 164 165 Several sorts that wrestle against sin but not lawfully 166 167 How we are to wrestle against sin 168 Y. Youth Youth the best time to get knowledge 240 FINIS 2 Tim. 2.4 Doct. Gen. 22 1â— Judg. 17. v. 2 37. Joh. 7.13 2 Sam. 2.22 Job 13.15 Heb. 2. Doct. John 17. Rom. 8. Ps 138.2 Act 16.14 Isa 48.17 Rom. 9.16 Doct. Mat. 8.2 Doct. Zech. 3. Psal 91.1 Observ Observ Jer. 23.32 Gen. 3.21 Jude 20. 1 Pet. 1.3 Tit. 1.1 Eph. 4.24 Vse Heb. 12.1 Acts 1.4 Ioh. 15.2 Rom. 5.3 Vse Doct. 1 Thes 5.16 17. 1 Pet. 1.13 Luke 4.13 Ps 119.99 2 Pet. 1.11 Doct. Ezek. 1.2 6 8. 1 Sam 24 1. 1 Sam. 13.3 Mat. 4 4 5 Pro. 30.19 Deut. 18.17 Numb 16 2 19. Numb 16 3 19 2. Cor. 10.10 Answ 1. Pro. 19.22 2 Cor. 2.11 2 Chro. 33 12. Acts 5.31 Zech. 12.10 Acts 2.37 2 Co. 5.11 1 Joh. 3.21 1 Sam. 16.7 Deut. 25.19 Psal 77. Answ 1. Joh. 14.30 Ps 19.13 1 Kings 22.35 Rom. 3.24 Rom. 4.5 Rom. 14.1 Heb. 13.5 Judg. 5.25 Doct. 2 Cor. 12.9 Jam. 5.11 Peâ—s 1. Isa 10.5 Ps 17.13 Isa 10.15 Joh. 21.15 2 Sam. 21. Doct. Acts 7.51 Ezek. 2.5 Isa 44.25 * Mic. 6.9 Heb 12 1â— Vse Doct. Mal. 3.1 2 Sam. 3.26 Isa 10.7 Tit. 2.12 1 Cor. 15.24.25 Doct. 1. Vse Mat. 11.28 Iâ—… 11.10 Heb. 2.14 15. Heb. 4.15 Phil. 1.29 Heb. 11.3 Luke 15. Doct. 2. Job 36. Prov. 1.21 22 23. Doct. 2. Heb. 3.10 Vse Job 33.17.19 1 Sam. 17.28 Vse Job 9.21 Luke 10.12 * See Dr. Gouge oâ— the place Doct. Gen. 33.9 11. Doct. Ezek. 18. Doct. Heb. 12.11 Jud. 2.15 Dan. 4.31 33. Doct. 2. Doct. 1. Rom. 13.10 Vse Doct. 2. Vse Doct. 3. Heb. 13.5 2 Cor. 2.17 Jer. 37.10 Lev. 26. Dan. 11.25 Cant. 1.12