if I never see more of it but goe downe to hell yet this is my comfort that I have seene a smile from God this makes my heart leape within me though I burne in hell for ever this is the next voice Now that brings in love and joy See a passage this way Esay 40.2 opened Esay 40.2 Comfort yee comfort yee my people saith the Lord speake comfortably to Jerusalem and crie unto her that her warfare is accomplished and her iniquitie is pardoned tell Ierusalem shee is accepted tell her so saith the Lord. So the Lord speakes to poore hungrie broken sinners after he hath seene their desires to be sound and thorow the Lord saith to his Ministers Speake to the heart of a poore sinner tell him from mee tell him from heaven tell him from the Lord Jesus Christ tell from under the hand of the Spirit his person is accepted and his sinnes are done away and he shall be looked upon in mercie So Esay 66. Esay 66.2 opened the text saith The Lord lookes to him that is of an humble and contrite heart and that trembles at his word The poore creature cannot but observe every word and tremble at every truth Here is salvation indeed saith he but it is not mine here is mercie but that is not mine and so he shakes at the apprehension of it that he should heare of it and not enjoy it The text saith The Lord lookes at such a trembling soule that is he casts sweet intimations of his goodnesse and kindnesse upon him and saith Thou poore trembling sinner to thee bee it spoken I have an eye towards thee in the Lord Jesus Christ this as I take it is the meaning of the place Ephraim is the picture of a soule truly humbled we may see his behaviour towards God and Gods dealing towards him the text saith Surely I have heard Ephraim bemoaning himselfe here is the heart broken and thirsting and what more thou hast chastized mee Ier. 31.18 19 20. and I was chastized as a bullocke unaccustomed to the yoake turne thou me and I shall be turned thou art the Lord my God surely after that I was turned I repented and after that I was instructed I smote upon my thigh I was ashamed yea even confounded because I did beare the reproach of my youth Here wee see Ephraim lamenting himselfe as if the sinner should say I am the wretch that have seene all the meanes of grace in abundant measure and beautie and yet never profited under the same the Lord hath corrected me but I would not be tamed the Lord hee hath instructed mee but I would not learne Lord turne mee thou art my God I have nothing in my selfe Nay now I see the evils which before I never perceived and I observe the basenesse of my course now which before I never considered and I am ashamed of my former abuse of Gods grace revealed I am even confounded in regard of the abominations which my soule hath harboured this is the mourning of a poore sinner Now marke Gods answer Ephraim is my deare sonne hee is a pleasant childe for since I spake against him I doe earnestly remember him still therefore my bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercie upon him The Lord kindled the fire of his indignation in his heart and spake bitter things against his conscience yet hee remembred him all the while as who should say I observed all those desires and considered all those teares and heard all those prayers and tooke notice of all those complaints and my bowels earne towards a poore sinner that desires my mercie in Christ and the truth is I will shew mercie to him thus wee see the behaviour of God to the soule as also the behaviour of the soule to God and thus you see the order of the affections when God is absent hope waits for it and desire longs after it when the good is in view love entertaines it and joy delights and sports and playeth with it love is like the Host that welcomes the guest and joy is like the chamberlaine that attends upon him and is very ready and pleasing to entertaine the promise and the Lord Jesus Christ this is the very guise of the heart as I conceive The second thing observable is the motives whereby the promise comes to inflame these two affections and to worke this frame in the heart namely by the Spirit of the Father which kindles in an humble and inlightned soule love and joy to entertaine and reioyce in the riches of his mercie as beseemes the worth thereof Quest But how doth the Spirit kindle this love and joy Answ I answer thus it is when the Spirit of the Lord in the promise lets in some intimation of Gods love into the soule the weight lieth upon these two words le ts in some inckling conveyeth some rellish of the love of God into the soule I beseech you marke it when the Lord doth expresse his favour and goodnesse in that same powerfull manner unto a heart humbled longing for his favour that it doth force the soule to bee affected with it and doth prevaile with the soule and by a holy kinde of might prevaileth and makes the soule to be affected with the rellish of his favour this is the ground A possible good stirres up hope a necessarie excellencie in that good setleth desire and a rellish in that good setled kindles love So that in the promise there is a fulnesse to take up the whole frame of the heart The phrase is admirable in the Psalmes The Lord shall command his loving kindnesse in the morning Psal 42.18 a strange passage it is a phrase taken from Kings and Princes and great Commanders whose word is a law So that the Lord shall send forth his loving kindnesse with a command as if he should say Goe love and everlasting kindnesse take thy commission and I charge thee goe to the poore humble sinner goe to the poore hungry and thirstie sinner goe and prosper and prevaile and settle my love upon his heart whether he will or no and let my kindnesse be setled upon his soule that hath longed for it Experience tels us this the Lord doth by an Almightinesse give a charge and put a commission into loving kindnesse hands that hee shall doe good to a poore soule even then when hee sinkes under the burthen of his sinnes and under the apprehension of his weaknesse What shall I have mercie No no. Will the Lord Jesus Christ accept me No surely Could I pray so and had I those parts and could I performe duties after this and this manner then there were some hope but alas there is no mercie for me But hearken I beseech you what the word discovers your estate to be is it thus and thus with you yes then I speake from the Lord mercie is yours and heaven is yours No no saith the soule I cannot beleeeve it such a wretch as I
goe to heaven No heaven shall rather fall than I come there Thus the discouraged sinner knocks off mercie and shuts the doore against it Now when all carnall reasonings and high imaginations as Paul cals them have raised up strong holds against mercie and comfort when the word cannot doe it for the present God is faine at last to command loving kindnesse and send him with a commission from heaven saying I charge you breake open the doore of the heart of such a sinner rend that veile of ignorance and teare that cursed veile of carnall reasoning And I command thee goe to that soule and cheare it and comfort it goe to that soule and refresh it and fill it tell him his sinnes are pardoned his person accepted and his soule shall be saved tell him his sighs and groanes are heard and his prayers observed in heaven make this good to his soule I charge you before you come backe againe this is the admirable goodnesse of the Lord the soule many times hath so many trickes and shifts and windings and yeeldings to carnall reason that no comfort will come in So that the Lord is faine to send loving kindnesse to cheare the soule As it is with some unruly fellowes who will not give a man possession of his right till the high Sheriffe comes and gives him possession by force whether they will or no So loving kindnesse is Gods high Sheriffe now when a company of base fellowes as carnall reasonings and the like would keepe out mercie and favour that is due to a sinner the Lord commands loving kindnesse to breake open the doore and speake comfort to him and now take notice of what I say as a good to come was the ground of hope and if there be any necessarie excellencie desire longs for it So when the good is not only present but expresseth his presence and leaves some kinde of remembrance as it were and discovers it selfe in some manner effectually to the soule that stirres up love continually and that must be done before any love can be kindled I open it thus Looke as it is with touching which is a facultie of nature if the thing lyes upon a man leaves a strong impression upon him then a mans touch will feele it but if it be marvellous light then it may lye upon a man and be present with him and yet not be perceived as a feather lay it upon a mans finger on the sudden or a mote in a mans face because it leaves no impression hee feeles it not but if there bee any weight laid upon his hand then he feeles so if it be water that moistens him or fire that scorcheth him he is sensible of it so love in the soule is like touching in the body now when loving kindnesse is not set on upon the heart though it be present with the soule yet because it leaves no impression upon the soule hence it comes that the heart cannot be stirred with any love towards it nor be touched and affected with it nor returne that joy and delight as becomes the favour of God So that there must be the love of God letting some sweet intimations into the heart and expressing it selfe to the soule and affecting the heart therewith and then our love comes to bee kindled towards God againe Gods love setling upon the soule drawes and puls our love to God againe This is the ground of that the Apostle speakes We love him 1 Iohn 4.19 because he loved us first It must be the beames of Gods love that must fall upon the soule before the soule can returne love to God againe Hosea 11.4 So in Hosea I drew them saith the text with the cords of love and with the bands of a man as who should say God lets in the cords of his love into our soules and that drawes our loves to him againe But most excellent is that place of the Canticles marke the manner of the guise of the Spirit of God expressing himselfe to the soule He brought me to the Banquetting house Cant. 2.4 and his Banner over me was Love and what followeth Stay mee with flaggons and comfort mee with apples for I am sicke of Love When the Banner of Christs love is displayed over the soule the soule comes to bee sicke of love to Christ againe In warre when the Captaine displayeth the banner three things are done by it First it argueth the presence of the Generall Secondly it commands all the Souldiers to come to it Thirdly all come under it Now observe the excellency of the sweetnesse of the sense of the Spirit of God when God displayeth the banner of his love in the perfect colours and beauty of it to the soule then all the hearts of poore fainting sinners come in as Souldiers and they are sicke of love to him now this love of God begets love in us againe in three particulars Particular 1 First there is a sweetnesse and rellish which Gods love le ts into the soule and that warmes the heart When a man is fainting aqua vitae comforts him Thy loving kindnesse is better than life saith the Prophet David there is aqua vitae indeed the Lord lets in but one glimpse of his love and that warmes the soules This is that observable in the Canticles Cant. 2.3 opened Let him kisse mee with the kisses of his mouth for thy love is better than wine because of the savour of thy good oyntment thy Name is an oyntment powred forth therefore doe the Virgins love thee Every poore sinfull creature thou that drinkest water if thou hast Christs love thou thinkest it better than the best wine under heaven Let him kisse me with the kisses of his lips that is with the comforts of his Word and Spirit so that marke what the soule saith Let the Lord Jesus Christ refresh my soule with the sweet comforts and consolations of his Word and it will be better than wine But first he must kisse him with the kisses of his lippes before his love can be better than wine that is the Lord by the power of his Spirit in the ministery of the Word must expresse his love to the soule and that drawes the love of the soule to God and marke what followeth because of the savour of thy good oyntments therefore the Virgins love thee by Christs oyntments are Christs graces signified Now when the Lord Jesus Christ doth communicate the sweet savour of his grace into the soule then the Virgins which are loosened from sinne love the Lord Jesus but first the savour of the oyntment must be spred abroad before they can love him Particular 2 Secondly as the sweetnesse of Gods love warmes the heart so the freenesse of the same doth even beginne to kindle a love in the soule Herein saith the Apostle God commends his love towards us Rom. 5.8 in that while we were yet enemies unto him Christ died for us The Lord sends from heaven to
a poore miserable creature commend my love commend my mercy to such a poore soule and tell him though hee hath beene an enemy to me yet I am a friend to him tell him though he hath beene a traitor to mee I have beene a good King to him he hath beene a rebell to mee but tell him I have beene a good God to him commend my love to him and let him know that all his sinnes are done away for the Lord Jesus died for sinners when they were sinners This is the argument of Saint Iohn If God so loved us as that he gave his onely begotten Sonne for us how ought wee to love one another I collect from hence But how then ought we to love God himselfe It was this that kindled the frozen heart of Saul he had a heart almost as cold as ice and yet this did worke upon him Marke what the text saith When David had taken Saul on the hip 1 Sam. 24.19 and had him at advantage and might have taken away his life and yet would not when hee saw that David was so kinde and would doe him no hurt David knew Saul persecuted him and desired to kill him hee was the most profest enemy he had and was the onely man that stood betweene him and the kingdome Now when David had him in his hands and spared him this kindnesse of David wrought even upon the heart of a Saul and kindled a kinde of love in him as the text saith Thou art more righteous than I for thou hast rewarded mee good and I have rewarded thee evill and thou hast shewed this day that thou hast dealt well with me forasmuch as when the Lord had delivered mee into thine hands thou killedst me not for if a man finde an enemy will hee let him goe well away wherefore the Lord reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day So that wee see a Saul is warned and his love is kindled towards David for his kindnesse So when the soule considers what is the Lord thus gracious to me who ever found an enemy and slew him not Had it not beene just with the Lord to take advantage against me Had it not beene just that I which lived in sinne should have perished for my sinne Had it not beene just that I which loved my corruption should have perished for my corruptions But that the Lord should finde an enemy and not slay him nay that the Lord should finde an enemy and send his Sonne to save him is wonderfull Let my soule for ever love that God and rejoyce in that mercy this would work almost upon a Devill If the soule had but the sap and sweetnesse of this it could not but warme the heart of an humbled sinner and kindle in him an abundant love to God who hath beene so loving to him Particular 3 Lastly the greatnesse of the sweetnesse of the mercy of God this inflames the soule the sweetnesse warmes it the freenesse kindles it and when the greatnesse meets with these it sets the soule all in a burning flame This is the ground the Apostle presseth to the Ephesians he desireth that they may be rooted in love that is stablished with mighty strong love how shall that be Why the text saith comprehending with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height of the love of Christ which passeth knowledge as who should say can you but once comprehend the unmeasurable dimensions of Gods love and goodnesse this will kindle and inflame your hearts with admirable love to the Lord Jesus When the sinner thinkes thus with himselfe I that have done all that I could against so good a God that my heart even bleeds to thinke of it there was no name under Heaven I tore in peeces but Gods Name his wounds and heart and life I have torne all nay there was no command in the world that my soule so much despised as the command of the Lord Jesus There was no spirit that ever spake to me which I so much resisted as the Spirit of the Lord. Oh how many sweet motions hath the Lord let into my soule that he might plucke mee from my base courses and sinfull practices but I have flowen in the face of his blessed Spirit If I had lien in a dungeon and had beene plagued with torments all my life time yea though I had another world of misery to live in it is infinite mercy so the Lord would passe by these base dealings and pardon these rebellions of mine But that God should send his Sonne to love mee so incomparably so unconceivably that I could not hate him so much as he loved me I could not so exceed in unkindnesse towards him as he hath exceeded in kindnesse towards mee Oh the height of this mercy beyond my desire Oh the breadth of this mercy without all bounds Oh the length of this mercy beyond all times Oh the depth of this mercy beneath all miseries Were my eyes made of love I could nothing but weepe love were my tongue made of love I could nothing but talke love were my hands made of love I could nothing but worke love and all too little for that God that hath loved mee so admirably so unmeasurably What shall I love if I love not the Lord I love all things but I love God above all things Psal 18.1 I love thee dearly O Lord my strength saith David this is the last particular whereby the soule comes to bee all on a flame and hath a burning affection towards the Lord Almighty Vse 1 We come now to the application of the point that so wee may reape some good to our soules thereby First then it is a ground of instruction which I desire to presse unto you because it is both seasonable and profitable From the former Doctrine therefore wee collect and conclude undeniably that there is no sufficiency in a naturall heart to be carried to the Lord Jesus Christ or to the worke of grace wee have not this before God doth give it unto us nay we cannot move towards God or be carried in the least kind to love or delight in him further than the Lord will carry us himselfe and beare up our hearts by the hand of his Spirit It is true and wee finde it by wofull experience it is in our power to love the world it is in our power to delight in our lusts Nay being but naturall men it cannot be but that we should love our selves and love our honour and our ease and profit and applause in the world There is enough of this foolish wild-fire there is enough of this carnall self-selfe-love in every mans heart But to love the Lord Jesus Christ and to have a heart inlarged with joy to him this is a worke of grace which groweth not in our gardens there is not one sparke of this holy fire and spiritual delight in our hearts Nay we cannot buy it nor borrow it
in the world and my heart is cheared with the consideration of the same The Apostle saith Rom. 8.28 All things shall worke together for the best to them that love God namely to those that are called according to his purpose that is to those that so love God that their love came by calling according to Gods everlasting counsell He called them in his good time from darknesse to light and he called them from the love of the world to the love of God therefore all things shall worke together for the best to them let nothing therefore discourage thee in this case but say All things shall worke for my good because God hath given me a heart to love him nay be cheared herein I charge you and let not your hearts droope and quarrell not with the Lord for a greater portion but blesse God for that you have received your lot is fallen into a faire ground and the Lord hath dealt lovingly with you you need no more for a childes part David desired no more Looke upon mee O Lord saith he and doe good unto me how as thou usest to doe unto those that love thy name As if hee had said I desire no more for my life and everlasting happinesse and the comfort of my soule deale with me no otherwise but just so as thou doest with those that love thy name I know thou wilt love them that love thee I know thou wilt save them that love thee I know thou wilt comfort them that love thee I know thou wilt glorifie them that love thee thus Lord doe good to thy servant I desire no more I crave no other but as thou doest as thou usest to doe good to those that love thy name if I have that I have enough David a King a glorious Saint desired no more expected no more if thou hast so much know that thou art beholding to the Lord and be contented therewith Haply you have not that vaine of talking and conference which others have this is commendable but there is a great deale of pride and vanitie in it now adayes thou canst not crancke up thy selfe in performances but thy heart closeth with God and thy affections are set upon him and thy soule burnes with love towards the Lord why that is enough to bring thee to heaven if there be ever a Saint in heaven thou art one now shalt be in heaven forever hereafter But now here is the difficultie if a man had that love which comes from God according to his purpose this would stand us in stead but there is much feigned wilde hypocriticall love in the world Quest How shall I therefore know my love whether it be true of the right nature or no Answ Here is the skill therefore we will skan the matter a little if it be true love and right joy God will accept it therefore put this love and joy upon the triall and we will say no more than what we have ground for out of the doctrine of the text Examine thy love and joy by this whether thou welcomest and entertainest the Lord Jesus Christ as beseemes him whether thou entertainest grace answerable to the worth of grace for that is the nature of this love and joy which God kindles and workes Now this appeares in five particulars The first is this if thou wilt know the truth and soundnesse of thy love and joy for what I say of the one I say of the other if love be good joy will be sound for they grow both upon one root onely the one hath more sweetnesse of Gods favour shed into the heart which makes the soule sport with it c. I say therefore to discover the soundnesse of this love of thine observe these trials Triall 1 First observe the root and rise from whence thy love came and wisely consider this for it is a point of great weight and hard to discover yet it is that which will never faile it is the narrowest search in the world if thy love come from the right mint it is currant and warrantable it is such as our Saviour approves of It is Christs royall prerogative to mint love and coine such love as he will take for payment and accept of therefore doth thy love come from the Spirit of the Father then it is made fit to close with the Father and to close with the Lord Iesus and with his good Spirit and consequently the Father allowes this and will give acceptance to it You know great men must be entertained answerable to their worth for a man to have meane fare and scant provision this may content a poore man but the choisest and best deare bought and farre fetched beseemes men of great ranke and place So there is a kinde of leane love this earthly and naturall love that growes only out of thy owne strength and naturall parts it is scant provision it beseemes not it suits not with God the Father it is not answerable to the place and state of the Lord Iesus Christ It is good enough for these base things here below earthly love for earthly things carnall love for carnall things it is good enough for these things But will you entertaine the Father of heaven Will you entertaine the Lord Iesus Christ I tell you then you must have dainties you must have spirituall love to welcome a spirituall Father otherwise it will not be sutable to his worth Looke as it is with flowers those flowers which are sowen and planted and by the skilfull hand of the gardiner inocculated are choise ones both for sent and sight are your province roses and the like are of great account but your common hedge roses no man cares for them So it is with the worke of Gods Spirit and all other common graces there is province love and province joy which is planted and wrought in the heart by the skilfull hand of God and his blessed Spirit these make a sweet smelling savour in the nostrils of God Aye that love saith the Father Aye that love saith the Lord Jesus wee cannot better please them than by entertaining them after this matter but these hedge roses this carnall love and carnall joy that growes upon the hedge of our owne naturall hearts the Lord cares not for this love and joy it beseemes him not in any measure therefore observe this canst thou say I love God because hee loved me this is a love of the right coine it came from the right mint and know it for ever that that God which cannot but love himselfe he cannot but like that love of thine which is of his owne nature which came from his owne selfe who is the God of all love I would faine have you understand what I speake is thy heart therefore affected and inlarged with love to the Lord because thou hast found and felt and received the sweetnesse of the rellish of the riches of his grace into thy soule doth love and joy grow upon
it be stirres it selfe to attaine neerer union with the Lord Jesus even when he seemes to absent his presence from the soule but we cannot prosecute that so that by this time then it doth appeare what it is to love the Lord trulâ— and wee have laid downe the triall whereby we may know whether wee have this love or no. Vse 3 The third use is a word of reproofe you have heard the ground of consolation already therefore when the pill is sugered I hope it will down the better Here then wee have a just ground of reprehension and it comes marvellous heavy as a witnesse to accuse many nay as a Judge to condemne many in the world this is sufficient to shake their hearts and to make their soules that live in the bosome of the Church almost to sinke in the consideration and sight of their owne miserable and fearfull condition upon whom this worke was never stamped in whose soules this grace of God was never yet kindled certaine it is such never loved the Lord nor ever rejoyced in Christ Woe to their soules therefore and beloved this is the condition of the greatest part of those that live in the Church and are counted professors among us they love not Christ they rejoyce not in him yet they will not bee perswaded of it therefore give a little attendance I beseech you to what I shall say This is the cunning that Satan hath to deceive poore soules withall because these holy affections are inward and retired as hope and desire and love and joy because I say they are secret things in the soule and doe not discover themselves outwardly to the view of the world further than the fruits thereof manifest the same Therefore men not knowing these affections themselves and not conceiving of the nature of them that is the cause that many leane upon the expectation of what they have in frame of heart though they want in the course of their lives this is that which every man almost doth challenge to himselfe as that whereby he will beare up his heart in time of trouble and cheere up his soule in the day of distresse Wicked men when every one cannot but see and behold their base courses and loath their sinfull practices nay when they themselves cannot but confesse their filthy behaviours c. Why they confesse they fall foully and they fall dayly and scandalously but that which heals all helps all is this they say it is true it is so with their lives but yet they love the Lord Jesus with all their hearts every vile varlet will say thus when hee hath sworne by a Saviour and torne his flesh in peeces his blessed body his blood his wounds and all yet when he hath done this he loves a sweet Saviour still Oh poore deluded miserable sinfull wretch that I may apply my selfe particularly to such a one I beseech you give mee leave to doe two things First I will make it good that most men have not this love of God Secondly I will plead the Inditement and then when I have laid out the Inditement and pleaded it and shewed who they are that have not this love of God the point will be cleere First it is sure and most certaine 1 Most in the world have no love to God but hatred against him that most in the world that live in the bosome of the Church have not their hearts carried in any love of God but in a hatred and desperate opposition against the Lord Jesus Christ In him was life and this life was the light of the world and the light shined in darknesse and the darknesse comprehended it not the meaning is this the Lord Jesus Christ was the life of the promise in him was life the promise of life was in Christ and that promise of life was a light to teach men the way to life and salvation but when this light of the promise of grace shined to the world the darke world comprehended it not they knew it not Christ came unto his owne Iohn 1.11 and his owne received him not There the Lord speakes of the Jewes that were his chosen people and his owne by covenant His owne by reason of the privileges and benefits and ordinances which he bestowed upon them His owne by profession they tooke the Name of Christ upon them Christ came not to heathens and pagans but to his owne and they received him not How many are there amongst us who professe the Name of the Lord Iesus and take up the Gospell of Christ and yet being Christians in profession will not entertaine the love of the Lord Iesus Christ which should make us Christians in dâ—ed Christ comes to many a mans doore and knocks and calls and intreats entrance but few will entertaine him when hee comes nay let mee say more my heart trembles to speake it nay my heart were it as it should be would grieve to thinke it Wicked men are so farre from prising Christ and loving the Lord Iesus that they hate him more than sinne nay I had almost said yet I am loth to speake it my heart shakes to thinke it but that I hope you are willing to heare the worst why then I will speake it and they are the words of the Scripture wicked men hate Christ more than the devill himselfe the Lord be merciful to such poor sinful creatures good Lord that ever men should be created by the Lord and enjoy mercy and meanes from the Lord and yet love sinne and the devill himselfe more than God Object But you will say are there any such is it possible that ever any man that breathed and received mercy from the Lord Iesus should deale so sinfully and unkindly with him why the devill would not doe it Answer I say to you as the Prophet said to Hazael in another case I know saith he the evill thou wilt doe to the children of Israel their strong holds wilt thou set on fire 2 King 8.12.13 and their young men wilt thou slay with the sword and wilt dash their children and rip up their women with childe but Hazael said what am I a dogge that I should doe this the Prophet told him the Lord hath shewed it unto me I know saith the Prophet the cruelty and venome of thy spirit though thou knowest it not So when I speake of these things men will bee ready to say what are there any such dogs to deale thus with the Lord Jesus I tell you the Lord knowes this and the Word seeth all thy venome and spight and hatred against Christ the Lord seeth and knoweth it Most men in their hearts doe hate Christ though they see it not beloved your hearts are more vile than you can conceive and more base than you can imagine the Word will make it cleere The greatest evill of all wee know is sinne the Devill is not to be loathed but for his sinne and the reason why he is
145 2 You must labour to be much acquainted with the precious promises of God p. 146 3 You must maintaine in the heart a deepe and serious acknowledgement of that supreme authoritie of the Lord to doe what hee will and how hee will according unto his owne good pleasure p. 148 Doctrine VI. The Spirit of the Lord quickneth the desire of an humble and enlightned sinner to long for the riches of his mercy in Christ p. 150 The reason why desire commeth next in order and the manner how God the Father doth quicken up the desires of the soule to long for mercy are p. 152 Use I. It is an use of strong consolation to stay the hearts of poore sinners in the midst of their infirmities canst thou but finde thy smoking desire thy condition is then good p. 156. The signes of sound desires are these three 1 Signe of a sound desire is this that as the desire is so the endevour will be p. 157 2 Signe of a sound desire is this he that truly desires mercy and grace desireth Christ for himselfe 158. 3 Signe of a sound desire is this the soule that truly desires mercy is ready to receive it with thankfulnesse and will entertaine the meanes and messenger that may bring home Christ and mercy to his soule p. 159 Use II. It is of reproofe to all them that yet have not these true and sincere desires after grace and salvation wrought in them p. 160 There are three sorts and rankes of professours and hypocrites whose desires are unsound the Lazy Hypocrite Stage Hypocrite Terrified Hypocrite p. 161 There are foure sorts of lazy professors and lazy Hypocrites that are void of these sound and sincere hopes 1 Sort of lazy Hypocrites are such who when they enjoy the means of salvation yet they esteeme not thy blessing they prize not the meanes p. 164 2 Sort of lazy Hypocrites are such who when God hath taken away and deprived them of the ordinary meanes of grace and salvation they are well contented to be without the same they sit downe very well satisfied p. 166 3 Sort of lazy Hypocrites are such who when they have the meanes of grace and salvation are content to use them and if they want the meanes will seeke out for them but yet are not carefull to prevent those inconveniences which hinder them by receiving benefit from the meanes p. 168 4 Sort of lazy Hypocrites are those who though they heare the duties commanded yet they neglect all duties commands p. 169 There are two sorts of stage Hypocrites that are void of these sound and sincere desires p. 172 The first sort of stage Hypocrites are such as will take up so much of Christ and the Gospell as may stand with their credit and with their estate p. 173 The second sort of stage Hypocrites are such that will use all Gods ordinances but will part with nothing and will suffer nothing for the Lord Iesus p. 175 The third sort that are void of sound and sincere desires are the terrified Hypocrites p. 177 The signes of a terrified Hypocrite are two 1 He will be lingering and hankering after some corruption p. 178 2 The terrified Hypocrite he will slight and slubber over small sinnes and small corruptions p. 178 How farre this terrified Hypocrite will goe and what he may doe vid. p. 179 Use III. Is of Exhortation wherein you are intreated in the bowels of the Lord Iesus to long and desire after the Lord Iesus Christ p. 191 Means I. The Means are foure the first is this be acquainted thorowly with thy owne necessities and wants with that nothingnesse and emptinesse in thy selfe p. 192 Means II. The second is consider the necessitie after grace and goodnesse it is no matter of complement and indifferencie p. 197 Means III. The third is labour to spread forth the excellencie of all the beautie and surpassing glory that is in the promises of God p. 198 Means IV. The fourth is thou must know that it is not in thy power to bring thy heart to desire grace p. 199 Doctrine VII The Spirit of the Lord kindles in an humbled heart and inlightned sinner love and joy to entertaine and rejoyce in the riches of his mercy p. 205 The opening of the Doctrine consists in 3. passages Passage I. Is this that this love and joy is no where else to be found but in an heart humbled and inlightned p. 205 Passage II. Is this that the love and joy is enkindled by the Spirit of the Father p. 206. Passage III. Is this that the love and joy being kindled they may entertaine and rejoyce in the riches of Gods mercy p. 207 Reason I. Of the point is this because that love and joy doe follow desire p. 209 The Spirit of the Father doth enkindle the love and joy in these three particulars p. 217 Particular I. Is this God the Father by the Spirit doth let in some sweetnesse and rellish of his love into the soule that doth warme the heart p. 221 Particular II. Is this that the freenesse of Gods love doth enkindle a love in the soule p. 222 Particular III. Is this that as the sweetnesse did warme it the freenesse kindles it so the greatnesse of the sweetnesse of this love doth set the soule in a flame p. 224 Use I. It is an use of instruction to enforme you that there is no sufficiencie in a naturall heart to be carried to the Lord Iesus Christ or to the worke of grace p. 226 Use II. Iâ— is an use of consolation to stay and refresh the hearts of those that have received the gracious worke p. 233 Use III. It is an use of triall to examine your selves whether your love and joy be sound true and sincere and how it doth differ from the fained wilde and hypocriticall love in the world p. 237 The soundnesse of true love from counterfeit Hypocriticall love appeareth in these five trialls Triall I. Is this observe the root and rise of thy love ibid. Triall II. Is this observe if thou entertainest thy Saviour as a Saviour that is as a King p. 242 Triall III. Is this thou must observe if thou labourest to give contentment to Christ p. 244 Triall IV. Observe whether thy heart doth rejoyce to see the happinesse of the thing you love p. 251 Triall V. Is this it is the nature of true love to covet nearer union with the thing beloved p. 254 Use IV. It is of repose to all those upon whom this worke of love and joy in Christ was never wrought p. 261 Most men have not this love to God but hatred against him p. 263 The persons that doe not love the Lord Iesus Christ they are referred to three ranks p. 266 Sort I. Are such as are open enemeis to Christ and who these are are largely described in p. 267 Sort II. Are those glozing Neuters that halt betweene two opinions p. 273 Sort III. Are those fawning Hypocrites that are faire
towards good Now the affections of the soule that doe respect evill are especially three if any evill be comming first feare is a watchman and the heart trembles and shakes and gives in Hence comes palenesse in the face because feare goes downe into the very castle of a man which is the heart and then sorrow greeves and mournes and laments under the weight of that evill wee feare evill to come but we sorrow for evill that is come Thirdly hatred that carries it selfe with a kinde of indignation and takes up armes against that evill feare is preventing sorrow feeling hatred opposing any evil that comes Now these three affections that goe from evill have been wrought upon in contrition and humiliation namely when the Lord the eye of a poore sinner discovers unto him that hell is gaping for him and the God of justice preparing vengeance for him the soule staggers and shrinks in the apprehension of it then the Lord lets in the fire of indignation into the soule and makes the soule feele that before he threatned and then the soule grieves and because his sinnes have beene so tedious unto him his heart is brought to a hatred and indignation against those evils So that if any evill or provocation or temptation come to a soule broken if the old loose companions old corruptions old swearing old blaspheming old dalliances come to call upon the soule let us have our fill of love untill the morning let us take up our old delights when these call the soule and would plucke the soule home againe unto them then these foure fence the soule against all those inchantments in so much that when the drunkard seeth his company comming towards him hee thinkes that is my plague that is the man and his perswasions and counsels hee remembers his old corruptions and his old horrors and his old burthens and heavie loads that lay upon his heart and the soule hates the drunkard and will not yeeld to his perswasions they so fence the way that the voice of sinne cannot be heard it may call and call but the doore is shut they stop the currant that no streame of distempers may prevaile any more this now is done before so that now wee come to the second worke So there are other affections that carry the soule unto good if there be any good propounded or offered then there are foure other affections that the will sends out to entertaine that good hope and desire looke for the good that is absent hope saith I marvell it comes not desire saith I long after it when the goodnesse is neere then love welcomes it and delights in it and joy rejoyceth and all these hope desire love and joy all bring carry and convey all the good to the will which is the great commander of the soule Love and joy tell the will We have found much goodnesse and taken great delight and much content in the goodnesse and mercy of the Lord. The truth is wee have taken delight in sinne and base courses but oh the comfort but oh the consolation and goodnesse of mercy you cannot have a better good than mercy Then saith the will We will have grace mercy wee will rest here Thus wee see how the head and the foot of the affections doe come on to embrace that good now the understanding doth stand sentinell all the while and discovers all the good and musters up hope and desire and love and joy and these foure are the maine wee must meddle with all the other went from evill and they have their proper worke before we doe not hate and sorrow for mercy wee doe not feare to receive mercy but wee feare and withdraw our selves from sinne and corruptions that we may entertaine the call of mercy Thing 2 There is the promise of grace and mercy in Christ a fulnesse of mercy which doth so powerfully and effectually draw the soule by this good that it brings all these affections after it Therefore in this fulnesse of mercy and goodnesse of God there are these particulars that like so many claspes draw all these faculties to God to follow and close with God for their good The promise is a true one and truth is that which marvellously pleaseth the understanding as a mans palate tastes meat so the understanding tastes words There is nothing so pleasing to the understanding as the truth of God Now of all truth there is none like the truth of a promise therefore the evidence of it doth cleere the judgement and the certainty of it doth establish the judgement of a poore sinner Eph. 1.13 The promise of God is a good word Heb. 6.5 therefore as the truth of the Gospell fils the understanding so there is a goodnesse in the promise of grace and mercy which will answer all and satisfie all the faculties of the soule as in the good word of the Lord mercy is a proper object of hope that it may be sustained a proper object of desire that it may be supported there is a proper object for a mans love and delight that they may be cheered nay there is a full satisfactory sufficiency of all good in the Gospell that so the will of a man may take full repose and rest therein Therefore the Lord saith Come unto me all that are weary and heavy laden come hope and desire and love and will and heart they answer We come all the mind saith Let me know this mercy above all and desire to know nothing but Christ and him crucified let mee expect this mercy saith hope that belongs to me and will befall me desire saith Let me long after it nay saith love let me embrace and welcome it let me delight in it saith joy nay saith the heart let me lay hold on the handle of salvation here we will live and here we will dye at the footstoole of Gods mercy thus all goe minde hope desire love joy the will and all lay hold upon the promise and say Let us make the promise a prey let us prey upon mercy as the wilde beasts doe upon their provision Thus the faculties of the soule hunt and pursue this mercy and lay hold thereupon and satisfie themselves herein Hence wee will raise these two points Doct. 1 That the word of the Gospell and the word of the Spirit goe both together this is grounded in the Text they must first heare then learne heare the Gospell and learne by the Spirit Doct. 2 That Gods Spirit gives speciall notice of Gods acceptance to an enlightned soule and that is the first voice of the Spirit to the understanding Now to the first doctrine Doct. 1 The word of the Gospell and the worke of the Spirit alwayes goe together the point is grounded in the Text after this manner they must first heare then learne heare by the word and learne by the Spirit The hearing of the Gospell without the Spirit is nothing else but a beating of the ayre and a
of the Spirit of God for as we apprehend the Spirit of the Lord to be in the word so much the word will worke upon thee as it was with the Israelites 1 Sam. 8.19 compared with 1 Sam. 12.18 What is the reason they do so at the one and not at the other why did they feare the one more than the other because they apprehended God to be in the one and not in the other Confesse and know that not one word of God shall fall to the ground there thou hast heard if a man did heare thunder and knew it would fall upon him it would awe him The word of the Lord is as thunder from heaven it is not the word of man but of God then consider shall not the word faile then the word that God hath spoken shall fall upon me Consider that when judgement hits it is irrecoverable If a man knew that although judgement came it would not hit him if it did hit him he might recover this would comfort him a little but if thou dost not stoope it will hit and that irrecoverably therefore labour to tremble at Gods word We come now to see how the Lord workes upon the soule First he lets a light into the minde for what the eye never seeth the heart never desireth hope never expects that joy never delights in that the soule never embraceth but the soule hangs a farre off and dares not beleeve that Christ will have mercy upon him God is a just God and he a vile sinner therefore God will never cast the eye of pitie and compassion upon him therefore the Spirit lets in a light into his heart and discovers unto him that God will deale graciously with him and doe good unto him Doct. 1 Hence That the Spirit of the Lord gives speciall notice of Gods acceptance to the soule truly humbled Mercie is generally propounded to the soule in the Gospell but there is a speciall bringing home of mercy to the soule by the Spirit that hee strikes through the bargaine There is many a chapman passeth by the stall and seeth the meat and the commodity lye that is tendred him and followes him home to his house if he purpose to sell so it is not enough to tender mercy and offer grace and salvation by the Gospell for this wee often doe and you will not once looke at them but cast them away and no man buyeth them but if the Spirit of God takes them in hand he will strike the bargaine through hee will follow thee home to thy house to thy closet to thy heart hee will wooe thee be thou never so coy be thou never so stubborne be thou never so wayward the Lord will bring thee to give entertainment to the Lord Jesus and to Gods mercy in and through him 1 Iohn 5.20 as if he had said A man of himselfe hath no minde no understanding to conceive of the Lord Jesus and of the freenesse of Gods mercy in Christ but Christ hath given us this minde he hath given an eye to the soule of a sinner so that hee cannot but take notice of the councell holden in the high Court of Parliament concerning his salvation It is with a sinner as it is with a man that sits in darknesse haply he seeth a light in the street out of a window but he sits still in darknesse and is in the dungeon all the while and thinkes how good were it if a man might enjoy that light So many a poore humble-hearted broken sinner seeth and hath an inkling of Gods mercies he heareth the Saints speake of Gods love and his goodnesse and compassion ah thinkes he how happy are they blessed are they what an excellent condition are they in but he is in darknesse still and never had a drop of mercy vouchsafed unto him at last the Lord sets a light in his house and puts the candle into his owne hand and makes him see by particular evidence thou shalt bee pardoned and thou shalt be saved this is particular notice For the opening of the point observe two things 1. The manner how the Spirit doth it 2. The reasons why the Spirit onely can do it For the first the manner of the Spirits worke how the Lord doth give this notice and how the candle comes to bee lighted and the glimpse of Gods mercy comes in as by so many cranies into the soule it is discerned in three passages Passage 1 The Spirit of the Lord meeting with an humble broken lowly selfe-denying sinner for of him I speake hee that is a proud stout hearted wretch God give him notice of his mercy no God will give him notice of something else he shall have notice of judgements hell fire let him have that which belongs unto him Iudgement to whom judgement belongeth but I speake of an humbled sinner through which he may be enabled and by which he may be fitted to entertaine the things of God The naturall man perceiveth not the things of God neither can he why because they are spiritually discerned So that there must be a spirituall light in him before the soule can see spirituall things without 1 Cor. 2.12 Wee have not received the spirit of the world which is the spirit of ignorance and darknesse that possesseth all the world the world lyeth in darknesse and in sinne there is the spirit of the Devill and terrour in the mindes of wicked men but you have not received the spirit of the world to delude you and blinde you but you have received the Spirit of the Lord as who should say No man doth no man can know the things of Gods free grace rich mercy boundlesse compassion in the Lord. No man can see these colours unlesse he hath a spirituall eye Revel 3.18 No saith God ye are blinde c. but I counsell thee to buy of me eye-salve that thou maist see and now the humbled sinner begins to see like the man in the Gospell some light and glimmering about his understanding that he can look into and discerne the spirituall things of God Passage 2 Then the Lord layes before him all the riches of the treasures of his grace the Spirit brings out of the store house out of the bosome of God the Father those tender mercies and compassions which never yet saw the Sunne which neither men nor Angels ever dreamed of and the Spirit doth communicate them to those that God hath let the spirituall light into Ephes 3.9 there they are called the unsearchable riches of God and it is a very significant phrase and the word implies such riches as a man can never see a foot-step of them God now doth as some Trades-men doe he hath a deale of wares in his store-house but the buyer and passenger seeth not those but only them that are set out upon the stall so it is with the Lord Jesus hee doth present unto the view of the understanding of the mind enlightned all those conceivable incomprehensible
the Father and the Sonne he can nay he doth make knowne the Counsels of both and so removes all objections and cleares all cavils it is a point of consideration to you that are weake ones satisfaction is by the meanes of Christ the Sonne layeth downe the price and doth satisfie the Spirit doth certifie it unto the soule that the Son hath satisfied for the neglect of what God ever required at our hands and for the committing of what ever God hath forbidden now the soule is fully satisfied As for example Take a creditor to whom the debtor oweth money haply the debtor is arrested for his not paying the debt the surety he comes and layes downe the debt now the debtor is unacquainted with this unlesse there be a messenger that brings a certificat under the hand of the creditour that he is paid and the surety hath discharged the debt and hee is quitted when he heares this his heart is fully quieted So here the Lord Jesus is the Surety the Father is the Creditour our soules are the debt now the Spirit of God he is the Messenger and he brings under the hand of God of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ an acquittance to our soules that what ever sinnes wee have committed are pardoned through Christ and this fully contents the soule Marke 1 Cor. 2.10 yea the deepe things of God as who should say how can you tell that Gods minde is towards us and that hee will pardon why these are secrets aye but the Spirit of the Lord knowes and searcheth the deepe things of God that which eye never saw that which the Angels in heaven cannot tell you that which all the men in the world cannot reveale unto you without God be with them that your names are written in the Booke of Life you shall bee accepted these are deepe things but the Spirit reveales them This is the first Reason the Spirit onely knowes the minde therefore it only can give notice thereof unto the soule Reas 2 The Spirit only can break thorow al those mists and clouds of ignorance and blindnesse that are in our minds which oppose this worke nay it can beare downe all those distempers and discouragements which make us unfit and unable to receive the evidence of Gods love and goodnesse in the Lord Jesus Christ for these two things are in the heart of a sinner that marvellously oppose the evidence of Gods favour unto the soule Hindr. 1 That every man hath a veile of ignorance over his heart 2 Cor. 3.15 Now the veile of ignorance no hand can rend it none can remove it but only the Spirit of God The god of the world blindes the eyes of the wicked why then it must be the Spirit of God the Spirit of another world I meane the Spirit of Christ that must open the eyes and take away the veiles and clouds and mists that the god of the world casts before the eye Hindr. 2 Are desperate discouragements when a poore sinner is plunged in the apprehension of all the evill which he hath committed and in the aggravation of all those sins whereby God hath beene dishonoured when the soule observes this hee thinkes and sayes This proud heart will never be humbled this unregenerate heart will never be sanctified the Lord never intends good to my soule it is impossible that so many corrections so long continued should ever be pardoned here the soule sinkes downe in desperate discouragements now there is none but the Spirit of God that can let a light into the soule there is none but the hand of the Lord that can rend and pluck and pull a poore fainting despairing dying sinking heart under the burthen of his manifold abominations none but the Almighty hand of an Almighty God can doe this when it is night all the candles in the world cannot take away the darknesse so all the meanes of grace and salvation all the candle-light of the Ministery they are all good helps but the darknesse of the night will not be gone before the Sun of Righteousnesse arise in our hearts Hence it comes to passe that it is a very difficult matter to give comfort to a poore distressed soule Psal 40.1 Marke what a coâ—le there is to give comfort all the world cannot comfort them and perswade them I shall one day perish say they I shall one day goe downe to hell let all the Ministers under heaven say what they will Comfort yee comfort yee saith the Lord as who should say they will not be comforted they will not thinke nor be resolved of it I mercy and I comfort it is a likely matter it will never be it never can be I shall never see that day will the Lord pardon me I doe not thinke it I cannot beleeve it God is a just God and a righteous God and I am a vile wicked wretch it is mercy that I have despised and trampled under my feet and I mercy no certainly there is no such matter this makes the Lord have such a doe Comfort yee comfort yee the third time and yet they will receive none We Ministers of the Gospell observe by experience that we meet with some soules that are gone to the bottome of hell sometimes by their distempers and wee make knowne the promises propound arguments lay downe reasons but nothing takes place nothing prevailes all is presently forgotten and you had as good say nothing all is forgotten therefore none but Gods Spirit can doe it hee must come from heaven and say Comfort yee comfort yee my people let me therefore speake to you that are Ministers you doe well to labour to give comfort to a poore fainting soule but alwayes say Comfort Lord say unto this poore soule thou art his salvation Lord speake comfort and say to such a one his sinnes shall be pardoned mercy shall bee bestowed upon him his iniquities are forgiven it is that wee observe in the policie of Satan Satan hath two Policies Policie 1 First if he can hee will keepe a man that hee shall never see his sins therefore hee labours to doe away all plagues and judgements from the apprehension of the soule and therefore when the Minister comes home to the conscience and saith What you have heaven what proud and profane and oppose God and his ordinances and you goe to heaven No no such matter marke what the Devill suggests take thy pleasure it is but halfe an houres work when you lie upon your death-bed if you can but then cry to God for mercy and for forgivenes it is enough this is the first Policie to keepe a man from seeing his sins and thus the soule is content to carry hel-gates on his backe and a thousand abominations and is never troubled Well haply the Lord enlightens the soule of such a sinner and sets his sinnes before him and saith here are thy sins and for these thy sins thou shalt be sent packing to hell now he cannot look off
of those gracious promises which God hath made to poore humbled sinners Now if we be not able to cast the sense and meaning of the promise it is like an uncertaine sound though the witnesse bee good and plaine yet I cannot be comforted thereby 2 Cor. 6.16 17. This is the language of the Spirit Now let a poore humble hearted soule come and lay his heart levell to the promise one saith it is true if it were so with mee then God would be my God that promise is made to them that touch no uncleane thing but I am defiled with sins and abominations and carried aside by them therefore no share in this promise Now the meaning of the testimony is mistaken the witnesse is as good as can be and will cast the cause on your side but you understand not the meaning of the witnesse therefore we will spell the words what is it to touch no uncleane thing it is not to bee lightly acquainted with it therefore art thou content to sue out a bill of divorce to all thy sins how ever heretofore thou wert married to them yet now thou art resolved to bed with them no more art thou contented God should make knowne what ever is amisse in thy soule and subdue every distemper that is the meaning of the promise and if it be thus with thee the promise belongs to thee Meanes 4 Labour to keepe the promise by you for ever and have a readie recourse thereunto upon all occasions forget not the promise be not a stranger to it be not unacquainted be not unaccustomed to have daily trading with the promise which is so profitable to us Prov. 3.3 marke what counsell God gives by wisdome Let not mercy and truth forsake thee mercy and truth will forsake a man Satan would plucke them away but suffer them not saith the Text to depart from thy soule Iob 22.21 so the originall hath it have a daily intercourse to the promise meditate therein and muse thereupon see thou looke a ready way and have recourse to the Lord upon all occasions Motive 1 To perswade us to use these meanes is this because this most concernes our good if a man had all the good things the world could afford and his hearts desire if he had friends to respect him wealth to enrich him and honour to promote him yet if the Lord should send this heavie Message into his conscience God will curse those blessings and dam thy soule and person that newes from heaven of Gods indignation would take away the sweetnesse of all the comforts of this life but had a man good tidings from heaven were the Lord pleased to give notice of his love and mercie in Jesus Christ it would support us in whatsoever miseries or troubles should befall us nay when our owne hearts and consciences tell us hard tidings these evils thou hast committed and they will be thy plague and for this thou shalt be damned and frie in hell this is ill newes but this will beare up a mans heart if hee can but looke up to heaven and take good tidings and notice of Gods favour this will joy and refresh a mans soule Motive 2 As this most concernes us so Satan is most cunning to deprive us of the same if hee can stop any intelligence and take away any evidence of Gods love and mercie to the soule this is that Satan labours for for if the heart gets evidence this way and have notice under the hand of the Spirit what love what joy what power and vertue will be in the soule what courage and undauntednesse will be in the heart to walke in the wayes of godlinesse then learne from the Devill himselfe he labours to keepe from you what will doe you most good therefore be you as carefull to get this notice of Gods love to your soules from the Spirit in the promise as Satan is to hinder you from the same Vse 3 Instruction Hence I conclude that the poorest humbled sinner of the meanâ—st capacity doth know more of spirituall truths concerning grace and salvation and Gods love in Christ than the most wise and learned in the world that are not humbled In a word take the meanest Saint that ever breathed on the earth and the greatest scholler for outward parts and learning and reach and policie the meanest ignorant soule that is almost a naturall foole that soule knowes and understands more of grace and mercy in Christ than all the wisest and learnedst in the world than all the greatest schollers and most pompous Cardinals these were never humbled How doe I conclude this why thus if Gods spirit onely give notice of this favor to the humble then all other bee their parts what they will bee God doth not informe them the humble are informed they not instructed therefore the other know not what they cannot conceive As suppose one dull blocke and a quicke wit are both set to one trade yet if the dullard had an expert master and did beat into him the skill of the trade and the quicke spirit was with a master that could not teach him his trade wee see that the dull blocke is more wise in his trade than the other so it is here they have the Lord for their master Vse 4 To shew us the certainty of the assurance of faith if the spirit of God gives notice and certifie a thing it must needs be certaine and hence it is that the assurance of faith must needs bee infallible and undeniable in those that have it I ground it thus That which commeth from the notice of the spirit is most undeniable but the assurance thereof commeth from the notice of the spirit that faith is most undeniable hence commeth those triumphs I know my Redeemer liveth I am perswaded that neither height nor depth c. shall be able to separate me from the love of God in Christ The worke of God upon the understanding we have spoken of at large now wee come to the worke of God upon the affections as the understanding apprehendeth the truth of the promise so the heart looketh at the goodnesse of the promise Now therefore the Lord he must teach all the affections to come unto the promise and the first affection that commeth next in order is the affection of hope Doctrine The Doctrine is this The holy Spirit of the Father doth stir the heart of an humbled and inlightned sinner to hope for the goodnesse of the Lord The Lord calleth all the affections come joy come desire come love but the first voyce is to hope only observe this passage it must come from a heart humbled and inlightned for nothing commeth to the heart to be affected but onely by the head and understanding therefore before the soule can hope the heart must bee humbled and inlightned humbled in regard of preparation and inlightned in regard of the certification of Gods goodnesse Secondly it must be stirred up to doe it the spirit
Spirit of God undermines these distempers and corruptions the corruption of the soule would faine have ease but the Spirit saith there is a better good than ease that saith horrour is terrible but the Spirit saith sinne is more miserable Looke as it is with a good Cordiall it will worke out a distemper though it lie long in the heart of a man yet it will drive it away at length So it is with the almightie worke of Gods Spirit which possesseth the heart of the soule truly humbled I would faine expresse my selfe more fully You must know that these shifts of spirit and privy prankes of heart whereby the Devill windes himselfe in upon a terrified conscience they are the last cast the maine hold of Satan he is now driven into his trenâ—hes and therefore he will play fast and loose a long time and discover desperate subtilties Originall corruption is like a fountaine now a fountaine hath many Conduits some nearer some further but if there bee any water in the Fountaine the neerest Conduit will have it soonest So if there be any originall corruption as there is in all it will be sure to bee seene in this Conduit of selfe-ease and selfe-confidence in horrour to bee avoyded and duty to bee performed The Naturalist observes the heart is the last that dies therefore though the eyes bee dimme and the tongue falters and the hands bee feeble yet the pulse of the heart will goe still so long as there is any life there So it is here the pulse of originall corruption will bee seene in these base distempers of spirit which cleave unto us whilest wee live in this world but they are still undermined and opposed by the Spirit of God Conclusion 2 Secondly judge not thy selfe in time of extremity and horrour of Spirit by the not stirring and not moving of thy affections to sinne Doe not thinke thy estate good because thou findest not this neither judge thy condition ill because thou findest some corruption stirring at such times for that is the false ground of an Hypocrite he judgeth the water to be meerly hot because he can feele no cold he thinkes hee hath no love to sinne because hee cannot feele that hee hath any affection to it in the time of horrour but he is deceived for the act of sinne may be overpowred when the union betweene sin and the soule still remaines As for example a poore Saint of God may have Gods Spirit and yet never perceive it because the Spirit may sometimes either suspend his action or else the action may be over-clouded by the distemper So it is here Satan may rule in the hearts of the children of disobedience and cast in the seeds of base corruptions and build holds of distempers and the poore soule not understand the same Quest But how shall a man judge himselfe in such times Ans I answer In such times labour to see how thy minde is inlightned to see the beauty of holinesse and how thy understanding comes to prize the excellency of goodnesse for it selfe how thy heart stands bent to entertaine all the truth and goodnesse of God made knowne unto thee And marke what now I say if thou desirest holinesse for it selfe and the bent of thy heart is after holinesse so that thou canst not bee content to bee eased by holines unles thou beest possessed overpowred by holinesse and the vertue thereof If it be thus with thee judge thy selfe by this means Suffer mee to expresse my selfe after this manner that every one may understand Conceive two women the one sicke the other in love both desire the Physitian the sicke desires the Physitian to bee healed by him the other desires him not so much to be healed but shee is desirous to be married to him So it is with the soule that is carried in a kinde of love and affection to godlinesse hee would not have Christ onely to heale him but he would be married to Christ that hee may enjoy the God of all pardoning that he may enjoy the God of all purging and purifying Take notice of it sometimes men in times of sicknesse use that for physicke which in the time of health they used for common diet So a gracious and holy heart in the time of terrour and vexation of conscience will embrace holinesse not for physicke sake onely to be healed by it but for diet sake to live by holinesse that hee might take possession of holinesse and that holinesse might take possession of him this is the best judgement the soule hath in time of extremity for marke some passages of this nature It is possible out of selfe-love for the preservation of a mans selfe to desire ease and quietnesse but hee cares not by whom if God or Christ or Holinesse or Prayer will ease him let them doe it and all this may bee for meere selfe-love not for any love of Christ or holinesse at all But to have the soule carried with desire to a supernaturall good to holinesse in the beauty thereof that it may enjoy it and be possessed of it corrupt nature cannot corrupt nature will not come to this it is the Spirit of the Lord onely that can enable a man to doe it Suffer mee to expresse a passage or two this way the extremity of Gods indignation is a farre greater evill than all the good things in the world can be comfortable it is a farre greater evill than any thing here below better to bee in beggery better to bee in prison better to bee persecuted than to be tormented than to be set upon a continuall wracke by the horrour of conscience Now as the indignation of the Lord is a far greater punishment than these so the ease from this is a greater good than can proceed from the things here below the ease is answerably good as the indignation is evill A wicked man would have ease for his sinnes therefore his sinnes are a greater good than his ease But a gratious heart desires holinesse beyond ease and sin and all though hee were in the greatest extremity I expresse it thus A gratious heart if he had all the ease in the world if hee had not holinesse hee could not bee satisfied and if he had holinesse though hee had not ease hee would bee contented I say had a gracious heart ease and quiet and yet had a vile and polluted soule if his old distempers were still remaining and his old corruptions still continuing he would complaine and say I have ease and quiet now but my heart is as bad as ever If hee had ease and not holinesse he could not bee satisfied if hee were of a right stampe and if hee had holinesse and more power against sinne and the presence of Christ prevailing with him and purging him from corruptions he would blesse Gods Name that is the second Conclusion 3 The third conclusion is this doe not content your selves in this that you see a need of a Saviour
inlarged to bestow his heart thereupon nor carry himselfe with that pleasure and delight which otherwise he would this is the first passage I know there is a wilde kinde of love and joy in the world counterfeit coyne but this is not the love and joy we meane we will have garden love and joy of the Lords owne setting and planting those carnall hypocriticall joyes we will not meddle withall Passage 2 The second passage is this this love and joy is kindled by the Spirit of the Father he it is from whence come all the sparkes that must kindle grace in us So that all other love and joy which is not spirituall and from him cannot be acceptable to his Majesty It is that in generall which the Apostle Paul inferres Rom. 8.8 They which are in the flesh cannot please God So all the joy and love as well as any other action that proceeds out of nature and flesh cannot please God But it must be heavenly love and joy proceeding from the Spirit Suffer me to expresse my selfe after this manner Looke as it is with a gentleman in the countrey he will bee content to leave his habitation for a while and give up his house to the King for a while because hee is but a meane man and not able to entertaine so great a retinue therefore the King sends his owne provision before hand observe it So it is with a poore humble broken hearted sinner the poore soule is marvellous well content the Lord should come to him and dwell in him and dispose of him but he is such a poore beggerly wretch Simile he is not able to make God a fire he cannot love God hee hath not that holy heat of love and joy to entertain and welcome the Lord as becommeth his Majesty therefore the Lord sends provision before hand and kindleth love and joy in the soule that by that love and joy he may be welcomed to the heart of an humble sinner or thus to expresse my selfe more clearly Take a burning glasse that will receive the beames of the Sunne and heat and burne other things the glasse of it selfe hath no such heat in it but when it hath received the beames of the Sunne it heats and burnes other things as flax and such combustible matter but it is by the heat of the beames of the Sunne received otherwise it could doe nothing So it is with an humble sinner hee lieth fit to receive the beames of Gods mercy and waits when the Sun of righteousnesse will shine from heaven comfortably upon his heart and being warmed with the beames of Gods love and favour effectually hee is able to reflect the heat of love and joy backe againe this is the second thing Passage 3 Thirdly the Doctrine saith that love and joy are kindled that they may entertaine and rejoyce in the riches of Gods mercy This last clause is added to discover the difference and to make knowne the distinct nature of this love and joy here from all the fained and false love and joy which hypocrites pretend to have and seeme to expresse to the Lord Jesus Christ Therefore I say this love and joy is kindled not onely to entertaine him and rejoyce in him for there is a kinde of entertaining and rejoycing in Hypocrites Iudas had a haile Master and the common people spread their garments and welcomed Christ crying Hosanna blessed is hee that commeth in the Name of the most High and the young man pretended a deare affection to Christ Master I will follow thee whither soever thou goest And the stony ground received the word with joy Matth. 13. and with love too for they goe both together for he that joyes in a thing cannot but love that he rejoyceth in So that wee see all these had a kinde of joy but it is not that kinde of joy that comes from the Father neither will it carry it selfe beseeming the riches of Gods mercy for hee that saluted his Master All haile in conclusion betrayed him is this your joy and love you entertaine Christ withall So that young man that would follow him whithersoever he went presently forsooke him And they that even now cried Hosanna Hosanna blessed be hee that commeth in the Name of the Highest anon crye as fast crucifie him crucifie him and they that received the Word with joy when temptation and persecution came rejected it This joy is a foolish imagination hammered out of their Anvill for base ends and by aimes but they carry not themselves beseeming the riches of Gods mercy revealed to them For Hee that loveth father or mother or brother or sister more than me is not worthy of me saith our Saviour that is hee that priseth any thing more and delights in any thing more than Christ is not worthy of him Therefore whosoever he be that bestowes his love and joy more upon any thing in this world than upon Christ it is not a love and joy beseeming him nor brought from heaven but proceeds from a base rotten heart and will faile us and bring no profit nor comfort in the end This then sufficeth for the sense and proofe of the point we come now to open it a little wherein for explication and confirmation thereof wee will handle these two things First wee will shew you the reason of the order why after hope and desire there comes this love and ioy Secondly we will discover the motives and grounds what it is in the promise that will kindle and strike fire and inflame these two affections and bring them to the Lord. First Reasons you will say how comes love and joy next after hope and desire I answer you must know there is no more but two affections in the soule God infinitely wise having so framed it and these two are hope and desire The understanding saith such a thing is profitable and comfortable if I had it then hope is sent out to wait for that goodnesse and if it comes not then desire the second affection is sent out to meet the good hope stands and waits for it but desire wanders up and downe seeking and enquiring after a Lord Jesus and goeth from coast to coast from East to West Oh that I could and oh that I might and when shall I and how may I come to the speech of a Lord Jesus Christ As it was with the Spouse in the Canticles when her beloved was gone she wandred up and downe seeking of him and enquiring of the watchmen if they did not see him so desire wanders from this thing to that thing from this place to that place and never ceaseth to see if it can gaine notice of Christ It goeth to prayer to see if that will intreat a Christ It goeth to the Word to see if that will reveale him It goeth to conference to see if he can heare of a Christ there then it commeth to the congregation and to the Sacrament to see if it can heare any
nor receive it from any creature under Heaven further than the Father sends downe some beames of his love to kindle this in us further than the blessed Spirit of God is pleased to blow these sparkes when they are kindled further than the Lord Iesus Christ is pleased by the power of his merits to feed these sparkes of love thus blowne in our soules It is almost impossible that any man in his naturall estate should be so deluded as to thinke hee can love the Lord or delight in him 1 Tim. 1.13 14. opened The Apostle Paul tels us plainly hee was a persecutor and a blasphemer and injurious Paul could doe this and thou haply canst doe this thou canst be a blasphemer against Jesus Christ and thou canst be a persecutor of Jesus Christ but Paul cannot beleeve in Christ nor love the Lord Iesus how comes hee to this Why the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Iesus marke that As if hee should say it was Gods abundant grace that over-powerd my unfaithfull heart and made it faithfull It was Gods abundant grace that over-powerd my stubborne injurious heart and made it a loving heart But how comes this that the grace of the Lord was abundant in faith and love Why it is in Christ saith the text from Christ this faith was rooted from Christ this love was kindled As if he had said I could persecute and blaspheme and despise and cast off God and his grace I was a wretch a villaine that I could doe But that I should love the Lord being injurious and that I should beleeve the Lord being unfaithfull this was from Christ alone In experience we finde it the ball must first fall upon the ground before it can bound up againe and returne from the ground So the Lord Jesus must dart in and fling in this love of his into the soule before the soule can rebound in love and joy backe to him againe We must receive the Spirit of love from God 2 Tim. 1.7 before the Lord can receive any spirituall and holy love from us In a word what the Lord spake in some case to the Jewes is true of every man naturally I know that you have not the love of God in you Iohn 5.42 As if he should say you know not your selves you thinke you have hearts inlarged to God and you pretend great kindnesse to God but you are deceived in your soules and cozened in your corrupt natures for I know full well that the love of God is not in you I pursue the point the rather for these two ends First it discovers and confutes the carnall conceits of a company of carnall Gospellers that pretend they doe not delight to set out themselves in shew so much and they doe not heare and pray and fast so much as these and these doe But say they as for the soundnesse of our love to the Lord Jesus wee defie any man in the world that speakes against us they finde no difficulty in the matter to love the Lord they are certainly perswaded they doe that Therefore if the Minister shall presse upon them and challenge them of want of love to God and his grace they flie in a mans face presently What not love the Lord Jesus Christ why then it is pitie a man should live upon the face of the earth they doe love him and they will love him all the world shall not perswade them from the loving of Christ Oh poore silly creature it is a great argument that thou never hadst this love to God because thou sawest no hardnesse to get it It is an argument thou never didst expresse any delight in Christ because thou thinkest it an easie matter to delight in him Most men thinke it a matter of nothing what not love the Lord Jesus Christ why who cannot love Christ Who cannot I say neither thou nor I nor any man under heaven can love Christ by any power in himselfe Nay let me speake peremptorily thou art as able to save thy owne soule nay thou art as able to redeeme thy soule without Christ as thou art able unlesse the Lord by the Almightie helpe of his Spirit-inable thee to love the Lord Jesus Christ Nay marke what I say you that love Christ and yet doe nothing for him but pretend great kindnesse inwardly how ever you expresse not your selves in outward appearance I tell thee if a man might have happinesse by it if he might have heaven laid downe upon the naile as wee say if he could love Christ I say upon these conditions if thou hast but nature in thee thou wouldst never goe to heaven thou wouldst never be happie No no it will cost thee more than that comes to it will cost thee much paines it will cost thee many prayers and many teares before that day come It is not an easie matter to love the Lord Jesus the Father from heaven must learne you that you must goe to another manner of schoole than ever you have beene at yet if ever you learne this lecture thou mayst pray till thy eyes sinke in thy head and till thy heart failes and yet thou canst not love Christ unlesse the Spirit inable thee thereunto Thinke of this you that thinke it is nothing to love the Lord Jesus Christ If it were nothing but to talke of love and to complement with the Lord Jesus to make a cursie to Christ and to make a leg to the Lord and yet hate him inwardly then it were an easie matter indeed it is nothing to buckle to him in this fashion and in the meane time oppose him and the power of his grace but to entertaine and welcome a Saviour sutable and agreeable to the worth of him this nature will not cannot doe it is the worke of the Lord. Observe it I beseech you I say as nature cannot doe this so nature will not doe it first nature cannot doe it 1 Iohn 1.5 God is light and in him is no darknesse Ephes 5.8 saith the text at all and Ye were darknesse but now are light in the Lord A man naturally is nothing but darknesse and God is nothing but light a man by nature is nothing but unholy and God is nothing but holy Now darknesse will resist light and not give way to it and wickednesse will oppose holinesse and not give way to the same this is thy condition thou hast an ignorant carnall blinde heart and God is light pure and holy and thou canst resist a Saviour but not entertaine him doe what thou canst Nay further as a man cannot naturally doe this so in the second place I say he will not doe it The Apostle affirmes of the Thessalonians That they would not receive the love of the truth 2 Thess 2.10 opened that they might be saved he doth not say They would not receive the truth but they would not receive the love of the truth It is
a phrase taken from a man which makes love to a partie so the truth of God makes love to many a man it makes love to thy naughtie and corrupt heart and would plucke thee away from these things here below and would draw thee from thy base haunts and filthy lusts and sinfull courses and it would wooe and winne thy soule to take place in it that it may shew comfort to it the truth of God makes love to the world and the world will none of the truth Christ came to the world and the world received him not they were so farre from seeking a Saviour and comming to him that they would not receive a Saviour when hee came unto them Therefore know thou hast a heart that can hate the Lord Jesus Christ but thou hast not a heart to love him thou hast not a heart that can delight in his good Spirit thou hast not a heart that can take content in his rich grace The second reason why I presse this point is this I would discover the disorderly dealing of many poore Saints of God wâ—th their owne soules Many a poore childe of God labours extremely and takes great paines to worke his soule and bring his heart to love Christ he falls out with himselfe because he cannot love God and he is ready to curse himselfe hee cannot get his heart up to heaven where is more riches than is in the best riches of the world where is more honour than in the greatest honour upon earth where is more pleasure than in the greatest delight here below they labour and can finde no good successe they take paines but their worke doth not succeed prosperously the reason is this they doe not begin at the right end they worke the wrong way goe to the sea of love and goe to the sunne of righteousnesse and to the beames of Gods mercie which onely can worke thy heart to love God and delight in him doe not goe to thy cold earthly frozen heart and thinke to fetch love from thence thinke not to bring love to the promise but looke to receive love from the promise but it is the love of God towards thee that must draw love from thee to God againe It was the speech of Christ when he was to send the Comforter to his Disciples Iohn 16.14 He shall receive of mine saith the text and give it unto you marke the phrase all graces and all spirituall abilities are Christs goe thy wayes therefore and presse the Lord Jesus with this promise of his and say The truth is Lord the heart to love thee and delight in thee is thine and thou hast said thy Spirit shall take of thine and give to us therefore give to us of thine Lord that thou mayst receive of thine from us Our hearts cannot love nor delight in thy Majestie but it must come from thee give it to us therefore Lord that wee may give thee of thine owne Vse 2 The second thing I gather from this doctrine is this namely strong comfort and consolation to stay and refresh the hearts of those that have received this gracious worke What ever thy weaknesse be it skils not Is thy love in truth Is thy joy sound it is enough thy soule may bee comforted in that the Lord hath bestowed this gracious worke upon thee in any measure if thy love be in truth it will carry thee through all occasions in this pilgrimage of thine and bring thee to everlasting happinesse it is a ground of admirable refreshing to the soule that findes in his heart this love and delight in God The text telleth us a man by nature cannot doe this Therefore if thou hast this goe thy way cleare thy soule and blesse God for it and make much of it and say Thou hast more than all carnall men than all cunning hypocrites under heaven can have pretend what they will and professe what they please thou that hast the love of God in any measure though in much weaknesse thou hast more than they all This may refresh the hearts of many of you poore ones though haply many other things goe ill with you yet this appeares in the younglings of Christ though they cannot doe any thing for their Father yet they can love him it is a loving childe we say it can love the Father though it can doe nothing for him so you poore weake Christians that have small meanes little abilities haply thy understanding is not so deepe to fadome the mysteries of life and salvation thy tongue is not so glib to talke so freely and conferre so comfortably of heavenly things thou canst not be enlarged in holy duties thy understanding is marvellous blinde thy memory marvellous weake thy parts exceeding feeble so that thou art even ashamed of thy selfe and of what thou hast and dost But I aske thee this question Canst thou love Christ and reioyce in the Lord Jesus mee thinkes many a poore soule replies Yes I blesse the Lord that is all I have to uphold my heart withall I thinke all the profits and pleasures and friends in the world cannot draw my love from Christ it is my delight to love him and rejoyce in him Goe thy wayes then and the God of heaven go with thee this sparke is a sparke of that immortall Spirit of the Father which will never dye it is a worke of grace which will never leave thee it is a badge it is the cognizance and the proper liverie which the Lord Jesus Christ gives only to his Saints there was never a hypocrite under heaven that ever wore this God intended it not for them but those and onely those which the Lord hath effectually called and will glorifie with himselfe hereafter weare this and therefore thou that wantest all yet hast this comfort thy selfe with this in the want of all and say I love the Lord and the Lord knowes it and my soule knowes that I love the Lord Jesus I can say but little for Christ my understanding is weake I conceive not my memorie is weake I retaine not but yet the Lord knowes I love him and delight in him Yea and know thou it too and comfort thy selfe therein the Apostle provoâ—es us to love one another Iohn 4.7 because love comes from God now if the love to the brethren comes from God because wee see Gods image in them then the love of God hath a much more expresse worke in it therefore reason thus with your selves The time was that this wretched vile carnall worldly heart of mine could finde no relish in the promise I could not bring this naughtie soule of mine to entertaine the Gospell of grace nor the Spirit of grace but they were tedious and irksome to my soule but the Lord blessed be his name hath beene pleased to helpe me so that I can doe that which I never could doe I finde the Lords promise and goodnesse much more comfortable to me than all the corne and wine
this root namely upon a grounded application as I may so say in speciall manner of Gods favour to thy soule settled and sealed and made knowne in this kinde if thy love doe grow upon this ground upon the particular application of Gods mercie to thy soule so that thy soule can say the Lord hath looked downe from heaven hee hath said in his word that hee will looke at them that tremble at his name I looked for mercie and I sought for grace and blessed bee God I have found that mercie and grace I looked and sought for the Minister spake it and his Spirit spake it that my name was registred in heaven and that my prayers were heard my desires satisfied and therefore how shall I love the Lord that hath done all this for mee my sinnes I have bewailed my complaints I have powred forth and the Lord hath looked from heaven and given me a gracious answer therefore I will love the Lord for it even for ever I love thee dearly O Lord my strength thou art my support that hast strengthned me thou art my Saviour that hast saved me therefore my soule shall for ever love thee for that mercie of thine this is a love now that comes from a right mint it is currant and good pay Difference betwixt the love and joy of an hypocrite and of Gods childe But if a man love God from himselfe this love will bring a man to himselfe and there leave him as if a man have a love to his parts or to his hearing or reading or praying or preaching or conferences if a man have a love to his understanding wisedome and policie he loves his wisedome and policie well therefore hee would faine be beholding to Christ to helpe him to glorifie this wisedome and policie and these parts of his that he might receive honour to them now the love of his parts brought all to his parts and Christs honour in the meane time lay in the dust and so I might instance in a thousand examples of the like nature Whereas now marke what I say that love which is wrought from God alwayes drawes the soule unto Gods love againe the Lord lets downe the cords of his love into the soule and thereby breeds love and kindles love in the soule to that goodnesse and kindnesse of his and this is the excellencie of a Christian and this love is of a right coine and of a right stampe but love of my parts that Christ may glorifie my parts and love of profit that Christ might promote my profit I love my parts and profit only now and not Christ in this case and this is the greatest difference betweene the love and delight which the cunningst hypocrite under heaven can have and the Saints of God I expresse it thus Meat that a man takes downe inwardly Simile and digests breeds good bloud and good complexion but that which a man takes and digests not but vomits out againe presently breeds neither good bloud nor good complexion So it is with the love of the heart that is rightly wrought upon to entertaine and love a Saviour and delight in him and welcome him as beseemes his worth a heart that is foundly wrought upon by the Spirit feeds heartily upon the promise and that feeding and taking downe of the promise and that closing with the promise breeds good bloud and good complexion true love that breeds good bloud and true joy that breeds good complexion because the promise is fed upon it is the worke of Gods Spirit which seize upon and worke effectually upon the heart that bred this sound love and true joy But a carnall hypocrite that only hath a taste of the promise and a flattering apprehension of the promise in general Christ came to save sinners c. these are prettie things to tickle their conceits but they never goe downe they digest not the promise of Christ and therefore that love which comes from hence is but a fained love and that joy which ariseth from hence is but a false joy it breeds no good bloud it breeds no good complexion but meere vanities and overtures in a Christians course here is the difference betweene the love and joy of an hypocrite and of a Saint of God this is the first triall Triall 2 Secondly if thou entertaine thy Saviour as beseemes a Saviour thou must entertaine him as a King for he is a King that is give up all to him and entertaine none but those that attend upon him and appertaine to him in a word love all in Christ love all for Christ but expresse thy affection and joy to him above all he is the King all the rest are but retainers and therefore entertaine him in the first place hee that loves any thing equall with Christ hee never loved Christ truly he that sets up any thing cheeke by jowle with his Saviour he despiseth he renounceth his Saviour It is all one in plaine termes as if a man should put a slave into the chamber where the King is and say he hath entertained the King this base behaviour of his will drive the King away as well as if he did openly and profesly bid him be gone So if thou settest up any thing with thy Saviour thou dost drive him away as well by thy base behaviour as by open profession a man cannot receive friendship with Christ and the world upon the same termes Iames 4.4 a wife that loves her husband loves him only as a husband hee only hath her heart and she loves none but him in that manner she loves others as friends and neighbours and gives them respect so farre as they keepe themselves there but if they come to claime the love of a husband she abhorres them so a loving heart loves Jesus Christ onely as a bridegroome and all things else only as friends and neighbours the soule that loves Christ loves him onely as a Christ and all the rest as friends the soule will love riches that may credit it and parts that may advance it as friends to speake for a man and to give occasion to a man to come to a Saviour as the wife loves her husband firstly and the rest as friends and neighbours that must further the match so the soule loves the Lord Iesus Christ in the first place and all things else as profit and riches and parts as friends and neighbours that may make up the match with a Saviour and bring it into acquaintance with a Saviour the soule loves prayer and hearing and Gods ordinances as friends to speake a good word to Christ for it but if any thing come to steale away the heart and challenge the affection of a spouse it abhorres it it hates honour and riches and all things in the world that will challenge any spouse-like love Christ only shall have that Luke 14.16 opened Our Saviour saith Hee that hates not father and mother for my sake is not worthie of mee
that is if father and mother stand betweene thee and Christ if they would be married to thy soule hate and abhorre them love them so farre as they lead to a Saviour but when they step into the place of a Saviour abominate and hate them Difference betweene a sound and false heart in the entertainment of Christ This I take to bee the difference betweene a sound and false heart in the entertainment of the Lord Jesus a sound heart entertaines a Saviour as a favourite entertaines a Prince he comes into his house and disposes and orders every thing as he sees fit what he will is done and no more but now an in keeper hee entertaines him that comes next he will take any mans money and give welcome to any man for he loves the gaine of all but loves the person of none so a gracious soule entertaines Christ as a Prince all give attendance to the Lord and all the courtiers are welcome because they are serviceable to his Majestie but if a man be an enemy to his Majesty he will rather imprison him than entertaine him he will rather punish him than welcome him but now an hypocrite entertaines the Lord Jesus as a stranger into an inne if honour or profits or riches come first they are first served all are welcome they and Christ and Christ and they but loves not Christ but he loves himselfe in all Triall 3 Thirdly he that truly loves Christ labours to give contentment to Christ for love alwayes gives contentment to the thing beloved so it must bee with every Christian heart that is truly humbled and hath this affection kindled beseeming our Saviour the soule that thus entertaines him is studiously carefull and marvellous watchfull lest it doe any thing that may grieve the Lord Jesus and discontent his Spirit and send the good Spirit of the Lord sad or in any dislike to Heaven it is carefull lest the Lord Iesus should bee displeased with him and offended at him or goe away in anger and displeasure the heart feares lest hee should doe any thing that may cause this and it would be almost death to him if hee should doe this Marke the guise and behaviour of the Spouse she never left seeking of her beloved till she had found him Cant. 3.7 and when she had found him shee layes hold of him and when she hath done so she brings him home and when hee was there shee gives charge to all the house I charge you O ye daughters of Ierusalem by the Roes and the Hindes of the field that you stirre not up nor awake my love till he please Look as it is when men of great place come into a mans house there is a great charge warning given see there be no noyse about such a place lest such a man be raised before his time What basenesse is this that wee should have our hearts inlarged to any thing but Christ A good heart wil do as the spouse did here when the soul hath received the Spirit of a Saviour found the mercy of a Saviour it keeps watch ward within it selfe and gives peremptory charge to all in the family I charge you profits and pleasure and riches and honour and all the things of this life love and joy and all the faculties of the soule it gives them warning I charge you that you stirre not I charge you that you grieve not I charge you that you disquiet not the Spirit of the Lord let there bee no motion but entertaine it no command but obey it no advice but receive it thus the soule gives peremptory charge not to grieve the Spirit of the Lord or to doe any thing that may distaste it See this in Lot who when he had received the two Angels into his house the cursed Sodomites came to the doore and thought to abuse his strangers Now marke it I beseech you Lot could be content that rather any hurt or distaste should befall himselfe than them therefore observe how he pleads with those base people Lot went out unto them and shut the doores after him and said Gen. 19.8 I pray you brethren doe not so wickedly Behold now I have two daughters which have not knowne man let me bring them out unto you and do to them as is good in your eyes onely to these men doe nothing for therefore came they under the shadow of my roofe This was kinde honorable entertainment As Lot deale with the Angels so a loving heart will deale with the Lord Iesus let my soule bee wounded saith the loving heart but let not Gods Spirit be grieved let my honour bee laid in the dust but let not God be dishonoured let temptations oppositions persecutions and disgrace befall mee but let Gods glory be advanced The soule is willing and content to beare any thing but it will doe nothing against Christ it will doe nothing against the Gospell of the Lord Iesus The soule saith you may doe what you will with me my life and honour and wealth is in your hands but to the Lord doe no harme blaspheme not his Name resist not his Spirit doe no dishonour to his Gospell doe not contemne his grace what ever betides me This is the frame of the soule that truly loves Christ They that entertaine Persons which they highly respect are inquisitive of those that appertaine unto them to know what their minde is what likes your master and what takes he most contentment in this they doe that they may prevent him with a kindnesse though he aske not for it what ever will best content him they seeke for it and what ever will distaste him they labour to avoid it So a gracious loving soule never satisfieth it selfe but labours to give content to the Lord Iesus that hee may have his will onely Therefore such a soule will come to a faithfull Minister and aske him how must I order my family What shall I doe in regard of my selfe and children How may I please the Lord better And how may I entertaine the Lords Spirit better What duty is to be performed What service is to bee discharged What course is to bee taken that I may please Christ You are acquainted with Christ you know what will content him I pray you tell me how I may pray so and performe duties so that nothing may distaste him or be offensive unto him This I take to bee the difference betweene an honest sincere heart which entertaines Christ as beseemes him and a naughty hypocriticall spirit that would fawne upon Christ Iesus this is the difference betweene faithfull true love and joy and dissembling love and joy There is the same ods betweene them which is betweene a man that entertaines a servant and another that entertaines a noble friend or a King into his family A man entertains a servant that he may please him Simile and not that hee may please his servant he seeth he is wise to order his
signifies as much and the same word is used in the Corinthians 1 Cor. 7.1 opened It is good for a man not to touch a woman that is to cleave and to cling unto her and it is taken from those peeces of buildings which are let one into another her affection was such that she would not part with her Saviour when she had met him This is a lively picture of that love which many a poore soule possesseth when the Lord lets in the glimpse of his love into the heart when the soule hath waited long for mercie and comfort and the Lord is pleased at last to refresh it and cheare it therewith and to let in some sweet incklings and intimations thereof many of Gods Saints begin to bee light headed because they are so ravished therewith they are alwayes cleaving thereunto insomuch that many times they are almost besides themselves Looke as it is with parties that live in the same family Simile and their affections are drawing on one towards another in marriage they will cast their occasions so that if it be possible they will be together and have one anothers company and they will talke together and worke together and the time goeth on marvellous suddenly all the while their affections are drawing on so it is with the soule that loves Jesus Christ and hath this holy affection kindled it thinkes every place happy where it hath heard of Christ and thinkes that houre sweet wherein it put up its prayers to the Lord and enjoyed love-chat with him hee thinkes the Sabbath marvellous sweet wherein God is revealed in the power of his ordinances any glimpse of Gods goodnesse and notice of his mercie in Christ is marvellous comfortable to the soule And it is the desire of the soule to fit by it as the drunkard doth in another kinde so the loving soule would fit by this mercie and love of God that he may be more acquainted with it and more quickned and cheared by it the soule is ravished therewith and overcome as it were with the apprehension thereof Psal 84. David envyed the porter that kept the doore of Gods temple where Gods presence was and the very birds that built their nests there as if hee had said You have liberty to see the sacrifices offered and you may heare the voices of Gods people and you may build your nests in the temple of my God and my Lord and Lord am not I as good as birds therefore his heart was inflamed with the want of these ordinances of God Nay old Simeon when hee had seene our Saviour incarnate his heart was so inlarged therewith that he would have beene content to have left his body that he might have had his full of his Saviour Lord now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seene thy salvation as if he had said stand by body let me come to my Saviour let mee bee for ever with him I have beene long enough in this sinfull world already A spouse that is contracted thinkes every day a yeare and every yeare twenty till that day comes shee blesseth the very place where the bridegroome is and she thinkes the parties happy that talke with him and she takes every token that comes from him marvellous kindly but yet shee thinkes if that day would once come wherein she might possesse him and be possessed of him that she and she alone might enjoy her husband Oh this would bee a happy day her heart would bee cheared and exceedingly refreshed therewith so a loving soule that hath beene truly humbled and inlightened in the apprehension of Gods love and mercie and is contracted as I may so say unto Christ hath many thoughts when will it once be that I may be married to Christ and possesse him and bee possessed of him to bee with Christ is best for me such a one thinkes every token marvellous welcome and every promise and every word that reveals any intimation of Gods kindnesse but yet oh when will the day come that I shall be forever with the Lord Jesus this is the highest pitch that Saint Paul speakes of 1 Thess 4. We that are alive and remaine saith he shall bee caught up together with them in the clouds and meet the Lord in the aire and so shall wee bee ever with the Lord thus the soule thinkes when will that day come that I may never be with sinne more never with the world more never with corruptions more never with base company more but with that mercie and that Spirit and that grace and with that Christ for ever and ever this is the guise of the soule and the frame of the heart that is kindled in sound love to the Lord Jesus nay such is the strong and gluing nature of true love that it will make a man bee with the thing beloved though hee bee in never so great misery When Iacobs sonnes came and told him that Ioseph was slaine Iacob was grievously distressed because he loved him deerely now marke what the text saith All his sonnes and daughters rose up to comfort him but he refused to be comforted and said I will goe downe into the grave to my sonne Ioseph he would rather be in the grave than not to be with Ioseph and hee will goe downe into the grave that he may be with him so the wife that loves her husband when hee is in prison shee will bee there with him shee is sorry that it should bee so with her husband but shee will rather bee in the prison with him than want his company so an humble soule that hath his heart kindled in earnest and sound affection to Christ is content even to goe into the grave with the Lord Jesus yea into prison with the Lord Jesus let mee bee with Christ saith he though I be in persecution let me be with the Lord Jesus though I be in dishonour it is a griefe to the soule if Christ bee so but a greater griefe if he may not be with him where hee is Cant. 2.6 when the spouse had wanted her bridegroome a great while and at last the Lord was pleased to reveale himselfe unto her she fastens upon him and rests contented with him and desires no more my beloved is mine and I am his as who should say thou art mine and I am thine let the world thinke what it will I am thy wife and thou art my husband so saith the soule Christ is mine and I am his and if I may have more of that grace and holinesse which is in Christ I have enough I desire no more but without that I cannot be contented I cannot be satisfied Secondly there is a holy restlesnesse and impatience in the soule till it can attaine this it will take no nay at the hand of the Lord but sues for the match though Christ seeme to forbid the banes and it were worth the while to observe how restlesse the soule is and how
Christ the soule must be brought from under the jurisdiction of sin and the dominion of Satan before it can be translated unto the kingdome of God Acts 26.18 the Apostle was sent to the Gentiles to open their eyes and to turne them from darknesse to light and from the power of Satan to God Every man by nature is in darknes and under the power of sin now the Apostle must turne them from the power of sin before he can bring them to God and all this must be done before a man can receive remission of sins and justification by the blood of Christ Now darknes and sinne and Satan expresse their dominion over the soule and wee cannot have sinne and Satan to bee our Lord and have Christ our Lord too This must be wrought in preparation Matth. 12.29 The strong man must bee bound and cast out before another strong man can come to take possession Satan is the strong man who by the power of sinne takes possession of the soule now the power of sinne and Satan must bee east out by the power of preparation and humiliation Now for a man to plucke a poore soule from the power of sinne and Satan and to wrest the keyes from the hand of the devill and to rescue a poore soule from the malice of the devill aâ—â— to breake that leâ—gâ—â— and combination betweene sinne and the soule and to withdraw the heart from these corruptions and from that power which sinne and Satan and Gods justice would expresse in the soule no man can doe it but onely hee that hath a greater power than both these which none but the Lord Jesus Christ hath Revel 1.18 which hath the keyes of hell and of death now the key is a signe of command now the Lord Jesus Christ only hath the key of hell death t is he that hath led captivity captive t is he that triumphed over all his enemies therefore he only can pull the soule from the government of sin and Satan and so prepare a way for faith and thereby bring the soule to God Secondly consider the glorious nature and the excellencies of this grace of faith looke upon the surpassing excellency of the worke of faith above all other graces for we have made it good by argument heretofore that faith is a worke above man in his corrupt estate so that a man may truly say that this worke of faith is more than naturall now for nature to worke above nature t is above common sense that a tree should see and walke and a beast to reason these things nature abhorres Now because faith is above corrupted nature therefore it is impossible for man to worke it in himselfe this I take to be the reason why this gracious worke of God findes more contradiction in the heart than any grace I know A man findes a greater doe with his owne heart and a greater hardnesse and crosnesse in the heart to come in and beleeve than to doe any thing else a man will heare and read and pray and doe any thing and mourne but to beleeve it is that which a man scarce considers of and this is the reason of it because not onely corruption opposes the worke of faith but even a mans gifts and selfe and sufficiency which God gives him that now and then seemes to bee the hinderance of faith it s through our corruptions indeed in other things it is not so we would faine get sorrow and therefore we labour for it and we would have love and therefore we labour for it But all this is out of our owne power or abilities we would keepe us in our selves but faith would have us goe out to Christ and our parts would worke this in us but faith sayes wee must goe to the Lord Jesus Christ or else wee are not able to doe that which he commands So now you see that a mans parts and abilities are sometimes great hinderances and barres to keep a man from beleeving and this is the reason why if God opens a mans eyes and discovers a mans corruptions by nature we fall to doing to repenting formally and all this while never see a need of a Christ but rest in our selves and our owne abilities and will never goe to Christ Thousands goe to hell this way the most that professe the Gospell and perish they perish upon this point So then the work is more than naturall Thirdly if wee consider the manner of Gods working upon the soule in beleeving the Lord doth not concurre in an ordinary common kinde of providence as meeting with some power and abilitie in the soule to helpe forward the worke as God moves and wee move and wee are co-workers with God in severall passages and so it is in all the workes of sanctification which comes after faith There is still something that concurs with God in the worke but now it is a true miracle hee findes nothing in the soule but meere feares and oppositions at first and therefore Divines doe truly say that it is more to make the soule beleeve than to create a world for in the creating of the world the Lord had no oppositions he onely spake the word and all was made but now sinne and Satan and the world and all set against the poore soule If a man gets a knocke by the Ministery of the Gospell and begins to be humbled then carnall friends begin to perswade and every man hath a blow to hinder him from receiving the powerfull impression of the Word of God so that the Lord in this worke findes more fierce oppositions than in any worke and moreover when these oppositions are opposed and removed and the Lord comes into the soule the soule is very emptie and cannot receive nor close with any grace As it is with a dead man hee hath no power to quicken himselfe as Ephes 19.20 What is the exceeding greatnesse of his power to us ward who beleeve according to the working of his mighty power which hee wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead the same Almighty power which raised up Jesus Christ from the dead the same power the Lord puts forth in bringing a dead soule to beleeve So that as the dead body hath no living vertue in it selfe to quicken it selfe so the soule hath no ability to beleeve of its owne selfe but see how the Apostle cannot content himselfe to speake of this worke of God you shall see five degrees in it what is the exceeding greatnesse of his power to us that beleeve First the power of God Secondly the greatnesse of it Thirdly the excessivenesse of this greatnesse Fourthly the excessivenesse of that mightinesse Fifthly the working of all together so that there is the exceeding greatnesse and the excessive greatnesse and the mightinesse of that excessivenesse and then the worke of all as if he had said view you the heavens search all the stories and behold all the miracles that ever God wrought and
is it thus with me Ans I answer the fault is not in faith that it doth not or cannot lend supply and succour to thee but the fault is in thy selfe either in thy carelesnesse and ignorance that knowest not when thou hast faith or else in thy unskilfulnesse that thou dost not imply that faith which thou hast faithfully for thine owne good I speake only of the beleever I goe not about to prove that he which hath not faith can be contented no hee hath a worme in his bosome a conscience which will plague him and torment him for ever Quest But to speake of one that hath faith if it be so that it bringeth such contentment how may a man that hath faith improve it to have this contentment from it Ans For answer hereunto the rules are foure which a man must use to have this contentment whereby he may be carried on in his course and goe on singing to Heaven remember still that I speake of a man that hath faith Rule 1 First labour to gaine some evidence to thy owne soule that thou hast a title to the promise make thy title good It is not enough for a malefactour in prison to have a pardon granted him but he must know that the pardon is granted before he can bee contented therewith haply the King hath granted it and the Prince hath begd it but the malefactour is not contented untill hee know it It is not enough that a poore begger hath a friend or a rich unkle that will doe much for him or that he hath setled a great estate upon him and his heires after him but hee must know it before he can be contented with it it may be he is not neere by a hundred miles and he is troubled with misery and poverty because hee knowes not of it just so it is with a faithfull soule there is never a poore beleever but hee is rich in faith though hee live in a smoaky cottage and lives meanly and goes barely yet all these revenues of faith are his Heaven and Earth and all is thine thou poore beleever But what is all this to the matter if thou hast no evidence that all this iâ— thine this is the fault why poore Christians goe drooping and are overburthened with their sins and their miseries because they see not their title to mercie nor their evidence of Gods love in 2 King 6.16 17. when Elisha was beset with an armie of his enemies the servant of the Prophet said good Master what shall we doe they are many and wee are few they are armed and wee are naked then said the Prophet Lord open his eyes that he may see and God did it and then hee saw those hils full of fierie charets and then hee saw that there were more with them than were against them and then hee was quiet now the armies and the chariots were there before but hee saw them not and therefore he could not be quieted so it is with every faithfull soule the Lord hath caused his Angels to pitch their tents about the elect wee have God on our side and Christ and the Angels but wee see not our privileges and the interest that wee have in the mercie and goodnesse of the Lord we crie out as he did good Master what shall we doe so many sinnes and so many corruptions how shall we be succoured the Lord open our eyes that we may see the free riches of his grace and the fulnesse of his mercie this is all ours that we may see his love to us and his Angels waiting upon us and his blessing going with us this would quiet our hearts I will not now adde how you may doe this and how you may make your evidence cleere that you have a title to mercie this were to multiply a division upon a division only judge your estate by the word and take one evidence from the word as good as ten thousand this is the fault of people it may bee some evidence fits them marvellous well but because they have not all they will have none at all in truth but throw away all and therefore I say judge your estates by the word and not by carnall reason and if you have but one promise for you you have all in truth though all be not so fully and cleerly perceived this is the first rule Rule 2 Secondly labour to set a high prize and a wonderfull great account of the precious promises of the Lord thus estated upon thee for thy good and make account of the least promise of grace above a thousand worlds looke what account you make of the sufficiencie of a thing so much content you have in that thing whose sufficiencie you see and doe esteeme of now because the promises of God and the riches of Gods love in Christ are most worthy of our love and most sufficient for us let us therefore be contented with them above all and then wee shall bee contented though wee want all Luke 12.32 when the Disciples were in great trouble and expected more and further miserie after the death of Christ the Lord Christ saith to them Feare not little flocke it is your fathers pleasure to give you a kingdome if you finde hand measures and feare troubles and expect persecutions on every side yet feare ye not you shall have a kingdome and that will carry you through all occasions are you imprisoned and persecuted and disquieted feare not you shall have a kingdome and then you shall bee comforted and quieted for ever you little ones that are poore and meane in the world and you lye as stepping stones for every base wretch to tread on you are persecuted and despised and scorned but feare not you shall have a kingdome the want of this is the cause of all that discontentment that is in the hearts of Gods owne people which are beloved of him and respected by him Take a poore man in misery his children crie for meat and the mother saith goe to bed poore babes you shall have meat when the Lord sends it brethren this is hard I confesse but now if a friend should come and give him two hundred pounds a yeare for ever this would make him goe away contented because this would provide for him and his now I propound a promise to this man the Lord hath said he will never faile thee nor forsake thee what is this worth of your money one man offers him two hundred pounds a yeare and I offer him a promise now couldst thou thou poore miserable creature bee content to take this two hundred pounds a yeare and leave the promise and bee content that the Lord should not pardon nor comfort nor save thee I presume thou wouldst not doe thus now will a thousand pounds content thee and will not the promise the reason is thou prisest the money because it is temporall and thou seest it and thou prisest not the promise because it is spirituall and thou seest
they have the victory and although there never was nor never can bee any such engine for temporall deliverances as this is yet certaine it is this saving faith is a spirituall engine and instrument aâ— I may so say that gives victory and conquest over all spirituall enemies 1 Iohn 5.4 They that are borne of God overcome the world and sinne and this is the victorie that overcommeth the world even your faith marke the phrase and it is not for the conquest of some one corruption but for the overthrowing of a world of wickednesse it quencheth all the fiery darts of the Devill be the corruptions never so strong yet faith gives the conquest to a poore sinner it is not hope alone nor love nor zeale they are all good souldiers and they may strive much and lend much helpes to a poore sinner but they will grow weake and feeble and dead except saving faith come in to rescue anâ— bring a supply how often doe we finde that whâ—â— our hope failes and our love growes cold and ouâ— zeale dead then at last faith goes to heaven 〈◊〉 fetches new grace even grace for grace and thâ—â— hope is stirred and desire quickned and zeale enflamed Psal 27.13 I had fainted unlesse I had beloved to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the â—â—ving it was saith that did save him at a dead lift it is with the soule as it is with the body take a man that is swounding there is one friend that weeps over him another that comforts him but he that will cure him must goe to the Apothecaries shop and bring some Aqua vitae and that will fetch him againe so it is with a poore sinner being under the pressure of horrour of heart you wicked ones are not acquainted with this but you may be in time I have knowne the stouâ—â—st heart to stoop the poore sinner in his extremity faints and profits and pleasures and friends weepe over him saying Oh that we could have quieted and refreshed you but the poore man is goâ—e till at last faith goes to heaven and brings a pardon to save him and mercy to comfort him and hath supply there and faith brings the water of life even the freenesse of this grace and that cheares comforts and revives the heart thus sinking so that the poore sinner by this time begins to looke up and to come to himselfe againe as David saith Psal 73.1 Yet God is good to Israel hee wâ—â— even sinking but faith over came the temptation Oh saith he the world is naught and men are marvellous wicked and malicious to oppose and â—â—y owne heart is malicious and bad but God is good and he will be good to me and cure this vile hâ—â—rt of mine 1 Pet. 1.5 Wee are kept by the power 〈◊〉 God through faith unto salvation that which gets the victory is faith and next under God in Christ we owe our everlasting salvation unto faith even 〈◊〉 that blessed grace you that are acquainted with troubles and anguish of conscience and with many corruptions would it not doe you good at the heart to see all your deadly enemies laid downe at your feet would it not do you good to have all your strong lusts and masterly corruptions of pride and malice those mighty and Goliah sinnes that you have a deadly envie against and that you have stood so long against would you not see them all mastered and overcome I doubt not but you that feele these and undergoe the burden of these you would account it the best day that ever you did see if the conquest be worth the striving then get faith and then the day is yours and you shall see your lusts bleed your lusts breake and though your pride and other lusts now get ground against you yet then they shall be led captive as the text saith then Christ shall lead captivitie captive faith brings Christ into the field and so the victory is gotten Motive 3 As faith makes us glorious in all graces and gives the conquest over all enemies so in the last place it is faith that brings a blessing to all our blessings and it graces all our abilities and it blesseth us in all our occasions that concerne us the profit of all meanes and the successe of all our labours it is in faith nay there is a good which faith workes upon some and therefore it is wortâ— the striving it is that which blesseth all our blessings and all that doth concerne us meanes mâ—â— bend the worke and operation but all the profâ—â— is in faith as Heb. 4.2 The Gospell was preached unto them as unto us but it did not profit them because it was not mixt with faith in those that heard it hadst thou the greatest parts and abilities under heaven if thou hadst not faith with them they would not profit thee men thinke to goe beyond all with their power wit and policie but I say All will not profit them without faith if thou canst receive the Sacraments with faith it will strengthen thee if thou canst heare the Word with faith the terrours of the law will humble thee and the commands thereof will direct thee and awe thee but otherwise all is nothing though an Angell should come from heaven and preach to you as it is with the meanes of the body if a man eat never so much meat and cannot digest it if the stomack bee clogged with it there is nothing but sicknesse and diseases come from it but if a man take but a little meat and digest it well it will nourish him and doe him much good so it is here that which is the stomack and liver of the soule is faith and that turnes the Word and Sacraments and ordinances into good bloud it is a lowly beleeving heart that gets good by this Secondly all our performances finde acceptance through faith the Scripture saith Without faith it is impossible to please God and I say That without faith it is impossible that thou shouldst please God though thy judgement is weake and thy parts humble and thy ability poore and feeble but yet if thou canst but sigh up to heaven by faith that sigh is accepted in heaven with faith all thy weaknesses are pardoned and all services are accepted whereas without the grace of faith hadst thou the greatest abilities under Heaven and though thou canst please thy great Patron thine owne proud heart yet thou wilt never please the great God he that heareth holy faith and walketh by faith though hee can please none else yet hee shall be sure to please his God This is that which turneth all our sinnes and curses into good to us Oh marke that not that it makes them good in themselves but it brings good out of them The cunning Apothecary and wise Physitian can make the most deadly poyson the most soveraigne cordiall because he corrects the one that is so many degrees could and puts a stronger spirit of heat
good man desperately poore but his heart was desperately proud therefore the Lord will make him good and make his proud heart yeeld and then bestow these things looke for that first and not for the other againe another Christian labours much for the assurance of Gods love and cannot attaine it and seekes to God in the use of the promises and yet he cannot finde it setled God will give thee comfort and consolation but in his owne order and know this that commonly the Lord never debars the soule of comfort but he sees that the heart is not fit for it thy heart would bee proud and carelesse and God should heare no more of thee and thy saile would overturne the boat therefore when God hath abased thy heart and made thee content to want what he shall deny then hee will give thee assurance but it must be in his order and this is the reason why the most smoak out their dayes in discontent the reason is there is a proud heart and a sturdy disposition of spirit that will not come unto Gods termes as it is with a Physitian he will not give a cordiall to his patient when hee will for if he were in a burning fever it were the next way to send him going first he purgeth and makes him fit and then gives him a cordiall so it is in these things which thou cravest the Lord will then give thee thē when thou shalt not surfet of comfort and assurance and prosperity when thy heart is emptied and purged and able to digest these things then the Lord will give them Rule 2 Secondly the Lord will give temporall blessings and that measure of spirituall in his owne due time not when thou and I would but when he sees most fit As Iohn 2.3 4. The mother of Iesus comes to our Saviour they have no wine saith shee she thought shee had Christ at command but hee answers her Woman what have I to doe with thee my houre is not yet come So it is with our soules wee want comfort and strength against corruptions and assurance and assistance What have I to doe with that proud heart of thine saith our Saviour My time is not yet come you would have it now as they said Wilt thou now restore the Kingdome to Israel God will doe it in his owne time and wee must wait his leisure This is one thing that doth necessarily accompany the covenant of grace as I have shewed before that the Lord should dispence of his Kingdome when he pleaseth and not when we will when the Lord seeth these blessings of spirituall mercies and temporall favours are ripe and most seasonable to thy necessities then thou shalt have them but the time is in Gods hand Rule 3 The Lord doth not promise in such a manner and measure and such a peculiar thing to give that temporall blessing and that spirituall assistance that we desire but the Lord will doe that which he knoweth is most fit And the text saith Feed me with food convenient for me there was faith he refers himselfe to God When a man comes to the taylers to have a garment made hee doth not cut out the garment himselfe but refers it to the judgement of the workman so we must doe refer our selves to God and know God promiseth nothing but as he seeth it fit for thy good It may bee thou shalt not have this blessing or that grace As it is with a Potter hee is minded to make so many vessels of honour but it is reserved in the minde of the Potter how big he will make every vessell of honour so if the Lord make thee a vessell of honour goe away contented whether thou hast so much prosperity and so much good and grace or no it skils not it is enough that thou art elected to eternall happinesse Now you see how to mannage and improve the promise aright for your best advantage and to expect from the promise that which it will yeeld The second particular in this third rule of living by faith is this how to take and how to enjoy the sap and sweet of the promise and to live by it when the Husbandman hath sowen his ground and his fruit is ripe and he hath reaped it then he must gather in his come that hee may live upon it So let us gather in the promises when we see the best advantage now let us take the gaine and live by it and that comfortably too in the proofe of Gods goodnesse therein For this end let me suggest these five rules or directions Direction 1 First thou seest what God is in the promise and thou expectest no more than God is there then eye that particular good in the promise which thou standest in most need of eye that good in Christ and in the promise and then set Gods power and faithfulnesse aworke to bring that good and his wisedome to contrive it As for instance I am in persecution and either I would have deliverance and safety that I might not be imprisoned or else comfort and refreshment if the Lord carry me thither therefore I would see all this in the promise still reserving the conditions before mentioned If thou art in prison eye liberty and preservation in Christ he that is the great deliverer of his people and carrieth his people in his hands and then set Gods power and faithfulnesse aworke that can doe it and his wisedome that can contrive it for thy good that which thou seest and needest in the promise that the power wisedome of God may comunicate to thy soule this is the meaning of that place Psalme 37.5 Commit thy wayes unto the Lord trust in him and he shall bring it to passe root thy selfe and lay all thy weight of all thy occasions upon the Lord. Therefore the Apostle saith 1 Pet. 5.7 Hurle your care upon the Lord for hee careth for you It is Gods proper office and worke He careth for thy soule therefore lay it all upon him and put over all thy care into his hands and set his power and faithfulnesse a worke only this is here a little to be scanned I speake not this that we should take no care at all but I say hang all thy weight and burthen of thy care upon the Lord. The Brewer he tumbles the barrell of beere and roules it but the earth that bears it so whatsoever trouble is in thy eare roule it upon the Lord That is thus the weight of a mans occasions lies especially in three things which a man must hurle off himselfe and lay upon the Lord either a man shall not bee able to know what hee shall doe or what hee is commanded or else secondly he shall not be able to doe what God commands and he knowes or else thirdly he shall not finde successe in what he doth It is not a trouble to doe what we can or to imploy our selves as we are able but this is the trouble when the
538 The second sort of hinderances are the resting upon duties endevours and performances p. 546 The third sort of hinderances is the want of sense and feeling p. 549 The meanes or cures against these hinderances are especially three Cure I. A distressed soule is not to looke too long nor too much continually upon the sight and consideration of his owne sinnes p. 552 Cure II. Is this make conscience either not to attend to or not to judge thy selfe or thy estate by any carnall reason without a warrant p. 560 Cure III. Is this enter not into contention with Sathan concerning those things which belong not unto you p. 566 Cure IV. Is this in thy proceedings with thy selfe and in the judgement of thy selfe repaire unto the word of the Lord and passe no sentence but according to the evidence of the word p. 573 There are foure rules of direction to shew the soule how to repaire to the word Rule I. Is this thou art to looke into the uprightnesse and sinceritie of thine owne soule p. 577 Rule II. Is this labour to have thy conscience setled in the truth of grace which the word doth informe to be in thee p. 580 Rule III. Is this that we should strive mightily to have our hearts overpowred to entertaine that wee have that grace which the Word of truth doth manifest to bee in us Rule IIII. Is this maintaine in the last place the truth which upon these grounds thou hast received p. 592 The means to get faith are foure p. 598 Meanes I. Is this wee must labour to plucke away all props that the soule leanes upon p. 598 Means II. Is this labour to have your hearts established of the fulnesse of content that is in the promise p. 601 Means III. Is this expect all the good which thou needst and canst desire from that sufficiency of the promise p. 607 Means IIII. Is this labour to yeeld to the equall condition of the promise p. 608 The motives to stirre up the heart to seeke after faith are three Motive I. Is this because if you once get this grace you get all other graces with it p. 610 Motive II. Is this because by faith wee are delivered and made conquerours over all corruptions p. 611 Motive III. Is this because faith doth bring a blessing to all our blessings and graces p. 614 Use The second branch of the use of exhortation it is to those that have faith to live by their faith and to improve it for their best good p. 618 There are three particulars for to learne the heart how to live by faith 622 Partic. I. We must provide matter for our faith ibid. Partic. II. In providing matter of faith three rules are to bee observed Rule I. All the good promises are to bee stored up seasonably p. 623 Rule II. All the promises of all kindes and that abundantly are to be laid in p. 625 Rule III. All the promises are to bee laid up in the heart that we may have them at hand for our use p. 628 Particular II. We must labour to fit faith for the worke p. 630 Rule I. To maintaine the evidence of this grace of faith p. 630 Rule II. To labour to bring our hearts to a stilnesse or calmnesse that faith may have its full scope p. 634 Rule III. Not to looke first unto the means but to the promise for succour p. 637 Particular III. We must order faith in the worke p. 640 Rule I. To renounce all power and abilitie in our selves ibid. Rule II. To bring the promise home to our hearts p. 642 Rule III. We must be carried by the promise unto God p. 644 Passage II. How we may take and improve the good of the promise p. 645 Severall Treatises of this AUTHOUR 1 THE unbeleevers preparing for Christ out of Revelations 22.17 1 Corinth 2.14 Ezekiel 11.19 Luke 19.42 Matthew 20.3 4 5 6. Iohn 6.44 2 The soules preparation for Christ or a Treatise of Contrition on Acts 2.37 3 The Soules humiliation on Luke 15. verses 15 16 17 18. 4 The Soules vocation or effectuall calling to Christ on Iohn 6.45 5 The Soules union with Christ 1 Corin. 6.17 6 The Soules benefit from union with Christ on 1 Cor. 1.30 7 The Soules justification eleven Sermons on 2 Corin. 5.21 8 Sermons on Iudges 10.23 on Psalme 119.29 on Proverbs 1.28 29. on 2 Tim. 3.5 THE SOVLES EFFECTVALL CALLING TO CHRIST By T. H. LONDON Printed by J. H. for Andrew Crooke at the signe of the Beare in Pauls Church-yard 1637. The Soules effectuall calling to CHRIST JOHN 6.45 Every man therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the Father commeth unto me THE ingrafting of the humble and broken hearted sinner into Christ as we have heard consists of two particular passages The first was being put into the stock Secondly the ingrafting into the some As in ingrafting naturally so of implanting spiritually of the soule into Christ When the soul is brought unto this then a sinner comes to be partaker of all the spiritual benefits all shall be communicated to us Now the point at this present to be handled is called by the streame of Divines Vocation and I tearme it the putting in of the soule when the soule is brought out of the world of sinne to lye upon and to close with the Lord Jesus Christ and this hath two particular passages in it partly the call on Gods part partly the answer on ours The call on Gods part is this when the Lord by the cal of his Gospell doth so cleerly reveale the fulnesse of mercy and certifies to the soule by the work of his spâ—rit that the soule humbled returnes answer to Gods call In the first observe two passages First the meanes whereby God will call the sinner unto him the sinner is afraid to appeare before God whom he hath offended and may therefore proceed in justice against him for those sinnes which have beene committed by him Now besides the Law which discovers a mans sinne unto him hee now prepares another meanes the voice of his Gospell hee lets in many sweet inklings into the soule of his love and kindnesse to allure him to call him and draw him to himselfe Secondly the Lord doth not onely appoint the meanes namely the ministery of his Gospel whereby the soule may be brought unto him and receive communion with him but by the worke of his Spirit hee doth bring all the riches of his grace into the soule truly humbled so that the heart cannot but receive the same and give answer thereto and give an eccho of the subjection of it selfe to be governed thereby that wee have finished already There must bee hearing before comming not of the Law to terrifie a man but of the Gospell to perswade and allure a man to come unto the Lord and receive mercy and kindnesse from him The Gospell is the meanes ordained by God to call home the soule unto him But this will not doe the
into the heart and by the over-piercing worke doth leave some dint of supernaturall and spirituall vertue on the heart The Spirit doth not onely with truth bring home the evidence to the heart but it iâ— stâ—ll whispering and calling and making knowne the same and forcibly soketh in the rellish of the freenesse of Gods grace and leaveth a dint of supernaturall vertue upon the soule We will expresse the points because it is somewhat difficult and is the scope of that place 2 Tim. 1.7 The Lord hath not given you the spirit of feare but of a sound minde The spirit of feare is the spirit of bondage in humiliation contrition When the Spirit sheweth a man his sinnes and sheweth him that he is in bondage and in fetters le ts him get out how he can this is the spirit of feare and of bondage In the second place there is the spirit of power But what is this spirit of power You must imagine this spirit of power doth not intimate any particular grace but as it were the sinewes and strength of the worke of the Spirit conveying it selfe through the frame of the heart and this I terme to bee the effectuall worke of the Spirit of God When the soule is humbled the Lord sweetly communicates into the soule a supernaturall and spirituall vertue Lastly as it is in nature take a knife if it be rubbed on a Loadstone it will draw iron unto it now it cannot doe that because it is a knife but because it is rubbed on a stone and receives vertue there from So it is with a heart humbled it is a fit subject for the grace of God to worke upon the love of God is like the loadstone and if the heart he rubbed thereupon and affected with the sweetnesse thereof it will bee able to close with that mercy and come to that mercy and goe to God from whence that mercy comes Quest 4 What is the behaviour of the soule when it hath learned this lesson from the Lord Answ I answer When these two things meet together in the soule then it hath learned this lesson The first is this when the soule having heard of that plentifull redemption that is in Christ as also having apprehended the revelation thereof it commeth to close with the worke of the Spirit revealing presenting and offering grace to the heart nay it comes to give entertainment to he riches of that mercy revealed to the soule There is in the mercy of God and in the blessed truth of the promises a great excellency Now when this is so plentifully brought home to the heart that it breakes through all oppositions which may hinder the worke of the Spirit upon the soule when it is brought home by the spirit of God and the heart gives way and closes with it so that there is nothing betweene that and the soule this I take to be the first frame of the soule that beginnes to learne this lesson it beginnes to close to the truth to give way to the sweetnesse that is in it and bids adieu to all delight and sinnes and whatsoever may be a hindrance unto it from receiving of this grace into the soule This is the first passage The second with which I will conclude is this that as the soule closeth with that mercy and welcommeth it and the heart is content to take up mercy upon those termes so in the second place there is an impression and disposition left upon the soule that it is framed and disposed there is a kinde of print which the soule hath with it so that as the mercy of God is revealed to the soule and communicated to the soule so there is a kind of impression frame and print which the heart retaineth and hath wrought upon it by this grace and free favour of God made knowne therefore that phrase Rom. 6.17 is a marvellous patterne to our purpose the Text saith they were delivered to this forme of doctrine Looke as it is with a seale if the seale be set to the wax and leave an impression just so many letters upon the wax as in the seale then it is wholly sealed So the Spirit of God through Christ in the promises doth reveale al the freenesse and grace of mercy in Christ Now when the Spirit doth leave an impression on the soule that man is delivered into the truth I conclude all in Acts 26.18 when Saul was sent to preach to the Gentiles the Text saith he was but to bring them out of darknesse into light mark when the Lord doth come to worke effectually upon the soule he brings men from under the power of darknesse whereas the understanding was darke and blinded when the Spirit comes it turnes it from the darknesse and power of sinne unto the power of light and grace Lastly the power of the heart doth these two things for not onely some of the heart must bee brought to God but the whole heart therefore in the precious promises of grace and savation there is fulnesse of all good to draw all the faculties of the soule unto the Lord and therefore the faithfulnesse and the truth of God is mainly revealed in the promises now that fits the understanding and makes it looke to God for pardon for power and mercy As the promise is a true word so it is a good word this answers all the will and affections there is a possibility in mercy to save a man hope expects it but then the soule must looke onely to Christ for mercy desire long for it for that there is a certainty that a man shall have mercy if he can desire it love doth welcome and delight in it nay the soule doth say The Lord hath said thou must be saved nay thou must looke to Christ for mercy it is no where else to be had nay if thou dost desire it thou shalt have it and then the Lord determines the point it is done mercy is thine and then the will addes full consent and sayes Amen Lord let it be as thou hast said Gather them up briefly When the Spirit of God doth so cleerly present mercy to the soule and doth leave by the over-powring worke thereof a supernaturall worke upon the soule that the spirit closeth therewith and receives the print and impression thereof now the lesson is fully learned this may suffice for the opening of the severall things now therefore we will addresse our selves to gather the doctrines out of the Text. And first for the generall in that the Father is said to teach Doct. That the teaching of the heart effectually is the proper taske and worke of God It is not you that can teach your selves neither can all the meanes and friends under heaven doe it no it is the work onely of the Father All these meanes and ministers are usefull but God is the chiefe master and all these are but underling ushers to convey the minde of God unto us but the master is God himselfe
it is the powerfull operation of the Spirit that must doe the soule good all other meanes are but like the cane that conveyeth the voyce but the voyce is the Lord. Iohn 14.26 I wil send the Comforter and he shal teach you all things And who is that that is the Spirit of God We speake to your outward eares but it is the Spirit of God that must give you mindes to discerne and spirits to embrace that is the onely worke of the Spirit We shall observe Matth. 11. towards the latter end I thanke thee Father c. how comes it to passe that the wise are befooled and fooles instructed I thanke thee Father saith hee that thou hast revealed these things to babes and sucklings and hast hid them from the wise How comes this about It is thy good will Father It is a wonder to see a silly creature of weake capacity and almost a foole and yet he knoweth more of sanctification and faith than many great Schollers Take a rush candle and a lampe the lampe is a great deale bigger than the rush candle yet the rush candle giveth light and the lampe none because the rush candle is lighted the lampe is not So it is here a Christian out of a blinde dotage and a meere simplician in other things yet he will talke well of the free mercy of God and the worke of grace in his heart when as many great wise men are novices in these things Reason 1 The reason is because God hath lighted his candle from heaven because the worke is an Almighty worke it is not an easie matter to goe to heaven you must not say What have I lived thus long and are we children still Ah children you are and children you will dye unlesse the Lord from heaven teach you though all men and Angels teach you the work will not goe forward 1 Cor. 4.6 the Text saith The same God that brought light out of darknesse shineth in your hearts Wee know at the beginning of the world when darknesse was upon the deepe the Lord said Let there be light now that Almighty God that brought light out of darknesse which none else could doe why the same God shineth in your hearts saith the text unlesse the Lord say Let there be light the minde can never be enlightned the soule can never bee cheered nor the conscience pacified This is a ground of admirable comfort to all weake silly feeble minded creatures I doubt not but your hearts are grieved when you consider the marvellous ignorance which is in you and how little you know concerning life and salvation when the Lord hath layd line upon line precept upon precept and the heart sometimes covets and desires to entertaine the same the soule commeth to the congregation and saith Good Lord let â—he word worke upon my soule enlighten my minde awaken my conscience and when the word comes thus home to the heart the soule hopes that it shâ—ll retaine and remember it but when it is gone all fals to the ground and the heart in private reasons thus with it selfe What shall I say when my heart approves of the word and my soule closed with it even then so soone as I come out of the Church I forgat all what a blind mind and a hard heart have I can there be any grace or mercy conveyed to such a soule as mine surely I shall one day perish An ignorant heart is a naughty heart a base wicked heart my sinnes are many my conditions fearfull Would you have any comfort why then marke what I say The Lord will teach and if the Lord be the teacher t is no matter what the scholler be Reason thus with your selves My memory is weake my capacity is smal my understanding feeble but yet the Lord is my teacher and if the Lord will informe who can let it but I shall bee informed Prov. 1.23 marke what the Text saith Returne you simple ones you scorners and fooles and follow me and I will learn you wisedome This may move you to depend upon God in the use of the meanes the soule may say I am simple and I have beene a scorner too and that is a great misery and therefore no marvel if God blinde my minde and harden my heart for I have beene a scorner and can any good come unto me can such a soule receive grace and wisedome Why Ah saith Wisedome come unto me and I will poure abundance of wisedome upon you Sec ndly if it be the worke of God then goe to him for it is a comfort to goe to a father when therefore the meanes are received and God gives a heart to improve them then come not to the congregation but to God and when the Minister reproves say Father set home that reproofe to my soule and conscience dost thou reprove father and when the Minister exhorts and informes thee daily the argument from the Scripture plaine when the Minister is thus exhorting and you cannot come off cleerly looke up to heaven exhort Father teach Father the Minister he speakes to thee but Father informe us but Father seale to us the assurance of thy love in Christ All you that heare me this day and come and bringest thine with thee and commest with thy family into the congregation looke up to thy God and say Lord here is a vaine rude servant a silly wife and a weake foolish childe and I am as base and blinde as any of them and all the Ministers under heaven and all the Angels in heaven cannot teach and informe us but doe thou teach us and worke upon our mindes and frame our hearts that wee may know the things belonging to our peace But thou wilt say Alas we have come and looked up to God but we thrive and prosper not for all this we receive not that helpe and instruction from him which he first promised and we stand in need of Why I say the fault is thine owne the Lord is not wanting to his owne word but thou art wanting to thy owne comfort But how then shall wee so carry and order our selves that we may seeke God so as we may partake of that good we desire and stand in need of I answer These foure meanes are very usefull for this purpose First labour to lay thy owne conceitednesse and abilities downe and all thy carnall imaginations that shut out the truth of God and are professedly opposed to the obedience of Christ if thou leanest on thy owne wisedome and bearest up thy selfe on thy owne abilities thou wilt never have direction from God and thou shalt never be taught by him if thou thy selfe can teach thy selfe therefore down with those haughty imaginations in regard of thy owne parts and abilities if thou hopest that God shall guide thee and learne thee in the way of truth Therefore let every one be a foole that he may be wise when thou art a foole in thy selfe then God will inform thee when thou
after the freenesse of grace in Christ yet the poore soule will ever be lingring after this Light looke as it is with a great torch carry it out of one roome into another by-roome and though the torch be gone yet it will leave such a glimmering so that a man may follow the torch so it is with the soule truly humbled it hath received the testimony of the Spirit though the torch the glory of the testimony of this witnesse goeth aside a little in temptation yet the Lord leaves such a kind of glimmering or inkling of goodnes that the soule looks after the lampe light in this kinde and followeth it for ever Ionah 2.4 Ionah was there stubborne with the Lord he was sent to Ninive he goes to Tarshish wel God sends a whirlewind after him and tosseth him into the sea and sent also a great Whale an unruly ferry-man to carry him to land Now being in the belly of the Whale hee begins to apprehend himselfe and then is joyfull and there he made a question of Gods everlasting love but yet when he was in the belly of hell and mountaines of water went over him yet marke how the holy man behaveth himselfe I will still looke towards thy holy presence He had some illuminations of Gods goodnesse in Christ and howsoever the glory therof was eclipsed yet there was some glimmering left behinde But now the flashes of the Hypocrite they are sudden the lightning of Gods love that is in his minde but it passes thorow the soule suddenly and leaves it in the same hazard ignorance and at a losse as formerly for howsoever an hypocrite may have a glimmering and a kinde of flash and take notice of the powers of the world to come yet it comes like lightning suddenly come suddenly gone and it draweth the minde for the while and the understanding for the present but in conclusion the soule is where it was before when this flash is gone and the lightning is over it is just at the same losse and danger it was before Differ 3 From this authority of the Spirit it is of great authority and of marvellous powerful command so that the whole frame of the soule comes to be ordered and the heart comes to be framed sutable and agreeable thereon Looke as it is with a mighty streame all the lesser streames runne that way so it is with the blessed streame of this evidence of truth what the Spirit of God lets into the minde of the Saints it carries all with it and beares all before it and makes the whole streame of the soule be answerable thereunto Take notice between the vision Saint Paul had and which Balaam had God let in a light into Balaams soule What wilt thou curse Iacob Oh the glory that I will bestow upon them This made his teeth water at the goodnesse of the Lord and he saith Let mee die the death of the righteous Numb 24.2 the Text useth the phrase The Spirit of God was upon Balaam the meaning is he intimated the happie condition of the Saints of the Lord and in stead of cursing he blessed them though this cursed Witch Balaam had this common enlightning to know the excellencie of the condition yet his heart was never the better was covetous and malicious still towards Iacob But looke Acts 26.19 Saint Paul saith hee was not disobedient to the vision as who should say The blessed truth that was revealed to me the voyce that spake to me from heaven my minde was framed thereby and answerably disposed thereunto and I submitted and came in at the voyce of the Lord. Hence the phrase in Scripture They that know thee will trust in thee as who should say Grounded knowledge brings in confidence So Ioh. 4.10 Christ saith Hadst thou knowne me it is not every knowledge that will doe the deed a man may talke of grace but hadst thou understood better the evidence thou shouldest have asked grace and received it this is the reason of Iobs speech when God takes a man in hand he will command a man to returne fron iniquitie there is a commanding power in the obedience of truth the Lord lets in a commanding power and turnes the heart from sin and makes it yeeld to the obedience of God Whereas the light of the hypocrite is like lightning in the evening a flash and away and leaves no heat behinde it The Sunne doth not only give light but it leaves a heat behind it so it is with the Spirit of God when the sunshine of the heavenly light comes into the heart it leaves a heat of holy affections behinde it framing and disposing the heart of a man to be at the call and command of God Observe when wee lay forth arguments before men and convince their consciences that their course is nought notwithstanding whatsoever we can speake they returne to their wicked speeches and base practices their lives are as wicked their tongues as prophane as ever but when the Spirit of God will take those arguments we propound out of Scripture and make knowne those troubles to the understanding it communicates unto thee and them that power to the soule that it comes to be disposed thereunto Differ 4 The testimony of the Spirit goes upon very good ground it is a wise Spirit and a Spirit of truth and therefore goes wisely to worke Now Hypocrites they beare up their hearts with admirable evidence of Gods love but aske them what reasons they have for it what arguments to maintaine it they have nothing at all to say this is an undoubted argument of a besotted befooled hypocrite Come to your ancient people and enquire of them in the time of their sicknesse aske them if ever they were perswaded of Gods favour they say they thanke God they never doubted of it they reply they were worse than Reprobates if they should but they have no ground at all to confirme this this is an undoubted argument of a soule that never had any sound evidence of Gods love for where the Spirit comes it goes upon good ground Vse 2 Direction and Exhortation hence wee learne what course wee must take what path wee must tread in what meanes we must use to get this notice and gaine this evidence of Gods love to our soules learne the ground get the witnesse of Gods Spirit get but the Spirit to seale it and all is thine It was the speech of Sampson when he propounded a Riddle to the Philistines they knew not how to answer it because they understood it not before he had told his wife and shee them then they related the Riddle to them hee confesseth their answer to be good But saith he had you not plowed with my Heifer you could not have expounded my Riddle I use the same comparison for our purpose use Gods meanes if you would know Gods minde take counsell of him that is privie Counceller of Heaven would you be perswaded of Gods love and affection
much sustained What is there yet hope that my offence may bee pardoned will the King receive mee to mercy So when the Lord humbleth the soule discovereth his sinnes maketh knowne his judgements these are thy sinnes that thou hast committed and for them thou shalt be plagued the great judgement of the great God shall come upon thee and the great God whom thou hast dishonoured will come against thee and to hell thou must Now the poore soule seeth no hope no helpe no means of supply now the poore soule heareth a voyce from heaven there is no hope in thy selfe nor in meanes yet in the Lord Jesus Christ thy sinnes are pardonable thy soule may be saved thy heart may be quickned that place in the Psalmist Let Israel hope in the Lord for with him is plenteous redemption this upholdeth and sustaineth the heart of Gods servant yet there is plentifull redemption and this may discover it selfe in three particulars The infinitenesse of Gods power though thy sinnes are many though the guilt of sinne is mighty and powerfull to condemne the soule yet when the soule apprehendeth an infinitenesse in the power of the Lord to over-power all his sins all the guilt of corruption this lifteth up the heart in some expectation that the Lord will shew favour unto a man though it is a hard thing to hope when the soule is thus troubled can this hard heart be broken can these sinnes bee pardoned can this soule bee saved now commeth in the power of God God can pardon them never measure the power of God to that shallow conceit of thine as Christ when he had told his Disciples it is hard for a rich man to be saved they said how can any man be saved the Lord Christ saith all things are possible to God though not to men and it is said of Abraham hee hoped above hope he looked to the Lord that was able to doe what he promised to supply what he wanted he considered not that he had a dead body but he considered he had a living God not Sarahs barren wombe but the gracious goodnesse of God able to make it fruitfull nay hee beleeved in the God that can make things that are not thy soule is not humbled the Lord can humble it thy sinnes are not pardoned the Lord can pardon them thy soule is not converted the Lord can convert it though I cannot see it though man cannot imagine it yet the Lord can doe it As the infinitenesse of Gods power so the freenesse of his grace and promise that is a thing that marvellously taketh up the heart and maketh it hope for wee are ready naturally to expect no kindnesse from God the Lord is able to doe it that is true but I am unworthy the Lord will not bee wanting to them that can desire it but I am wanting now here is comfort the Lord will not sell his mercy his mercy is not to be merited it is not to bee discovered it is to bee given and to bee bestowed Malach. 7.18 Who is a god like unto our God we say Oh if I could please God if I could walke with God nay but God saith mercy pleaseth him and that place in Esay I for my owne Name sake will doe this not for thy workes sake I for my owne sake not for thy obedience sake this is certaine as there is no worke in any poore creature can discover any mercy from God so there is no wickednesse in the heart of a sinner that can hinder the Lord when hee will bestow grace and mercy in Jesus Christ Object But the world will say Then a man may live as he list and doe what he will if grace be free Answ No no the Lord will pull downe thy proud heart and lay thee in the dust the Lord will abase thee and humble thee before thou shalt receive any mercy from him hee can as well sit thee for mercy as bestow it upon thee The abundance of the riches of Gods goodnesse that exceedeth all the basenesse and vilenesse of man though thou hast sinned against heaven and the Lord in heaven yet there is mercy above the heaven bee thy sinnes and rebellions for the nature of them for the number of them for the continuance of them never so hainous yet they may bee pardoned Here the soule saith My sins are so many so great of such a nature what shall I beg mercy and oppose it shall I desire grace and resist it as that place clearly sheweth Rom. 5.20 Where sinne abounded grace superabounded hee is the Father of mercy and the God of all consolation Iam. 2.13 there the holy Ghost saith mercy triumph above justice justice cannot bee so severe to revenge thee as mercy is gratious to doe good unto thee if thy sinnes be never so many Gods justice never so great yet mercy is above all thy sinnes above all thy rebellions this may support the soule So then you have the first ground to stirre up hope thy sinnes are pardonable this is possible what thy sinnes be it skilleth not what thy iniquities be it mattereth not there is more mercy in God than sin in thee to pardon more power in God to shew mercy to thee than power in sin to destroy thee The Lord doth sweetly perswade the soule that all his sinnes shall be pardoned the Lord maketh this appeare and perswadeth the heart of his that he intendeth mercy that Christ hath procured pardon for the soule of a broken hearted sinner in speciall and that it cannot but come unto it So that hope commeth to bee assured and certainly perswaded to looke out knowing it shall bee accomplished the former only sustained the heart and provoked it to looke for mercy but this comforteth the soule that undoubtedly it shall have mercy The Lord Jesus Christ came to seeke and to save that which was lost he came for this purpose it was the scope of his comming now saith the broken and humble sinner I am lost did Christ come to save sinners Christ must faile of his end or I of my comfort God saith Come unto me all you that are weary and heavy laden I am weary unlesse the Lord intended good unto me why should he invite me and bid me for to come surely he meaneth to shew mercy to me nay hee promiseth to releeve me when I come therefore he will doe good unto me The Lord letteth in some rellish and taste of the sweetnesse of his love some sent and savour of it so that the soule is deeply affected with it marke this there is yet a further dint a setling and an assured kinde of fastning of the good unto the soule so that the heart is deeply affected with it and carried mightily unto it that it cannot bee severed It is the letting in the riches of his love that turneth the expectation of the soule another way it overshadoweth all outward good Looke as the covetous man is up early to contrive his riches
may set open a peepe-hole of mercy know therefore this that though the Lord will not nay the Lord according to his oath cannot save a continuing unbeleever yet here is all the hope thou hast and blesse God for it and bee thankfull that thou hast it though whilest thou art an unbeleeving creature thou canst have no mercy from God yet God can make thee a beleever he can breake that heart he can make thee good therefore I say blesse God that thou art yet in the land of the living and say good Lord this is mercy that I am on this side hell if I had died I had as certainly gone to hell as the coat upon my backe hath not the Lord said it did not the Minister speake it and the Word reveale it that as long as I had a proud naughty stubborne wretched heart I should never finde mercy unlesse I should thinke that God would make new Scriptures turne the course of his providence to save a company of base wretched creatures Oh my brethren you that are yet in the gall of bitternesse and bond of iniquity proud before and proud still that live and lie in your sinnes I say every morning and every evening that yet you live thinke with your selves Hath God given me this hope this liberty and that my life is continued why now bestirre your selves to get mercy I beseech you thinke oâ— it if you be not wrought upon by the Word if Heaven and Earth should meet together to save thee and an Angell from Heaven would speake comfort unto thee all would faile therefore you see by this time in what case these are goe aside and mourn for your selves and neighbours this say if you will continue proud and wicked there is no hope for you all the hope is this you are yet alive the Lord may humble that heart hee may enlighten your eyes he may worke upon thy soule else there is no mercy for thee Vse 2 It is an use of consolation and I hope you will be content to heare that I beseech you therefore to observe what I say take notice here that every poore broken hearted sinner may take some ground here to stay his soule though much disquieted though exceedingly perplexed when the soule seemeth to be aloofe off from the Lord when the Lord doth not shine abroad the sweetnesse of his mercy upon the soule when the Lord withdraweth himselfe and his grace in assisting and comforting his Saints when thou hast no sense no feeling thou canst not bee perswaded of it or thy heart beleeve it canst thou but looke up to God and hope I say thy condition is good thou art a good scholler in the Kingdome of the Lord Jesus Esay 40.18 The Lord waiteth upon his Saints to doe them good but marke what the Text saith Blessed is every man that waiteth upon the Lord he doth not say blessed is the man that hath sense of Gods favour blessed is the man that hath assurance of Gods mercy but blessed is that man that waiteth upon the Lord thou saist thou canst not doe this and thou canst not doe that I say if thou canst but wait and hope for the mercy of the Lord I say thou art a rich Christian if a man hath many reversions though he hath them not for the present men that judge of his estate will not judge him for his present estate but for his reversions which hee shall have haply thou hast not for the present the sense and feeling of the assurance of Gods love away with that feeling doe not dote upon it thou hast reversions of old leases ancient mercies old compassions such as have beene reserved from the beginning of the world and know thou hast a faire inheritance this is observable Rom. 8 28. We are saved by hope now hope that is seene is no hope for why should a man hope for that which a man hath wee are saved through hope now if you would have hope to be seene you have no hope in conclusion though thou hast it not in thy eye yet if thou dost hope it is enough that hope will save thy soule It is the folly of our sinfull proud hearts that sometimes in the sense of our owne sinnes and sight of our owne unworthinesse we almost disdaine to looke upon what God hath done for us and we consider not the kindnesse of the Lord. That place in the Psalmist The eye of the Lord is upon them that feare him and wait for him it is the wretched distemper of the soule we can fall out with heaven and our selves because we cannot have what we would nay we quarrell against the means of grace what availe meanes and helpes as long as I have such a stubborne naughty heart Psal 174 1â—1 The Lord taketh pleasure in those that feare him and wait for his mercy alas brethren out of the pride of your owne spirits you fall out with God and your selves and so deprive your selves of this comfort Object But you will say were my hopes of the right stampe and of the right coyne then a man might comfort himselfe therein though he wanted the sense of Gods love and the assurance of his mercy but there are many false hopes flashy hopes leane hopes how shall a man know that his hope is sound and good and will comfort him Ans You may know it by these foure particulars The first is this a grounded hope it hath a peculiar certainty in it it doth bring home unto the soule in speciall manner the goodnesse of God and the riches of his love in Jesus Christ this same grounded hope doth not stand upon Ifs and And 's but it saith it must be undoubtedly it must certainly bee mine and this you must know it is the nature of hope to make a thing to be certaine Hope maketh things infallible and undoubted and withall there is a kinde of speciality a bringing home of Gods goodnesse unto the soule in a peculiar manner hope alwayes if sound it hath something to say for it selfe alwaies it hath a ward to hang and hold upon Psal 130.5 I wait upon the Lord and I hope in his Word and so Rom. 15.4 All things are written for our instruction that through the comfort of the Scriptures wee might have hope here is hope not through your conceits imaginations and dreames but through the Scripture we might have hope a grounded hope is a Scripture hope it is a word hope and therefore those that cannot bring a word and give a reason for their hope I would not give a rush nor a farthing token for a hundred cart load of such hopes No it is Law hope it is Gospell hope Scripture hope Word hope so that the soule can say the Word saith the Lord came to save those that are lost why I finde my selfe to be lost and therefore I hope the Lord will seeke mee though I cannot seeke him I hope the Lord will finde me though I cannot
seeke after him whom her soule loved and prized and from whom she expected that good she needed It ought to bee so with our desires they must proceed only from the sparke of the spirit The smoking flax God will not quench Matth. 12.20 all flax of it selfe will not smoke but a sparke must come into it and that will make it catch fire and smoke thus lay your hearts before the Lord and say Good Lord here is only flax here is only a stubborne heart but strike thou by thy promise one sparke from heaven that I may have a smoking desire after Christ and a longing desire after grace that I may walke with more care and more conscience with thee hereafter using the meanes thou hast appointed for my good that they may at the last worke unto my good this take notice of above all the rest for he that thinkes to get a desire from himselfe will not labour to obtaine from the hands of the Lord. Therefore labour to use all meanes and labour to see a weaknes in all means and expect this desire onely from the hands of the Lord. Thus we see the means how we may get this desire Thus we see how the Lord learnes every faculty his lecture the mind hath beene inlightned we have done with that hope hath beene stirred and desire quickned these we have likewise finished We come now in the fourth place to treat of two other faculties of the soule Love and Ioy which because they are so neerly combined together both in nature and forme as we shall heare hereafter therefore with your patience handle them together and read one Lecture to them both But before I proceed to meddle with the particulars let me premise something in the generall that wee take all rubs out of the way and that none may stumble at that which shall be delivered Therefore let no man thinke it strange that I come here to meddle with Love and Joy as though I would make sanctification to goe before justification for wheresoever we finde love and joy they seeme rather the effects that follow faith than to be the seeds and spawne to bring in faith Methinkes these doubts should not trouble any if they did but consider what wee have spoken already in the worke of preparation But a little to take away these rubs take notice of three ensuing passages which will cleare the way to that which afterward shall be spoken Passage 1 Know in the first place it is not mine intendment to perswade any to thinke that sanctification is before justification for the truth is I conceive the thing is not agreeable to truth taking sanctification in a narrow strict sense as it must be so conceived in this place neither can the Doctrines which I have delivered if they bee understood aright according to the explication thereof shew so much this is the first Passage 2 Secondly looke by what right and reason many judicious Divines of late yeares having by experience observed in their owne spirits and judiciously scanned and delivered it that there is a saving desire by which God brings in and breeds faith in the soule It is the speech of judicious Perkins Nay the Spirit seemes to me to intimate as much when it saith Ho every one that thirsteth Iohn 7.37 come and drinke there must be first thirsting then comming and beleeving which thirsting is nothing else but a saving desire Therefore as there is a saving desire by which God causeth both grace to breed and faith to spring in the soule by the same reason there may bee a kinde of Love and Joy by which as spawnes and seeds of faith faith may bee communicated and stamped upon the soule for the same ground that is for the one is also for the other and it is a thing to me incredible that the soule of a man should fall and rest upon the promise and yet never desire it nor hope for it being absent and imbrace it love and delight in it with joy when it is comming For looke with what authority and right there is thirsting before comming and a desire before faith for faith is all this while a hatching and breeding by the same right and authority there is a saving kinde of love and joy before faith whatsoever wee speake of the one wee must necessarily speake of the other Passage 3 The third thing is this wee must understand that all these saving workes of the affections are no sanctifying I call them saving that is such workes as doe accompany salvation for there is a difference betweene a saving worke and a sanctifying taken in the proper narrow sense of it Know therefore that desires and loves are of a double nature some in vocation are observed some in sanctification are considered as there was a sorrow in preparation a sorrow in sanctification so there is one desire and love and joy in vocation stirred another in sanctification expressed both joyne one with another but they are not the same The frame of the heart and the worke upon the soule in vocation is not the same which is in sanctification Briefly in vocation in this call which I speake of the Lord worketh this worke upon me I have no power of my selfe but onely receive it from the Lord. At the first conveying in of the power of hope and desire and love and joy God communicates them unto me but in sanctification I worke from a principle which I have received from the power of grace which Christ hath communicated to me being called and sanctified and having received the Spirit of Adoption So that the graces I now speake of usher in and lead the way for the comming in of faith when faith comes into the soul it is there as the King in his privy chamber it rules and commands all his servants Now the way being cleare if you meet with hope and faith love and faith put for one another understand that they are not literally to bee conceived but in a figurative sense So then to proceed to the Doctrine I meane to stand upon which is this Doctrine The Spirit of the Lord kindles in an humbled heart and inlightned sinner love and joy to entertaine and rejoyce in the riches of his mercy there are three passages to be considered that so we may see the compasse of the point in hand Passage 1 First this love and joy is no where to be found but in a heart humbled and inlightned for unlesse the soule bee humbled before God it seeth no need of grace or mercy and therefore despiseth it and disclaimes it and is carried with a hatred against that grace that would master his corruptions and purge them Nay the soule is carried with a kinde of wearisomnesse and is pestered with the power of grace that would frame his heart anew his corrupt heart is rather troubled with it than any way delighted in it and if humbled and not inlightned be could not be
occasions and diligent to dispatch his businesse and therefore hee receives him that hee may get contentment from the servant not that hee may give contentment to the servant but if hee findes any inconveniency in his estate or receives not that satisfaction from him which hee desires and expects hee turnes him out of doores But now hee which entertaines a Noble man after a noble manner and he which entertaines a King after a kingly manner labours to give him all content hee will not please himselfe nor fulfill his owne minde but studies how hee may give content to the Noble man or to the King Nay it is admirable to see what men of great place will doe in this case When they entertaine a King they themselves will bee servants while the King is there haply hee is a man of great estate and hath many to attend upon him yet hee gives charge to his servants I care not what becomes of me but bee sure let his Majesty be pleased and if any comes to speake with him hee tels him hee cannot possibly speake with him now hee must attend upon his Majestie So it is betweene a sound faithfull loving soule that entertaines Christ and an Hypocrite the one receives Christ into his soule as a servant into his family and all the while Gods Gospell or Grace may promote his honour or ease or credit so farre as these may serve his turne so farre as profit and honour and riches come in by this means welcome Gospell and welcome Christ But if he sees danger will come or inconvenience befall or misery betide then he turnes Gospell and Christ and profession and all out of doores because hee entertained the Gospell onely as a servant to content himselfe But hee that entertaines Christ and the Gospell as a King into his soule labours to give him all content he will not please himselfe or his lusts or his pride or vaine glory or any thing in the world Nay when Christ comes once to be received into the soule he which before had his retinue and all to attend upon him they must all serve Christ now nay he will not give Christ distaste in the least thing he cares for no honour now but to honour him he cares for no advancement now but to advance him he esteems of no riches now but so farre as they may credit the Gospell Nay to goe further they that were his neerest and deerest friends if they come and desire his company he tels them no he cannot the Lord Iesus must bee pleased and the Spirit must bee contented Nay his old lusts and his old acquaintance his old base haunts of heart and his old sinfull courses that have beene at inward league with his soule though they come and plead for acceptance the poore sinner regards none of all these he respects Christ onely Nay he will displease a fashion rather than he will displease Christ he will displease all the great men under Heaven rather than hee will displease Christ Nay all that same glory and pride of his which hath beene so much beloved of him the soule that hath beene truly humbled and brought to an apprehension of Gods goodnesse will rather displease that than displease the Lord Iesus Christ This is an entertainment that beseemes the Lord and this is the guise that beseemes him which gives contentment to a Saviour You must now and then receive the Gospell when it pleaseth you and anon fling out the Lord Iesus and currishly behave your selves towards him but you must give all content unto him and bestow all attendance upon him It is admirable to see what love will doe how men will square their mindes and hearts to the mindes of those that are tendered by them they will be where they please doe what they will Psal 40.8 and talke of what they will I delight to doe thy good will O my God saith David the originall carries it thus It is my good will to doe thy good pleasure So it is the good will of the soule that loves God to please him above all things wee should so speake and worke and walke as beseemes the Lord as will give sweet contentment to the Lord that hee may delight to love us and walke with us and bee a good GOD unto us for ever Triall 4 The fourth triall is this He that loves a thing it is his happinesse and good to see the happinesse and good of the thing he loves observe it this is an undoubted argument of sound affection that a man should bee willing that that which is affected by him should have all good though hee in the meane time misse of it if there bee any prosperity befals the party he loves he thinkes himselfe blessed if any honour comes to him hee thinkes himselfe honoured nay he had rather hee should be honoured and advanced than himselfe this is true love indeed But see a patterne of love and a blessed mirrour of a heart inlarged with affection When David was anointed to the crown and Saul pursued him heavily and thought to defeat him of the Kingdome and dealt wretchedly and cruelly with him 1 Sam. 23.17 Now Ionathan meets him after an heavy affliction and labours to cheer up the heart of David and saith Feare not for the hand of Saul shall not finde thee thou shalt bee King over Israel and I shall bee next unto thee A man would thinke why should not Ionathan rather labour for the crowne himselfe hee was next heire apparant thereunto hee might have said Saul is my father and why should not I succeed him in the crowne why should David start in before me No this comforted his heart and rejoyced and cheered his soule David shall bee King and I shall bee next unto him hee loved David dearly and therefore this refreshed him thou shalt bee King in Israel and it is the comfort of my heart that I shall be next unto thee As who should say it contents me more that thou shalt be honoured than if I my selfe were honoured So it is with a good heart that loves Iesus Christ and his Grace and his Gospell Oh the happinesse of the Gospell and the promotion thereof is the greatest good and comfort that can befall him The Christian saith let God bee honoured though I bee disparaged it skils not Is the Lord advanced and doth his Gospell thrive Is his Glory promoted Doth the worke of grace goe forward It is enough what becomes of my honour or parts or liberty or case it is no matter Let it goe well with the Gospell and let honour be given to the Lord Iesus in the use of the means and ordinances which he hath bestowed upon us let Gods cause finde that acceptance amongst his servants which it ought it is sufficient it rejoyceth my heart See this in Iohn the Baptist when Christ began to set forth the Gospell and to baptize and many came unto him the Disciples of Iohn grudged
at it and said unto Iohn Iohn 3.29 Rabbi He that was with thee beyond Iordan of whom thou barest witnesse behold the same baptizeth and all come to him Now marke how Iohn speaks His Disciples were stirred because they thought the honour and credit went away from them As if they had said Master there is one now that carries all before him every mans eye is towards him and every mans heart is after him Now Iohn loved Christ and marke how he replies He that hath the Bride is the Bridegroome but the friend of the bridegroome which standeth and heareth rejoyceth greatly because of the bridegroomes voice this my joy therefore is fulfilled As who should say Christ is the Bridegroome I am but the friend of the Bridegroome who labour only to prepare hearts for Christ Is the Lord honoured Is the Lords worke prospered if this bee so my joy is full I have enough let the Lord increase though I decrease let the Lord have the praise that is due unto him and what ever befals me I care not This also was that of Mephibosheth when he was dealt falsly with and some false reports had beene suggested to David against him he was content to put up all the wrong and when David returned in peace and hee saw the Kings face and that he had gained the day and got the field David began to comfort and refresh him 2 Sam. 19.30 and bade him divide the land which hee had taken from him betweene Ziba and him now marke how hee replieth Let him take all for as much as the King is come againe in peace to his owne house as who should say as for the land it skils not as for my selfe and the field and my life I passe not for as much as you my King are come home in peace it is enough it is sufficient that I have seene your Majestie in peace this was better to him than the field or any thing else whatsoever could befall him Beloved many a man is all a mort because his honour fals to the ground and because his credit lies in the dust but if he may have his owne honour and credit he is not troubled though Christ and his Gospell and Gods honour and glory lye in the dust this man loves not the Lord for he that loves the Lord makes him his portion and his glory it is enough Christ is mine it is sufficient that his glorie and Gospell prospers what ever befals me I care not let the world take my ease and liberty and life and all let the Gospell be advanced I care not Brethren such are the base dispositions of too too many amongst us they can tread upon Christs shoulders and lift up him that they may appeare above him they can labour to lift up Gods Gospell that they may lift up themselves thereby this is a base disposition that harbours in the heart of most men but I beseech you lye downe in the dust and be content that the Lord may be advanced though thou be disgraced be content that the Lords name may bee praised though thou be dishonoured what though every mans mouth be against thee and every mans hand opposit unto thee yet if God be honoured let that comfort thee nay if any of Gods people advance God more than thy selfe rejoyce in it and let this be the aime of all our endevours for ever Triall 5 The fifth triall is this it is the nature of sound love to covet nearer union with the thing beloved and to have a kinde of earnest impatience and restlesnesse till it attaine a greater measure thereof Observe it this is a thing which flowes from the nature of love especially from this love I now speake of which beseemes the Lord who is the best of all other things which the soule can desire or the heart possesse 2 Branches There are two branches of the point I will handle the one largely and only touch the other Love I say therefore is first of a linking and a gluing nature and it will alwayes carrie the soule with a streame and earnestnesse to enjoy the possession of and union with the thing beloved it cannot have enough of it it is never satisfied with it it covets nothing so much riches now seeme loathsome and profits and pleasures are tedious vanities to him the soule is out of taste with all worldly delights and desires nothing so much as to enjoy Christ this is that he would have Let the wicked have what they will and possesse what they please but let me enjoy that only and I care not When David had beene doting on the things here below at last he came to see better things in God and see how he stayeth his heart Psal 73.25 Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none in earth that I desire in comparison of thee he bids adieu to all other things and marke what followes It is good for me to draw neare to God As if hee had said let the rich man have his wealth and let the ambitious man have his honour let the drunkard have his cup and the adulterer his sweet dalliances let them drinke and swill and whore and goe downe to hell much good doe it them with their sops let them have what their hearts can desire but it is good for me to draw nigh unto God Oh the pleasures that are at Gods right hand Oh the mercie and holinesse which hee hath prepared and will bestow upon those that are upright When Marie had beene seeking and weeping for a Saviour Christ said unto her Woman why weepest thou Iohn 20.16 Whom seekest thou Marke now what Marie did being moved with love to the Lord she conceived Christ to be the Gardiner and shee spake thus Sir if thou hast borne him hence tell mee where thou hast laid him and I will take him away She would be content to have the body of a Saviour rather than want a Saviour she would have a dead Saviour rather than none but when our Saviour revealed himselfe to her when shee saw that he lived and was risen againe she flew upon him and with marvellous violence embraced our Saviour for so the words must of necessitie be understood for Christ saith Touch mee not for I am not yet ascended the meaning is this Marie was very eager of her Saviour Have I againe seene my Saviour And doe I againe possesse him I will never part with him more Christ saith unto her Marie and so discovers himselfe she saith unto him Rabboni that is to say Master and there she holds as if she would never leave him more now Christ checks her because she depended so much upon his outward presence Hee saith unto her Touch me not for I am not yet ascended as if he had said I shall live many dayes upon the earth and thou shalt bee satisfied with my presence therefore doe not cling so fast unto me for the word touch
runnes and reacheth after a Christ for a man can never rest on a thing before he come to lay hold on it and to deliver all his strength and lay all his weight upon it This is implied necessarily and it is one maine proper act of faith when the soule seeth this that the Lord Jesus is his aid and must ease him and pardon his sinnes then let us goe to that Christ saith he see what our Saviour saith Iohn 6.35 He that commeth to me shall never hunger and hee that beleeveth in mee shall never thirst the phrase of comming and beleeving they are both one Ier. 3.22 there the Prophet makes the answer of the humble sinner the Lord calls upon by his Spirit and sets on his mercy effectually and saith Come to me yee rebellious sinners and I will heale your rebellions Though a poore Minister speake the word yet the Lord from heaven saith come to me ye loose hearted c. Now this voyce comming home to the heart and the prevailing sweetnesse of the call overpowring the heart the soule answers Behold we come for thou art the Lord our God The soule goes out and falls and flings it selfe upon the riches of Gods grace thus setled and revealed Come to mee all yee that are weary saith Christ when the Lord saith come I have mercy though thou hast none and I have comfort though thou hast none nay I not only have it but am ready to bestow it and come to me thou poore burthened sinner I have undertaken for thee and I will ease and helpe thee Now as for you that were never humbled nor brought low God will pull downe your proud hearts and make you stoope but you that have beene burthened and have seene your sinnes and mourned under the loathsome burthen of them to all such the Lord saith Come to mee thou poore broken hearted sinner I will heale thee and I have undertaken for thee we goe then saith the will to that Christ and that promise and that mercy and that grace that will pardon all and subdue all whatsoever is amisse It is with a sinner as it is with a Sea-faring man that is tossed with the windes and driven to a hard set with the tempest hee labours to betake himselfe to a shelter and to land at some Haven This is the nature of beleeving in the Hebrew phrase as Esa 25.4 Thou hast beene a strength to the poor and needy in trouble a refuge against the tempest a shadow against the heat c. Now when a poor sinner is weather-beaten and can see no comfort and finde no evidence for the pardon of his sinnes the Lord is pleased to make knowne the goodnesse of Christ through the promise then the soule shrowds it selfe under that shâ—dow and that goodnesse thus offered and revealed Psal 118.11 Davids soule had gotten away from God and he began to quarrell with Gods providence saying I said in my haste all men are liars see what an hasty spirit is hee hoysed up saile upon the maine Ocean and he had imaginations and conclusions of feare and despaire At last he got the Haven againe and said where art thou Oh my soule thou hast gone from God and from his promise Returne to thy rest O my soule let us goe to the promise and keepe us there to see land and make haste to it and labour to hold the heart close to the Lord Jesus Christ now the soule is come to Christ The next Act of resting is this it layes fast hold upon Christ and when the Lord saith Come my Love my Dove and come away behold I come saith she and when she is come she fastneth upon Christ and saith my Beloved is mine and I am his When she is come to Christ shee will not away againe In the Hebrew phrase to beleeve is nothing else but Amen the Heathen say that the answer of a man is this let it be done which thou hast promised that 's faith So after the soule hath walked a great while in horrour and vexation and the soule sinks in the apprehension of it the Lord lets in the comfort of his promise and saith thou poore burdned heart thy person is accepted thou art unworthy but Christ is worthy thou art sinfull but hee is mercifull Now when the soule heares this voyce it saith even Amen Lord let it be so Lord. This is the hold of the heart hope and desire love and joy have discerned a world of mercy and the will saith so be it let us stay and hold here and goe no further Esay 64.7 There is none that calleth on thy Name neither that stirreth up himselfe to take hold of thee Faith layes hold on the Lord and will not let mercy goe but cleaves unto it it is sweet to see faith in conflict with the Lord. When a man hath it as in Iob see how faith holds its owne God makes him even the Butt of his wrath as it were but Iob saith though he slay mee yet will I trust in him Me thinkes I see how the Lord makes his hand all goare blood and yet faith holds his owne it is able to fasten it selfe upon the promise of God in Christ 1 King 20.32 33. when Ahab was deeply provoked with a drunken Benhadad who said take him alive c. they entred the combat now when the day went against Benhadad for hee had dealt basely with Ahab and hee could not with any face looke for any favour from him yet when hee was driven to a stand his servants being worse than their master came to him and said Wee have heard that the Kings of Israel are mercifull Kings we pray thee let us put ropes about our neckes and sackcloth on our loynes c. Because the poore servants were like to come into danger as well as their master they went to Ahab and said thy servant Benhadad saith I pray thee let me live and Ahab said is he yet alive he is my brother and the servants catched at that word and said he is yet alive and they went away rejoycing This is a lively picture of a broken hearted sinner after he hath taken up armes against the Almighty saying shall he be at Gods command he will never doe it whilest the world stands but he will have his lusts his profit and ease c. and the Lord and hee are at open warres and now the Lord lets in justice and hee seeth the anger of God bent against him and even frowning upon him and the wrath of the Lord dogging him from day to day saying thou art an enemy to me saith the Lord and I will be an enemy to thee Now the soule seeth that he cannot avoid justice neither can he beare it and therefore the soule reasons thus I have heard that though I am a rebellious sinner yet none but sinners are pardoned he is a gracious God and therefore the soule falls downe at the footstoole of the Lord and saith Oh
what shall I doe What shall I doe unto thee Oh thou preserver of men and the broken hearted and terrified sinner craves that he may yet live in the sight of the Lord. And at last when the soule hath beene sufficiently humbled the Lord lets in his sweet voice of mercy and saith Thou art my sonne and thy sinnes are pardoned with that the soule catcheth at that mercy and saith mercy Lord and a sonne Lord pardon Lord and love Lord the soule is marvellous willing to heare of that consideration But it will not away from the Lord againe as they catched at the words of Ahab and said thy brother liveth so the soule saith beleevingly and â—eccho-like pardoned Lord accepted Lord love and mercy in Christ Lord the heart holds it selfe there It is the fashion of a drowning man when hee seeth himselfe going and sinking if any man come to helpe him when he hath taken hold hee will rather die than leave him hee holds for his life Just so it is with a drowning sinner that is tossed up and downe with the floods of Gods indignation He that formerly made nothing of all and a mock of Christ and thought hee might goe to heaven with all his lusts now the Lord opens his eyes and sets upon him and tosses him up and downe that the heart smites with it and hee seeth himselfe lost and going downe to the pit â—nd hee expects nothing but damnation and at â—ast the Lord lets in a record of mercie and the promise of grace and salvation when the soule â—eares hereof hee catcheth it greedily and knowes if that faile his soule must needs faile â—nd therefore he will never let it goe Act 3 The third act of resting is this it flings the waight of all its occasions and troubles upon Christ as the porter that is weary of his waight and hath no way to helpe himselfe but to be eased of his burden so when the soule hath fastned upon Christ it layes all the waight of all its guilt and power of corruptions upon the Lord Jesus Christ Christ hath promised to give ease and power to pardon and the soule now layes all upon him as Psal 35.7 Commit thy way to the Lord and trust in him commit thy way that is the waight of all thy occasions roule thy way upon the Lord as it is with a barrell that is tumbled up and downe the earth beares the waight of the barrell but some body moves it so the soule casts the waight of all its disgrace dishonour temptation and all upon Christ Esay 50 10. Hee that walkes in darknesse and hath no light let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon hiâ— God that is if any man be in extremes hopelesse in misery and seeth no helpe for himselfe neither in himselfe nor the creature and walkes in desperate discouragement and hath no light of comfort let him trust upon the name of the Lord and stay upon his God as when a man cannot goe of himselfe hee layes the waight of all his body on another so the soule goes to a Christ and layes all the waight of it selfe upon Christ and saith I have no comfort all my discomforts I lay upon Christ and I relie upon the Lord for comfort and consolation and when the soule hath thus leaned upon Christ it leaves it selfe there and sucks and drawes all the good that it needs from Christ Cant. 8.5 Who is this that commeth up from the wildernesse leaning upon her beloved the party comming is the Church the wildernesse is the troubles and vexations the Church meets withall and the beloved is the Lord Jesus Christ now the Church comes out of trouble and out of her selfe and leanes her selfe all upon her husband the Lord Jesus Christ she only walked with him but he bare all the burden for her and as the Jewes after their Passeover had their feet shod with sandals and staves in their hands the promise to the soule is like that staffe which did testifie the promise when we are going to the land of Canaan the promise of grace and mercy is the staffe which wee leane upon and it is not a broken staffe that will faile us but a strong staffe which a man may trust to and lay all the waight of life and happinesse upon it and the subduing of his sinnes also 1 Pet. â— 7 Cast all your care on him for he careth for you the originall is hurle your care upon the Lord as â—f a man should say suffer not your care to rebound backe againe but hurle it upon the Lord as a man doth with a ball when it rebounds hee beats it backe againe the Lord will not thanke you for carrying your cares and troubles about you but he requires you should hurle it upon the Lord for he careth for you All that faith would have the soule doe is this First that the soule should labour to finde out the meanes of grace Secondly that it should practice what it knowes Thirdly that it improve all meanes when it hath gotten them now that it may bee able to doe this faith layes all the weight of the worke and burden of the day upon the Lord Jesus Christ so that I shall know what I should doe or the Lord will pardon what I doe not know and either I shall be able to doe what I know or else God will accept of my poore endevours and either I shall finde successe in that I doe or else God will make me contented so that all the burden is gone therefore what if thou doest not know what thou shouldst doe seeing God will pardon thy ignorance and what if thou dost not that which thou knowest if God will pardon thee in it and what if thou hast not that successe thou desirest if God will accept of thee without it and therefore David chides his owne heart and rocks his owne soule asleepe where it was golling Psal 42. Why art thou cast downe O my soule c. I am banished from my house and from my friends and especially from the house of my God and have not I cause to be disquieted no hee had not but how shall I amend my selfe in all these troubles still trust in God for he is yet the helpe of my countenance and my God and I will yet give him praise as if he had said thou shalt not need to be distracted discouraged nor vexed inordinately still trust in God and cast all thy care upon him the faithfull soule viewes all his sinnes that he hath committed and all the miseries that are intended and inflicted and when it hath done all it conclude thus with it selfe and saith It is not in my power nay it is not my duty to determine of all these troubles I lay all the weight of my sinnes upon Christ to pardon them and all the weight of my corruptions to subdue them and then I know he will care for me that hath undertaken mercifully for
and peevishnesse but the Lord Christ will not cast thee away if thou come to him he will never doe it Object 4 Let me adde a fourth motive I confesse saith the soule there is no want of willingnesse on Gods part but I have a heart which cannot beleeve what is that to me to see provision of mercy and have no heart to receive it Oh this unwilling and distrustfull heart it cannot beleeve Answ If I finde a cure in the promise for this then I hope you will yeeld therefore know that the Lord hath provided in the promise a meanes whereby thou mayst bee made to beleeve and thou shalt be able to beleeve first that sufficiencie which is in the promise and which God intends for thee Now the Lord strikes up the match 2. Things and that the Lord doth this it shall appeare if you consider the manner of Gods worke in two things First God the Father in the promise gives an humble broken hearted sinner into the hands of â—esus Christ that hee may make him able to beâ—eeve Secondly he gives Jesus Christ into the hands of a poore sinner that hee may take him and receive mercy from him Now though thou canst not beleeve yet if Jesus Christ take that heart of thine in hand he can and will make thee beleeve This was the end of his office and comming Iohn 6.44 No man commeth unto me except the Father draw him and I will raise him up at the last day I will make him beleeve and in the grave I will love his poore body and not lose so much as his â—shes but will preserve them there and raise him up from thence and at last I will bring both body and soule to honour and make both happy in Heaven for ever for Christ his sake thinke on this earnestly that every broken hearted sinner is given to Christ as if God the Father had said Oh my Sonne looke well to such a man he lives in a base world and hath many corruptions in his heart but looke thou to him Iohn 10.16 Other sheâ—pe I have which are not of this fold and these I must bring home saith Christ there are many of Gods people called and converted but there are many yet which are in the gall of bitternesse and I know such a drunkard and though hee bee a woolfe now yet he is one of my sheepe and him I must bring home It doth my heart good to thinke that there is many an enemy of Jesus Christ and many that hates grace and goodnesse many a wretched drunkard many a covetous and uncleane wretch that shall bee brought home One goes up and downe this way and another that way as a company of poore sheepe that wander up and downe one falls into this ditch another into that and another in such a grove so there is many a poore sheepe that goes away from God and all goodnesse the Lord give us hearts to pitty them howsoever God hath opened your eyes and brought your hearts and my heart home to himselfe yet there are many other sheepe that as yet goe from God Oh what a blessed mercy is this If Christ hath once undertaken for you hee will seeke you out wheresoever you are The Lord seekes you out many times in the congregation you might come home then if you would well the Lord will make the fire of hell to flash upon the conscience of a man and drag him home but it is no matter which way the Lord brings him home so he come to heaven at last Iohn 17. Thou gavest them to me and I have given them eternall life There is no more difference than this the Father gives the sheep to Christ and saith looke to him and Christ saith you are given to me take you everlasting life betweene you and take eternall glory I give it to you as freely as ever God the Father gave your soules to me Secondly God the Father gives Jesus Christ to the poore soule and saith I give thee him freely with his bloud and all his merits his grace and goodnesse Oh saith the poore sinner blessed be God that Jesus Christ hath undertaken for me and that God the Father hath given mee Christ but alas I cannot pay the price I am notable to purchase the pearle as in a marriage when the parties are both agreed if there bee a quarrell about the feffment all breakes off so it is in this case the soule is now inabled to rest upon Christ but what will the Lord require for I am base and poore well saith God the Father I will not sell my Sonne but I give him to thee and thou must not thinke to purchase him Ioh. 19.26 27. when Christ would commend Marie to the care of Iohn hee saith Woman behold thy sonne and to Iohn he saith Behold thy mother so God the Father saith to Jesus Christ My blessed Sonne behold that poore broken humbled sighing sinner behold thy sonne take him for thy owne and thou poore sinner behold thy Saviour take him to thy selfe and the soule receives that gift at the hand of God the Father Ioh. 10. So God loved the world that he gave his only begotten Sonne c. that is God so set his heart upon those whom he would save that hee gave Jesus Christ to bee received from him and to doe all good for them according to all their necessities thus I hope the heart hath no starting holes the promise is sufficient saith the soule if I had it and God sadly intended it therefore I may take him and God hath given Christ the care of me to make me to beleeve now the will is fully perswaded and saith to hope and desire and all the other affections here is good enough and come hope expect it for ever and come desire here is mercy enough that thou hast desired and come love and joy here is that mercy whereof you have felt the sweetnesse nay saith the will let us rest here and settle our selves upon the freenesse and favour of the mercy of God in Jesus Christ as our Saviour said to the Disciples Ioh. 6.27.28 Will you also goe away oh saith Peter whither shall we goe thou hast then words of eternall life the world cals and our lusts call and pleasures call and the more they call for our hearts the more wee cry after thee out Christ whither shall we goe if not to thee for there is none so gracious none so mercifull to sinners none so ready to doe all good for us and as there is sufficient in the promise and as here is sufficient in thee and enough for sinners so upon thy mercie we will hang upon thee our Saviour wee will live and dye and upon the promises will we put our selves to receive all the comfort and good they will affoord and upon this will we feed for ever Thus much for the opening of the point Vse 1 The first use is for information to rectifie our
three it strikes three so the soule is thus led by the Spirit of God as Rom. 8.14 and then it obeyes God and doth every good duty and loves God above all and his neighbours as himselfe in truth and in uprightnesse so that the soule is stopped in humiliation and is turned in vocation it receives the poise in adoption and renovation in sanctification and it obeyes God in all things then the conclusion is this all these are saving workes and such as doe undoubtedly accompany salvation but all this while one is not another for two of these are wrought upon us that is preparation and vocation and these are by a passive worke the wheele workes because it is moved and in the other three the Lord conveyes his Spirit to us and mercifully workes the power of sanctification in us and makes us able to serve him and obey him Acts 26.18 Paul was sent to the Gentiles to open their eyes to turne them from the power of darknesse to God that they may receive forgivenesse of sinnes and an inheritance amongst them that are called and sanctified marke all the passages of it from darknesse and Sathan that is in preparation to God and to light that is in vocation and as Saint Peter saith Acts 3.19 Repent and be converted that yee maâ— receive the forgivenesse of sinnes repent there is preparation and bee converted there is vocation turned from Sathan and the power of the Devill that they may be under the power of the Lord Jesus and lye at his foot-stoole as a souldier is turned from such a captaine when hee is content to be under another so the soule is turned from sinne and is content to take presse money and to become a souldier of Iesus Christ Thirdly that he may receive forgivenesse of sinnes that is in justification and an inheritance among them that are sanctified that 's in sanctification all these are done by faith the scope of the holy Ghost there is to discover the frame of grace in the heart and therefore it is not to be understood of the nature of Sanctification but of the worke of it that a man should receive his sanctification by faith and yet is but sanctified in part these are contraries The fourth is onely the worke of sanctification and lastly from the question thus resolved from hence that question falls to the ground and from hence first a man may see it clearly that sanctification comes after justification and secondly whether repentance is before faith or whether repentance is before justification or justification before faith and repentance and thirdly whether there be any other instrument to beleeve in Christ but faith No there is no other for they all concurre by faith Thus much for the first use a word of confutation and information Vse 2 Secondly if it be so that faith is a resting upon God and a receiving of mercy from God then this is a word of terrour to all that still remaine in unbeleefe they are to see their sinne and misery by sinne their sinne is most hainous and their plagues are intolerable if it bee faith that brings a man to Christ and suits a man with all comforts from Christ then all you unbeleeving sinners let your soules shake in the apprehension of all these plagues of which you are guilty It is the misery that befalls poore creatures they are loth to be knowne to be drunkards or theeves or robbers because shame will come to them but not to beleeve the promise and to despise the Lord Jesus Christ you make nothing of this you draw the harrowes lightly after you you confesse this sinne and the other sinne and you doe welcome it but in the meane time no man lookes to his unbeleeving heart and yet this is the greatest sinne of all other and brings the greatest misery as Heb. 3.12 Take heed why what 's the matter For the Lord Jesus Christ his sake take heed lest there be in any of you an evill heart of unbeleefe to depart from the living God this unbeleefe makes you depart from the Lord God you will take heed of whoring and drunkennesse and you will say you are not so and so but I say thou hast an evill and unfaithfull heart and thou art a dead man and a miserable man and thou art gone from the Lord God the God of all happinesse and therefore thou art but a damned man This is the root and the worst of all take heed of an unbeleeving heart it departs away from the living God this is the nature and misery of this sinne What is the estate of the damned in Hell and this shall bee the sentence that is past against the wicked in that day when the Heavens shall melt and the Goats shall stand on the left hand and the Sheep on the right hand and when ye shall see all the Heavens on a flame and you shall heare that fearfull voyce saying arise you damned unbeleeving wretches stand forth and heare your doome what will bee your greatest misery in that day even this Depart from me yee cursed into everlasting flames this is the upshot of vengeance and the sharpest sentence would you not thinke this terrible if you did heare it Now therefore away thou varlet bee gone to Hell I doubt not but the very proudest wretch in hell would then be content to hang upon mercy before hee went to Hell and hee would beg that he might yet breathe to call after mercy If thou wouldest take heed of this sentence then take heed of an unbeleeving heart for by unbeleefe thou passest the sentence against thy selfe thou needest none other to condemne thee Oh therefore get you home and humble your selves in secret and say thus The Lord hath given mee a heart to see the evill of my heart I blesse the Lord thou hast kept my hand my eye my life but good Lord I never saw the horrible nature of sinne which will be my bane to this day I was never burthened with it Oh that I might now take heed of it what shall I say to mine owne heart depart thou wretch to Hell the Lord forbid Oh strive mightily with God and with your owne soules and rest not till you get some strength from Heaven and say if that voice should come againe Oh woe to mee for ever well my unbeleeving heart doth this and hath past the sentence upon mine owne soule you heare these and if you would but take home these truths they would make you stagger See what our Saviour saith Iohn 5.40 You will not come to mee that yee may have life but I know you that yee have not the love of God in you comming is beleeving is this sinne so heavy the Lord fasten it upon your hearts what shall any man goe away and say I will not beleeve there is such a generation whither will you goe If the world calls yee run if the devill calls ye goe presently but will you not
Gods love and quarrelling with himselfe and his owne comfort and the fault was here hee onely tooke a snatch and away but remember this the same promise that you heard in the publike keepe it and be ever sipping of it I confesse saith he my heart was cheered and when I heard such a Minister preach and such a Christian pray I was exceedingly comforted and had sweet assurance of Gods love but now all is gone the fault is your owne for if you would cleave to the promise it would doe you as much good in the private as in the publike it would comfort you at one time as well as at another many times it thus befals us Ministers when we preach of consolation and when wee pray and conferre wee thinke that wee are beyond all trouble but by and by we are full of feares and troubles and sorrowes because wee take not full contentment in the promise wee drinke not a deepe draught of it therefore take heed of these two things whereby poore Christians are marvellously couzened First take heed of attending to the parlies of temptations and of making a pursuit of every temptation of the Devill if you will listen to his chat he will make you forget all your comfort for the Devill casts in a bone of dissention and we snarle at it and parly with him about it and so lose the comfort of the promise therefore talke not with Satan at all but hold your hearts to the truth of the promise that is revealed to be yours Secondly be not alwayes quarrelling and cavilling with carnall reason but when you have any evidence keepe it and let it not be taken out of your hands for it is certaine that there are many poore Christians that cannot but confesse that they have faith and are wonderfully comforted but when they are gone from the Minister their old carnall reason comes againe and they attend not to the promise but to their carnall reason and from hence the devill gets marvellous ground against a poore soule therefore when you have the promise cleared from the Word heare nothing from Satan against that but from the Scripture but throw away all cursed carnall suggestions hold you close to the truth and if the devill can say any thing against the truth so t is if not then hold to it Now is it so that faith makes the life and soule of a beleever full of comfort and contentment then you faithfull soules take heed of ever repining and murmuring against the Lord and when you finde these distempers rising in your hearts still them and suffer not your hearts to murmure against God nor to bee discontented with his good providence Oh saith one I have no sense nor feeling of his love nor I cannot doe this nor that and would you have a man contented in this condition how now soule why did God never give thee any grace nor stir up thy heart to beleeve yes t is true I have a little faith if it were not for that what should I doe it is all I have I have nothing but that Oh for shame hold your peace nothing but that is it all come to nothing is Christ and Grace and Heaven and mercy and all come to but a so much hath God given thee faith and wilt thou not bee content with it seeme the consolations of God small unto thee is it nothing to thee that Christ and Heaven is thine is it nothing that God hath given you his Sonne and that Christ hath shed his heart-bloud for you and made you able to rest upon him is all this nothing It is as much as if a poore man had a thousand pounds given him and hee were angry with his friend for his kindnesse Oh gâ—e your wayes cheered and comforted and murmure no more but say as good Iacob did I have not this nor that but I have a Ioseph in Egypt my sonne iâ— alive I will goe and see him ere I die He is better to me than friends and means and all so goe your way and take heed how you offend the riches of Gods free grace nothing but a heart to beleeve Oh for shame bite thy tongue when it saith so and say Lord I have not friends nor means nor this nor that but I have a heart to beleeve and to rest upon thee Lord cause mee to rest upon thee more and more it is enough that I have a beleeving heart though I never see a good day besides It is enough that I have seene Christ my Saviour and my Redeemer c. It is a mâ—rvellous folly and shame and trouble we dishonour God and Christ and all and make the wicked peoplâ— say that swearers and drunkards goe on merily laughing and rejoycing and these Christians they goe drooping If this bee grace saith one God blesse me from it there is a strugling a striving to get a little grace assurance and power against corruption and yet for ought I see they have no more comfort than I have Oh walke humbly yet cheerfully and comfortably hast thou any wants faith will supply them hast thou any feare of trouble for the time to come faith will cure all feares art thou weake and unable to doe this or that duty faith will inable thee to every duty required doe but beleeve and rest upon Christ and grace and strength will come and thou shalt bee able to doe all things through Christ that strengthens thee Oh saith one this is a lesson for a Paul and for the great standers the Cedars in grace I answer Paul doth not say hee did it of himselfe but by the power and grace of Christ strengthning him and Christ hath as much strength and grace for thee as hee had for Paul if thou beleeve in him and rest in him therefore goe thou thy way and let us all be comforted thou and I and every poore Saint of God may doe well through the grace of Christ that strengthens us Thus much of the fourth use Vse 5 Hence in the next place wee conclude that as the difficulty is great in getting faith so the benefit of it when it is gotten is every way as great therefore it is a ground of admirable comfort to all the servants of God that through his mercy have received this grace at his Majesties hand they ought to be wonderfully comforted because they have it and so to bee thankfull to him that hath wrought it you see the difficulty of faith and the benefit of it Now hath the Lord wrought this in thy soule then goe thy way comforted for what thou hast and be thankfull to him who hath given it thee The Lord gives one man riches and another man advancements and another hath great parts and another large revenues thou seest all these and thy teeth begin to water at them and thy heart begins to bubble and repine at this and thou saist the Lord hath given riches to this man and honours to that
the Lord there is no time to late if a man have a heart to returne Thou hast played the harlot with many lovers that is thou hast followed many sinnes and addicted thy selfe to many distempers yet returne unto mee If a man put away his wife for fornication will he receive her againe no he will not doe it yet you have had many base haunts and backdoores yet returne unto me after all that stubbornnesse whereby you have opposed my grace and slighted my mercy yet returne unto me and receive grace offered There is no limit of the pardon and free grace of God offered to a poore sinner except the sinne against the Holy Ghost the Lord stands and waits and knocks if any man will open though he call till hee bee hoarce and knock till he be weary yet if any man will open bee the drunkard never so base the adulterer never so vile if hee will open the Lord will come and will bring his comforts with him and will sâ—p with him and restore consolation to him Object But you will say Aye that 's true if I had but a heart to mourne for them see my sinnes I doe and I cannot but acknowledge my corruptions but I am not sensible of the load that lyes upon me I cannot be burthened with the evils that oppresse me I have a heart not only that doth not but that cannot mourne Answ I answer this hinders not neither provided thou beest troubled because thou canst not bee troubled provided thy heart be weary of it selfe because it cannot be weary of its sinnes if this be thy temper and frame this hinders thee not from the mercie of God which is offered and thou needest for that Christ that freely pardons sinne can and will and that easily breake thy heart and fit it for pardon Micah 7.18 The Lord pardons sinnes and subdues iniquities not because thou pleasest him but because mercie pleaseth him wherefore did the Lord shew most mercie to Saul when he shewed most hatred against him Saul is posting to Damascus and breathing out threatnings against Christ the Lord is opposed by Saul and the Lord in the meane time pities and shewes mercie to Saul Saul persecutes him and he makes his moane to Saul Saul Saul why persecutest thou mee the bloudy jaylour that opposed the meanes of grace the Lord overcame him by the meanes of grace he that resisted the meanes of grace was brought home by the power of the meanes to the Lord Jesus Christ Object But the soule saith this is that which overthrowes mee you are now come to the quicke this very word is like a milstone about my neck that will sinke my soule into discouragement for ever for this is my misery the meanes doth not better me though Saul and the jaylour were bad enough yet they were bettered by the meanes but this is the hopelesse condition of my heart prayer will not worke the meanes of grace will not prevaile sometimes I thinke Lord this Lords day will doe and this sermon will worke it but to this very day the word of the Lord profits not nor workes upon mee for my good and is there such a heart in hell is there any hope that I shall ever have grace when the meanes which should worke grace will doe mee no good this is the last plea of the soule and indeed of Sathan whereby hee holds many a distressed foule in hand that God intends no good towards him Answ I answer yet this hinders not but at least thou maist have a hope of mercie to support thy heart in the expectation of good and that I may speake cleerely observe three passages First the word and meanes doe worke if it doe make thee more sensible and more apprehensive of thy owne hardnesse and deadnesse though indeed it workes not that good and after that manner thou wouldst and desirest and expectest yet if it make thee see thy owne basenesse and observe thy owne wretchednesse in regard of that body of death that hangs upon thee it workes marvellous well after the best manner because it is after Gods manner though not after that manner which thou desirest and seest best in thy owne apprehension observe it that physick workes most kindly that makes the patient sicke that salve that drawes before it heales cures most safely so it is with the word it workes kindly when it makes thee sicke of these distempers when it shewes thee the stubbornnesse and deadnesse of thy owne heart and makes thee apprehend that a broken spirit is the gift of God and not of man and meanes therefore the Lord will make thee looke to him to worke it and continue it therefore know that this is a worke of God for to see deadnesse is life and to feele hardnesse is softnesse onely beware that there bee not a haunt of heart and distemper that thy soule cleaves to and pants after and thou art loth to part withall for then the word will harden thee because thou hardenest thy selfe but if thou art content that the word should lay open the bowels of thy heart and discover what ever is amisse and reveale what ever is crosse to Gods command and plucke away every corruption and distemper then if the word reveales any hardnesse in thee know that the word workes comfortably that reveales hardnesse and basenesse and doth drive thee out of thy selfe to God for succour Secondly thou art the cause why thy heart is not softned thou art the fault why the word prevailes not because the distemper of thy heart hinders the worke of the word and the dispensation of Gods providence and the tenor of the covenant of grace when a man will stint the Lord and limit the holy One of Israel just this sermon and this quarter and this season this hinders the nature of the covenant and crosses the worke of the covenant of grace the Lord doth not stand bent to thy bow the Lord is not at thy call he will not give thee grace when thou wilt but when he pleases no it is not for us to know the times and the seasons that God hath appointed what if thou goest upon thy hands and knees begging of mercie to the last gaspe and if then the Lord be pleased to shine in a drop of goodnesse and mercie it is more than the Lord owes therefore heare to day and attend to morrow thou knowest not whether God will blesse this sermon or that meanes or the other ordinance and doe not complaine upon the meanes but attend Gods leisure and remember the Lord hath waited long for thee in the time of your rebellion in the day of your ignorance before you looked towards the Lord and therefore if the Lord now make you wait for mercie and assurance of his love know that the Lord deals equally and kindly and lovingly with you and so as all shall be best for you and know that this distemper of heart opposeth the tenor of the covenant of
into foure of five degrees of it and so fits it to be marvellous cordiall so faith makes a sweet extract out of pride and the venome of sinne and corruption without this is the overpowring worke of faith at Phil. 1.14 For this I know that by the supply of the Spirit of Christ this shall turne to my good and salvation through your prayers To winde up the point let us consider all these motives and consider whether wee can move our hearts to labour for this grace would you not be glorious in all the graces of God as humility meeknesse and patience and have conquest over all your enemies and the basenesse of your owne hearts and would you not have a blessing upon what you enjoy and would you not have all worke for your good if these bee worth the having then get this grace of faith that having this you may have all Hee that hath faith let him goe on in it and hee that hath not faith let him know that hee never had any thing To this purpose it will be very seasonable to call upon our hearts upon all occasions when you finde your hearts hunting to settle upon these things here below and when you begin to view all the contentments of this life and to say this is great Babell and I have gotten friends and meanes c. then put the question to thy soule and say hast thou faith too thou hast friends to stand for thee and means to inrich thee but hast thou faith to save thy soule if thou hast not faith thou art a begger whatsoever thou hast nay often startle your secure and carelesse hearts and put this plea to your hearts and parly with them in this manner and say doe not many and most men want faith and why may not I want it and doe not many secke faith and doe not attaine it and what if I should misse it the Lord forbid it for then thou art an undone man for ever thou hast lost all thy labour Iohn 2.8 Looke to your selves saith the Apostle that you â—â—se not the things that you have wrought thy hearing and thy praying and all thy Sacraments and all means and whatsoever thou hast or dost thou hast lost all and thou art gone downe the streame nay misse of faith and all the means under heaven cannot releeve thee I tell thee if thou missest of faith thou missest of heaven and salvation nay I may speake it with reverence mercy it selfe cannot saye thee Christ will not nay Christ cannot save thee without faith for he hath sworne he shall never enter into his rest continuing without faith therefore call home your hearts and stirre up your soules and looke up to the Lord Jesus and reason in this manner and say as Paul to the Philippians saith To you it is given to beleeve Lord it is given to thy poore servants to beleeve thou gavest Manasses Paul and the Iayler power to beleeve I am a vile stubborne prophane wretch Lord give mee power also to beleeve whether thou wilt give me honour wealth riches or no I leave that to thy selfe but Lord deny not thy servant an humble broken and beleeving heart lest I perish and be undone for ever As Rachel said Give mee children or else I die so say thou Lord give mee faith or else I perish Lord I know all my labour cannot worke faith and all meanes under Heaven cannot give it but it is thou Lord that must doe it and as the text saith Many beleeved through grace Lord therefore through that grace of thine draw this heart to thee and keepe it with thee and make thy poore servant blessed for ever Thus much for the use of exhortation namely that we should get faith Now I come to the second part of exhortation and here wee are to endevour if God bee pleased to goe out with us to perswade the heart of those that be faithfull to live by faith the Lord brought thy unfaithfull heart to beleeve now then labour to husband this grace well and to improve it for thy best good and live by it It is a marvellous great shame to see those that are borne to faire meanes I meane the poore Saints of God that have a right and title to grace and Christ and yet to live at such an under rate I would have you to live above the world though thou hast not a coat to cover thee nor a house to put thy head in yet if thou hast faith thou art a rich man therefore husband thy estate well it is a shame I say to see them that they cannot husband that happy estate which they have they live as if they had it not so full of want so full of care and pride so weake and unable to master their sinnes whereas the fault is not in the power of faith nor the promise nor in the Lord for the Lord doth not grudge his people of comfort but would have them live cheerfully and have strong consolations and mighty assurance of Gods love And therefore the text saith Rejoyce in the Lord alwayes and againe I say rejoyce and make your calling and election sure Heb. 6.18 God hath sworne that by two immutable things wherein it is impossible that God should lie wee might have strong consolations nay the Lord rejoyceth in the prosperity of his servants and therefore he hath provided mercifully and richly for you that you may rejoyce therefore wee doe the Lord and his promises a great deale of wrong and bring an ill report upon that grace and mercy of his when wee open the mouthes of the wicked and make them say Oh these precise people talke of quiet and contentment and joy in the holy Ghost there is great talking of these things but wee could never see it yet Oh brethren it is a great shame are the riches and revenues of faith so great that a christian may live like a man all his dayes Let all the drunkards and malitious wretches against God laugh and bee merry yet they cannot see one of those dayes that a poore Saint canâ— though he should lie in prison all his dayes Matthew 17.20 If a man had but faith as a graine of mustard-seed and should say to this mountaine goe hence it should be done whether this is spoken of justifying faith or no I will not now dispute but this I am sure of if you will resist the Devill he will flee from you and you may trample under all your lusts and corruptions this is the life of faith and this life may wee live and this life wee ought to live If a trades-man have a good estate put into his hand and have a faire stocke and quicke returnes if hee goes downe the winde and begin to decline and decay every man will say he wâ—â— left marvellous well but either he knew nor how to vse it because he wanted skill or else he arâ—â—ded not unto it and was carelesse another man would have lived
towards you will you know how your case shall goe at the last day would you know if your name is written in the Book of life if you would why then know the way to obtaine it seeke it of the Spirit of the Lord for he searcheth the chiefe things of God consider what our Saviour tels you Luke 11.12 Why then must this Spirit only certifie the pardon of sin Why looke up to heaven then and plead thus with him Lord I am a father and give my childe what hee wants and if I see him in need I releeve him why I need thy Spirit Lord I beg it thou hast promised it Lord give that Spirit to the soule of thy servant and let it restifie to my conscience that thou art reconciled to me Object But how shall we get the Spirit home to a man in this case Answ The meanes are two Meanes 1 Thou must labour to be such a one to whom the Spirit belongs Labour to be an humble hearted sinner and then the Lord will send his Spirit and give notice to thee of his acceptance for the Lord doth not passe over his comfort or mercie or compassion to any soule in the world but onely to those that are broken hearted before God there is no mercy for thee that art stubborne no compassion for thee that art stout hearted wouldest thou have the Spirit make a lye for thee and come from Heaven to make a new Scripture to bring a loose stubborne drunkard or adulterer to heaven it will not bee so it cannot bee so never thinke to bring the Spirit of the Lord and make him speake mercy to thee when it belongs not to thee 1 King 14.1 2 c. Doe not thinke to complain it with the Lord Jesus and put the finger in the eye weep a few teares and say I confesse my rebellions are sinful I am sory for my sins and will repent me of my sins the Spirit wil say Come out thou proud wretched hypocrite doest thou feigne thy selfe to be an humble broken hearted sinner doe not I know thy reservations doe not I know thy by-wayes and back-doores Come out thou proud wretch and sturdy hypocrite I am sent to thee with heavie tidings you may cozen man but you cannot deceive God therefore never thinke he will give grace and mercy unto thee unlesse thou be fitted for it Meanes 2 Be sure you harken not to your carnall cavils of reason nor to the clamours of a corrupt heart nor to the bawlings of Satan all which stop and hinder the testimony of the Spirit and with their loud cries drowne the voyce of the Spirit that it cannot be heard It is a fashion amongst Lawyers at Assises or Sessions when in their Courts there comes in a wise judicious witnesse and the Lawyers plead a base cause they feare him and therefore before he can speak out his tale one speaks and another speakes and so hinders this that hee cannot bee understood then the man saith hee came for a witnesse and not thus to be disturbed then the Judge commands silence and then hee hath liberty to discover what he knowes and then the case is cleare so it is with the soule and carnall reason and the Devill The triall is whether a man hath any interest in Christ or no. Now the Spirit of the Lord working graciously upon the heart would bring in a faire testimony of Gods grace to the soule but when the soule commeth to a faithfull Minister to tell him how God hath wrought upon him and met with him and how he was burthened with his sins Oh saith Satan you were burthened with your sins but you returned to them againe then the soule saith he was humbled for his sinnes yet the goodnesse of God was never sealed to him aye saith Satan but you continue in your sins still aye saith the soule I am weary of these sins aye and you are weary of labouring against them too saith Satan Thus the soule is tyred by carnall reasons temptations of Satan now let the evidence of the Spirit bee never so plaine he cannot perceive it be watchfull therefore in this case if you heare what feare or feeling or suspition saith feeling saith I find nothing feare saith it will never be suspition imagineth I shall never see that day but now command silence to every one to feare suspition feeling and unworthinesse and say now speake blessed Spirit then you will see the case cast presently It is said of Abraham he considered not Sarahs barren wombe for imagine Abraham had thus reasoned I never had childe for mee to beare a childe it is against nature shall a man that never begat beget a childe in his old age I will never beleeve it If hee had done thus for ought I know though hee had lived unto this time hee should never have had a childe but he never considered of any of these things and therefore the Promise was accomplished Therefore be sure not to hearken what failings feare and doubt and corruption saith for they will be ever against thee there is no mercy from corruption no grace from feare and suspition but consider not your dead barren wretched hearts but attend upon Gods promise and you shall finde Gods Spirit witnesse unto you the acceptance of your persons before God Object But you will say may not a man consider of his sins and attend to the corruptions of our owne hearts Answ I answer a man may nay must in a fit time after a right manner to a good end for he that never seeth his sins can never be humbled for them but this consideration only fits us for mercie and can never get assurance of any interest in mercie The consideration of our sins will give us notice of these three particulars 1. It gives us notice of our owne vilenesse and basenesse the laying these upon the soule it is a maine meanes to breake the heart and bruife a filthy stubborne soule It gives us notice of the emptinesse and infirmity of all outward parts and gifts and meanes and helpes to doe us any good It will make us see the absolute necessity of a Saviour and of the great worke of redemption which Christ hath wrought for us nay it will drive us out of our selves and force us to fall at the foot-stoole of Gods mercy that so wee may gaine Gods favour to us but it is impossible that the consideration of my sins should certifie mee of my interest in Gods mercy Meanes 3 Labour to bee informed and to understand aright the language of the Spirit Looke as it is with a poore man in the Court a wise witnesse comes in and speakes plainly but it will doe the poore man no good to heare the witnesse unlesse he understand it so though we heare the Spirit and doe not understand the language of the Spirit it is as if we never heard it Now the language of the Spirit is nothing else but the tenour