loves thee Did he ever crush any soul under his feet that he did not kick into hel at last And no wonder if Satan when hee hath the command of all the Ports and Advenues of the soul wil let it receive no intelligence but what he pleaseth and use it to such daily objects as augment its Terrors if he raise such mists as hinder it from discerning any thing distinctly 4 Partly by taking the work out of the Spirits hand as sometimes he doth the Lord permitting it also for secret Reasons of his own And hereof I shal shew you some instances by which you may judg of his dealing in other the like cases 1 Many times the Spirit stirrs up the soul to examine its growth in and improvement of grace possibly upon occasion of some late notable delays and to endeavour a recovery of lost strength a quickning of what is ready to dye This motion being from the Spirit thus far now Satan takes it up and from felt barrennesse and deadnesse stirs up the soul farther to enquire afresh whether ever that were true grace that is now so barren whether such a tree had ever any life that manifests so little growth 2 Many times the Spirit sets home the consideration of some affliction and puts the soul upon enquiry why the Lord thus contends with it Now comes in Satan and alters the Question and puts the soul upon the enquiry Whether such afflictions may stand with Gods love or no 3 Many times the Spirit stirs up to repentance and recovery from grievous falls Satan takes up this work and puts the soul upon questioning whether ever it had any grace seeing there is yet in the heart a liableness to such great corruptions This I touched before Thus you see whence the terrors that surprize Saints after conversion and Assurance do arise and so the Thesis cleared from mistakes Proceed we now to the Application of it CHAP. XXXVI Saints convinced of folly in giving way to troubling thoughts after conversion and Assurance I. THerefore for Application 1 Hence the Saints of God may see how little Reason or Warrant they have to justifie themselves in admission of sâ—ulfetters after conversion but especially after Assurance 1 Will a man think it were a discreet act in himself to be afraid of every leaf that stirs and startle at every reed that shakes A wise man when he is in quiet possession of what he enjoyes will see good Authority ere he will be dispossessed upon any pretence whatsoever The Divel never brings a true Authority for the disturbance of any Saints peace I am bound to take notice of no Authority in matter of inward trouble and peace but that of Gods Spirit My Conscience is his Throne and I cannot answer it unto God if I permit Satan to usurp it I ought to be able to discover that counterfeit and oppose him though he come as an Angel of light how much more when he comes like a Prince of darknesse 2 What account can I give to the Spirit of God the Comforter for resigning so slightly the Garrisons of strength the grounds of gracious Assurance which he hath put into my hands Saints must make as much conscience of parting with their comforts without sufficient cause as of embezelling any thing else with which God intrusts them Friends we are accountable for our Comforts and therefore it will concern us not to be easily cheated of them They are precious things The joy of the Lord is our strength Nehem. 8. 10. If we betray our strength by losing our comforts how shall we answer the robbing God of so much service as he may lose from us thereby 3 How shall we answer the mischief that may accrew to others who used in troubles and distempers of mind to have recourse to our counsels and experiences See Job 4. 2 3 4 5 6. If I must not prodigally throw away my estate nay if I must labour with my hands that I may have to give the bodily food to him that needeth Certainly I must even in meer charity to others endeavour to maintain that spiritual joy which is their refreshment CHAP. XXXVII The way how to discard them THis also gives a standing Rule to us concerning the entertainment of soul-terrours after Conversion and Assurance If they have no warrant from the Spirit of God then why wilt thou entertain so much as a conference with them I think uncomfortable thoughts ought to be cast out without dispute as blasphemous and atheistical suggestions in some cases Q. But how far and in what cases may it be be lawful to reject such thoughts as tend to the questioning of Assurance formerly received without dispute For it seems the case of blasphemous and atheistical suggestions and these we are now speaking of differs very much Those being at first blush by any soul competently enlightned to be discerned to be contrary to the expresse word of God and so matters out of all dispute these it may be pretending ground from the Word and being in their own nature such as I am allowed to dispute A. It is true there is some difference between the matter of the suggestions themselves but yet as to mee and my case they may be in effect the same For I may by a preceding Assurance from the Spirit of God be as much ascertained that I am a child of God as I am that there is a God or concerning any other fundamentall point of Faith So that I may be very well allowed the same way of proceeding in the one case which I am prescribed in the other And I conceive I may doe so in these cases 1. When the present Doubts or Disputes concerning my condition are not handed to me in the way and method of divine motions Gods usuall way of putting the soul upon enquiry concerning its own condition to such as enjoy Ordinances being under the administration of them If therefore without any such ground whether from the private working of my own thoughts or from such injections as I can give no account of I begin after assurance to fall a questioning mine own condition I may wel fear the hand of Satan is in this and I may silence them for the present as coming to trouble my peace without a warrant As if an Arrest should be laid upon me out of the ordinary way of Law I may defend my self by force or escape by sleight and the Law will judg me in so doing to have done no more then what I might lawfully do 2 When the present Dispute concerning my state and condition is imposed upon me under such circumstances as render it unlikely to be managed candidly cleerly and impartially so that there is no likelyhood but it should rather end in confusion and further disturbance then peace and solid satisfaction If I should be provoked to dispute with an adversary concerning such or such a point at a time when I am not furnished with such helps
bondage and shall enable you to set your feet on his neck c. More clearly Isai 61. 1 2 3. He gave Christ and annointed and sent him for that end to proclaim liberty to the Captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound and not only to proclaim it by the Word but to apply it by the Spirit ver 3. To appoint to them beauty for ashes the oyl of joy for mourning and the garment of joy for the spirit of heaviness or the Spirit of Adoption for the Spirit of Bondage So Psal 126. 5 6. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy c. And Isai 57 15. a remarkable Promise I dwell with the contrite and humble spirit wherefore To revive the spirit of the humble and the heart of the contrite ones For I will not contend for ever lest the soul should fail before me and the spirit which I have made See v. 18 19. The Spirit that is promised by Christ is called the Comforter Why so if not to denote the principall part of his work the comforting of the hearts of Gods people John 14. 26. Arg. 2. The Designe of God in troubling the conscience Soul-troubles are not brought on us meerly for their owne sakes for God afflicts not willingly nor grieves the Lam. 3. 33. children of men but they are ordinary Prologues of Comfort and Peace and therefore ordained to fit us to receive and prize it Hos 2. 14. I wil bring her into the Wilderness and speak comfortably unto her to her heart Heb. Into the Wildernesse i. e. a maze and wood of troubles that she shall know no way out of into such a condition in which a dram of comfort will be dearer then all the world and then I will speak to her heart when she is quite out of heart Gods usages to his people in this world are like Tragi-Comedies sad beginnings divers times that put all the Spectators into a maze to think what will come of them that so he may come off the more gloriously at the last by giving a comfortable close beside all mens expectations He sets off as Painters do a light colour by the neighborhood of a dark He caused light at the first to shine out of darknesse not before it or 2 Cor. 4. 6 without it but out of it And as he doth in conversion so in comfort First darknesse in conversion then light Ye were darkness Ephes 5. 8 c. so he doth in the work of consolation When I sit in darknesse the Lord shall be a light to me saith the Church Micah 7. 8. So in the Apostles experience We had the sentence of death in our selves that we might trust not in our selves but in him that raiseth the dead 2 Cor. 1. 9. And as Christ would not keep Lazarus from dying when he could have done so but rather chose to raise him from the dead by a miracle so will Christ deal with his people quite bring them to the grave that then he may get the glory of a kind of miracle and say Return ye sons Psalm 90. 3 and daughters of men Now can we think that God will lose the glory of his grace when he so aimes at it in those troubles that work it And surely he will do so if his people perish under them Thence the Spirit of God teacheth the Saints in darkness to urge that as an Argument Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead c. What remembrance of thee is there in the grave where all things are forgotten Psalm 88. 10 11 and 6. 5. q. d. I know thy aim in all these dark nights that I undergo is to make thy glory shine the clearer and is this the way to let a poor soul that would fain praise thee to drop into the grave and for ought he knowes into hell in darknesse without the least smile from thee c. Arg. 3. The duties God expects of his Saints which cannot be so perfectly and ingenuously performed by any as by an assured spirit Indeed the truth of them may proceed from a soul that is not assured but such high and noble measures cannot 1 Love to him again A man may and every Saint doth love God by a holy sympathy as soon as he is regenerated whether he know it or no and the demonstration of that love in the Saints when they come to discerne it becomes a means of assurance to them As in Antipathies sometimes they are strong in nature and no reason can be given for them Non amo te Sabidi nec possum dicere quare c So in sympathies founded in the nature of the things Why doth Iron love the Load-stone and cleave to it or the needle touched with it point Northward This I constantly affirm that where the soul loves God Gods love is the cause of that love to him and so it is whether it be manifested to his conscience or no because every grace is a fruit of Gods eternal love This I am sure is held out in that excellent place 1 John 4. 19. though I shall not grant it a fruit thereof only when knowne 'T is not said Because we are assured he loved us first but Because he loved us first But yet the love that is without assurance is not so strong so rational so active as that that proceeds from assurance when the love of God is shed abroad in the heart by the Holy Ghost for this will enable a soul to love much Luke 7. 47. to rejoice in tribulation Rom. 5. 3 5 and do many other difficult duties with more vigor and activity A young child may truly love the Father when it is unable to reason it selfe into the duty of love from experience of the Fathers love but the love that a growne child shews to the father after his experience of many acts of love for many years is more strong solid and rational So when a soul can say as David I love the Lord for c. Psal 116 1 Now God requires his children should grow up into an ingenuous filial love upon grounds of thankfulnesse and reciprocation Ephes 1. 16 17 18 19 He would have them be rooted and grounded in the experimental knowledg of the love of Christ and thence to draw strength to obey him in all things And therefore it must needs be his ordinary way to those Saints from whom he expects this fruit to give them the Spirit of Adoption to testifie this Love to them And there is a Promise that love of good will to Christ shall be seconded with manifestation of love from Christ Joh. 14. 21. 2 Joy in the Holy Ghost and that alwayes 1 Thes 5. 16 Now although a soul may have some sprinklings of joy upon the general hopes which it gathers to it self from general Promises yet it is nothing to that whicâ— particular assurance gives Now God will have the joy of his Saints full joy John 15. 11. And
with such a faith as he believes the Bible to be true in every part of it and this appears in those that are under a Spirit of Bondage Produce such and such promiâ—es to them they will say true these promises are excellent promises and will no question yeild abundance of marrow to them to whom they belong but they can see nothing in them that belongs to them Here is a full well but they have nothing to draw or it is a well inclosed it is not free for them 2 Particular When the Spirit helps the soul to single out such a word and opens a door of hope to the soul that it hath a share in it and this is that that makes way for and is compleated in the Minor of the former Syllogisme which I call 2 Conviction of Case Thus the Spirit enlightens the conscience to apply the Promise to its self by owning the condition of it The Word saith Such and such persons are children of God the renewed conscience enlightned by the Spirit saith This is my case I am such a person Now here the Spirit either enlightens a man to see himself under that condition by working a present assent to the truth of this Minor Proposition As suppose an Argument from the Promise He that believeth hath everlasting life but I believe Ergo. The assent to this Minor Proposition I believe may be wrought by a sudden work of the Spirit as soon as the major Proposition whereon it is grounded is apprehended and so it is a work somewhat neer of kin unto that of the first branch of Mediate Testimony wherein the testimony was supposed to be by the word yet without Argumentation Or else as usually by eliciting and drawing forth the soul to such an assent by a farther evidence of Argument For it is very seldom seen but that such souls as have been exercised with a Spirit of Bondage are not easily brought to own any good in themselves so that even the Spirit of God hath much ado to answer all the cavils of Satan and their own suspicious hearts in point of gracious self-Justification which such souls are much afraid of and not more difficultly brought to any thing then to own this Proposition But I believe or the like Now in such a case the Spirits work is longer and he is fain to bring many more Arguments to confirm this Minor True saith the soul he that believes hath everlasting life but I am none of those Believers and therefore quid ad me What doth this Promise concern such an unbelieving wretch as I am Then the Spirit satisfies the soul in the Minor by producing such proofs of Scripture as evidence faith in the Subject in whom it is such as purifying the heart love to God his wayes his Actâ— 15. 9 Gal. 5. 6 Zech. 12. 10 people grief for sin c. And possibly goes farther and proves those graces to be in the soul by farther Marks drawn from the acts of them which discover the habit whence they proceed This is a work of conviction I told you before and may be done by many Arguments or few according to the light that accompanyes them to the soul Nor is there any reason why Dr. Crisp and his followers should cry down this way of getting assurance by Marks and Signs as uncertain seeing the doubting soul will find something that seemes faulty in every grace which is presented to it as an evidence Object If the Spirit say say they Thou art a Believer because thou hast love that is a fruit of faith the soul may stil doubt Whether it have love if love be manifested by delight in Gods Commandments c. the question will still be Whether that delight be sincere or counterfeit pure or mixed ingenuous or self-ended and therefore say they there can no judgment be made certainly concerning a mans Justification by his sanctification or concerning sanctification by the operations of particular graces Ans To this we answer True these graces whiles I barely endeavour to discover them by my own reason may be still subject to question and so can make no firme assurance But in the soul that is graciously assured this way the Spirit of God rests the heart upon an ultimum quod sic convinceth him by that which is most visible in him and stops the mouth of cavilling reason from perplexing the Question any more As a wise Moderator in a Dispute that when the Argument hath been spun out so long by a wrangling companion that there can be no more said but in away of groundlesse cavilling and angry reflections c. breaks off the Dispute checks the wrangling Antagonist and determines the Controversie by his own sentence upon the whole matter So when a man 's own cavilling heart and Satan helping it have picked out all the flawes possibly in his evidence for heaven and have left no stone unturned to invalidate it and withal the Spirit hath enabled a man to plead to all exceptions of moment and yet these wrangling companions will not be satisfied at last the Spirit makes a man to see that there is nothing can be said that hath not been answered but only such wranglings as deserve no answer but scorn and so determines and enables the soul to determine the great Question by inferring the conclusion with undenyable evidence I know not why this way the Spirit of God assuring should not be lesse subject to question then immediate assurance Seeing in a time of darknesse that is as questionable and will require as long a debate to satisfie the soul whether indeed it were the voice of the Spirit or a mans owne heart and Satan colluding with it to deceive a man Let any man shew mee that 't is easier for a man to be certainly convinced that the Spirits immediate testimony is true and proceeding from the Spirit then that such and such fruits of grace the matter of its mediate testimony are not counterfeit and I have done pressing this Argument any more 3 The third thing the Spirit doth is to infer the conclusion of the grand Syllogisme in a conviction of a gracious and happy estate thus therefore Thou art a child of God an heir of glory justified sanctified c. For all these termes and many more are of equal import to the case in hand the concluding any thing in a man that necessarily accompanies salvation concludes the certainty of salvation to that person and seals up assurance In the former two acts the Spirit is the candle of the Lord without a man in pointing out the word and within a man in the application of his case to the Word and in this he acts the part of a just determiner of the controversie upon this evidence a Judg in the conscience quitting and justifying the Prisoner and this is his sentence of Absolution and therefore when it is pronounced by his Ministers as most commonly it is 't is called loosing the
so in the case of assurance from the Spirit Because some godly Ministers cannot preach so every way experimentally as others can many troubled spirits decline them and their ministery and will scarce vouchsafe to discover their cases to them None must be supposed able to do them good but such and such Well such mens ministery is tryed and it may be not out of any deficiency in them who it is possible may preach truths and apply medicines of soveraign value and vertue but meerely through a secret hand of God rendering them unsuccessefull that he may keep the meanest of his Eembassadours from contempt and the most eminent humble and let people know that the Spirit of consolation and Adoption as well as that of grace and supplication bloweth where and whence and when and how he listeth the soul-patient finds no recovery but it is fain at last to bee beholden to a man of very mean abilities and to a word which seemed empty and barren before for comfort and assurance So for time A soul enlarged in prayer steeped in tears enflamed with desires thinks now verily the time the set time is come God will be found of me in a way of peace and satisfaction No friend no such matter God it may be will make thee stay till thou hast even doubted thy self out of all hope because of thy barrenesse and deadnesse and inability to perform any service as thou oughtest and then he will send his Spirit to shed abroad his love in thy heart thou shalt bring sorth this child of comfort when as Sarahs womb thy soul is dead and almost hopelessely barren 8. A sinfull ambition of self-preparations for comfort and peace were I so much humbled saith the poor soul so kindly and ingenuously affected with my sins could I recover of this deadnesse and flatnesse of spirit into any measure of livelinesse and spiritualnesse in my performances then I would believe comfort and assurance of Gods love belonged to me but that a soul so little so legally broken as I am so barren saplesse lifelesse spiritlesse in all my services should have any share in Christ any title to the Covenant of Grace any part or portion with the Saints of God I cannot I will not believe This is just like Peters unreasonable motion Depart from me for I am a sinfull man O Lord. Luke 5. 8. Foolish man to whom should the Physician come but to the sick 'T were a fond thing to imagine the patient must be recovered before he comes that he may be sit to entertain him So here Thou wilt not entertain any perswasion of an interest in Christ till thou attain such and such proportions and measures of grace Alas man till thou have some evidence of thy interest in Christ thou wilt never a tain them 't is want of that evidence occasions thy defects in humiliation thy deadnesse and sapplessenesse in duties c. Men travel heartlessely in the darke because they know not whether they go backwards or forwards whether the next step may not be a precipice to ruine them But when the day-light ariseth and shews them by the coast of the country that they are in their way this puts new life and spirits into them The joy of the Lord is a Christians strength Neh. 8. 10. Nor is it meet whiles thou art in this frame that thou shouldst have this witnesse in thy Spirit For if thou shouldst recover more life and vigour of grace and duty and thy assurance therein thou perhaps wouldst be proud of thy attainments and attribute thy assurance to them and so God would have lesse honour and thou lesse certainty of it God would have lesse honour because as I said grace I would scarce be seen through such qualifications The smell of some delicious fields they say so takes the dogges that they forget their prey and follow it no more such delicious fields of duties may dâ—aw off the soul from the sent of Christ And thou wouldst have lesse certainty of continuing it For it would rise and fall according to thy own qualifications and ablities For water in a water-course will never rise above its spring if the spring of assurance be your own perfections then as that is higher and lower so will the assurance be You that one time find your graces at a spring tide another time will find them at the lowest ebbe and then your assurance will ebbe with them as it flowes with them 9. Giving too much way to prejudices against God and his love from present sense and feeling For hereby we make the spirit double work First to untie and untangle our own knotty and snarled reasonings and then to build in us a new perswasion upon new arguments of his own A man had better Catechise a child or a rude ignorant heathen then endeavour to reduce an heretick because the one as he knows not the truth so he is not prejudiced against it the other is not only ignorant of it but he is possessed with contrary principles and hath subtilty of argument to resist it So a builder that is to lay foundataions where the ground is clear and hath not been occupyed that way before will not need to do much ere he set upon his work But he that is to lay new foundations and build a new house where the ruins of an old Abbey are already must have double work digging up the old and then laying the new Now 't is strange to hear what arguments Souls in this darknesse are prepossessed withall that God doth not love them 1. Present smart Can love consist with such blowes Those strokes sure are the strokes of an enemy To deliver mee over to Satan to be buffetted by him in such a manner to set me as a spectacle to Men and Angels and shut me up in such a dungeon of horrour as none besides me ever came into Is this consistent with love 2. Past obstinacy God hath said he will not hear me and justly for he hath call'd many times and I have turned the deaf eare to him Yea this is that the Lord hath said Prov. 1. 24. c. Be sure to stop the mouth of these prejudices by Heb. 12. 6. and Isay 55. 7 8 9. Jo. 6. 37. and other such places 10. Slacknesse and remissenesse in occasioned by successelessenesse of Ordinances and Duties When once those prejudices cause a soul to cry out there is no hope God Lam. 3. 6 7 8. hath builded against me he shutteth out my prayer then there is no temptation more likely to succeed then this Why man what dost thou labour for Why dost thou sow thy precious prayers on the sand of the sea shore whence there can no harvest be expected And hereupon the soul is if not taken off from duties yet for want of faith which is the lâ—fe of dutyes the chariot moves slowly when the wheels are taken off Hope to speed is the greatest encouragement to duty You clip
however for state and form he must speak great things against them in his Word Else why doth he lodge in his bosom and entertaine intimate familiarity with such persons as he knowes are thus notorious And can the Lord beare this It was hainously taken at Davids hands that he had caused the enemies of God to blaspheme 2 Sam. 12. See how God complaines of such Boasters of God that they made their boasts of God and the Law and yet by the transgressing of the Law dishonoured God and caused his name to be evil spoken of Rom. 2. 24. and Psal 50. 16 17. God threatens such a person that he would terrifie his conscience to the purpose and set all his sins in order before his eies as took his name into his mouth in a boasting way and yet cast his Law behind him And truly friends I even tremble to think what a sad time not only in respect of spiritual desertions and terrours of conscience which I am perswaded will eminently haunt such professors one day but even in respect of temporal judgments hangs over the heads of many hundreds in this Land if not on the Land it self for their sakes who have given up their names to Christ and make great boasts of God and special intimacy with him before the world and yet have plunged themselves into such notoriously scandalous practices as amaze the very Turks and Infidels that are any way acquainted with the state of our affairs Truly friends if ever God recover the credit and reputation of his Ordinances among us especially of a strict and severe Discipline in the Church I look to hear of roaring consciences good store abroad in the Land for surely God must if he spare us in temporal visitations have some way for the reparation of his honour upon such persons as having eaten of his bread have thus lifted up the heel against him 5 Take heed of formality and spiritual sloath in the Duties of Religion Labour to keep your spirits as high and vigorous in Duties when you have attained Assurance as they were when you sought it Let not your Devotion as the Popish Mariners in the Story fall from a candle as big as the Mast of a ship to a candle of twelves in the pound when the Tempest is over Remember and pay the vowes that you made in the day of your distresse The truth is you that could pursue so eagerly after God in the dark when you were fain to grope out your way are utterly unexcusable if when you have the noon-day-Sun of his countenance shining upon you you cannot walk as freely and zealously in the strength of communion with him I have often told you of that of Neh. 8. 13. The joy of the Lord is a Christians strength sure I am it should be Princes expect that their Favourites should be more zealously at their devotion when they have advanced them then ever they were before Their former services are looked on as stairs for their ambition to climb by but their after services are looked upon as a tribute of thankfulnesse 'T is true the affections of the Saints may and do flag after the compleating of their Assurance of Gods love in some passionate heats as the Affections of an husband are not so wild and impetuous as the Suters are but yet there is still a steady fire burnes in faithful yoak-fellowes by which they as really endeavour mutual satisfaction as ever they did before and their real impressions of affectionate love are constant though the over eagernesse of them be allayed by mutual enjoyments All those flames which hope and fear added before are now extinguished but those of love and good will still continue as high or higher then ever Do not look therefore so much at the heat of your affections as at the reality and seriousnesse of your expressions of them But 't is a sad thing when any slight matter is good enough for God afterwards whereas before we thought our best too bad See how God abhors this dealing Mal. 1. 8 14. 'T is a thing would much discontent a wife if a hot Suiter afterwards prove a cold Husband 6 Take heed of mixing the comforts of the Spirit of God with carnal contentments There is no greater contradiction in the world then Assurance from the Testimony of the Spirit and a covetous prosecution of the things of the world Will any man believe that he is certain heir to a Crown and infallibly knows he shal enjoy it whom he sees gathering rags out of a dunghil to get a penny Nothing as I have told you in the world makes a more generous and noble spirit and less engaged to things below then the assurance of Gods love The Apostle Paul cals them Eph. 3 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dogs meat dung And of Luther the Pope was used to say The Germane beast would not be tempted with Gold And indeed there is no greater damp upon Assurance then this Because 1 The good things of another world and this are of a nature utterly inconsistent and the pleasures that are taken in them are utterly incompatible I mean in any eminent degree As to be conversant among base Drudges abaseth the spirit of a Prince and unfits him for taking contentment in noble and generous imployments Certainely the joyes of the Spirit are too serious spiritual and heavenly to suffer themselves to be mixed with vain and frothy and earthly contentments The light of the Sun will dim and put out the blaze of a fire or candle This Oyle of gladnesse will not incorporate with any thing though never so rich in the composition which is not of the same nature with it self It will swim at the top and if you will come at the inferiour liquor you must first skim that off And therefore if you descend to these meaner satisfactions you must first lay aside the severity and seriousnesse of your spiritual contentments and let fall your spirits to a level of vanity and slightnesse sutable to the refreshments you seek after 2 And when God sees us so undervalue his favour as to proclaime to the world that is not sufficient of it selfe to fill the desires of the soul as all going out after the Creature doth see how God complaines Jer. 2. 31. it proclaimes to the world that God is a barren wildernesse 't is no wonder if God desire not to bring his grace and favour down to so low a Market as such customers expect This is spiritual Adultery and that must needs breed strangenesse and a temporal separation if not divorce The Law is Prov. 5. 19. Let her brests satisfie thee and be thou alwayes ravished with her love So doth God when he is marryed to the soul expect that his brests should satisfie us and when they wil not can you blame him if he grow strange This is to proclaim to all men that a man was mistaken in the choice of God that he finds he is not
yet you are sure of a glorious and happy condition hereafter This you have ver 17. And therefore that the present sufferings which you undergo are no way worthy to be laid in the ballance to abate the least dram of your joy ver 18. for you are heirs not younger children or servants to be put off with gifts as Abraham did the rest of his children besides Isaak but heirs to the estate and what is that estate Heirs of God of all that God hath and is and you partake of the same inheritance with Christ himself co-heirs with Christ 2 That in the greatest dejections deadness and decayes upon your spirits you are sure you shall have assistance enough to keep the intercourse between God and your souls alive verse 26 27. It may be Soul thou art in a strange stupidity of spirit that thou knowest not what to desire the Spirit shal teach thee what to pray for But though 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bears or lifts against as a partaker of the same burthen thou know what would do thee good thou canst not ask it the Spirit shall help thy infirmities But it may be thou canst not speak a word when thou goest to seek God yet the Spirit shall help thee to groan But will God understand those groans Yes for he that searcheth the heart knowes the mind of the Spirit 3 That you shall receive benefit to your selves from the saddest of Providences ver 28. All things shall work together for good All things Ordinances Providences Prosperity Adversity sinnes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 work together They are at work it is their bussnesse All the businesse of the Creatures being servants to God is for the good of his children and they work together for their good Things never so different in their natures and operations conspire for their good as several contrary ingredients in the same Medicine â—ee Ver. 31 correcting each other and one doing what the other cannot 4 That you shall want nothing that you had not better want then have ver 32. He spared not his Son Had he exercised that severity on an Angel it had been much But he spared not his Son not a Son by Adoption but a Son by Nature 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But delivered him up for us all Delivered to whom to Herod and Pilate and Judas and Satan to what to the curse and wrath of God to the death of the Crosse for us in our stead And how shall he not with us give us all things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 How shall he not gratifie us with a free grant of all our desires A Saint assured of Gods love hath all the treasures of heaven and earth at command He is assured if God or creatures can supply him he shall never want any good thing Psal 23. 1. Psal 84 11. 5. That whatever your own misgiving heart tells you or Satan maliciously suggests you can never by all the power of earth or Hell be deprived of any of these priviledges nor lose them by your own sinful miscariages Sinnes cannot deprive you For this would destroy the satisfaction of Christ either Christ suffered for all the sinnes of Gods elect or for some only if for some only then none can be saved of all Gods elect seeing he cannot satisfie for that himselfe which Christ hath not satisfied for If for all then none of them can be condemned Sin may trouble them sadden their Spirits as it ought hide Gods face but it cannot condemn them The Apostle challenges sin and Divel and all in that case v. 34. And all creatures in the following verse 2. Plead it at all times 1. Before God In all those things which you come to God for you must plead Title If you come to God for any good thing you must plead some engagement upon him and the ground of your plea must be either a general or a special promise 'T is true general promises are a good plea when a man hath no other But God loves and 't is much for the comfort of Saints that we urge him upon special bonds Therefore the Saints are bid to say Father and our Father 2 Against Satan and his suggestions 1 Sinful 'T is a good Argument against temptations to sin How shal I that have had such tokens and tastes of Gods special love do this great wickedness and sin against such a God Gen. 39. 9. And if God makes it an aggravation of sin as he doth 1 King 11. 9 why may not we make it an Argument against sin 2 Troublesome When Satan molests the soul with fears and doubts of thy condition have recourse to thy Evidences Tell him thou wilt plead against him before God as a common Barretor for molesting thee in so clear a Title 3 Against the unbelief upon thy own heart This David keeps up withal Psal 73. 26. I confesse saith he I am at an utter losse both without and within yet God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever Psalm 42. ult and 43. he checks his heart in sadnesse upon this account Why art thou cast down c. Trust still in God who is the light of my countenance and my God CHAP. XXXI An exhortation to recover the lost evidence of the Spirit And some advice how to do it in two particulars HEnce be exhorted thirdly to labour to recover it if lost Qu. How shall I do that A. 1. Sit not down quietly rest not in that condition If a man have lost the evidences of his land he will look over all his boxes and chests and romage every corner as we say and will not leave till he hath found them again Thus in the place before quoted did the Holy man Ps 77. My spirit made diligent search The Saints of God in the Scripture could never sit still under such a dark condition It was death to them Psalm 13. 3. and 143. 3 4 7. And no wonder for the darkening of their evidences is a suspension of all influences As during the darknesse of the night or the eclipse of the sun by that interception of light there is a suspension of that quickening influence which the sun hath in things below All graces will wither when God thus hides his face all Duties will be dead and barren all comforts clouded and imbittered as I before also shewed you A woman that loves an husband is reassured of his affection to her cannot endure long absence from him If ever you have been ravished with the love of God you cannot bear his absence long Here I do not advise you to an impatient Caution restlessenesse under that condition No that is too often the fault of Saints But I caution you against a sloathfull resting in such a condition I must be contented with it as it is Gods pleasure but I must not be contented with it as it is occasioned by my default To know this you must 2. Enquire where and how
A man that hath but confused notions of a thing is not able to make a clear and distinct relation of it Sometimes we cannot pray because we know not what to ask Rom. 8. 26. We know not what to ask because we know not distinctly what ails us troubled we are but we cannot tell why As a man divers times in distemper of body let a Physician come to him ask him how he doth he will tell him Sick Sir very sick But ask him where the seat of his distemper most lyes he cannot tel he is very ill and that is all that he can say Thus many a man is troubled in mind indistinctly and confusedly Now such a man cannot but be shut up in prayer The head is clouded and that cloudeth the heart And as in a mist a man sees Objects at a distance that fright him but because he sees them in a mist he can give no distinct intelligence of them So here And oftentimes melancholy of body concurs to hinder by darkning the judgment and distracting the fancy 3 Study Gods Promises and let them dwell in you plentifully And especially such Promises as most concerne your condition so discovered When David hath a Promise he never wants a Prayer How often Psalm 119. doth he urge God upon his Word ver 25 28 58 116 169. The Word is the quiver of all those holy Arrowes by which a straitned soul shoots intelligence to Heaven Prayer is nothing but the Eccho of a Promise I will ease thee saith Christ Matth. 11. 28. O ease me saith the soul Wait and God shall strengthen thy heart saith the Word Psal 27. ult Strengthen my heart saith the soul My grace is sufficient for thee saith the Lord 2 Cor. 12. 9 Let thy grace be sufficient for me saith the soul of a praying Christian Get a Promise and thou hâ—st a great deal of cloath for prayer it lacks but cutting out 4. Stir up the grace of God that is in thee 1 By Meditation Meditation is the bellowes that sets grace a flaming Meditate upon the forementioned Subjects thy owne present condition Gods love and Promises add to them thy frequent past experiences the nature use necessity of maintaining intelligence with God in thy condition the nature use ends of an afflicted estate the Duties that God expects from thee in it and many more subjects of this or a like nature And thou wilt find it with thee as with David Psalm 39. 3. My heart was hot I mused the fire kindled then I spake with my tongue He was dumb before but the heart growes so full now it must needs out or 't will break for want of vent Set before thee as matters of Meditation the chapters and places of Scripture that have been penn'd by the Saints in thy condition 2 By frequent essayes Thou canst not pray How often hast thou tryed It may be once or twice and then grown weary Try again man and again and again till thou canst Some never work well till they are warm Obj. But I can say nothing Answ Then go and complain Lord I would pray but I can say nothing Then look out a Promise and turn it into a Prayer and if thou canst do no more rise again and anon fall to it again Thus children learn to spell read and write What if thou go three four twenty times together and be able to say but a few words those stil the same Christ did so in his Agony In such a case if thou hast a good form by thee of another mans I know not why at least the viewing if not use of it may not quicken the Spirit of Prayer in thee Câ—uâ—ches may help us when we are lame that hinder us when we are sound 3 If thou caust get a godly experienced friend to pray with thee discover thy case to him as well as thou canst and let him spread it before the Lord and labor thou to joyne with him Iron sharpneth iron so doth the face of a man his friend In such holy communion one prayer begets another Two lying together grow both warm Or get such friends to pray for thee 1 Cor. 1. 11. Paul acknowledgeth a great deal of help from the Corinthians prayers A diligent use of these means and frequent application of thy self to the use of them wil by degrees recover thy lost acquaintance with God again FINIS The Contents THe first Treatise concerning the Spirit of Bondage layes down these two Theses 1. That the convictions concussions and terrours which bring a sinner before conversion under a spiritual bondage to the sad apprehensions of the curse and wrath of God due to him by the Law because of the guilt of sinne are ordinarily the works of Gods blessed Spirit 2. That In order to the conversion of sinners it is the ordinary and usual way of the Holy Spirit of God to become thus a Spirit of Bondage before he becomes a Spirit of Adoption To the first of these way is made by a preface containing a brief explication and vindication of the meaning of the Apostle Paul Rom. 8. 15. where he makes mention of this Spirit of Bondage wherein I state this Question Quest What the Spirit of Bondage is in the Apostles sense and the fear that proceeds from it Chap. 1. The Thesis cleared 1. By shewing how this work as it is managed by the Spirit of God differs from a like work of Satan And in the close thereof 2. By enquiring whether this work always ends in conversion Chap. 2. A few words are added to prove it Chap. 3. Practical Corollaries from the Premises 1. By way of support Chap. 4. 2. By way of Caution in several branches 0 1. Not to harden the heart against the Spirits soft voyce 2. Not to mis-apprehend our own case under bondage 3. Not to judge others in that case 4. Not to break the Spirits bonds but by his leave whether it be 1. By profane or vain diversions and avocations of our hearts from being serious and through therein Chap. 5. 2. Or by over-greedy grasping after peace and comfort ere we are prepared for it Whence ariseth A Practical Question concerning the measures of humiliation necessarily required to conversion and comfort and concerning fitnesse of the soul for comfort Chap. 6. The 3. 4 5 6. Corolaries Viz. By way of exhortation By way of conviction of the true use of the ministry of the Law By way of plea for the frequent seeming peevishness of poor souls refusing comfort By way of humiliation to such as herein have formerly it may be frequently stifled convictions and fears c. 7. The second Thesis explained 1. By enquiring into the nature of the work of the Spirit of Bondage where conviction is described ch 8. 2. By assigning the means of this work ch 9. Evidence given of the Spirits usual working this way c. 10. Qu. Vpon what designes the Spirit most commonly workes in this method Discovered in twelve
those horrid temptations and gratifying Satan by self destruction If he would have given thee over to Satan why not sooner If he hath preserved thee hitherto why may he not longer Whiles thou livest there is hope He that is above ground is insight of heaven See and acknowledge the gracious conduct even of the holy Spirit hitherto and do not by too long and wilful adventuring to parle with the enemy of thy soul drive him from thee CHAP. V. Wherein are several Cautions emerging from the premises NOr will this truth yield us lesse matter of Caution In these particulars 1. Take heed how you carry your selves towards the Spirit of God you hardened sinners When the Spirit wooes you with Gospel language draws with cords of love presenting you with the incomparable loveliness of him for whom he sollicites the beauty of his person the vastness of his power the riches of his inheritance the unfainednesse of his love and beseecheth you for Christs sake to be reconciled to God Friends do not grieve vex resist quench the spirit of Grace Let me tell you if cords of love will not draw you he hath chains of wrath to hamper you in if you will follow other lovers Hos 2. 6. he hath hedges of thorns to hâ—dg up your way withal if he can not draw you by the love of Christ to love him again he can take another course with you to make you love him for your own need Remember friends he that now offers upon easie tearms to become a Spirit of Adoption to you if you receive him can and will be a Spirit of Bondage to you if you refuse him If he let loose the Law upon you he can in a moment damp all your comforts if he shoot terrours into your spirits all the World cannot ease you if he command the least sinne to seize upon your consciences he can make a cloud of an hands bredth to cover the whole heaven of all your comforts if he lay but the little finger of one curse or threatening upon your backs he can make it heavier then the loyns of all the griefs troubles that you ever underwent in all your lives if he command horrors of spirit to rack you they will quickly break your bones and drink up your spirits and make your eyes old with weeping and your Psal 51. 8. Isa 38. 13. Psal 6. Psal 31. Psal 38. 77. Psal 4. couches swim with your tears and your hearts pant and your strength fail and your wounds stink he can quickly fill your loins with a loathsome disease he can keep your eyes waking distract you with his terrours and turn your moisture into the drought of summer and make Psalm 88. 15. Isay 38. 15. you go softly in the bitternesse of your soul And if all this will not do he can deliver you over to Satan at last to give you a taste of hell here and translate you from that to a worse hereafter 2. Take heed you carnal wretches do not miscal the Spirit of Bondage Men too often look upon troubles of spirit as bare effects of a melancholy distemper more proper for the Physician to deal withal then the Divine and are too apt to impute that to the infirmity of body which is indeed the immediate hand of God upon the soul Ignorant people because they are unacquainted with the dealings of God in this kind often blaspheme the work of the Spirit of Grace and call it downright madness and reproach such preachers as God makes use of to wound the conscience as those that make men mad True the body and soul are such near friends as there can be no trouble in the one but the other sympathizeth and so distemper of body may possibly heighten a souls trouble yea and possibly occasion it Yet must we take heed how we darken the work of the Spirit by too much looking at that in such troubles A discerning Minister or Christian observing the ground and occasions of the trouble the coherency or incoherency of discourse the evenesse or unevennesse of carriage and the like symptomes need not to be much mistaken in judging the case of a person in the first particular Oh friends take heed what you do look with reverence and fear upon such dealings of God towards your friends and acquaintance rather do what Job calls for from his friends Take pitty upon them for the hand of the Lord hath smitten them Job 19. 21. Remember 't was old Elies uncharitable censure to take Hannah for a drunken woman when she was a woman of a sorrowful spirit 1. Sam. 1. 14 Take heed of persecuting him whom the Lord hath smitten and talking to the grief of him whom he hath wounded Psal 69. 26 3. Take heed of judging the condition of those whom the spirit hath thus brought under bondage Indeed their wounds are grievous and appear incurable yet consider he that lanced them so deep is a wise and skilful and tender and experienced Chirurgeon Take heed how you think them the greatest sinners whom he lays most fetters upon It is the Lord whose prisoners they are and he may have gracious ends of Acts. 16. 24. that severity He may lay a Paul and Silas in the inner prison and put their feet into the stocks that he may the more exalt himselfe in their delivery he may hurt the feet of his Josephs with fetters and their souls may come into irons as the original reads Ps 105. 18. and all this to exalt them and comfort others 4. Take heed how you attempt to break loose you who are in the Spirits fetters Herein 2 Cor. 1. 6 we too often offend more ways then one 1. There is nothing more usual then to endeavour to obliterate those impressions of the holy spirit by civil and sometimes by uncivil diversions 't is no smal evil when we will as Felix did Pauls Sermons of righteousnesse and temperance and the judgment to come Acts 24. 25. put off the Spirits motions till a more convenient time Men are loath as the Devils Mat. 8. 29. to be tormented before their time and therefore are willing to make any shift for the present to cast those truths out of their minds which may disturbe the quiet of their consciences such serious truths must be dismist till a serious time in sicknesse on the death bed they will send for them again when the Physician can do no more then they will admit the Divine It seems too contrary to nature and too grievous to flesh and bloud to suffer a scrupulous inquiry after the things of eternity which they think they shall not have to doe with for many years to deprive them of carnal contents in that age which is only capable of enjoying them And therefore if conscience be clamorous and serious questions intrude company and imployment must be made use of to plead an excuse for our laying them aside youthfull pleasures must bee admitted to rarify the
consciences with the flames of unquenchable fire Matth. 37 9 10 12. The Apostles also follow the same method Peter Acts 2. and Stephen Acts 7. and Paul Acts 17. and 24 make it their first work to preach the Law and Judgment So that it seemes needlesse to me to insist any longer on this head 3. The Examples of those Converts the manner of whose conversion is declared in the Scripture hold forth a farther evidence to this Truth Ephraim is so converted Jer. 31. 18. Smites on the thigh Manasseh is humbled greatly and the Crucifiers of our Saviour are pricked in their hearts Acts 2 Chro. 33. 12 2. 37. and the Jailor comes in trembling chap. 16. 29. Paul is smitten to the ground Acts 9. 4. and trembles and is astonished verse 6. And the incestuous Corinthian is even swallowed up of sorrow 2 Cor. 2. 7. And if any examples as those of Zacheus and Lydia seem to speak no such matter yet seeing the Scriptures are not so punctual in the manner but only relate the matter they must rather be rdeuced to this rule then be urged as examples against it Sure if God had dealt with them another way and would have had us to have made any such exceptions from the general rule of his dealing with others he would have been more particular in the recording of those passages that might ground them Besides it is concieved by some of no mean note that they were converted before as members of the Jewish Church and their then conversion was but to Christianity from Judaism which needed no such work As for Lydia 't is clear she was one that before was a Proselyte one that worshipped God the Text saith Acts 16. 14. CHAP. XI The Designes and Intendments of the Spirit in this method of working Conversion in twelve Particulars Quest 4. WHy will the Spirit work this way Answ For several Reasons 1. Hereby is Christ made far more precious then he would be if he dropt this grace into our mouthes without any such sharpning our appetites by the pain of hunger and want to receive him The full soul loatheth or as it is in the Original treadeth under foot the honey comb Prov. 27. 7. The whole will think a fee lost upon a Physician and the man on whom the Law hath not passed will not say Gramercy for a pardon And on the other side it is necessity that endears any thing to us And the more extreme that necessity is the more welcome is the supply A beggar that is pinched with hunger and even starved with cold what course fare and thread bare garments will he beg hard for A man upon the Gallowes and ready to be turned off what will he give for a pardon Sharking Tradesmen know well enough what use to make of the buyers necessity to enhance the price A man will huck and drive the bargain for Christ to half pence and farthings till he be brought to this passe 2. Hereby doth God engage the hearts of men more to him Look over the thankful remembrances of Gods Saints over all the Word and see how great an ingredient their misery is into their thankfulness Ezra We were bond-men yet our God hath not forsaken us in our Bondage c. Ezra 9. 9 David frequently enlargeth upon this common place Psal 18. 5 6 7. The cords of hell compassed me about and the snares of death prevented me In my distress I cryed upon the Lord and he heard my voice c. And so Psal 116. The sorrowes of death compassed me and the pains of hell gate hold upon me Then called I on the name of the Lord c. And after followes a thankful enquiry Quid retribuam What shall I render to the Lord q. d. I do not know any return in the world that may be answerable to so great a mercy So Hezekiah Isai 38. 20. after his sad complaint wherein he drawes a picture of his sad condition in all the saddest and darkest colours imaginable at last saith he The Lord was ready to save me therefore will I sing my songs to the stringed instruments all my life long in the house of the Lord. Think how thankful a starving begger will be for an Almes a condemned man for a Pardon a Prisoner in Argier for a Ransom a man that roars under the Stone or Gout or Collick for a cure and in some sort you conceive how engaging such a mercy as Pardon Redemption Healing is to a sinner broken weary laden with the weight of his sins terrified afrighted distracted with the sense of Gods displeasure for them to hear of a Saviour a Redeemer a Comforter how welcome is it How Paul speaks 1 Tim. 1. 13 15 16 I was a Persecutor a Blasphemer injurious c. 3. Love in such a soul will keep even pace with thankfulness Undoubtedly the more low the Spirit sinks us in this dungeon the more low thoughts will men have of themselves and by consequence the more love will they shew to Christ who even in such a condition did not abhor them but took them out of such a condition to advance them unto the neerest friendship with himselfe For a Prince to take a condemned Malefactor from the Prison or Gallowes and advance her to his Bed and Throne how endearing a love would this bee how every way free undeserved unexpected unconceived must it appear This is evident in the former Psalm 18. 1. c. and Psalm 116. 1. c. compared with their following Verses 4. Sinne must needs be far more odious to to such a soul The burnt child dreads the fire 't is the wormwood upon the dug that weans the child from it say to a condemned thief or other malefactor that hath narrowly escaped the gallowes as the wicked tempters are brought in seducing Prov. 1. 11. come with us cast in thy lot among us we will all have one purse will he not except he be a desperately hardened wretch deny the motion with detestation God forbid that I that but now am come off from the Ladder that but now have had the bolts knockt off my hands should any more take up that course that brought me thither Let a mans jolly companions sollicite such an one as hath been acquainted with the Spirit of Bondage whose feet have been hunt in the stocks of the Law and the Iron hath entred into his soul to a drinking match or a stage play or any other of the sinnes and vanities of his former days what will he say but as that Philosopher when the whore valued her common ware at so dear a rate Non emam tanti poenitere Friends forbear to presse me any longer Had you felt those heart aches and cramps those agues and convulsions of conscience which I have done for such courses as those had you been in the Spirits house of Bondage as I have been had you been stretched upon the Spirits rack had you felt the strappado of the Law and
hady our bones broken on its wheele had you fed upon ashes and drunk tears and been whipt with scorpions every morning and ever and anon been doused over head and ears in the gulfe of Gods wrath shaken over hell fire and carryed the coals of it in your bosomes as I have done for divers weeks moneths years it may be you would find out some other way of spending your times and not treasure up sorrow for your souls here and wrath against the day of wrath hereafter One saith Sweetnesse before sense of sinne is like cordials to a foul stomack Shepherds Sound Believer I shall easily grant that the love of Christ is a very effectual and the most effectual restraint to sinne when it is manifested to the soul and set home effectually by the spirit but so dull are we to improve such ingenuous inducements that we have but too much need of experience of the bitternesse of sinne to second that consideration And indeed though that be most effectual where it works yet this is effectual with the most And moreover as before was shewed the argument from love is strengthened by this experience The experience of the bitternesse of sinne makes the love of Christ in delivering us from it more engaging 5. Hereby the Spirit terrifies others and restrains them from sinne As publique prisons and gallows do not only punish malefactors but prevent many evils that would be committed but for the severity used against some The World must needs read the torments of Hell to unconverted sinners by an easie deduction from those terrors that they see in converts or at least the hard termes upon which they must be delivered from them And this works often more effectually by comparing their lives who are made the butts of these divine arrowes with their own when they consider that if others smart so heavily for the fewer and smaller sins which they to appearance are guilty of their own more and greater deserve worse 6. Hereby the Spirit teacheth us to pray to sigh and grone out unutterable requests Jesus Christ upon earth when he suffered for our sinnes was under a Spirit of Bondage The Law said to him when he stood in our stead whoever is under the Law is under the curse of God and under the sentence of eternal death but thou art under the Law And this had the same effects which it hath on us it wrought horrour and anguish and such a despair of help every way but from his Father that was able to deliver him from death and that made him powre out strong cries and groanes Heb. 5. 7. Thus David cried to the Lord in the cords of hell Ps 18. 5 6. 116. 3 4 he groans and roares c. 7. Hereby the spirit keeps us the more humble all our dayes And for my part I may suspect the other way by the pride that attends it in those that boast of it as when a man whose life hath been forfeited to justice and saved by meer mercy growes proud we say Sir remember you were in another garb in such a Prison at such a place of Execution so will the Spirit make use of such admonitions ever after to such persons Remember my fetters the gall and wormwood c. Hereby it makes us contented with Gods slow and gradual way of comforting which is usual with him which our pride and tenderness cannot endure 8. That it may provoke pity and tendernesse and prevent censoriousnesse in one to another in such cases This made Christ a merciful and compassionate High Priest Heb. 2. 18. that he had the experience of our griefs and sorrowes God will have heart answer heart as face face Were such works not usual even Prov. 27. 19 Saints would look upon such as Monsters whom the hand of the Lord hath smitten Christ was so stared on as a Monster Psalm 22. 17. They look and stare upon me And Isai 8. 18. Behold I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signes and wonders As the World looks upon troubled spirits so would other Saints but for this experience 9. That he may fit them for the comfort of several Gospel Promises which without this work they are not qualified for Such as that to hungring and thirsting after Righteousnesse poverty of spirit Matth. 5. 3 4 6. To wearinesse and being heavy laden with sin Matth. 11 28. To an humble and contrite heart Isai 57. 15. To a Saint in a Wildernesse Hosea 2. 14. How can men be the subjects of these promises without this work Many comfortable promises of the Scripture signifie nothing but stand for cyphers to souls who have had no acquaintance with this Work 10 That it may make us prize and take care to keep the favour of God when we have it Seeing we know by experience that if he hide his face we are like them that go down into the pit Ps 143. 7 11 That he may make the yoak of duty appear more desirable to the heart and feel more easie to the neck of Saints by comparison with the heavinesse of the yoak of sin 12 That he may settle comfort the more by such shaking at first As the tree growes more downward and roots deeper when it is exercised with storms and shaken at first and broken bones grow stronger if new set again These are some of many Reasons that might be given why the Spirit usually converts this way CHAP. XII A Case of Conscience eoncerning the measure of this work Quest 5 VVHat measure doth the Spirit work by in this bringing souls under bondage Answ He observes not the same measure with every soul nor continues it so long on one soul as on another Only so much must be wrought of all the forementioned works as will accomplish the saving ends of those works Now the end of one of these works is the begetting of the other and the end of all Christ Christ is the end of the Law to a Rom. 10. 4 Believer as soon as a man is brought to a full close with Christ the works mentioned are at an end and so they will when they have done the immediate preparatory work to faith which is to drive the soul out of all other shelters and make it conclude it self under a necessity of coming to Christ So much conviction saith a godly and a learned man now with God is necessary as breeds Shepherds Sound Believer compunction and so much compunction as breeds a through Humiliation And when is that When the soul thinks no more of by-wayes to escape but accepts the bonds and kisseth the fetters of the Spirit and acknowledgeth its imprisonment just and that justice might without any wrong done condemn it to perpetual imprisonment These are wrought generally in all Converts but not in al so visibly nor do the Converts themselves alike long stay in one as the other some have lesse horror and anguish yet perhaps a more kindly self-denying
sorrow occasioned by these sins bears a more immediate relation to the holinesse of God who only is offended by them they being such as none else can take cognizance of II. If a man under soul troubles be full free ingenuous and impartial in his confessions of sin and in his censures concerning himself I love in such a case to hear a soul say the worst of it self that can be when it sayes it sensibly and cordially as in such soul troubles it hath little stomack to complement or dissemble Oh what a vile wretch am I I am perswaded thousands of my betters are in hell Did you ever know any one guilty of my sins with my aggravations Thus was Paul in his conversion for to that time his confession refers 1 Tim. 1. 15. convinced that he was the chief of sinners Now among all aggravations of sin if you lay the comparison the most ingenuous are such as are drawne from abundant mercies large and liberal means frequent convictions infinite patience c. A soul that chargeth it self home here seems to have some touches of a more then ordinary spirit There is a Promise to this condition as a threatning to the contrary Proverbs 28. 13. III. If a man justifie God and the Law by which he stands condemned For herein is a very great measure of humiliation evidenced and hereby is God mightily honoured And certainly then is our design for happinesse most likely to be successefully carryed on when it involves Gods honour with it This heart is throughly broken when it will not resist God so much as in a thought although he go to hell for ever Another that is not so kindly wrought upon Rom. 7. 12. Psal â—1 â— may possibly confesse that with his lips but yet secretly the heart rising against God and the Law for tying up man so close and inflicting eternal wrath upon temporary sins and in stead of being troubled for sin is secretly troubled that there is a Law against it IV. If the trouble be trouble of mind i. e. be settled fixed rooted in the judgment and reason as well as in the passions and affections And so it be not easily to be removed or diverted by worldly avocations Ordinarily when God strikes home he doth not onely make men cry and roar as children nay dogs will do but grieve as men do upon some extraordinary losse when they apprehend it so as that they do not only mourne but judg they must do so and therefore all other things must yeild to that affection such a mourning was that of Isaiah in another case Isaiah 22. 4. a resolved mourning Look away from me I will weep bitterly labor not to comfort me c. V. If which is a notable prognostick of a good issue to conscience troubles a mans greatest trouble be for that he is selfish in his troubles that his grief for sin is so much of kin to his own desire of salvation and fear of hell and punishment O saith such a soul indeed I grieve and am troubled but in all this I am but a base selfish creature if it were not for fear of hell and desire to go to heaven I should sin all my dayes and never be troubled It doth not affect me that God is dishonoured by my sins that they are contrary to the purity of his holy nature and this selfishness in my trouble is my greatest trouble Said I that this frame prognosticates a good issue to the bondage of the spirit That is too little it immediately foreruns if not accompanies a good a renewed heart For this evidently shewes some love to God or at least some earnest pressing on towards it and for my part let me find a soul in such a frame I shall tell him his salvation is near and his warfare well nigh accomplished This reflex trouble if I may so call it or superfoetation of the spirit of Bondage declares something in this work more then ordinary To be troubled first for sin and then for the sin of those troubles declares that a man pants and longs after a perfect holiness as well as happiness and that is a blessed condition VI. And lastly If such a soul be shy and fearful of taking sanctuary in promising and resolving For this is a good sign that he will not split upon the rock of self-Justification and that at present he is so throughly humbled that he dares not arrogate to himself one thred in the whole web of his salvation that he throughly knowes the evil and plague of his own deceitful heart Seldom any great Promisers under the work of Convicton are sure pay-masters CHAP. XIX Past experiences improved for the comfort of those that are gone through this work TO those that have been under and have happily gone through this work of the Spirit of Bondage consolation in two or three branches 1 In that they may now stand on the farther bank of the River on the farther shoar of the tempestuous sea and sing Songs of Deliverance as Moses and Israel did Exod. 15. Forsan haec clim meminisse juvabit Sayes the General in a storm to his fainting followers With what delight do old men tell over the adventures and hazardous services of their youth to their young ones Those things that are most hard and unpleasant to undertake are most sweet and refreshing to remember when we have gone through them That that kept David mourning that he had little heart to sing as we say whilst he was under it becomes a great part of his Songs of praise when he is gone through it See Psal 40. 116. c. 2 Hereby they may ground themselves very firmly in the assurance of their effectual calling and conversion to God Indeed if this evidence from the manner and method of our conversion because of the earlinesse of the work as it may fall out or by reason of the speediness of our passage through it cannot be easily discerned it is sufficient for our comfort if God enable us to see the fruits and effects of grace such as hatred of sin love of holinesse and of every thing that promotes it for its sake a precious esteem of all Gods Saints because they are such c. but the evidence that is drawn from bâ—th is most full and satisfactory As when a mans Title to Land is questioned 't is true it is sufficient to be able to prove that his evidenceâ— are true but that will be more cleared if he can alledg that they were sealed at such a time in such company upon such and such considerations circumstances of an action being so many partial witnesses to the reality of it I have heard that a promise though proved is no sufficient ground for a suit in Law except the grounds and terms on which it was made appear also 3. Hereby they are assured if the work have been deep and through not only sleight and superficial if it have been attended with a
conscience Now conscience in some persons is silenced by main force in others disheartened by a sleighting carriage in others bribed by a forme of godlinesse and so it is brought to give way to a delusive and undoing peace and either to flatter a man in the way to hel or not to give him a plain information of his condition Now it is a very dangerous thing to quiet conscience with any thing in the World but the bloud of Jesus When an unsprinkled Heb. 10. 22. conscience is at peace this is a dangerous and undoing peace Conscience is the soules faithful watchman and will if it bee not blind when it 's let alone in its duty give faithfull intelligence of its danger in time that it may be avoided Now when conscience is discouraged herein and prevailed withal to speak nothing but pleasing things how soon and how suddenly will such persons souls be surprized and ruined before they are aware of it A thousand times better to have a roaring conscience then a sleeping conscience and a sullen conscience that will never speak a good word to a man then a fawning conscience that wil never although there be never so great cause speak a bad one Hereby doth Satan secure a soul against saving conversion for the future See Acts 28. 27. and God sayes Amen to it Isai 6 9. John 12. 40. 4 Possibly hereby thou maist be brought farther then all this Thou hast not only laid all tongues within door but thou wilt begin to silence the cocks without door also that thou mayest sleep securely for the future Gods faithful Embassadors that speak too loud and home to thy spiritual condition must be enjoyned or flattered or scared into a deep silence as to all such points as may trouble thee lest conscience newly laid to rest should startle again This was in another case the frame of Ahab he was resolved upon his war and then all the Court-Chaplains are taught their Lesson that they must all prophesie good success to the Kings design and Micaiah because he will not say as they do hath much ado to get a hearing 1 Kiâ—gs 22 and when he is heard gets an imprisonment for delivering his Message So it is with men in this case when they are resolved to be at peace with their defiled consciences upon any termes they wilfully turne their backs upon such Ministers as say not what they will have them and if it were in their power would use them no better then Ahab used Micaiah and Herod John the Baptist And now I have mentioned Herod me thinks I see him just such a man as I am now discoursing of a man convinced and very likely to become a convert one that heard John gladly a great while and sure he was much wrought on that could please himself in so austere and sowre a Preacher as John was but when he had prevailed with conscience to wink at his sinful pleasure with Herodias then because John made so much noise of the businesse that both the King and his Minion were afraid he would make that tell-tale awake and look abroad againe and stare them in the face the Preacher must be laid in prison and his head must be cut off to keep his tongue quiet Now when a man hath brought himself to such a passe as to all ordinary and likely meanes of conversion he is desperate 5. Possibly thou maist grow into a grosse neglect of duties and Ordinances An un-grounded peace often carries men to this for as it was gotten without these meanes so it is maintained without them And the soul thus set at liberty is afraid of coming within the reach of those meanes that may reduce it back again to its old condition And therefore seeing these are the meanes to work conversion a soul prejudiced against these is in a most unlikely way of ever being savingly wrought upon The man that under this delusion being even upon this very account prejudiced against them because whiles he was under them he could never be quiet and since he hath left them all things are in peace whence it appears that he is resolved though it cost him his salvation not to break if possibly he can prevent it his corrupt and unwarrantable security and peace He is asleep and not willing to be disturbed though he be on the top of a Mâ—st Prov 23. 34. 6 After all this it is a thousand to one if thou do not become a more desperate enemy to and Persecuter of the wayes of God then any other and so by degrees fall into the unpardonable sin Convinced men come neer the Kingdom of God and then their hopes are high from God and all this while they flatter him with their lips and are much in prayer and hearing c. until by their desperate Apostacies from these beginnings they have the sentence of condemnâ—tion in their own hearts which they bear about with them still though not alwayes with the same raging and raving clamours and this consciousnesse of being cast off by God and utterly deserted by the spirit of grace turnes all their love into hatred and no men in the world prove more bloudy Persecuters then they Truly Beloved it is not for nothing that we find troubled consciences that are made graciously tender to complain so often of their own hearts that they are afraid they have sinned the sin against the Holy Ghost for though every Apostacy from a mans convictions be not that sin yet every Apostacy from strong and deep workings of the Spirit of Bondage is a great step towards it And although it be sure that no man hath committed that sin who can mourn upon supposition that he hath committed it yet it is no lesse sure that many who have been before great Mourners under the sense of other sins may fall into it and be rendred uncapable of ever mourning for sin any more but in Hell CHAP. XXIII Such are exhorted to endeavour to recover those lost impressions A Question discussed hereupon and Objections answered 2. A Second Duty incumbent upon such persons is to labour to reduce again those lost impressions of the Spirit of Bondage I confesse it is a very hard matter to recover a spirit of conviction and compunction again when it is once lost yet it may be had the soul being first made deeply sensible as was before required of the evil and danger of checking and losing it and following God in all his Ordinances conscienciously for its recovery But truly 't is a very rare thing without very extraordinary Grace for such impressions to be at least effectually renewed As in dangerous relapses nature having made many attempts to cast out her enemy and failing is ordinarily so wearyed out that it is an extreme difficult thing to apply any Physick strong enough to conquer the disease and yet not too strong for nature to manage and therefore it requires the more labor with our hearts to effect Object
to eternity But 2. That thou acknowledgest the Justice of God herein gives good hope of thee To accept of the punishment of our iniquity and to acquit God is one good sign of the truth and soundnesse of humiliation When a man is humbled as low as hell takes it for his portion and deserved too sure God useth not to be deaf to such an acknowledgment as this The Judg at the Bench is never more inclined to mercy then when an Offendor takes his guilt on him and acquits the Bench and the Jury and confesseth his condemnation is and execution will be just 3. We may possibly offend in bringing down God to the line of men in this case and therefore there are Promises of acceptance to such as thou art Hos 14. 4. Jer. 3. 22. Though thou canst not go to God upon meer grounds of probability yet thou maist upon his own Promises and Engagements Object But possibly I have sinned against the Holy Ghost Answ 1. Every sin against the Holy Ghost is not the sin against the Holy Ghost the emphatical sin against the Holy Ghost Every Apostasie is not that sin then Peter had sinn'd unpardonably and Cranmer and divers others in the late times that have recanted the Truth and have returned againe to their stedfastnesse and dyed for it Every wilful sin against convictions is not that sin then had David no doubt in his plotted murder and adultery sinned against the Holy Ghost in this unpardonable way So had Abraham in denying his wife and Peter also in denying his Master sure they knew such acts were sins That sin is all these but you must add to make up the full nature of it that it must be a total Apostacy against full light ending in a malicious persecution of the knowne Truth and wayes of holinesse The Pharisees were such Persecutors and Reproachers of the Doctrine and Works of Christ as coming from Satan which by the miracles that accompanied him they could not but in their consciences believe came from God and therefore Christ chargeth them justly with that sin Malice there must be for persecution out of ignorance in Pauls example is pardonable 1 Tim. 1. 17 18. And in an heat of passion one godly man hath persecuted another So Asa 2 Chron. 16. 10. Lastly That thou hast not sinned that sin is clear in that thou art affraid of it and that fear is thy greatest grief and burthen c. That sinne carries with it an heart that cannot repent a seared conscience However look on thy present condition as very dangerous although not desperate Penal hardnesse of heart and the fore-mentioned attendants of it are a rode way to it Timely caution may prevent thy falling so far Please not thy selfe in such sins with this conceit that yet thou hast not sinned the sin against the Holy Ghost and therefore mayst yet go on in them with hope of mercy Presumptuous sinnes are the ushers to the great transgression Psalm 19. 13. as we render the word CHAP. XXV An exhortation to certain duties proper to this condition of bondage HEre is also an Exhortation to such as are under this condition 1. Be patient under the present hand of the Spirit A man will bear a great trouble patiently when he can see likelyhood of a good issue in it A sick man is contented to be made sicker for healths sake Finis confert amabilitatem mediis say the Schoolmen and a man that hath a gangrened arm or legge will endure the sawing it off willingly to save the whole body Troubles of conscience are grievous troubles But so long as they are in the hand of the spirit as instrumental means to facilitate conversion how patiently shouldest thou undergo them If they were to thy eternal confusion patience were meet partly as to a punishment deserved and of thy own choice partly as to a condition which repining at it may augment but never remedy How much more when these troubles are converting saving troubles or are used by the spirit to that end The good ground brought forth its fruit with patience Luke 8. 15. And if ever thou wilt see fruit of thy soul troubles thou must stay the time 2. Keep up hope under all discouragements I know a thousand discouragements are ready upon every occasion to beat thee off thy hold and hopes And against them set those promises which Scripture is every where full of to persons in thy condition together with the examples of others recorded there and to these add thy own experience both in the persons of others and thine own Think how many such sad souls in all ages Gods Spirit hath conducted through the wildernesse and caused them to rest in the full assurance and undoubted evidence of his love Read over the sad complaints of David in his convictions and soul troubles and how God at last compassed him about with songs of deliverance set in joynt all his broken bones and bestowed on him the joy of his salvation Nay how many of those Saints that you dayly do or may converse withall can speak no lesse from their own experience Thou art under a condition of hope whiles thou art under this work it is the method of the Spirit in conversion as was before shewed It is with thee as with the people Ezra 10. 2. though thy case be sad yet now God hath affected thy heart with thy sinne and misery and made thee confesse and bewail thy sinnes before him now there is hope in Israel concerning this as Shechaniah saith after the humiliation of the people for their strange wives in the preceding Chapter Thou art yet a prisoner but a prisoner of hope Zech. 9. 12. See what advice and encouragement the Church from her own experience gives Lam. 3. 26 27 28 c. It is good for a man to hope for the salvation of the Lord why so See verse 31 32. For the Lord will not cast off for Lam. 3. ever but though he cause grief yet will hee have compassion according to the multitude of his tender mercies O saith the soul what is my strength that I should hope as Job 6. 11. alas the Lord hath cast me off for ever I see my present agony and distresse of spirit that he intends to break all my bones and send me ver 4. to hell with all my bones broken on the wheele of his displeasure The more I cry ver 8. the more deaf he seems to be unto my prayer ver 4 6. he hath brought me into darknesse and made my skin old he hath builded against me fortified ver 5. his kingdome against all my attempts by a resolution that I shall not enter into his rest he hath compassed me with gall and travel hee ver 5. 6. 7. 8. 10. 11. 12. 13. 15. 16. hath set me in dark places he hath hedged me about and made my chain heavie he shuts out my prayer he is a bear and a lion
place he bestowes upon us the right of Adoption as the most properworker of this union And as our Faith is the instrument of union so hee is the giver of faith 1 Cor. 12. 9. Faith indeed Divines ordinarily call an Instrument but 't is but an improper instrument for as all its efficacy depends upon the relation which it hath to Christ as an hand is the instrument to make rich when it receives a treasure or layes hold on it when freely offered so it doth nothing at all on Gods part But the Spirit is in a sense a proper instrument on both parts applying both Christ to us and us to Christ Christ to us by reaching us a promise to lay hold on and us to Christ by giving us an hand to lay hold on it and rest our souls upon it 2. Hee is the witnesse of our Relation And this work is principally set out to us in the verse preceding that which is the ground of our discourse The Spirit also witnesseth Rom. 8. 14. with our spirits that we are the Children of God Concerning the manner of the Spirits testifying I shall say somewhat hereafter onely take notice now that he is said to witnesse with our spirits i. e. to say the same thing with our consciences rightly informed of their condition Thus he is a seal and an earnest not to confirm on Gods part but to assure our legal title on our part Eph. 1. 13. 2 Cor. 1. 22. In the discharge of this work he is the comforter who takes of Christs and shews unto John 6. 14. his people i. e. not only saving truth in illumination and saving grace in regeneration and justification but also speciall light and comfort in manifestation of our interest in God through Christ he takes the Deed by which Christ is made the adopted head of his family and all the territories of heaven and earth are given to him and his seed for ever and shews it to the Saints and bids them cheer up for though they be now poor and persecuted wandring in sheep-skins and goat skins hiding among wild beasts in dens and holes of the earth yet they are heirs to all that heaven and earth contains and the time will come when this great estate shall come in hand and therefore they should lay out liberally upon their hopes at present and throw away all these things in a kind of holy prodigality when God calls for them being assured that their future inheritance will make amends for all This is the assuring act of the Spirit and differs from the former thus there hee barely discovers to us a promise and stirres us up to adventure upon it upon general invitations here he gives us an evidence that that promise is ours and enables us to make use of it by particular interest 3. He is the Advocate of our Cause And thus he is said also in this Chapter to make intercession for us When our title at any time comes under dispute or when any thing is detained from us which our relation and the evidences which confirm it entitles us unto he enables us to sue out our interest or if any thing befal us unworthy the children of God he helps us to write letters to our Father to complain of and bemoan our condition Rom. 8. 26 27. And this is that that is principally intended in the Text together with the former which is the ground of this the Spirit helps us to cry Abba Father by assuring us that God is our Father and putting us upon earnest and importunate requests to him as the requests of children use to be to a tender and compassionate Father And this work of the Spirit is so frequent and constant in the Saints that it is in effect attributed wholly to the Spirit God hath sent the Spirit of his Son into our heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 crying as if he meerly acted our tongues Abba Father Gal. 4. 6. 4. He is the great guide of our way Ps 143. 10 He is the Tâ—tour of our youth we are not adulti till we be ripe for glory Ephes 4. 13. So we are said to Walk after and to be led by the Spirit verse 1 4 14. of this Chap. Therefore new obedience is call'd the Law of the Spirit of life v. 3. And the Spirit of the Lord is said to give liberty 2 Cor. 3. 17. Cameron in locum And so divers interpret the words of my Text with an opposition of servile obedience and filial obedience CHAP. III. Two practical Queries concerning the extent of this worke as to the subjects of it in the forementioned particulars Qu. WHat sense must this proposition be understood in That the Spirit of Bondage in Gods elect ends in a Spirit of Adoption Under which are comprized these farther enquiries Que. 1. Whether the Spirit of Adoption do work all the aforesaid works upon the hearts of all those that are elected or some of them onely upon all and all but on some Qu. 2. Whether upon all of them that have been under a Spirit of Bondage the Spirit do perform all the aforesaid workes or no Answ To both I shall give this preliminary answer and then give a more particular to each by it selfe 1. The Spirit doth give all Gods Elect at one time or other a true reall and unquestionable title to the grace of adoption and all the priviledges belonging thereunto 1. In justification making application of the soul of every elect person to Christ and of Christ to the soul 2. In sanctification making them partakers of the Divine Nature by the application of cleansing promises 2 Pet. 1. 4. For else two links of the chain next election would be broken Rom. 8. 30. Whom he predestinated them he called and whom he called he justified And this is the first work before spoken of 2. The spirit doth work in all persons that are really converted whether in the method of a Spirit of Bondage or no at one time or other so much perswasion of the love of God as encourageth the soul to lay hold upon the promises of the Gospel and to lay claim to them and to adventure the soul upon them For this is the ground of that reliance by which the soul leans upon God and hangs upon Christ for salvation wherein the nature of justifying faith in my judgment doth consist But there is a difference between this and particular assuring faith For this is grounded only upon the free and unlimited offers of the Gospel which offers Christ and Salvation to all that receive him and come to him and the Gospells invitations to accept of it that is grounded upon particular evidence that we have already accepted of him and thereby he is become ours and we his from the effects of a true and saving reliance upon him And this general perswasion so far emboldens all Gods elect that upon the warrant of that they lay claim to God as their Father
not as actually and assuredly so but as one that hath offered himselfe to that relation and will own it to those that upon that offer claim it at his hands Thence though they know not God to be their Fateer yet they lay hands on him upon his free offer as engaged to be their Father and so by frequent acts of relyance grow up into assurance that he is so when they find such fruâ—ts of their reliance as evidence a real relation between God and them I know many of Gods Saints do and I think they should call God Father when they scarce know whether they may be so bold or no and speed that way 3. That if any one of Gods elect want the assuring testimonies of Gods Spirit it is their own fault seeing God holds it forth to them in many a precious promise And if they dare not call God Father it is because through clouds of temptation and corruption they darken those evidences which might demonstrate their sonship For justification and sanctification if discovered are sure foundations of comfort and assurance Thence their condition is exprest by darknesse which is not the extinguishing of light in the object or in the eye but clouding it 4. Of those that have this assurance and enlargement thereupon very few or none keep it at all times alike and can alike improve it on every occasion Great sinnes and great troubles c. may many times cloud and sometimes as to the act blot out the evidence of their Adoption Thus David wanted this Spirit Psal 51. 11. 12. A child having offended may scarce dare call Father whiles that guilt remains uncovered 5. Even the high and heroical acts of assuring faith in Gods Saints are not always free from some mixture of doubting else there were no difference between assurance and plerophory or full assurance Answ â— But to answer more particularly 1. To the first Question 1. All the Elect of God have not presently when called the particular assuring testimony of Gods Spirit though even that belongs to them because of some obstructions that either from Satan or their own hearts may be put in their way A man may be long a child of God before he know himself to be so There must in order of nature be the certitudo objecti before certitudo subjecti for I can never be sure of a thing before it is And how long this proposition I am justified may be true before this I know I am justified I cannot tell it may be divers years 2. An elect child of God for any thing I know or to my utmost knowledge the Scripture reveals may go to heaven without that particular actual assurance or a particular confidence to addresse himself to God as his Father otherwise then by claim as before for I conceive it is not essential to the having of eternal Life to know that a man hath grace actually but only to have those things in him whence the evidence of the truth of grace may be to a clearer and more enlightened spirit discovered Though it be said He that believeth not shall be damned yet it is no where said he that knows not he believes shall be damned 3. Yet is every such elect child of God The reality of his relation to God produceth in a Saint those fruits even when he himselfe doth not know them As appears in second troubles in Gods people after conversion Faith produceth those acts not by its assuring but uniting act carryed out after holinesse and obedience to God by the secret seed of God that is in him by a natural inclination I mean from the new nature though he be not so visibly acted by moral perswasion or force of argument from graces received as those that see they have grace and are adopted usually be As in those creatures that want reason there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in Infants a natural love to parents though they cannot argue themselves by reason into the duties that evidence it from the particular knowledge of that relation And upon the same account they are affected with the evil of displeasing their parents although they feele no stripes and do not draw out that sorrow by argument from their Fathers love 2. To the Second Question I answer 1 That neither is it necessarily thus in all that have been under a Spirit of Bondage though elected upon the reasons before alledged 2. Yet have such that have been under a Spirit of Bondage more special promises of this kind which could they lay all hold on they would attain it but Satan taking the work of the Spirit out of his hand and finding them prepared for such impressions of trouble by the former work keeps the very stamp of a Spirit of Bondage on them when they are as to their condition under a Spirit of Adoption Mat. 11. 28. Isa 57. 15. 3. Nay when they get comfort and assurance it is commonly the stronger and more full and firm Understand this point thus then That usually and in Gods ordinary way of dealing with his Elect when he hath brought them under bondage by the Spirit he doth send them a Spirit of Adoption in its evidencing acts as well as in the rest Though he may sometime vary from the usual and ordinary rule And the giving of the Spirit of Adoption in these acts is to be understood as that of the Spirit of Bondage and its method before discovered that except possibly in some few singular cases it is ordinarily so CHAP. IV Arguments to prove this Thesis or Proposition NOw let us advance to the proof of the Thesis Quest How appears it that God doth so ordinarily Ans 1 By his Promises 2 By his Design in bringing under the Spirit of Bondage 3 By the Duties that he expects of his Saints 4 By the Experiences of his people Arg. 1 By his Promises which engage him thereunto John 16 10 11 12 the same spirit that is promised to convince of sin saith Christ shall convince of righteousness and of judgment Of righteousnesse because I go to the Father i. e. he shall convince poor burthened souls that there is a sufficient righteousness in me to cover the guilt of all their sins and this by my Ascension which declares the full discharge of the debt which on the behalf of my Elect I contracted and because I go to my Father my admission to my Father gives full assurance that I am again received into his favour and so there remains no cause of his displeasure against mee or mine that cast themselves upon me for righteousnesse Of Judgment i. e. of the truth and reality of their own graces as Isai 43. 1 3. Or Of judgment because the Prince of this world is judged i. e. a judgment of absolution of their persons and cause which shall appear by the contrary sentence on their accuser it shall be made appear that God hath condemned him that accused you and kept you in
good reason for the joy of the Lord is their strength Nehem. 8. 10. Though God bear somtimes with their weakness as well as darkness 3 Thankfulnesse Indeed there is a thankfulnesse arising from temporal and common mercies and there is a thankfulness for general and comprehensive Promises and free offers of Christ and Ordinances c. before Assurance But thankfulnesse is never so large so liberal as upon assurance then a man can give thanks in all things and for all things 2 Thess 5. 18. then he cryes out What shall I render unto the Lord Psal 116. 2 12. and then his language is full Blesse the Lord O my soul and all that is within me praise his holy name Psal 103. 1 2 4 Sometimes to deny all and suffer for him 'T is also true a man that sees not the love of God to him may go very far upon conscience of duty and upon a meer faith of relyance upon general Promises and upon secret supports of the Spirit by which he keeps up hope in himself that such Promises may be his upon the necessity of that choice which he is put upon taking that as the safer way which carries him out to adventure himselfe that way rather then certainly ruine himself by Apostasie So was that holy man carryed to the stake before he cryed out He is come he Glover in Acts and Monum is come But it is very seldom that a soul will go so far meerly upon a faith of relyance and therefore God ordinarily gives such persons special Assurances the Spirit fils their hearts with comfort joy and peace and this will make them far more Heroical in suffering Acts 7. 55 56. 2 Cor. 1. 4. Guilt of sin saddens a suffering to a man So doth uncertainty of his estate for the future for who will adventure soul and body at once if he judg his condition in a rational account but a desperate man And if Saints in darknesse suffer much it is by extraordinary support But on the other side when a man can look within the vail by assurance and challenge glory The sufferings are not worthy the glory that shall be revealed Rom. 8. 18. 2 Cor. 4. ult Arg. 4 the experiences of Gods people constantly manifest this One while we have David complaining of broken bones and a watered couch c. another while he is all joy and praises Those Acts 2 whose hearts were pricked so deeply what is the issue of it see v. 46. They did break bread from house to house and eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart See what became of the Jailor after his trembling fit Acts 16. 34 He rejoiced believing with all his house And certainly although God may save a soul and bring him to heaven hood-winked yet it is very seldom that he doth so but that at one time or another carrying on his people in constant acts of reliance he gives them a witnessing and assuring spirit at the last CHAP. V. Reasons of Gods working in this way by his Spirit COme we now to the Reasons of this Proposition Quest Why will God bestow the Spirit of Adoption upon his Elect after the Spirit of Bondage Answ For these Reasons principally Reas 1 Because Religion else would be an uncomfortable profession and would have little alluring in it to the eyes of those that are without Men are apt to receive prejudices against Religion as that which will put a period to all their comforts And this mistake is much occasioned in them by the sad and drooping lives of those that profess it So that were it not that usually God brings joy out of sorrow and puts on his Saints the garment of joy for the spirit of heavinesse no man would chuse the wayes of God that are strewed with so many thornes and difficulties but rather chuse to wallow in sinful and worldly pleasures As the afflictions of the godly and the prosperity of the wicked in outward things are great stumbling blocks so much more would burthens of spirit if they should be constantly and unremoveably laid on the spirits of the Saints Surely God that will have us tender of the credit of Religion in our carriages will not prostitute it by any carriage of his own Reas 2 The Lord doth it that he may keep up the spirits of his people from fainting under a spirit of bondage Soul troubles are tedious troubles spending troubles Those Diseases that affect the spirits are so in the body and therefore they had need of strong Cordials to keep up their hearts who are under such Diseases Soul troubles overwhâ—lm the spirits Psal 142. 3. and 143. 4 Soul troubles sink and drown the spirits and if God should not now and then support his people with a Cordial they would faint away quite Stay me with flagons comfort me with apples for I am sick of love Cant. 2. 5. Psal 119. 91. My soul fainteth for thy salvation Now the strongest Cordial God gives his people at such a time is this that they shall have an expected end that he will not contend for ever and this is the reason why he gives them this assurance Lest the Spirit should fail before me Isai 57. 16. or as others ne spiritus obruatur lest the spirit should be overwhelmed This supports the Church in a waiting frame Lam. 3. 26 31 32. Reas 3 That he may thereby in their own judgments and consciences confute the hard thoughts they usually have of him in times of darkness Mans heart under soul troubles is a forge of all misapprehensions and unjust censures concerning God Sometimes he is an enemy a cruel one sometimes he hath forsaken them and forgotten them their hope is Lam 3 Isai 49. 14 40. 27. perished from the Lord and their judgment from their God sometimes he is unfaithful and his Promise failes for evermore Now Psalm 77 God is concerned in point of honour to cause the light of his countenance to shine on such that they may be convinced of the vanity and folly of such thoughts and to make them confesse that they have injured God in such mis-judgments of his proceedings Then they will confesse such thoughts were their infirmity as Psal 77. 10. the Psalmist doth and that his wayes are neither like their wayes nor his thoughts like their thoughts Isai 55. 8. as David confesseth by experience Psal 103. 11. Reas 4 God will hereby shew that it is not in vain to serve the Lord and abundantly recompence to his people all the pains care and trouble that they are and have been at to follow after him in a dark condition Beloved assurance of Gods love and joy in the Holy Ghost arising there from is part of our wages and God of his goodnesse to his people gives them part of their money in hand to encourage them in the service he puts them upon As he gave the Israelites a taste of the Grapes of Canaan to encourage them to
fight for it Satan and Numb 13. 23 a mans corrupt heart are apt to discourage a soul under Bondage from hence What profit Job 21. 14 Lam. 3. 8. is there in serving God c. Thou prayest and he casteth out thy prayer thou hearest and art in trouble still Now God props up his people against such temptations by such Promises to all and performances to most of his Saints Reas 5 God doth it to wean his people from this world Now Lord lettest thou thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seen thy salvation sayes Simeon when he had seen Christ in the flesh Luke 2. 29. And when a soul after long troubles of spirit recovers the assurance of Gods love O what poor things are all the treasures of the world to him Lord saith David lift up the light of thy countenance upon me and then take corn and wine and oyl who will Psal 4. 6. And then let the eyes of wicked men be even ready to strut out with sat and let them have all that they can wish yet saith he in another place I will not change portion with them for the Lord is the strength of my heart c. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel and bring me to glory Psal 73. 25 26 27 28 A man that is called to be a Favourite to a King will quickly grow into a dis-esteem of his shop and retaile Trade his sheepfold or cow-stal Take no care for your stuff saith Joseph for all the fat of the Land of Egypt is yours Gen. 45. 20. So saith God to an assured soul Take no care for these earthly things thou hast in heaven a richer and more enduring substance Reas 6. Because God delights to hear from his Saints often Not only as a Master from a Servant nor as a rich man from a beggar nor as a Conqueror from a Captive but as a Father from a child as a husband from a Spouse Cant. 2. 14. The voyce of a Spouse of Christ in the cleft of the Rock i. e. relying on him upon assurance of his love is sweet Joseph could not abide long under the mis-apprehensions his brethren had of him My Lord and Thy servants Joseph thought were strange Titles to that of Brother hee longed to hear them call him by a name of relation so saith God Hosea 2. 16. to an afflicted Church CHAP. VI. A Question concerning the mediate and immediate Testimony of the Spirit HOw doth the Spirit testifie our Adoption For although divers godly Divines are of a different judgement in the point of immediate evidence yet I cannot be perswaded but that there is something in the work of the Spirits testimony which may deserve to be so expressed Ans Two wayes 1 Immediately 2 Mediately I. Immediately wherein the Spirit acts as in illumination and infusion of good motions into us by his secret influence upon the heart quieting and calming all those waves of distrust and diffidence concerning its condition by his own immediate power without the present application of any Scripture grounds to convince a mans reason that his testimony is true I shall parallel it with the motions of the Spirit thus As the Spirit many times excites a man to such or such a duty by laying his hand immediately upon the heart and therewithal a kind of secret force and power inclining the heart to obey those motions and as it many times opens the heart to such and such spiritual impressions by a physical injection of holy motions into it and warming the heart to receive them so in this case when a poor soul sits in darknesse and sees no light sometimes upon a sudden a light from heaven compasseth it about and it is it knowes not how in a moment as it were taken up into the third heaven its fears are banished by a soft whisper from the Spirit of God in the heart Thy sins are forgiven thee and this is in such a way that though the spirit of a man really believes it and is immediately calmed by it yet it cannot tell how it comes to passe And so it is sometimes in overcoming temptations a soule some other times is enabled to knock them to the ground by a scriptum est as Christ did Matth. 4. but sometimes it is stirred up to decline them and abhorre them by a secret rising of the spirit against them and to club them downe by meere force setting the bent of the will and affections against them without any present direct recourse of the soule to the written word And of this kinde is that worke of the Spirit stirring up in us sighes and groans in prayer that cannot bee uttered whereas at other times it furnisheth us with abundant matter of prayer from the promises and other straines of Scripture useful thereunto And thus as I said in conveying the evidences of Gods love the Spirit can and surely oftentimes doth alter the whole frame of a mans Spirit by a secret irradiation of comfort a man cannot tell how for as there is a kind of spiritual instinct in the soul by which it doth the things that are pleasing to God after conversion though many times it knowes not the principles upon which it acts so is there a secret and spiritual faculty in the divine nature that is infused unto us by which when the Spirit speakes peace to the soule it closeth with it without any reasoning or recourse to evidences as at other times As saith a learned man there is in the eye lumen innatum Rutherf on Jo. 12. p. 100. and in the eare aer internus a certaine imbred light to make the eye see lights and colours without and a sound and air in the eare within to make it discerne the sounds that are without so is there grace a new nature and habitual instinct of heaven to discerne the consolation of Gods spirit immediately testifying that wee are the sons of God There are some secret and unexpressible lineaments of the Fathers countenance in this child that the renewed soul at first blush knowes and ownes it But for the understanding of this you must observe with mee these few particulars for explication of this secret of experimentall godlinesse 1. That although the Spirit may testifie this immediately without any expresse and formall application of a word yet he never testifies but according to the word i. e. to subjects capable thereof and in such wayes as they are discovered to be capable by the word so that the Lords speaking peace to the soul being in the Scripture bound up to persons under certain qualifications the Spirit never speaks peace but where those qualities are real though not alwaies visible in the soule As for example if a man that feels not sin a burden heavyer then all the world that throwes away all duties of religion never prayes reads heares meditates nay goes on in some sinful way without remorse be filled with joy and peace and assurance
of Gods love 't is certaine the Holy spirit is not the Author of this because the promise of peace belongs to none of this stamp Matth. 11. 28. Isa 57. 15 16. Matth. 5. 3 4. 8. c. Undoubtedly this assurance is from the spirit of errour a false light to lead into a bogg 2. That ordinarily hee thus testifies either in or after waiting upon God in some duty or other as in praying meditation hearing receiving the Sacraments By which testimony God seals to the dutifull attendance upon him in such waies Isa 57. 19. and 56. 7. Or 3. In such great and grievous temptations and darknesse of spirit wherein a man by the cunning of Satan hath so intangled all those evidences of grace and sanctification which hee might draw assurance from with sophistical evasions that they will not fasten any thing of comfort upon him Then when a man cannot untie those knots by which Satan hath entangled his spirit somtimes the spirit of God by such a sudden irradiation puts a soule upon an inartificial and illogicall way of solution enabling him to hold to his claime of Christ by a kind of resolute confidence though hee bee not able to prove it sound at present or answer Satans sophistry to the contrary as Alexander when hee could not untie the Gordian knot hewed it asunder with his sword And as that holy Martyr that answered all the Romish Doctours Sophistry by a fixed resolution of dying for Christ though shee could not dispute for him Now wee must take notice withall 4. That such testimonies of the Spirit do beget but an actual assurance during the present exigency or in order to some present designe that God is working thereby These are extraordinary dainties that God will not have us feed constantly upon A gleam Rutherf ubi suprà of light as one calls it in a dark night when a man cannot coast the Country and diseern his way by those marks which direct him at other times perhaps lightning from a thunder-cloud that comes just in the moment when a man is stepping into a pit that would swallow him up or to discover a cottage which he may turne into till the storme bee over c. Now a Traveller wil not depend alwaies upon such a guide but if hee can will learne out such way-marks for his constant direction as may bee standing assurances to him that hee is in the way and rather choose to travel by day when hee may see them distinctly Thus though Gods Spirit divers times takes this course to shine peace into our hearts upon unusual occasions immediately viz after extraordinary seeking God in duty under the immediate violence of some desperate temptation in which cases God hath sometimes condescended even to a kind of miracle as when he preserved the glasse from breaking which the troubled and almost despairing Gentlewoman threw against the ground making its breaking to pieces and her owne Mrs. Honymood damnation a like certaine or at the houre of death especially Martyrdome yet to take these for ordinary presidents and look for them constantly without endeavouring by standing evidences to make out an habitual assurance to our soules of our calling and election is a bold and presumptuous tempting of God And therefore 5 It is a fearful error of the Antinomians which teacheth us to reject the graces of sanctification from being grounds of our assurance whiles they tell us that they are all deceiving evidences because that were to light a candle to the sun they mean to the immediate testimony of the Spirit For certainly the testimony of the Spirit cannot bee without the indwelling of the Spirit and is accompanied alwaies with the leading of the Spirit See the connexion of these two in vers 14. 15 of this chapter compared Rom. 8. 14 15 compared And wee know that hee dwelleth in us and we in him because wee have received of his Spirit 1 John 4. 13. And John 14. 16 17 Christ promiseth them the Comforter but how shall wee know him might they say seeing the world as you tel us knows him not He shal saith our Savior dwel in you The in-dwelling therfore of the Spirit is an evidence of the truth and reality of the assurance that we have from the Spirit Hence are all those marks and signes that the Scripture every where holds out called fruits of the Spirit Gal. 5. 22. so that though the Spirit testifie immediately yet it submits the trial of his own testimony to his works Nor is this any dishonour to the Spirit to be tryed by his works seeing our Saviour Christ was content to submit the trial of his Godhead to the evidences of his works John 14. 11. But more of this in the second way of the Spirits testimonie which is II. Mediately and that is twofold 1 Without Argumentation 2 With Argumentation but both from the Word 1 Without Argumentation The Spirit sometimes applies the word to the soule and enables the soule to close with it for comfort in some particular promise of Scripture wherein God speaks so patt to its case that it takes that word as a message from heaven and rests in it upon the very first apprehension of it And such is the peace that a soul gets from those promises that either expresse not any condition or else such a condition as the soul presently apprehends it self under as suppose thou art burthened for some sin hast prayed earnestly for pardon against it suppose it a sin of backsliding and whiles thou art praying for pardon or waiting upon God in his word a secret whisper of the Spirit casts into thy heart Hos 4 14. I will heale thy backslidings and love thee freely or suppose that Matth. 11. 28. Come to mee all yee that are heavy laden and I wil give you rest c. This is a direct testimony and must be understood under the former limitations of immediate evidence 2. With Argumentation when he testifies the truth of thy sonship by grace when he applies conditional promises and upon search enables thee to apply the conditions of them This is the usuall way for getting habitual assurance a reflected testimony from our owne graces which are the love-tokens of Christ to us and discover that love even when as to present influence hee is absent from us And thus doth the Spirit properly witnesse with our spirits as followes in the next verse In the other two hee witnesseth Rom. 8. 16. to our spirits in this properly with our spirits And there is as much difference between these as between the assurance that Jacob had of his Son Joseps life from the Word of his sonnes and from the Chariots that hee had sent for him Gen. 45. 26 27 28 when they only told him so hee was indeed overjoyed but was also even in a fainting condition through the strugling of fear with joy as the disciples at Christs resurrection Luk. 24. 41. But when he saw the wagons
then hee was fully satisfied So the immediate and direct Testimony of the Spirit though sometimes when the Spirit gives a man to believe it it may drowne all doubts and feares yet in a time of temptation when a soule begins to question whether all its former refreshments from the Spirit were not dreames and delusions it is never so fully satisfied as when it evidently sees and ownes the tokens of Gods love in its owne heart the fruits of her marriage with Christ and feels the child of grace leaping in the womb then saith the soule sure I am married to Christ for hee doth not drink waters out of any cisterne but his owne and the seed of true grace cannot possibly bee the issue of an unlawfull bed CHAP. VII A discourse concerning the manner of the Mediate and Argumentative Testimonie of the Spirit Q. HOW wee may distinctly conceive the witnessing of Gods Spirit with our spirits in that Mediate and Argumentative way which wee last spake of Answ For Answer hereunto seeing this worke is directly opposite to that of the Spirit of Bondage before mentioned I shall review that againe here and lay the comparison betweene them which I conceive will give us a cleare light in this particular In the work of the spirit of bondage I told you the soul was brought under the Conviction of a practical syllogisme such an one as this Every unbeliever every person that is in a state of nature in general or in particular every drunkard swearer c. living under the reigning power of such or the like sins is a child of wrath c. But thou art saith the spirit of God I saith a mans owne spirit am such an one Therfore thou art saith Gods Spirit I am saith a mans owne spirit a child of wrath c. The three Propositions of this Syllogism I told you implyed three sorts of conviction 1. Conviction of Law 2. Conviction of case or fact 3. Conviction of state with the consequents of these Sutably in unlocking this prison there must bee a key of as many wards as there are in the lock and those answerable to them For a key will not unlock a doore that hath not answerable wards to the lock that fastens it Now these wards of the Spirits key are 1. Conviction of Gospel opposite to that of Law 2 Conviction of another case sutable therunto 3 Conviction of another state arising from both these 4 And the consequents 1 Conviction of Gospel For as the law the bondwoman from mount Sinai is the ground of terrour engendring unto bondage Gal. 4. So the Gospel is the free woman the Jerusalem from above that engenders to liberty ibid. and 2 Cor. 3. 17. and so is the special ground of comfort The Law is the warrant upon which the spirit imprisons the conscience and the Gospel the warrant on which it releaseth it againe And as it is in civill affaires a man that is under an execution for body and goods by such or such a statute hides and flies and is under feare and sometimes laid fast in prison and cannot bee released but either upon a repeale of that law or the annexing some condition to it under which hee sues for and recovers his liberty so it is in this case The Law sayes every one is accursed that continues not in every thing written in that booke No fornicator idolater covetous c. shal enter into the kingdome of God Now a man that is under the sentence of this law in his own conscience is capable of release no way but either by the repeale of that Law or adding some such limitation or restriction or condition to it as may include him Therefore when the Spirit gives peace from the word by way of Argument it first produceth the law of liberty the Gospel against the law of bondage It is confest saith the spirit in the conscience of a converted sinner the law gives mee no hope but there is an addition to and an exception from that law which I plead for my release There is a pardon proclaimed for such sinners as I am Isai 55. 7. Prov. 28. 13. The Law in the new edition excepts believers Joh. 3. 26 from its sentence Now the apprehending and assenting to this truth is the first work of the spirit in order to this regular assurance of a mans heart before God A man in a state of spiritual darknesse is like Hagar in the wildernesse Gen. 21. 19. she and her sonne Ismael are ready to dye for thirst when there was a well near them but they could not see it till the Angel shewed it them So is it in the children of the Law that Hagar and Ismael shadowed out When they are under Bondage of spirit there be many precious wells of salvation in the Bible but all these are hidden from their eyes the Bible is a sealed book to them and the fountains of life are fountains shut up as to them till the spirit that leads into all truth direct a man or woman in such a case to such promises as may be a ground of peace to him that may satisfy the weary soul and refresh the sorrowfull soul Jer. 31. 25. I appeal to the experience of all the Saints of God that know what this means whether the Spirit of God hath not many times guided them to places of Scripture as it were by his own finger When they have even thrown the Bible away after much search for a comforting word and resolved to look no more for that that is not to be found there hath not a secret whisper like that to Augustine in his Conversion tolle lege been cast into them try once again and have they not unexpectedly dipt and lighted on a place that hath satisfied them as with marrow and fatnesse Hath it not been with them as with a godly Minister that I knew when I was a child who having been under a Spirit of Bondage for many years and now even ready to dye in that condition when the eighth chapter of the Romans was read to him a little before his last gaspe stopping at the first verse now there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus c. Stay said he I never saw so much in those words in my days as now though I read them often so I say can you not say that you have read such and such chapters ten twenty thirty forty times over and that not slightly or cursorily but deliberately and with meditation and yet could see never a well of Salvation in them and yet afterwards from those very places of Scripture the Spirit of God hath made you draw water with joy So that 't is the Spirit that doth this first work discover and convince of Gospel truth the ground of our assurance Now this conviction is either 1. General and so the soul is convinced of those very truths long before it can take comfort from them and believes them
conscience Mat. 16. 18 19. And this I cal conviction of a gracious and happy estate which is opposite to that conviction of a wicked and wretched estate discovered in the conclusion of the legal Syllogism before mentioned 4 The Effects of this Testimony when it is finished are quite contrary to the former of the Spirit of Bondage 1. Calmnesse and sedation of spirit by the allaying of those boysterous winds of temptation that raised the waves This is contrary to that soul confounding horror that soul-ague soul-quake that I spake of formerly and is called in the Scripture Peace Isai 57. 19 21. and 't is opposed to the horrible confusions that are in a wicked mans awakened conscience ver 20. But the wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest therefore the godly mans pacified conscience is like the calmed sea that hath not a wrinkle in its face not a blast to stir any there no wind breathing on it except that of the Spirit of God to excite it to love and thankfulnesse 2. Joy and sweetnesse and self complacency in the heart Which is opposed to that second fruit of the Spirit of Bondage within a man which is before mentioned viz. Soul distressing anguish A man that was before not only a terror but a burthen to himself and was weary of living through his anguish of heart now begins to take pleasure in himself and begins to eat his bread with joy and goes about his businesse rejoycing as 't is said of the Primitive Saints Acts 2. 46. 8 39. This is called Joy in the Holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. and 1 Thess 1. 6. Of the Holy Ghost because proceeding from this Testimony of the Holy Ghost It is like the content a man takes in viewing a great deal of wealth heaped up together and a man can â—ay This is mine when a Miser doth sibi plaudere applaud himself in the language of the Poet and blesse his soul in the Horace language of the Psalmist Psal 49. 18. such a soul can go through the whole Treasury of the Word and wallow on the Promises as oâ— so many heaps of gold and cry out rejoycing All this is mine Can look abroad among all the providences of God and say All these are mine and look upward to heaven and to crown of glory and an innumerable company of Angels c. and say All this shall be mine too in possession as it is now in Title This is like the tryumph after a peace and expressed by the Apostle 1 Cor. 15. 55 56 57. in some such height of actual assurance of Gods love and his own happinesse Such a soul looks as God promised Davids house should be like the grass springing up by 2 Sam. 23. 4 clear shining after rain 3 Soul supporting hope And this I set against soul-distracting Despair which was reckoned in the former point among the fruits of the Spirit of Bondage This is not that hope which is the ground of justifying dependance upon Christ of which I have spoken before but that which is the daughter of assurance and differs from the other as I told you as Negative and Positive as rational and spiritual differ That hope is the daughter of notional knowledg this of Experimental Experience produceth this hope Rom. 5. 4. This is that that raiseth a man to a certain and patient expectation of and waiting for the things which faith of evidence assures him he hath a title unto and shall certainly enjoy We through the Spirit wait for the hope of Righteousnesse by Faith Where waiting sets out the nature of this hope 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we do look out for and expect with earnestnesse as the mother of Sisera is said to do Judges 5. the hope i. e. the matter of the hope which is Of righteousness by faith which justifying faith assures us of and this is By the Spirit the Spirits testimony is the ground of this hope and his assistance the cause of it This is called the Anchor of the soul that stayes him from being carryed away with waves of despaire upon the rocks of certaine ruine And this is that that is the Helmet of our salvation guards all blowes from our heads all the blowes of temptations Heb. 6. 19 20. 1 Thes 5. 8. CHAP. VIII A Case concerning Absolute Promises and general offers of the the Gospel and conditional Promises in reference to the Spirits Evidence BUt here ariseth another Question Quest Doth the Spirit in its mediate testimony witness from absolute Promises or from Conditional Promises From general Offers or special Marks Ans By Absolute Promises I here understand such as suppose no preceding grace infused into and acted in us to the fulfilling of them as the Promises of the first grace and of the price and purchase of it the bloud of Christ c. which suppose no gracious condition at all in us required to the performance of them If at least these may in a tolerable sense be called Promises By Conditional Promises I meane those which expresse such and such qualifications in us as disposing us to receive the benefit of such a Promise as when Christ is promised John 3. 16 Matth. 5. 4 John 14. 21 to believers comfort to them that mourne acquaintance with God to them that keep his Commandments c. By general offers I mean such Promises in Scripture as tender Christ to every one excluding none by special Marks such characters in Scripture as discover who they be that have received him Next I shall distinguish between a supporting testimony of the Spirit and an assuring testimony of the Spirit 1 The supporting testimony of the Spirit is such a witnesse in a mans heart as in a grievous plunge of temptation keeps him from sinking a plank in a desperate shipwrack that saves him from drowning And it is ordinarily the last refuge of a soul when Satan hath quite conquered Assurance then the Spirit acts that soul by a faith of relyance wherein he doth petere principium in a good sense acts faith as at first in Justification Well saith the soul if I am no Believer if I am no lover of God if I be a Formalist an hypocrite yet there is faith repentance love sincerity for me in Christ and God offers it freely and unconditionately I will stay my self upon those Promises or gracious declarations Thus Absolute Promises may be and are the ground of the Spirits supporting testimony 2 But secondly There is an assuring testimony of the Spirit that that a Christian lives by in calm and clear times and trades by that whereby we are said to know that God dwells in us and we in him 1 John 4. 13. Therein the Holy Ghost is said to come in the Gospel in much Assurance 1 Thess 1. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with a full sail of peace and spiritual satisfaction so that not only all doubtings are removed but all the grounds on which a man doubts are
satisfied There is as much difference between these two acts of the Spirit as there is between such a plea as diverts a judgment against a man at present and that wherein by an evident deed or writing it is certainly determined on his side And so we may distinguish Comfort and Assurance and Comfort and Peace For though Comfort alwayes follow Assurance so that there can be no assurance but it must comfort yet where ever there is comfort it followes not there must be Assurance For there may be comfort in a lesse evil compared with a greater and a poor soul may take comfort in this that although he be not sure he is included in the Promise yet he is not excluded but Assurance presupposeth an actual perswasion that a man hath a share in the Promise A man may be comforted with this that although it is bad with him now yet it may be better but Assurance supposeth a sense of his good condition at present Now to apply this distinction to the answer of the Question propounded I am not satisfied that any man can draw Assurance as it is thus distinguished from support and comfort from an Absolute Promise because an Absolute Promise is no legal plea for me in particular as to my present Title to God though it be for my future hopes of such a Title And my ground is this That which all are called upon to believe and which is offered to all alike cannot be a grounded plea to put a distinction between me and others but particular Assurance puts a special Mark of distinction between me and others and absolute Promises are offered to all alike and therefore Assurance cannot flow from an Absolute Promise Nay let me add it is the constant guise of Presumption to plead Absolute Promises in point of Evidence as the Promise of giving Christ to dye for sinners and therefore they are confident he is theirs as well as others All that Gods Saints draw from hence is a comfortable ground of applying themselves to Christ with constancy and perseverance because the Spirit testifies to them that they are capable of the mercy that is held forth in such Promises if they so adhere to them and leave not to urge God with them And the case is the same with general offers Gods general Offers and absolute Promises are of the same nature in this case Both may support comfort a man for the present but are no evidences for the future As a Prince proclaimeth an Act of Grace an Act of Pardon and Oblivion to Traitors and invites in general terms all persons to come and receive it upon such and such conditions among the rest one that apprehends himself more guilty then all others doubts whether it shall reach to him or no he comes into such a Market and hears the Proclamation to all Traitors c. whatsoever hereby is the man so far quieted and supported with this newes Now saith he I hear I am not excluded I am not unpardonable But now if this man go no farther but a while after come to tryal of Law for his Treasons and he thinks to plead the general Proclamation and the mercy of the Prince extending it selfe to all Malefactors will this serve for a Legal evidence to a Jury that he is a pardoned man Will it not be asked Sir What Evidence have you that you laid down your Arms and accepted this pardon Here now is required another kind of testimony So here God proclaims mercy in Christ to the greatest sinners and this he declares to proceed from his vast and unspeakable love and therupon invites all sinners to come and accept of it for he is a God merciful and gracious abounding in mercy and truth and Exod. 34. 6. will abundantly pardon returning sinners Now a poor soul doubts whether he be included in this offer Doubt it not saith the Spirit in a Sermon or other Ordinance be of good cheer man the pardon offered concerns all Now if a man rest here and believe hereupon that he is pardoned because in Gods absolute and unconditioned invitation he is not excluded when conscience is awake it will say But might not Judas and Cain c. plead as much as that How can you make it appear that you have accepted that pardon by Faith Here need Marks and conditional Promises I may plead absolute Promises and general offers to God in Prayer but I cannot plead them before God in Court God saith I will give you a new heart I will powre out the spirit of grace and supplication and so in Zech 12. 10 general offers Let whoever will come and drink of the water of life freely I may go to Apoc. 12. 17 God on these Promises and Offers and say Lord give me a new heart Lord give me Christ But if I stand before the Court of Conscience and plead these in way of Evidence That I have a new heart that I have Christ I must not prove it by Gods promising these blessings in general to me with all others but by the Evidences of my acceptance of these Offers and Gods fulfilling of these Promises I must be able to say here Lord thou hast made such offers and my heart hath accepted them Thou hast tendred Christ unto me and I have taken him upon thine own terms Thou hast promised a new heart and I blesse thy name I find my heart renewed Are not these the badges and proper cognizances of thy children and servants May I not conclude a saving interest in thee who have received such saving mercies and bounties from thee Thus have I showen you that although general offers and absolute Promises may support and in a sort comfort yet conditional promises alone properly assure CHAP. IX The maine Proposition applyed A Case concerning Election and that the misapprehension thereof hinders its Evidence NOW comes to hand the application of this point And in the first place this may reconcile the thoughts of many precious ones under bondage to a good opinion of their present condition in that it is not only the Spirits usual method where hee becomes a Spirit of Adoption to become first a spirit of of Bondage as in the former Thesis was declared but that when he hath been such a spirit of bondage hee usually becomes a Spirit of Adoption witnessing our Adoption It is a great encouragement to a sick man though hee be grievously pained at present that his disease is such out of which most recover that though sometimes it be yet seldome it is mortal Object Yea but you tell us the persons to whom it is not mortal and to whom it usually ends in ravishing comforts are the elect of God But I doubt I am none of them and therfore I may and shall die of this disease for any thing you have said and never see the face of God in comfort here or hereafter Answ 1. Observe the policy of Satan in dealing with thy soule Now
Hebrews 6. 4 5 6. and 10. 26 27 28 29. And one in the second of Peter 2. 20 21. In the ambiguity of some dark phrases in those Texts of Scripture doth Satan perplex the soul and this is a strong hold that he will not presently surrender Thus he perswades them that every neglect of duty every vain thought or wicked action after illumination and the work of conviction utterly and totally excludeth them from repentance or pardon and therefore it is in vain to endeavour their comfort who have sinned against the Holy Ghost that should comfort them and that unpardonably and irrecoverably I have spoken to this already in the second point and shall again hereafter And therfore it shall suffice at present to warn you of this rub which Satan laies in the way of your peace and to intreat you to take no heed to it when it is obtruded to barre you from laying hold of the promises of mercy and pardon which are proclaimed unto you For take this for a certain rule God never intends any terrours of Scripture as bugbears to affright any sinner from Christ who earnestly desires him the severest scorpions of the Law are intended only to drive us to Christ Gal. 3. 24. much lesse doth he intend that any of them should conclude any soul under an apprehended impossibility of pardon for then he would be chargeable with all those desperate conclusions which men usually draw from such premises But he always encourageth the greatest sinners to beleeve and supposing that to take comfort from the boundlesnesse of his mercy in pardoning all maner of sinnes Isay 55. 7. and 1. 18. How frequently doth he for their sakes display his bowels of tender mercies as if he foresaw that the greatest difficulty of his work would lie in perswading them of those CHAP. XII Certain other Hinderances removed A Sixth Hinderance is 6. Keeping Satans counsel Many a soul bears sad burthens in this kind oftentimes because he is ashamed to utter what it is that troubles him As many a man bears a Disease in some part which he is loath to discover and will not be knowne of it till there be no remedy but he must dye of it This is Satans policy to represent the soul before conversion as beautiful in all the ornaments of civility and good nature as we say and formality as is possible But after conversion when the soul pants after Assurance of Gods love then to shew it its own face in as black a glasse as hell or its Landskip an accusing terrifying conscience can afford And therefore he enlargeth ordinary infirmities into monstrous Apostacies and sins against the Holy Ghost and if the soul be satisfied that its sins are not of that dye because it never entertained a thought of malice and envy against God or his wayes which is required to that sin Then he will inject fearful suggestions into the mind horribilia de Deo c. horrid thoughts of God Christ Religion Scriptures c. And then he acts as a wicked Whore when he hath laid these brats of his at a Saints door then he pursues him as the father of them for maintenance solicites Reason to defend them or at least to dispute them and if a soul throw them out as fast as he casts them in then he makes it his next businesse to perswade it to keep his counsel in these thoughts and temptations for saith he what will godly people think of thee if thou shouldst discover such things as these No one that fears God would ever come nigh thee any more So concerning thoughts of self-murder temptations to fearful and horrid pollutions c. If he cannot fasten them upon the heart he will labour at least to prevail for our secrecy in them And then he knowes he can make great advantages of those concealments As a loose companion when he hath tempted an honest woman to uncleannesse and cannot prevail his next designe is to perswade her to keep his attempt close and to allow him her company still which if he can do he will afterwards as being one that regards not his owne reputation blast her as if she were really guilty of the Fact and endeavor to make her concealment of his temptations and continued converse with him the Argument to prove her so So if Satan can prevail so far he will quickly perswade a soul that he hath consented to what he hath concealed and so lay all that load of desperate conclusions which would follow from the sins themselves upon the suspicion of them And therefore as a woman that is honest and wise will discover such sollicitations to an husband or near friend and desire them to watch over her lest she be overcome by importunity to an act she so much abhors and if need be will reveal them more publickly by way of Caution for her fuller Vindication So in this case it is the best way to deal with Satan Let no such thought arise but away first to God and then to a godly Minister or a godly friend and unbosom thy selfe for hereby thou shalt be able to call witnesse against Satan upon every occasion and take away the advantage from him of suggesting many desperate thoughts to thee which if he have so much footing as thy bare silence he will inject with a great deal of vehemency On the other side he will quickly be discouraged from tempting if what he speaks in secret were published upon the house tops 7 Secret tempting of God and dependance upon such means and such men for peace and limiting God to such and such a time and resolving not to wait on God beyond that time or not to expect it from any other meanes It may bee slighted means and an unexpected time shall bring thee that comfort which thou hast in vain looked for from more likely instruments and more probable seasons Truly friends God will have peace as well as grace to be every way free and unconfined Say not such a Minister indeed is an honest man and preacheth well but I shall never profit by him if ever I have comfort it must be from such or such a mouth Say not if God answer me not in such an ordinance or such a duty I am hopelesse c. It oftentimes falls out here as it doth in dangerous diseases among great personages They perswade themselves that such or such a plain honest Physician whom they vouchsafe to consult with in ordinary cases is able to do them no good in their present distempers he is not studied or hath not experience enough and therefore they must advise with such or such a Court Doctor of eminent practise and then they think they cannot misse of a cure But many times it so happens that after they have spent their strength and estate on fees and bills and are come down into the Country to dye a plain countrey Physician and a little Kitchin-physick hath restored them Truly friends 't is
said Cornelius do this or that as to say Send for Peter and he shall tell thee what to do Acts 10. 6. But God sends him to Peter and Peter must come and direct him in a set Sermon that God might keep up the credit of his Messengers and his standing Ordinances There are special promises to this purpose to be fulfilled to the people of God in publick Assemblies of the Church Isai 56. 7. I wil make them joyful saith God but where in my House of Prayer which was among the Jews the Temple and among the Gentiles any place of publick Worship Isai 60. 7. I will glorifie the House of my glory And 't is remarkable that in both places the Promises are made to the Gentiles when they should be converted as appears by the Context God would have an house of Prayer places of publick Assemblies in the Gentile Church and in them God hath promised to make his people joyful Come forth here all ye old Disciples experienced Christians and give in evidence from your experience Cannot you say that the banner of love which God hath spread over your souls was lifted up in these Banquetting Houses Hath he not here stayed your souls with flagons and comforted you with apples Cant. 2. 2 Prayer There is an holy Conference and Dialogue between God and the soul in holy Duties This of Prayer is the Duty in which we speak and the Word and Seals are the wayes in which God speaks Wee ask Counsel in Prayer God answers in them We ask strength and peace in this God returnes answers of peace in them and we reply in thanksgiving again God in the Word tells us what he is offended at in us we confesse it in Prayer he assures us we are pardoned in the Word c. We returne thanks in prayer again And indeed this is the way how to know Gods mind as we know mans mind by desiring a conference and proposing our doubts or dissatisfactions and receiving his answers when he gives them or pressing for them when he denyes or estrangeth himself Thus David used to enquire of the Lord. Psal 27. 4. And when he had enquired in prayer then he holds his peace and waits to hear what God will say Psalm 85 8. 1 Neglect not this way of conference with God Especially in the set seasons thereof They have a fancy among the Philosophers of two needles touched with the same Loadstone which being set in two Compasses written round with the letters of the Alphabet will conveigh intelligence from one friend to another at the greatest distance Thus each friend having recourse to his own Compass at fixed times shall find that as his friend at distance moves his needle to any letter his own without any touch of his will turne to the same so that by putting together those letters he may read his friends mind I have not faith enough to believe the conceit but I can make a good use of it in Spirituals wherein I am sure it is true Gods heart and thine are touched with the same Loadstone of love and if thou at seasons of conference shalt have recourse to the needle 1 John 4. 19 of thy heart and by the experience of holy affections in prayer shalt point out to God thy wants and burthens the heart of God by a sacred sympathy will work the same way and copy out thy case in his own bosome and then it cannot be long ere his fatherly compassions set the needle of his affections a turning towards thee again to produce a reciprocal assurance in thy heart by a like secret sympathy This the Scripture holdeth forth clearly See Jer 31 18 19 20. There Ephraims needle first turnes in confession Thou hast chastised me c. Then Gods needle falls to work presently to give him intelligence of Ephraims complaint Surely I have heard Ephraim bemoaning himself And when Ephraims story is done then God falls to turning his needle by way of answer to Ephraim My bowels are troubled for him Is Ephraim my dear son Yes that he is and he shall know it too For since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him still Then comes the answer to Ephraims heart I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. Thence in the Text the Spirit that is the witnesse from God to us is the Sollicitour within us to God The same Messenger that carries our Letters brings our Answer ver 16. Oh Friends you know not what mischief Satan doth to you by cooling your hearts in prayer nay by prevailing with you onely to neglect a set time of prayer publick or private If you appoint a friend a set time of meeting and conference so often every day and you fail him twice or thrice together especially when he knowes you have none but trifling businesses to hinder you how can you expect but that he should serve you in the same kind True a man may lay bonds upon himself in appointment of times of duty which as he may order the matter that is if he lay them so upon himself as to pronounce it absolutely unlawful upon any occasion to over-slip that very time may prove but snares to entangle his conscience but yet on the other side to set apart appointed hours for this duty as a convenient means to keep our heart from framing petty occasions from hour to hour to put off the duty and that with resolution not to fail at the appointed time but upon very weighty occasions and upon such failing at any time to resolve to make up that defect doubly as soon as the occasion is over sure is a very profitable way for the getting and keeping acquaintance with God And no question if God find as he knowes that very slight occasions divert us from meeting him at fit or set times but he will be out of the way at other times when our leasure will serve us to seek him But this by the way concerning set times of prayer 2. 2. A soul that wants the witnesse of Gods Spirit though he neglect not those yet he will not content himself with them but he must now and then visit the Throne of Grace in extraordinary wayes of duty adding fasting to prayer and spending whole dayes in following hard after God Certainly this duty is much neglected among Christians in these dayes to what it hath been formerly both in private and publick Surely when Gods Saints were more acquainted with it there was far more acquaintance with God then I fear if I may ghess at others condition by mine owne there now is There be some Divels saith our Saviour that wil not be cast out without prayer and fasting Mar. 9. 29. so may I say in this case there be some doubts that will not be cast out of the soul till a man try this way Not that fasting adds any thing to prayer in it selfe or by any proper efficiency of its own but it disposeth a man to
it Ephes 1. 13. In whom after ye heard ye trusted and after ye believed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aor 1. Postquā credidisseti◠not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 dum credidistis or trusted ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of Promise and received its earnest See also 1 Joh. 5. 13. Now coming to Christ receiving Christ applying Christ for Justification is sufficient qualification to enable a man to receive the Sacrament with profit Because where spiritual life is there is a right to all such food as may strengthen it 2. The Sacrament is a Seal of the Covenant in all its promises Now Promises become mine by claim and relyance If then I have right only to one Promise nay if I can but lay claim to one I may come to the Sacrament to have that sealed to me Suppose this I find my heart made weary of sin and account it the greatest burthen in the world I apply my self to Christ to ease me of it hereupon I lay claim to the Promise thus Lord Jesus thou hast done thus for me blessed be thy name whereas I accounted sin a pleasure once now I account it a burthen make good thy Promise to me ease me I claim this on the credit of thy Promise Mat. 11. 28. If hereupon I come to the Sacrament desiring God to seal to this Promise which I lay hold upon I cannot be said to come unworthily though I have no witnesse in my heart from the Spirit that I belong to Christ I told you before that it is the claiming of Christ and standing to that claim and being resolved to adventure my soul upon it that entitles me to him and that that entitles me to Christ gives me a right to the Sacrament as I said but now upon the former head Object But let this faith be what it will I must know that I have it ere I come else it is in vain to require Examination before I come And if so then 't is all one for substance to be assured that I am in Christ and to be assured that I believe in him because believing in him necessarily implies being in him Answ Sacramental Examination doth not presuppose a necessity of a certain or assured knowledg that I have the graces which I examine my self for But only a finding those acts in my self which ordinarily those graces appear in my heart dealing plainly and faithfully with it self in the search and my earnest desire and endeavour that they may be true though at present I see not that they are true supposing that I see nothing of weight according to the rule of the Word to judg them false Nay if I should see cause to condemne those former acts which I took for gracious as false and unsound yet upon that conviction if I seriously labour to set them right now I ought not to keep from the Sacrament for that but to draw nigh and from thence to expect strength to prosper my endeavours and give me evidence in Gods time of the reality of them If this were not true then every Christian under desertion and doubting must be excluded from the Sacrament And surely if so the fittest persons that can be will be debarred there being none more fit for a strengthning Ordinance then such souls To exemplifie the present case A man examines his faith repentance c. he finds some such acts as look like the acts of those graces yet he doubts whether they were true or no he therefore examines faith by the rule of the Word purifying the heart working by love over-coming the world Repentance by hatred of sin of all sin sincere endeavors of future obedience some such things as these he sees no sufficient ground to conclude he hath not and yet he thinks he may deceive himself in thinking that he hath them Here is his case What shall this man do Shall he come to the Supper or no I answer Yes For I am fit for the Sacrament when my heart doth not upon good grounds condemn me Unwarrantable Scruples do not unfit me it is not required that my heart do alwayes clearly absolve me See what John faith in this case 1 Joh. 3. 20. If our hearts condemne us not he doth not say if they actually absolve us many needlesse Scruples may hinder that but if they condemn us not it must be meant of the conscience enlightned by the Word An ignorant wordlesse conscience its absolution or condemnation is nothing in this case but an enlightned conscience then have we confidence i. e. ground of confidence towards God And by consequence ground of approach to those Seals in which this confidence is bestowed and encreased 2 It is not necessary to a worthy participation of the Lords Supper that I be able satisfactorily to evidence to my owne heart the truth of every grace required thereunto One grace sometimes may be more conspicuous then another And it is sufficient it I can see any thing in my self of the new creature though I know not how to improve it by Argument to prove such or such a grace thereby For example sometimes repentance may be more conspicuous to a man then faith sometimes love more visible then both sometimes a man may be able to see neither of them all distinctly yet he sees something which he cannot but acknowledg is a fruit of a mighty and supernatural change and this change he finds he cannot rest till it be increased and improved to greater perfection If he can see nothing else yet he finds earnest and hearty desires after Christ not only as a fountaine of pardoning but also of purging grace These desires as far as he can judg are not counterfeit though many times weak Now in such a case as this the soul must consider that Christ hath promised not to break the bruised reed nor quench the smoaking flax Though a mans grace be very infirm if it be not a staff but a reed and a reed too not firm but bruised and though the kindlings of grace be but in smoaking flax a Metaphor taken from those that kindle a fire that put some pilled stalks of flax or straw or some such combustible thing under the wood to make it burn which if it be moist will not flame out by and by but smoak a while and then kindle though grace be but yet an embryo as fire in smoaking flax which a man can scarce tel whether it wil burn or no yet God will not quench that is he will make much of it as a servant doth of a little spark of fire in a wisp of straw and gently blow it up till it flame Isai 42. 3. He is to consider moreover that he ought to conclude from these smal measures as far as he is groundedly perswaded that they are true that though he cannot see faith repentance love yet where these desires are they are good signes of a gracious change though yet but in the beginning and a gracious change
hearts le ts men more loose from holinesse remits a mans love to and zeal for God A man that was diligent in Duties and Ordinances the exercises of holiness in which there is a peculiar Sequestration of the soul to God begins to grow remiss and careless he that was contriving and plotting for Gods glory and honour now can spare the busying of his brains that way any more and begins to open shop and set up for himself which is a sign that his former activity was but selfish intended meerly as a bribe to God for the light of his countenance and peace of conscience and therefore when that seems to be attained in any how as we say God hears no more or very little more from him 3 False Assurance makes carelesse and secure true Assurance makes watchful and solicitous how to keep it A man that hath recovered true Assurance he knowes the worth of it and how many enemies he hath that watch all opportunities to rob him of it and he is perpetually fortisying against them Whereas to another it is not so precious but that he is exceeding apt to adventure it upon every slight occasion Light come and light go we use to say His designe is only to satisfie his conscience and when it hath done the present turn he looks no more after it A man will not care to manure or improve Lands to which he hath but a crackt Title Tendernesse of conscience 1 Pet. 1. 17 18 1 Pet. 2. 16 attends true Assurance one that hath it indeed takes no more latitude then before he presumes not upon it to embolden him to make the most of his liberty which he hath by Christ False Assurance lets a man more loose to suspicious practices it may be sinful ones presumingly 2 Pet. 2. 19 compared with ver 1. 4 False Assurance is attended with a great eagerness after the things of the present world And this is the ground of dangerous Apostasies to divers persons after they have been thus assured the world worldly principles get an intire possession of them and therefore the joy which they have is not so strong as to fortifie them against a time of trial when their outward enjoyments are endangered See in the case of the stony ground Matth. 13. 20. This is clearly affirmed in 2 Pet. 2. 14. They speak great swelling words of vanity great joyes and assurances they speak of they professe the Lord Jesus hath bought them ver 1. and 18. yet they have an heart exercised with covetous practises ver 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 train'd up in all the Palestrae the fencings and wrestlings of a worldly mind that Metaphor is taken from such as contend for victory who are trained up to all those Arts by which they may foyle an Adversary or from a School wherin the Students are trained up in an Art or Science these men are most profound subtil worldlings Masters of that Art can make the best advantage of their worldly enjoyments are able to lay most men upon their backs in those contests and they have all excuses and evasions at hand by which they may justifie their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which word we render covetous practices but it is covetousnesses i. e. all sorts of scraping and penurious ways to advance their worldly estate by heck or by crook as we use to say Self seeking and covetousness let men make what pretences they will is a sure evidence of a false profession and false evidences of salvation But true Assurance of Gods love is a mighty means of bringing the soul off from self and the world How liberal Jacob was to his Brother Gen. 33. 11. Nay take my present Brother for I have All Heb. I have told you above that faith of Assurance yeelds the strongest Arguments to contempt of the world What need hath he to make much of a few perishing enjoyments that is assured after a short term of life to enjoy an Inheritance that fadeth not away What need he care for an house made of clay to provide so much to keep it in repair that hath interest in one without hands eternal in the heavens 5 False Assurance is a principle that will not bear a man out in time of trial Thence so many braving spirits faint in a day of tryal Mat. 13. 20. Thus it comes to passe that persons that have tastes of the powers of the world to come which tastes I conceive may include the joyes and comforts that arise from pretended Assurance may and do fall away Heb. 6. 5 6. Thence in times of Error such persons are quickly brought to deny the Lord that they pretend to believe hath bought them 2 Pet. 2. 1. But true Assurance will bear the trials of persecutions and false Doctrines As for Persecutions see Heb. 10. 34. 2 Tim. 4. 6 7 8 1. 12. And as for the trial of false Doctrines undoubtedly seeing Assurance is founded upon truth such as truly enjoy it will preserve Truth as its foundation Not as if a soul that hath had true Assurance Caution may not fall fouly in a day of temptation but he doth not so contrive plot and lay out for wayes of escape as other men do doth not invent evasions and distinctions to justifie unjustifiable defections and complyances An assured man does his Duty and if a cross meet him in his way he steps not out of his way to avoid it except possibly the violence of a sudden temptation make him yeeld a little to a present storm which infirmity yet he allows not in himself but quickly recovers out of it with taking shame and confusion to himself but is prepared in the constant frame and standing disposition of his spirit not to chuse sin before affliction The Apostle Pauls temper is such a temper Acts 21. 13. 6 False Assurance makes the soul light and vain and frothy carrys it out into notions Tit. 3. 9 2. Tim. 6 3 4 and speculations They that have no better fare to entertain their own hearts and others ears withal 't is no wonder if they lay out the strength of their time and spirits upon chaffy disputes And the reason is this false Assurance is founded on some mistake or other for as I have shewed if there be an error in the conclusion it must be grounded on some falshood in the premisses Some Scripture mis-interpreted or some heterodox opinion or other founds it because there is a chain that links errors together and one cannot maintain it self without company rather then men will have their main copy-hold touched or that error weakned which founds their Assurance they care not in what disputes they engage to secure the main chance This I am confident is the foundation of the Antinomian disputes generally and it were easie to shew how it comes about Mens own false experiences lay the first stone in an erroneous frame and then the Word must be interpreted so as it wil sute
Estate or the weakest Evidences for the best part of his Estate it troubles him not much so long as he hath still the firmest Evidences of the best part of his Estate remaining because those he may bear the losse of without undoing But if these be lost he is losttoo You may lose your Evidences of your earthly estate and if heaven be sure you may not only not grieve but even rejoyce in the loss But if you lose your Evidences of heaven you are as to all the truest comfort of your lives undone men And yet if you lose but some of these and retain the main you are in a happy condition It may be you lose the evidences of Grace the spirit of Prayer in its sensible assistance the verdure life and activity of your souls in the wayes of God nay you lose the Promises you canot find one Promise in the Word of God that you dare own Now stick to the Testimony of the Spirit keep that and you have an Evidence still in stead of all and that will recover them all againe 2 It may easily be lost as to the actual enjoyment of it though the Habit cannot be lost The check of one holy motion may grieve the Spirit Eph. 4. 30. the commission of one sin especially by way of presumption and back-sliding may remove him See in David Psalm 51. 12. Lusts be cunning Theeves and if they get into your heart again the thing they most rob you of is your Deeds and Evidences for glory and then they know you are prone to be perswaded to take a portion here seeing you have lost all certain grounds of expecting a better 3 Satan is alwayes at hand to deprive you if possible of the influence of the Spirit this way He knowes what a mighty rub it is in the way of all his Temptations that Gods people walk in the light of Gods countenance and in the comfort of the Spirit Therefore the greatest and most desperate temptations of converted souls tend to the hindering or weakning of Assurance As a cunning Adversary in Law layes plots if possible to weaken the validity of his Antagonists strongest evidences or to get them into his hands and suppress them 4 The Evidence of the Spirit lost will not easily be recovered again It cost David many a tear and many an heart-pang ere he could recover him again Psal 51. 11 12 Satan having gotten your deeds into his hands or made them suspected in the Court of Conscience or it may be damned in the Starchamber of a mans own deluded heart for counterfeit it will be an hard matter to prevail for their admission ever to appear in Court again The greater intimacy and secrecy of communion there hath been between thy soul and the Spirit of God the more difficulty will there be to make up a breach if it fal out between you See Prov. 18. 19. 5 Lose that and you lose all the rest Graces will not shine Duties will be cold and dull Promises will speak nothing our owne spirits when they are called forth will bear false witnesse if the Spirit be dumb They will all say as the King to the poor woman How can we relieve thee except the Lord help thee 2 King 6. 27. Thou maist go to the Word and not one syllable of it but will witnesse against thee to thy own heart and that is possessed by Satan and dismal despair and there is nothing but blackness Call forth thy Graces and ask them and there is not one will answer to his name If thou say Come forth Love and evidence for me I am mis-called saith Love I am but selfishness Call forth Faith that is not my name saith Faith I own no name but Presumption Repentance will be called by no name but Legal sorrow Zeal will be called fury and rashness new obedience hypocrisie and formality c. Call to Duties and Prayer will say I am tongue-tied and cannot speak Hearing will say All that I can meet with in a Sermon is terror the Sacraments will say thou hast eaten and drunken damnation there is not a dram of comfort for thee in us If the Sun hide the Moon and Stars give none or a very obscure light All Hamans intimate friends when the King but frowns are so far from daring to speak for him that they cover his face and are all ready to have him away to the Gallowes whereas on the other side every grace duty providence ordinance hath something to say for a man when the Spirit of God is the foreman of the Jury they all say as he sayes CHAP. XXVI How this may be done And first concerning keeping Records of them Quest BUt how shall I keep the Testimony of the Spirit when I have it Ans 1. Record it carefully That is the way for a man to secure an Evidence of his Lands or estate to serve him at all turns to record the Deeds of bargain and sale or Donation or whatever other way the Title is secured with all the formalities of Law c. that may illustrate or confirme them There be two Courts in which these evidences are to be pleaded or impleaded And therefore it will concern you to have a Duplicate of this Evidence that there may be a copy in each Court 1 The Court of Heaven Now it is true that God enrols all such Acts of his Spirit there but this is but a private record as I may say with reverence for Gods own use The Lord knowes who are his 2 Tim. 2. 19. This private record I cannot produce at any time because Secret things belong to God Deut. 29. 29. But there is another way of laying up a more serviceable Record in Heaven which a man may have forth coming as we use to say upon all occasions that is by commending our Evidences to God in Prayer desiring his own Spirit that gives them to be our Remembrancer of them in times of need This is one of the Offices of the Holy Ghost not only to be the Comforter of the Saints but their Remembrancer and Recorder too John 14. 26. Christ had told his Disciples many comfortable things in the whole preceding part of the Chapter and now towards the upshot and period of all the great comfort with which he interlines all the rest both in this and the following Chapters is I will send you another Comforter And the Comforter shall come whom the Father shall send in my name But what shall he do when he comes Why he shall first be their Instructer and the Promoter of their farther progresse in saving knowledg wherein they were but Novices till Christs Ascension He shall teach you all things and he shal be their Recorder or Remembrancer he shall suggest so Beza renders the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 suggeret or prompt your forgetful memories in all things which I have told you True there 't is not spoken barely of the things immediately preceding but of all
the Doctrines of Faith c. which he had acquainted them withal from their first vocation but it includes even those Doctrines of comfort which precede in the number of those Truthes they being part of what Christ had told them 2 The Court of Conscience It will be needful having once verified the evidence by the test of the Word to lay it up against a day of tryal Divine Truths must be laid up in the heart for Direction and divine Experiences for Consolation in an evil day This Courts Recorder is Memory and its Records in such a day are of especial use and importance Records of Gods dealing with others formerly see Psalm 119. 52. I remembred thy judgments of old and have comforted my self i. e. Those judgements by which thou hast caused thy people to triumph over their enemies in former times So also of our own experiences see both together Psal 77. 5 6 The holy man had been utterly at a losse had it not been for this Recorder and yet it seemes he had been too to blame in the laying up his evidence so that it cost much search before he could find it I communed with my heart and my spirit made diligent search the Septuagint reads 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my spirit digged as we do for hidden treasure that must have much rubbish removed ere we can come at it But their sense is grounded upon a different reading of the word in the Hebrew Others read Scopabam I swept it seems by his carelesse keeping he had suffered his evidences to be thrown inâ—… dusty corner among waste papers and he was fain to sweep for them ere he could find them but however when he found them he made excellent use of them for by them he recovers strength to check his present unbelief I have considered the dayes of old ver 5. and I call to remembrance my song ver 6. I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High ver 10. and I will remember the works of the Lord c. v. 11. And these remembrances prove a great strengthning to his Faith in that hour of temptation David hath some Psalms to bring to remembrance Psalm 38 and 70. And Christ hath left Ordinances for this end The Word 2 Pet. 1. 12 13. and Sacraments Do this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luke 22. 19. in remembrance of me And there is the same use of the communion of Saints which is the special means of keeping fresh one anothers experiences by conference and communication Therefore it will be a very good course to charge memory to record carefully all the visits and smiles and embraces of Gods Spirit together with all the passages which may confirm the truth of them afterwards As we do in Evidences concerning a temporal estate we record the Sealing dayes and the Witnesses and the considerations of the conveyance So in this case bid memory put down At such a time in such a place upon such a Prayer Sermon when I was in such an exigency and there was but an haires breadth between me and despair such a sad cloud was scattered the Spirit of God by such a Promise gave me as much comfort and joy as my heart could hold and I then set to my seal that God is true by believing Joh 2. 33 And I was confirmed in the reality of these experiences by a following assistance against such corruptions or strength against such temptations or power more then ordinary to walk in wayes of spiritual communion with God c. This course being carefully taken it cannot be imagined how great an awe it will cast upon a mans jealous and suspicious heart that it will scarce dare to entertain a doubt against an Evidence so clear and so carefully recorded Except Satan can imbezel the Records or corrupt them by the concurrence of our treacherous memories in some considerable passages 't is in vain he knows to commence a fresh sute against the soul The soul in such cases will as the Psalmist have recourse to those Records and clear his Title against such disturbances Psal 77. suprà CHAP. XXVII The Means to strengthen these Evidences IN the second place 2 Strengthen your Evidences daily 1 By strengthning Ordinances 1 The Word heard read meditated upon all these in their proper place and time are to be used with care David alwayes keeps up a fainting Assurance with a word My soul melteth for heavinesse strengthen thou me according to thy word Psal 119. 28. This is my comfort in my affliction for thy Word hath quickned me Psal 50. Vphold thou me according to thy Word c. Psal 116. Promises are the food of Faith Cordials of Hope the crutches of Patience the principal feathers in the wing of Prayer Threatnings caution us against those courses as will weaken Assurance Precepts direct us in such wayes as will continue and improve it Examples are so many ruled cases as they say in Law which may adde light to a man when there is need to search records as before said The whole Word is the fewel that maintains the fire of Assurance and Meditation blowes up the coals 2 Prayer And this applies the Word it is a souls perpetual plea against all litigious molestations If Satan or a mans own heart at any time call his Evidences into question away flyes Prayer to God and pleads Promises and Examples holy Presidents and stops the mouth of Temptation this way 'T is that way of continual intercourse with God that brings a man dayly returnes of holy familiarities which cannot but nourish a constant perswasion of his unchangeable Love as mutual Letters maintaine a good intelligence among friends 3 Sacraments As they are remembrancers of the death of Christ and Ordinances appointed for the Sealing of the benefits thereof to the soul by particular applicatory signes and tokens must needs be means not only to give as hath been shewne before but also to confirm and continue it And upon this account 't is no wonder if Christ in the Institution of the Lords Supper require a frequent attendance upon that Ordinance 1 Cor. 11. 25. As oft as ye drink it implies frequent drinking it All our faith is grounded upon the death and satisfaction of Christ and the frequent reduction of those grounds of faith to our consideration must needs strengthen it habits of the mind are strengthned by a frequent repetition of those actions by which they were first begotten and produced Now though gracious habits are not gotten in the strength of natural or moral powers as natural or moral habits are yet they are produced as I before have shewed by a supernatural power in a natural method and order And therefore though no grounds apprehended by the understanding can of themselves beget faith yet a divine power never produceth them but by the representation of some grounds And therefore the representation of the death of Christ as it is held forth by God in all its
that God he took him for that there was error personae in the Match 7 Beware of that which I have often before warned you of vain unprofitable Erroneous or ungodly company This will not only damp convictions I have shewed you so much before but comfort also Ordinarily our spirits by sympathy become much-what of the temper and alloy with those with whom we converse 'T is a difficult thing for a mans spirit to continue free from impressions of sadnesse that converseth with a mourning company And 't is no lesse difficult for a soul to be seriously affected though he have never so important businesse in hand when the persons he is most familiarly conversant with are all set as wee say upon a merry pin 1 Vain and unprofitable company have not weight enough in them to add any balast to a spirit under the full sails of gracious Assurance nay they substract and withdraw that which it hath before within it self and then it is no wonder if it be overturned whiles the heavenly gale that fills those sailes for want of a serious care to manage it leaves the soul to a blast of frothy carnal delight which will soon over-set it 2 Erroneous and for in this case we may very well put them together ungodly company on the other side will make it their businesse to bore holes in the vessel it self to corrupt a mans principles and let in upon him such a floud of brackish and unsavoury waters both opinions and practices as will so marre all the precious lading of the soule that the Spirit in just discontent will refuse to fill its sailes any more it being not worth the labour to bring that vessel to harbour which is laden with meer trash and rotten Commodities Erroneous company will endeavour to break the chain of Truth in which Assurance hangs One Truth lost loseth it In a word The holy Spirit of God will not partake in the scandal of such an Association If I be never so much an acquaintance or intimate friend to a man yet I will not accompany him into all Societies which possibly he may bee engaged unto If he will converse with me I expect that he should do it either in a way of privacy or if in a more communicative way yet in such company only as may sute my genius or disposition my quality and reputation or else there I will leave him and if I see hee intends to make a consolidation of acquaintance and converse between me and such as I cannot comfortably converse withall I will break off familiarity with him altogether And surely I cannot expect that the Spirit of Grace truth and holynesse should serve me otherwise if I abase him so far in my esteeme as to endeavour to draw him into Partnership with me in the Society of empty erroneous and wicked men No question but such an affront will cause him to withdraw CHAP. XXIX A fourth and fifth Direction concerning the use of our Evidences 4. BE much in the Actings of Love and Thankfulness 1 Love Coolings of affection on our part towards God God cannot bear It were an unnatural monstrous ingratitude at such a time to flag in our love when we are under the fullest and most enlarged enjoyments of his love to us Then if ever when Gods countenance shines upon us will it make our faces reflect the same smiling beams of love upon him again Surely such enjoyments act much beneath themselves if they produce not a love stronger then death it self If the Saints of God use to love God and 't is their duty so to do even then when he breaketh them in the place of Dragons and covereth them with the shadow Psal 44. 19. of death if when he will not vouchsafe them one smile upon their souls will not speak one good word to their aking hearts but all they see from him is ghastly frowns and all they fear from him is chiding and thunder How much more may we think it reasonable and just they should do so when he spreads his own banner of love over them when he brings them into the Banquetting Cant. 2. 4. house when he layes his left hand under their heads and his right hand embraceth them Cant. 8. 3. 1. 2 when he kisseth them with the kisses of his mouth and paves all those Chariots of Ordinances and Duties wherein he conveyes himself to them and them to himselfe with love And Cant. 3. 10. therefore if at such a time your love kindle not beyond the ordinary proportion you cannot but provoke him to with-draw in displeasure See what one cold entertainment of a visiting Christ cost the Church Cant. 5. I opened to my Beloved but my Beloved had with-drawne himself and was gone His love was hot in the visit but hers was too cold that gave him such an entertainment and therefore when she opened at last he was gone v. 6. And then when the Scene was changed and the visit fell out to be on her part he served her in the same fashion he would not be within She sought him but she found him not 2 Thankfulnesse I cannot imagine if a soul were to wish a good thing on this side heaven and have it what it could desire like spiritual Assurance of Gods love It is as near of kin to heaven it self as possibly can be It is a kind of beatifical vision proportioned to the capacity of a mortal creature And certainly the more we are admitted to the life of heaven in happiness the more near we ought to come to the life of heaven in thankfulness Because an heavenly life is a life of the greatest fruit ion therefore it is a life of greatest thankfulness To receive extraordinary mercies with an ordinary spirit a spirit not warmed into extraordinary sensibleness of it and thankfulness for it is among the greatest provocations of God the giver of them that can be Discoveries of Gods love have used to non-plus the utmost abilities of a thankful heart Psal 116. 11 12. What shall I render saith David to the Lord for all his benefits towards me And then is thankfulnesse greatest when like the peace of God which occasions it it passeth all understanding 5 Let love and thankfulness carry you on with delight in all the wayes of Duty and obedience The truth is this is the proper use of divine discoveries Why doth the father smile upon and make much of his child is it not that he may be thereby encouraged to dutifulness and obedience Why doth the Sun shine upon the earth except to make it fruitful Upon these termes the Church is engaged to run after Christ Cant. 1. 2. 3 4. If Christ draw with Ointments and kisses the fragrant allurements and temptations of his love 't is an addition of strength and agility to a poor crippled soul Now if Christ find that you receive his favours but reject his commands that his countenance is delightful and his
of such a temptation before hand as a Physician keeps that body low in flesh which he sees inclined to evil humours though it be not actually distempered by them Now if thou cooperate with God in this designe as possibly it may be this he aimes at surely thou wilt hasten thy deliverance from thy present darkness 6. Labour to live by faith in the mean time For as I told you before in the directions to the getting of Assurance so I tell you now in the way of recovering lost Assurance the main work is to exercise an holy reliance upon God in a condition so sad and uncomfortable as this must needs be This we find hath been the practice of the Saints of God in the like cases Psal 27. 13. David had been in a great straight not only in regard of his Exclusion from Ordinances but even in the sad conclusions which he drew thence to the distempering of his spirit See how he closeth all I had fainted saith he except I had believed to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the Land of the living Job speaks bigger words Though hee kill me I will trust in him Job 13. 15. q. d. Satan tels me and my own misgiving heart many times seconds him that these troubles will make an end of me I shall never come alive out of them Well saith Job be it so lot him kill me if he will if I were now a dying and dropping into Hell yet I will hold fast for all that he shall not be rid of me so If I goe to hel I 'll pul him after Our Saviour Christ also in his Agony cryes My God though he were a forsaking God This is a sweet frame of Spirit when God seemes to hold loose and man holds the faster for it God spurns at a poor soule and he layes hold of his foot God sayes Jacob let me goe and Jacob saith no I will not let thee goe except thou bless me Gen. 32. 26. The advice is plaine Isa 50. 10. I urged this place before in the directions for procuring Assurance and there told you that there is a parity of cases and so a proportion in the means which are to be used for recovery in the soule that never had and the soule that hath lost assurance This must needs be a special way For 1. This frame of Spirit speaks strength of faith A small strength will serve to hold one that is willing to stay but when a strong man putteth out all his strength to wrest himselfe out of a friends importunate embraces it had need be more strength then ordinary that holds him or fetcheth him back then This is that by which the strength of Abrahams faith is discovered in another case he was saith the Apostle strong in faith he was mightily enabled by faith what to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doe to believe he should have a Sonne when he was past all probable hopes of one Rom. 4. 18 19 20. And thus it is in thee it is an evidence of strong faith when thou canst say let my heart tell me never so much God hath cast me off and there is no help for me in God yet I will not let goe my confidence and the hold that thereby I have upon him here is strong faith See Mat. 15. 24 25 26. The womans faith was admired by Christ upon this account that she would play the dogg and fall at his feet when he rated her away O woman saith he great is thy Faith Persons are apt to think that Assurance of Gods love when a soule walks in the clear light of Gods countenance and lives high thereupon is a strong faith But I tell thee friend there is more strength by far in that faith that depends upon God in darknesse and desertion that trusts when a man can see no light The truth is the life of Assurance is in a sort a life of sense and feeling and it is rather a life above faith a life of enjoyment Faith is the evidence of things not seen saith the author to the Hebrews Heb. 11 1. Assurance in proper speech is the first fruits of heaven and it's life is a life of sense and fruition not of faith As the Apostle saith of hope in this Chapter Hope that is seen is not hope ver 24. So say I of faith faith that is seen is not faith Faith is a friend made especially for a time of distance between the soul and its comforts and is appointed as a meanes to derive the benefit of them to the soul during that state of distance 2 Besides 't is no wonder if God be taken with the actings of faith in such a season seeing strength of faith gives glory to God Rom. 4. 20. And he cannot long withdraw from a soul that so much glorifies him upon so little encouragement I may say to thee as Christ to Thomas Hold this course and thou art a blessed man Others see and believe But blessed are they that have not seen and yet believe Joh. 20. 20. 3. Besides lastly this frame of spirit must needs keep down many of those murmuring despairing and in a sort blasphemous misapprehensions concerning God and his promises which length of soul-troubles is apt to plunge a man into And certainly the lesse iniquity there is breaking forth in our desertions the sooner they will be over Now faith in such a season maintaines good thoughts of God and defends him and takes his part against the calumnies of Satan And God that sees and knows this therefore how can he but take this kindly If an husband absent himselfe a while from a wife and she be ready upon every whisper of slanderous gossips to suspect her husbands fidelity in his absence and give out speeches tending that way can it be expected that any husband should take pleasure in such a wife Wil he not rather chuse to stay away stil and be suspected for somthing as we say rather then live under constant suspicions for no cause But when the heart of an husband may be secure of this that his wife is confident of his faithfulnesse and her heart quietly rests in him absent as well as present let suspicion suggest what it will surely he cannot but be exceeding tender of such a wife and much taken with her company God sees your jealousies of him in darknesse and observes how apt you are to censure him in his absence Doe not thinke this is the way to bring him back againe He will make you entertain better thoughts of him ere he returne Quest But how shall I exercise faith in desertions What shall I believe A. Believe in general most things that seem most contrary to thy present sense and moral probabilities For in soul-troubles the fancy is the principal part possest by distrustful imaginations and Satan in that fortifies himselfe against all the power of those truths that might be means of consolation to the soul And therefore the way to
get out of them is to believe the quite contrary to those apprehensions which we are most apt to close with More particularly 1 Believe this condition is good for thee yea so good that thou mightest be much the worse if it were not for it This is an hard matter to perswade souls in such a condition to believe But the Scripture affirms it Rom. 8. 28. 2 Believe that God loves thee never the worse for this dealing with thee that when he thrusts forth his foot to kick thee he puts forth his hand to embrace thee that when he calls thee dog he owns thee for a châ—ld never the lesse for that This is an hard lesson too but take it from Heb. 12. 6. 3 Believe that if God could tell what other course to take to do thee good he would not afflict thee this way For surely as he doth not afflict willingly Lam. 3. 33. and therefore forbears the rod altogether till he cannot tell what to do more to do his people good Jer. 9 7. So he never chuseth one affliction before another but upon the same exigency and necessity And therefore believe this is the most proper Physick for thy constitution of all other because so wise and indulgent a Physician chuseth it for thee 4 Believe that he will not hide himself from thâ—… alwayes I cannot tell how to commend to thee absolutely a belief that hee will return to thee in this life as formerly Thou maist perhaps ghesse whether he will or no by the present strong prejudices that Satan casts into thee against it a distempered spirit as thine is is seldom strongly possessed or haunted with a true fear and therefore as I said before cujus contrarium verum est is a good rule for thee most commonly to judg by That which Satan and thy own mis-giving heart most strongly endeavour to fasten upon thee if the Word do not clearly back it 't is safest to believe the contrary thereunto Thou mayst ghesse at it also by thy ends why thou desirest the light of Gods countenance here which the more spiritual they are and remote from self the more confident thou maist be of re-enjoying it here Are thy ends these that thou maist glorifie God more on this side the grave strengthen others by thy experiences draw others to God by the discovery of the satisfactions that thou findest in his wayes These were Davids ends and David recovered out of such a condition as thou art in by pressing Gods return to him upon these grounds Psal 51. 12 13 14. And Hezekiah Isai 38. 18 19. Thou maist ghesse at it by the judgments that carnal men make of thy condition By the use that they are apt to make of thy troubles to reproach Religion or the like Bp thy freedom from notorious scandalous sins since conversion By the stream of the prayers and desires of the people of God for thee God doth not usually gratifie his enemies or deny his friends in such things as they put much weight on By the considerablenesse of thy condition towards the furtherance of the peace or disquiet of other Saints of God who look upon thee as a blazing Star portending some great thing or other towards them and their condition and resolve to judg of themselves by thy case c. But these things I look on as no sufficient grounds of a particular faith in this thing Neither do I know any Scripture that will bear the weight of such a particular confidence except with these limitations That if God see and judge that thy comfortable condition will be more for Gods glory thy own good and the spiritual benefit of others it will returne again otherwise thou hast no ground to expect it whatever grounds thou thy selfe hast to think so And this I affirm because it is a thing not absolutely necessary to thy salvation or Gods glory or the good of others he can carry thee to heaven in the dark and work holy ends of his own upon others out of it also though thou dy without comfort And yet I must add that divers of Gods Saints have been confident of this as David Psal 27. 13. and 42. 5 11. and 43. 5. I shall yet praise him who is the health of my countenance and my God And the Church Micah 7. 8 9. When I fall I shall arise he wil bring me forth to the light and I shall behold his righteousnesse Though as to the grounds of that confidence I confess I am ignorant And let me adde once more that there are Promises even in this thing which although we must interpret with the forementioned limitations yet may be great encouragements to us to ask in faith and grounds upon which we may comfort our selves even in the present exigency with some intimations of an hope of release Isai 57. 16. is an excellent place and hath relation to this life because of the reason that is annexed I wil not contend for ever lest the spirit should fail before me c. And lastly let me add Few of Gods Saints surely have dyed without sensible returnes of Gods love and favour to their soules in some competent measure enough to beare up their souls against desolating tentations But however suppose thou have no certain ground to believe a returne of comfort here yet believe that thou shalt see his face in glory hereafter and that no troubles shall be able to separate from Gods love though they may from the sense of his love Rom. 8. 35 38 39. And eternity of enjoyment is a duration large enough to make up the want of God here 5 Believe that the likeliest time of re-enjoyment of his countenance is when thou art most in danger of being swallowed up of despair And truly when the violence of temptation doth most importunately put the soul upon desperate thoughts against all the strength of Meditation prayer resolutions to the contrary then is deliverance at hand Cum duplicantur lateres venit Moses say the Rabbins Moses the Deliverer comes when the Israelites bricks are doubled Mans extremity fits God with the best opportunity to advance his own glory in his deliverance In the Mount of the Lord it shall be seen Gen. 22. 14. Object True may a soul say a man that can yet lay claim to God may believe all these things and rely upon them but how shall a soul act faith in such a condition that questions his interest as much as ever he did such an one as is beaten off from daring to lay any claim to God at all Ans This is a weighty Question and therefore I must not let it go without an answer And the Answer is briefly this Suppose that thou art Godlesse as yet in all thy soul troubles take for once the divels suggestion and thy own hearts deceitful collusion for true and what then Are there no encouragements given to persons that want a present interest in God How comes any then to get an
interest in God Is it not by laying hold on him under some Scripture encouragement The absolute promises as we usually call them of the first grace and acceptance in Christ belong to any that can lay hold of them Friend begin again and lay hold upon such Promises as thou didst at first fasten upon and do not let them go And never dispute whether thou hast an interest or no But if thou think thou hast not labour to get an Interest by laying hold on them Tell Satan and thy deceitful heart that God never sayes I will give a new heart to you provided you be in Christ or I will give you Christ upon condition you be first in Christ Were not this an absurd condition Were it not a contradiction Doth Christ say Whoever comes to me I will in no wise cast out that is if he be in me before he comes Object Yea but thou wilt say All these Promises are conditioned by Gods Decree of Election and if I be not in Christ by Election at least none of them belong to me Answ True that is thou shalt never have the 1. Real and actual benefit of them None can have grace but whom God hath given to Christ As many and as many only as the Father hath given to Christ shall come to him Joh. 6. 37. But yet thou hast a Legal Right such a right as will ground a plea in the Court of Heaven from the general Termes in which they are delivered and thou canst not exclude thy self nor can the Devil or thy own misgiving heart exclude thee justly except thou or he could see Gods book of Life and Death Plead then the Plea God hath put into thy mouth and in so doing God will shew thee thy interest in them from eternity by giving thee assurance of thy present actual title to them in his own time and way 2. The decree of Election is the Divels usual common place whence he draws his most effectual Arguments of trouble and disquiet to the Saints of God And thou may'st if by no other mark discover the roaring Lyon by his paw in this common beaten path and haunt of his And so much the more palpably is he to be discovered by the peremptoriness of his suggestions in this kind when ever you find your selves under a strong and preremptory perswasion of your non-election you may be assured the Devill hath an hand in it Because the Spirit of God never peremptorily discovers to any man his reprobation For if he should he would defeat his own ordinances and motions upon the hearts of such men and by consequence be the proper Author of all such sinne as is the proper issue of such a desperate conclusion 7. Cease disputing over thy evidences and turn disputing into praying The longer thou disputest in this case the more thou wilt entangle thy self Hardly ever did a soul in desertion recover his assurance by disputing over his evidences Satan is so subtile a Disputant that he will perplex an Argument when it is clearest He is a juggler that can cast a mist before the eyes of Saints many times even by clear day-light much more can he do it by candle-light or star-light But of this more hereafter 8. Set upon a serious endeavour of advancing in holynesse If thou canst not enjoy the face of God yet in his absence make much of his picture follow the work of mortifying corruptions and growing in grace It is true it is an hard matter to make any considerable progresse in holinesse as to the practice and exercise thereof in a day of desertion but a man may grow in the principles and grounds from whence holinesse is derived into the practice A man may fortify his resolutions and lay new engagements upon his heart to the practise of holinesse when God shall give him enlargement A man can do little work in the night yet he may contrive and methodize his work and consider and resolve what to do when the day appears And God will the sooner come again when he finds there is so much preparation made for him When David had set his heart and house in readinesse Psalm 101. he expects a visit from God O when wilt thou come to me ver 2. Gods promise herein may be our encouragement To him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God Ps 50. ult 9. And lastly be industrious in comforting others In discourses with others under soul-troubles labour always to defend Gods cause against Satans See what thou canst â—ay to others on Gods behalfe how thou canst answer their objections satisfie their doubts encounter their tentations As he that teacheâ—h another teacheth himselfe so he that supporteth comforteth another may find himself supported with his supports and comforted with his comforts ere he is aware Those doubts and objections which are seemingly unanswerable when a man deales with them in his own heart wil appear many times very slight and inconsiderable when urged by another We are all apt to admire that in our selves which we slightly esteem in others from self-self-love and are no lesse apt to terrifie our selves with those fancies which we easily see to be ridiculous in others through the confusion of our spirits and the mist that Satan casts before our eyes Now when a soul finds that pleading for God against his own doubts in another He is able to deal with them succesfully hee will see cause to reflect upon himself and say Why should not I yeild to the evidence of that Truth which I expect should satisfy another Why should not I follow mine own counsell Why should I not conquer Satan in mine own as well as anothers behalf If I expect the cordialls I administer to another should cure mine own distemper in him why should I not try their efficacie upon my self in the same case These directions being duly followed will in Gods time recover thee that Assurance which Satan or thine own corruption and Gods just displeasure have deprived thee of And thus much for the second Thesis CHAP. XXXIII The third Thesis laid down and explained Thesis 3. NOw come we to the third Thesis of this part of the Treatise and that is That When Gods holy Spirit hath once been a Spirit of Adoption to any soul he never more becomes a Spirit of Bondage to that soul For saith the Apostle ye have not again received the Spirit of Bondage For the explaination of this point know that this Doctrine holds true of all the works of the Spirit of Adoption mentioned in the first Thesisof this part Any work of true grace or peace in the soul for ever dischargeth the soul out of the prison of the Holy Spirit But I shall handle this principally in reference to the witnessing work of the Spirit which hath hitherto been drawn through the whole web of this discourse Only in the beginning I must give this short hint for the sakes of those who else
as a disputant in that case may lawfully require at such a time when my mind by reason of some great oppression or other businesse is not at liberty to recollect its strength or before such Judges as are already prepossessed by him and strongly engaged on his side c. I may very justifiably decline it and answer his challenges with silence and provocations with slighting seeing so disingenuous a carriage on his part deserves no other So when I am sollicited to put my evidences for salvation in dispute at such a time when I want my wonted influences from the Spirit of God when as the Church Psalm 74. 9. complains in another case I see not my tokens when my spirits are overwhelmed and swallowed up with the oppression of soul-troubles when lastly I perceive I must plead my cause before sense and reason who are already prepossessed and fee'd on the adversaries side I may very justly refuse to enter the lists upon such terms and reflect the disgrace of so dishonourable a challenge upon my adversary before God and conscience 3. When I find such doubts concerning my condition injected or suggested upon Designe to hinder and disturbe mee in some present service wherein I have special use of Assurance To put them off at least till a more convenient time in such a case is a special part of spiritual wisdome It is found by the usual experience of Gods Saints that when they have most to do for their Assurance they shall have it most to seek Suppose when they go to pray especially upon any extraordinary occasion when they addresse themselves to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper when they are under some heavy affliction it may be when they are in some sort called forth to suffer for God Now it is plain that when our doubts and troubles of spirit in our observation usually returne upon us at such seasons they are then injected upon a special designe to hinder us in the present services Wherefore seeing by admitting so much as a dispute upon them at such a time I yield the Divell his known designe I may very safely reject them except I think it a course more eligible to gratifie the enemy of Gods glory and mine own good with the neglect or heartlesse performance of a duty then to break through a bug bear impediment purposely laid in my way and set about it with that furniture which God hath graciously vouchsafed to enable me thereunto And so much shall suffice for the Answer of this case concerning the way of turning a troublesome incruder out of doors But it may be farther objected Object But they pretend still they come from the Spirit seeing you tell me the beginnings of them occasional grounds of them may be from the Spirit of God and I find withal that they have grown out of such works of the spirit as you have but now described how shall I know how farre the Spirit of God leads me and where Satans work begins that I may submit to the one and resist the other Ans In general seeing I have before given you some non-ultra's beyond which the Spirit cannot go and therefore must referre you to those for particulars I say in general That whiles nothing is pressed upon you but what may stand with the supposal of a renewed estate what ever motions yeild you your title to God and grace and neither in their nature or in their grounds tend to weaken your evidences must be obeyed as the motions of Gods Spirit though never so harsh or unpleasing as farre as they have any command or allowed example in the word You must not take it for a motion of Satan that bids you repent of confesse mourn for renewed sinnes that bids you examine your heart and ways and turn to the Lord under afflictions c. But if such motions be improved to the questioning of the whole work of God upon the soul this is suspicious and so farre you must not go along with it CHAP. XXXVIII Some grounds upon which Satan useth to reduce converted and once assured souls into trouble answered Wherein also are some cases concerning falling into sinne after these mercies received Object YEa but the grounds me-thinks upon which these thoughts are pressed and urged upon my soul are such as seem to come from the Spirit of God and therefore although the Spirit of God never become a Spirit of Bondage again where he hath been a Spirit of Adoption yet hee may by such grounds as these convince me of my former mistakes in apprehending him to have been a spirit of Adoption when he was not And t is good to lay a sure foundation Answ T is good to lay a sure foundation but if upon every slight suggestion that it is amisse I must be bound to remove it and new-lay it I shall neither ever lay a foundation to the purpose nor build upon it as I ought to do Suppose thy foundation rather to be good and strive to build holinesse upon it and thou wilt thereby be satisfied in the truth of the foundation But what are those grounds upon which thou conceivest Gods Spirit tells thee thou hast been formerly mistaken in thy condition Object 1. I am told that a child of God especially after sound assurance had of his salvation cannot commit such sinnes as I have done since the time of my supposed Assurance A. I answer 1. No child of God is either by converting or assuring grace secured from the acts of any sinne while he lives here below but from the love custome and trade of sinne That in many things we sinne all the Apostle James tells us and puts himself in the number though certainly he was a Saint of the highest attainments in point of assurance and comfort James 3. 2. I need not tell you of the dangerous fall of Peter afer conversion nor of the fowl falls of Noah Lot and David It is strange that meere pretenders to Religion should be able to urge their examples to harden themselves and you cannot make any use of them to support your selves 2. It may make for Gods greater glory and your greater good that you have fallen so fowly if in stead of drawing discouraging conclusions from thence you make your repentance as visible and eminent as your falls if you learne hereby and shew hereafter a professed distrust of your own heart carefully watch against temptations and occasions of the like sins and renew your addresses to God for fresh assistance of strength to fortifie your renewed resolutions against them A Saint gets ground by stumbling whiles he hastens to recover his pace the more for it 3 You can never bring either of those blessed fruits Gods glory or your own good out of your presâ—nt condition in the way wherein you now are For God is not glorified in your unbelief supposing you the greatest sinners in the world but rather in this that you dare adventure an hideous
10. 37. Suppose I could say to thee by a certain Revelation from heaven The next moment O sad soul the Lord will smile upon thee and sorrow and sighing shall fly away How would this affect thee Would not this make a sudden alteration in thee Would not faith joy and love and thankfulnesse strive which sould break out first surely they would But if thou werst quite dead this would not affect thee A natural man takes no pleasure in the approaches of God he had rather have him farther off They say to God depart from us Job 21. 14. If the Sun be never so near the earth yet the dead tree is not sensible of its influence it causeth no alteration therein no leaves no buds no fruits testifie its approach Object But may not a wicked man delight in the approaches of Gods comforting and refreshing presence especially under troubles of conscience although there be no spiritual life in him at all Ans He may delight in the removal of his present terrors by application of comfort But 't is not God in comfort that he looks after Let him have comfort or peace any way he is wel pleased whether God draw nigh to him or no. If the Divel will conjure down his troubles if the world will choak them if musick will fiddle them away if the cup will drown them it is all one to him shall I say nay it is more then if God spake them away But a living soul sayes If God will not let me out of this pit this dungeon I will never go out it is lesse to me to be free then to be freed by him that he is the Authour of my liberty endears it to me To enjoy a quiet conscience and not enjoy God in that quiet of conscience is a worse hell to me then my former terrors Lord restore my fetters and chains te me give me my horriâ—lâ— pit my mire and clay my watered bed my broken bones my distracted spirit again I had rather chuse them all then not receive my liberty from thy single hand Any chains are easie if they bee compared with a godless liberty 2 But grant that a wicked man may possibly desire the comforting presence of God too yet he cannot delight in the approaches of Gods sanctifying presence Friend could I tell thee that God is approaching to thee as a Refiners fire to purge out all thy drosse and take away all thy tin Isai 1. 25. that the comfortable presence of God will be the death of thy dearest lusts Surely thou wouldst say Yea Sir let him come and welcome 'T is a day I have prayed for longed for wept for waited for O I will not accept of the Monarchy of the whole world for my share in this tydings I would not take heaven upon terms of reconciliation with my lusts Is it thus with thee My life for thine thou art not dead CHAP. XLIII A Case Whether instead of growing a real Saint may not decay in the actings of some graces and yet either the universal habit of the new Creature or the same very graces grow more habitually strong in him Obj. BUt I was once more quick and lively then I am now and therefore I find sensible decayes of what good I once thought I had Now true grace where ever it is will be ever growing The path of the Just is like the morning light which shineth more and more until perfect day Prov. 4. 18. Ans I shall satisfie this Doubt by answering two Questions Quest 1. Whether a Saint may not decay in stead of growing in the actings of some grace which appeared more visibly in him before whiles yet he growes in the habit Quest 2. How a man may know that he growes in grace when he is under such sensible decayes Answ To the first I answer 1 The graces of Gods Saints in the actings and operations of them are not alwayes alike high So wee see in the holy men of God throughout the whole current of the Word The faith of Abraham how high was it upon the Mount when he would have Sacrificed his Son but how low Gen. 22. 1. c. Heb. 11. 17. 1 Sam. 20. 2 when he cowardly denies his wife David one while dares fight with a Goliah and another throwes his Gauntlet and challenges a whole Army another while he quakes and 1 Sam. 16. Psal 27. 3 trembles through distrust and cryes out I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul One while 1 Sam. 27. 1. Peter is so valiant that he drawes a sword in Christs defence and that against a whole Band of men and follows him into the High Priests Hall a little after a silly maid dasheth his faith out of countenance 1 The truth is the continued high actings of some graces are not fit for a mortal condition and those that wish them such Job 4. 19. are unmindful that they dwel in Tabernacles of clay and that their foundation is laid in the dust Such is holy joy which if kept up perpetually to the height of ecstasie must needs over-spread the spirits and dissolve nature 2 Some Graces are of a mighty uniting nature and bind the soul to the Object so that it can mind nothing else during their impressions Such are faith and love Now God hath other graces to be acted and works to be done by us wherein we may glorifie him and therefore allowes them their time also Nay a godly man is described by this that he is a tree that brings forth fruit in the season proper to it Ps 1. 4. 3. All the graces of Gods Saints are now and then assaulted with stronger temptations and powerfuller corruptions then at other times And grace that will act high when 't is free from opposition or under slender opposition will not act so under greater That strength that will bear a hundred weight will appear little or none at all when it comes to lift a thousand 4. It may bee thy condition is altered and thy grace is yet unacquainted with the way of managing a new condition As an able scholar put out of his way of study may be out-gone by a meaner because those studies to which he is disused must needes bee entertained strangely and 't will be some time ere he can get their familiar acquaintance Here the fault is not in the abilities of the man but in the newnesse of the imployment so in point of grace a very gracious man and one who in some conditions and imployments is excellent in others is to seeke not for a toole to work with but for skil to manage it As a tradesman when hee changeth his trade loseth not his skil of dealing in the world but is unacquainted with the mysterie of putting it forth to present service 5. Many times God suffers decayes and not only so but inflicts them as chastisements upon his dearest people that hee may make them 1. Humble So hee useth sicknesses of
hereafter for ever That thou canst not tell with what face to call him Father having so mis-behaved thy self towards him 2 Apply thy self to his Throne of Grace for renewed pardon and that the sense of that pardon may open thy mouth again Psal 51 12 13 15. 3 Consider thy acceptance depends not on thine own worthinesse but on his meer mercy and goodnesse in Jesus Christ who is an Advocate for sinners and a Propitiation for sins 1 Joh 2. 1 2. 4 Put a bold face upon it as wee say and adventure as before upon the claim of that relation and use it in order to the obtaining of all necessary grace from God resolving in case thou ever see his face again in love yea though thou shouldst never see it again to watch against thy corruptions for time to come and walk more carefully under the Obligation of that relation then ever before Follow on this course though against the grain of thy own jealous heart and thou wilt find thy heart grow warm and thy pulse more quick by a sensible recovery of lost spirits and life to thy prayers II. This lets us know how we may maintain when we have and recover when we have lost the heat of our affections and confidence of our hearts in Prayer to wit by maintaining our Assurance of Gods love 1 John 5. 14 15. The Apostle writes to them whom he endeavours by several tokens to assure that they are the children of God and then drawes up the advantage of that Assurance And this is the confidence that we have in or concerning him that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us c. The way then to keep present and renew lost boldnesse is to keep and renew assurance of Gods love by the Spirit How you may do that I have shewne before at large and so shall spare repetition here CHAP. L. Three Duties pressed on all Assured Saints The first to be much improving the supply of the Spirit in approaching to God frequently-Urged with eight Motives III. THis stirs up all who have the witnesse of the Spirit to three Duties 1 To be much in Prayer 1 Those that have it not are not to neglect it nor are they excusable for slighting it over who walk in darknesse Now if they must drive on in this rode who because the wheels of their Chariots are taken off must needs drive heavily how are you bound who have wheels and those oyled too that you may go on the more cheerfully 2. If God should with-draw what you neglect the comfortable refreshments of his Spirit and make you howle after him under spiritual darknesse in a wide and howling wildernesse of desertions and temptations you will find a difference between sailing in a clear day and a calm sea and steering the same vessel in a dark night and stormy sea when neither Sun nor Moon nor Star appeares to direct the course And then you will wish you had used days of spiritual peace for maintaining Trade with God Troublesome times are bad times to trade in The uncertainty of Adventures and returnes must needs cool the Merchants endeavours 3 Others may but you must prevail with God I mean the arrowes of prayer which by souls in darknesse are shot at adventure are not altogether without hope of acceptance but yours are beyond possibility of miscarrying and that not only in themselves but to you also you being in the light of Gods countenance are particularly assured that whatever you ask according to his Word he heareth you 1 Joh. 5. 14 15. 4 Hopes to speed are the wings of prayer Assurance as I before have shewed will be maintained by prayer and weakned by the neglect of it Let a man be never so intimately acquainted with a friend and never so certainly assured of his love yet disuse of entercourse will occasion jealousie and distrust or at least shynesse and feare of being too bold with each other 5 You wrong many others You are the Favourites of heaven how many Petitions of poor dark Saints in corners are put into your hands for dispatch to the Throne of Grace How many occasions wherein you may serve the Church come athwart you as wee say daily And can you betray all these by your negligence of improving your interest at the Throne of God No man may do more good if he attend with diligence and watchfulnesse then an honest Favourite to an earthly Prince You must not pray for your selves only but for them that cannot pray too You that are Gods Favourites may do much good if you bestir your selves 6 Know this also that God delights in the Musick of your Prayers Other men alwayes find matter of complaint but you are more fitted for Sacrifices of praise And he that offereth praise glorifieth God and so 't is no wonder if God delight most in such a Petitioner I must not be understood as if God did not also delight in the saddest complaints of a troubled spirit as they are offered up to him in a way of Petition But yet surely I think I may say God loves that Prayer most that most carries man out of himself to him and praises of assured souls are such giving Duties if I may so speak as do not only receive from God but in a sort bestow upon him 7 Adde to this that the very present comfort of communion with God if there were no other advantage to a gracious soul were encouragement enough to Duty How are the Saints of God wont to rejoyce if God give them now and then a glance of his countenance How when they have not had communion with him for a while do they complain as if every day were a year every year an Age And is the refreshment of that communion so slight unto thee that thou canst now passe many dayes it may be weeks without any sensible affection of grief and trouble at the slendernesse of intercourse between thy soul and him especially when 't is not through his strangenesse but through thine own 8 Consider what this liberty of approaching to God cost Christ for thee He laid down his dearest bloud to bring thee so nigh Ephes 2. 13. and Heb. 10. 20. He hath consecrated a new and living way through the vail i e. his flesh CHAP. LI. A second Duty pressed upon them viz. stirring up all their graces to pray with life and fervency upon six Motives 2 STir up the grace of God that is in you pray with life and fervency When we are bid not to quench the Spirit that prohibition stands between two verses wherein the proper means of preserving the Spirit alive in the soul are prescribed Pray without ceasing and in every thing give thanks 1 Thess 5. 17 18 19 20 goes before and Despise not prophecying comes after Implying if our affections be indifferent to prayer and preaching we need use no other meanes to quench the Spirit Fire will be extinguished by neglect
of blowing up the coals as well as by throwing water upon them To move you hereunto consider 1 There is little difference as to the comfort of grace between grace lying dead and no grace at all A man that hath riches and God gives him not an heart to enjoy them wherein is he better as to the comfort of his life then a man that hath not a penny in the world This is an evil thing under the Sun saith Solomon Eccles 6. 1 2. A man that hath no grace enjoyes no communion with God sits dull and unprofitable under all Ordinances makes no spiritual advantage of any enjoyment and so doth the man that hath grace un-improved 2 The lesse you stir up your graces the less you will be able to use them when you have need If a mans faith humility sorrow for sin be away in one Duty or two he will not find them readily at hand when he would make use of them again A tool a man useth at every turn will not be so often out of the way as one he useth but now and then Besides suppose them constantly at hand yet if not imployed they will be rusty and unfit for use except they be rubbed up by constant imployment 3 Corruptions will be stirring daily and Satan will be perpetually blowing them up especially in the Duty of Prayer There is no Duty in which the people of God complain Ut jugulent homines surgunt de nocte latrones Vt teipsum serves non expergisceris Horat. more of distempers and distractions then that Duty The thief is abroad active and vigilant and shall the Traveller ride on carelesly and not look about him to keep his weapon in a readinesse for every assault There is no rode more infested with Thieves then the rode betweene earth and heaven the Traffick is precious and therefore a man had need stir up and quicken himself to all the cautiousnesse that may be and muster up all his strength for a convoy to secure the passage Now there is no convoy that more secures all our duties in that traffick and all our returns then a convoy of active graces 4. The Saints of God have used to do so to call upon themselves and to quicken themselves unto a spiritual and lively performance of duties to God David is frequent herein Psal 103. 1. All that is within me praise his holy name Arise faith humility self-denial joy hope and be stirring I am about a duty of importance and that to a God to whom I stand deeply obliged do your best therefore to help me to praise his holy name So Psal 57 7 8. My heart is fixed or prepared or ready Awake my glory Tongue See you do your duty lively and vigorously awake my Psaltery and I my self wil awake early i. e. I wil stir up all my graces to bear you company And the whole Church complains of the want hereof Isai 64. 7. 5 God in all his grants takes special notice of the activity of our graces in approaching to him Jer. 30. 21. Who is this that engaged his heart to approach to me saith the Lord q. d. There are many that approach to me but who is that among all the rest that engaged his heart to approach to me Of all the rest I take notice of him he quickned all his graces and stirred up all his soul on purpose that he might approach to me As if a great man come to a Town and publick entertainment be made him if any one among the rest be more active then ordinary he takes especial notice of him Who is this that makes so much ado above all the rest I must take special notice of him and gratifie him with some extraordinary favour God le ts passe an hundred lazy Petitioners and seeks out a fervent one in a throng of Christians 6 If you do not stir up your graces to seek God God will stir them up for you If an horse that hath mettal enough grow dull the rider puts to the spur to quicken him If you grow dull and careless in Duty God will spur up your graces and quicken you to your pain and cost too Indeed saith God is it so Can such a man afford me no better services then so is every slight slovenly performance good enough for me Well I will be served with that that costs him something before I have done with him With-draw thy comforts from him Spirit smite him sickness vex him Satan persecute him enemies I will warrant it I shall hear from him shortly in another guise manner Hos 5. 15. In their affliction they will seek me early Take this for an usual rule Ordinarily after a continued deadness and formality of Spirit upon a Saint in Duty comes some sharp affliction or other CHAP LII A Question how Saints may recover out of deadnesse in prayer answered something about formes Quest BUt how shall I stirre up my selfe to seek the Lord How shall I recover out of this strange deadnesse and formality of spirit which I am fallen into Answ 1 Vse not to set upon the duties in which you approach to God without meditation David says of himselfe whiles I was musing the fire kindled Psal 39. 3. Meditate principally upon the most proper moving objects of every grace Faith acts upon Gods faithfulnesse in his promises to stirre up faith therefore meditate upon God in his faithfulnesse and that as declared in some special promise that concerns thy case and condition Love and thankfulnesse are exercised upon the goodnesse of God Meditate upon the goodnesse of God to thee in particular to stirre up those graces humility is most affected with a mans own vilenesse and Gods glory compared together here then set out God in his majesty as gloriously as thou canst in thy meditations then view thy selfe and thy own vilenesse especially reflecting upon those sinnes of thine which have had most vilenesse and loathsomnesse of circumstances and are attended with the most abhominable aggravations And so in other graces 2. Choose the most free and lively seasons for duty The morning before worldly busines hath deadned flatted the spirit is of special use for prayer 'T was not for nothing that David so often made choyce of that time Psalm 5. 3. 59. 16. 88. 13. 119. 147. 63. 1. 108. 2. c. If a man will attend any businesse without distraction or disturbance that is the time to be beforehand with the disturbances of dayly businesses and occasions When we slip out of every worldly imployment into prayer or at night when we are half asleep mix nods with petitions no wonder if we complain of deadnesse and dulness and distraction 3. Watch to prayer Col. 4. 2. Continue in prayer and watch thereunto c. 1 Pet. 4. 7. Be sober and watch unto prayer Watch against Satan who will then be busie to disturbe you it may be with Atheistical and blasphemous thoughts and other
such distracting suggestions and you then watch against him when you set your heart against them and turne your prayers edge against them till you have cast them out and then returne to your duty again Watch against your usual carelesnesse and when you find it growing upon you do likewise Watch against vain wandring thoughts and throw them out by a speedy laying hold upon some more weighty Meditation if any such be at hand if not but thou findest thy self wholly possest with such fancies do as before I advised turn the edge of thy prayer for that while against them Watch the kindlings of the Spirit and where thou findest but one little spark of fervency and zeal glowing ply that Meditation that Subject hard that kindleth it Follow the Veyne and thou wilt be Master of the Mine at last 4 Be much in begging the Spirit of prayer and calling him in to constant assistance in the Duty Urge his Office upon him he is a Spirit of Grace and Supplication And to enliven and embolden the Saints is his principal work 5 Rest not in formes of Prayer I do no way doubt but that a godly person newly brought in to the exercises of Religion may be sometimes to seek in expressing himself before others and in such a case if a publick person or Master of a Family I am not so severe as to forbid him the use of a good form either of his own or others framing and in the closet it may be good to read now and then for example and pattern the formes of others but especially the prayers of the Saints recorded in Scripture and among them the Psalmes which are most of them made up of matter of prayer either in way of Confession Petition or Thanksgiving that they may suggest to us quickning matter of prayer Nay whiles I read anothers form wherein I meet with passages sutable to my condition I know not why I may not say Amen to such Petitions But yet I know not by what warrant any one in private or constantly before others binds himself to the very same series and frame of words Nay I think it is an Argument either of much lazinesse in not improving the utmost of a mans owne abilities and interests in the Spirit to enable him or at least it proceeds from a fond and erroneous conceit of God as if he minded more an exact composure of Petitions then the real although immethodical and lesse quaintly dressed desires of a mans heart The truth is no man useth a form of prayer much but finds it if hee know his owne heart a great deadning to his Spirit If a Preacher should twenty times in a year preach over the same Sermon would not the veryest Formalists of his Congregation and indeed all others sleep and grow weary under such preaching And do we not see the same effects generally under a form of Prayer or at least is there not the same reason why wee should expect them A perpetual use of the same form is a more tedious tautology then that which such persons often blame in conceived Prayer viz. the repeating againe and againe the same Petitions in the same prayer For this may proceed from fervency See Psalm 124. 4 5. and 116. 14 18. and 80. 3 7 19. The other imports or begets lazinesse at least it gives suspicion of it and that not altogether causeless to others which hath much of the appearance of evil in it Object But Sir will you have us alwayes adventure upon an extemporary way of prayer Shall I offer to God that that cost me nothing Ans No by no meanes But you must know that conceived Prayers upon the variation of a mans condition or other occasions are not the same with extempore prayers 1 A man may pray extempore in a forme if he come unprepared and rush upon it as too many do as the horse into the battel he offers up the Sacrifice of fools and is rash with his lips before the Lord which is forbidden Eccl. 5. 1 2. 2 And on the other side a man may alwayes very as occasions vary and yet not pray extempore having before meditated upon the matter of his Petitions and layd up store of furniture for prayer though he trust much to present gifts for expressions I cannot call this extemporary praying 3. Neither yet is it unlawful upon some occasions and in some cases to adventure upon this Duty extempore both for matter and form As in daily and hourly occasional Ejaculations in case of a sudden call unto the Duty by any unexpected providence c. in which cases Christian prudence being the Judg and judging rightly the petitions are neverthelesse welcome to God for their extemporarinesse 4 And lastly yet must we use this liberty very tenderly and suspiciously lest our hearts perswade us that there is a greater frequency of such occasions then there is and so it prove a snare to us when we find it may be more then ordinary abilityes without ordinary endeavors as somtimes when God calls to sudden service he gives in sudden supplies we may be tempted to expect the same abilities in the same way without the same call We must not tempt the Lord our God And that is done one way when we expect extraordinary supplies from him in the neglect of the ordinary way appointed by Mat. 4. 7. him for the attainment of them CHAP. LIII A third Duty to come boldly to the Throne of Grace pressed 3 COme boldly to the Throne of Grace as Children to a Father 1 Under the Assurance of Gods love this is easie This will make a man talk with God face to face as a man talketh with his friend as it is said of the familiarities that passed between God and Moses Exod. 33. 11. to commune with God and draw nigh to plead with him when others stand at a distance as Abraham Gen. 18. 22 33. 2 We may under that assurance claim it as our priviledg A Princes Son when others are kept out by Officers and Guards is admitted at all times if any Guard stop him he pleads the priviledg of his Relation So though there be never so much darknesse and fire and terror round about God that seems to guard his presence from a Creatures approach an assured Saint can say Make way there and let me come to my Father guards are appointed to exclude strangers not sons 3. God expects and requires we should come with boldnesse to his Throne Hebr. 4. 16. Let us come boldly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 taking liberty to speak any thing so the word signifies in the Original Not simply any thing quicquid in buccam for Solomon cautions us against that Eccles 5 1. as is abovesaid but any thing that becomes the reverential duty and honour that we owe to God as to a Father A child may say any thing to a father that is that becomes a child to speak or a Father to hear Besides he may speak
of love between thee and my soul I but Lord now thou art a stranger to me and there passeth little of common courtesie between us Lord why dost thou make thy self strange to me Cause thy countenance to shine upon me as in the dayes of old So we use to recover familiarity with friends call old passages to mind and this occasions discovery of the reasons of that alteration of countenance and carriage and produceth new mutual engagements 2 A renovation of that Covenant of friendship between thy soul and God Assure him in the strength of Jesus Christ that thou wilt omit no office of kindnesse and respect for time to come but wilt every way to thy utmost ability walk worthy of a renewed acquaintance if he will re-admit thee to such an intimacy Such a condition I am perswaded David was in Psalm 101. O when wilt thou come to me ver 2. And then he vowes what he will do to maintain familiarity with him if he will receive him to the same intimacy as formerly I will walk in my house with a perfect heart c. CHAP. LV. A Case How boldnesse and holy fear may bee joyned in prayer This boldnesse and fear wherein each of them consists explained Quest BUt I may possibly be too bold and I hear the Saints of God in Scripture described by a trembling fearful frame of spirit in the presence of God How may I bring both these together this boldness and that fear Ans To answer this I will shew you First Wherein the boldnesse that becomes a Saint in the presence of God consists and so how far I may be bold 2 And then What this fear and trembling is that should be joyned with it 3 That and how these may be joyned 1. Boldnesse 1 A Saints boldnesse before God consists in 1 The liberty of the exercise of prayer it self that a Saint may at any time in any place upon any occasion addresse himself to God and expect visits from him A man is bold with a friend to whom he is admitted at any hour whom he visits perpetually and is visited by him without any exception of times or observance of seasons which yet were proper for a stranger O the invitations and entertainments that an holy soul gives God and God gives to it back again Come my people saith God enter into thy chambers Isai c. and hide thee I have gathered my mirrhe with my spice c. Eat O friends drink yea drink abundantly O my Beloved Cant. 5. 1. And on the Churches part O when wilt thou come to me Psal 101. 2. Why standest thou afar off O Lord Psalm 10. 1. c. When I awake I am still with thee Psal 139. 8. 2. In the matter of prayer wherein 1 A soul communicates to God all its counsel and so layes all its burthens upon the Lord as we use to do upon a friend that we may make most bold withal yea even those things that he would be ashamed and afraid to utter to the most familiar friend in the world 1 Pet 5. 7. Casting all his care upon the Lord and that confidently tumbling Cum pondere curarum nostrarum non debemus diu luctari sed statim eo nos levare in Dominum illud conjicere in Gerh. 1 Pet. 5. 7. it upon him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that by and by as soon as it troubles a Saint he heaves it off presently from his own shoulders upon Gods So Hezekiah spreads Rabshakehs paper before the Lord Isai 37. 14. 2 A soul begs of God any thing he wants A man makes bold with a friend when hee fetcheth every thing he wants from him comes now for money anon for rayment another time for food and other necessaries and all that his friend hath he makes bold to ask for and hath it for asking and Christ emboldens us to this Joh. 15. 7. Ask what you will and it shall be done to you that is whatever is in Gods power to give whatever hee hath not bound himself from bestowing whatever may be for his true glory and our true good God saith as one friend doth to another If any thing I have wil do you a pleasure make bold to ask it and it is at your service As we say to a welcome Ghost Sir Make as bold in my house as if you were at home So saith God Soul make as bold in heaven my house as in thine own nothing shall be denyed thee that heaven will yeild I have read that Luther made bold upon this encouragement Domine said he fiat voluntas mea Lord let my will be done A bold speech but in a clear case falling under a plain Promise implying a clear truth A Saint may expect the performance of his own will when his will is Gods will Both these are in one verse of David Psal 38. 9. Lord all my desire is before thee and my groaning is not hid from thee Thou knowest my secrets and my wants 3 In the manner of prayer 1 A Saint may speak to God in downright plain language as to a friend A man need not study complements when he deales with such an one If he were to deal with an earthly great man especially to whom he is a stranger he must place every word in order and scare dare utter any thing but in Court language God looks not after fine expressions but warm affections 2 God accepts of imperfect and broken expressions when we can speak no better lispings and stutterings of children are welcome to a Father when through infirmity the child is able to speak no better Davids groaning Psal 38. 9. Hezekiahs chattering Isai 38. 14. 3 A Saint may use fervency urgency and importunity of petitions So Jacob Lord I wil not let thee go except thou blesse me Gen. 32. 26. As a man who may be bold with his friend takes him by the coat when he is departing holds him fast and tells him in a way of familiar power and jurisdiction as it were Sir you shall not go hence to night c. So in the case of Moses God is fain as a friend detained by such an importunate inviter as is before mentioned to intreat Moses to let him go Exod. 32. 10. This is exprest by our Savior by an elegant similitude Luke 11. 5 6 7. 8. of one friends importunity with another at midnight an unseasonable hour and when the friend is in bed at rest c. So the Saints use to knock and if knocks will not make God hear they call Where is the God of Eliah 2 Kings 2. 14. if God seem to sleep they awaken him Psal 44. 23. Give the Lord no rest Isai 62. 7. 4 A Saint may have confidence of audience and acceptance Hebr. 10. 22. Let us draw nigh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in full Assurance of faith 1 This appears in the Saints besetting of God with promises that God cannot any way get off if he
man may be assured of his Sonship à priori from the first acts of faith and repentance in conversion ch 20 A Case Whether this evidence be so certain as to exclude all doubting chap. 21. Popish Doctrine concerning doubting and uncertainty confuted Our own certainty and assurance of salvation examined Where several Cases Case 1. How to distinguish the testimony of the Spirit from Satanical or self delusion Vnder which Head it is again enquired 1 How far Satan may go in giving assurance Immediately Where a test of revelations and comfort arising hence Mediately from the Word And 2 How far we to our selves from Reason only chap. 22. This Case branched into particulars Quest 1. How to know a false assurance when it is collected from Scripture by the collusions of Satan and a mans own heart to be false chap. 23. Quest How to know whether the true assurance that a man hath of his own good condition be from the collections of his own reason meerly or from the witness of the Spirit With Cautions about it chap. 24. The Duty of keeping these Evidences of the Spirit once attained pressed with several Motives chap. 25. Quest How this may be done Where 1 The Records of these Evidences chap. 26 2 The means to maintain them chap. 27 3 The Moths that eat them out ch 28 4 The use of them in a livelihood of Love Thankfulness Obedience ch 29 The Duty of improving them urged Quest How Answered in two particulars 1 By living on them a life of Sanctification Consolation 2 By pleading them chap. 30 The Duty of recovering lost Assurance added wherein also Quest How Answered 1 Rest not in its absence 2 Enquire how it was lost and how that enquiry is to be made Several tokens to furnish an Hue and Cry after that sin that hath robbed a soul of such a Jewel chap. 31 3 What to be done in case some sin have stolne it away 4 5 6. What to be done in case no appearing sin occasion it A Case How faith may be exercised in desertion Several things proper to bee believed then As also three other Directions chap 32 Thesis III Gods Holy Spirit after he hath once been a Spirit of Adoption never again becomes a Spirit of Bondage to the same soul Explained Saints after conversion and assurance subject To troubles of consciences yea To Bondage Yea and that longer and greater then ever before upon sive Reasons How far the Spirit causeth them and how far not chap. 33 Scripture Reason Proof of the Thesis chap. 34 A Question stated viz. What then is the cause of legal terrors in the Saints after conversion and assurance c. 35 And how they befal them Saints convinced of folly in giving way to such after terrors chap 36 And that such troublesom thoughts may be cast out without disputing as blasphemous and Atheistical thoughts by the common advise of Divines should be Case How far I may safely do this Case How to know the Work of Satan undermining assurance from the work of the holy Spirit putting a man upon a warrantable and wary self-examination chap. 37 Grounds upon which Satan endeavors to weaken assurance answered Case How far a soul soundly converted and possibly assured may fall into sin Whether into gross sins Whether into the same sins as before What regret and reluctancy in a renewed conscience against sin and how differenced from that of a natural conscience terrified ch 38 Case of afflictions and tentations stated as they may be laid for grounds of questioning a renewed state ch 39 Case of not hearing prayers so far also stated Case of inability to pray thus far also stated chap. 40 Case of decayes in spiritual affections deadnesse burthensomnesse of Duty c. thus far also stated Well meaning contradictions of good souls Complaints whether hypocritical or no chap 41 Case How in a supposed decay of spiritual affections a saint may know whether he be dead or no A farther case whether and how farre an hypocrite may delight in the tydings of comfort from God c. 42. Case Whether in stead of growing a Saint may not decay in the actings of some graces and yet those very graces grow more habitually and radically strong in him c. 43. Case How a Saint may in the midst of his most sensible actual decayes know whether the habits of grace grow or no Saints comforted by an inference of Saints incapacity of total and final Apostacy from the premises c. 44. Thesis IV. One principal work of the Spirit of Adoption is to enliven and embolden the soul in prayer Qu. How and in what sense this work is the main or chief work Qu. What act of this Spirit produceth it Qu. Whether the Spirit thus work in all Saints Saints in darknesse how farre capable of being lively and bold in duty c. 45. Some evidences of the Thesis c. 46. Three cases stated Case 1. Whether in all Saints that have once been assured there be alwayes the same measure of boldnesse and fervency Case 2. If not whence proceeds the difference that is in them at times from what they were formerly c. 47. Case 3. Whether the Spirit furnisheth the soul at all times with like life and vigour of expressions Facility and fluency of expressions in prayer what evills it often occasions A touch of Formes pro and con A Case Language of prayer when from strength of parts and when from the supply of the Spirit How we lose our ability of expression in prayer c. 48. Saints Informed that darkening evidences of Gods love deadneth prayer Case What to be done when a soul cannot call God Father Especially in case some sinne streighten the spirit As also how to maintain heat and boldnesse in prayer c. 49. Three duties pressed upon all assured Saints 1 To be much in prayer upon eight motives c. 50. To stirre up the grace of God that is in them to a due proportion of life and fervency upon six motives c. 51 Qu. How the deadness and formality of Saints in prayer may be recovered Where more largely of formes and extemporary prayer c. 52. 3. To come boldly to the Throne of grace upon six motives c. 53. Case How shall I procure this boldness if I cannot come to God in this manner where those are directed who notwithstanding assurance never had it And those who have had and lost it c. 54. Case How to mix boldnesse and godly fear together in prayer Stating 1. This boldness what it is and wherein it consists 2. This fear also and its nature c. 55. Saints have some comfortable meditations suggested from this truth that the boldness and fervency of Saints in prayer is from the Spirit of Adoption Case How shall I know whether my actual fervency and boldness be not from my own spirit or Satan rather then Gods Spirit c. 56. Reader these Books are lately published and sold at the Ball in Pauls Church yard Dr. Kendals Answer to Mr. John Goodwin â—n two Volumes fol. viz. Concerning the Death of Christ and the Perseverance of the Saints Mr. Sheffeild a Treatise of Christ the Sun of Righteousnesse 8o. Mr. Rob. Bailie a learned Treatise against Anabaptism 4º Catechesis Elenctica Errorum qui hodie vexant Ecclesiam 12o. His Vindication of his Disswasive from the Exceptions of Mr. Cotton and Mr. Tombs 4º Mr Cawdrey and Mr. Palmer on the Sabâ—ath in four Parts 4º Dr. Tuckneies Sermons on these Texts viz. Jer. 8. 22. 1 Cor. 15. 55 Acts 4. 12. 12o. Mr Jenkyns Exposition of the whole Epistle of Jude 4o. Jus Divinum Ministerii 4º Mella Patrum per prima nascentisâ— paâ—ientis Ecclesiae tria secula Per Fran. Rous Preposit Etonens 8o. January 5. 1655.
confute him many a man compares his inward frame to day with his frame yesterday and if he be not sensibly advanced in spiritual growth every day he presently cryes I grow not but decay Man if thou wilt compare thy self with what thou wast to try thy growth thou must not examine it but by convenient distances of time A man will be conceited a child grows nothing that measures his height every day Grace grows pedetentim by little and little by small and undiscernable accessions An elegant discourse upon this subject you have Mark 4. 26. 27. The Kingdom of God is as if a man should cast seed into the ground and should sleep and rise night and day to wit to examine its growth but it growes he knows not how i. e. insensibly So when grace is sown and wrought in the heart set a man compare himselfe with what he was allowing such a competent distance of time as may render his growth discernable he shall find it growes though he know not how that is can give no account of every particular dayes improvement A man would bee too ripe for earth too soone if hee could sensibly recount his daily improvements 2 Compare not your selves too much with others no not of the same standing in the School of Christ with your selves except it be now and then to shame your sloath and quicken your industry But if you examine your growth by that rule you may deceive your selves very easily Rye and Wheat are sowne near the same time yet the one is but in the blade while the other is in the ear and notwithstanding both may be ripe together Some children shoot up mightily at first and over-top all their contemporaries but a while after a fit of sicknesse pulls them down and they fall as much behind them so that those that they once outstripped again come to outstrip them and may be at full growth as soon or sooner It may be thy sicknesses keep thee down at present whiles others out-grow thee labour to recover them and thou wilt quickly top them again The truth is slow and sure is a good rule in this case as in divers others praecox ingenium an over-ripe Infancy many times is attended with a sottish old age Slow parts followed with industry hold out longer Besides thou wouldst want the spur of holy emulation to quicken thee if none should out-go thee thy being cast behind may win thee the Goal That horse in a long Race that is cast a mile behind by the hot mettal of a fiery Competitor many times out-runs him at long running when his mettal hath a little beaten him off his legs Lastly it may be that thou hast no lesse grace but thou art not cast upon the same exercise with others Now it is exercise which makes gifts and parts and graces also to be more ready and vigorous too 3 Examine not your growth in winter which is not the growing season The state of spiritual darknesse and soul troubles is a very improper condition to examine ones growth in 'T is enough for grass and corn and trees to keep life in their roots in an hard winter it is growth enough that they are not dead So whiles thy soul-troubles last 't is well thou maintainest any spark of spiritual life that thou art not quite killed with the extremity of the season In such a time spread the roots of faith about the Rock Christ by acts of reliance in all Duties and stand fast be not blown down by temptation this is growth enough in such a time A more warm season will come and then the Sun will draw forth the sap from the root into leaves and fruit too 4 Examine not your growth or decay of graces by the growth or decay of your Gifts This were as if I should examine a mans growth and improvement in a temporal estate by the finenesse or plainnesse of his habit and outward garments Gifts are but the garments of a Christian That mans purse may bee full of gold that goes in plain russet when another may have lesse in his pocket then on his cloak It is too frequently our fault we judge our graces grow not because we cannot pray so fluently as we could are streightned in meditation c. A dram of grace is worth a pound of gifts Many a man is like that Cardinal in the Book of Martyrs that would needs for state march through London with so many mules loaden But by accident one of his beasts flung off his burthen and discovered his Masters affected pomp to be a meer pageantry by the lumber that was scattered about the streets So many a man makes a great shew with gifts but at last death comes and knocks the trunk to pieces and then he discovers that how gawdy soever the out-side was the inside is as bare A Christian is like a Preacher A young Scholar from the Vniversity preacheth higher straines but afterwards sounder Divinity 5 Judg not of your growth or decay in grace by your frequent and strong temptations the assaults of strong corruptions or your sometimes falling under them I put these together because they are handled more at large in an excellent practical piece of a late early ripe labourer who knew how to judg of growth by his own experience being so exceeding tall at so young an age Mr. Christopher Love of Grace and its different degrees as makes many of his reverend Fathers aemulate him You have if you will needs judg by this rule more ground to conclude your graces strong and thriving Because God doth not use to lay great burthens upon weak shoulders nor call forth a Pigmee to encounter with a Gyant 6 Judge not of your growth and decayes in grace by your ability or disability to present service Nay though you find it short of what it was formerly For present abilities many times run low in the most high-flowne Saints that are The men of might saith David could not find their hands Psa 76 5. A Saint may be unable to find his hands when he is put upon a work not that he wants them but that he is by distemper disabled from using them A man of one and twenty years old in sicknesse and distemper may not be able to do what he could at thirteen and yet is growne for all that 2 In special I answer 1 A growth of self-denyal and humility discovers an universal growth Dost not thou dayly grow more and more out of conceit with thy own righteousnesse Art not thou daily more and more ashamed of thy self in the presence of God Dost not thou see daily more and more vilenesse and selfe-abhorrency in thy self The nearest approaches to God use to breed this frame Isai 6. 5. The more a man improves in knowledge the more he sees that he doth not know And so the more any one growes in grace the more grace hee sees he wants 2 A growth of alienation of the heart
from sin How do thy old garments fit thee Dost thou more and more grow out of love with sin and more and more put it off at least in the love of it This growth the Apostle saw when he could see none else Rom 7. 20. This is most discernable in the combats between the heart and Original sin when a man clubs it down in its first motions 't is a good token of growth A moral man may forbeare those sins in act which a godly man may fall into but a Saint labours more at the root of sin when moral men pare off the branches 3 A growth of heavenly mindednesse These toyes and trifles of the world how do they take with thee That which the Apostle saith of childish knowledg c. I may say of childish desires 1 Cor. 13. 11. A Saint then growes a man when he throwes away childish things Dost thou grow more liberal and open hearted The more a mans heart is loosed from the earth the nearer it growes to heaven Grace here is glory in the cradle and it daily growes heavenward 4. A growth of aimes and desires What dost thou purpose to thy selfe Will not small things content thee then thy appetite is growne The more manly we grow the more manly our aimes are See how the Apostle calls this growth of aimes perfection Phil. 3. 15. So that thy trouble that thou growest not and thy aimes at farther improvement discover that thou art improving Vse 3. This Thesis also is three waies for Consolation to Saints For 1. This confirms us in the Doctrine of the Perseverance of the Saints For if a true Saint might fall away from grace the Spirit might justly again become a Spirit of Bondage to him For he that falls from grace falls under the Law and he that falls under the Law is liable to all its terrors as his proper portion For all that the Law speaks it speaks to them that are under the Law Rom. 3. 19. If a child of God to day might prove a child of the Divel to morrow surely the Spirit might safely tell him so 2 This scatters and dispells the greatest venom that imbitters Saints second troubles When a man looks on God as leading him into temptation it is far more bitter then when a man falls into it by his own neglect or Satans malice When a man apprehends the Spirit of God whom he expects as a Comforter to become his Tormentor this is a double torment Now against this the Lord gives us this cordial assurance once for all that to a Saint no such thing ever can be the work of the Spirit 3 This shewes Saints a ground upon which if it be not their own fault they may live in constant peace to wit by maintaining continual correspondence and un-interrupted amity with the Spirit of Adoption Surely he that never speaks Bondage after he hath spoken peace may be heard speaking peace alwayes were it not our own fault Did wee heed what hee sayes and acquaint our selves more with his voice we should find him a Comforter still But we are apt to give more eare to our owne carnal reason and Satans tentations then to his gracious and comfortable tidings Few Saints should they put their souls to Davids question Psalm 42. were able to answer it satisfactorily except there be reason why men should trouble and distract their owne spirits whether God will or no. And thus much shall suffice for this third point CHAP. XLV A fourth Thesis with its explication NOw come we to the last Thesis from the Text which is the fourth in this Treatise Doct. That one principal work of the Spirit of Adoption in the soul that hath received it is to enliven and embolden it in prayer That we may not mistake in the sense of the Proposition observe with mee first a few things tending to the Explication of it When I say a principal work I mean not to compare the assistance he gives to prayer with his work of uniting the soul to Christ in justification of quickning the soul with habitual grace in Sanctification or the work of Assurance it self For no stream can rationally be admitted into comparison with its fountain Now the Spirit of prayer is but an emanation of grace and Adoption first a Spirit of grace and then a Spirit of supplication Zech. 12. 10. And therefore this must be understood of those operations which flow from habitual grace and Assurance that of them there is no nobler act of the Spirit of Grace and Adoption enabling us to and in them then this Qu. 1. What act of the Spirit of Adoption thus works Answ When I speak of this particular boldnesse as the work of the Spirit of Adoption I would be understood of the Spirit of Adoption chiefly in his witnessing Act of which we have hitherto principall treated though I shall not here more then in the former point exclude him in his other acts only I shall shew from which work of the Spirit of Adoption this which wee treat of doth more immediatly arise For whereas I before told you twice of four works of the Spirit of Adoption to unite to witnesse to intercede to direct whereof the uniting act is the most noble and the fountain of all the rest union with Christ being the source of all communion you must farther know that the rest of these Acts do not alike primarily flow from the first but by the meditation and interposition of one another The spirit intercedes in us but by the help of his assuring work he produceth its most fervent and confident petitions And the last work his guiding work he performes by both the former viz. perswading the soul upon assurance of successe to fetch direction and assistance from God in all its wayes by faith in the promises and prayer Q. 2. Doth the Spirit work thus in all Saints Answ 1. When I say it is the work of the Spirit of Adoption I must not be understood to affirme a constant and perpetual assistance of the witnessing Spirit in all the Saints to the performance of this Duty in a like high spiritfull and confident way For the dearest Saints of God whiles they enjoy the Spirit of Adoption may be under strange deadnesse distraction and indosposednesse in Duty and under no lesse doubting suspiciousnesse and jealousie of God and his affectons to them which must needs hinder their boldness in calling him Father 2 Thus accordingly as we must distinguish times so we must distinguish between degrees of livelinesse and boldnesse in praying Between praying to God as to a Father and calling him Father aloud in Prayer or as in the words of the Text crying Abba Father For the Spirit as He unites the soul to Christ is a Spirit of Supplication helps us to pray and that with life and boldnesse But because he may possibly not alwayes act in his witnessing way although even then the soul is enabled to pray acceptably