powerfully to pray for strength to resist the temptations of reproaching others either through the natural tendency thereto the common example of others or out of the tempting-design of self-applause in the disparagement of others and answerable hereto marvellous strength of Christ's Spirit was afforded me with special Providences discovering this spiritual strength accompanied with the bearing home upon my thoughts that of St. Matthew chap. 7. ver 12. All things whatsoever you would that men should do unto you do you even so with them That then I could not but observe my self against my own corrupted inclination and others example preserv'd from this too natural and common Vice even of lazy and professing Christians who by the actual remembrance of this very passage might be an excellent means to preserve them from the malignant infection of reproaching others Fifthly I experienc'd a wonderful strength to pray for a continued sense of God's All-seeing Eye as well in Conversation as in the performance of Religious Duties suitable to which not only awful thoughts of his Majesty approach'd in Duties preventing Distraction therein seiz'd me but even a powerful awe of God affected me in common and private Actions always considering any Circumstance in the Action as might destroy God's accepting thereof especially as to Acts of Charity wherein I have found such a watch over my self as I could not have been satisfied without strict enquiry Whether unwillingliness was not in the action Whether some desire of applause or only pity and natural tenderness were not the Motives of this charitable action and nothing then has been more pleasing than to find that a willingliness to obey God's Command on purpose to please him in the compassionate relief of others a chearfulness without the least intermixture of reluctancy a sincerity without the least desire of its being known were the ingredients of the Duty I desire to witness the difficulty of thus performing actions without great and actual influences of strength from above the reception whereof is often obtain'd by that blessed means of solemn or ejaculatory Prayer wherein the Spirit of Christ intercedes for his People The same Spirit of Prayer imprest upon me a sense of God's all-seeing Eye and that Scripture was continually in my Thoughts Of doing all things as unto the Lord the constant remembrance whereof I have found greatly advancing that Gospel-perfection of an unfeigned sincerity both in converse with God in Holy Duties and with one another in common Actions and Discourses Sixthly I can tell you that at another time I have been powerfully helpt to Petition for the exercise of love to God and answerable to this I have been helpt in Prayer and in worldly Business to draw forth kindlers of Love to God from all sensible circumstances of my self and others even from the poor in the Streets both as to their poverty and imperfections of Body blessing the Lord with sweet exercise of Love to him yea this Grace of Love to God has been excited from the observation of fulness and prosperity in some but with great emptiness of the inward comfort of the experiencing Christian's Soul for sensual pleasures divert their Thoughts from the observation and enjoyment of what is much more to be valued in their Nature and lasting in their Duration At this very time happening to be alone in a Coach remarking such kindlers of Love from circumstances of others appearing in the streets suddenly and strongly this suggestion forc'd it self upon my mind How was it That God did show such special favour to me beyond others yea to make me differ so much from my self in former times with amazing Thoughts of the change upon my Soul and immediately that Scripture over-awed me from corrupt rational arguing or from Satan's darkening or deviateing me from right Conceptions of God and his Ways I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion from whence happened such quiet of Mind as has by the blessing of God still'd my Thoughts perfectly as to that great point of Election which is the great effect of free unmerited Mercy and in the use of means brings the children of Mercy safely to salvation This warmly excited my Love to God having an evidence of my share in his Electing Mercy by the inseparable effects of it the work of Grace begun in me and preparing me for the Heavenly Glory A Seventh Experience was When altogether insensible of the growth of Faith and when the Lord by a marvellous method was to establish it in my Soul even then I observ'd for some considerable time that I was carried out in Prayer and Meditation with zealous Affection that the Lord would turn my Eye and trust from sensible things to a trust and reliance upon God himself as to all outward things and as to the inward advancement of Hâ—liness as a mean tending to future Salvation answerable to which God has discovered himself marvellously in the steps of outward Providential Dispensations and by the inward workings of his Spirit as means of founding and establishing this Grace of Reliance in my Soul which I hope shall be increasing in the use of means till Faith obtain its perfect end the Fruition of God in Glory And tho' I hope I may say in Humility that my Soul is raised above sensible things to look to things unseen and to set my Esteem and Reliance with comfort and satisfaction upon them independently upon worldly things yet I am asham'd for the small growth of Reliance in me and that greater improvement therein has not been the fruit of the infinitely wise and condescending method of God's goodness in training me to live by Faith in his Promises and Perfections Experience of God's Method in training me to the first sense of Reliance with its further establishment and growth and that exactly as they are set down in Record in my Diary THE first Experience leading me to observe God's following Method with me was that of carrying me forth in Prayer to petition establishment of Faith in my Soul which begun most remarkably after a Fit of Sickness and has continued to be upon my Mind in all my Suits greater or lesser since that and I hope will continue to the end of my Militant Warfare A second Experience leading me to Reliance upon God was by removing all dependance from these outward fabulous Passages reckoned as ominous of such and such certain Events which undoubtedly were at first the effect of ignorance of the true God amongst the Heathen World who notwithstanding the discoveries of God in his Nature and Providence by visible things the Effects of his Power yet natural things keep first in their view and had the preheminency of God in their minds and hearts And though we enjoy the discovery of God in his Word and Providence so plainly yet how do we retain the example in reducing those things to Natural Causes that are to be appli'd
I don't much wonder at their prizing the comforts of this Earth counting all things else as nothing or imaginary never having experienced the reality of spiritual things and no wonder therefore they dip themselves as much as possible in these things that afford present sensual and vanishing comfort rather than by a serious application of themselves to God in the use of Divine Ordinances which while they are unregenerate can afford no solid ravishing comfort they being as I was while only under the power of Education Nicodemus-like amazed at the litteral meaning how Christians could talk with God and enjoy Communion with an invisible God it being impossible by the greatest reach of the most ingenious fancy to apprehend the state of the Soul with its ravishing sweetness when in fellowship with God and though I have made use of these words of Spirituality and Heavenliness of frame to explicate fellowship with God my design is not thereby to set it forth with words that may make it sensible to unexperiencing Souls these words being understood and felt only by real Believers it is enough that to you of the unregenerate rank I can seal and give testimony to the truth and reality thereof from my certain experience and can lay before you the means God was pleased to make use of to bring me to the sensible enjoyment thereof And if your longing desire to experience it prompt you not to the use of these means by which you may obtain it then in the Day of Judgment you cannot but expect your accusation to run thus Light came into the world but you chus'd rather to walk in darkness according to your carnal Conceits of Divine things and not in the use of Sacred means as others have done to attain a clear comfortable experimental knowledge thereof which you may easily do considering the great condescending encouragement God gives to the smallest sparks of sincere desires and serious endeavours he will by the Spirit of Grace assist you and reveal the secret of his love to your Souls and bring you into his Marvellous Light And as the case of the prophane and of these only under the power of Education fills me with pity so Lazy Christians are greatly to be threatned who know the reality of fellowship with Heaven but instead of keeping themselves in the comfortable and continual enjoyment thereof and thereby to witness its truth in Conversation with others by their involving themselves in the full stream of the pleasures of this Earth they hinder their delightful and constant enjoyment of God and give occasion to others to believe that ravishing comfort of fellowship with God is meerly a Notion and make their own Lives upon the assault of afflictions yea their Dyings too less comfortable and thereby disparage the Truth of the Gospel it may afford you an awful reflection O Lazy Christians who by your great outward enjoyments should be more excited to maintain Communion with God who is the fountain of felicity and to testify that his favour is better than Life and all the fruitions of it but you content your selves with hasty or drowsy performance of Religious Duties Morning and Evening without the Exercise of those Graces and Affections which are the Life of them And by a careless Conversation in the World the impression of Divine things are soon worn out and dye in the diversion of the Soul from God by the free fruition of Temporal things which are to be so temperately used that we may enjoy God When the World is the Idol of Mens Heads and Hearts it Dethrones God and deprives them of the Comforts of his Love and Presence Secondly My Fifteenth experience has made me sensible that the comfort of outward things is more in the expectation than in the possession whereas spiritual comfort is much sweeter in the enjoyment than it is for any Humane Creature possible to imagine unless experienc'd in the Soul My own apprehension and account of a spiritual frame is this That when I am in it my mind is clear free of Clouds or concern of any kind though in the midst of trouble unless it be lest I should not continue in a holy frame While under the alone power of Education I have often suggested to my self O that I were in such a Circumstance my state should be happy but when by the Providence of God I had arriv'd to that Circumstance I found no addition of comfort by it and to speak more plainly my great expectation was confuted by Experience for either I tasted no Happiness in what was so earnestly desir'd or the pleasure was imbitter'd to me by unexpected troubles mixed with it I now am well contented in a State without abounding or wanting relying intirely upon God for all things necessary for my wants Thirdly This Experience has made me sensible of this certain frame in my self That the more of outward comforts I enjoy the more I undervalue them and in the greater esteem I find fellowship with God and that the evidence of special love from God by the enjoyments is in my esteem far more valuable than the most precious or most desireable things that can be obtain'd in this life In the Enjoyments of the world I neither find present satisfaction nor the sweetness in the after-reflection that is in spiritual Enjoyments but what brings Honey has a Sting that vexes more than there is sweetness in it This serious Christians know by experience But Carnalists whose Consciences are Sear'd and whose Experience never reach further than outward Comforts nothing can Sting them but sensible things as Illness after Drinking Rottenness after Whoring and the like affecting their Body It is otherwise in spiritual Fellowship with God it relishes sweetly at the present and in the reflection upon it an evidence to the Soul of Union to Christ for altho' the degree of Joy does not continue yet the reality of Union abides and the new Breathings of Christ's Spirit in his Ordinances revives the Joy Friendship that rational and most comfortable Blessing in humane Society is not now so common on the Earth when Sin abounds the love of many waxeth cold and where it is it affords one of the most solid satisfactions on Earth but it is not compleat wanting much at the same time it is enjoyed neither is it durable but upon a trifle chang'd and former Friendship made fuel to kindle and keep burning everlasting Hatred and Malice A Sixteenth Experience of God's method to train me into Reliance upon himself has been by disappointing me of one favour greatly desired and expected on purpose to introduce a greater The Lord has often issued forth a marvellous Mercy out of the Bosom of a disappointing-Providence and could the effect of this Experience be otherwise than to trust God for all Events attending my life however bad they lookt at the present leaving them to his Will that so if a disappointment occur'd I might not immediately repine but by
finds to please and to obey him in all his preceptive Commands and that his Experience of Free-Grace no ways tend to a Licentious Life Whatever the Notional Knowledge of Free-Grace may do amongst those who know nothing of a real Faith and experience of God's Grace in their Soul and where unstrictness and unholiness of life appears in the greatest Zealot for Free Grace it savours of nothing more than its Notion in their Brain Again the Experiencing Christian finds that when he sets himself to be most diligent to perform Good Works and Religious Duties yet in the first he is often overtaken with faults and in the latter constant failures â—â—â—ur wandering Thoughts therein discomposure of Mind from some disquiet falling in before or some suggestion from Satan or corruption within rising up at the time which forces the Soul to lay by trust to Self-sufficiency and to have recourse to the Free-Grace of God in Christ that through his Divine Spirit supplies may be conveyed enabling of us to do Works though our own yet perform'd by Christ's supplies enabling of us and accepted from us thorough his Merits perfuming them that being our alone argument to obtain both for the sake of the multitude of his tender Mercies the opening and pouring forth of which we owe to our Blessed Redeemer who has remov'd the flaming Sword and given us access to the Throne of Free-Grace but still in the use of the blessed mean of Prayer And I think it more a Soul 's concern to try the Truth of access to the Throne of Grace by Prayer in our own endeavour and observation if return'd that being a mean of obtaining of Prayer in Christ's Strength than before the trial of Prayer to pursue first the Knowledge whether Justification be previously necessary before access to this Grace as is set down in the first verse of the fifth chapter of the Romans Alas While we are a striving which things go first we are in danger of missing all while we are debating about the Notions of Religion we suffer the Truths of God in their Experience to drop Oh that our Debates were more at home with our inward Corruption sighting it with the continued use of means capable by Christ's Strength meeting us in them to overcome it and to fructifie Grace in its room and less with our fellow Christians unless in point of strict and Holy Lives Christianity needs no other bulwark from us than the true plain meaning of Scripture-truth and putting Souls in the use of such Means as God conveys the experience in and where the power of Christianity is felt let him be Church of England or Dissenter under all its Subdivisions he becomes the Object of my love because of the Impression the Divine Spirit seems to have stamp'd upon him Of their being such we may easily have discovery in discourse one with another and that without any extraordinary gift of discerning However others think of this Gospel-priviledge there is such a difference between the Nature of Notional and Experienc'd Christianity between the way and words of a meer Notional Professor though never so outwardly strict and of an experiencing Christian that to my self I find not the least difficulty And it is greatly suitable to the forecited Text in the Hebrews where it is said That it is the priviledge of grown Christians to discern good and evil and these Christians are such who have grown thereto by use and experience And where I can discover nothing of this whatever Party he is of let his Notions and Zeal in spreading them fly never so high I am always afraid that the Motive of Self bears too much room in his witnessing for God and his Truth Let all therefore be reprov'd who set up Variance with those that bear Christ's Image upon their Hearts and Lives and only differ in their Notions and Conceptions about the Truths of God Let Holy Lives and Acquaintance in Conversation with their experiencing Christianity in their Souls be the Touchstone of trying and esteeming them By the denying familiarity with such upon such differences you pinch the great evidence of loving the Brethren and shew to the world that such an one is laid aside or introduc'd to your Favour from having a name of being one of such a Party and so give occasion of producing Proselites in profession to such a Party to obtain interest and encourage thereby others to ridicule Christianity because of such Professors blemishes through the want of Christianity's power in their Souls though these inward enjoyments into which observation of outward Providences lead as a mean are incomprehensible by the prophane and meer Professor while in that state yet they are outward passages greatly discovering God bringing forth good where all evil is ominous if observ'd by meer Professors It is experimentally known that a passage of Providence dark and afflicting in its first approach has many times had in its bosom a rich mercy There is a known passage of one who broke his Leg in his Journey to go a Ship-board a dark and afflicting Providence both by reason of his breaking his Leg and the disappointment of his Voyage but in its bosom was that great mercy of saving his life the Ship being lost in which he was to have gone It is not long ago since a Wind hindring our Fleet to go forth was afflicting but in it was that great mercy of the preventing of a French Invasion such passages the prophane and meer Professor cannot dive into and if each were but observant of such like they would be reckon'd by Millions round Nations and People and all with a discovery of God the Governor of all things and would help us against repining for disappointments and advance a reliance upon him in all things by committing them to a Divine Conduct by Prayer and diligently using means providentially laid in our ways Again Is it not known with experimental Christians that the Lord many times introduces a rich spiritual mercy by a dark Providence a spiritual instruction for their establishment by an afflicting Providence It has oft been their experience to be brought under an outward disquiet on purpose to free them from a cold lazy frame of mind and to introduce a sweet heavenly posture of Soul who therefore from continued observation of this experience will not forbear repining and exercise patience till the discovery of God's design therein appears yea work together with him for the same end by addressing the Lord for strength to stand firm in the exercise of reliance and love to him which greatly establishes the Soul in the exercise of these Graces and therein honours God and is even met many times with a visible reward suited to that particular Action tho' performed by his own Divine strength the observation whereof has oft brought that Scripture to my thoughts Psal 31. Great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee which thou hast wrought for them
perform a distinct worship of Christ in Prayer and do hope that I am under the instruction and inward power of that Divine Spirit whom he has promised should guide us unto all Truth in the use of his means John 14.26 What is a guide otherwise in Nature and way of power upon the Soul than that the product only of religious Education and of the Notional Knowledge of Christianity As by the word of Truth with a frequent use of the Sacrament so by this very experience I have been wonderfully established in the truth of the Godhead of Christ against all the Socinianism falsehoods of the men of this Age in that Duty of the Holy Sacrament I have often been so ravish'd with the Contemplation of Christ's Love in himself as God and Man that at the very time I have been in great exercise of pity towards those poor Creatures who deny his Godhead and have oft thought with my self that unacquaintance with themselves on God's own word experience in their Soul was the occasion of their distrust of Christ as God How weak are the Socinian Arguments against our Blessed Redeemer as God And tho they be prevalent upon some unacquainted with God's word at least not experimentally felt as truth upon their Souls yet they are easily to be repell'd by the Scriptural discovery of Christ's Two distinct Natures in One Person for ever And how much more weak will they appear at that blessed day of Resurrection when they shall see him in his perfect Glory as God-Man Redeemer of lost Man and the Judge of them that would not comprehend him as a Glorious God What is more plain than that Scriptural evidence of the Godhead of Christ in the First Epistle of John chap. 5. v. 20 And we know that the Son of God is come and hath given us understanding that we might know him that is true and we are in him that is true even in his Son Christ Jesus this is the true God and eternal life if we are in him ingrasted by the operation of his Divine Spirit we shall draw forth such knowledge of him both as certainly come against all the Jews on Earth and as God and Eternal Life against all the Socinians at this day from my own experience I desire to put my poor Seal to this Scripture-truth discoverable in what I have already laid before you I do believe That the Professor of Christianity turning Socinian never knew Christ any other way than by a notional Knowledge pleasing to its self but never feeling that saving-knowledge of him by the work of a Divine Spirit in the use of means planting or watring Grace in the Soul John c. 1. v. 3. All things were made by him and in v 10. The world was made by him and it knew him not undoubtedly therefore he made up one of them Gen. 1.26 who said Let us make man one in Nature though three Persons distinct Is not the Soul a Man One in Essence tho' different in its Faculties of Judgment Will and Affections Colos ch 1. v. 14 15 16. By him to wit the Son that Redeemed us the Image of God the first born from the Dead all things were Created he was before all things and all things consist by him which are never applicable to Christ unless he be God as well as Man Again God's attribute of Omnipotence could never be appropriated to him if he were not God as well as Man John 2.24 But Jesus did not commit himself to them because he knew all Men. John 6.64 For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believ'd not and who should betray him In the sixth verse of the same Chapter it is said That Jesus knew he had been a long time in that case Isaiah 8.13 Sanctifie the Lord of Host let him be your fear and dread he shall be for a sanctuary but for a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence to both houses of Israel Who is this Lord of Hosts that is to be a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence It is express'd in the ninth Chapter of the Romans and 32 Verse They stumbled at the stumbling-stone Isaiah c. 6. Who can read it throughout and compare it with the 12th chapter of John v. 38. and not be convinced of the Deity of Christ therefore they could not believe because Isaiah said He hath blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts that they should not see and be converted as is set down in the latter part of that 6th Chapter of Isaiah and in the 41st verse of the same chapter of John it is express'd These things said Isaiah when he saw his glory and spake of him as in the former part of that 6th chapter he did express it Sitting upon a throne high and lifted up his train filling the temple Seraphims standing above it crying one to another Holy holy holy is the Lord of Hosts the whole earth is full of his glory by the comparing of both Chapters its plain that it was Christ that is thus described and whether such a description be applicable to meer man I leave it to any Christian to judge of Withour further running over the Scriptures attesting the Divinity of Christ or further enlarging upon the personal experience of freeness of worship to him in Prayer and other Duties in that change of Soul wherein Faith to Christ was implanted I 'll only add one Scripture more not only accusing of Socinians themselves but these of Christ's Flock who encourage their Erroneous Doctrine by too familiar converse with their persons It is the 2d Epistle of John the 9th and 10th verses Who abides not in the Doctrine of Christ hath not God and if that of his being God but now made out be not one great part of the Doctrine of Christ I know not how we shall understand his satisfaction of God as is described in his word In the 10th verse it is said If any deceivers come unto you and bring not this Doctrine receive them not in your house neither bid them speed both being an argument of Familliarity but justly reproving those who are so far from giving such discouragement to Deceivers that if by them can be diverted Splenetick Vapours by acuteness of their Wit and diverting Conversation they shall have as great if not greater room in their Society or Houses as those whose delight is to communicate and discourse the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Grace By this means we hug the tools of spreading Errors in our Bosoms To proceed in the Narrative of God's further method of carrying on this great inward change in the use of his usual means I shall First of all lay before you the Experiences of the certainty of the Souls access to God in Prayer of the seriousness of frame therein that the prophane and meer Professor though never so outwardly Religious are altogether unacquainted with the experiences of the certainty of Christ's Spirit interceding in us in
account receiv'd has exactly answer'd the Petitions and Utterance actually put forth and not to them only design'd to be express'd in Prayer A Ninth Experience of certainty of access to God and of his Spirit 's breathing power on the Soul to ask what he knew was to be return'd has been concerning a design of three different endeavours at one time and Prayer for guidance a mean made use of I have found all shadow of Spiritual enlargement in Prayer concerning it strongly withheld and so indeed has the least degree of successful endeavour but for the second enlargement only once suitable to which successful endeavour in one circumstance thereof and at that very time did occur and for the third such Heavenliness of frame in Petitioning not only once but all along continued upon the Soul and so successful endeavour without one cloud prov'd the issue Plainer expression I cannot well use and instances I must forbear left it occasion the discovery of my self A Tenth Experience of the Lord 's exciting and preparing to ask what he was in his good pleasure to return was That of his exciting and powerfully strengthening of my Soul for a continued time to Pray for self-abasement when at the same time no outward Temptation has been my motive thereto though soon after has appeared some outward advancement and correspondent to the Divine Wisdom and loving care of Christ's Spirit enabling me to ask the exercise of Humility Self-loathing has always accompanied such outward smiles yea from observation of this Experience I have imagin'd a smiling Providence eminent from the frequency of this suit to the Lord undesign'd but greatly assisted to Petition it I have often experienced That when my Soul has not been thus carried out to Petition lowness of Mind either before or in the enjoyment of outward advancement that either security therein has fallen out afterward imbittering my Thoughts or some circumstances in the thing enjoy'd that has imbittered its sweetness or remov'd its satisfaction nothing being more satisfactory to a Christian Soul as the reception of an outward favour by special steps of Providence argument of Divine favour accompanied with such strength of a Divine Spirit as enables the Soul to improve it with the exercise of Love and Reliance upon the Bestower and to keep the Souls satisfaction therein in its true Bounds more upon the discovery of God's Love thereby than upon the thing it self enjoyed As the Experiences already laid before you relate to outward Enjoyments so now I shall give you some Experiences respecting Spiritual Enjoyments answerable to Christ's Spirit breathing influencing-strength to Petition them A First Experience thereof was When Spiritually carried out to ask for Humility previous to any Spiritual Improvement as well as before any Temporal Enjoyment and when security accompanied with the intermission of the means of Grace has followed any inward advancement then has a cloudying of what was an inward comforting evidence to the Soul issued but when the Soul has been carried forth to ask it before hand or in the time by way of return thereto the Soul's posture has been in the exercise of self-debasement and exultation of and dependance upon Christ's Spirit for producing such a marvellous change in the Soul without the least exalting thought of self I remember that one day in Conversation with that Holy Saint mentioned before I express'd my self concern'd to know the reality of my Grace to which he humbly reply'd I have not had the least Cloud as to my interest in Heaven but should rejoyce to experience that measure of confirming passages of God's special love as I know you have enjoy'd the effect whereof I found some quiet of Mind but by the wise over-ruling hand of God was follow'd with such cloudy darkness of Mind lest Satan had excited self-exultation or sinful security till in the following Evening-Prayer God carrying me forth to bless his Name for the evidences of his Love and to Petition Humillity in their enjoyment the darkness disappear'd and his discourse was bore home with the alone effect of quiet of Mind Love to and Reliance upon God and that with humble Thoughts of self Secondly I have found that previous to any victory over some particular Sins I have been help'd wonderfully to plead with God on this very account in a most near and sensible approach to him for Conquest over Sin that Scripture being at the time often and comfortable in my Thoughts Nay more than Conquerors through him that loved us answerable to which Temptations to these has occur'd Sins but victory of them has been my Mercy both as a return to the Prayer Christ's Spirit helpt me to ask and as an evidence of such a change in my Soul as bespoke my interest in Christ by the evident supplies of his strength enabling me to be victor of those Sins that formerly I gave way to Thirdly When God has been to afford me the evidence of great supply of strength to suppress wandering Thoughts in Duties suddenly and powerfully for some time ardent desire and great spirituality in Petitioning God has seiz'd me answerable to which marvellous freedom from wandering Thoughts has occur'd and that in all the Duties I have been exercised in A remarkable instance of this Experience was When at a certain time my Petitions run out for strength to overcome wandring in Duty with full assistance of God's Spirit to supplicate and by a passage of Providence establishing my comfort though wandrings prevail'd and a mean of helping forward my victory therein The passage of Providence was thus Being one Sabbath-morning hinder'd from my ordinary place of Hearing and having an opportunity of hearing Sermon in the afternoon I found my desire with a constâ—aining force towards another place and Minister which was so strong without any rational Motives thereto that I would not be hinder'd though several difficulties occur'd in my way in the hearing of which Sermon my disposition was so spiritual that my Thoughts had full flight thither and I in the exercise of low esteem of the Earth with all its Allurements but which was the Circumstance most remarkable is a Question a Minister was desir'd to answer to What should be done to help wandring thoughts in Duties Which was the very thing my mind was hurried withal then the thing Christ's Spirit was helping me to petition strength against and to which he was giving return with sensible Supplies and with this passage of Providence quieting my mind and as a help to forward my endeavour and victory over it his word was That it is a Complaint common to all Believers so long as there is a sense and concern for it the Christian is not overcome by it go therefore on not only striving against it but begging the Lord's aid to vanquish it Fourthly Previous to a sensible change in my self as to watchfulness in Conversation against reproaching of others suddenly and undesignedly and for some continued time my Soul was carri'd
opportunity of allaying the Reproach and of perfectly preventing any Law-Suit against me Tho' I cannot fully stop the fury of a malicious Tongue yet I cannot express my self concerning its continuance without praising the infinite love of a Divine Being in it and the great improvement by it finding that often a cold lazy frame of Soul and the renewing of this reproach meet together and that the immediate effect of the latter is mostly a change from this lazy frame to a spiritual heavenly posture of Soul with the enjoyment of sweet Fellowship with God in Prayer concerning it greatly helping me from anxiety and disquiet under it with a design and endeavour to comply with the Blessed end of God in it Another Circumstance greatly remarkable in this instance has been That without any other mean of endeavour to defend my self by reproaching again or the like but purely by the laying it before the Throne of God the repeated Reproach has either been still or frustrated which at first occasion'd some doubtings in my Thoughts whether I should not by going to this or the other clear my self and not presumptuously expect deliverance without Means but finding my Vindication to themselves of no effect and my Vindication of my self to others would occasion Aspersions upon them I was still and used the means of Prayer and was careful of not giving them further occasion to Reproach and found greatest success and dare recommend it to the practice of others not only from my own experience but from the Psalmist's who in Psal 38. v. 13. expresses himself thus I as a deaf man heard not and as a dumb man opened not my mouth No doubt but he could have us'd reasonable Arguments to prove his Innocency but in v. 15. He hoped in the Lord In like manner when I have been enabled by Prayer with great exercise of Faith therein to lay the Case at God's foot and trustingly to hope in him I have found all power of the Reproach gone off I desire therefore what time I am afraid to trust in the Lord And this very Experience has been a blessed Mean to bring forth this desire in my Soul Psal 56. v. 9. When I cry to thee in a believing heavenly posture then my Enemies shall draw back When God strengthens a Soul by his Divine Spirit under Reproaches to cry unto him either the Reproachers will cease or their Reproaches will be without effect or Recoil upon themselves To this Experience I subjoin the following Observation That upon hearing a Reproach and seriously reflecting upon my self I have often found it as a just punishment and an immediate return to Sin of my own either of Reproaching the same Person with the same or another sort of Reproach or some body else by such a kind of Reproach and so a sense of my own fault with a discovery of love from God therein and a watch over my self unto Prayer and against reproaching by this very reflection has been brought forth accepting the reproach as Shimei's was taken God bad him A Ninth Experience of advancing Faith was By the great sudden and unexpected Supplies that have come in suitable to Wants and to my firm dependance upon God through former experience of his ways I have found that though Supplies has been deferr'd for some considerable time yea even to the very last moment yet they have come in so seasonably to my need that God in his method of bestowing them has taken trial of the strength of my dependance upon him and so has afforded me a comfortable evidence of that Grace and given a discovery of the immediateness of his hand in bringing them about as well as producing thereby a trust on himself sometimes I have found Supplies deferr'd for a long time that if former experience of God's way of trying my Faith and further establishing it thereby had not preserv'd in me a divine strength I should have been ready to droop but even then such a true Reliance upon God in the time of long delay I have followed always with such numerous successful passages as afforded more than if Providence had walk'd in its usual course when therefore by such steps and supplies following a true Reliance under those delays has occurred afterward how ungrateful had it been not to regard God in the thing or not observ'd his ways with the improvement of a Reliance upon him I have observ'd that so soon as observation of God's way and settlement of Faith in himself thereby was brought forth that then the Lord's method has varied with me both as to time and things appearing in a time and in a matter and way unexpected and all on purpose to advance my dependance upon God at all times and in all sorts of concerns A Tenth Experience of advancing Reliance upon God was By his making outward diligent lawful and commendable endeavours altogether unsuccessful till he had founded it and gradually advanced this dependance upon himself the obtaining undertakings and success therein having been kept in a constant stream of special Providence so that when any undertaking thorough my own interest has been near it either has not occurred or most commonly proved unsuccessful and undertakings have been never more frequently successful than when most remote from common Methods of obtaining them and I have been most near to God in Prayer concerning them I think I may say I never found my self without this encouragement of successful undertakings but my frame of Soul has been dead cold and lifeless and my intermissions from heavenliness of frame visible and I have never found my self in continued fellowship with God in Prayer and Meditation but numerous undertakings have fallen in my way and that with marvellous success unless unsuccessfulness was necessary for one good end or other plainly appearing in the Circumstances of God's providential Conduct therein sometimes for the discovery or punishment of one failure or other in my self all which have abundantly laid open to my view the immediateness of God's hand in all things here below the great advantage of interest in his special Conduct and by the help of Christ's Spirit rais'd an ardent desire of trusting God in all my designs even when most diligent in the use of Means An Eleventh Experience of God's design and method to advance Faith of Reliance was By the visible Effects of these very Experiences establishing my eye and thoughts upon God either in respect of strength to act Duty as pleasing to himself or in respect of special Providence bringing all things unto my hand that nothing has made the Mercy relish more with me than that Circumstance of Specialness of a Divine Hand in bringing it about yea I may say that the most comfortable Favour on this earth has nothing of solid sweetness in it without a discovery of Favour from Heaven therein And that the most afflicting disappointment and disturbing evil wherein the design of God's love has appear'd in his providential order of
it has been more acceptable to my Soul than an outward Blessing wherein special Love has not been so clearly discoverable The Method of God's advancing Reliance has been by sometimes delaying the answer of Prayer and with-holding its return longer than usual though there has been evidence of its acceptance in Heaven and that sometimes to the last extremity of a matter concern'd An eminent Instance whereof was concerning an Affair where acting or not acting in it carri'd along the danger of great disgrace and disadvantage and determining with my self not to act was by an irresistible passage of Providence constrain'd to move in the matter which at first seem'd to damp my hopes that my Prayer concerning it was accepted but the return exactly suited my frame and desires exprest in Prayer though its discovery was so long defer'd even till upon the very brink of acting and then providentially effected other ways a passage which at the time ravish'd me with astonishment An Instance instructive not to limit God to time or desire but to commend our case to God as our Father intirely to depend on himself for the Event in his own method and time with a diligent acting Duty on our part and then the blessing will be the sweeter and more remarkable yea with great honour to God by such an actual exercise of Reliance upon himself A Twelfth Experience of God's Method to establish my dependance upon him has been by laying in my way outward Vexations for the bringing of me in to a serious spiritual frame of Soul the experience whereof seems as it were naturally to prevent murmuring at Disquiets and to keep me often upon my knees with heavenliness of thought and in the exercise of trust to God who discovers in afflicting Providences great love in their effects of changing the Soul's posture and making them a mean of preserving dependance brought forth in the Soul A Thirteenth Experience of God's Method to continue and heighten dependance upon himself was By giving great raisedness of frame of Mind and high exercise thereof in Prayer as a Forerunner of some Disquiet that from this Experience Anxiety and Despondency under it might be prevented and I notwithstanding thereof kept on in Reliance upon God who in condescending Favour gave such sweet strengthning allowance as might hold out in the ensuing Providence and that against the rising of Sin within and the force of Temptations without And here I subjoin an Instance of the inefficacy of the latter when one day I in sweet communion with God in Prayer and at the time of Enjoyment under the actual sense of some Disquiet having observ'd in the Method of God that a sense of Disquiet and Fellowship with God at the same time have met together as a Forerunner of some Affliction that would happen so soon as I was off my knees to walk up and down in my Chamber as soon like Lightning Satan threw this Suggestion upon me That I had better be without these Enjoyments than have the Disquiets that follow them My Fellowship with God in Prayer was too strong at that time to receive any impression of that kind and blessed be his Name the Suggestion was so bare faced and clearly diabolical that I was immediately strengthened to repel it as a Trifle The Effects of which Experience were First A further establishment in the truth of that Scripture All things work together for good to them that love God Secondly A continued hope in his mercy which since that time has been greatly establish'd by the enjoyment of the Psalmist's words as certain truth The Lord delights in them that fear him and in them that hope in his mercy That methinks all my Arguments with God are bound up in this one of the greatness of his mercy in Christ the observation of special favour in all smiling and frowning passages of Providence the advancement of Reliance upon God in all things brought forth by God's Divine Spirit in the use of that mean of observation has further establish'd and fix'd my hope upon his mercy in Christ and that for other changes within and future happiness hereafter A Fourteenth experience of God's Method of training me into dependance upon himself was from the observation of God's way of freeing my Thoughts from concern under Disquiets and carrying my concern off from the thing disquieting to a search and desire after Enjoyment of God in Prayer put up for the disquiets which is the alone Gift of Christ's Spirit the Promise of Divine Scripture and my alone comfort under disquiet This is to me the evidence of my Petitions being accepted and the Token of special Guidance from Heaven throughout the disquiet In confirming the truth of which experience the Scripture is plain charging us to be careful for nothing but by supplication to make our request to God and when by the intercession of a Divine Spirit we are enabled to make our request the experiencing Christian can truly say that anxiety is taken off and full exercise of reliance upon God is in its room both for conduct to the Soul throughout the disquiet and for the removing of it in his own time and way if God's Method herein was more observ'd there would be less trust on outward helps and more reliance upon God in Prayer join'd with the due use of means and would by a blessing attending them be convincing to the men of this World who are led by sense and disbelieve the Prerogative-Power of God's Providence in all things A Fifteenth experience of God's Method of advancing my reliance has been by fixing my desire delight and longing after spirituality of frame with all and every one of the most comforting outward mercies of the present Life in the desires of the best of outward blessings I find an unexpressible fixedness of thought upon these two things One is That it may be convey'd by Providences arguing speciality of love another is that this conveyance may be a means of heightning reliance upon God and raising me to more sweet and intimate Communion with him And I hope I may with some humble awe say that my Eye is so much upon God's hand in bringing about and upon Communion with God in the enjoyment of all things on Earth that the more I see and enjoy of the outward pleasures of this Life the more they are undervalued by me and the more I am afraid of them by reason of the temptations attending them to the breaking off of Heavenliness of frame which is the true inward comfort of the Soul of an experiencing Christian This very Experience has made me sensible of the following things First That the best of them of which I have not wanted some taste afford not that solid abounding sweet satisfaction as I do really experience in Heavenliness of frame and therefore do exercise great pity towards them who know nothing of fellowship with God in the frame of their minds or in the performance of duties
in this Ordinance that I might feel therein what others do or what I have felt in other Duties I should be satisfied if I should never enjoy it there again unbelief still working in me It pleased God in his wonderful Condescention to comply with this desire and thereby to discover the greatness of my weakness as well as the advantage of Reliance upon God in the use of means without limiting him to our desires for in the participating of the next Sacrament I was admitted to such a sweet ravishing Enjoyment that I never had before Experienc'd in that Duty which persuaded me of the Truth of what I have often heard but such a disquieting darkness was consequent both in my Mind and outward Affairs that I by the rich Mercy and Power of God was then help'd sweetly to resign my desire to his Will and to supplicate for his influences as he pleased to dispense them never limiting God to things or times further than as suitable to his Omniscient Will by this Experience I was helpt in all my concerns less as well as greater to cast them at Heaven's Gate to hope in his Mercy for them with this desire only that I might by the Spirit of Grace and Supplication be assisted to make known my Requests to God with Faith and Resignation so as to be accepted of him and in this I find my Hearts Ease I have since esteem'd it Duty and had ardent Desire of Partaking the Lord's Supper every Month. While my Religion was merely from Education I thought once in a year or two enough to partake of this Ordinance but since my regard to my Sovereign's and Saviour's Command Do this in remembrance of me and my performance in Obedience to this Command I have enjoy'd ravishing sweetness in Communion with Christ in this Duty And I shall add That the frequent repeating of this Ordinance is attended with great advantage for by Preparatory Examination I am more fully acquainted with my Spiritual State with my present Corruptions and Graces stronger or weaker and the way how God makes this Duty a mean to suppress the one and raise the other with my Defects in the performance of this Duty and I have a fuller sight of Christ in all-sufficient merits in his Treasures of Grace that are open'd to all that come with Holy Affections to him The serious and frequent renewing our Covenant with Christ in this Ordinance will endear him to us and engage us to live to him who died for us and the warm impression of his love will be maintain'd in our Souls which is too apt to cool and decline unless fed and reviv'd by the frequent Contemplation of our Crucified Saviour Seventhly In the beginning of the Celebration of this Ordinance I have oft been in a cold frame but at the approach of the Elements this frame has chang'd and my Soul has been sweetly carried forth to petition for the imparting the Priviledges of Christ's Body broken and Benefits annext to it and I have found from receiving the Elements the strengthening power of the Spirit verifying our Saviour's Words That his flesh is meat indeed and his blood drink indeed This has been a means to preserve me from Anxieties and to persevere in the frequent Commemorating of Christ's Death prescrib'd in his last Will I also find that the more frequent renewing my Vows makes me more careful to perform them and that it 's more easie to take an account of our Faithfulness to God and our Souls or of our Neglects once every Month than when there is a greater distance between the time of our Receiving and Examining our selves how correspondent our Conversations have been to our Covenant seal'd in that Ordinance Eighthly At the time of partaking this Ordinance I have often desir'd with ardent Affections two Things That I might be spiritually-minded in the whole course of my life and that Holiness may be advancing in my Soul till I arrive at perfection This will be attended with solid Comfort according to the Promise Great peace to those who keep thy law And altho' we are to seek the shining face of God the joyful assurance of his love in the use of his Ordinances yet since the shedding abroad in the Soul the clear Evidences of God's Love is a free Dispensation according to the Divine Pleasure my principal request has been to have a pure Heart and Holy Conversation depending upon God for inward Comfort From which Experiences you may upon good ground fear that when the excuse of neglecting the Sacrament is because of its being a Solemn Ordinance and therefore to be seldom receiv'd is an Error of the Carnal Mind and a Temptation of Satan to divert us from using frequently that means of Grace which confirms our Faith inflames our Love and secures our hope of Glory and makes us more exact and constant and comfortable in the everlasting way I shall conclude this with Advice to those who have not felt those Joyful Emanations in this Ordinance which they have expected and others of the Saints have enjoy'd Be not discourag'd from your Duty but with unfainting perseverance continue in the use of the means of Grace The Lord waits to be gracious to bestow his Comforts in the best season There is sweet Peace in our Obedience to the Divine Commands tho' we have not raptures of Joy And our Obedience is more pleasing to God when notwithstanding all difficulties and discouragements it 's with Conscience to his commanding-Will perform'd than when it 's made easie by sensible Comforts THE APPLICATORY AND SECOND PART OF This Discourse CHristianity as is described in the Gospel is Experienc'd in the Souls of Real Christians in different degrees of Knowledge and Power but the most who are Christians in Profession are strangers to its vital Efficacy The reason of this diversity is Because the most rest in the speculative Notion of the Christian Religion and are contented with the external Character of others others are cleansed and changed by the Truths of the Gospel and are inward Christians Among Christians in Title there are various Divisions and contrary Sentiments according to the Principles of the Education which often cause violent Contentions among them Among real Christians there are Differences but not of so deep a nature Some Christians are weaker by damping of this powerful Principle of Regeneration through too long omission of the means of Grace or by too deep mixing the Thoughts and Affections in the Business of the World or by a levity of Mind in their indulging too free a use of sensitive Pleasures that are innocent in their nature And from these Reasons it is that spiritual Influences are obstructed and the Divine Nature in Christians is not so lively and vigorous as in others who regard their Souls and internal things with great application and diligence sometimes carnal Pride insinuates into those who are real Christians and to maintain their Parties and to be distinguish'd from others
means by which much of God's Spirit may be communicated to their Souls and thereby God's Word experienc'd as certain and their Reliance upon it as the foundation of their Faith evidently to themselves and others brought forth Such I say seem more necessary than the Sermon or Book inlarging upon a Divine Truth with such fine Oratorical and Philosophical Style as may itch the Ear of the Christian with establishment of its own Notions in Religious Theory and of the illiterate with an opinion of the Preacher or Writer's great and learned Gifts indangering both through obtain'd applause not only of Pride but of keeping Reason out of its due place and if this has not brought forth many unneccessary Heats at this day I am greatly mistaken Reason is that noble Principle distinguishing us from all other inferiour Creatures and tho' Corrupted yet capable of being restor'd to greater Perfection and Stability than when Man was Created at first perfect but capable of falling God has made provision of suitable helps to advance and to bring forth this Perfection but the Pride of Corrupted Man is such that as at first it prompted him to affect an Equality with God so now it prompts him to the vain imagination of himself as sufficient without Divine helps to regain his perfect State and obtain by his own knowledge the understanding of all necessary Divine Truths and by his own strength the performance of all necessary Duties And if this has not brought forth the undervaluing of Reveal'd Religion by the Deists the undervaluing of Christ by the Socinians and the undervaluing of a Divine Spirit exposing him as no help neither his Spiritual Influences as strength to work out our Salvation by I am as much mistaken Experimental Religion cuts off all these difficulties For the more a Christian observes of himself in his experienced failures the less room and lower station self-strength obtains in his Affections the more he finds of Christ's Spirit unexpectedly and powerfully bearing home Scripture-Truths to his personal experience formerly unacquainted with tho' often Notionally heard of the lower esteem Reason must have as by its self incapable rightly to understand Gospel Mysteries And tho' in our day we have some so openly confident as in Print to tell us That nothing is Mysterious in the Gospel against God's own Word the Seals of Martyrdom and against the Experience of all the Saints of the Earth endeavouring thereby to act Factorship for Satan by whose pleasing suggestion of Mans Reason and Strength in himself to be relied on without any other help to believe or to do what is necessary for the obtaining Heaven hereafter and a secure undisturb'd quiet of Mind here I must believe that that Creature has never yet been under any other discovery of Gospel-Truth than what was the effect of notional Knowledge and that continuing in the same State he can hardly expect to be a Member of that Triumphant Society whose Eternity will be taken up in the Admiration and the Praise of that Mysterious method of Redeeming Man from a state of Corruption and Misery to a state of Perfection and Glory above the prospect whereof we only now enjoy darkly through a Glass and yet the views thereof that upon this Earth we sometimes experimentally have are known by all Experiencing Christians both to be Mysterious far above Nature's foresight or enjoyment through it self and rendring the Creature unexpressible astonishment in its approach upon the Soul though the Protestant Nations abound with such Errors yet they neither derogate from God and his Word or afford darkness to Christian Professors who have experienc'd the reality of both upon their Souls but expose themselves to them as Christians certainly ignorant of God and his Word whatever fine Notional Flourishes in Print or Discourse they express and also draw forth Christians pity towards them and help Believers to advance their praising God who has made them in the use of means to differ from others Experimental Religion makes us become as little Children and esteem our selves so low as to lay all our depraved Faculties at God's Footstool and using them not alone by way of Reliance but with the help of God's Divine Spirit in the use of means We have for many years enjoyed so much of the Gospel but alas in Notion only that I have stood in a maze to hear the Discourse of some illiterate People concerning the Notions of Christianity and to see their Zeal debating their Preachers Notions with that hear as if they had been throwing Fire-Balls one to another till Fire has been kindled amongst Assemblies of Professors when at the same time experimental Religion has never been called in as a help to unloose their difficulties At the time of hearing some such differences my own Experience in Christianity has made me discover that either their Debates could be resolv'd in various Words or that if means made use of by God as helps to the People or Preachers Soul for their experiencing of Divine Mysteries had been more prest upon the People with that enlargement which their own Experience might have afforded no such Debates would have risen and People and Preachers should be better known in our day and whether God's Honour the establishment of his Truth self-applause or outward Interest were at the foundation of such hot Zeal When once in the use of means a Christian finds the evidences of Sanctification he shall then make the current of his Zeal run towards further evidence of its reality and further growth in it advising others not to debate whether Justification or Sanctification precede whether certain Conditions must precede qualifying to be united to Christ or union to Christ before any thing of Holiness in our nature appear but to walk in the use of God's means and in them to obtain the application of Christ and all his Priviledges by the help of his blessed Spirit and so both Conditions themselves and a renew'd State by your Union to Christ may sensibly appear at the same time By the observation of the means thus blessed and the steps of advancement in this newness of Nature is brought forth not only establishment to themselves but a capacity of instructing and comfirming others upon surer ground than that of stretch of Wit and Notional Theory Our Debates concerning Free-Grace and Works carry along with them too much of Self and too little of Divine Experience and I 'm sure too much of fiery Constitution the experienc'd Christian finds enough in himself to keep both in their just Bounds according to Scripture Rule and imagines the Debates unneccessary and bringing forth of no other Fruit than that of Faction Dishonouring God and exposing Christianity as uncertain to those that are ignorant thereof The Experiencing Christian finds that the more of the Free-Grace of God in Christ appear in his Experience the more love to God is kindled in his Soul the more of true Sanctified Love the greater desire he
injoying what is Petition'd from God but in Conversation I find their observation as too narrow and confined looking upon that that may be a Christian's common Food in the close continuance in the means of Grace as an extraordinary Feast and minding it mostly concerning the recovery or the dying of Friends and not extending it to all things hoping the life or fearing the death of one from a Minister's pouring forth his Soul or from a private Christian's fervent address to God or the constraint of both It makes me remember how extraordinarily amazing and delightful such Experiences were when at first observ'd by me in the more tender days of my Knowledge in Experimental Christianity and makes me greatly afraid that however notional Knowledge abound amongst Ministers and People that have liv'd so many years under Gospel Instruction yet Heart-Service to God in the performance of Duties or at least strict continuance therein especially this delightful Duty of private Prayer is not so common and so the Enjoyments that follow are less and seldomer experienc'd But to this real and comfortable Experience of Enlargement in Prayer concerning the recovery of Friends that is more observ'd by Christians let me give you two cautionary Instructions from my own Experience therein and of which some observing Christians are not at the pains to remark concerning this Enlargement in Prayer First of all Not peremptorily to hope the recovery of a Friend from once observing your selves or others carried out in a heavenly manner in Prayer concerning them and tho' answerable to this once observ'd spirituality appear some real amendment at the time yet often without the continuance of Prayer thus spiritual their amendment falls off and suitable to their omission of further Praying thus their Friend Dies unless God act in a stream of more than ordinarily condescention to weak Christians I know not but the Reliance upon the Evidence of one Prayer spiritually put up for a Person 's Recovery may occasion carelesness in the Duty afterward and so hinder the obtaining the blessing that was thought to be coming to us I remember a Holy Christian who was in great Thoughtfulness concerning the Recovery of his Wife for whom he had so near access to God in Prayer that he had great hopes of her life but she dying gave him some more concern of Thought that he should hope on so good ground and yet be mistaken whereas his near access to God in Prayer was but once experienc'd his Eye was upon the frame of his Soul in Prayer and not upon the Words utter'd while under this Divine Influence His omission of continuing thus to Pray hindered him from clearer discovery of God's Ways His missing the observation of his Words rendered him incapable of applying the return to what God helped him to Ask to wit God's love to her Soul greatly manifested in her passage hence At this very time I can instance in a Child for whom I found great spirituality in Prayer but without the least appearance of amendment for a fourth night's time which seem'd to oppose all former Experience and might have occasion'd great mistake if I had not recorded my words as well as frame in Prayer spiritually perform'd which were centered in one Petition without the least deviating from it throughout the whole fourth night That the Lord would spare his life and that his life might be precious in his sight without the least inter-mixture of desire or word in Prayer for Health or Recovery When a Prayer spiritually put up is remarkt as such and corresponded with a return of amendment but followed with after-laziness and forbearance of the same diligence no wonder the return stopt and a contrary effect to what was desir'd or imminent appear If therefore your heavenly frame in petitioning Health or the like be once observ'd and continued in I never knew such petitions return to fail but if this frame be obtain'd but once and afterward it go off you 'll undoubtedly find amendment answerable to the time of having strength spiritually to petition it but such a frame going off either thorough the intermission of your own endeavour after or God's with-holding it nothing else but disappointment to your expectation and desire and justly to your dependance upon once experiencing the frame falls out It is laziness in the right performance of means and not continuing therein that keeps off the many experiences of inward Religion or occasions the mistakes that abounds concerning the great things of inward Religion however some satisfie themselves with the ill usage of that Proposition God's ways are in the depth It is from multitudes of instances experienc'd that if the Soul be carried forth in Prayer for any Friend ill that suitable thereto there is many times visible hopes but if this frame is not continu'd in the Friend does decline and die I know that once feeling this hopeful frame has made some Christians lazy and secure and not by serious Address afterward lay themselves in God's way to obtain the continuance of this frame and so their Health and Life has gone To conclude thence That return is not always suited to spirituality of frame is mistake and erroneous and evidence of your lazy unexactness in observation of God with the Soul Right observation hereof would discover condescending Mercy in God on purpose to keep the Christian continually holding on that Duty of Prayer till the final determination issu'd which meets commonly with great reward tho' the continuance and spirituality of Prayer continued in be his own work in the Soul A second Cautionary Instruction is Not to be peremptory in judging the spirituality of another man's Frame or an Event answerable thereto but to be strict and diligent in judging your own Frame and Events consequential to it I would advise great carefulness in judging another man's spirituality in Prayer as presaging of certain return answerable to the spirituality supposed in his Frame 1. First Because of the difficulty of judging another man's heart in Prayer It requires exactness of Observation to raise a Christian to the capacity of knowing his own Frame when spiritual or to raise him to an establishment in the reality of Correspondency between his Prayer's spirituality and its certain return but how can we be sure of another man's heavenliness I have known many under no other knowledge of Christianity than what is Notional acquainted with no other power in performing Duties than that of Education and Self-strength and yet pray with that sense distinctness and outwardly appearing heavenliness that the Hearers have been affected with a good hope of the person and a delightful thought of their spiritual seriousness in Prayer yea the strength of natural parts in the exercise of Prayer may heat the affections and may persuade a person and others that he prays in the Holy Ghost If therefore you may hear a Prayer from a meer Professor so near resembling a Christian's Prayer influenced by Christ's Spirit
begin your Morning Duties with reading a Psalm or a Chapter by Pool's Annotations observe the Words and Sentences thereof that impress your minds most with serious advertency to them observe the thoughts that thence arise at the time if tending to explain what formerly you were ignorant of if tending to establish you in what formerly you had the knowledge of if tending to make you resolve you 'll conform to it or if tending to comfort you as having walk'd conform to it and thereby discovering your self in the reading such a Portion of Scripture Thirdly Enter upon private Prayer with a serious Acknowledgment of God's Favour in conducting you through the Night and with a sincere Supplication to him for his conduct thro' the Day by his special Providence and Spirit that from the evidence of both thorough the Day you may discover his special Favour to your souls as a comfortable evening Cordial and that by his supplies of Grace throughout the day you may be enabled to bring forth the blessed Improvement of both by the exercise of Trust in and Love to the Godhead for life and salvation Observe your frame of soul throughout this Prayer observe if it continue in the same degree of seriousness throughout the whole or vary according to the various Petitions put up Observe and record the different Frames and different Petitions Fourthly Go forth thus prepared to your lawful Business and Conversation In your Business through the day observe First The Passages of Providence that seem to bring Undertakings to your hand Secondly Observe your own Endeavour in the use of Means And Thirdly The Event of each Undertaking In your Conversation through the day observe 1. The Occasions of your Entrance into it whether Idleness Lust within Necessity or Recreation 2. The Frame of your Mind while in it whether on your watch against the evils thereof And 3. The Issue of it whether freedom from or commission of Sins But now in the evening of the day Reflection according to the Observation and Record of the day is the Duty preceding your last Closet Prayer and to be recommended to your practice Perform it in the following Parts First Reflect upon the frame of your Souls that you observ'd in the morning whether by the Duties of Reading and Prayer it was not brought to a seriousness if observ'd to be unserious or to a greater seriousness than the degree of seriousness at first observ'd yea perhaps to great Heavenliness The improvement whereof must needs be that it is good to draw near to God in the Duties he has prescrib'd and a fix'd resolution to walk therein and perhaps daily continuance may bring in daily additions of the Enjoyments of Grace and preserve the Christian in daily heavenliness of Soul as Bulwark against all the Temptations of the day with Honour to God and great inward Peace Secondly Reflect upon the passages of Providence round you through the day and First of all compare them to the parts of the Scripture you read in the morning and to the Thoughts that then most imprest your Minds to see whether or not these passages of Divine Providence afford you some discovery of the reality of that part of the Scripture thus observ'd establishing your Faith in it The improvement whereof must needs be a resolution to go on in the same Duty of reading the Scripture in the morning before the entring upon the business of the day and perhaps there will arise to your sensible Experience greater knowledge of God's Word than ever yet has been observ'd by you in the enjoyment of outward Instruction yea such establishment to its truth and reality as could not be brought forth by the strongest arguings of the most Learn'd and into which the strongest Dart of Erroneous Sophistry can never pierce enabling your Soul not only to see the Reality but even Harmony of God's Word to his Providence and Spirit Secondly Compare the Providences of the Day to your Morning-Duty of Closet-Prayer to the Petitions therein put up and to the frame of Soul you were then under that you may discover what Passages of Providence seem to be afforded you in return to Prayer and what Frame your Soul was in and what was your Utterance in that Prayer or part thereof that was return'd The improvement whereof must needs be a discovery of the Certainty of Access to God by Prayer and a Desire to be always in that Frame wherein you was when you pray'd that Prayer that is so visibly return'd It will help you to see a difference between one kind of Prayer and another between a Prayer with our own Spirit and with the Spirit of Christ between a Prayer with the Spirit of Christ enabling to ask sincerely and a Prayer with the Spirit of Christ giving the Soul the comfortable sense of it as such and discovering the Reality of a Divine Strength above our selves both bringing the Providences of the day to us and bringing forth the improvement thereof in us by a gradual advancement of relyance upon and love to the free Grace of God in Christ by whose satisfaction this once-seal'd Fountain is open'd and by whose Spirit its Waters of Spiritual Life continually flow upon us and in the use of Duties apply'd to us Thirdly Reflect upon your own way of managing Business and Conversation with others that so you may not only discover a special Providence round you but the actings of a Divine Spirit within you and that by comparing First Your Frame of Soul to the Passages of Providence laying Undertakings in your way through the day reflecting whether God was observed in bringing them about as a discovery of Divine Strength in you carrying your observation beyond the enjoyment even to God himself Secondly By comparing your Frame of Soul to your method of using Means and managing Endeavours thus providentially laid in your way not only whether God was regarded therein laying Providences in your way or helping you to observe him but whether your concern run out chiefly upon doing Duty neither designing ill ends nor endeavouring to bring about any purpose in the use of ill means but regarding Duty to him in all Thirdly Compare your Frame of Soul to the Events of such Undertakings thus providentially laid in your way and thus faithfully managed by you if they are according to expectation or better than expectation Reflect whether exercise of the Grace of Love and Faith were not and ought not to be brought forth by such a Discovery and a fix'd resolution to keep on in the same lawful use of means with a trust to Divine Supply for Events as full evidence of the working of Christ's Spirit in your Soul and of your being under his Spiritual Conduct In Conversation with others 1. Reflect upon your Entrance to it whether its occasions were Necessity and innocent Recreation with a previous Address for Divine Conduct in it 2. Reflect upon your Carriage in it thus prepared the Temptations
THE Private Christian's WITNESS FOR Christianity In Opposition to the Notional and Erroneous Apprehensions OF THE Arminian Socinian and Deist of the AGE With the Easy and True Means leading the Prophane Meer Professor and Lazy Christian to the same Experience as Preservative against the Infection of each and against the ill Example of the Practical Blemishes in Lazy Christians Conversation LONDON Printed for Thomas Cockerill at the Three Legs in the Poultry 1697. THE PREFACE BY A Friend of the Author 's SINCE the Fall of Man by his Rebellious Sin he incurr'd the forfeiture of his Felicity that principally consisted in Communion with God The Divine Goodness is like a sealed Fountain all comforting Emanations are obstructed Divine Justice is a consuming Fire to all guilty and polluted Creatures The Son of God by his precious Merits and Intercession is a Mediator of Reconciliation and Communion All our Ascents to God in spiritual Duties and his Descents to us by communicating Graces and Comforts are through Christ He introduces our Persons into the Divine Presence he purifies our Services from their Defilements and Defects and presents them with acceptance to his Father Our Communion with God is managed by the Influences of the Holy Spirit into the Soul and the returns of the Soul to God by the Energy and Efficacy of the Spirit In all the parts of Divine Worship the Spirit composes the Mind with the Reverence of God's invisible and adorable Majesty He encourages our trust in his Mercy and raises our Affections from Earth to Heaven This is a difficult heighth which the carnal Nature cannot arrive to Prayer is a Duty of daily Revolution but cannot be performed in an acceptable manner without the Spirit 's Assistance The Holy Spirit is the Seal of God's Love to Believers that can never be cancell'd that distinguishes them from the unrenewed World and appropriates them to God He first works those Graces in the Soul wherein the Image of God consists and by illustrating them in the view of Conscience witnesses that they are God's Children He is therefore styled the Spirit of Adoption The Spirit ratifies the Truth of the Gospel to those who have felt his sanctifying and comsorting Operations There are some Doctrines in the Gospel of impossible discovery by the light of Reason and when reveal'd are incomprehensible Now there is such Evidence beyond all exception That the Gospel is a Divine Revelation that any Doctrine declared in it though sublime and supernatural and contrary to our carnal Prejudices and Passions justly requires our assent to it We must distinguish between the evidence of the Object and the evidence of the testimony An Object is evident by its own Light and the impression it makes immediately on the Mind Thus it discerns between Truth and Falshood between what is fair and what is fraudulent as the Eye sees the difference between the day and night The Evidence of the Testimony is when the proof of the Truth is resolved into the Veracity and Authority of God who is Infallible For he cannot be deceived nor deceive Now of the Gospel's Divine Original there are external Characters and Signs and internal Of the external Characters Miracles are the most conspicuous Of the internal the sanctifying and comforting Operations of the Spirit in the Souls of Men are most sensible and convincing For certainly humane Nature tho' assisted by Moral Counsels and Constancy could never produce such Divine Effects The Holiness and Comfort that the Spirit in Concomitancy with the Gospel works in sincere Christians produces a more clear and strong assurance of its Truth than the sight of Miracles For Holiness is an Attribute as truly Divine as Power and has a nearer Affinity with the Nature of God 't is his peculiar Glory The cleansing and changing the Heart of a Sinner the calming of the afflicted Conscience are a more eminent effect of Power than the turning of a Wilderness into a Paradise or the laying Storms and Tempests The sanctifying and comforting Virtue of the Spirit by the Word is a more inward and lasting proof than Miracles A Miracle like a sudden flash of Lightning astonishes Men at the present and causes them to consider what is proposed but when the surprize is over they may neglect their Duty But real Holiness in the heart and life like the Sun irradiates the Mind with a constant light He that believes has the witness within himself Inward Experimental Religion is perceived by the Sense of them that have it and cannot be so clearly demonstrated by Words Who can see a Taste From hence many ignorant and prophane Persons expose the Operations of the Spirit to ignominy and contempt as the dotages of Enthusiasts And Doctrinal Professors who owe their Religion to Tradition and Education and are meerly Titular Christians cannot understand and believe what the Saints really enjoy They are hardned in their Unbelief because many have father'd the bastards of their deluded fancies upon the Spirit But to shew the unreasonableness of this pretence consider It were strange that the low life of Sense has perceptive Faculties that living Creatures feel that they live and the spiritual Life more raised and excellent than the rational should not perceive it self Is it possible there should be such a Prodigy that the Soul should live the life of Holiness and Joy like a Plant without the knowledge of it Or Because many are deceived with a false Light and pleased with a Delusion does it follow that those who have vital Experience of Religion are deceived One may Dream that he is Awake but a Man that is Awake knows himself to be so The Delusion of one doth not weaken the assurance of another If it be enquir'd How shall we distinguish between the Genuine Operations of the Spirit and the Spurious and Counterfeit A clear answer may be given 1. By the light of the Spirit we may discover and know his Operations This is no vicious Circle I know I have a reasonable Soul by the light of Reason For the Understanding that discovers other objects in the direct act is the object of it self in the reflective act Thus I know that I have the Holy Spirit as a principle of Divine life acting in me by the light of the Spirit 2. It is the peculiar Character of the Spirit 's Operations they are all in Consent and Congruity with the Word of God for he is the Inditer of the Word and cannot contradict himself They make Men more Holy and Heavenly and as the Star directed the Wise-Men to Christ the light of the Spirit always directs us to him as the Fountain of Grace and Salvation And for the satisfaction of those who desire to know when the Blessings they receive are obtain'd by Prayer and are not the effects of God's general Providence I shall only desire them to consider whether their Prayers are by the Spirit 's Influence which is known by the frame of the Soul in
knowledge of Divine Things but purely as the effect of natural Curiosity inducing me both to observe and to record them with great pleasure in reviewing them and finding the more I observ'd the greater and more numerous things were presented to me I became stricter in observing things of great and smaller moment While I continued in this practice a Dispensation of Providence occurr'd that induced me not to trust in my self or second Causes but by a siducial assent to the Being of a God in his full governing Power as to Persons and Things with a full desire of being interested in the favour of this Great and Omnipotent God to live in an entire dependance upon Him The Providence was as follows Being call'd to attempt a matter of great concern that many far excelling me in Age rational Judgment and natural Activity had endeavour'd though unsuccessfully to bring about I brought the Business and that in a very few days to all seeming probability of success but being obliged by a Providential Occasion to be absent and to appear where those that had try'd their endeavour to no effect did usually reside I found the progress I had already made with the prospect of perfecting the matter had so increased the esteem of my self that disparaging of those was the Game I then exercised my self withal but returning to the place where the Business was to be performed matters were altogether chang'd for the worst and upon enquiry of the time this change happen'd my custom of Observation having brought me to some more than ordinary curiosity in it I found it exactly answering the time my Lust of Pride put forth its Tyranny in my Conversation and stepping from the Floor to my Bed that very night this Suggestion suddenly and strongly darted into my Mind That by my ill return to God's Kindness affording such hopes of success in detracting from Him the Praise that was entirely due for such an eminent Providence and in not retaining an humble Sense of my own Unworthiness and Insufficiency I had provoked the Lord thus to turn the course of the Affair immediately convincing me who it was that had made me to differ from others of more promising Abilities than I and impressing my Mind with great seriousness of Thought and force to Prayer begging Pardon from Him and His further assistance in the matter with a full resolution of looking to God extolling Him and debasing my self in the success My Prayer was immediately return'd evident by the great alteration that immediately happened as a sweet Condescention of God to train a poor Creature to the Knowledge of Himself and to delight in Him but in a weeks time more being call'd to the same place as before I found the same Self-applause return This was a full conviction to me of the great need of continued supplies of Heaven after the greatest confirmations of God's Love to preserve us from forgetting his Mercies or repeating failures and correspondent to this the same unsuccessful turn happened in the affair which was so powerfully bore home upon my Soul that I could not but see God with favour in one hand and punishment in another marvellous Mercy in bringing me to the sense of my failure and the repetition of my Address to Heaven Punishment in withholding his assistance the just merit of my forgetfulness and of my repeated failure Upon Address to God by serious and sincere Prayer with unfeign'd Confession the Business turn'd again with a favourable aspect of success suitable to the Psalmist I confessed my Sin and thou forgavest the Iniquity or Punishment of my Sin And at last by his Divine Assistance attain'd a final and perfect success though between my first undertaking and this final Issue there was four turns of Providence exactly answering my Soul's posture From hence I date my first sence of inward serious thoughtfulness of passages of Divine Providence of minding God in all undertakings with an entire dependance upon him for conduct to the right use of means and for a Divine Blessing to make them successful of the certainty of access to him for this very end with a distrust of self-sufficiency all which met as it were in a moment in my Soul by the Spirit of God's bearing home this passage upon me But from the Observation of God's further method of outward Providence and inward Workings of his Spirit I have found that these were but little glimmerings of light an Eye beginning to be open'd after a sound and secure sleep God having marvellously enlightn'd my Eyes since and made me to see what before I knew only in the notion enabling me to discourse thereof but what now I hope I may say I have felt and am well assured of even the truth of an inward change upon the Soul putting it self forth with such power as to hinder Thought Words and Actions to run in the same course from the same principle or towards the same end as before but to tread according to a Rule not of self but of God's Will I could subjoin many circumstances of this Providence here related that might marvellously affect the Reader yea other Providences concerning the Lord's first exciting designs as well as his method in bringing them successfully about were it not that I am unwilling to be known to the World and that for these Reasons First That Mockers at and Unbelievers of these great things experimental Religion has made known to my Soul may not prejudice themselves by imagining show self-commendation and applause at the bottom of this design the faithful aim thereof being to bring men off their reliance upon notional Religion and their trusting to their rational conclusions as fittest means to inform them of Christianity or to their own strength as sufficient help to the right performance of Gospel Duties and to lead them to the vital part of Christianity experiences therein not to be maintain'd by notional knowledge or quarrelling Debates but by a serious and strict use of means God commonly imparts the experience of himself and his Word by The Lord has given forth great Truths to be tryed and experienced in the Christian Soul but we are not at the pains either to observe them or by mutual converse to confirm one another in the truth of them A Second Reason is Lest it prove Temptation to my self exciting a corrupt Principle within to puffing up whereas great Humility is the companion of such Experiences when first felt in the Soul and ought to be preserv'd in imparting them to others lest we our selves be exalted above measure or ingage others to think of us above what we are Again this change wrought in my Soul is the Lord 's own doing let it therefore in its declaration glorifie him by Confirming some and Instructing others without any knowledge of my self therein but with full discovery of the actings of a Divine Spirit This Seriousness brought forth by the means of so remarkable an outward Providence in the Hand
of God was soon accompanied with some sensible Changes never felt formerly but then so visible as forced me to commit them to a Diary some whereof were as follows First An Eye to God in all Things a Petitioning of Him for all Things with some beginnings of Resignation to his Will in all events It was not as before a trusting to nothing but what was sensible a distraction of Thoughts to find out this or the other instrument to bring about such an event but now I could hope in things unseen and instead of hurrying of Thoughts to find out means to bring about an event I began the pursuit of a design with serious address to Heaven for conduct to my self in the use of means and for a Blessing to the event according to his Pleasure enlargement in Prayer was not at this time understood only when an endeavour in the use of means and with address to God was made successful I could not but observe it with some excitings to love this God that had given me my Heart's Desire and that in answer to Prayer which brought me Secondly To some Trust to God Sense begun to be out of favour whereas formerly I could encourage my self in nothing but what was either in possession or in all probability certain now there were some sparklings of Trust to God and Love to Him I had been so obliged to by his Blessings Endeavours and answering of Prayers which would often raise that reflection in my Thoughts how gratefully and dutifully I ought to endeavour the pleasing of him whose Strength was my Assistance whose Ear was so open to my address which prov'd a sensible mean of bringing me Thirdly To a diligent search of the Scriptures therein to know his Will and by endeavouring conformity thereto to please him who had made himself to be observ'd thus loving whereas formerly with Historical delight only the Scriptures were made use of by me my Thoughts then run pleasantly after the Practical meaning as well as the Notional Knowledge of them at which time the 15th Psalm throughout greatly accompanied my Thoughts and enclin'd me for some considerable time to breathe forth continual Petitions for practical Conformity to it Fourthly Great exercise of Hatred to those Sins that usually did beset me While under the impression of Education and Religious Example and sober Society my outward life was free from single acts of common Vice yet upon the sense and feeling of an inward change a long roll of inward Corruptions I discover'd that the World and I were not judges of tho' then they offer'd themselves fully to my view Fifthly An inward seriousness of Thoughts as well as outward gravity in performance of Duties aiming then at pleasing God in the parts of his Worship Sixthly A serious free affection towards Holy Christians the least degree whereof I never had formerly any evidence their Conversation in Christianity having often prov'd confinement and burthensome unless where Relation and Friendship made it less tiresome The first sensible evidence whereof discover'd it self in my Carriage towards some who had falsly reproach'd me with an Aspersion base in its Nature and likely to be injurious to one against whom I had determin'd Prosecution but this inward change happening in the mean while both my malice and resolution of Revenge ceased at once with some uneasiness of mind till I had discoursed the thing with themselves and given them my own sense of its ill management they having been bound in conformity to God's Divine Word to have imparted the reproach first to my self by doing whereof its falshood would have been known and their spreading of a false reproach to the injury of others might have been prevented a caution to all Religious Professors giving too great heed to common Reproaches and too great way to their spreading them in Conversation My Malice and resolved Revenge were turn'd into affectionate Inclinations and good Actions after which instant a delight in Converse with Christians though mean in outward circumstances was more pleasing to me than all the hurrying joy of Companions abroad when at any time oblig'd to be witness thereto Seventhly A surprising compassion towards the Poor with continual Ejaculatory Praise that my Station was otherwise than theirs even when going along the Streets or Roads if objects of Charity presented themselves this frame of praising God was immediately upon me blessing him for my being in other Circumstances than theirs of want or bodily Imperfections with a watch over my self lest in my Charity desire of applause or any degree of unwillingness had appear'd Charity to be seen of men receives its reward when view'd by men unwillingness therein spoils it in its nature and takes off all expectation of a reward Eighthly A clearer sense of the Work of Redemption and of Christ the Redeemer Tho' I had the Notional Knowledge and Historical Faith of both yet in Prayer or Meditation my admiring Thoughts of free Grace and my words of Praise for its effects upon the Soul would continually center upon God the Father yea in Prayer there always would appear a constraint from giving any distinct Worship to Christ for his adorable love in the Work of Redemption and that for some time after the sensible evidence of this inward Charge which was an opportunity to Satan to argue against the Deity of Christ if God's restraining Power had not chain'd his Malice from trampling upon that tender Plant of Grace beginning to bud forth and tho' Satan was under constraint as to any Assault or Victory of this kind yet I found an uneasiness and dissatisfaction in my self for not being enabled to give Admiration and Prayers centering upon God the Son as well as upon God the Father which made me impart my concern of Mind to several Ministers of eminent Gifts but had Instruction from none save one who thus answer'd me out No wonder says he our Love and Admiration our Prayers and Praises run most towards God the Father these being as a natural Tribute which in nature we allow to God as Creator and Preserver of us Whereas a saving Eye to Christ as Redeemer or as God in Worship seems more the effect of the Blessed and Divine Spirit Which answer was accompanied at the time with some satisfaction of Mind but soon after this inward Change put forth such strong and numerous evidences with heart-service in the parts of Divine Worship as well as outward Gravity therein that self-sufficiency was laid aside and hope entirely dependent upon Christ's Satisfaction as the Fountain of all Gospel Priviledges was raised with a clear apprehension of Christ's Satisfaction and with a distinct Worship of him in Prayer from whence I was easily confirm'd that under the incapacity of Worshipping Christ as God I was not under the saving sensible power of Christianity but that now under this saving change of Soul producing among other things a clear view of Christ the foundation of our rich Privileges I could
his own strength could afford yet he shall not attain that height of free utterance so Heavenly a Style or so familiar and near an approach to God in Prayer as sometimes suddenly in the twinkling of an Eye he shall be brought to and that by the blowings afresh of Christ's Divine Influences I have my self while under no other power than that of Education stood in a maze to hear Ministers express Communion with God in Duties the Influences of Christ's Spirit and the like imagining these as words chosen to set off Religion and to make it the more amiable to Souls till experience discover'd the reality thereof and since the discovery thereof to my self I have often with great concern of Soul heard Christ's Spirit mockt at Emanations and Influences from him so ridiculed that I could not but exercise Compassion comparing their Words to my own Thoughts while under the same circumstance of ignorance of Experimental Religion and the inward power of Christianity no less instruction being capable of illuminating such dark Minds than what is an emanation and influence of that Spirit so revil'd and set at nought in their Thoughts such a one and the Creature setting Christ in his Divine Nature at nought I place in the same Categorical line To this Fifth Experience I subjoin the following instance of an Undertaking where the Eyes Hands and Wishes of many were against me and no probable hope of success in a rational way but what I had from the marvellous frame of Soul and near access to God concerning it and like a Miracle the use of means obtain'd and the desired end was brought forth Here I subjoin the Experience of humble Awe and Fear always attending the clearest Heavenly frame and most satisfied quiet of Mind I ever had concerning any one thing confidence looking to me too much ominous of somewhat of Satan and commonly proves a mean of security and of less diligence in petitioning Heaven and depending upon God than when the Soul has an humble Awe going along with its erperience of God's approach to its Soul A Sixth Experience of God's Spirit carrying forth the Soul to Petition according to what God was to bestow was not only by changing of the Souls frame concerning any one Event but even by changing the verbal Petitions in the change of circumstances in the same thing As for instance At the first discovery of my inward change my words in Prayer for any undertaking would run upon its success and hardly upon the use of means to which the condescention of my Heavenly Father complied by numerous and continual returns of success tho' my endeavours at my first acquaintance with and observation of God's Ways were not so exact but upon further knowledge of his ways and greater progress and reliance upon God for conduct to the use and right use of means then my words were chang'd running out in Prayer after Divine Assistance in the performance of Duty resigning the issue to his Will answerable to which a more diligent watch over my self in the use of means and the less anxiety concerning the event appeared an experience greatly helping the Soul against mistaking God or themselves when his Ways run not in the same stream towards them their advancement in strength being gradual and many times according to the different steps of growth in Grace so God walks in different steps round them requiring a constant observation of his ways admiring their variety and bringing forth suitable improvement of knowledge of God love to him and dependance upon him How infinite therefore is the Wisdom of our Blessed God who knows the various Constitutions and the things their Thoughts are most fixt to that his breathing Divine Influence thereupon may be his readier mean to bring them to a serious discovery of God and their selves thereby How infinite is the Wisdom Love and Tenderness of our blessed Husband-man in the gradual growth of all the young tender Branches in his Vineyard and in training up his Babes in the first knowledge of him feeding the one with Milk and the other with Meat knowing well what each stand in need of and can bear either of his Smiles or correcting Stripes ordering each by degrees to the perfecting of Grace in the Soul and making it mete for Eternal Glory The Experience whereof helps the Soul to answer the Objection of some serious Christians but not exact Observers who will reply upon imparting a particular method of God with a Soul by way of caution You must be careful not to depend upon that particular way God acts with you in lest Satan make it a temptation to unbelief and distrust of God and your selves when he shall please to walk in another road with your Soul but general and strict Observers find God's Ways to be thus That according to the infancy or manhood of the Soul in Christianity or according to the different steps of advancing the Soul towards this Manhood so God's Ways to be various and according to his different ends so his courses leading thereto usually to be different marvellous argument indeed of infinite Wisdom Love and Compassion in our great God! instruction enough to make us stand off from prescribing methods according to our Inclinations or Expectations but instruction to keep our selves close in the observation of his Ways in continual Prayer for a sight of his design and the obtaining the establishment of Faith tho' the method of God be never so various with us Hereto relates my Experience of God with my own Soul that according to the beginnings and progress of my Faith of Reliance so God's Method has varied for while in the beginning of this Trust to God I think I may say That never a Prayer Spiritually perform'd wanted its return immediately and that exactly suitable to my words in Prayer but upon further strength of this Grace of Reliance upon God I have found the return of my Prayer longer defer'd yea sometimes to the last pinch of extremity but still answerable to the frame of Soul and Words utter'd in Prayer when this frame and utterance were above my own strength thorough Divine Influence argument enough of Divine Wisdom adapting his various Ways to the various Circumstances of his Childrens weakness and strength of Divine Love establishing their Trust to himself and trying their Reliance upon him as a comfortable evidence of that strength of Grace and thereby to lead them to the Sacrifice of continual Praise Admiration and Love to him How different was Christ's carriage to the Leper from his acting with the Woman of Canaan whose Faith far exceeded the other The Leper much weaker in Faith had the return of his Prayer immediately but she much stronger in Faith has the return greatly defer'd with the intermixture of many trying passages of Christ with his own silence to her own Petition and with his calling her a Dog as if she were unworthy to be taken notice of much less to receive of
his Children's food Mercies in answer to Prayer The Lord knew her strength and adapted his way of tryal thereto which issued in Honour to him and evidence to her self of the greatness of her Faith When Christ saw Peter's Faith as a Rock to build his Church upon he then tells him of the Sufferings to attend him and all that would follow after Christ his Faith being gradually brought up to such a strength enabled him to bear this report which perhaps in the beginning might have discouraged him to follow Christ or his Rules when therefore we are as Moses we may be kept six days on the Mount before the answer of Prayer comes Gen. c. 24. Let us therefore admire God's Wisdom and Love in first planting or further carrying on Grace in the Soul Let us be instructed not to limit God to any one way in converting or further perfecting a gracious Soul but let us keep in the use of all God's means with the observation of his various ways of Providence and Spirit established upon his Divine Word and experience in our Souls that so we may be confirm'd in the depth the length and height of the Love of God not only by a Faith wrought and kept in the Soul but by an evident sense thereof experimentally felt not yielding to that lazy excuse of the danger of fathoming him tho' we cannot find God out to Perfection yet we may comprehend much more of his ways than we do to keep us in continual admiration and praise of his Love making our life the nearer to resemble the work of Saints above not suffering his Ways to lie still in the depth without Record thereof or Reflection thereupon a method which might greatly prevent the many Fears that many gracious Souls meet with in their way and by which they dishonour God before the Wicked that by knowing their own Wants and God's Method of supplying them might be remedi'd A Sixth Experience of the Spirit of God's breathing upon the Soul in Prayer and of its correspondency to the certain return thereof was That according to my Morning's frame in giving up my self so has my frame continued thorough the day but most remarkably thus on a Sabbath-Day wherein I have found that my frame in hearing a Sermon has greatly answer'd to the frame of my Morning 's private Address to Heaven with that exactness that I could never observe or set it upon record without great amazement Herein mistake me not as if I passed my day without any other Address resting upon the comfortable experience of good frame in my Morning's Prayer but upon all occurrences throughout the day my supplication has been repeated my method being never to attempt any Service Civil or Spiritual without Address to God for conduct therein and when opportunity of set Prayer is deny'd the same Spirituality in Ejaculation and that correspondent to return is experienc'd confirming the truth of God's acceptance of the Spirit 's helping the Soul to groans not to be utter'd when the Soul in Meditation is under such a Heavenly Thoughtfulness to God as is impossible for it to utter I could set down numerous instances of God's acceptance of Prayer put up before entring into Company with freedom from Quarrel or Disquiet and when Disquiet of any kind has accompanied me I have found it at such a time when my Soul has been out of frame or my Addresses to God before my entring the Society has been neglected Who would not therefore advise me to rest upon God and to Petition him for all things and to have all things conveyed to me with a sight of his special Providence in it and as a return to Prayer for it that when my passage through this Wilderness is at end I may not enter unto an unknown God who has been a Father by his special conduct of Providence a Husbandman by the workings of his Divine Spirit my alone Friend to whom I have put up all my Requests and from whom I have receiv'd all the supplies of wants and that in a way of Communion with him neither to an unknown work but that of which I have had some foretaste in the use of Observation Prayer solemn and ejaculatory and Meditation admiring of God manifested and praising his Name for the experienc'd discovery of himself A Seventh Experience of Christ's Spirit exciting to Prayer and interceding with us in Prayer with the certain correspondency thereof by a return of that Prayer thus perform'd to God has been by putting words in my Mouth as well as Spirituality in the frame of my Mind and that suddenly unpremeditated yea sometimes contrary to matter and words design'd To clear this Experience I will give you amongst many instances the following one concerning a Friend's Distraction in a Fever for whom my design was to Petition God for his recovery but was carried out in Prayer and that powerfully too altogether for the return of their Reason without ever being able to ask one Petition for the abatement and removal of their Fever upon inquiry I found their Distraction gone off but the Fever remaining the same the return of their Reason exactly answering the time of the Supplication for it Another instance of this Experience was Concerning another Friend for whose Hâ—alth I had design'd to Petition God but found my Words in my Address to God strongly diverted from Petition to Praise blessing his Name for what he had done and that without any foreknowledge of amendment or probable reason to expect it but what I had from this powerful sudden and undesign'd utterance in Prayer Another instance of the same kind I very lately had concerning a Friend's beloved and only Child for whom I found in my self great and amazing freedom of Utterance and that by way of Praise tho' my design was to Petition God concerning it having all humane probability to expect its Death After the Experience of this Utterance in Prayer I was kept in the dark till at least ten days and then had the account of its recovery yea of its great amendment answerable to the time of the Utterance of Praising being strictly curious in the observation of the circumstance of time that none of these marvellous Experiences might afford the least doubting in their enjoyment but obtain a clear reception thereof and produce the greater establishment therein in the Soul Another instance of the Seventh Experience was Concerning some with whom I have had to do in matters of concern but at a distance from me and without any other opportunity of hearing the proceedings or success of endeavours than by Letter I have found that tho' I have design'd before the coming in of the Post to supplicate for a good account yet have not been able to say any thing at all concerning the matter answerable to which no Letter has come or other Petitions and Words concerning the matter has been Spiritually darted up to Heaven than was design'd correspondent to which the
disappointing my diligent use of Means commonly leading to such Ends But discovering God's design yea infinite love in my own disappointments and my Meditations thereupon were thus Did the Lord strengthen me eminently after my Fit of Sickness and continually in most if not all my Addresses to Heaven since that time to ask for advance of this Reliance And has the Lord return'd this Petition by sensible Reliance upon himself never formerly acquainted with and that in a mysterious conduct of outward Providence shall I therefore bring forth this ill improvement of not working with God or of trusting God only in the enjoyments of smiling Favours when difficulties sensibly have tended to the increasing my dependance upon God or trust God only when other things are of no use or when Means producing such Events naturally or probably turn their course and prove ineffectual No that should be no less than height of Ingratitude and what my loving God has prevented by his Spirit 's accompanying his method of special outward Providence and therefore have great Reason to walk in a Road of Constant Dependance upon him crying out Oh the height and depth of the Love of God in first designing me such a mercy of Reliance in bringing it about and that in a method of outward Providence evidencing it sensibly to my self as well as really working it in the Soul by his Spirit going along with his outward Providences and in preserving this Reliance notwithstanding the Soul's unwillingness when Duty and Interest went hand in hand at the same time This very Experience is enough to answer all the ignorant Cavils of the Irreligious and the Doubtings of some Christians who with the Psalmist are perplext how to understand rightly the inequality of Divine Providence towards the prophane and the gracious Christian the first abounding in worldly Pleasure while the other appears under crossing afflicting Providences The private Christian's inward observ'd experience of God's method with himself affords knowledge of God and his Ways and strength to resist corrupt and Satanical Suggestions and peace and comfort even in the enjoyment of outward disappointments when their Friends are in concern on their very account or others in their circumstances ready to stagger as to God's favour to them and that by reason of these things which appear to the observing Christian the greatest tokens of Divine special Love For the better understanding of this I would have you consider First That a Christian renewed from original Corruption to Grace is received under a special conduct of God's Providence without as well as his Spirit within and that greatly different from the common Providence that attend the wicked of the Earth Psal 4.3 But know that the Lord has set apart him that is Godly for himself Exod. 11.7 The outward Providence of God was so special towards the Children of Israel That the very Dogs were not to Bark at them besides to be witness to three or four private Christians imparting God's special conduct remarkt round each one of themselves one would think that the Narrative of each argued so much of Speciality as if each had been the alone beloved Child of God about whom he had spent his special loving Care whereas those round whom is the alone conduct of common Providence they can reach no higher than the general power of a great and merciful God as Creator and Preserver of all Things but not as their God and Father or their Providences attending them as the Fruits of their peculiar Interest in him through Christ and as Heirs of his Kingdom enjoying the earnest thereof in the special outward Providences and inward workings of a Divine Spirit attending their life Great loss therefore that Christian incurs who tho' under the special conduct of outward Providence yet wants the sense thereof unless in remarkable instances of it and that for want of a general observation of all the steps of God's Ways with himself from his first Conversion to a full establishment in all the Graces of God's Spirit A Christian that has been observant of God's outward and inward conduct not only witnesses a speciality of Providence regarding God's own children but he will patiently bear afflicting Dispensations that are designed to make him sensible of his neglect of God's dealings with him and of his neglect or careless performance of particular Duties and may change his nature from secure cold and lazy to spiritual heavenly and zealous and to make him more watchful and diligent in the resisting Temptations and mortifying Corruptions and in the exercise of every Grace that may preserve him from the power of the Tempter A Christian under the same special conduct of God's care but without the strict observation of it in all the steps of God's Providence has neither the knowledge nor the strength that the observing Christian has convey'd to his Soul as the true effects of so desirable a Duty but is ready to droop in his Spirit when afflicted not knowing God's design in particular tho' relying on that blessed Word That all things work together for good to them that love God yet missing God's particular design in the present want of his Soul the present Mercy thereby to be bestowed he becomes in danger of Satan's tempting him to Despondency of a Melancholly carriage in Religion and of passing his Pilgrimage State under Clouds Secondly That since God's own Children are under the special conduct of Providence then they alone must best judge of God's Wise procedure and witness for God that what the carnal World is apt to charge against God upon the account of the present Afflictions of his Children is from Ignorance For Afflictions are the certain Evidences of his Wisdom and Love as a Father and a Physician to purge them from Sin to make them more holy and heavenly on Earth and to make them more prepared to reign with him above Tho' those who are only led by sense see not Good in Afflictions yet sincere Believers who from constant observation and by the help of a Divine Spirit have improved Afflictions they are ready to comply with God's End so soon as it appears and earnestly pray for and rejoyce in the hope of a blessed Issue If Christians were serious in searching out their Sins before or in the time of Afflictions and how defective they are in the exercise of the Graces of the Spirit they would be assured not only from Divine Revelation but from their happy Experiences of God's Mercy in all that the peaceable Fruit of Righteousness will outweigh all their Sufferings and Sorrows A Fifth Method of God to advance Reliance upon himself was by immediate specialty of a Divine Hand in passages of Providence in laying matters of great success in my way and that in the following instances First By bringing them about without the operation of second causes commonly made use of having in many instances experienced such things laid in my way wherein I have hardly been
become effectual and if you slight a weaker Preacher under whose Instruction you are by the Designation of Providence and chuse to go to one more learned and pleasing you have not so good a Warrant to expect a Blessing partly because of your neglecting the appointed means for your spiritual Profit partly lest you be in danger to limit God to afford his Blessing to the Preaching of one and not of another whereas his working is as glorious if not more with a weak instrument than by a strong and it is the plain serious Sermon that I have many times found most pleasing to my self however other sorts have ravished my Senses at the time The Method I used that my hearing the Word Preach'd might be profitable was and is to examine my self whether I could assent to the Truth of what I heard from my own Experience as well as the Minister's Assertion by which I was established and comforted when my private Experience was consonant to the Doctrine of a publick Preacher But when this was wanting if the Doctrine was proved from Scripture my Petitions to Heaven have been spiritually carried forth That the Truth might be sealed to my Soul by feeling its Efficacy and I have in a short time found my Desires answered by the operations of Divine Providence and of the Holy Spirit in me The right hearing of the Word consists not in a grave outward gesture or giving ear to a Sermon either upon the Fundamental Principles of Christianity to be believ'd or the practical Duties to be perform'd but you must compare your Faith and Life with the Doctrine of the Gospel and that seriously without the intermixture of wandring Thoughts and with fervent Prayer for a Divine Blessing sometimes God is pleased to give Grace more richly by a weak than by a more able instrument This reproves many who content themselves with attendance upon the Ministry of the Word and with an outward grave behaviour in Hearing but never seek after an inward frame of Heart suitable to the Word so that a serious frame of Soul as well as a grave gesture of Body a reflecting upon and comparing it with your own Experience as well as a reflecting upon and comparing it to your own Notions I recommend to all that would hear God's Word Preach'd with profit thereby Experiences of God's Method in training me to the Knowledge of right participating the Lord's Supper PRevious to which let me premise my Opinion thereof and Practice then while only under the Notional Knowledge of Christianity and the Power of Education and that in the following Parts First That by the strength of Education I believ'd the Sacrament an extraordinary Ordinance solemnly to be gone about and extraordinarily to be prepared for wonderful Communion with God being there to be enjoy'd of which I never then had felt any Experience tho' I had once partaken of it with all seriousness by the instruction and example of others and my own Thoughts of the solemnity of that Ordinance but without any other seriousness than what is wrought by a Minister's affecting Discourse and delivery of an affecting Subject but spiritual Communion with Christ without which Sacrament Communion is unprofitable and the discovery of God's love to the Soul which Holy Ministers have spoke of as more valuable than all the World all this was Mystery to me and not desired but now blessed be his Name has been Reveal'd and Experimented in my Soul by the means of Grace Secondly When I felt an inward change in my Soul and I had clearer knowledge of the Nature and End of that Ordinance my intention and manner of performance was Spiritual and the Benefits concomitant and consequent with that Ordinance were enjoy'd It 's true that Prayer was the first Duty wherein I felt a serious hearty delight and understood fellowship with God but gradually I advanc'd to the Experience of the same delight and heavenliness of frame in other Duties and amongst the rest in that Duty of the Sacrament but without that high flight of Joy as sometimes I have had in Prayer but I still imagin'd that though I had not attain'd its experience so much in that Duty yet it was to be enjoy'd therein and that God would please in due time to give me the Sense thereof Thirdly That no sooner I had the Sense of this inward change but as soon my judgment was clear as to the repetition of this Duty of the Sacrament for before neither the Reading of the Institution nor Ministers preaching thereupon were so powerful as to induce me to its often performance which frequency I once imagin'd Sinful or at least the occasion of leading to a careless Sinful performance thereof Satan like an Angel of light disturb'd my tender Conscience with this Argument against frequent Communion That I was not to partake of the Lord's Table without a Week's solemn Preparation but I was more instructed concerning my Duty by my own Call afterward for once being in great Affliction both inward and outward I resolved to go to the Lord's Supper imagining it a season in which I could best be serious and thereby better prepar'd than when the pressure of the Affliction was over And if there were any such thing to be experienc'd as the great Comforts the Saints declar'd I might then probably feel them and accordingly did partake with greater Gravity and inward Thoughtfulness than otherwise I should have been able to do but I did not feel those raised Affections nor that inward Fellowship with God or ravishing Joy that I did expect which disappointment greatly concern'd me Satan forcing home upon me this suggestion of its being an Evidence how unprepar'd I was and what an unacceptable Sacrifice I offered to God which made me consult a spiritual Friend whose Sincerity and Judgment I had in very high value His Answer was The Spirit of God is not to be limited God's ways of imparting himself is not confin'd to the time of Partaking this Ordinance but you may judge of your right Performance by your frame before and after as well as in the Duty This greatly reviv'd me and was a mean of quieting me and of keeping me in the frequent Participation of the Ordinance the Truth of his Words I have found by many Experiences Fourthly I have sometimes found great heavenliness of frame before the Partaking of the Ordinance and sometimes after it even when in the time of the Duty I have been coldly affected and without sensible Comfort Upon hearing my complaint my Friend reply'd Though God in training you to the knowledge of himself and his ways has dealt with you as a darling Child with wonderful smiling providences think it not strange if having obtain'd his end of working Faith of Reliance he change his Method and tries the Grace he has wrought in your Soul Fifthly In the mean time this Blessed Saint being at a distance from me I often pray'd O that I had fellowship with God
will with Heat contend for their Opinions in things that are not clear nor of great moment as if they were Fundamental Doctrines There are some Christians that have not only the life of Grace planted in them but the liveliness of Grace they are working and watchful to prevent any impression and taint of Evil from the Contagion of the World wherewith they are encompast And they are watchful unto Good they are ready to exercise every Grace in its season and by a continual Derivation of strength from Christ they are preserved from sinful Errors and irregular Passions Our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ has paid the price of our Redemption and that we may have an interest therein and enjoy the Priviledges thereof as evidence and earnest of Heaven God has appointed means whereby we may obtain this Blessed end means that are suitable in their use to rational and lapsed Creatures in their human capacity such as exclude boasting in ourselves and of Presumption Licentiousness and security in a carnal Conversation these means are prescrib'd in the Gospel as Prayer Meditation Hearing and the Participation of the Lord's Supper These are the Sphere of the Holy Spirit 's Activity in these we draw near to God and he draws near us By these means Christ with all his saving Benefits is applied to Souls By these they are revived from the Death of Sin and restored to the favour and Image of God They live in Communion with him and are confirmed thereby against the Temptations of the Evil Spirit who rules the World Those who neglect the holy and constant use of these means whether from the delusion of their Minds or the corruption of their Hearts will find that Darkness is their guide and the issue of their way will be fatal and destructive Let me therefore apply the foregoing Narrative thus There are some Professors that have knowledge in an eminent degree and are of a fair unblemisht Conversation by the advantage and impression of Education but are strangers to the inward power of Godliness as ignorant Heathens Let such duly consider the Case and neither despair for the Divine Spirit can quicken them nor delay the serious and diligent use of means which God has made effectual for the Conversion and Salvation of others Let them observe both the outward Providences of God and the inward Workings of his Spirit and apply themselves to God in the Ordinances both private and publick that they may receive renewing Grace of God and be preserved from destructive Evils If a Notional Knowledge of God's Word and an unblemish'd outward Conversation be no real Christianity no certain Testimony of Real and Saving Grace How utterly void of it are the Prophane To them I would give this Counsel Not to be averse from Serious and Real Religion upon the account of some Professors who have only a name to live but are dead or from a conceit that the Christian Religion is so extremely rigorous as to deprive us of all Natural Comforts or upon the account of different Opinions in the Christian World but to remove all Prejudices and to endeavour to understand the Gospel to believe the Doctrines to obey the Precepts of it and then they will find Christianity to be more than an outward Profession a serious Divine Principle regulating the Heart and Life and that it is to be obtained of God by every sincere Seeker of it and that it allows the temperate Use of Natural Comforts and only forbids the licentious Abuse of them whereby men become most unlike God and are like the beasts that perish And the lawful sober Enjoyments of Nature are consistent with the Joy of the Holy Ghost in the hearts of the Saints which is infinitely more satisfying and lasting than all the Pleasures of Sense for which so many lose Heaven and are condemned to Eternal Torments If Christianity and its Power may be really felt in the Soul and yet damp'd by the too long intermission of the Means of Grace and clouded by the admixture of too much of self producing a kind of Christians lazy in the obtaining the continued Power of Christ's Spirit in their Souls and so are in danger both of long intermissions of fellowship with God and breaking of fellowship one to another more dishonouring God than either the mere Professor or Prophane who never experienc'd the Reality and Comfort of True Christianity To such I would apply this Exhortation Not only to be in the Right Use of Means but in the more Continued Right Use than ever formerly for undoubtedly if the Means of Grace be the ways by which he walks and by which he communicates to Believers to the truth whereof all experiencing Christians will put their Seal then the oftner Christians walk in those ways the oftner and the more they receive both of Knowledge and Comfort from God which undoubtedly is the reason why some real Christians go beyond others in the knowledge of his ways and are in the more close walking according to the Rule of his Word with more inward Fellowship with God both in the Means of Grace and common Conversation That therefore the Word of God the doubting whereof being one great occasion of Error and Vice may be experienc'd as Truth and the means leading thereto given forth I shall previously lay down Two Propositions the first Instructive the other Cautionary The first is That all the Children of God in their Pilgrimage-state are under Three sorts of Conducts The first is that of God's Word the Foundation of our Faith and the Infallible Rule by which we are to judge of all Doctrines of all our Experiences and all the Passages of Providence The second is that of the Divine Spirit who according to the Promise of Christ instructs us in all Saving Truth by the Word and brings it to our remembrance to guide us safely to Heaven The third is that of Divine Providence sometimes enlightning what seemed dark in the Word of God and in the Actings of Christ's Spirit but founded upon his Word of Truth and agreeable to both though the dispensations of Providence are no Certificate of God's special love to men yet we are assured by the Scriptures that there is a peculiar tender Providence of God that regards his Children which is declarative of his special Love and by a serious observation of it their Duty and Comfort will be encouraged and improved Secondly Cautionary Not to limit the Spirit of God to any particular way or time of working in the Soul either in planting of Grace or its further growth Though by observation of outward Providences God was pleased to bring me to the first serious sense of my self and to a dependance upon God for Life and for Salvation and by marvellous steps of his outward dispensations joined with the inward Workings of his Spirit he has begun and increased a gracious Change in my Soul yet he has used various methods in the Conversion and Sanctification of
things more marvellous in their nature more dignifying our Souls and more comfortably establishing our Faith in God's Word than a Series of outward Events The freeing of the Soul from the power of Original Corruption by the sweet dominion of Grace the degrees of spiritual growth in the use of means appointed by God for that blessed end will be of excellent advantage to encrease in the Soul light and joy and establishment An Observer of such things is enabled to see good where others discover nothing but evil and evil where others think all is good He is arrived to the eminent degrees of those Christians who in the 5th Chapter of the Hebrews and the 14th are said to be such who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil who by habitual observation of God's ways by his Spirit and Providence concerning them are enabled to see the design and end of Providence not mistaking the merciful Methods of God's dealings with them as the effects of Anger nor the trial of their Grace for a punishment for want of it and thereby dishonour God and sink under despondency they can rejoice in tribulation the blessed priviledge of those who are in a state of favour with God Rom. 5. and feel a power above themselves supporting them in all Troubles It is therefore to be lamented That such instructing and comforting things are laid in our way to observe and yet that so many with their Circumstances should pass without Record and Improvement Though Christians are assured that God's Gifts are without Repentance that they have the evidences of Grace in their Souls and are kept stedfast in that Grace God has freely bestow'd yet by their not observing God's Means working and the proportion'd advancement of Grace to such Means they are not so duly affected with the infinite Mercy of God nor so comfortably sensible of his gracious dealings with them nor so firmly establish'd in the hope that he will not cease his working in them till they are made mete for the inheritance of the Saints in light The observing-Christians have the priviledge of the Angels though in a lower degree to see the Face of God they have the enjoyment of Heaven by the assurance of it they live in the exercise of Divine Love Joy and Praise which is the Life of Heaven I would from hence reprove those Professors who by their neglect coldness and long intermissions from Holy Duties are justly deprived of the sweetness of communion with God and are apt to censure others who are more spiritual and heavenly in their Conversation as phantastick and enthusiastical an Instance whereof I had by an Aspersion of some Ministers upon the Writings of a Saint now triumphant in Heaven whose Life was employ'd in Study to understand God's Word and the actings of Christ's Spirit in the Soul by which Holy Care and the Divine Favour he obtain'd the precious Jewel of Assurance and for many Years was possest of it The Aspersion run against him as a thoughtful melancholy person of the latter he had very little but of the former much more I do believe than his Aspersers and what was becoming the weight of the matter his thoughts run mostly upon often bemoaning the trifling superficial thoughts of the Christians of our Times concerning Gospel-Mysteries Christianity experienc'd our passage hence and concerning another state in its certainty and eternity The Aspersion also run against him for laying stress upon enlargement in Prayer and that concerning inward Religion his Discourses were unintelligible In answer to the first part of the Censure I can from my own blessed Experience declare That I have had the Promise verified to me of the Holy Spirit 's helping our Infirmities directing me in the things to be pray'd for and inflaming my desires in the Duty and strengthning my Faith in the power and love of God and the Returns of my Prayers have been most convincing and comforting evidence that God's Spirit was the Indicter of that Prayer of which God was the Fulfiller To the other part of the Censure I shall only say That the Communications of God to the Soul are more convincingly felt than exprest The peace of God passes all understanding and the comfortable sense of it cannot be fully set forth by human Language but the real enjoyment is far distant from Enthusiasm The sincere Christian knows that communion with God is a Heaven on earth though some who have only Notional Divinity think it 's meerly imagination without reality our communion with God and Christ in the use of Divine Ordinances is the best preservative from the Illusions of Satan and the distempered Mind Having given Reproof Let me advise all such who expose the high Attainments of Christianity experienc'd to reflect upon their by-past life if exactness of Observation of all past between God and their Souls either as means or the end lie by them upon Record in their Diaries and whether they have not rested upon the use of means as Duty without observing and recording the Enjoyments therein and their advancing-effects upon their Soul and have not rested upon Evidences without ever observing by what means and method of God they were first made sensible of them or had them further established Has there never a step of outward Providence round you past your Observation and search for God therein or as a return to Prayer for that blessed end of crushing a Corruption and exciting a Grace In short Has all the steps of God in training you to the Sense of Conversion and Graces after growth been remarkt by you If you can witness this I am confident you have attain'd to the Experience of such things as will keep you off from Censuring others and engage you to bear Seal to the Truth of what Christ bears sensibly on the Christian's Soul but if upon Reflection you have been out of this road my Compassion is greatly towards you even though you are Christians indeed and that because of the great Comfort withheld from you it being punishment enough to want the Comfort that strict Observers enjoy in this life And generally there lodges at the bottom of such Censurers either Ignorance of the same enjoyments from Heaven an unwillingness to have any in greater esteem than your selves or prejudices from their being of another Party Opinion or the like All which I would greatly advise to serious observation of themselves before their Censures be put forth against others for my own part I have often found from some instructing and establishing passages such amazing discovery of God and my self that I have thought nothing more could be added thereto but soon after I have had a further knowledge and establishment in the same thing and that by another passage caution enough to suppress disparagement of others but from their example to bestir thy self more than ever in the use of Means if a Soul therefore were to live Thousands of years on
spiritual Supplies to ask is many times the reward of serious self-denying Christians and truly depending upon God in Prayer and that the other is the allowance of real Christians but less watchful and not searching into and desirous of the knowledge of God's ways and therefore have not that assurance of present acceptance and after-return as the serious observing Christians have Fourthly That comforting Influences are more experienc'd as the portion of beginning Christians and training up to the knowledge of God of tender hearted Christians and of those who walk continually with God in their thoughts by ejaculation Fifthly The evidence of supporting Influences without the other is continuance in serious use of means notwithstanding God with-holds its comfort which must evidence a power above the carnal nature My Advice therefore is To begin the use of serious Prayer as well as of observation of outward Providences that you may have fellowship with the Godhead even on earth and come to the knowledge of God's ways without the fear of mistake because of the infinite wisdom and tender love that is in your Guide and Conductor leading you in the right way unless you stand still and walk not further on in the use of means or walk in them inadvertently Pray the Lord to prepare you to ask the things which he has declar'd in his Word he is ready to give and in his time you shall obtain them This humble constant and affectionate continuance in Prayer will be an excellent means to make you understand the method of God's bestowing mercies as the certain sign of his Favour By this Duty of Prayer and observation therein you 'll be able to expose all the Errors of the Age you 'll see Arminianism at the root of our new-sprung Errors for if they cannot defend Self-sufficiency to will and chuse spiritual things and to comply with saving means they must look to Christ and acknowledge that conversion from its beginning to its perfection is to be ascribed to Divine Grace Others deny the Deity of Christ and think him as meer Man like themselves inferior to the Devils who acknowledged him the Son of God his power over them by begging he would not torment them but finding the Doctrine of Jesus Christ's being God so clearly asserted in the Scriptures they turn Deists and deny all revealed Religion that so we may have nothing above our own Reason and Self-sufficiency to recur to for the obtaining the Favour of God here and of Heaven hereafter God believ'd as Creator and men living in the practice of publick moral Vertue though private Vices are allowed is sufficient in the opinion of some for their present peace and esteem and their future happiness But the Scripture and Experience does strongly refute those Arminian Errors in that first Chapter of John and the 13th verse We are not born of the will of man but of God And in the second Chapter of the Philippians ver 13. It is God which works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure These Texts are confirmed by the experience of all sincere Christians who feel the grace of God in turning them from the love of Sin to the love of Holiness and carrying them thro' a tempting World to the eternal Kingdom exposing both with the embracers of their Errors in their true Colours Their growth is no marvel to me their not being more is a greater wonder Prophaneness in Practice Christianity in meer Profession Experimental Religion discouraged by some and neglected too much in the Conversation of God's own Children with their divisions and unnecessary â—eats being the great Nourishers of such wild Grapes I do believe I may without the breach of Charity say That if Arminians in this Age are understanding in God's Word their knowledge thereof is meerly Notional with Self-Paraphrases thereupon but ignorant of its reality from the experience thereof in their own Soul That what I say may not seem Censure but what has true ground for suggesting I 'll call forth all the experienced Christians on earth to witness If any one of them was ever able to bring themselves by their own strength and when they would to a heavenly frame of Soul in Prayer yea though God has given forth means to obtain this frame I appeal to their experience whether their reliance upon these means has not often obstructed this Gift of Christ's Spirit influencing the Soul depending thereupon in the use of means We have Millions of Instances and I believe I could produce thousands from my own personal experience of being out of a heavenly frame of mind and that suddenly and unexpectedly a ravishing heavenly frame has seized me without any previous working my self therein only suddenly this frame has seized my Soul like a sudden Gale of Wind filling the Sails of the Faculties of the Soul and driving the Ship towards the heavenly Harbour of God's Throne We have also multitudes of Experiences of the same power of Christ's Spirit suddenly undesignedly and powerfully working with a verse of a Chapter read and with a sentence of a Sermon preached both the conversion of Christians and also the spiritualizing of their frames without the least design or fore-thought in the Creature 's self and without any other strength of man than laying himself in God's Road and Highway of Duties in which he commonly walks and by which he acts when and how he pleases My Argument is from lesser to greater If a Christian cannot bring forth nor retain a spiritual frame in the Soul when or as long as he will how much less is an Unbeliever capable of chusing and working Grace in his Soul when he will Where is that Instance of a Christian that dare pretend when he is in a heavenly frame to be able so to keep himself I dare say any that ever had it in reality and power would desire no other lot on earth but to be kept in this Heaven on earth If thou therefore O Arminian art uncapable of believing without a Divine Power or to exercise a heavenly frame in Prayer when thou wouldest or to retain a spiritual frame when thou art in its enjoyment lay by Self and forge no more lying delusions for thy Bulwark all experiencing Christians find out thy falshood and bemoan thy misery I should rejoice if God should honour me as an Instrument to prevail with thee to walk in those means in the method mentioned that with a Divine Spirit accompanying them you might be led to a discovery of your Errors through blindness and the evil of broaching and fructifying them on earth Apprehend with your selves how unmeet you 'll be to admire the Infiniteness of Mercy in providing these blessed helps of Divine Revelation Divine Providence and Divine Spirit and how unfit to praise his Name for either when now you derogate from all to affix it upon Self Let not matters unexperienced and capable of being experienced in the use of few and easy means
be debated first but rather let your arguings succeed to your experience unless they be such Mysteries as are meerly to be credited according to Divine Revelation and uncapable of man's comprehension in this life and then in God's method of working and watering Grace you 'll obtain a full discovery of Self-insufficiency the need of a Redeemer to look to and depend upon God's revealed Word in conjunction with his Divine Spirit as your chief helps hereto An Arminian to plead his own power is like the prophane and meer Professor mocking and doubting of fellowship with God in Prayer It is the Arminian's want of Grace or at least the want of the observation of steps that has led to their Grace and its growth that keeps them still exalting of Self and it 's the others never experiencing communion with God in Prayer that make them ridicule it Put Self to the tryal Arminian whether you can in your strength work Grace try it and do not delay till a dying hour And if you find you can't then bring to the tryal another strength even that of a Divine Spirit in the use of means recorded in this applicatory part and then you 'll follow Christ's Command and become as a little Child obedient in the use of God's means to help forward the right knowledge of him and your selves and shall be enabled to get out of Self-confidence into a reliance upon a more Divine Foundation even Christ's Spirit the Gift given to the Christians in the world upon Christ's leaving the Earth and his Ascension to Heaven By Prayer and Observation therewith you will soon discover Socinianisms Falshood as it has sprung from Arminianism by so much exalting Self so the discovery of the vanity of the latter soon lays open in Christian experience the delusion of the former Let a Christian but observe the difficulty of laying aside Self-trust even after God's most establishing Experiences dethroning it and the proneness of his mind to admix Self in Duties rightly perform'd The difficulty of putting on Self-denial and of being cloath'd with that glorious Grace of Faith yea the means made use of by God to uncloath us of the one and to adorn us with the other The Observation I say of all these in a Christian will soon convince us of our insufficiency and encline us to exalt Christ as the Object of the Soul's trust and adoration for the destroying of that branch of Socinianism even the denial of the Godhead of our blessed Redeemer Besides Scripture plainness the attributing to Christ all the uncommunicable perfections of the Deity is proof against them Will all the Socinians Sophistry on earth make me disbelieve his Godhead when I have experienc'd that in the worship and adoration of Christ the Grace of God that has converted me from Sin to Holiness is then in exercise GOD is a jealous GOD and will not part with that Prerogative of Adoration no more to meer man than to vain Images and yet Who are the sanctified ones in Christ who are the Persons Paul judg'd meet to write unto in his first v. of his first ch of his first Epistle to the Corinthians even such who call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord not nominally so but such a Lord as is made the object of Adoration in the Gospel Churches none else being fit Members to make up a Christian Church and all denying Christ's Godhead and this Adoration due to his Name exclude themselves from being fit matter for a Gospel Church My Adoration of Christ as God I observe most solemn and with an intire trust in him when I am in a heavenly frame of Soul in private Prayer being then certain that the exercise of Adoration to Christ is the true effect of God's Divine Spirit influencing my Soul Often in meditation in participating the Lord's Supper the admiration and adoration of Christ as God blessed for ever has been kept up with great warmth and spirituality in the Soul To the Socinians I would put this Question If ever in a private Prayer to God in participation of the Lord's Supper or upon a sick and in appearance dying Bed they experienced a heavenly ravishing frame of Soul and if they have what exercise of thought in either of these three Circumstances concerning Christ and themselves then seiz'd them I dare answer That if really influenced with a heavenly frame Arminius with honour to Self and Socinus with his disparagement of Christ were low as the dust in their Opinion then How unsuitable are those who deny Christ this Tribute on earth to reign with him in Heaven when the Mystery of the Trinity the Mystery of Redemption by God the Son and the Mystery of Conversion by God the Spirit shall be perfectly unfolded when the admiration and adoration of God for his infinitely wise and condescending Mercy in delivering man must be in frequent exercise This is the most excellent beneficial and comfortable object of a Christian's Faith Contemplation and Affection We can only see it here through a Glass darkly in the full sight is the perfection and felicity of the Saints in Glory But the serious thoughts of redeeming love in our present state fills the Soul with a Joy unspeakable and glorious God constituted man at first with all the necessary faculties of Body and Mind and with their beautiful Ornaments that man by considering the excellent Goodness of his Maker might Glorifie him and not meerly please himself in his own Perfections and the fruition of Paradise In like manner a gracious Soul is renewed to Christ's Image in Conversion not that the doing of it may be proclaim'd as his own work and Glory thereby derogated from the Godhead of Christ and his Blessed Spirit Man is made meet for Heaven by Grace growing in his Soul on Earth And does he pass that perfecting change at the day of Judgment and is he admitted to these glorious Visions in Heaven for the admiration of himself No He will know that as the Creation of Man was the product of the Counsel and Power of the Deity as it 's declared in these words Let us make man so the Conversion of man from the power of Sin to Holiness is the sole effect of the free Mercy and Power of God and for the honour of his Grace Pride first discover'd it self in our fatal fall and has continued to show it self in arrogating to our selves what is entirely due to God but the perfected Spirits of Just men know how unworthy and unprepared they were to see God in his full Glory They continually pay the humble Homage of Praise to him that sits upon the Throne whose Spirit sanctified them and to the Lamb by whose Sacrifice and Satisfaction Heaven was opened to them Can a meer man receive the Hallelujahs above and rob the Father of the Praise of the Triumphant Saints in Heaven With what faces will those who deny the Deity of Christ look upon a Redeemer glorified as
you met with therein and the Strength you had to resist them and that in answer to your Ejaculatory Prayer 3. Reflect upon the Issue whether it was freedom from being overcome by its Temptations and that in return to ejaculated Thoughts for Divine Strength to preserve you before entrance in it or at the time you were engaged with it The Improvement of which Reflections must needs be A Resolution to enter no Society but when under the constraint of lawful Business or Recreation and even then with an eye to God in the use of Ejaculatory Prayer either aforehand or while in Conversation for Strength to resist Temptations that may either endanger occasions to sin or of losing a spiritual Frame Fourthly Reflect upon the Failures of the Day and what you have let pass unobserv'd what Failures in your Business and Conversation have appear'd If the eye of God has been as much regarded as the eye of the World If the opportunity of Secresy has not clouded your fear of God If you have kept your Tongues with a Christian Bridle from Lying in telling Stories to divert Companions or as Excuses for Faults From Self-commendation with an inward design to disparage others From censuring others especially Christians and picking out somewhat in their life to make a discourse of to disparage their Profession rather than endeavour their amendment by acquainting themselves therewith And whatever in your Reflection you find has been amiss herein let particular acknowledgment be made that with the Psalmist you may thereby escape the punishment of your particular Sins and vow not to repeat it and tho repeated by you forbear not your Resolutions and Endeavours against it your unwilling breaches reflected upon will bring you soon out of your selves to a Redeemer and to cry for his Spirit to apply strength to your Souls to resist In reflection upon the passages of Providence through the day and upon the strength conveyed by a Divine Spirit to your Souls evident not only by your spiritual Frame in the Duties of the day but in the Improvement of its Providences by eying God in bringing them about by regarding his Will in the use of Means and trusting to him for Events with a constant watch to ejaculatory Prayer against the Temptations of Company In reflection thereupon arises a fair and comfortable discovery of your being under three blessed Conducts of God's Word Providence and Spirit and is laid before you as your last Evening-duty e're your head lies down upon your Pillow a private Prayer blessing God for the discovery of his Love in his Word Providence and Spirit blessing him particularly for each particular step therein and begging his further grace to be upheld in those means wherein he is pleased to discover so much of himself in strength and comfort to the Soul above what is attainable by other helps or comforts in this life Give therefore your selves up to God for conduct thorough the night that if your eyes should never open more upon this earth your Redeemer may find you laid at his Footstool as the last performance of your life and may raise you up to that glorious dignity of being embraced into Abraham's bosom a blessed issue to such comfortable endeavours And however tedious this Directory may seem in its reading yet I dare witness to this truth that the person in the greatest hurries of outward Affairs has time enough for this easy work it being easily to be intermixt in the throng of Affairs and the more Affairs are laid in your way the greater opportunity you have to observe God's Providence and his Spirit and that built upon his blessed Word as a Mean of keeping up the sense of God's Love in your Souls and the sense of your love to him that so Communion with God may be your Life on earth which will make you live comfortably and dye triumphantly I can do no more but lay the way before you and the Lord himself give you strength to chuse it and to walk in it FINIS