of means directed by God is a hopeful sign of mercy intended where God chuseth to the end he ordains to the means He hath chosen us to be holy that we might be glorious Ephes 1.4 11. However God deal with you in that particular request yet be sure your care and pains will not lose a signal reward your prayers shall return into your own bosome and I tell thee God watcheth over such a family in a way of mercy and peace His eye of grace is toward thee his holy hand will uphold thee his heart will bless thee Unto his good pleasure commit thy self and wait the successe go on and prosper thou blessed of the Lord. What are the Characters of a Souls sincere Love to Christ and how may that love to him be kindled and inflamed EPHESIANS 6.24 Grace bee with all Them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity THese words may well be treated on without much Preface Rom. 16.24 1. Cor. 16.23 24. 2 Ep. 13.14 Gal. 6.18 there being nothing in them which speaks any dependance upon or connexion with any thing that went before Some form of Benediction we finde used by this Great Apostle at the conclusion of every Epistle and accordingly having driven his excellent design in this to the Church of Ephesus to a full period or issue hee first makes an affectionate address to God and to the Mediator in their behalf v. 23. Grace be to the Brethren and love with Faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and then leaves his Apostolical Benediction upon them v. 24. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity Or The blessing of the Eternal God be upon all the sincere-hearted Christians amongst you for so I look upon the latter words of the verse as a Periphrasis of all real Christians Love to Christ being as essential to the Christian as the Rational Soul is to the man The only difficulty in the words that will require our stay is to inquire what is meant by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Sincerity some refer it to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Grace mentioned at the beginning of the verse as if it had been read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unto Incorruption or to bring them to eternal life or until they come to a state of Immortality So many of the Antients and of the Modern Interpreters Beza Tremellâ—us and others Others read it in Conjunction with the love of the Lord Jesus Christ making it a qualification or a discriminating note of that love which is sound real and sincere from that which is but pretended counterfeit and easie to bee corrupted by every difficulty and temptation And accordingly they translate some in incorruptione others absque a third sort amare non vitiato nec culpato All to the same sense with our English Translation In Sincerity There are others who consider this phrase apart by it self some explaining it by purity of heart and conversation others as denoting thereby the duration of love tam prosperis quam adversis or both in good and bad times Piscator makes it a distinct branch of the Apostles Prayer as if hee had said Grace bee with all them c. and life eternal Taking no notice of the Preposition that is added and varies the Construction 'T is the conjecture of a Learned Divine That the Apostle in adding this clause hath some reflection on the Gnosticks who had mingled themselves with the Christians of Ephesus And were whatever they pretended neither pure in their love to Christ having mixed his Doctrine with abominable corruptions nor yet sincere and lasting therein being ready upon every blast of persecution that did arise to deny him and Apostatize from him I shall for the present with Musculus leave the matter indifferent not only which of the two first but of all the other fore-mentioned Opinions is fixed upon finding no cause so far as concerns my present purpose to be peremptory in either The Apostle doubtless meaning none else by lovers of Christ but such whose hearts were sincerely and intirely affected to him whether hee intended to characterize them any further by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or no which I presume 1 Cor. 16.22 Joh. 14.15 23. 21.15 17. 1 Pet. 1.8 might easily be manifested from other parallel places where this grace is mentioned and understood properly having no additional qualification made thereto and from the design of the words themselves for certainly he would not so solemnly have intitled the rotten-hearted Hypocrites that did only pretend love to Christ unto the Benediction of the great and blessed God And if that stand good wee have enough for our purpose and more need not bee contended for Let this suffice then for their meaning The subject matter of them whether you look to the first clause or the last is very Noble and might well deserve a large consideration but I am confined to this single use of them which is to make them the Foundation of these two cases of Conscience What are the genuine Characters of a Souls sincere love to Christ And how may that love to him bee kindled and inflamed And there are but two or three things that I desire to suggest and then wee shall immediately begin to treat upon them in their order 1. Let it be considered that there is a vast difference between these cases and such others as do refer only to lower duties When we inquire after the sincerity of our love to Christ. It 's all one as if we were upon the search whether we are Christians yea or not And whether consequently our portion doth lye in the Divine Promises or Threatnings And what is our immediate duty that all other set aside we must attend unto And again when wee seek for directions to help us unto the love of Christ our inquiry is not how wee may order this or that inferiour action but how wee may attain to saving Religion and Christianity How wee may escape the great damning sin of the world and intitle our selves to the love of God and Christ and to all the rare priviledges which belong to the Communion of Saints In a word to the Grace of God here and to Eternal Life hereafter See 1 Cor. 2.9 James 1.12 2.5 John 14.21.23 2. Let it be considered that it is not the distinct resolution of these cases that will be of final advantage to any person unless there be added to the former an impartial soul-searching examination of themselves and to the latter as the case shall require a conscientious practice The resolutions given to cases of conscience about the right performance of duties being nothing else but the bare providing the food or physick And again the discoveries of mens states thereby being but the presenting looking-glasses to them neither of which are effectual or do any good but to such as faithfully use them 3. Let mee humbly minde you that the
irrational to love Christ because his purpose and design is to take our hearts from the pursuit of all but God And until you know God to bee your happiness you will never understand the best reasons that I may not say the only that you have to love him That man loves Christ best that most fully knows God to be his eternal rest and blessedness and loves him as such 4. Direction Get a Gospel-knowledge of Christ both what hee was originally and what hee hath stooped and humbled himself to be for thy sake why hee came into the world how hee lived and dyed and what was the Covenant between the Father and him how hee is exalted and honoured by God and what great things are promised both by Father and Son to all that in Christ sincerely draw nigh to God Oh the sweet gales of affection which by spiritual Meditation upon Christ will begin to blow within us Wee cannot muse upon Christs dyiâ—g and rising again and inviting us to love him but the fire will burn A considering Faith in Christ will naturally bud and blossome into love 5. Direction Beleeve the reality of his love to theâ— I mean that hee did all that ever hee did for thee out of a hearty and real affection to thee and that hee still desires to have the match made up betwixt thy soul and himself This fond prejudice whereby souls put discouragements upon themselves is that which spoils many a match Do not weaken thy soul by making difficulties where there are none if thou hearest Christ inviting stir up thy self oh thou convinced soul as if thou heardest him even calling to thee by Name Beleeve it that Christ is never better pleased than when hee is loved and that hee came no less to procure thy love than to testifie his own The way to love Christ in good earnest is to beleeve that hee is so in his offers of grace to us 6. Direction Understand the world throughly and bee jealous of thy own heart therein Remember that of the Apostle who knew what it was to love Christ as well as any man ever did 1 Joh. 2.15 If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him Wee may well enough add Nor the love of the Son We may offer to our Lord cor fractum or a broken heart but wee must not presume to desire him to accept our cor divisum or divided heart Remember that Christ and the World are two contrary each to other and the single stream of love cannot run two contrary waies at once If our hearts bee not crucified to the world the love of Christ will never live with in us 7. Direction Bee much in attendance on those means or Ordinances wherein Christ is evidently set forth and by his Spitit wooing souls to love him If Faith comes by hearing so no less certainly doth love Christ most commonly honours his own Ordinances and Officers in making up the match between himself and souls so hee did Paul 2 Cor. 11.2 8. Direction Go to God and Christ for love When you have gotten your hearts well warmed with the use of all the fore-mentioned means then go to God and Christ and turn thy Meditations into Petitions Plead hard and heartily all those moving Considerations which were set down to usher in these Directions God delights to honour prayer in this great work of his in drawing souls to Christ No Prayer no Faith And it is as true No Prayer no Love no Marriage to Christ I have done with the Directions of the first kind and have therein almost prevented my self from going any further it being a Rule in the spiritual as well as the natural growth that wee are nourished by the very same that gave us our first beings If wee know by what means wee came by our love at first and have but appetites whetted on to a further growth wee need little more And therefore having first perswaded you carefully to continue to practise over the fore-mentioned Directions I only add 1. Direction Consider much your own Experiences and the great advantages you have made by this grace I need not tell you what they are because yee know them well enough already and the sense of past advantage will best quicken to future diligence which is the second 2. Direction Bee constant in the exercise of that love yee have The best way to strengthen any habit is to bee often repeating its Acts. Wee cannot do any thing better to increase love than to be often acting love 3. Direction Get Faith more rooted and that will make your love to bee more inflamed If you would have fruitful branches you must keep the Root of the Tree fat and if you would have any Grace to thrive you must be sure to strengthen Faith 4. Direction Take heed you bee not willingly guilty of any known wickedness against Christ for this will cause Christ to withdraw it will occasion in thy heart a jealousie and that will bee an abatement of thy love Bee conscientiously diligent in all known duties 5. Direction Get thy heart daily more throughly crucified to the world and better acquainted with Heaven and the love of God The more you love God the more you will and must love Christ 6. Direction Bee much in the Communion of Saints and then especially when together with them thou mayest look on and admire the love of thy crucified Saviour in the Lords Supper They that are most where Christ is to bee enjoyed love him best And these are briefly the heads of Directions in answer to each of these Inquires They might have been more largely insisted on and pressed but this defect must bee supplied by your selves Remember again and with that I will conclude that it is not the knowledge of these Directions that will advantage you but the serious and diligent practice of them And so Grace bee with all them that in the diligent use of these means get and inflame their love to the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity Wherein lies that exact Righteousnesse which is required between man and man MATTH 7.12 Therefore all things whatsoever you would that men should do unto you do yee even so to them for this is the Law and the Prophets THese words being brought in by way of Inference from something said before wee must look back a little to finde out the relation of them to the former verses At the 7th verse Christ commands to ask of God those things which wee want to incourage us to ask hee promises wee shall receive to induce us to beleeve this promise hee puts a temporal case Our earthly Fathers which are evil give us good things when we ask them how much more easily may wee beleeve this of a good God of infinite goodness Now as wee desire God should give us those things wee ask so wee should do to others and not only so but universally in all other things what wee would
THE Morning-Exercise 〈◊〉 CRIâ—â—â—â—â—ATE Several Cases of Conscience Practically Resolved by sundry Ministers September 1661. Commending our selves to every mans conscience in the sight of God 2 Cor. 4.2 Vnicuique est liber sua conscientia ad hunc librum discutiendum emendandum omnes alii inventi sunt Bernard de Inter. Dom. p. 1072. c. 28. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Polyb. Frag. p. 1029. LONDON Printed for Joshua Kirton and Nathaniel Webb and are to be sold at the Kings Arms and at the Royal Oak in St. Pauls Church-yard 1661. To my most unfeignedly Beloved Parishioners of Saint GILES Cripplegate My Dear Friends THese Sermons both preach'd and printed are the meer product of love to your Souls I never yet that I remember went thorow the Parish without some though not sutably compassionate heart-akeing yearnings towards my charge to think and oh that I could think of it according to the worth of Souls how many thousands here are posting to Eternity that within a few years will be in Heaven or Hell and I know not how so much as to aske them whither they are going While God continues me your Watchman I shall affectionately desire and sollicitously endeavour to keep my self pure from the blood of all men Acts 20.26 and that not onely for the saving of my own Soul by delivering my Message but that you also may be saved by entertaining it I am willing therefore to commend unto you some legible provocations to serious Piety and therefore have procured a contribution of help that in the multitude of Spirituall Counsellors your souls may have safety In short Prov. 11.14 my Brethren give me leave to say that if I had but the Apostles Graces to help me in the manner I can without boasting at present use the matter of his Spiritually-passionate expressions That I greatly long after you all Phil. 1.8 9 10 11. in the bowells of Jesus Christ And this I pray that your love to truth and holiness may abound yet more and more in saving knowledge and in all sound judgement That you may practically approve things that are excellent and that you may be sincerely gracious and universally without offence till the day of Christ That you may be filled with the fruits of righteousnesse which are by Jesus Christ unto the glory and praise of God These my Beloved are and shall be through Grace the constant desires and restless endeavours of Novemb. 14. 1661. Your most affectionate Soul-Servant Samuel Annesley The CASES Resolved SErmon 1. How may we be universally and exactly conscientious Acts 24.16 page 1. Sermon 2. What must and can Persons do towards their own Conversion Ezek. 18.32 p. 25 Serm. 3. How may beloved lusts be discovered and mortified Matth. 5.29 30. p. 39 Serm. 4. What Relapses are inconsistent with Grace Heb. 6.4 5 6. p. 64 Serm. 5. How may we be so spiritual as to check sin in the first risings of it Gal. 5.16 p. 83 Serm. 6. How Ministers or Christian friends may and ought to apply themselves to sick persons for theâ—r good and the discharge of their own Conscience Job 33.23 24. p. 109 Serm. 7. How must we reprove that we may not paâ—take of other mens sins 1 Tim. 5.22 p. 161 Serm. 8. What means may be used towards the conversion of our carnal relations Rom. 10.1 p. 187 Serm. 9. What are the characters of a Souls sincere love to Christ and how may that love to him be kindled and inflamed Ephes 6.24 p. 218 Serm. 10. Wherein lies that exact Righteousnesse which is required between man and man Matth. 7.12 p. 248 Serm. 11. After what manner must we give Almes that they may be acceptable and pleasing unto God 1 Tim. 6.17 18 19. p. 270 Serm. 12. If we must aime at Assurance what should they do that are not able to discern their own spiritual condition 1 Joh. 5.13 p. 305 Serm. 13. What difference is there between the conflict in Natural and Spiritual Persons Rom. 7.23 p. 323 Serm. 14. What faith is that which except we have in prayer we must not think to obtain any thing of God Jam. 1.6 p. 334 Serm. 15. Of the cause of Inward Trouble and how a Christian should behave himself when inward and outward Troubles meet Gen. 42.21 22. p. 351 Serm. 16. In what things must we use moderation and in what not Phil. 4.5 p. 381 Serm. 17. How may we have sutable conceptions of God in duty Genes 18.27 p. 415 Serm. 18. How are we to live by faith on Divine Providence Psalm 62.8 p. 426. Serm. 19. How may we cure distractions in holy duties Mat. 15.7 8. p. 461 Serm. 20. How must we in all things give thanks 1 Thes 5.18 p. 478 Serm. 21. How we may get rid of Spiritual Sloth and know when our activity in duty is from the Spirit of God Psal 119.37 vlt. p. 499 Serm. 22. Wherein are we endangered by things lawful Luk. 17.27 28. p. 561 Serm. 23. How must we make Religion our business Luke 2.49 p. 572 Serm. 24. Whether well-composed Religious Vows do not exceedingly promote Religion Psal 116.12 14. p. 586 Serm. 25. How are we compleat in Christ Colos 3.11 vlt. p. 611 Serm. 26. How shall those Merchants keep up the life of Religion who while at home enjoyed all Gospel-Ordinances and when abroad are not onely destitute of them but exposed to persecution Psal 120.5 p. 661 Serm. 27. How is Hypocrisie discoverable and cureable Luke 12.1 p. 655 Serm. 28. What must Christians do that the influence of the Ordinances may abide upon them 1 Chron. 29.18 p. 677 The READER may be pleased to amend these Errours of the Presse PAge 35. l. 27. read deserved not death p. 54. l. 32. is a very 65. l. 25. that I know 71. l. 4. there is l 14. course of sin 89. l. 31. add in the margin Rule 2. 98. l 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 105.4 pustulous 182.2 to Christ 201.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 211.19 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 219.6 amore 228.14 hypostaticam 236.16 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 257.7 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 366.16 tight 45 43. tight 378. vlt. is alwayes 404.8 Matth. 18.429.30 Prov. 18.10 Some other mistakes there are in letters as president for precedent wrap't for rap't and sometimes Greek words are false accented as p. 32. marg read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and one letter put for another as p. 506 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but such like faults being easily pardoned and amended we make no further observation of them How may we be universally and exactly Conscientious ACTS 24.16 And herein do I exercise my self to have allwayes a Conscience void of offence toward God and toward men THis Sermon is but preliminary to some select cases of Conscience And in this Text you have a notable Anatomy of Conscience wherein are these six things singularly considerable 1. Here 's
friend no otherwise than hee loves his beast would not bee a true Moral act of love And again as plain a truth it is that where the act of love doth not bear some gradual proportion to the various excellencies of the object that it is conversant about neither can that Act have any Moral truth or goodness in it For Instance to love God or Christ with no higher love than wee love inferior persons whether Friends Relations or Superiors in the world This were not Sincerely to love either of them See 1 John 2.15 and Matth. 10.37 and Luke 14.26 I add in the last place which is no less evident than either of the former that where there are relations or offices Necessarily Invested in and Inseparable from the person beloved then if our love doth not respect the object as under those relations and offices it will bee far from being love in Sincerity Some Instances will clear this also beyond Contradiction Suppose a Woman that hath a Husband and shee loves him no otherwise than one friend loves another And the Case is the same between a Scholler and his Master a Servant and his Lord a Subject and his Prince If the affections bee without reverence obedience and loyalty will either of these bee reputed true love Why no more are such to bee accounted the sincere lovers of Christ who do not bear an affection to him in all his offices and relations And this I take to bee so demonstrative a truth and of such Necessary consideration in our present inquiry that nothing could bee spoken in Judgement thereto until wee had first made our way unto it and laid it down I am sure it will bee found fundamental to the right understanding the Nature of sincere love to Christ and the greatest part of the Characters which are laid down in the scripture of this grace It might now bee here expected and it 's almost necessary to give some account of Christs personal excellencies and also of his offices what they were and briefly to intimate what new qualifications each of them would put upon a Christians Intensive willing of Christ which is but the Substratum or matter of this grace But I am not now to discourse the nature of this grace at large and so much thereof as is necessary will come in when wee lay down some of the Characters of it and I have but two things more and then wee come to them 6. Proposition The love of the soul to Chrâ—st in sincerity is not any one Indivisible act or habit but a Holy frame of spirit made up of many gracious Inclinations carrying the whole soul along with it unto Christ for Vnion and Communion with him I told you in the beginning that it is used here by the Apostle as the periphrasis of a Christian a Brother a real Saint And therefore it is not a suddain and transient flash of the soul or any one act but Comprehensive of much of that wherein the nature of Christianity doth essentially lye This follows necessarily from the last proposition And Indeed to make faith or love to Christ such single Physical acts as many do as it renders the Doctrine of Christianity perplexed so doth it exceedingly tend to the amusing of the Consciences of weak Christians and I am afraid Ingender also to licentiousness It being too usual with such persons who presumptuously conceive themselves to bee Christians because they discern as they think those supposed particular acts to take up with them and to grow remiss and careless in other duties as essential to Christianity and necessary to Salvation as those graces themselves To conclude this Proposition you may note that as love to God is the soul of natural Piety and is Incorporated into every branch of it so is love to Christ the very Spirit that diffuseth it self through and animates all those duties which are required by the New Covenant and respect Jesus Christ as Mediator 7. Proposition When wee inquire after this Love by it's Genuine characteâ—s you are not to understand thereby only such special properties as argue the essence of this grace a posteriori But you are to know that we understand it in such a latitude as leaving Room for all those Arguments by which the conscience of a Christian may bee resolved whether this grace was ever truly wrought in his soul or not And these things premised the Characters which evidently discover whether wee love Christ in sincerity are these that follow 1. Character Wee may know it by our former Convictions and the rule is this Whe e love to Christ is sincere Esa 55.1 61.1 2 3. Matth. 11.28 there hath been a Conviction of the souls undone condition without him and of the sufficiency and willingness of Christ to recover the soul out of that condition And whereever this Conviction hath been fully wrought and the wound made thereby Regularly healed there dwells Sincere love to him I put this first as containing the originall birth of Evangelical love I dare affirm No conviction no love No contrition of heart for sin no affection in the soul for Christ 1 Pet. 2.8 Every degree of true Spiritual love saith a Divine that had well studied this point proceeds from a proportionable Act of saving Faith And to the same purpose saith Dr. Preston and hee presseth it earnestly two things must concur to beget love 1. The sight of Christs willingness and readiness to relâ—ive 2. His ability and sufficiency to help These two willingness and ability Cant. 3.11 are the Crown upon the Head of Christ when undone souls do first take delight in him they are the sweet oyntments of our Lord Cant. 1.3 which by their Savour do attract Virgin souls to betroth themselves unto him What ever men may vainly talk 't is brokenness of heart Act. 2.36 37. 9.5 6. Matth. 9.12 and a sense of approaching Ruine that gives the soul the first occasion of acquainting it self in good earnest with Christ and when faith hath thereupon found the suitableness of Christ to it self in its present State of misery then the fire of love begins to burn So that it is not a blinde casual passion but a matter of right Reason mature judgement and choyce It is not a frame of spirit that persons were delivered into they know not how but such whereof they that have it can give undenyable reasons so that if the question were put to any love sick soul as to the Spouse in the Canticles chapt 5.9 10. What is thy beloved more than another beloved shee could give an Account if not so Glossy and Rhetorical Cant 1.3.12 Chap. 2.3 yet as Logical and Rational as that which is there given Shee hath seen that in Christ so much Excellency in his person and so much readiness and sufficiency as resulting from his several offices which hath even ravished her and made him comely to her for delights yea the very
chiefest of ten thousands and therefore shee both can 5.10 and doth claspe fast about him and takes him for her Physitian Husband King riest and Prophet Since hee is willing fit to bee my Saviour oh saith the soul I will bee his Disciple Servant Subject or any thing 2.5.5 4. Thus shee can hold no longer but falls downright sick of love And this is the first Character Take it now and ask thy soul didst thou ever yet finde thy self lost and undone not able to bear up against the Terrours of an accusing and condemning conscience even dying away for fear least Goâ— should spend all his arrows upon thee â—â—t 32.23 Job 6.4 Psa 38.2 and leave thee a Horrour 〈◊〉 thy self and an amazement to all about thee And was it in this daâ—k Valley that thou camest first seriously acquainted with Christ and didst thou see his bowels yearning to thee Jer. 31.20 Act. 9.5 and that hee was fully able to set thee in the light of the Countenance of that God whose Terrour was upon thee And under this conviction was it that thou didst first close with him why this is love not in pretence and complement but in Sincerity Whereas on the other side if thy pretended affection wants this foundation if it hath been alwaies alike neither more nor less if that senseless conceit runs through thy soul that thou hast loved Christ ever since thou wast born See Reynolds on Psal 110. p. 59. 60. c. and never didst feel the least stirrings of Enmity against him If Education Custome outward Communion bee all that thou hast to say to prove thy love in faithfulness to thy soul Iob 19.28 I warn thee to take heed of self-deceit for surely the Root of the matter is not in thee and if thou wilt still presume notwithstanding this confident denyal I have but one word more and that is to commend to thy serious perusal that Judicious tract of Mr. Pinke Tryal of a Christians Sincere love to Christ on this very Case and Text where these counterfeit grounds of love are fully convicted of Insufficiency and therefore I would not do it here again 2. Character Where love to Christ dwells in Sincerity there hath been some sensible Impression Taste and Feeling of the Fathers love to the soul in him Rom. 9.13 Rom. 8.30 I do not mean the Fathers love as it lyes in the womb of Election but as it hath broken forth in a powerful actual Vocation The pedigree of a Christians love to his Saviour is to bee fetcht from the Fathers love to souls in Christ Iohn 14 6. 1 John 4.19 Wee love him because hee loved us first Christ himself as mediator is but a means whereby Souls may come to God their final end and blessedness And therefore as the soul that loves him Iohn 14.9 15 23. loves the blessed God much more so before wee can fix upon him with full satisfaction some beams thereof must light upon us it being too great a difficulty for the soul to prevail with it self to trust all its concernments in the hands of a Crucified Christ and to bee fond of him until iâ— hath gained some sweet assurance of the Fathers love to it self in him And hence it is that our Saviour tells us John 6.44 No man can come to him except the Father that hath sent him draw him By coming to Christ I take it for granted may bee understood either Faith or Love And these cannot bee without the Fathers drawing what 's that morally it lyes in the clear discoveries of his willingness to bee reconciled to us in Christ 2 Cor. 5.20 when in Conformity to his being in Christ reconciling the World to himself hee is pleased to vouchsafe us his own beseechings of us to bee reconciled then hee draws us The promise therefore of reconciliation must first bee made known and by the sweet influence thereof the soul is allured with Cheerfulness to throw it self into the Arms of it's Saviour And this is love Try by this also Didst thou ever finde those Cords of a man those bonds of Divine and Ravishing love thrown upon thee Didst thou ever see God to bee thy happiness and offering himself to thee as such and so alluring thee Then thou art Married to Christ for this speaks thee United to God in love and the end must include the means and the greater the lesser 3. Character Wee then love Christ in Sincerity when that affection in us is qualified according to the various Excellencies that belong to the person of our Lord when it respects him according to the Manifestation made of him in the Gospel viz. not simply as a person who is Historically made known to us by such a Name but according to the true Character of him as God and man in one person 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as one filled with the spirit of God above measure by an ineffable Unction John 3.35 Phil. 2.6 7 8. as one admirably Condescending and laying aside his divine splendor and Majesty that hee might appear in the form of a Servant and bee obedient to the death of the Cross for the Salvation of Sinners and lastly as one raised from the dead by God made able Act. 5.30 and declaring his high satisfaction in the access of sinners unto God by him And so there are these four graces which are alwaies attendant upon and are as it were Incorporated into the nature of this evangelical affection 1. Humble and Reverent admiration 'T is an admiring Love Objects that are incomparably Excellent do alwaies first affect with admiration and though that affection dissolve into love yet doth it not usually wholly cease especially if the object bee not throughly Comprehended Cant. 5.16 Ephe. 3.17 'T is thus with thy soul Christian that art a sincere lover of thy redeemer and hast not set up some Image of an ordinary person in the place of him thou admirest him whom thou lovest as never being able to comprehend his Glory The Lord whom thou lovest being God as well as Man and Man as well as God John 1.1.14 1 Tim. 3.16 and all this in one person An object in whom Heaven and Earth are so admirably blended together that the acutest reason looseth it self stands amazed at the union Chrysostom whence wee finde one of the Antients thus speaking of it I know that the word was made flesh but how or in what manner this was done I know not Doest thou wonder that I profess my Ignorance why the whole Creation is Ignorant of it as well as I And another of them gives this advice if Reason go about to cavil Justin Martyr 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Do not dispute but apply thy self to the common Refuge against cavils in matters of Faith even Faith it self God hath said it and therefore I must and will
can any imagine that God will bee pleased with those mens charity who give relief out of that which they have wrongfully gotten restitution should rather bee made to such as have been wronged And if neither the parties wronged nor their heirs can bee found then what hath been wrongfully got ought to bee given to the Poor as their heirs An example whereof wee have in Zacheus Luke 19.8 who having wronged many by oppression after his conversion offereth fourfold restitution unto all whom hee had wronged and because many could not be found to whom hee should make it hee offereth to bestow half of his goods to the relief of the Poor 3. Such as being under authority and have no propriety in the things which they give do notwithstanding give directly against or simply without the consent of those who have the true propriety do not give of their own as Servants Children and others Indeed Servants and Children may lawfully give out of that which is their own but not out of that which is their Masters or Parents without their allowance 4. Such as being joyned in partnership with another and give Alms out of the Common stock without the consent of their Partners do not give that which is their own 5. Such as are in extream debt and owe more than they are worth Wee shewed that mercy and justice must go together yea justice must go before mercy and bee satisfied before mercy bee shewed They who owe more than they are worth have nothing at all to give for Alms such joyne Arrogancy to Injustice to make shew of a great estate and yet have none I shall close this with a word of advice to such as have a merciful and charitable disposition above their outward condition and ability That they use the best diligence they can by all lawful and warrantable means to get something to bestow upon charitable uses Let poor labouring men take so much the more pains that they may have somewhat to give let servants spare out of their wages Ephes 4.20 let such as have no propriety in any thing but are wholly maintained by them under whom they live as Children apprentices and others do what they can to obtain something of their Parents or other governours even for this very end that they may have something to give Let such as are in debt first pay their debts and then give Alms. Let such as have any way defrauded others first make restitution and then releeve them that are in need Finally let such as live at the extent of their estate and much more such as live beyond their means well weigh wherein they may cut off some of their expences to bestow on the Poor II Alms-giving must bee with freedome and cheerfulness and not grudgingly The phrase of giving Alms frequently mentioned in Scripture implieth as much for to give is freely to bestow In the Law this propriety of giving is plainly expressed and by the contrary thus explained Thou shalt freely give him Deut. 15.10 and thine heart shall not bee greived when thou givest unto him Deut. 15.11 It is also implyed under this phrase thou shalt open thy hand wide Almes must not bee wrested and wrung out of a mans hand but hee must of himself open his hand that is freely give The word wide addeth emphasis And in the Gospel wee finde it commanded by the Apostle 2 Cor 9.7 Every man according as hee purposeth in his heart so let him give not grudgingly or of necessity for God loveth a cheerful giver Many motives may bee produced to induce us hereunto as 1. The pattern of God our Heavenly Father and of his Son Jesus Christ our Redeemer All the good that the Father doth hee doth most freely who hath first given unto him Rom. 5.15 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Id quod gratificando aliquis donat Deut. 7.7 8. The word which is used to set out that which God giveth signifieth a free gift and hee is said to love us freely Hosea 14.4 To justifie us freely Rom. 3.24 and freely to give us all things Rom. 8.32 This Reason of Gods love the Lord set his love upon you because hee loved you doth clearly demonstrate the freeness of it The good also which the Son of God Jesus Christ our Saviour doth for us hee doth most freely upon his own love without any desert of ours in this respect it is said that hee hath loved us Ephes 5.2 25. and hath given himself for us The conjunction of these two love and giving plainly prove the freeness of the gift But further hee expresly saith concerning the freeness of his gift Rev. 21. â— I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely And again Whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely Rev. 22.17 2. A second Motive may be taken from the nature of Charity which unless it bee free is not true and sound Thus much the Apostle implieth under this phrase 1 Cor. 13.3 Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor and have not charity it profiteth mee nothing By Charity hee meaneth a free giving of that which is given meerly out of love and pitty to him unto whom hee giveth 3. Free giving makes that which is given to man acceptable to God for God loveth a chearful giver 2 Cor. 9.7 Yea God hath more respect to this matter of giving than to the greatness of the gift For if there be first a willing mind 2 Cor. 8.12 it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that hee hath not 4. A free manner of giving makes the gift the more acceptable to him that is made partaker thereof As the gift supplieth his want so the manner of giving reviveth his spirit The Apostle rejoyceth in the Lord greatly upon that caâ—e which the Philippians shewed to him in his necessity Phil. 4.10 5. A free and chearful giving much redoundeth to the glory of God in that others are stirred up to praise God for such gifts David praised Gods glorious Name 1 Chron. 28.13 14. when hee saw his people offer willingly unto the Lord. And in this respect the Apostle saith of such benevolence that it is abundant by many thanksgivings unto God 2 Cor. 9.2 12. III. With simplicity and sincerity according to that of the Apostle Hee that giveth Rom. 12.8 let him do it with simplicity that is with an honest plain and sincere heart not aiming therein at his own praise or applause but at the glory of God doing it in obedience to his command This simplicity in giving our Saviour hinteth unto us where he faith When thou doest Alms Matth. 6.3 let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doth that is let not the neerest that may be unto thee know what thou givest The right hand is that hand wherewith wee ordinarily give
about them if to the Inordinate love of women his fancy will be rolling upon carnal beauty and he will be firing his heart with unclean thoughts 5. Want of love to God and holy things men are loath to come into Gods presence for want of Faith and to keep there for want of love love fixeth the thoughts and dryeth up those swimming toyes and fancies that do distract us we ponder and muse upon that in which we delight were our natural hatred of God and of the means of Grace changed into a perfect love we should adhere to him without distraction we see where men love strongly they are deaf and blind to all other objects they can think and speak of no other thing but because our love to God is weak every vain occasion carrieth away our minds from him you find this by daily experience when your affections flag in an ordinance your thoughts are soon scattered weariness maketh way for wandring our hearts are first gone and then our mnids you complain you have not a setled mind the fault is you have not a setled love for that would cause you to pause upon things without weâ—riness Psal 1.2 His delight is in the Law of the Lord and in that Law doth he meditate day and night Psal 119.97 O how I love thy Law it is my meditation all the day David's mind would never run upon the Word so much if his heart were not there thoughts are at the command and beck of love where love biddeth them go they go and where love biddeth them tarry they tarry the Saints first delight and then meditate 6. Slightness and irreverence or want of a sense of Gods presence a careless spirit will surely wander but one deeply affected is fixed and intent Jonah when he prayed in the Whales belly could he have an heart to forget his work Daniel when he prayed among the Lions could he mind any thing else when we are serious and pray in good earnest we will call in all our thoughts and hold them under command This Question was put to Basil how a man should keep the mind free from distraction his Answer was Basil in Regulis brevioribus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is that this evil came from slightness of heart and unbelief of Gods presence for if a man did believe that God were before his eyes searching the heart and trying the reines he would be serious all things are naked and open to him with whom we have to do God looketh on and so do the Angels he looketh on the heart and will not you be serious Schollars that have a trewantly mind yet the presence of their Masters forceth them to their Books the Great God who telleth man his thought he seeth our desires and thoughts speak lowder in his eares than our words therefore possess the heart with a dread of his glorious presence and with the weight and importance of the work we are about were we to deal with another man in a case of life and death we would weigh our words and not rove like mad men 7. The Curiosity of the Senses these occasion a diversion 't is the Office of the fancy to present as in a glass whatsoever is received by the External Senses or offered by the memory and so the understanding taketh notice of it the wandring eye causeth a wandring heart Solomon saith Prov. 17.24 The fools eyes are to the ends of the earth first his eyes rove and then his heart the Apostle Peter saith of unclean persons that they have eyes full of adultery 2 Pet. 2.14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the adulteress as the word signifieth the eye is rolled upon the object and then the dart by the fancy is transmitted to the heart Senses are the windows and doors of the Soul keep the Senses if you would keep the heart Job was at a severe appointment with his eyes Job 31.1 't is good when we go to God to renew these Covenants to agree with the heart that we will not go to God without it with the eyes and ears that we will not see and hear any thing but what concerns our work 't was a strange constancy and fixedness which * Josephus de Bellis Judaeorum Josephus speaketh of when Faustus Cornelius and Furius and Fabius with their Troops had broken into the City of Jerusalem and some fled one way and some another yet the Priests went on with their Sacrifices and the holy rites of the Temple as if they heard nothing though they rushed on them with their swords yet they preferred the duty of their Religion before their own safety and strange is that other Instance of the Spartan Youth in Plutarch that held the Censer to Alexander whilst he was sacrificing and though a coal lighted upon his flesh he suffered it to burn there rather than by any crying out he would disturb the rites af their Heathenish Superstition certainly these instances should shame us Christians that do not hold the Senses under a more severe restraint but upon every light occasion suffer them to trouble and distract us in worship 8. Carking and distrustful cares when we are torn in pieces with the cares of the World we cannot have a composed heart but our minds will waver and our dangers will recurr to our thoughts and hinder the exercise of our Faith God took special care of the Jews when they went up to worship that they might have nothing to trouble them and therefore he saith Exod. 34.24 none of the Nations shall desire the Land when thou shalt go up to appear before the Lord thy God thrice in the year and * Augustinus quest 161. in Exod. Augustine gives this reason of it lest they should be distracted with thoughts about their own preservation vult Deus intelligi ut securus quisque ascenderet nec de terrâ suâ sollicitus esset deo promittente custodiam and one of the arguments by which Paul commendeth single l fe is freedom from the incumbrances of the World that we may serve the Lord without distraction 1 Cor. 7.35 Thirdly Remedies I might speak many things by way of meer counsel about guarding the Senses the use and abuse of a forme c. but all these are but like external applications in Physick or topical medicines as the binding of things to the wrists of the hands c. which work no perfect cure of a disease unless the distemper be purged away therefore I shall speak to those things that are most effectual 1. Go to God and wait for the power of his Grace David speaking of it as his work Psal 86.11 Unite my heart to the fear of thy name fix it gather it together 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Septuagint make it one the heart is multiplied when 't is distracted by several thoughts God hath our hearts in his own hand and we can keep them up no longer then he holds them up when he
withdraws his grace we lose our life and seriousness as meteors hang in the air as long as the heat of the Sun is great but when the Sun is gone down they fall as long as the love of God and the work of his Grace is powerful in us we are kept in a lively heavenly frame but as that abateth the Soul swerveth and returneth to vanity and sin We read Acts 16.14 15. that the Lord opened the heart of Lydia so that she attended to the things that were spoken of Paul attention there beareth somewhat a larger sense then we now consider it in namely a deep regard to the doctrine of life yet this Sense of fixedness of spirit cannot be excluded go to God then pray him to keep thy heart together he that hath set bounds to the Sea and can bind up the waves in a heap and stop the Sun in its flight certainly he can fasten and establish thy heart and keep it from running out 2. Meditate on the greatness of him before whom we are 't is of great consequence in duties to consider whom we take to be our party with whom we have to do Heb. 4.13 in the Word God is the party that speaketh to us thou shalt be as my mouth Jer. 15.16 as if God spake by us 2 Cor. 5.20 't is God speaketh and the Heathen King of Moab shewed such reverence that when Ehud said I have a message to thee from God he arose out of his seat Judg. 3.20 so in prayer you have to do with God you do as really minister before him as the Angels that abide in his presence Oh if you could see him that is invisible you would have more reverence * Omnino nos oportet orationis tempore curiam intrare caelestem illam utique curiam in quâ rex regum sedet in stellato solio circumdante eum innumerabili ineffabili beatorum spirituum exercitu ubi ipse qui viderit quia majorem numerum non invenit millia ait millium ministrabant ei decies centena millium assistebant ei quanta ergo cum reverentiâ quanto timore quanta illuc humilitate accedere debet è palude sua procedeus repens ranuncula vilis quam tremebundus quam supplex quam denique humilis sollicitus toto intentus animo majesti gloria in praesentia Angelorum in consilio justorum congregatione assistere poterit vilis homuncio Bernard de quatuor modis orandi A man that is praying or worshipping should behave himself as if he were in Heaven immediatly before God in the middest of all the blessed Angels those ten thousand times ten thousand that stand before God Oh with what reverence with what fear should a poor worm creep into his presence think then of that glorious all-seeing God with whom thou canst converse in thoughts as freely as with men in words he knoweth all that is in thy heart and seeth thee thorough and thorough if you had spoken al those things you have thought upon you would be odious to men if all your blasphemy uncleanness worldly projects were known to those that joyn with us should we be able to hold up our heads for blushing and doth not the Lord see all this could we believe his inspection of the heart there would be a greater awe upon us 3. Mortifie those lusts that are apt to withdraw our minds he that indulgeth any one vile affection will never be able to pray aright every duty will give you experience what corruption to resist what thoughts are we haunted and pestered with when we come to God God requireth Prayer that we may be weary of our lusts and that the trouble that we find from them in holy Exercises may exasperate our Souls against them we are angry with an Importunate beggar that will not be satisfied with any reasonable terms but is alwaies obtruding upon us every experience in this kind should give us an advantage to free our hearts from this disturbance the whole work of Grace tendeth to Prayer and the great Exercise and Imployment of the Spiritual life is watching unto Prayer Ephes 6.18 and that Prayer be not interrupted 1 Pet. 3.2 4. Before the duty there must be an actual preparation or a solemn discharge of all Impediments that we may not bring the World along with us put off thy shoos off thy feet saith God to Moses for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground surely we should put off our carnal distractions when we go about holy duties Gird up the loines of your minds saith the Apostle Peter 1 Pet. 1.13 an allusion to long garments worn in that Country 't is dangerous to come to Prayer with a loose heart My heart is fixed saith David O God my heart is fixed Psal 57.7 that is fitted prepared bended to Gods Worship the Soul must be set put into a dexterous ready posture Claudatur contra adversarium pectus soli Deo pateat ne ad se hostem Dei accedere tempore orationis patiatur Cyp. lib. De Oratione Domini There must be a resolved shutting of the heart against Gods enemy lest he insinuate with us and withdraw our minds 5. Be severe to your purpose and see that you regard nothing but what the duty leadeth you unto 't is the Devils policy to cheâ—t us of the present duty by an unseasonable interposition Sathan beginneth with us in good things that he may draw us to worse what is unseasonable is naught watch against the first diversion how plausible soever 't is an intruding thought that breaketh a rank in this case say as the Spouse Cant. 3. I charge you that you awake not my Beloved till he please such a rigid severity should you use against the starting of the heart if Sathan should at first cast in a thought of blasphemy that would make thee quake and shake therefore he beginneth with plausible thoughts but be careful to observe the first straglings * Est praeterea optimum ad attendendum remedium si imagines rerum irruentes non solum non advertas non excutias non examines sed ita te habeas quasi eas non aspicere digneris nam ipsum ad vertere examinare istas cogitationes evagari est jam adversarius aliquid à nobis extorsit c. Jacobus Alvarez yea be not diverted by thy very strivings against diversions and therefore do not dispute with suggestions but despise them nor stand examining temptations but reject them as blind Bartimeus regarded not the rebukes of the People but cryed the more after Christ or as Travellers do not stand beating back the Dogs that bark at them but hold on their course this is to be religiously obstinate and severe to our purpose Sathan contemned hath the less advantage against you when he is writing images upon the fancy do not vouchsafe to look upon them A Cryer in the Court that is often commanding silence
understand it or 2. For an expression of the prolonging of his sojourning for so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to draw forth or to prolong and thus the Septuagint renders this place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whom the Arabick Syriack and vulgar Latine versions follow with some others and the next verse seems to favour this sense ver 6. My soul hath long dwelt c. but either way gives us the same ground of complaint only the first sense doubles the ground of the Psalmists trouble and the other suggests the circumstance of the long continuance of his sojourning By Kedar is understood part of Arabia the inhabitants whereof are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bochart ut sup or dwellers in tents because they had no fixed and setled habitation but were robbers and lived upon the prey Now we are not to suppose that David did really sojourn and dwell among these barbarous people but he speaks this of his wandring about from place to place without any setled habitation and to set forth the cruelty and inhumanity of those among whom he dwelt he doth expresse it thus Woe is me that I dwell c. as if one living among professed Christians who deal with him more like savages than Christians should say Woe is me that I sojourn among Turks and Saracens And thus you see Davids present condition which he bewails is his absence from Jerusalem and the Tabernacle or place of Gods solemn worship and his converse with wicked and ungodly men and then these two truths lye plain before us in the words It is oftentimes the lot and portion of good men to be deprived of the Doct. 1 society of the godly and of opportunities of publick serving God and to dwell among and converse with wicked and ungodly persons It is a real ground of trouble and sorrow to a good man to be thus deprived Doct. 2 c. 'T was that which here made David proclaim himself in a state of woe and misery 'T was that which the Apostle tells us did vexe the righteous soul of Lot 2 Pet. 2.7 and which made the holy Prophet Elijah even weary of his life 1 King 19.4 You may easily imagine what a sad heart a poor lamb might well have if it be driven from the green pastures and still waters and forced to lodge among Wolves and Foxes where it must feed upon Carrion or starve and be continually in danger of being lodged in the bellies of its cruel and bloody companions unless lome secret over-ruling hand do restrain their rage and feed it with wholesome food and truly such is the condition of those that follow the Lamb of God in holy Lamb-like qualities when deprived of green pastures and still waters of Gospel Ordinances and forc'd to converse with wicked and ungodly men In handling of this Point I shall first lay before you the grounds of it and then adjoyn such practical application as may be usefull and profitable The grounds of this Truth do partly refer to God partly to wicked men and partly to the godly themselves if in such a condition a beleeving soul either look upwards or outwards or inwards he will see much cause of grief and trouble 1. With reference unto God and that upon a double account 1. It is a real ground of sorrow to a beleeving soul to be deprived of occasions of solemn blessing and praysing God the soul that is full of the sense of the goodness of God that knows how many thousand wayes the Lord is continually obliging it to love and bless him cannot but be afflicted in spirit to be kept from making its publick acknowledgements of divine goodness The Psalmist tell us Psal 65 1. that Praise waiteth for God in Sion that is in the publick Assemblies of the Church and truly 't is a grief to a believing soul not to wait there with his thank-offerings not to pay his vows unto the Lord in the presence of all his people Psal 116.17 Psal 66.18 in the Courts of the Lords house c. not to declare to all that fear God what he hath done for their souls 2. It is a real ground of sorrow to live among those that are continually reproaching and blaspeming the Name of God to see sinners despise the goodness of God and trample upon his grace and mercy and scorn his love and kindness and kick at his bowels and spit in his face and stab at his heart who is our God our Father our Friend our good and gracious Lord and King This must needs make the beleeving soul cry out Woe is me that I live among such Let us suppose a person that hath been hugely obliged by a Prince to love him and that indeed loves him as his life if this Prince should be driven from his Throne and an usurper get into his place would it not be great affliction and sadning to the spirit of such a person to live among those who every day revile reproach scorn and abuse his gracious Prince Why Sirs if you and I be true beleevers we know that the Lord is our Soveraign King Prince such a one who hath infinitely more obliged us to love him than 't is possible for any Prince to oblige a subject we do love the Lord as our lives nay better than our lives or else we love him not at all must it not then be matter of grief to hear ungodly sinners who have driven God away from their hearts souls where his Throne should be set up and who have let that grand usurper the Devil set up his throne within them and among them and who daily say unto God as those wicked ones Job 21.14 Depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes to hear such curse and swear and blaspheme God and in their lives by wicked ungodly courses do him all the despight dishonor that they can bring his Name to the Tavern to the Stews upon the stage and there foot and defile the great and glorious Name of God with the worst of polutions Certainly Sirs he cannot account God his Friend his Father his good and gracious Prince whose eye doth not run down with Rivers of tears to see men so far from keeping Gods Law 2. It is a trouble to good men to sojourn c. with reference to those wicked ungodly persons among whom they live it grieves their souls to see sinners run into all excess of riot eagerly pursuing hell and damnation greedily guzling down full draughts of the venome of Asps and the poyson of Dragons it pities them to see sinners stab themselves to the heart and laughing at their own plague sores jeasting away God and heaven and eternal happiness If any of us should see a company of men so far besotted and distracted as that one should rend and burn the Evidences of a great Inheritance which others labour to deprive him of another should cast inestimable pearls
out and if I love God I may thereby be sure that God loves me p 1 John 4.19 But Lord so far as I am able by searching to know my own heart I desire nothing more then to come q Jerem. 3.21 to Christ to receive Christ r John 1.11 to be one with Å¿ Gal. 2.20 Christ to be conformable to Christ t Heb 2.11 And Lord I dare say with Peter thou that knowest all things knowest that I love thee u John 21.17 if prizing thee above all things in the world w Psal 73.25 if restless longing x Psal 119.20 for further acquaintance and more inward y Psal 106.4 communion if pantings after the secrets of thy z Psalm 25.14 presence fear of nothing more then to offend thee a Psal 119 1â—0 be infallible evidences of sincere love then I dare appeal unto thee that I love thee Therefore Lord perswade my soul thankefully to acknowledge that 't is in a safe condition On the contrary Thus Lord thou hast told me that if I live after the flesh I shall b Rom. 8.13 die But my heart life undeniably evidence that I mind nothing but carnality Therefore Lord convince me that there 's but a step c Job 21.13 but a d Psal 146.4 breath between me and everlasting death Thus Christians do but suffer and help your Conscience to do its office and then shall you have rejoycing in your selves alone and not in e Gal 6.4 another i. e. you will finde cause of rejoycing in the testimony of your own Conscience and not in others thinking you to be better then you are nor in your thinking your selves to be better then others Thus you have the offices of Conscience I come in the last place to speak of 4. The kinds of Conscience I know are coÌ„monly reduced to these 4. f Bâ—rn de consc p 1107. viz. Good quiet Good and troubled Evil and quiet Evil and troubled But intending the resolution of the Case before me in speaking to Conscience under the several kinds of it I shall speak to 8 kinds of Consciences The two first viz. the sleepy and the seared Conscience are peculiar to the worst of men The 4. next viz. the erring doubting scrupulous trembling Consciences are almost indifferent to good bad only the 2 former have a greater bias to bad and the 2 latter have a greater tendency to Good but the 2 last kinds viz. The Good and Honest and the Good and quiet Consciences are peculiar to Gods choisest favourites In treating of these I shall endeavour to acquaint you with the nature of each g But here I must say with Aug. non possum ut volo expl care quod sentio tamen quid moliar dicere peto ut non exâ—ectatis verbis meis sagac ssime si potâ—stis intelligatis Odi definire nam facilius est mihi videre in alterius definitione quod non probem quam quicquaÌ„ bene definiendo explicare Aug. T. 1. l. 2 de Ord. c 1. 2 p. 671. how to cure the evill how to obtain the good and hereby the Application will be entwisted with the Explication throughout my discourse I. The first and one of the worst kinds of Consciences in the world is the sleepy Conscience 1. The sleepy Conscience such is the Conscience of every unconverted person that is not yet under horrour their h Rom. 11.8 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Camerarius in loc spirit i. e. their Conscience is asleep that as bodily sleep bindeth up all the senses and animal spirits so this spiritual or rather unspiritual sleepiness bindeth up the soul from all sense i Privatio omnis sensus judicij Illyr In pâ—aed loc of the evill of sin and want of grace and therefore in conversion Christ doth awaken k Ephe 5 1â— the Conscience The Disciples of Christ have their spirits waking when their bodies l Matth. 26 41 are slumbring i e. they have a gracious habit of watchfulness when they are overtaken with some carnal acts of sleepiness Christ complains of unkindness m Cantic 5.2 that his Spouse sleeps in the morning when he knocks for early entertainment but the unconverted let Christ stand knocking all the day till supper time n Revel 3 20. they will spend their day with their lusts and if Christ will knock and wait till the day of their life be almost spent then they 'l pretend to open but how long must God call How long o Pro. 6.9 10. wilt thou sleep O sluggard when wilt thon arise out of thy sleep and they 'l answer Yet p Concessio ironica ethopaeiam habens pigroruÌ„ elegantissimam Jun in loc q. videmus conscientiaÌ„ veluti veterno aut lethargo aliquam diu sepultaÌ„ c. Episcop Inst theol l 1. c. 3. p. 11. Causes a little sleep a litle slumber a little folding of the hands to sleep The plain truth is thougn wicked men cannot quite stifle their consciences q yet their Consciences do but as it were talke in their sleep and they take no more notice of them then they do of their dreams Causes of a sleepy Conscience are besides the sluggishness of our depraved natures 1. A spiritual intoxicâ—tion all unconverted persons are drunk with the love of sin and therein behave themselves like Solomons r Prov. 23.34 35. Jacet in corona charchâ—sij i. e. Galea ubi maxima seÌ„titur maris agitatio Jun in loc â—ras the vulg Version which may serve for a paraphrase quasi sopitus gubernator amisso clavo i. usu rationis Tit. drunkard that lies down to sleep in the heart of the sea or upon the top of a mast in the very midst of the greatest soul danger He doth that daily which Jonah did once run away from Gâ—d and then composeth himself to sleep Å¿ Jonah â— 5 when God is pursuing him with judgments and dreams of nothing but impunity happines Love of sin is the Devils Opium whereby he casts the Conscience into a dead sleep that no arm but of Omnipotency can waken it He meets with something in the world which he likes better then the holy ways of God and therefore will not seek God t Ps 10.4 5 11 13. Justitiam ut ille apud Platonem Thrasymachus appellat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 elegantem stultitiam they sleep then aiunt deum dormire aut oblituÌ„ esse eorum quae fiant in terris c. Aug. Steuch Eug. Enar. in loc Gods ways are always grievous to him he hath said in his heart I shall not be moved God hath forgotten he hideth his face he will never see it he contemns God saith in his heart thou wilt not require it They wink and then conclude God doth not see them 2. Carnal conceits of grace and heaven At the best humane wisdom is their highest Guide
voluntati objiciuntur sint aut finis aut media haec ob sclum finem appeti media qua media dicunt tantum relationem ad finem non autem fundamentum ipsius tum quia contraria est puritati amoris quo deo inhaerere debemus Ita enim ut passim apud sol diores vitae spiritualis magistros videre est amare debâ—mus deum ut cum illo etiaÌ„ sub illo nihil aliud amemus sed omnia duntaxat in illo quia alià s non amamus illuÌ„ ex toto corde sed aliud quidpiam ab illo occupat cor nostrum Gibieuf de lib. dei creat l. 1. c. 11 p. 66. is our love to other things regular when the alone goodness of God moves us to love them as the alone respect to health makes me use physick the means hath no proper goodness distinct from the goodness of the end those means which were profitable though they remain unchanged in themselves yet they become unprofitable by the alone change of the end e. g. Health being recovered physick is unprofitable which while we were infirme was profitable so we are not to love any means without relation to the end because 't is contrary to the purity of that love which we owe to God for we ought so to love God that with him or under him we love nothing else but all things only in him because otherwise we do not love him with our whole heart e. g. In mens loving their wives and wives their husbands in Parents loving their children children their Parents 't is a rare pitch to love all these in God that is to advance our love to God by them and so far as any of them draw off our love to God to say to them as Christ to Peter Get thee behind me Satan thou art an offence unto me Love is extended to good the more good therefore any thing is the more it is to be beloved But thou O Lord my God saith Bradwardine f Tu autem Dâ—mine deus meus es omnis boni bonum super omnia bona bonus bonum infinitissimè infinitum quomodo tantum plus amabo te quam tu amas me quantum tu es melior me debeo amare te finaliter propter te omnia alia propter te tu autem non amas me proptér me nec caetera propter me debeo etiam amare te infinite quodammodo intersive supra quod cumque bonum finitum tu autem non sic amas me Debeo quoque amare te infinite quodammodo extensive volendo scil potiùs quotcumque quantacunque bona alâ—a etiam meipsum non esse quam te vel quam te semel offendere tu vero non sic amas me quia non debeo sic amari c. Bradwardin de causa dei l 2. c. 34. p. 627. seqq art the Good of every good good above all things that are good a good most infinitely infinite how much therefore should I rationally love thee should not my love be proportionably infinite I would I could so love thee but how shall I that am so very little finite love thee infinitely And yet without so loving thee how will there be kept any due proportion in loving thee who dost infinitely exceed all other lovely things I ought to love thee infinitely as to the manner though I cannot as to the act of my love i. e. I ought to love thee finally for thy self or else I may love thee in some sort infinitely as to the Act both intensively and extensively in some sort intensively i. e. more intensely more firmly more strongly then any finite good because I love them but for thee In some sort extensively by comparing all things how many or how great soever with thee and loving thee before above all that I had rather all things in the world and my self too to have no being then once to offend thee But Lord thou lovest thy friends in an unspeakable manner more then they can love thee O therefore thou great Lord thou great Good that fillest heaven and earth why doest thou not fill my very little soul O my soul that art so little so miserable why dost thou not open all thy little doors why dost thou not extend thy utmost capacity that thou mayest be wholly possest wholly satiated wholly ravished with the sweetness of so great love specially seeing thou art so very little yet nothing less will satisfie thee O therefore my most loving God I beseech thee tell me what may most effectually draw out my love to thee considering what prevention of love what privative positive good things I receive from thee infinite in greatness infinite in multitude It is a wonder that any one can think of these things and not be wholly swallowed up of love wholly turned into love But I see Lord 't is easier to speak these things and to write them down than to do them Thou therefore most good most powerful Lord to whom nothing is difficult give I beseech thee that I may more easily do these things in my heart then utter them with my mouth Open I beseech thee thy most bountiful hand and enable me that nothing may be more easie nothing more sweet nothing more delightfull then most effectually and most affectionately to fulfil that which I speak about loving of thee Lord give me leave a little to presume above my hope and to plead with thee about thy magnificent goodness humane friendship will not give the repulse to a poor wanting begging friend O therefore most liberal Lord help me that I may love thee Christians 't is worth while to make it your business to climb up to this love-extasie This you will find to be a compleating rule an effectual means and a singular exercise of exact and conscientious walking I shall briefly name I intended largely to have prest two arguments or motives to perswade the use of these directions 1. You cannot possibly get rid of your Conscience g Nec vi extinguitur nec fraude adeò altè inhaeret animo Tutissimus licet homo sit tamen securus non est ipsas tenebras nequitia imo tuta omnia timet multos fortuna liberat paena metu neminem Exemplo sunt potentissimi Imperatores qui aâ—cani licentiam nacti sine arbitris sine testibus c. Episcop Instit theol P. 1. c. 3. p. 10 11. Ipsa conscientia propriis stimulis agitatur atque compungitur sui ipsa efficitur accusatrix testis Origen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l. 2. c. 11. p. 707. therefore be perswaded to get a good one there 's nothing more common then for wicked men to do what they can to extinguish Conscience they flatter it with carnall reasoning they bâ—ibe it with mock devotions they wound it with hainous provocations they scar it with customary wickedness they trample it under foot by sinning in despight of it
did to the King before he opened his mouth to give the sense of his Ominous Dream Dan. 4 19. The Dream be to them that hate thee and the Interpretation to thine enemies yet shall I not wish so much ill to our worst enemies but the Text be to them that hate God and the Interpretation only to the enemies and despisers or despitors of his grace It is one of the most startling Scriptures in all the Bible and one of the most Terrible flying fiery Roules in all the Book of God utterly consuming the house of the hypocrite Apostate with the timber thereof and the stones thereof and dreadfully affrighting his truly Religious neighbour who trembleth at Gods Word The Novatians or Cathari abused this place of old Gen. 40. to shut the Church-doors and gate of grace upon such as had fallen after their profession of Christianity And many poor souls and troubled consciences have as often quite perverted or misunderstood it to the shutting up the gate of heaven and door of hope against themselves after their bitterly bewail'd falls or slips but both unjustly But as Josephs Interpretation once of the same nights dream when rightly applyed did rid the Butler out of his misapprehended fears and onely left the more secure Baker under that execution which the other apprehended but himself never dreamt of so neither this nor any other Scripture speaks a word of terror to any sin-troubled soul that trembles at Gods threats But all the Prophets Prophesie good with one consent to these and my word shall be like one of theirs It was indeed once a joyfull sight which Jacob beheld at Bethel Gen 28.12 A ladder whose foot stood on the earth and the top reached to heaven and Angels ascending and descending upon it But here we see a Ladder whose top spires toward heaven but the foot resteth in hell where seeming Angels of light ascend or such new strange Gods ascend as the Witch once saw out of the earth but black Apostate Angels descend Intrat Angelus Exit daemon 1 Sam. 28.13 I am to speak of the Case of Relapses and my Text is the fairest glass to discover so foul a sight as I know Here we have the rise and fall the first and the last the better and worse part of an Apostate-hypocrite described 1. The former his Rise his first and Better part set out in five Particulars 1. Enlightening 2. Tasting the heavenly gift as of some common faith or repentance or the like 3. Partaking of the Holy Ghost which is not to be understood of the sanctifying graces of the Holy Ghost but the common or extraordinary gifts as of Tongues c. of the sanctifying Spirit 4. Tasting the good word of God 5. And the powers of the life to come He saith not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ut cum edificium male sartum prorsus corruit Paroe in loc Had they had to these five steps two other more sincerity at the bottom of the Ladder and perseverance at the top they had been safe 2. The later his fall his last and worse part is set out in four Things 1. His fall is a break-neck fatal down-fall They fall away It is not an ordinary slip or stumble but a down-right not fair fall but a foul given them by Satan such a fall as his own was at first 2. The irrecoverableness of that fall they are past grace and grace and mercy hath done with them They cannot be renewed to repentance as is said of Esau there is no place for their repentance though he sought for the blessing with tears Heb. 12.17 3. The certainty of that irrecoverableness in that it is said to be impossible c. he doth not say it is hard or unlikely or seldom seen but is absolutely impossible 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it was never seen or ever shall be Impossible not so much ex natura rei as some things are utterly impossible which imply a contradiction as that true should be false good evil light darkness these impossible because inconsistent with the nature of the things themselves But impossible ex instituto Dei because inconsistent with Gods decree and declared will as impossible as we say An elect or true believer should perish or an impenitent person be saved so we mean impossible by reason of Gods irreversible decree concerning such 4. The cause that makes all this dead-sure and seals the stone of this certainty Seeing they crucifie to themselves afresh the Son of God and put him to open shame and make no account of the bloud of Christ and the grace and promise of the Gospel and of the comfort of the Holy Ghost and are therefore said to sin against the Holy Ghost because they directly slight resist and oppose the gracious office and workings of the holy Spirit But I must stay no longer upon the words by reason of that brevity expected in this Exercise Doct. Our Observation is It is the most fearful and dangerous condition in the world to begin in the Spirit and end in the Flesh to rise and fall in Religion to decay and Apostatize from grace To have had some work of the Spirit and the Word upon their hearts so as to have light and love and taste and gifts and savour and seriousness and hopes and fears and after all to cool and give over Oh how desperate is such a case To go to hell with so much of heaven Oh what a hell is that Heb. 10.26 27. For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin But a certain fearfull looking for of judgâ—ment c. 2 Pet 2.20 21 22. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ they are again intangled therein and overcome the latter end is worse with them then the beginning for it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness then after they have known to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them c. Such a thing there may be possibly the Text supposeth it that such may fall and fall away totally and finally only pronounceth an impossibility of their rising again Some are said to fall from grace Gal. 5.4 the stony and thâ—rny ground did so in a parable Demas Judas Saul Hymenaeus did so in good earnest A great Apostacy was foretold in the first days to let in Antichrist 2 Thes 2.3 And in the reign of Antichrist more 1 Tim 4.1 all are warned Let him that standeth take heed lest he fall 1 Cor. 10.12 Heb. 12.15 Look diligently lest any fail of or fall from the grace of God Some of Johns hearers after a while left him Joh. 5.35 Many of our Saviours hearers quite left him Joh. 6.66 Many of Pauls supposed converts were turned away all they of Asia 2
if he had said Go lead on my God behold I follow as neer as close as I can è vestigiò I would not leave any distance but pursue thy footsteps step by step leaning upon thine everlasting arms that are underneath me and following thy maunduction Lot had almost perisht in Sodom for lingring when his God hastned him away Gen. 19.16 But Sampson till then invincible awoke too late from the bosome of his Delilah when the Philistines had shaved his seven locks And he thought to go out and shake off their cords wherewith they bound him as at other times but the Lord was departed from him and they took him and put out both his eyes Judg. 16.20 21. A Christâ—an is more then a man when he acts in concurrence with his God â—sal 27.1 The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I feare the Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall I be afraid But if he resists the holy Ghost he doth not only grieve him but will if he go on resisting quench him and then he is all alone becomes heir to the curse of Reuben Gen. 49.3 4. he who was a while since the excellency of dignity the excellency of power is now weak as water and cannot excell The proverb tells us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There is a great deale of Time in a little opportunity It is good striking while the Iron is hot and lanching out whilst wind and tide serve Open all thy Sailes to every breath and gale of Gods good spirit Welcome every suggestion reverence every dictate cherish every illapse of this blessed Moniâ—or let every inspiration find thee as the Seal doth the Waxe or the spark the tinder and then as the Spouse tels her beloved or ever thou art aware thy Soul will make thee as the Charet of * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. a free and willing people Aminadab Step into the pool when the Angel stirs the water John 5.4 Keep touch with the motions of the spirit and all is well But if these three Rules are too generall and remote I shall now lay down some more particular and exact directions for checking the beginnings of sinne and these are of two sorts as Physitians have their Prophylactiques and their Therapeutiques Some for prevention of the fit and paroxysme others for the cure and removall when the symptomes of it are upon thee 1 Before the Paroxisme cometh prepare and antidote thy Soul against these lusts of the flesh by observing these advices Rule 1 The first is that noble counsell of Eliphaz to Job cap. 22. vers 21. Acquaint thy selfe now with God and be at peace Get thy heart fixed where thy treasure is have thy conversation in heaven and thy fellowship with the father and with his sonne Jesus Christ Flee to thy God to hide thee He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Aâ—mighty Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler He shall cover thee with his feathers and under his wings shalt thou trust his truth shall be thy shield and buckler Psal 91.1 3 4. Arise with thine arisen Lord and seek the things that are above Set thine affections there where Christ sits at the right hand of God If the Soul is not where it animates but where it loves awaken thinâ— and kindle it into holy passionate Extasies of love that thou mayest live in heaven all day long and which is the priviledge of the upright Psal 140 13. dwell in the presence of that God whom thy soul delighteth in The Tempter cannot reach thee there Be much in converse with God and the Devil will have litttle converse with thee or if he have it will be to little purpose How was the Majesty of King Ahasuenus incensed at that affront of Haman when he threw himself upon Queen Esters bed what will he force the Queen in our presence Esth 7.8 Keep but in the presence of thy Lord thy King thy Husband and the Ravisher will not offer to force thee there or if he do it wil be but in vain How secure is that Soul that lives under the deep and warme and constant sense of Gods being it's all in all What a munition of rocks is this against all assaults and incursions of the Tempter They are our tame and common Poultry whose wings sweep the ground as they flie and raise a dust but the generous Eagle soon mounts above this smoaky lower Region of the Aire till she makes the clouds a pillow for her head Put on Christian thy Eagles wings which are the same with those Doves wings which David pray's for Psal 55.6 and flee away that thou maist be at rest They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings as Eagles c. Isa 40.31 When the soul is once but upon the wing heaven-ward O how easily then doth it soare away above this region of smoak and dust above this Atmosphaene of earnality and fleshly lustings into the pure free Aethereal aire the blessed serenity and rest of Gods life and kingdome which is righteousnesse and peace and joy in the holy Ghost Rom. 14.17 it is cold iron that shews its rusty scales they disappear when it is red hot Get but thine heart on fire heaven-ward be but ascending thither Eliah like in a flaming Chariot of holy longings and paintings after God and the lustings of the flesh shall no more appear to deform thy beauty then the rust of iron appears when the metal is Candent i. e. all over of a light and glowing ardour The Rule then is Be sick of love to thy dear Master and Lord and thou shalt not be sick of sin Stir up spiritual and holy lustings in thy soul after the love and favour the grace and image of thy God and thou shalt not fulfill the lustings of the flesh Study throughly the unchangeable natures the eternal laws and differences of moral good and evill To open this There are some things of a middle and indifferent nature neither good nor evill in themselves But if God commands or forbids any of these they are then good or evill indeed but only because or whilest he doth so The Ceremonial Law of the Old Testament stood in these things and is now abolished by the same Divine authority which enacted it And it is now the glory of Christian Religion that excepting the two Sacraments and a very few other positive institutions for great and weighty causes reserved the Evangelical Law of the New Testament consists of such preceps as carry their own Credentiall letters and are built upon morall grounds of everlasting equity and righteousnesse Wherefore the Romanists deserve very ill of Christian Religion nor are the Lutheran Churches to be excused who of their owne heads impose so many indifferent things now in the service of God under the Gospel and that for no
banner thou servest Upon thy good behaviour and address in Arms depends much of the renown and honour of Christianity A cowardly Souldidier is the reproach of his Commanders Thou hast a noble General O Christian that hath done and finished perfectly what ever concerns thy Redemption from the powers of darkness To him that over cometh will he give to sit on his throne even as he overcame and is set downe on his fathers throne Rev. 3.23 Do valiantly and worthily Follow thy victorious Leader let all that know thee see that Religion is no mean and feeble thing that the School of Christ breeds the excellent of the earth that the Divine life is the most powerfull principle in the world that the Spirit of God in thee and his grace 〈◊〉 stronger then all thy lusts and corruptions Not he that talks mâ—st or professeth most but he that acts and lives most as a Christian shall be the man whom the King delights to honour 3. The lusts of the flesh are thy greatest enemies as well as Gods they warre against thy soul 1 Pet. 2.11 To resist them feebly is to do not only the work of the Lord but of thy Soul negligently 4ly It is easie vanquishing at first in comparison a fire newly kindled is soon quenched and a young thorn or bramble easily pulled up The fierce Lyon may be tamed when a whelp but if thou stay a little there will be no dealing with a Lust any more than with 〈◊〉 salvage Beast of prey Grace will lose and corruption get strength continually by delaying Fifthly If thou resistest the victory is thine Iames 4.7 And 〈◊〉 my Text Walke c. and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the fâ—â—sh Thoâ— caust never be conquered if thou wilt not yield Stand but 〈…〉 thou art invincible while thou art unwilling all the Devilâ— in hell cannot force thee to sin Temptation puts on it's strength as the will is Cease but to love the sin and the temptation is answered Indeed if thou chusest to be a slave thou shalt be one Nothing but thy owne choice can undo thee Sixthly Consider what thou dost if thou fulfillest the lusts of the flesh 1 Sam. 15 23. Heb. 6.6 thou provokest thy Heavenly Father rebellest against him and Rebellion is as witchcraft and stubbornesse as idolatry Thou crucifiest Jesus Christ afresh and puttest him to open shame Is this thy love and thanks to thy Lord to whom thou art so infinitely beholding Canst thou find in thy heart to put thy Spear again in his side Hath he not suffered yet enough Is his bloody passion nothing must he bleed again Ah monster of ingratitude ah perfidious Traytor as thou art thus to requite thy Master Again thou grievest thy Comforter and is that wisely done Who shall comfort thee if he depart from thee grieved Or is it ingenuous thus unworthily to treat that noble Guest to affront Gods sacred Spirit to his very face and in despight and mockery of him to side with his Enemy the flesh Is this thy kindnesse to thy best Friend thy faithfull Counsellour thy infallible Guide thy Minister and Oracle thy sweet and only Comforter What need I add that thou breakest thy peace woundest thy conscience forfeitest the losse of Gods countenance and makest a gap in the divine protection for all evill to rush in at 7ly And lastly Consider the invaluable benefit of resisting of not fulfilling the lusts of the flesh in two great instances First Unutterable joy and pleasure will be shed abroad in thy Soul as often as thou gettest the day I know no greater triumph then that of a Christian when he is more then conquerour through Christ that loves him O the peace the joy and holy glorying in the Lord and in the power of his might that a good man is even ravisht and caught up into the third Heavens with when the Lord covers his head in the day of Battell and lifts it up above his spiritual enemies To vanquish ones self is a nobler exploit than to subdue a City Pro. 16 32. Nay a vaster Conquest then if one could with that great Macedonian Captain atchieve the empty title of the vanquisher of the world 2. Every Conquest will encrease thy strength and dexterity against the next assault So that when the vanquisht lust recruits it's forces thou wilt be able to outvie thy self and become more dextrous every time Nay the mortifying of one earthly member like the cutting off a limb from the naturall body will make the whole body of sin tremble all the rest of thy Lusts will fare the worse and by consent languish So that every victory over any one corruption weakens that and all the rest and breaks the way for future Conquests How Ministers or Christian Friends may and ought to apply themselves to Sick Persons for their Good and the discharge of their own Conscience JOB 33.33 24. If there be a messenger with him an interpreter one among a thousand to shew unto man his uprightness then he is gracious unto him and saith Deliver him from going down into the pit I have found a ransom THese words are part of Elihu's discourse uttered by way of Reprehension and Conviction to Job and by way of Vindication and Apology for God in his dealings with men and although he premiseth this that God giveth no account of his matters ver 13. yet he doth ex abundanti give an account for God and makes a defence or gives a rationale of Gods proceedings with men c. where he shews that it is not mans torment or ruine that God desires but his reformation and amendment and that it may appear how sincerely and fervently he desires it he shews that there are several ways and means which God useth which are most powerful and likely to produce it 1. He speaks to men in dreams ver 15 c. 2. When that will not do by afflictions ver 19 c. 3. To make those afflictions more intelligible and more effectual he sends a messenger c. this is the business of the Text if there be with him c. wherein you may observe two parts 1. A supposition ver 23. If there be a messenger with him an interpreter c. 2. A position ver 24. Then he is gracious to him c. the words may be called the sick mans cordial or his restorative wherein you may observe 1. The patient expressed in the word him 2. The disease his danger and misery he is going down to the pit 3. The Physitian who is described 1. Ab officio by his Office a messenger 2. Ab opere by his work an interpreter 3. A praestantid a rare man one of a thousand multis è millibus unus 4. The Physick to shew unto a man his uprightness 5. The cure then he is gracious c. where are considerable 1. The quality of it the kind of the cure deliver him from going down to the pit i. e. from
more uncertainty you are at touching your estates when you have examined them by the Characters the more diligence you are concerned to use in the practice of the Directions And let mee add this That where you cannot undeniably and demonstratively conclude the sincerity of your love which I think few in compatison on this side of Heaven can there you must never lay by the advice about the last case no not although your probabilities should be great it being at the worst but an easie and sweet trouble to be still doing this great work over again whereas it 's irrecoverably dangerous and desperate upon presumption that we have done it already to leave it wholly neglected And I beseech you remember this useful Rule That in all Trials which Christians make about Grace It is safer to want credulity than to be over hasty therein The cases are two and very fit to follow each other in the order that is given to them I begin with the first What are the genuine Characters of a souls sincere love to Christ And in order to the Resolution thereof I must premise these several Propositions 1. Proposition That there is a great deal of difference between Love as it is seated in the Will or rational Appetite and the same Act or Principle of Love as seated in the sensitive In the former it is a settled Voluntas nihil aliud est quam Intellectus extensus ad habendum faciendum id quod cognoscit Scaliger exercit 107. rational uniform and deliberate Motion co-incident with the very natural Act of the Will it self To Love as the great School-man notes being nothing else but Intensive velle to will intensely either person or thing The motion of the Will towards the Object as good and desirable and the earnest imbracing thereof this is Rational Love And according to the various Aspect which it hath thereto either as present or absent perfect or imperfect it is called love of desire or fruition dependance or complacency And if the Object be such as can or doth reciprocate affection then its friendship or Amor Amâ—citiae But now take Love as it is an Affection properly so called and seaâ—eâ— in the lower faculties of the soul and so there is a great variety and inequality in its motions much easier to be felt thâ—n expressed sometimes the soul is in a kinde of extasie wrapt above it self and then by and by it's flat and dull again I note this first for this reason that you may understand what kinde of love it is that our inquiry doth proceed upon viz. Rational Love Baxters Dâ—rections for peace and comfort Direct 21. it being as a Judicious Divine hath often observed not so safe for Christians to try their states by the passionate motions of Grace in the lower parts of the soul or the affections as by the more equal and uniform actings thereof in the Will it self the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 commandress of the soul 2. Proposition The Acts of the Will in specie morali derive their goodness or vitiousness partly from the nature of the Object upon which they are fixed I do not assert this to bee the onely ground whence they are concluded good or evil for the Principle and the End and sometimes the degree of the Act are all necessary thereto but onely that this is one thing necessary Thus the willing of God or any of those things which are in a direct order to his glory is that wee call the Grace of Love As on the other side when the Will moveth towards any thing which standeth in opposition thereto This is that wee call sinful Concupiscence 3. Proposition It is not barely the Object in it self considered but as cloathed with its proper excellencies that agree to it and all its necessary Relations which the Will in its motions must have respect unto before any of those motions can truly be said to be Gracious For the nature of Grace lies not in the Act or motion of the Will simply and nakedly considered but as it 's suited and proportioned to the excellencies of the Object and those Relations which do inseparably belong thereto For instance To delight in God It is not every act of delight which the Soul may have upon the apprehension of him such as a bare Philosophical conception of God may sometimes raise the heart unto But when the beleeving Soul having taken a view of the excellencies of God and its own sweet Relation to him as a Gracious Father is carried forth in a holy rapture and exultancy of Spirit This is the Grace of Delight 4. Proposition Though the Love of God and the Love of Christ are never found one without the other yet is there a distinction necessary to be put between them and that even as great in proportion as is between God and the Mediatour or between the last end and the principal means conducing thereto The love of the Soul to God is Amor finis ultimi Or of such a Being as it will be an eternal happiness to be united unto The love of the soul to Christ as Mediatour is Amor medii principalis or of one by whom wee may have access to God and finde our happiness in him The formal reason of the former is the Divine All-sufficiency and Blessedness but of the latter the personal excellencies that are in Christ together with his ability and willingness to free us from our undoing streights and exigencies as wee are in a state of Apostacy and elongation from God And if I mistake not the not observing this necessary distinction between the Acts of the Soul as respecting God and the same Acts in specie or in kind as respecting the Mediatour hath occasioned much confusion in those Answers which are given to this and many such like inquiries such Arguments as are only proper to the one being made use of to discover the sincerity of our hearts in the other 5. Proposition Love as it is an Act or habit of the will and hath Christ for its object is not properly the Evangelical grace of love to Christ unless it have respect to him according to the various Excellencies of his person and the several distinct Relations which are by God invested in him Or thus The gospel grace of love is not the Intensive willing a Naked Christ but Christ as represented with his peculiar personal Excellencies and with his various offices and relations unto us in the Gospel This proposition undeniably follows from the third before laid down But yet because it gives some special light to helpe us to discover the true nature of this grace and is Intended as the foundation of some of those Characters that will afterwards come to bee insisted on I must crave your patience while I offer something farther for the confirmation thereof That certainly is no true Moral Act which is not suited to the nature of the object Thus for a man to love his
beleeve it Thâ—se things considered I dare boldly tell thee that thou canst not love in sincerity but together therewith thou wilt be under a holy rapture of Admiration and together with thy love thy Admiration will be alwaâ—es increasing Cant. 2.3 2. Sweet and refreshing delighting 'T is a delighting rejoycing love love saith Aquinas est complacentia amantis in amato is the rest and satisfaction of the soul in the Object loved the nature of love lies much in delight Thou canst not Christian love thy Lord but thou wilt finde thy heart even ravished with delight in him as being one in whom the fulness of the God head dwells 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 or personally non per efficaciâ—m solum â—upassistentiam sed per Unionem Hypostaticum or not vertually or only in a way of external help and assistance and being also one that had such an Unction of the Spirit upon him Cap. 〈…〉 that hath fully fitted him for the delight of thy soul And hence it is that wee finde the Spouse in the Book of Canticles so often letting forth her heart in holy delight to her Beloved as is manifest by her many loving compellations and several other expressions Hee shall lye all night betwixt my breasts Cant. 1.13 too large and many to be mentioned here and therefore I refer you to the Book it self 3. Ingenious gratitude thankfulness 'T is a grateful and thankful love as that which is begotten in the soul by the sense of Christs unspeakable goodness and condescension and which is also ever after fed and maintained thereby Now the condescension of Christ lies in three things 1. In his voluntary undertaking the work of Reconciliation and Mediation with God for persons so unworthy Rom. 5.8 Heb. 2.16 Hee took not on him the nature of Angels but the seed of Abraham it was the cause of sinners which this great Lord undertook to plead 2 In his unwearied diligence and invincible patience in fulfilling the severe Law of Redemption which hee had submitted to Though the injury that was done him by man was so great and manifest and the terrour of the Lord against him also so severe and unspeakable yet hee opened not his mouth but was dumb even as a Lamb at the slaughter and as a Sheep under the hands of the Shearers Isa 53.7 Mat. 11.30 Rom. 10.8 9 10. Isa 1.16.17 18 3. In being willing to communicate the benefits purchased thereby to sinful and rebellious men upon such easie Terms bidding us do nothing else but turn to God by Repentance and Self-denial and beleeve in himself and then what ever our sins had been all the advantages merited by his death should be made over to us Now when all these are considered as by every soul that sincerely loves him more or less they are do they not sweetly affect with thankfulness as well as love Christian canst thou look upon such a Redeemer without some sense of an obligation laid upon thy soul thereby wilt thou think one single and separate affection enough for him or rather will not thy heart empty it self into the bosome of the Lord with love and thankfulness boâ—h at once and each of them contending which shall out-do the other 4. Supporting hope and confidence 'T is a hoping and confiding love 'T is not a languishing affection but that which brings life into the soul from the fulness of that Christ it feeds upon 1 Ioh. 4 17. Perfect love saith the Apostle casteth out fear There will not be so much as the shadow of fear upon the soul when this affection is ripened into perfect fruition And in the mean time as the degrees of it do increase so is the soul heightened in its hopes and tramples upon its former jealousies fears and discouragements And to this sense some interpret those words Rom. 8.38 39. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ c. As if they were the exultation of Faith upon the view of Loves Conquest and victorious Triumph over all its enemies Love gives confidence of access to Christ and unto God by him and this confidence lies in the soul as a cordial against all its faintings and despoâ—dencies not that there may not be a sinking of spirits and a swooning away for a time but love will restore the soul again and knowing Christ to be good Cant. 6 1â— 13. as well as all-sufficient for its condition it will recover life and spirits again and nor suffer it utterly to faint under its own sad apprehensions And this is the third Character Take now all these four qualifications of sincere love and try your selves by them 4. Character If our love be sincere it 's an affection which respecteth not a naked Christ but Christ as Mediatour Or it is a hearty desire of and complacency in Christ in all his offices as King and Priest and Prophet And of such moment is the right knowledge of this Character that Christian I must desire thee principally to study it and pass a judgement upon thy self thereby For what-ever fondness and sudden flashings of love thou mayest finde within thee they wil not so clearly tell thee what thou art as the knowledge of thy self by this mâ—rk Take it for a clear Truth That if thou lovest not Christ as thy Sovâ—raign Lord if thy heart be not knit to him as thy High Priest with God if â—hâ—◠〈…〉 â—ot affectionately entertained him as thy Master and Teacher In a word if thou art not consecrated unto God by Christ if thou art not a loyal subject and a willing Disciple love in sincerity doth not dwell in thee Thou art still an enemy and wilt so be judged 'T is not fondness of expression nor any outward complement that men put upon Christ which reacheth the New Testament notion of love to Christ but when as loyal subjects Ioh. 14.15.21 15.8 10.21.23 24. 1 Iohn 5.3 Luk. 19.27 Heb. 10.28 Ioh. 14.23 24. and willing disciples wee are alwaies doing the Things that are grateful and are obedient to him This is love And hence it is that in so many places our Lord puts us upon trying our love by our obedience by keeping his words and Commandments And speaks of Libertines Infidels the carnally wise Rebels and Apostates as enemies and haters of him what-ever their pretences are to the contrary And verily so essential is this to sincere love that unless you understand it you will be able to give but a lame account of most of the Scripture-Characters thereof as if I had time I could easily demonstrate because they do all presuppose it If thou wouldst know therefore whether this Grace be in thee in truth take thy heart Christian to Christ in every office and try it by such Interrogatories as may result from the consideration of them and this will tell thee thy case distinctly Begin first with Christ as High Priest for this did lay the foundation of the
other two offices and if thou hast any love to Christ in sincerity it was the sight of him in this that first kindled it And thus bespeak thy self Didst thou ever oh my soul seriously consider what Christ hath undertaken in thy behalf with the jealous God whose face thou couldst not see and live wa st thou ever convinced that all thy prayers duties outward priviledges and devotions were little worth and could not have ought availed thee Heb. 10.10.12 1 Cor. 2.2 unless by his own blood hee had first entred within the vail and made attonement for thee And then with the same blood went afterwards to the right hand of God and put him in minde of his Covenant to procure actual Grace and Peace and Adoption for thee And is it a pleasure to thee as well as thy admiration to be alwaies musing and searching what such an Abysse of grace and goodness should mean And in the midst of thy musings was it that thy affections first took this holy fire and were even surprized into love Rom. 8.34 Phil. 3.7 8. Is it by his Mediation that thou findest thy expectations from God and thy delight in him supported And dost thou rejoyce in him as one whose goodness thou adorest and whose favour with God purchased by his own merit thou admirest And therefore art most willing to trust all thy concernments in his hands and in all thy addresses to God comest leaning upon the Arms of him Cant. 8.5 as thy Beloved Mediatour and Intercessor why thus to renounce our own Righteousness and â—â—â—â—el our hearts warmed into a further estimation of his to attributâ—â—â—l our acceptance with God to him Briefly to be intensively willing of Christ and to look upon him with full satisfaction of spirit in all his priestly Administrations This is sincerely to love Christ as our High-Priest And on the contrary to undervalue his blood either as needless by presumption or as worthless by desperation to be ascribing to our selves when wee receive any kindness or favour from God to doate upon our own worth and righteousness as that which is sufficient without either Christs Righteousness Satisfaction or Intercession Heb. 10.28 This is interpretatively to reject him from being our High-Priest and to hate the person of our Lord. Thus try your selves whether yee love Christ in his Priestly Office and when you have done with that take thy soul to his Prophetical Office and make a further trial by bespeaking thy self after the same manner Thus Didst thou ever oh my soul seriously consider that thou wast made for an eternal life and that none could ever chalk thee out the way thereto it being only to be learnt in the School of this great Prophet And thereupon hast thou wholly ceased from listening unto any other and as a loving Disciple hast thou found pleasure in seeking the Law even the word of thy Salvation at his mouth Doth thy heart throughly savour his Doctrine and dost thou like the Discipline of his School Dost thou make it thy study to know and lay it as a charge upon thy self to keep the words of this great Master and Prophet Ioh. 14.23 24. And even now that hee is gone to Heaven and hath left his word in the Scripture behinde him and hath sent his Spirit and set up under Officers in his School and precious Ordinances for thy guidance and direction dost thou value the Scriptures above all other writings in the world and witness thy esteem of them by thy daily perusal and study of them dost thou bear a Reverence in thy breast to all Christs Officers and Institutions Cant. 5.16 Psal 1.2 Heb. 2.1 Dost thou account the mouth of Christ most sweet and even delight to hear his voice in the Scripture and in every Ordinance and when thou hast heard doest thou lay up what thou hast been taught as the faithful counsel of thy dearest Teacher and rejoyce therein More particularly what is thy carriage towards his Spirit dost thou hear when hee calls and art thou tractable to all his Motions dost thou grieve him or art thou willing to be instructed and guided by him why thus to cease from leaning to our own understandings to give up our selves to Christ and his Spirit in the Scriptures and in all the Ordinances of the Gospel to be the serious and willing Disciples of Christ This is to love Christ as our Prophet in sincerity That is the second office Once more to make thâ—â—â—al by this mark Compleat and that will respect his Kingly office 〈◊〉 this is as easie as either of the former for our loyalty and voluntary Subjection to Christ as commanding and governing this is love And the hearts rebellion against Christ rejecting his dominion murmuring against his Laws finding fault with his administrations disturbing his subjects and disquieting the peace of his Kingdome envying him the multitude of his subjects and yeelding no obedience to his commands all these are several branches of enmity against Christ as King and Soveraign Put the case therefore home to thy own soul if thou wouldest not be mistaken and say Doth Christ rule within thee oh my soul or doth self and Satan Art thou glad with his Soveraignty or is it the yoak thou canst not bear do the Laws of his Kingdome bear sway within thee Rom. 6. or is it the Law of thy Members and carnal self when both come in competition whose command doest thou in the course of thy life most commonly fulfill whose Kingdome art thou most delighted in the advancement of Is it a pleasure to thee that thy Lord doth reign and that his Throne is more universally exalted or else doth thy heart rise against the advancement of Christs Kingdome In whom dost thou finde thy greatest delight is it rather in the company of Rebels that would pull the Crown from the head of Christ then in the humble and obedient subjects of thy Lord dost thou take Christ to be thy Prince and Soveraign and dost thou love the peace and glory of his Kingdome as becomes an obedient subject of so great a Lord why this is intensively to will Christum Regem or to love him as King And this is the third Office and the fourth Character If you would make sure work this is a Rule which will not deceive you 5. Character If wee have a fellowship with Christ in his honour and dishonours or in his joyes and sorrows then is our love not feigned unto Christ but in sincerity True-love if I may be allowed so to speak mixeth concernments my meaning is that it makes anothers joyes and sorrows to be mine as well as his they may write hatred upon themselves who are regardless whether it go well or ill with Christs interests in the world No communion with Christ no love Even the personal reproaches and abuses which Christ indured here below though so many hundred years since do yet affect them and they that love
and sable and her thoughts within her are full of horrour dejection and confusion shee goes up and down like a person almost distracted and every place is made to Eccho to her griefs and mournings shee goes from Ordinance to Ordinance and from one Watchman to another and proclaims to them all the sickness of her soul If peradventure shee may recover again the sight of her Beloved All this and much more with incomparable elegance you may read described in the Song of Solomon Thus as the Marigold opens to the Sun in the firmament so doth the heart of a Sincere Christian to the Sun of Righteousness Christ in Glory 8. Character Where Love is Sincere the soul will bee often on the wing of Meditation and busied in the contemplation of Christ It 's an old Rule and a true one Anima est ubi amat non ubi animat or The soul dwels as much where it hath fixed it's love nay more there than where it hath it's most natural operation Christ and the beleever that loves him live as if they had but one soul betwixt them 'T is not the distance between Earth and Heaven that can separate them True love will finde out Christ where ever hee is when hee was upon the Earth they that loved him kept his Company and now that hee is gone to Heaven and out of sight those that love him are frequently sending up their hearts unto him And indeed they never think themselves Intelligent in any thing that is worth the knowing until they have made their souls much acquainted and familiar with their Crucified Saviour 1 Cor. 2.2 9. Character 2 Sam. 13.2 1 King 21.4 Hest 5.13 There will bee a Willingness to part with all for him How many goodly things do persons of all sorts contemn for some one thing which they love Amnon Ahab and Haman are three great examples of this Take but one instance and it shall bee of a Covetous man why hee disregards all the learned accomplishments in the World for a little gain Hee thinks himself better when hee hath got that which comes out of the Bowels of the Earth hee treads on than that which comes from the Mansion house of God in the Heaven above him and therefore how familiarly and easily will he part with the one to choose the other Act. 20.24 no bonds of nature or religion are enough to restrain him 'T is the resolution of a soul that loves Christ that nothing shall part them they are habitually Martyrs already and if hee put them to it 't is not life it self that they will account too precious to lay down for the sake of him All the waters and floods of persecution temptation Matth. 10.37 Rev. 12.11 and affliction shall not quench their flames of love Cant. 8.7 Witness those words of Ignatius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. or let fire cross c. and all the torments which by men or beasts can bee Inflicted on my body yea and add to them what all the Devils in hell can do upon it if it were by solemn sentence of Excommunication delivered to them yet would I go through them all to come to the bosome of my Lord. 10. Character There will bee a willingness to stoop to the meanest offices for the service of Christ love wee use to say stands not with Majesty it did not do so in the person of our Saviour when hee washed and wiped his disciples feet Iohn 13.5.6.14 and those that love him will not think it much to conform to his example they will not think they can ever stoop too low for the sake of him John 21.15 11. Character If it sticks not barely in the person of Christ but reacheth to all that have an union with him if it bee to Christ mystical as well as personal Cant. 1.7 if you love their persons their graces their fellowship c. Tell mee saith the Spouse where thou causest thy flocks to rest at Noon Shee delights to be led forth with them into the green Pastures of his ordinances and to feed together with them If shee hath any thing it 's all theirs Act. 2.44.45 who have an equal interest in Christ with her self shee will make use of her graces substance and all that fellow-members may be refreshed It makes them of Catholick spirits The Apostle is peremptory and brandeth them all as lyars that pretend to the one of these without the other See 1 Joh. 4.19 5.1 John 13.34.35 12. Character Wee may know it by its Concomitants Sincere love goes not but in the company of every other grace It either presupposeth or strongly implieth and inferreth the whole duty of a Christian Diligere Christum saith Aquinas est Christo in omnibus se subjicere Joh. 14.15 regulam Praeceptorum ejus in omnibus sequi or to love Christ is to fulfil the whole Law of Christ 't is a most comprehensive grace 't is the abstract of the New Creature the whole Image of God in one word 't is the substance of the Divine Workmanship upon the soul They are but Ciphers and signifie nothing in Christianity who are without it Briefly to love Christ it is in some measure to partake of every grace and to be a Christian altogether These are the Characters some I have omitted and in others I have been brief because I would reserve a little room for the second Case Give mee leave but briefly to suggest a few things for satisfaction of one doubt and I shall presently come to that Will some say If this bee love in sincerity who then loves him aright It is no less dangerous to draw out the description of a grace so as none can finde it than to leave it so as none may suspect the want or absence thereof in themselves and upon that Rock they will tell mee I have splitted in the decision of this Case there being hardly any one that can go from Character to Character and say after a thorough search Now I know that I am a lover of Christ in sincerity For answer to which scruple I shall barely suggest a few Considerations 1. It is most certain and notorious that there is much counterfeit love abroad and it was not the least part of my design to unmask it Characters serve as well to convince the presumptuous as to establish the sincere and upright There is much in the world that looks like love that is not such are those Vagous affections that are to a Christ in general and not to him as King Priest and Prophet And those counterfeit affections which are to Christ upon the sole Arguments of Education Custome which are as truly in a Turk to his Mahomet and serve as well to justifie the Jew in his blasphemy against Christ as the Christian in his pretended love of him for love to Christ say Divines is not so much to bee measured by the degree and fervour as by the
grounds and motives And also that barren love which works up the soul to no measure of obedience unto him And lastly that which allows Christ but the worlds leavings in our hearts every thing being constantly preferred before him And what a vast number of persons go no further than these 2. Many persons are truly gracious who yet know not whether they have any grace or not It requires more skill to search out the nature of a grace and to finde it in our selves than barely to exercise it The former are works of much judgement and require a deep acquaintance with our own hearts whereas to the latter it is enough if a person bee but of an ordinary understanding and an honest heart Besides Graces have their degrees Ezek. 47.3 4 5 like the waters of the Sanctuary and where grace is very shallow and little it is exceeding difficult to know that there is any at all And such persons should do well who are so weak rather to spend tâ—me in the exercise of grace than in trying whether they have grace or no for commonly it is but labour in vain 3. There are no souls in whom this grace is really planted but they have all these Characters drawn upon their hearts to know it by more or less I do not say they can finde them in themselves and know they have them but onely that they have them And of this I need give no further evidence than what you will easily finde your selves if you will but study the nature of love to Christ by the Rule of it laid down in the fifth Proposition premised and by the third and fourth Characters for I am well assured that Christ cannot bee loved as therein described unless all these particulars mentioned be either antecedent thereto or connexed with it 2. Case And so I come to the second Case viz. How wee may get our love to him kindled and inflamed And I shall proceed in the Resolution of this by these four steps 1. I will discover the danger of being without this grace 2. I will add some moving Considerations to provoke all that love their souls to look after it 3. I will give Directions to them that have it not how to get it 4. I will add a few more Directions for them that have it how it may be increased and inflamed I begin with the first which I will dispatch by these two steps 1. By discovering the Hainousness of Sin 2. The Terrour of the Punishment due thereto Now that you may understand the first besides what hath been said in the fore-mentioned Tract proving it to be a sin against the Fathers love and wisdome the whole work of the Son and the special oeconomy of the Holy Ghost I add first it's a sin utterly subverting the whole design of the Gospel casting a scorn upon the grace of all the three persons and not so much as acknowledging what was done by them as worthy the least acceptance it writes vanity upon all the promises and is a frustration to the design of Christ in that Noble Dispensation there being nothing that he did more aim at than to testifie his own John 3.17 1 John 1.3 and his Fathers love to us and to recover from us our love to them again 2. It is interpretatively a confederacy with Satan against God and Christ The proper and grand wickedness of the Devil Mat. 6.24 Act. 13.10 being his opposition to the design of God in glorifying himself by the salvation of mankind through Christ which yet so far as wee are haters of Christ Heb. 10.28 wee are in our measure guilty of as well as hee 3. It is a complicated sin many sins in one Such as are foul ingratitude Rebellion it being the casting of the Soveraignty of a Rightful Lord Cruelty to Christ and as it were a kicking him upon the bowels a Christicidium and to our selves Prov. 8.36 the tearing out our own bowels with our own hands spirituall uncleanness and adultery James 4.4 it being a treacherous revolting from Christ after profession of Marriage to him 4. It is a sin which opens the door to all wickedness Resistance of the Spirit contempt of the Gospel and them that bring it Joh. 15.18 19. sleighting of Ordinances Treason against Christ as King and implacable bitterness and enmity against his subjects and children 5. It is an Irrationâ—l sin Cant. 1.13 14.5.9 ad 16. or such for which there cannot be the least Apology because Christ was lovely in himself did much to ingage our hearts to him earnestly intreated us to place our affections upon him sending his messengers to wooe us bestowing gifts upon us like a King 1 Pet. 1.4 to oblige us and making almost incredible offers of much more that he would do for us yea finally threatning us even with Anathema Maranatha 1 Cor. 16.22 If wee with-hold our hearts from him And can such a sin after all this be extenuated 6. It is a sin brought forth and nursed by the foulest abominations 1 Cor. 2.8 Ioh. 5.43.44 47. such as spiritual darkness and ignorance Notorious Infidelity as to the doctrine of the Gospel Horrible Pride Self-righteousnesse Idolatrous and carnal Self-love 7. It is a sin against all our Covenants and Ingagements specially our Baptismal bond wherein wee did solemnly promise Christ our hearts 2 Cor. 11.2 and that in opposition to all others the bond of Christian Ingenuity Self-love and proper Interest Profession and Relation as wee bear his Name in the world 8. And lastly It is a sin utterly inconsistent with the presence of any one grace in the soul it being impossible that any thing should prosper where this weed hath once settled and rooted it self yoâ— may as well expect to finde branches without a Root as the graces of the Spirit without love Thus very briefly you have an account of the danger of being without love to Christ from the nature of the sin 2. I argue it from the Terrour of the Punishment And certainly the Just God hath proportioned the evil of this to the quality of that Study well these few places of Scripture Joh. 3.19 Mat. 21.41 Heb. 2.3 10.28 29. 12.25 Rev. 2. 3. throughout Oh the terrours of the Lord that will one day bee heaped upon the haters of his Son See Rev. 6.16 But wee need not look any further for this matter than into the awakened conscience of a Rebel against Christ in a fit of desperation what Scorpion-lashes doth such a mans conscience give him Oh the heat of this burning Caldron with what rage and fury doth it break forth on every side until the soul is even become a Hell to it self And wouldest thou not love Christ will inraged conscience then say so lovely in himself and so full of love to thee Couldest thou see him sighing bleeding sweating dying for thy sake and yet not love him Couldest thou spurn at such bowels and contemn
together with his person hee offers Heaven and Earth for a Dowry Rom. 8.17 All things are his by purchase and thou shalt bee a Copartner or Coheir with him when thou art espoused to him 4ly 1 Cor. 3.22 23. He will manifest the highest Indulgence and Tenderness towards thee Not all thy cross walkings if through temptations it shall so fall out shall put him upon any more then a moment any departure from thee Isa 54.7 8. for hee hath resolved that his faithfulness towards thee shall never fail Isa 89.33 and therefore when thou seemest almost lost and ready to despond hee will return to thee again and the more time he hath lost by absence the more full will his heart bee of ravishing love and affections to thee 5ly Hee will Turn all to thy good neither thy sins Cant. 6.3 though many and great nor thy miseries though overwhelming and discouraging no nor lastly shall death it self Rom. 8.28 38. bee ever able to make a divorce between thee and him but serve as a passage to thee when thy work is done into the Bridechamber of thy Lord and now tell mee Phil. 1.21 hast not thou Reason to love him 4. Consider but thy case while this Virgin affection to thy Saviour is wanting 1. Thou multipliest thy whoredomes and thy abominations continually for what are thy Intensive willings of other things but so many acts of spiritual adultery and base prostitutions of thy soul to thy dishonour and disadvantage while other things usurp the room of Christ 2. Thou art a treacherous Hypocrite and deceiver forasmuch as thou pretendest to the eye of the world to bee Christs and yet art nothing less than his 3. You lay a barr in against your selves and the acceptance of all your duties when faith works by love then is obedience illustrious and meet for a gracious acceptaotin that obedience which owes no part of it self to love is worth little and brings in no more Gal. 5.6 then it is worth 4. You make bonds for your selves in death Iob 27.6 and lay up terrible reprâ—oches in the Consciences against the day of Judgement 5. You make your damnation necessary there being no Congruity to any of the Divine Attributes much less to the offices of Christ that that man should ever bee saved who never had any sincere affection to him These are some of the Considerations which may bee of use to them that have no spark of love yet kindled in their hearts There are a few of the other kinde which may provoke to get this love Inflamed where it is such are these Consider 1. The love of Christ to thee was a growing Increasing love I do not mean in respect of the habit but in the outward demonstration thereof The neerer hee was to his death the more exuberant in love and when hee rose again his heart did overflow with tender indulgence as appears by the meltings of his bowels towards Mary and over Peter and much more may wee beleeve him now to be full of them now that hee is at the Right hand of God 2. There is more lovelyness in Christ than ever thou canst finde out or fathome when wee have let out our affections to the utmost there will still bee more than wee can finde affection for our love to eternity will have something of admiration mixed with it 3. It 's all you can return to him it 's all hee looks for at our hands that which lies in love and which flowes from it is the whole that is required to compleat Christianity 4. The more you love him the more lovely you are unto him Then hath Christ the highest complacency in us when our hearts are under the greatest Raptures of love to him Beatus est qui intelligit quid sit amare Jesum contemnere scipsum propter Jesum A Kempis de imitatione Christi l. 2. c. 7. 5. It is the honour of a man to love Christ superlatively It is the sweetest part of our lives and that which Christ values us more by than by any thing else It 's Heaven on Earth 6. According to the measure of your love so will all the rest of your services and graces be i. e. either more or less better or worse Love is like the Master wheel in an Engine making the whole soul to move faster or slower These are the considerations of the last kind will some say oh but what shall wee do to get this blessed affection into our souls which was the third thing proposed And in order thereto I offer these Directions 1. Direction Bee well acquainted with the nature of this great duty The great mistake of the world lies in this That is thought to be love which is not and thence men and women grow bold and confident and value themselves more than they ought I have given in my best assistance so far as the nature of the first case would permit to prevent mistakes in this matter before and therefore I will not do it over again Only remember if you would not miscarry that it is not a Naked Christ but a Christ advanced by incomparable Personal Excellencies and cloathed with his offices of King and Priest and Prophet that is the Christ to bee loved and you cannot well miscarry This is that damning mistake of the world they love Christ but not as dignified by God with any of his offices 2. Direction Bee much in the study of your selves what you were originally and what you are since become through your own miscarriage wilfulness and folly Take your souls to the glass of the Law and go from one precept to another and when you have done there go to the Gospel And be sure you do not deal sleightly but understand throughly how much you have offended And when you have well studied the number and quality of your sins then consider the justice and holiness of the Eternal God which you shall understand by the same Law and Gospel where they speak the Divine Terrour against offending-sinners but more specially shall yee know is by going to the Cross of Christ and wisely and seriously considering the horrour of that punishment which Christ there indured for wee never know as wee ought the evil of sin and our misery thereby until wee know what hee indured to make an Expiation for it Do this and do it faithfully They that never knew themselves they are most certainly without love to Christ And it is enough to prove it because unless this foundation be first laid they can see no sufficient reason for it 3. Direction Get a true Conviction concerning thy own ultimate end and happiness Where it lies viz. not in the objects of sense but in the Beatifical vision of God possesse thy soul by Scripture light Mat. 16.26 of the grand importance of securing thy Interest therein while you think your happiness lyes any where else than in God it will be
put my finger into the Print of the nailes and thrust my hand into his side I will not beleeve vers 27. Hee saith to Thomas reach hither thy finger and behold my hands reach hither thy hand and thrust it into my side and bee not faithless but beleeving Vers 28. And Thomas answered and said my Lord and my God Though the other Disciples told him they had seen the Lord yet hee would not take it for a certainty from their report except hee had a certainty from his own sense But the Papists do not only deny us a certainty of faith but also a certainty of sense for though in the Sacrament wee see it is real bread and tast it to bee real bread and feel and handle it as real bread yet contrary to our sense would have us beleeve and say it is transubstantiated 2. There is a certainty of science or knowledge arising from first principles received by all that are proved by their own light that cannot bee demonstrated a priori because there is nothing true before them as a man cannot shew you the Sun but by its own light So I certainly know that both parts of a contradiction cannot bee true so I certainly know that the whole is greater than any particular part 3. There is certainty of authority or testimony if the testimony bee Humane it begets but a moral perswasion for no humane testimony is of necessary verity because truth is not necessarily but contingently and mutably in the man that gives this testimony and the testimony hath not its cogency or validity from it self but from the qualifications of the person that bears the testimony whence there is a gradual certainty in humane testimonies only God is so necessarily true that it should imply a contradiction that hee should bee God and yet lye God cannot lye Tit. 1.2 So that a Divine testimony begets a certainty of divine Faith for what God saith I undoubtedly know to bee true because truth is e Deut. 32.4.34.6 Heb. 6.18 essential to him for if truth bee necessary to the testatour the truth of the testimony must necessarily bee f John 17.17 true so I know that the impenitent unbeleeving person that dyeth without grace and an interest in Christ shall certainly g Mar 16.16 Rom. 2.4 5. Heb. 12.14 bee damned because God hath said it as if I saw him in his misery and I know that the Penitent beleeving self-denying and sin-mortifying-Christian shall be h Matth. 5.8 Rom. 8.13 Act. 10.43 saved because God hath said it as certainly as if I saw him actually possessed of it already When faith hath this divine testimony to lean upon it ariseth in some by degrees to a full assurance There are especially foâ—r words in the scripture that set forth faith in its different degrees 1. As it is said to bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 11.1 The substance subsistence existence of things Looking upon things future as certain as if they were present among the Hebrews there is usual a mutation of tenses turning the future into the praeter-tense * In lingua sacra vau cum pathach sequente dagesh futuruÌ„ in praeteritum convertit nam praesens proprium Hebrai nullum habent Faith is the beleevers pathach making things to come as certain to him as if hee did already enjoy them and putteth a date upon the joys of the life to come before hee is possessed of them Noahs faith assured him of the flood as certainly as if it had then been when it was first i Heb. 11.7 foretold it is a demonstration of things not seen faith seeth things that cannot bee seen That way of argumentation whereby errour is confuted by Aristotle is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arist de reprehensi l. 1. Cap. 8. And so used by the Apostle 2 Tim 3.16 The scripture iprofitable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To convince the enemies of the truth it signifieth conviction plain and evident Joh. 8.9 16.8 the word here used But here for a certain conviction arising from divine authority shewing us such things which sense cannot perceive and reason cannot comprehend When faith thus represents these glorious things to come thus unto the beleeving soul then there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a good perswasion of the heart or a holy confidence and from this perswasion there ariseth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an humble boldness or liberty and freedome of speech to God in prayer which de jure all beleevers have these words you have together in the Ephes 3.12 In whom wee have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him And from these resulteth that desirable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a full assurance of a future enjoyment of those things that faith presents unto us and wee are perswaded of our title to and with liberty freedome and enlargedness of soul have prayed unto God for So the Question is not concerning all men but beleevers and not whether all beleevers have it but may have it not by revelation but by ordinary means not whether they alwaies keep it nor about perfect but certain infallible assurance in these words thus The question stated 1 Argr from special grace A beleever may withâ—ut extraordinary Revelation certainly know and be infallibly assured of eternal life And this will bee made evident by the proof of these two propositions 1. That a beleever without extraordinary revelation might certainly know that he hath justify ng faith and unseigned love to Christ and that hee is upright and sincere with God 2. That there is an infallible connexion between these special graces and future glory That a man may certainly know his sincerity faith and love is evidenced by these Particulars 1. First proposition which sheweth that a man might know hee hath saving Grace Positio effectu in esse effectûs ponitur causa God hath laid down in his word certain infallible 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Characters Signes Discoveries of sincerity Justifying faith and Unfeigned love to God besides other topical heads wee may know it from the effects which it doth alwaies produce that where I see such an effect of faith I know there is faith And Papists must make us cast away all Logick if wee shall not have this granted I see the broad clear light shining in mine eyes therefore I know the Sun is risen and when wee see any sign that is concomitant or consequent inseparable and proper to the thing of which it is a sign wee know that that thing is A man that is sick and weak yet feels his heart to leap and pant hee knows hee is a living man a man that discourseth and rationally inferreth one thing from another knoweth that hee hath a reasonable soul and that hee is a man There are as certain Characters in the word of God of sincerity faith and love as there are plain injunctions that wee should bee
but the drooping distressed Christian also questioneth all this because of the deceitfulness of the heart Alas the Scripture tells us that the heart of man is desperately wicked and deceitfull above all things o From Jer. 1.9 The Papists cavils the drooping Christian doubts who can know it and if the heart of man cannot bee known how can wee say wee beleeve or love God For this consider these four things 1. Another man cannot know it I cannot certainly and infallibly know whether another man be sincere or what his heart is for it is the prerogative and excellency of God to bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one that knows the hearts of all men Act. 1.24 2. A wicked mans heart is so wicked and there is such a depth of wickedness in his heart that hee cannot come to the bottome of it 3. If a man cannot know all the secret turnings and windings of his heart yet hee may know the general scope and frame of his heart 4. If hee could not do this of himself yet assisted by the spirit of God which all beleevers have received hee might know the frame bent scope inclination of his own heart Thus far the first proposition that a man may know that hee hath sincere faith in Christ and love to God Now wee proceed to the second 2 Proposition which shews the connexion between grace and glory Second Proposition is this that there is an infallible connexion between justifying faith unfeigned love and eternal glory The Apostle tells us of some things that may bee called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 6.9 things that accompany salvation Having or containing Salvation that are contiguous to salvation that the one toucheth the other this must bee proved for else though I know I do beleeve and love God sincerely to day I can have no infallible assurance of salvation because this may bee lost before to morrow or before I dye Now this I shall indeavour to prove by these three following particulars 1 From the verity of Gods promises 1. The undoubted verity of Gods promises proveth an inseperable connexion between sincere grace and eternal glory Faith is the eye of the soul with it through a promise as through a perspective-glass can the soul have a view of Heaven and glory What greater certainty or security can a man have than the infallible promise of that God who is truth it self who will not deny his Word but the same Love and free Grace that moved him to infuse Grace into thy heart and to make the Promise will move him also to give the thing promised Joh. 3.16 God so loved the world that hee gave his onely begotten Son that whosoever beleeveth on him should not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 5.24 Hee that beleeveth hath everlasting life Hee hath it in the Promise hee hath it in the first-fruits Rom. 8.23 But wee our selves also which have the first-fruits of the Spirit The Jews by offering their first fruits did testifie their thankfulness to God for what they had received and hopes of the full crop in due time Hee hath everlasting life then it must not end Mark 16.16 Hee that beleeveth and is baptized shall bee saved Hee that beleeveth not shall bee damned As certainly as the unbeleever shall be cast into outer darkness so certainly shall the beleever be partaker of the glorious Inheritance of the Saints in Light The Promise is as true as the Threatning Act. 16.30 31. There you see a poor convinced wounded sinner under the load of guilt that had a sight of his lost undone deplorable condition coming to the Apostles and speaking after this manner Yee men of God yee servants of the Lord if there bee any way for mee who have been so great a sinner that have done enough ten thousand times over to damn my own soul if there be any certain way to avoid damnation I beseech you tell mee if there be any means by which I might certainly be saved as you pitty my sinful soul my bleeding heart my wounded conscience tell mee what it is declare it to mee What is the Apostles answer Beleeve on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved The Apostles speak not doubtingly perhaps thou shalt be saved perhaps thou mayest be damned If thou get Faith it may be thou mayest get Heaven Alas what relief peace satisfaction would this have been to his wounded conscience But they speak peremptorily beleeve and thou shalt be saved So that prove thou that thou hast Faith and these Scriptures prove thou shalt have salvation The Connexion therefore will not be questioned if I beleeve I shall be saved this God hath promised but shall not a beleever lose his Faith in Christ and lose his Love to God for the Remonstrants grant that a beleever qua talis as a beleever cannot fall away not come short of glory but qui talis est Hee that is a beleever may fall away totally and finally and so cannot have assurance of salvation because hee hath no assurance that hee shall persevere in his beleeving and state of grace To this I oppose these places of Scripture 1 Thes 5.23 24. And the very God of Peace sanctifie you wholly and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body bee preserved blameless therefore preserved from Apostacy which is exceedingly blame-worthy till when till the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is this a prayer and not a promise yea it is a prayer indited by the Spirit of God and hath a promise following it if you will read on Faithful is hee that calleth you who also will do it Here the Apostle that had the Spirit prayeth for perseverance and the Apostle that had the Spirit promiseth perseverance Certainty then of perseverance doth not make men careless in the use of means not prayers needless by praying a man obtains the thing promised and the certainty that hee hath by the promise of obtaining puts life into his prayers Phil. 1.6 Being confident of this very thing that hee which hath begun a good work in you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 denoteth more safety than 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will perform it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will finish it will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 1.5 Kept garrisoned by the power of God through Faith unto Salvation Joh. 10.28 30. 1 Cor. 10.13 But will with the Temptation make a way to escape therefore they shall persevere for to enable the beleever to persevere in all tentations is to make a way to escape the destruction and hurt the tentation tendeth to God doth promise this absolutely Jer. 32.38 40. And they shall bee my people and I will bee their God and will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall not depart from mee They shall not forsake God because God will not
that thou art willing to part with any thing that might hinder thee from obtaining of it and do any duty prescribed by God though displeasing to thy flesh and use them as means for the attaining of â—o excellent an end wouldest thou have him whatever it cost thee canst thou not be without him whatever thou be without then pass sentence for thy self concluding thy condition to be happy This is the neerest way to finde out thy condition not stand wrangling with thy self for thy former neglects any further than for thy humiliation and do not so much enquire what thou hast not formerly done as what now thou art really willing to do Besides this solemn set examination thou shalt finde it very profitable to get and keep a sight of thy spiritual condition to call thy self to an account every night before thou sleep where thou hast been that day what thou hast done what company thou hast been in what sin thou hast committed what duty thou hast omitted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Pythag. Carm. and mourn if thou hast fallen and return thy hearty thanks to God if thou hast walked carefully and circumspectly that day this counsel a noble Heathen did give to call our selves to an account before wee sleep 3. Direction 3. That thy assurance may be yet more compleat and full and thy comfort arising from the same more enlarged Fall down at the Throne of Grace and beg earnestly and pray importunately for the witness of the Spirit of God For as it is the Spirit that worketh grace in us so it is the Spirit that must discover the truth of that grace to us 1 Cor. 2.12 Now wee have received not the Spirit of the World but the Spirit which is of God that wee might know the things that are freely given to us of God Rom. 8.16 The Spirit it self beareth witness with our Spirit that wee are the children of God But beware thou take not Satanical delusions for the spirits perswasion or the conceit of thy own brain for the witness of the Spirit The Spirit never witnesseth any thing to any man contrary to what is revealed in the Word for hee is a Spirit of Truth and never speaks contradictions therefore if any man thinketh that he hath the witness of the Spirit testifying that hee is a childe of God and yet is not holy humble penitent hee is deceived but if thou hast the Graces of the Spirit and the Spirit witnesseth so much unto thy conscience and with thy conscience 1. It inflameth thy heart with love to God and Christ 2. It raiseth more hatred in thee to thy sin 3. Thou findest a mighty strength and power in it engaging thy soul to walk humbly holily with thy God 4. A wonderful cogency in it to be zealous for God in suffering â—ny thing for his sake and doing and obeying any thing that hee enjoyns thou hast incouragement to ask this of God because it is according to his will q Joh. 14.13 14 Joh. 14.21 Lord is it not according to thy will that I should be careful of my immortal soul and make sure its eternal Happiness and Salvation it is thy commaâ—d I should do so that I should examine my self whether I be in the Faith and whether Christ be formed in my heart Lord I have examined but yet I cannot clearly see it I see there is some grounds to hope it but yet I cannot confidently assert it Oh thou blessed Spirit of God clear up mine understanding and stir up and excite my graces that I may feel the actings of them in my soul and so better discern them Though this be arbitrary and not necessary yet do to mee as thou didst unto thy servant David when hee prayed that thou wouldest lift up upon him the light of thy countenance thou puttest gladness into his heart r Psal 4.6.7 4. Direction 4. Presse after the highest degrees of Grace and be much in the exercise thereof if thou wouldest clearly discern thy spiritual condition The weakness of thy grace makes thee doubt of the truth of grace The Christian must be like the Crocodile * As some affirm that grows as long as it lives and ceaseth to be when it ceaseth to grow The body of a man is continually growing till hee come to his perfect age and then ceaseth to grow for then though hee may wax fat and broader yet hee riseth not higher and his bones have no increase So when wee come to our full stature in Christ to our perfect age in glory wee shall grow no more because then wee shall be perfect but in our minority wee must be alwaies growing and a growing person is easily discerned to be a living person A Dwarf cannot see so far as a taller man nor be seen so far So a little grace cannot be so easily perceived amongst a croud of sins and corruption When grace at first is like Elijahs cloud 1 King 18.43 44. Little like a mans hand it was hardly discerned but when iâ— did encrease and the Heavens were black with clouds every eye could then perceive them Assurance is usually vouchsafed to Christians of the largest size Men put not up a great Mast or Sail in a little Boat bâ—t in a larger Vessel Animi quies motus virtutis est the moving activity of vertue is the settled rest of the mind that is able to bear it So also by the strong actings and exercise of grace it is discerned A man in his sleep when hee acts not reason cannot judge himself to be a man A man in a swoon when he cannot be perceived to breathe standers by know not whether hee be dead or alive nor hee himself Moral Habits are acquired and strengthened by frequently repeated Acts and more eaâ—â—ly discerned The fire lying raked under the ashes is not so easily found as when it being blown up breaketh forth into a flame Hee that hath strong love to God will sooner feel it and the more frequent it moveth and is upon the wing after God the sooner shalt thou know that thou lovest him The being of a thing is proved by its operation Operari supponit esse 5. Direction 5. Bee well acquainted and informed in the nature of the Covenant of Grace and the conditions thereof Whatsoever are thy doubts there is something in the Covenant of Grace that would be ground of satisfaction to thee is it thine own unworthiness here rich and free Grace is laid open is it thy long delay of coming in to God that now thou thinkest it is too late the Gospel will tell thee that Christ will not cast thee off if now thou come unâ—o him is it thy ragged torn imperfect obedience the Covenant of Grace accepts of sincerity though there be many infirmities the intention of the heart for the work of the hand the purpose for the performance where the sincere soul cannot do so much as hee doth really desire to do 6. Direction
makes it heavy when thou art sick thou inquirest of the Physitian Sir what do you think of mee shall I live or shall I dye if hee reply it is not certain but there is good hopes it is probable you will live and do well this is some support unto thee in thy sickness Thirdly Discourse with such Christians whâ—m thou darest not judge to bee ungodly and yet findest them to be in the same condition with thy self having the same doubts the same fears complaining of the same sin and do not pass a worse judgement upon thy self than thou darest upon them This is a very useful way either to convince or support to consider our case in a third person Thus Nathan convinced David 2 Sam. 12.1 vers to the 15. vers So the Prophet convinced Ahab 1 King 20.35 to the end of the chapter A man condemning another in the same case becomes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 self-condemned So a man approving of another in the same state and condition clothed with the sâ—me circumstances as himself is to approve of himself thou hearest another say hee knows not what to think of his present and eternal state but yet thou seest and hee tells thee hee dares not willingly sin the desire of his soul is to walk holily and humbâ—y with his God he dare not neglect a commanded duty thou darest not say this man hath no grace it being as well with thee say not worse of thy self Fourthly Forsake not duty because thou wanâ—est comâ—ort Thou hadst beâ—ter want â—oy than neglect duty for duty is more necessary than comfort and in order to it therefore must bee minded more to seek comfort may be in love to thy self but to be constant in duty in the want of comfort argues conscientious obedience to the commands of thy God Though thou art not taken up into the arms of Christ yet lye at his feer though hee doth not take thee into his bosome yet thâ—ong among the croud to touch the hem of his garment Hee might deny thee comfort and yet owne thee for his childe but thou canst not deny him duty and yet own him for thy God if hee do not tell thee thâ—u art his Son yet do noâ— thou say thou wilt not be his w Luke 15.19 Servant I beseech thee say not I will hear no more I will pray no more Ordinances are in vain and all endeavours will be in vain Casting off hope câ—ips the wing of serious constant endeavours Limit not God to thy time Joseph did not presently discover himself unto his Brethren but carried himself as a stranger to them Joseph knew that they were his Brethren but they knew not that they were related to him but they often coming to him and making known their perplexed condition in the grief and trouble of their souls with sad complaints and moans he could no longer refrain his heart was full his bowels did yearn and the fire of love did so slame forth that made his tears presently boil over I am Joseph your Brother I will shew you kindness be not troubled Gen. 45.1 and the following verses While thou followest God with thy complaints and pressest hard after Christ hee will at length shew and make known himself unto thee Oh thou weeping sinner I am Jesus thy Brother I am thy Redeemer I will be thy Saviour though thou hast dealt unkindly with mee yet I will receive thee with the sweet embracements of my everlasting love Read Psal 85.8 Hosea 6.1 2 3. Isa 54.7 8. Fifthly Alwaies be more observant of the purpose and disposition of thy heart the inclination of thy will the general scope of thy life than the passionate sense of joy and comfort There is but little constancy in these joyes like the tide they ebbe and flow Like a Land-flood might overflow for a while but a little after be dried up joyes are the sweet-meats of the soul but are not for its constant fare and diet For a spiritual banquet not for a standing-dish Thus it was with David And the experience of Christians proves it Sixthly When thou canst not experience the sweetness of the Promise yet then firmly beleeve the verity of the Promise The Truth of the Promise doth not depend upon our sense and feeling of it especially when wee would there might be evidentia credâ—bilitatis when there is not evidentia rei sufficient reason to beleeve because it is a promise made by God when thou dost not as yet see the performance of it Though thou hast not tasted honey yet thou wilt beleeve it to be sweet if told by one that hath eaten thereof Seventhly Carry thy self really towards thy sin as thou dost conceive through mistake God doth towards thee Thou sayest God doth not love thee be sure thou dost not love thy sin thou sayest hee hath cast thee off be sure thou cast off thy sin smile as little upon thy sin as in thy greatest darkness of discomfort thou sayest God doth upon thee Lighten the ship by casting thy sins over-board and thou shalt come safe to shoar This Ecclipse may be by the interposition of some sin betwixt thee and the light of Gods countenance Eighthly Diligently observe what grace is of the greatest growth in thy soul and make the best improvement of that for thy support The body natural doth grow in all the parts of it but not equally as to all dimensions the finger grows not to the magnitude of the wrist or arm In mixt bodies there are all the elements but one is predominant Amongst the many branches of a tree one might out-top all the rest In a ring of Bells all sound but the great Bell is heard above them all In the New Creature there are all Graces radically and seminally but yet one might bee more eminent than the rest In some Faith x Mat. 15.28 in some love to God y Luk. 7.44 47. in some sorrow for sin z 2 Cor. 2.7 2 Chron. 33.12 as e-every sin is radically in every wicked man yet some sin is grown to a greater height and like Saul is taller than the rest in one covetousness in another passion in another pride Moral vertues are connexed communi vinculo with a common bond yet they may be in several degrees Some have them in gradu continentiae that though the disorders and perturbations of the soul are very urgent and pressing yet a man is able to resist and to suppress them Some in gradu temperantiae when the passions are more sedate and calm some in gradu heroico when they are so subdued and restrained that they are subject to the Government and Rule of Right Reason the Guide and Leader of the soul Now that grace that is most eminent is easily discerned Make use of that Ninthly Blear not thine eyes by alwaies poring upon thy sin and wants that are the reason of thy doubts and fears but study also the Righteousness and fulness of Christ for
the support of hope and confidence Know that if thou hadst never so little sin a Gal. 3.10 yet thou hast need of a Saviour and if thou hast never so much he is willing and sufficient b Isa 1.18 if thou hadst never so much sorrow and inherent grace thou must be justified by the mirits of Christ alone c Job 9.21 1 Cor. 4.4 Phil. 3.8 9. and if thou hast but so much as is true and sincere thou art justified and shalt be d Mat. 12.20 saved Set thy Faith on work therefore to lay hold upon Christ and Faith will suck strength from Christ as the childe doth cleave to the Mother by the navel and receive nourishment from her a twigg that is shaken by every wind yet tied to the body of a tree it standeth fast eye thy sin to cast thee down and Christs Righteousness to raise thee up Tenthly Bee more in practice than in disputes and wherein thou wouldest inform thy judgement proceed in a right method Many weak Christians cannot see the complexions of their faces because they are alwaies looking into troubled waters searching into needless disputes and questions notional knowledge in the Scripture will never cure thy distemper no more than bare reading of Galen or the works of some Physician will recover a man from a fit of sickness And where thou wouldest be informed proceed in a right method question not thy election first but thy true conversion God hath reprobated mee all will bee in vain but thou must prove thy election by thy conversion as the cause is discovered by the effect Wee must begin in this where God doth end and end where God doth begin As on a Ladder hee that is above if hee would come down to you must first use the top rounds but if you would go up to him you must first use the bottom-rounds and ascend step by step Election is the uppermost round sanctification is at the bottome and by our sanctification wee must climbe up to see our names written in the Book of Life In building men proceed methodo syntheticâ in pulling down methodo analyticâ If you would take a Watch to peeces you must begin where the Watchmaker made an end The Carpenter when hee builds first laies the foundation and finishes the roof last when hee pulls down hee takes off the roof and so to the foundation God did first chuse and then convert us but wee first know our conversion and thereby our election Motives to get Assurance In the cloze take these Motives drawn from the utility of this Assurance to quicken thee further to labour after it This Assurance will bee 1. Comfortable to thy self 2. Profitable to others It will fill thee with comfort 1. Under all Gods Providences 2. Under all Gods Ordinances First That is a desirable frame of spirit that doth fit us to carry our selves under the various dispensations of divine providence wherewith the people of God are exercised as most becomes the Gospel of Christ and the Profession wee make Assurance helps us in this For 1. Assurance sweetens every mercy it is the Sugar in our Wine Hee knows every mercy is given in mercy and not in wrath hee knows it is not his portion hee hath much here but hee is sure hee shall have more hereafter but the want of this imbitters all outward injoyments to the doubting Christian who saith what are the riches of the world to mee when I doubt whether the graces of the spirit are infused into mee what is gold without Gods love and what is plenty without hope of Heaven 2. Assurance will lighten every burden with this hee can bear the burden of adversity as Sampson did the gates of Gaza upon his back Judg. 16.3 without sinking under it 1. The assured Beleever knows he is rich in the midst of Poverty Col. 2.2 Though I cannot say riches are mine yet I can say Christ is mine and that is more Though I cannot say silver and gold is mine yet I can say grace and glory is mine and that is better This beleever can look up towards Heaven and say yonder is the place the palace the Kingdome I have a title to above yonder Heavens must I for ever dwell above yonder Sun is a mansion for mee oh I long to be there where I know I shall for ever be My heart is filled with joy while I think on it oh what joy shall enter into mee when I shall enter into that joyful blessed place though now I walk in raggs I shall shortly be cloathed with white and glorious Robes Now a Cottage is my house but a stately building is prepared for mee 2 Cor. 5.1 Joh. 14.2 3. 2. The assured beleever rejoyceth in the sharpest sufferings for the Gospels sake * Heb. 10.34 Act. 5.40 41. 16.23 24 25. compare Gal. 2.20 with Act. 20.23 24. 21.13 Hee can despise and scorn all the scornings threatnings and reproaches of the ungodly world for though hee seeth hee is hated by men yet hee knoweth hee is beloved by God 3. Assurance is the best cordial in time of sickness and a Soveraign remedy against the fears of death But it is sad to be a doubting Christian when thou art a dying Christian Secondly The assured beleever may with comfort approach to God in all his Ordinances 1. Hee can go to the Throne of Grace with humble boldness crying Abba Father 2. When hee reads or hears the Word of God every part is welcome to his soul When the Promises are opened hee can say these belong to mee when threatnings are denounced hee can rejoyce because hee is delivered from the misery threatned when commands are urged by assurance they are much facilitated this is my Fathers command I will do it my Fathers will I will obey it 3. Hee can approach with joy to the Lords Supper and sit there with great delight Hee sees the wounds the sufferings the sorrows of Christ and saith all this was for mee Secondly This Assurance will make thee profitable unto others 1. To the wicked 2. To the godly 1. To the wicked By this the wicked shall be convinced that Religion is a reality that Ordinances are not empty things when they must acknowledge surely these men meet with something from God in duty which wee are strangers to that maketh them thus chearful in all conditions 2. By this they shall be convinced that that is false they have conceived of seriousness in Religion that if they close with Christ they shall never have a delightful pleasant life more Drooping disconsolate mourning Christians strengthen this error in wicked men too much 2. It will make thee profitable to the godly 1. To the weak 2. To the strong First Thou wilt be profitable to the weak by communicating thy experiences to them for their comfort and support 2 Cor. 1.4 Secondly Thou shalt be profitable to the strong that have the same assurance with thy self When two such
so will appear in the Explication and resolution of the special Case of Conscience assigned which therefore here I passe Premisals Before I propound the Case let me premise some particulars preparatory as a Key of Explication 1. As the great so the little World man is made up of Contraries The outward-man of contrary Elements humors health and sicknesse the inward-man of contrary Principles reason and passion Grace and Corruption Conscience and Sense 2. Man is both an Actor in and a Theatre of the greatest action and noblest conflict in the World though usually invisible and therefore not so much observed Prov. 16.32 He that conquers himself is a nobler Heroe than Alexander who conquered a great part of the World 3. In the state of Innocency there was no conflict in the state of Glory there will be no conflict there being no corruption to combate with Grace In a state of Minority as in Infants and Fools there is no conflict till reason begin to dawn and with it Conscience to actuate common Principles against the motions of innate corruption In a state of corruption there is no spiritual conflict because there is no renewing Grace to combate with Corruption that strong man that keeps all in peace till a stronger than he comes Luke 11.21 22. 4. The natural conflict is in every godly man the spiritual conflict is in no wicked or natural man This I note to allay the fears of drooping Saints who finding a conflict between Conscience and Corruption conclude they are in the state of Nature and search not for the conflict between Grace and Corruption This is as if a man should conclude he is a Beast because he hath sense like a Beast not considering that he hath reason superadded which a Beast is not capable of 5. There is a vast difference between the natural and the spiritual conflict This will appear in the resolution of the case 6. The mistake about these two conflicts 1. Undoes natural men who feeling a Combate in themselves fondly apprehend it to be the fight between the flesh and the spirit and thereupon rest secure in a natural estate 2. It troubles regenerate persons and that in reference both to duty and comfort making them drive heavily because they doubt whither they be Israelites or Aegiptians 7. As the great Wisdom of God lyes in Governing the Great-world made up of contraries so the great wisdom of a Godly-man lies in Governing the Little-world made up of like contraries 8. This Government lyes principally in discerning these conflicting contraries and improving their contrariety for the Advantage of the Outward and Inward-man He is the wisest Physician who can Govern the Body made up of contraries and he is the wisest Christian who can rule his Soul in the midst of contraries In this Government Christ is Principal Psalm 110.2 A Saint Instrumental Hos 11.12 9. This singular wisdom is attainable in the use of ordinary means and that by the meanest who have Grace to follow Christs conduct yet not by the power of free-will or humane industry but by the bounty of free and Special Grace 2 Tim. 3.15 Jam. 1.5 Rom. 9.16 10. It cannot be expected that any Unregenerate person should understand to purpose the difference between these two conflicts because he hath no experience of this double State and double Principle No wonder then if such say of me as the Jews did of the Prophet Ezek. 20.49 Doth he not speak Parables How ever for the sake of the Unregenerate to convince them and for the sake of the Regenerate to comfort them I shall indeavour plowing with Christs Heifer to find out this great Riddle And so I come to the Case and a case of the highest concernment Wherein doth the Natural and Spiritual conflict differ or Quest what difference is there between the conflict in the Natural and Spiritual man They differ principally in seven particulars Answ and I. In the ground or cause of the fight which in the Unregenerate is 1. Natural Principles or the reliques of Gods Image in the Understanding The notion of a Deity and of loving my Neighbour as my self c. are Principles cannot be rased out of any mans heart be he never so profest an Atheist nor can these principles lye alwayes idle but will more or lesse be in action against corrupt inclinations 2. Acquired Principles from common Illumination moral and religious education and custome This light discovers more of sins obliquity and danger thereby laying on a stronger Bridle of restraint through fear shame c. and adding spurs to the exercise of many parts of piety 3. The natural Temper of the Body which indisposes to some special sins as well as to some special Graces As all Souls so Original corruption in them may be equal yet not act equally because of the indisposednesse of bodily Organs Thus some naturally are more chast sober and meek then others and hence their temper advances the combate against the lusts that oppose the forementioned virtues 4. The contraiety of one lust to another Grace is uniforme and each virtue linked together in a perfect subordination but sin is divided and opposite to it self as well as to Grace Thus Ambition sayes Spend Covetousnesse sayes Spare Revenge incites to murder self-Self-love restrains for fear of an halter Here now is a combate but only between flesh and flesh between flesh more refined and flesh more corrupted The best of these may be called a counter-motion as in dust and clouds agitated by contrary winds but not properly a conflict or fight because they proceed not from a true vital principle there being in a natural man no principle of Spiritual Life On the other hand In the Regenerate the combat ariseth from the Antipathy of two contrary Natures perfectly hating each other Gal. 5.17 Of all affections as one notes well Love and hatred are first and most uncompoundable A Godly man hates sin as God hates it not so much for its danger as for its Loathsomnesse as some creatures hate filth so that they will rather dye then defile themselves One Wolf may snarl at another but the quarrel is not layd in their Natures as it is in the Wolf and Lamb which therefore cannot be reconciled God in Paradise first sounded the Trumpet to this All-arme Gen. 3.15 proclaiming an eternal Warr between this seed of the Woman and of the Serpent As in persons so much more in principles there is a mutual abomination Compare Psalm 139.22 Prov. 29.29 Psal 97.10 and 119.128 and Rom. 8.7 Enemies may but Enmity can never be reconciled II. They differ in the Object or matter of conflict which in a natural man is 1. Grosser evils that startle the Conscience 2. Infamous evils that are attended with worldly fear or shame or 3. Some particular evils that crosse temper education or custome c. But in spiritual persons the matter of conflict is 1. Little sins as well as great 2. Secret sins as
Faith cannot be meant here because it is said that they who have not this Faith must not think to receive any thing not the least if so then the highest degrees of Faith should be required for the obtaining the lowest degrees of Mercy but Scripture promises are made to the Truth and not to the degrees of Grace To Faith that is but as a graine of Mustard-seed to remove Mountains and to Love that is but a spark to be victorious Matth. 12.20 but I shall rather endeavour to shew you how Faith is taken here then how 't is taken in other places therefore To ask in Faith may he here spoken in reference to the Person that prayes viz. he that prayes must be in the Faith a faithful or Righteous Person The Scripture is full to this purpose as Psal 66.18 If I regard iniquity in mine heart though my tongue do not plead for it nay though it speaks against it though I refrain from it in my Life for one may love the sin we commit not and if I do so regard it in mine heart God will not hear my Prayers if I give it so much as a good look for so the Hebrew if I see iniquity in my heart if I take any pleasure in sin for David calls it painful iniquity for so in the Hebrew No Saint can live without committing sin but all Saints live without regarding it in their hearts So also James 5.15 The Prayer of a Righteous man avayleth much how much is not set down because it cannot be set down how much it avayles as much as they please they may have what they will but for a wicked man though his Prayers were effectual they avail not much since their desires are for temporals The other places are full to this point viz. that the Prayers of none but Righteous persons are accepted with God as John 9.31 Ch. 1.15 Prov. 28.9 1 John 3.15 I. To this may be objected that many unregenerate and profligate wretches have obtained by Prayer as scoffing Ismael Gen. 21.17 nay Ahab a man that sold himself to work wickednesse prevayled with God for an adjournment of the Judgment denounced I answer 1. This was done by way of Common providence or Gods Prerogative not by way of promise so that they could not reasonably expect that their Prayer should be heard 2. God did this to honour the Ordinance of Prayer As when our children come and tell us of some poor body though we may not think it sit to relieve him in respect of his wants yet we give him for fear we should hinder our children from acts of Charity for they not knowing our reasons of denying him relief will expound it to be our neglect of the poor So many times God may give to bad men lest good men should be discouraged from Prayer 3. God gives to wicked men when they pray oft-times for the strengthning of his peoples Faith for they may be sure if God hears the Croakings of Ravens he will heare the Mournings of Doves II. You may farther say are wicked men bound to pray since their Prayes are anabomination and they cannot ask in Faith I answer 1. Inability to pay a debt doth not acquit one from it nor Cancel the Obligation If one blows out the Candle one cannot excuse ones self for not working by saying that they could not work in the dark nor can a boy excuse himself from saying the Lesson he hath torn out of his Book 2. Because wicked men break others of Gods Commandments it cannot justifie them in the breaking of this sin doth super-induce a new Obligation viz. to punishment but doth not cancel their former viz. to Duty 3. Wicked men sin not in praying but in praying so 4. Doubtlesse the wickedest man in the World is bound to desire Grace III. But doth not this make God a respecter of persons since he will hear none but his own Children and them that love him if a Judge should favour his relations in Judicature be should be unjust I Answer No God is no respecter of persons by doing thus 1. Because the Prayers of Saints are better as well as their persons nearer for the Prayers of the wicked are lazy irreverent bruâ—sh wanton Prayers Hos 7.14 if God's People should pray so God would not hear them neither 2. If Unbelievers could pray better than Saints yet God might acquit the Saint and condemn the Unbeliever as a Judge may passe Sentence against one who hath paid ninty and nine pounds of an hundred and acquit another who hath not paid a farthing if his surety hath paid it 3. Though in matter of Justice we are not to respect persons Levit. 19.15 yet in matters of favour we may Gal. 6.10 This may be the first meaning of the words but not the only nor as I conceive the chief Therefore II. To ask in Faith is to believe that all we say in Prayer is true when we confesse our selves to be grievous sinners we are to think our selves to be as great sinners as we say we are when we call God Almighty our Father we are to believe him to be so Then the poor Soul will say Alas I cannot pray in Faith for I cannot say our Father since I do not believe that I am his child how then can I call him Father I Answer 1. Thou mayst call him Father for he is thy Father if thou shouldest see diverse children playing some untowardnesse in the street and should see a man that passed by go and single out one of them and correct him and yet the child should follow him would you not say he was the father of that child for a strange child would flye from him or flye at him if he should strike him Dost thou not follow God when he corrects thee be of good comfort God is thy Father and thou art his child When that pretious man Mr. Murcot was in great anguish fearing tht God was not his Father these words were impressed on his mind If I am not thy Father why dost thou follow after me Nay not only God is thy Father but thou thinkest so also When Naamans servants called him father what did they mean but to shew that tâ—ey acknowledged that he carryed himself rather as a Father than a Maâ—â—er When the Prodigal returned though he acknowledged that he was not worthy to be called his son yet he called him Father since he had fayled of nothing that might be expected from a loving tender Father Mayst thou not call God thy Father upoâ— this account hath he not dealt with thee in abundance of tender Compassion nay more than the tenderest Parent in the World Give God the glory due to his goodnesse call him Father for thou mayst truly say he hath dealt so with thee The same Mr. Murcot being troubled upon the same account viz. the fear that God was not his Father had these words come into his mind with power viz. If I am not thy
they little think any such Legacies are left by Christ to them yet their ignorance shall not frustrate Christs Love nay though they will not for the present extend their hand of Faith to receive it yet God will and doth keep Mercy for Thousands untill they will receive it Exod. 34.7 II. The second Use is an Use of Exhortation 1. Put in thy Claim for Mercy for thy Claim will hold not according to thy sense knowledge or belief that thou hast an Interest but according to the Truth of thine Interest Suppose thou shouldest promise to give to every one of thy children such a gift if they were good children Suppose one of your children who had obeyed your commands and had been very inquisitive to know your will I say suppose such a child should sit weeping because he thought he had not obeyed your commands and because he thought you were angry with him and upon that account would not come for your promised gift would you not therefore give it him nay would you not only be pleased with his obedience but that he took so to heart your supposed anger So O poor Soul that sittest weeping with thine eyes full of tears and thine heart ful of sorrow under the sense of Gods supposed displeasure shall not God wipe all tears from thine eyes and give thee the Promises he hath made to thee though thou through the sense of thine unworthinesse doest not believe thou hast any Interest in them 2. The second advice is that thou shouldest endeavour to obtain the Graces to which the Promises are made viz. Fear and Love of God and uprightnesse of heart c. whilst others are examining and going from Minister to Minister to know whether they have those Graces be thou getting of them For 1. Thou shalt be sure to get an interest in the Promises for they are made to such as have the Graces not to those that know that they have those Graces and if thou hast a Title thou shalt have possession 2. By getting greater degrees of Graces the trouble of examination will be needlesse it will save thee that labour whereas otherwise thou wilt perpetually be put to examination As for instance Thou findest a spark of fire and coverest it up again and lettest it lye wet to morrow thou wilt be as far to seek and wilt as hardly find the spark and know whether there be any fire to morrow as to day Another knowing where to have fire close by knows she can as soon fetch it from her neighbour as find it on her own hearth if there be but a spark or two she therefore fetches some and blows up into a flame and she layes on fewel to keep in the fire So thou knowest where thou mayest have Gods Love viz. from God who is near unto them that call upon him they know they may have it sooner by Prayer then find it by examination this they blow into a flame and as when the fire flames we may be sure there is fire without poring to find it So when thy Graces are in an eminent degree they are so apparent that one that hath but half an eye may see them 3. By getting the Conditions to which the Promise is made thou shalt often get what is better then the Promise it self for the Promise is often Temporal when the Condition is Spiritual III. Study much or rather Meditate much upon these great Gospel Mysteries of Christs Satisfaction of Christs Interest in the Fathers Love and of the Fathers delight to honour the Son by giving mercies and pardoning sinners for his sake Know that thou greatly dishonourest Christ when thou goest timerously to God for any Mercy in his Name and it greatly argues thine infidelity Suppose thy friend that was bound with thee for some great sum of money and he hearing there were Sergeants to arrest thee should put himself into their hands to sâ—ve thee from prison and he should be carried to prison and pay the debt and send thee word that he had paid the debt every farthing if thou shouldest notwithstanding be afraid to see thy Creditor or stirr abroad would it not argue that thou believedst not thy friend had paid the debt IV. Go then with Confidence to God in the Name of Christ since Christ hath bid thee or else thou hast strange thoughts of Christ Suppose a friend of yours should bid you go to such a great man for such a Courtesie and should tell thee that he had spoken to him in thy behalf and bid thee not fear for he could have any thing of him that he spoke to him for and should bid thee go to him in his Name and tell him he sent thee if thou shouldest stand considering what to do and shouldest fear that for all thy friend professed he had so great an Interest in that great man you should not find it so when you came to him would not this show that you feared your friend boasted of more Interest then he had Christ hath plainly bid us go to the Father in his Name from him and that we shall have any thing whatsoever if we doubt whether when we go to the Father in his Name we shall obtain doth it not plainly argue our low thoughts of Christs Interest in the Fathers Love and that Christ hath higher thoughts of his Interest in his Fathers Love then indeed he hath The sense of thine own unworthinesse should by no means hinder thee except thou wentest to God in thine own Name for the Question in this case is not how God loves thee but how God loves Christ Thou hast thoughts high enough of Gods Love to Christ if thou knowest that God loves Christ more then he hates any sinner in the World Thy thoughts are not high enough of Christs Love to thee if thou thinkest Christ will deny thee any thing nor hast thou worthy thoughts of Gods Love to Christ if thou thinkest God will deny Christ any thing or any one that comes to him in his Name whom he bid so to do for in so doing he doth not so properly deny thee as Christ Of the cause of Inward Trouble and how a Christian should behave himself when Inward and Outward Troubles meet Gen. 42. v. 21 22. 21. And they said one to another yea but verily we are guilty concerning our Brother in that we saw the anguish of his soul when he besought us and we would not hear therefore is this distresse come upon us 22. And Reuben answered them saying Spake I not to you saying sin not against the child and you would not hear therefore behold also his bloud is required IN this Chapter we have the description of our Fathers the Patriarchs their first journey into Egypt for Corn to relieve their Famine in Canaan Herein is considerable 1. Their entertainment there it was harsh with much trouble more danger the great Lord Treasurer of Egypt would not know them but treats them roughly v. 7. takes
sight are often but as the uncertain twinkling star-light to us whereby to steer our course All that 's said of Moderation will more clearly appear if we consider it's Extreames from the nature of God's Commands which are of two sorts 1. Some are affirmative and those either general what we must do c. and imply the end for which and all the circumstances that necessarily attend our doing it Or particular and express the circumstances external as time and place and internal usually called the manner which comprehends the quality and the moral quantity or proportion we are speaking of which implies the intenseness frequency and duration of our actions These continually oblige us though not to continual practice but only when God requires the former by way of more absoluteness the latter more conditionally as depending thereupon 2. The other sort of precepts are negative some what we must not do and so consequently at once forbid all the concomitants of such actions as are prohibited others not forbidding us the object but rectifying us about it in the end we most do it for manner how c. both which obliges us to continual observance and in morals to the contrary duties By which it appeares in our not right proportioning our actions we sin in omission by not doing so fully as he commands in commission when we do those things that are our duty but exceed therein and go beyond the bounds God hath set us and this is formally immoderateness which is rectified by Moderation As for actions materially evil as Jonah's being angry with God hating virtue and loving vice c. which are absolutely forbidden no proportion is to have place but it and all other circumstances together with the action wholly avoided or suppressed because towards undue objects forbidden us there can be no defect in regard there should be no action and therefore no Moderation or government thereof For instance in those two great Commands on which hang all the Law and the Prophets as our blessed Saviour tells us Matth. 22.46 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy Soul and with all thy strength and with all thy mind and thy Neighbour as thy self Luke 10.27 Here 's the grace of Love required to act towards God the manner exprest in heart soul strength mind the measure in the four all 's the New Testament adding one to the three of the Old Testament so far is the Gospel from detracting from duty here can be no excesse in regard we can never love him as he deserves not only in regard of what he hath done for us but is to us being our end and happinesse and towards our Neighbour the manner exprest as thy self i. e. truly and sincerely but not with all thy heart c. that 's only God's due who is absolutely to be loved for himself others for him Herein alas Grace is defective but never exceeds so that Moderation hath here no place for if we love any person or thing more than God Christ and our selves it is not the action of Grace but sinful affection which is to be moderated For he that with his natural affection loves Father or Mother Wife or Child which yet they ought greatly to love more then God or Christ is no◠worthy of them I am not ignorant all this while that this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is most frequently used in a forinsecal or Law sense more strictly the Moralists Schoolmen and Civilians borrowing it from Aristotle and restraining it to that particular Moderation of mitigating strickt Justice in the execution of humane Laws and so is rendred equitas equitie Which is either that of the Magistrate in his publick capacity and is so clementia clemencie and is opposed to cruelty the Magistrate being obliged as not to write his Laws in blood like Draco's so also not to execute them with cruelty though where requisite with severity but to moderate them by the Law of Nature other Laws former prcedents constant customs which hath the nature of Laws or the reason and end of the Law which is more equitable and more Law say some than the letter and amongst Christians by the written Laws of God that there may be convenientia poenae ad delictum or a proportioning punishment to the quality of the offence all circumstances which the Law cannot possibly foresee or provide for being duly considered This includes all Superiors Political Ecclesiastical Domestical c. and is frequently joyned with Justice and Judgement in Scripture as executed both by God and man Psal 98.9.99.4 Is 11.4 Prov. 1.3.2.19.17.26 Micah 3.9 c. Or secondly that of private persons or publick in their private capacity which is between party and party when according to the rules of equity we omit what the rigor of the letter of the Law would adjudge us thereby neither injuring our selves or others which is usually called probitas or honestas by us common honesty that should be 'twixt man and man And hence some borrow it and restrain it to that carriage the Law takes not cognisance of in our meeknesse and gentlenesse making it that single Vertue the Moralists call mansuetudo we meeknesse But though it be all these yet 't is also more these not reaching the latitude of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nor the extent of the duty here in joyned the word being not used here in that strict sense the Philosophers use it as the learned Grotius well observes upon the place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hesych 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Etymol 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Suidas 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. i. e. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Scoliast in l. 1. Thucyd. but for that equalnesse of mind and spirit that becomes us in our conversation and diffuseth it self through many very many other actions than are proper to these Vertues and though sometimes restrained to this or that particular kind of Moderation yet in it's latitude as the best Philologers tell us denotes mediocrity indifferency equality or the like And in this general acception which I may call the Moral or Theological Sense not restraining it to though not excluding the forinsecal and stricter acceptation thereof I shall through Gods assistance handle it The rather because our Judicious and Learned Perkins hath in a peculiar little Tractate already spoken sufficiently to that particular of the Moderation of Justice by the Magistrate and private persons in reference to their remitting from the rigour of the Law which every one may peruse and I seriously wish they would also practise 2. General now follows The exercise of Moderation The exercise of Moderation wherein the case proposed is included viz. Case Wherein must we practise Moderation Which necessarily implies the external object or about what our Moderation must be conversant and appear to all call it the object of the faculty or of the action or of Moderation when imployed in
Opppressors publike Defamers and the like wrongers of thy Estate Reputation and other thy temporal good things in charity and according to Equity equally seeking thy own right and good not thy neighbours wrong much less ruin and destruction And thus for moderation towards others in Civil matters In Religious matters Although I have spoken in the opening the nature of moderation and the general Object that which might serve to direct us herein Yet lest I be mistaken and thence any of you mistake your duty I shall further open this particular Object by speaking to it negatively about what moderation is not to be practised and positively wherein it must Negatively 1 Not in matters of faith For the believing these being not only absolutely required of every Christian and in that measure that we cannot fully come up to in regard of the great truth and reality of spiritual objects and their revelation the best being alas miserably short and deficient herein but also internal the profession of these being matter of practice Moderation cannot possibly here have any place much less that which respects others 2. Nor in matters of moral practice such as the Moral Law requires and grace and vertue should perform For in these can be no excess either in degree or duration We cannot love God too much nor with grace our neighbour nor too constantly Consider Father Mother Wife Children as moral Objects so we exceed not as natural goods and so in the exercise of natural affection we frequently as is said before do exceed which is discernable especially by the end with grace we love them for God with the moral vertue of love for the relation they stand in to us with the affection of love when we sinfully over-love them for our selves for though the natural affection co-operates with the former yet it solely exceeds But it being difficult for us to discern these formalities in objects and the operations of principles about them it is our only way to have recourse to Gods Laws which though founded upon the nature of things yet shews us plainly our duty where we cannot discern them which in all things wherein we may exceed as in the Externals of the First Table and the duties of the Second not only prescribe us what and also particularly how to act by positive Precepts but lest we should miscarry by Negative also which respect the end manner measure c. of such duties restraining and bounding us that we exceed not Both which are Moral and comprehended in this particular it being equally moral not to over-love as to love thy Neighbour the former being forbidden as well by the Negative as the latter enjoyned by positive Precepts In Negatives which forbid the action absolutely as Blasphemy Adultery c. no need of any such Precepts to regulate us for the actions being not to be done no need of direction for their manner and consequently no place for Moderation such being to be subdued and supprest not ordered or regulated as I have formerly spoken and in things only indefinitely forbidden as Swearing Travelling on the Lords day c. when we are to practice them we have the rules for Positive actions Affirmative and Negative to direct us sufficiently 3. Nor especially in the weightier matters of the Law or Religion I must speak a little to this because that may be commanded absolutely in it self which comparatively when it comes in competition with other duties of greater moment becomes only conditional For Affirmative Precepts are so many it is impossible they should bind ad semper so that when two or more duties come together man in regard of his finite capacity being not able to perform them at once must duly consider the weightiest and that do it being requisite in terms of inconsistency that the lesser alwaies give place to the greater and cease pro hic nunc or for that present to oblige us Thus Davids eating the shew-bread and the Disciples plucking the ears of corn on the Sabbath day when hungry is defended by our Saviour Mat. 12. Yea even frequently the externals of the First Table give way to the weighty exigent duties of the Second as the sanctification of the Sabbath to the defending the City in the Macchabees case according to that I will have mercy and not sacrifice Hos 6.6 Not only rather than sacrifice but in such cases not sacrifice God dispensing with the lesser so that its omission becomes no sin as is clear in our Saviours practice in his healing the man with the withered hand c. as well as in his defence of his Disciples Luk. 6. For that may be our duty and necessary at one time which at another when a weightier comes that should take place ceaseth to be so by vertue of the reason and constiâ—ution of the Laws themselves that the Superiour Law take place Therefore under the notion of moderation to omit Moral and especially the great and necessary duties required and practice only the less is Pharisaical hypocrisie not Christianity If to do the great duties of Religion God requires of us be accounted immoderateness let us say with David If this be to be vile we will be more vile still Gods Laws admit of no 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or dispensation from us but what he hath admitted himself we must neither add or detract Deut. 4.2 Thou canst neither mitigate their execution nor any other besides himself on thee for thy transgressing them Digest de legib senatus cons If the wise Romans were so careful to preserve their Laws from others than the supream dispensing wiâ—h them lest they should prove a Lesbian rule much more the Great and Wise God hath reason to keep up the authority of his Laws and expect our punctual observance of them Moderation in Religion and religious Duties is the devillish Precept of Machiavel not the Doctrine of the Gospel or St. Paul To engage or wade no further in Religion than temporal interests will permit uâ— to come safely again to shore was the resolution and speech of a great Courtier of France than of heaven and of such as resolve more to save their skins than their souls How doth Christ every where arm those that will be his Disciples against their desisting from their necessary duty for the offence of the world Is so far from concealing this that it is the first thing he tels them of invites them upon no other terms than the Cross tels them they must trust him in this world for compensating them in the future c. Mat. 16. from 24. to ult And how eminent was he in the practice of this How did the Zeal of Gods House eat him up and he persist in doing the work he was sent about notwithstanding all the offence the Jews took And yet in his own private concerns how meek gentle patient which none can be ignorant of that read the Gospel and which he commands us to learn
of Creature-comforts Suppose a Believers d Psal 144.12 13. sons as plants grown up in their youth and his daughters as corner stones polisht after the similitude of a Palace suppose his garners full affording all manner of store His Oxen strong to labour and his sheep bringing forth thousands and ten thousands in the streets though the blear-eyed World should pronounce him e Ver. 15. happy that is in such a case how would the Believer immediatly reply with the Psalmists Epanorthosis or in express contradiction rather to so gross a mistake yea blessed are the people they rather or they only are blessed which have the Lord for their God Thus Faith concludes Negatively 2. Positively That Divine Lesson which Solomon the wisest of meer men had by such difficult and costly experiments at length learnt Faith hath got by heart and in the face of the World concludes with him f Eccl. 1.2 Vanity of Vanities all is Vanity The assertion is repeated as in Pharaohs dream to shew its certainty and the Term of Vanity doubled to manifest the Transcendency and multiplicity of this Vanity There is a fivefold Vanity which Faith discovers in all its Creature enjoyments viz. in that they are 1. Unprofitable Thus the Preacher What g Eccl. 1.3 profit hath a man of all his labour which he hath taken under the Sun What profit Why he hath filled his hands with Air he hath laboured for the Wind Eccl. 5.16 Just so much and no more than Septimius Severus got who having run through various and greâ—t employments openly acknowledges Omnia fui sed nihil profuit Creature comforts are not bread Isa 55.2 3. They profit no more than the dream of a full meal doth an hungry man or that Feast which the h Corn. a Lap. Comment in Isa 55.2 Magitian made the German Nobles who thought they fared very deliciously but when they departed found themselves hungry In a day of wrath sickness death can riches profit Prov. 11.4 Ezek. 7.19 Just as much as a bag of gold hung about the neck of a drowning man 2. Hurtful and pernicious Solomon observed that Riches were kept for the Owners thereof to their i Eccl. 5.13 hurt Hence it is that k Pro 30.8 9 Agur prayes against them Give me not riches lest I be full and deny thee as if abundance made way for Atheism in those that know not how to manage it Maximilian the Second was sensible of this who refused to hoard up a mass of Treasure fearing lest by falling in love therewith of a soveraign Lord he should become a servant to the Mammon of unrighteousness Now the hurtfulness of Creature-comforts shews it self in several particulars 1. Faith knows that they are apt to puff up and swell the heart with the Tympany of pride Hence that great Caution Deut. 8.10 to the end The usual Attendants on riches are Pride and Confidence Hence Paul to l 1 Tim. 6.17 Timothy charge them that are rich in this world that they be not high minded How apt are men to be lifted up with the things of this lower World Riches at once sink the mind downward in covetous Cares and lift it upward in proud conceits To see a man rich in purse and poor in spirit is a great rarity 2. Faith knows that great enjoyments are great snares and powerful temtations to many other lusts such as are Covetousness Lust Luxury Security c. The plenty of places oft occasion much wickedness in persons Rich Sodom was a nursery of all impiety Jesurun when he waxeth fat is apt to kick Deut. 32.15 And when Israel is fed to the full m Ezek. 16.39 â—0 then she commits abomination 3. Faith is sensible how apt temporal comforts are to make us sleight spiritual graces and heavenly Communion 1. Spiritual graces Our digging for silver and searching for gold makes us too too apt to neglect that which is better than thousands of gold and silver even durable substance The radiant-splendor of these things here below dazzles our eyes to those things above Whiles Martha is much * Luk. 10.41 cumbred about many things she forgets to act Maries part and to pursue that one thing necessary How often do outward comforts entangle the spirits weaken the graces strengthen the corruptions even of good men There was a serious truth in that Atheistical scorn of Julian who when he spoyled the Christians of their outward estates told them He did it to make them more ready for the Kingdom of heaven Many really godly lose much in spirituals by gaining much in temporals they have been impoverish'd by their riches They are indeed rich in grace whose graces are not hindred by their riches whose soules prosper when their bodies prosper To see the daughter of Tyre come with her gift to see the n Psal 45.12 rich among the people entreat Christs favour and give up themselves to Him This indeed is a rare sight To be rich or great in the World is a great temptation When we flourish in the flesh we are apt to wither in the Spirit The scorching Sun-beams of prosperity too too often cause a drouth and then a dearth a Famine in the soul and make us throw off those robes of righteousness which the wind of affliction makes us to gird on the faster The World is of an encroaching nature hard it is to enjoy it and not come into bondage to it Let Abraham cast but a litttle more than ordinary respect on Hagar and it will not be long ere she begin to contest with yea crow over her Mistress 2. Spiritual Communion with God Worldly comforts are alwaies dogd with worldly business and this too often eats up our time for Communion with God It is a very difficult thing to make our way into the presence of God through the throng of worldly encumbrances Worldly employments and enjoyments are exceeding apt not only to blunt but to turn the edge of our affections from an holy commerce with God Faith knows what a Task what an Herculean labour it is after it hath past a day amidst worldly profits and been entertained with the delights and pleasures a full estate affords now to bring an whole heart to God when at night it returns into his presence The World in this case doth by the Saint as the little child by the mother if it cannot keep the mother from going out it will cry after to go with her If the World cannot keep us from going to Religious duties it will cry to be taken along with us and much ado there is to part it and our affections Thus Faith discovers the danger and hurtfulness of Creature-enjoyments But more than this 4. Faith knows that these outward things are perishing as well as unprofitable and hurtful Mutable inconstant fading * Faelicitas umbratilis Vanities Bubbles Pictures drawn on Icy Tablets grass growing on the tops of houses Faith hath seen and heard
distractio negligens a negligent distraction When a man hath an intention to pray and express his desires to God but he prays carelesly and doth not guard his thoughts so that sometimes he wanders and sometime recovers himself again and then straies again and is in and out off and on with God as a Spaniel roveth up and down and is still crossing the waies sometimes losing the company he goes with and then retiring to them again I cannot say this man prayeth not at all or that God doth not hear him but he will have little comfort in his Prayers yea if he be serious they will minister more matter of grief to him than comfort and therefore he ought to be more earnest and sedulous in resisting this infirmity that he may be assured of audience Otherwise if his heart be not affected with it in time by degrees all those motions and dispositions of heart that are necessary to prayer will be eaten out and lost 3. There is distractio voluntaria a voluntary distraction when men mind no more than the task or work wrought and only go round in a track of accustomed duties without considering with what heart they perform them this is such a vanity of mind as turneth the whole prayer into sin Secondly The causes of this roving and impertinent intrusion of vain thoughts 1. Sathan is one cause who doth Maxime insidiari orationibus as Cassian speaketh lye in wait to hinder the Prayers of the Saints when ever we minister before the Lord he is at our right hand ready to resist us Zech. 3.1 And therefore the Apostle James when he biddeth us draw nigh to God biddeth us also to resist the devil Jam. 4.7 8. Implying thereby That there is no drawing nigh to God without resisting Sathan When a Tale is told and you are going about the Affairs of the World he doth not trouble you for these things do not trouble him or do any prejudice to his Kingdom But when you are going to God and that in a warm lively affectionate manner he will be sure to disturbe you seeking to abate the edge of your affections or divert your minds Formal Prayers patterd over do him no harm but when you seriously set your selves to call upon God he saith within himself This man will pray for Gods Glory and then I am at a losse for the coming of Christs Kingdom and then mine goeth to wrack That Gods Will may be done upon earth as it is in heaven and that minds me of my old fall and my business is to cross the Will of God he will pray for dayly bread and that strengtheneth dependance for Pardon and Comfort and then I lose ground for the devils are the * Eph. 6 12. Rulers of the darkness of this World He will pray to be kept from sin and temptation and that is against me Thus Sathan is afraid of the Prayers of the Saints he is concerned in every request you make to God and therefore he will hinder or cheat you of your Prayers if you will needs be praying he will carry away your heâ—rts Now much he can do if you be not watchful he can present Objects to the senses which stirs up thoughts yea pursue his temptations and cast in one fiery dart after another therefore we had need-stand upon our guard 2. The natural levity of our spirits man is a restless creature we have much a doe to stay our hearts for any space of time in one state much more in holy things from which we are naturally averse Rom. 7.21 When I would do good evil is present with me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oh consider this natural feebleness of mind whereby we are unable to keep long to any Imployment but are light fethery tossed up and down like a dryed leaf before the wind or as an empty Vessel upon the waves 't is so with us in most businesses especially in those which are Sacred the Apostle biddeth us pray without ceasing and we cannot do it whilest we pray he is a stranger to God and his own heart who finds it not daily this is an incurable vanity though we often repent of yet 't is not amended a misery that God would leave upon our natures to humble us while we are in the World and that we may long for Heaven the Angels and blessed Spirits there are not troubled with those things in Heaven there is no complaining of wandring thoughts there God is all in all they that are there have but one Object to fill their understandings one Object to give contentment to their desires their hearts cleave to God inseparably by a perfect love but here we are cumbred with much serving and much work begets a multitude of thoughts in us Psal 94.11 The Lord knows the thoughts of men that they are but vanity When we have summed up all the traverses reasonings and discourses of the mind we may write at the bottom this as the total sum here is nothing but vanity 3. Another cause is practical Atheism we have little sense of things that are unseen and lye within the vail in the World of spirits things that are seen have a great force upon us offer it now to the Governour saith the Prophet Mal. 1.8 God is a far off both from our sight and apprehension senses bind attention if you speak to a man your thoughts are setled and you think of nothing else but in speaking to God you have not like attention because you see him not Exod. 32.1 Make us gods to go before us Aye that we would have a visible God whom we may see and hear but the true God being a Spirit and an invisible Power all the service that we do him is a task performed more out of custome than affection in a slight perfunctory way 4. Strong and unmortified lusts which being rooted in us and having the Soul at most command will trouble us and distract us when we go about any duty each man hath a mind and can spend it unweariedly as he is inclined either to Covetousness Ambition or Sensuality for where the treasure is there will the heart be Matth. 6.20 set but the Covetous man about the World the Voluptuous man about his pleasures and the ambitious man about his honours and preferments and will they suffer their thoughts to be taken off surely no but set either of these about holy things and presently these lusts will be interposing Ezek. 33.31 their heart goeth after their Covetousness the sins to which a man is most addicted will ingross the thoughts so that this is one sign by which a man may know his reigning sin that which interrupts him most in holy duties for when all other lusts are kept out Sathan will be sure to set the darling sin a work to plead for him if a man be addicted to the World so will his musings be if to mirth and good chear and vain sports his thoughts will be taken up
as such they are the stroaks of Gods vindictive Justice the fruit of sin and destructive to the creature in which sense they have not rationem beneficii sed supplicii they are not benefits but punishments But whereas the Lord hath so ordered that all things shall work together for good to them that are good and crosses are some of those things they are hereby sanctified and become the matter of thanksgiving to a child of God And this was that noble primitive frame of spirit among Christians under what providence soever dark or light sweet or sour they were thankful in all alwaies thankful St. Augustine upon the 132 Psalm commendeth that ancient custome among Christians Aug. Epist 77. Quid melius animo geramus ore promamus calamo exprimamus quam deo gratias hoc nec dici brevius nec audiri latius nec intelligi grandius nec agi fructuosius potest Deo gratias in whose mouths you should alwayes hear these words Deo gratias thanks be to God when they met and saluted one another Deo gratias God be thanked when they heard any tidings of persecution or protection favour or frown gain or loss cross or comsort still Deo gratias the Lord be thanked at which custome the Circumcellians pick quarrels but St. Austine defends it as laudable and religious what saith he shall brethren in Christ not give God thanks when they see one another What better thing can we speak or think or write than this God be thanked nothing can be more compendiously spoken nor more gladly heard nor more solemnly understood nor more profitably acted then this God be thanked Thus he Such a frame of heart had holy Job the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh blessed be the name of the Lord. Psal 34.1 On Psal 115. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Hieron And such a one wâ—s in the sweet singer of Israel I will bless the Lord at all times Notable is that of Chrysostome there is nothing saith he nothing we can study more pleasing to God than to be thankful not only in good dayes but when things likewise fall out cross this is the best Sacrifice and oblation we offer God of a like spirit was famous Mr. Bradford Martyr speaking of Queen Mary at whose cruel mercy he then lay If said he she will release me I will thank her if she will imprison me I will thank her if she will burn me I will thank her c. So saith a believing Soul let God do with me what he will I will be thankful This made one of the Ancients to say it is peculiar to Christians to give thanks in adversity To praise God for benefits this Jew and Gentile can do but to give God thanks in dangers according to the Apostles sense and in miseries and alwayes to say blessed be God this is the highest pitch of Virtue for a true Christians language is this I cannot tell how I should suffer less these things are but little to my sins I deserve much more at the Lords hands here is your Christian such a one takes up his cross and follows his Saviour no loss or cross can dishearten him but as the Poet saith if the World break and fall about his ears he would not be afraid Thus St. Hieron By whom it should seem that to give God thanks for crosses and afflictions is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be numbred among those singular things which Christians are bound to excel in beyond Heathens and Publicans as to love enemies to blesse them that curse c. to which our Saviour exhorts and commands Matth. 5. Papists indeed tell us they are Counsels and not Commands and therefore required only of perfect ones in order to merit and supererrogation which is a blasphemous fancy those duties and so this of thankfulnesse in every thing is required of every Christian virtute precepti this is the will of God concerning you saith my Text. Why and how do we give thanks in and for afflictions Quere 4 I. We must give thanks for good afflictions are not evil but good Psal 119.67 68 71. Biel others David tells you so and wherein which every child of God also finds To this agrees that of the Schooles that crosses are not evil but good 1. Because inflicted by the Lord who is the chief good 2. Because suffered by the Lord Jesus who is the chief good 3. They conform us to the Lord who is the chief good 4. They prepare us for communion with the Lord in Heaven which is our chief good therefore be thankful for crosses II. We must thank God for every token of his Fatherly love Heb. 12.6 but now crosses and troubles are such Fatherly love tokens Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth therefore give thanks for them as well for the rod as for bread This is thank-worthy this is acceptable to God 1 Pet. 2.19 20. God will thank us for suffering patiently therefore we must thank him for inflicting it as a tender Father on beloved sons Would you be counted bastards Alexander cashiered one of his name that would not fight Et cum blandiris pater es cum caedis pater es Aug. in Psal 98. the Eagle is said to cast off those young ones that cannot bear the sight of the Sun and some Germans counted such children spurious brats that could not swim So our Heavenly Father will never own them for his children that will not submit to his rod and kisse it too Lord when thou stroakest and when thou strikest thou art alike a Father saith St. Austin III. The Lord by afflicting his People doth prevent sin and purge it Therefore give thanks for it for thâ—s is good because it frees us from the greatest evil 2 Cor. 12.7 1. He prevents sin by it lest saith Paul I should be exalted above measure there was given to me a thorn in the flesh a messenger of Satan to buffet me 2. He purgeth sin by it by this saith the Prophet shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged Isa 27. Chrysost Now do we not thank and pay the Chirurgeon that lets out our bad blood that launceth our festred sores that cuts out our proud and rotten flesh yes surely we do thank him do we not also thank the Physician that keeps us to a strickt diet confines us to our chamber gives us bitter pils and potions and crosses our appetites yes we do thank him for hereby he cures a disease defends and preserves both our health and life Now what else I beseech you doth the Lord do more or lesse by all that we suffer at his hands and doth not he deserve our thanks as well as the Physician and Chirurgeon When we are vexed and pinched then ought we more especially to give the Lord thanks who as a most indulgent Father will not suffer our corruptions to spread further
a very foul sin and filthy uncleanness 1 Joh. 1.7 And the bloud of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin The sin of Sloth which in some sense may be called all sin it being Pulvinar satanae the devils pillow that he laies his head on in the soul 1 Pet. 2.4 5. Come to Christ the living Stone and you shall come from Christ lively Stones 5. Get quickning love to the waies of God Ovid. lib. 1. Amo 9. Qui non vult fieri desidiosus amet Pliny tells us That a rod of Mirtle in the hand of a Traveller will never suffer him to flag or faint but keeps him fresh and lively to his journeys end I am sure where love is in the heart it will carry a man in the way of God with life The Apostles did triumph in their tribulations and how so Because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us Rom. 5.5 Orig. Is plentifully poured out as wine into bottles Ubi amor est non est labor sed sapor Bern. Serm. 85. in Cant. which makes it spiritful Love turns all pains into pleasures and perils into perfumes Love is the fore-horse in the souls Chariot who draws all the other affections and faculties after him What a loadstone was Shechems love to Dinah Gen. 34 19. It makes him communicate his Wealth Si tantum potuit cupiditas quid potest charitas Aug. change his Religion circumsize his Fore-skin See how spiritual Love wrought in Paul it was as strong Physick ready to work out his bowels 2 Cor. 5.14 For the love of God constraineth us Love hath not only an impulsive but also a compulsive power Metaphora a pariurientibus sumpta Grot. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Love is a grace that is alwaies big-bellied and is in labour alwaies being delivered of some good duty or other This Love put Paul upon exceeding pains and excessive perils 1. Exceeding pains that never meer man took the like 1 Cor. 15.10 I laboured more abundantly than they all It must be great pains to preach the Gospel fully from Jerusalem round about to Illyricum Rom. 15.19 Beza 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in circulo or circuitu making Jerusalem the Point and the Regions round about the Circumference and then the space could not be less than four thousand Miles But if you take it in a collateral Line taking in the Regions of Attica Boeotia Achaia Epirus Asia minor Cilicia Cappadocia c. it was 2000. Miles but if you take it in a direct Line from Jerusalem to Stridon a Town in Illyricum it was above a thousand Miles and though these tiresome journeys might have apologized for sparing or at least for curtailing duties yet Paul never measured out his pains by a few sands in a glass but spent much time among the Saints in Praying Preaching Disputing Very memorable is that pains of his Acts 20.7 where Paul spends all the time from the Disciples meeting together on the Lords day untill midnight in holy Exercises 2. His excessive perils what a large Catalogue have you of them 2 Cor. 11.23 ad 28. In stripes above measure In prisons more frequent In deaths oft of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one Thrice was I beaten with rods Once was I stoned Thrice I suffered shipwrack A night and a day I have been in the deep In journeying often in perils of waters in perils of robbers in perils by my own Country men in perils by the heathen in perils in the City in perils in the wilderness in perils in the sea in perils among false brethren in weariness and painfulness in watchings often in hunger and thirst in fastings often in cold and nakedness All this laid together well may we say with him * Nemo acrior inter persecutores nemo prior inter peccatores Aug. Tom. 10. pag 202. There was never a more fierce persecutor of the Gospel nor a more fervid propagator of the Gospel The first proceeded from his hatred the last proceeded from his love even the love of Christ 6. By faith apply the quickning Promise and the Promises of quickning 1. The quickning Promises Promises are steel spurs that will reach the dull heart to the quick they are singular Plaisters if well applied to draw out the corruption of sloth they are the soveraign Elixars whose quintessence will make the soul full of spirits 2 Pet. 1.4 Whereby are given to us exceeding great and precious promises Cardan subst l. 7. that by these ye might be partakers of the Divine Nature Precious Promises as stones are precious which have egregious vertue in them that by them we might be made partakers of the Divine Nature Bez. in loc Non transformatione natura humanae in divinam sed participatione donorum quibus conformes divinae naturae fimus Par not of the substance of God as Servetus stubbornly defended even to death But of those divine qualities and gracious dispositions which will stand with Gods Nature to communicate and our nature to participate Now Gods Divine Nature is an Act and our Divine Nature is active Now the right applying Promises will be very vertuous to make us vigorous to come as nigh the image and life of God as possibly we can Plato saies it is our chiefest good Deo penitus conformem fieri to bear the Character of God upon us 2. The Promises of quickning David presses God to be as good as his word Psal 119.25 Quicken thou me according to thy word He is often upon this string Ver. 107.154 resolving not to let God alone untill he kept his word Isa 40.31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings as Eagles they shall run and not be weary and they shall walk and not faint Our soul as a Bee must suck honey from this flower to quicken it self Say thus to thy self Soul God hath promised I shall mount up with Eagles wings fly through difficulties and duties with celerity he is a God able true willing therefore I may be assured of this assistance Oh this honey will enliven thee more than Jonathans honey enlightened him 1 Sam. 14.26 29. Who must dye because he had eaten honey and if he had not eaten honey he must have died 7. Mind quickning examples A dull Jade will put himself faster on when he sees other horses gallop before him The Apostle hâ—ving mustered up in rank and file the Examples of those famous Worthies Heb. 11. Does Heb. 12.1 excite them with patience to run the race that was set before them If the rare acts of Miltiades would not suffer Themistocles to sleep then the famous Actions of Gods Worthies should not suffer us to slumber View Elias how he went up in a fiery Chariot to heaven in his spirit before he went in a fiery Chariot to heaven in his person 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
a nation changed its God q. d. no they are fixed to their Gods and they will not change them So it is in the sin of adultery the heart is stollen from the proper object as it is Hos 4.11 speaking of wine and women it is said they steal away the heart and it is glued to that which it goes a whoring after so that it will not be taken off from it Prov 2.9 When the creature becomes an Idol in the heart then there is idolatry committed and when it is a beloved there is adultery committed the hope and trust and confidence of the soul is gone the love and care the joy and delight of the soul is gone and the soul with every creature that it thus enjoyes powreth out her fornications as the Lord spake of them Ezek 16.5 and as they Isa 23.17 are said to commit fornication with all Kingdoms so a heart which inordinately loveth and doteth on and is glued to creature comforts commits fornication and abomination with them The second Inquiry was How we may judg of our hearts and know when they miscarry and offend in the pursuing use and enjoyment of lawfull things 1. When our desire of and our endeavours after worldly things grow strong and vehement and very eager and impatient as Rachel said Give me children or else I die Gen. 30.1 When we begin to say I must have such an accommodation whatever it cost me I must have such a comfort or I am undone such a pursuit after worldly comforts argues a heart very carnall and he that miscarries so much in seeking after the things of this world will not mend the matter much when he comes to enjoy them when the heart groweth sick after worldly things in the desire of them usually it surfeteth when it gaineth it as Amnon was sick for his sister 2 Sam. 13.1 2. he had a surfet after and as Ahab 1 King 21.4 he was sick with impatient earnest longing for Naboths vineyard When your heart is very impatient till you doe obtain your desires you are never well with that thing which you do so obtain When the affections grow strong and warm that you can indure no opposition or contradiction in the pursuance of your desires but you can bear any trouble or hardship that you may obtain the things desired as we see in Shechem Gen. 34. who could endure circumcision that he might have Dinah and in Jacob who did indure very much that he might have Rachel Gen. 29.18 then there is a match towards then in such a case when it is gained the heart becomes glued to it and commits fornication with it and cannot indure to be touched or thwarted in the fruition of it as Demotrius and the Silver-smiths when they found their Diana began to be touched by Pauls doctrine Acts 19.24 25 c. they made an uproar they would not endure that When ye look on any thing with a greedy and impatient longing lusting eye that if you do obtain it if God doth not otherwise order it will prove a snare to you as the Psalmist speaks Psal 69.22 an Idol an image of jealousie a curse and a crosse 2. When you have raised expectations and hopes of great contentment and satisfaction from your comforts when you promise to your selves greater matters from the creature than it can yeeld then you miscarry when you look on the creature through the multiplying glasse of your affections and lusts and see them as they are so represented bigger and better than they are and from thence you have high valuation of them and raised expectations also of great things from them when we fancie an excellency in the creature that is not we fancy a fullness in an empty thing a satisfaction in an insufficient unsatisfying comfort we fancie a stability in a vain fleeting vanishing thing when we fancie a fountain excâ—llency in a broken cistern as they did Jer. 2.13 then upon this the heart is raised to great expectations of pleasure profit c. then the heart shamefully miscarries and as it is said Rev. 13.3 4. there is a strange beast that turned the eyes of all the world after it they looked with an eye of great expectation from this beast and then they wondred and adored also so that they looked with an eye of admiration and adoration too 3. When the obedience and willing submission of the soul is brought off to any worldly comfort and the soul stoops to its scepter and the faculties like the Centurions servants doe as they are bid such comforts which are slavishly obeyed are sinnefully enjoyed When we are afraid to displease them the fear is at command when we are carefull to please such a lust then the care is under subjection when we are troubled if crossed then our sorrow is at command if rejoyced when that is gratified then the love and delight of the soul are at command And his servants ye are to whom ye obey Rom. 6.16 When the soul is even as the servant that looks to the hand of the Master with an obediential eye Ps 123.2 expecting a command and ready to yeeld obedience such a comfort is a sin and a curse to you Christ calls to us to deny our selves Matth. 16.24 Profits pleasures carnall advantages say rather deny Christs command Who is obeyed Christ saith mortifie your lusts lust saith gratifie us consider who is obeyed If family duties and personall private duties if praying holy meditation secret close communion with God be neglected because multitude of worldly businesse and full and great Trade in the world commands you another way and requires the love and zeal and strength and care of the heart to another attendance then you are under another Sovereign than Christ The obedience of the heart is carried to another Law other Lords rule over you Now the soul that is under the command of the creature as I have shewed that comfort becomes a sin which usurps the throne of the heart 4. When the soul groweth very tender and compassionate towards such a comfort and begins to spare that above other things then that becomes a lust and lust is very tender and delicate and must be tenderly used right eyes are very tender the least touch fetcheth teares when thou canst not endure that either the Word of God or the Rod of God should come too near or so much as touch upon such a carnall contentment such a comfort such a Husband such a Wife or Child thou canst not indure that the Lord should smite thee in any of these but thou cryest out Oh spare this as David concerning his Absalom 2 Sam. 18.4 5. Oh tender the young man pray deal gently with him and as old Jacob with his Benjamin He could more easily spare his other children than him he looked with a very tender compassionate eye on him What ever thou dost enjoy with such a tender bleeding heart and eye it hath ravished thy heart very far and it is
professed he would love God dearly Psal 18.1 because he had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies 3. Eminent readinesse to hear prayer when God doth as to Jephthah speedily hear or as to Jacob continue still to hear for many years together 4. More than ordinary obliging considerations to draw forth our obedience too such Providences have tongues to call for our faith our love our prayers our obedience and our praises What shall I render to the Lord is the serious well advised votaries enquiry 5. A most undoubted evidence appropriating this to the Lord that the expecting Christian can truly say it was the Lord's doing and his onely none bore part in the work none shall bear away share of his trust love prayer or observant obedience due to him from me Now if these particulars be considered it cannot sure be doubted longer whether well composed vowes do promote Religion when they do so engage and quicken those who vow to such Acts of Duty to such exercise of Grace to such opposition of sinne to such improvement of providence for the increase of Grace And what is Religion but all these in one word and what is the promoting of Religion but the facilitating continuing and perfecting of all these which is not a little furthered by such Vowes It yet remains to shew Whence these well composed Vowes have Generall 5 such influence on Religion what have they in them more than ordinary thus to promote it To this I will answer as briefly as I may There is in such Vowes a most notable awakening and quickeng power which sets all a mans care wisedom truth and strength on work to do the things whereby Religion is so much promoted 1. A deep rooted naturall reverence and awe of a serious Vow which makes the man who hath so much sense of Religion as to make a Vow to have as much care of performing it Man is readier to cast off the reverence he owes to Gods Law than to cast off the regard he hath to his own Vow so that many times it is very expedient to engage by Vow to do what is our duty by the Law of God The bond of naturall conscience is very strong and Vowes have much of their strength from it and thereby become great supporters of Religion 2. To this the Christian hath a superadded strict command and prescript of the Law of God indispensably requiring the performance of that Vow which is lawfull and possible I have opened my mouth and I cannot go back Judg. 11.35 It is the unalterable Law if you vow you must pay Psal 76.12 God did indulge the Jews so farre as to redeem some of their vowes but he allowed none to break them Read that Deut. 23.21 When thou shalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God thou shalt not slack to pay it for the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee And ver 23. That which is gone out of thy lips thou shalt keep and perform Now when so much of Religion lieth in and dependeth on such Vowes and these Vowes are such inviolable ties that God will wink at none who break them they cannot but have such influence and strong operation on persons to the advantage of Religion 3. Gods severe judgments on contemners of their Vowes adde much to their influence I will not mention examples of vengeance on Heathens for breach of their vowes though the Idol deserved not better yet God who is the true God would have men know such sacred bonds as Vowes should not be profaned by sleight performing or contemned by a totall neglect of them The Jewish Rabbies tell us that God punished Jacob for neglecting his Vow by Dinah's miscarriage However it is enough God hath threatned the falsifier of his vowes with no lesse than a destruction of the works of his hands if not with the ruin of his person God will not let such one go unpunished Ne sacrum ejus nomen ludibrio exponeretur neve populus assaesceret ad impium ejus contemptum si fraudator impunè negaret quod Deo promiserat Bucanus loc com 45 de Vol. lest his holy Name should be scorned lest the people should be accustomed to an impious contempt of him if the falsifiâ—r of his Vow should deny what he had promised to god â—nd go unpunished In one word that which stands thus on the unchangeable Law of Nature and is written on the conscience what is confirmed and ratified by the peremptory positive Law of God what is yet further armed with the terrible threat of the God of Heaven must needs have a mighty binding strength in it obliging men But now all these concurre in Vowes well composed and hence they have such influence on Religious persons You may adde the 4th viz. The gratious acceptance that God gives to persons so vowing and performing their Vowes With 5ly The signall Blessings crowning Religious persons in due performance â—f their Vowes All which make them carefull to vow so that they may say they will pay their Vowes and in paying them render to the Lord for all his benefits 6. Gener. viz. Vse I am come now to the last thing I intended the practicall application of this Practicall Case And here Reader I shall be briefer than I first purposed because I was enforced by the undiscerned speed of the time outrunning me in preaching it to contract much more than I was willing to have done The first Vse then 1Vse Informs if well composed Vowes do indeed much promote Religion it will teach us how carefull we should be in making our Vowes to the greatest advantage of Religion If you look to the necessary requisites of such Vowes it will appear to you that you need a great care and diligence in making them if you look to Religions losse in breach of Vowes or its gain in a faithfull performance of them the care will appear double if you look to your obligation under which you are to performe them it will appear yet further needfull that you be very wary and circumspectly carefull how you make them the rash and inconsiderate person who cares not how he makes will not care whether he performe his Vowes And what a reproach is this to his Religion what a provocation is this to his God to destroy either him or the works of his hand And all these bespeak your care and advise you to circumspection in this case Do you not find it hard enough to discern what is daily and ordinarily to be done under daily and ordinary occurrences are you not in great care to frame your selves fitly and comely to every dayes businesse you have to do among men especially when you come within the tye of a promise to them How solicitous are you what and when and on what terms you promise How you shall performe and so keep your word and credit Any competent measure of honesty and regard to reputation will
Vowes art thou under any or no I am perswaded now thou canst not deny it methinks I could believe I heard thee say such a Feaver such an Ague the small Pox a Surfet the Pestilence or some such disease made me Vow to be another man to destroy sinne to exercise grace to love God to hate lust to be holy and heavenly Now thou seest thy bond where is thy payment of thy debt Oh how few do well keep any how much fewer do well keep their sick-bed Vowes as if these Vowes were as sickly as their makers and doomed to as short a life as the sick Votary thought he had been doomed to Reader thy conscience tels thee what thou canst answer or what thou must confesse in this matter and upon thy consciences answer I have advice for thee if thou art conscious 1. Of totall neglect go speedily on thy knees blesse infinite patience humble thy self before infinite grace get out thy pardon and whilst God saith by me by these lines defer not to pay be thou honest to thy word thankfull to thy God advantageous to Religion and an example of reformation lest next sicknesse be thy death and thy Vowes be thy sinne which shut out thy hopes of praying and speeding God delights not to answer such fools thou maist find Motives enough to hasten thee to this duty from Eccl. 5.2 4 5 6. which I commend to thy thoughts with these Quaeries 1. Is not God in Heaven and thou on earth 2. And Is not thy Vow made to this great God 3. And Is not this Vow thy voluntary debt And 4. Doth God require present payment Or indeed 5. Wilt thou worse thy condition by Vowing Or 6. Wilt thou provoke Gods anger and displeasure 7. Dar'st thou venture on threatned destruction These are Solomon's Motives to a punctuall and present payment of Vowes I offer them to awake thee from neglect of thy Vowes Or Secondly Hast thou Vowed and performed in part but not fully hast thou done somewhat but not all of that thou hast promised and Vowed I advise 1. See what hindred wast thou rash in promising more than thou couldst do is this the reason thou didest not all because some of it was out of thy power thou must be humbled for thy rash Vow and if ever it come within thy power do it 2. See whether thy sloth and negligence did not hinder when thou mightest have performed but now it is out of thy power and thou canst not this is a high breach of thy Vowes and I know no way for thee but due and seasonable repentance and confessing that God may pardon thee and be thou better in what thou canst since thou canst not be so good in this thou shouldest 3. See whether it continue yet in thy power to do though as yet thou hast not done it and if so be affected with the sight of thy unthankfullnesse but remove this sinne by performing thy Vowes for God will not release the promise nor cancell the Bond untill the debt be paid by him who hath power in his hand and may do it But What if it were in my power when I Vowed Dub. but since that time providence hath put it out of my power I was rich when I Vowed to relieve the poore but when I was recovered God suffered me to be spoiled as Job was what shall I do then 1. Thy Vow well composed engaged thee so far as it was in thy power Sol. 1 Remember a well-advised Vow hath this expresse condition or this implyed so far and so long as it is in my power to do untill I have done all The tenth of all I have of all that God shall give me saith Jacob I will give to God now if the Lord exercise his bounty to Jacob Jacob is ingaged then he hath power and can do it if God make Jacob poore the limitation his Vow implyed in it doth quit him Secondly So far as God puts it out of thy power so far he releaseth Sol. 2 thee from the debt When God by his providence overruling all doth disable thee to the payment then he dischargeth thee from the bond this is Gods reall discharge and cancelling of the Obligation Are well composed Vowes such promoters of Religion and are Vse 3 they to be made so warily and do they bind so strictly Then be sure to wait untill God give you just and fit seasons for Vowing be not over-hasty to Vow it is an inconsiderace and foolish haste of Christians to make more occasions of Vowing than God doth make for them Make your Vowes and spare not so often as God bids you but do not do it oftner you would wonder I should disswade from Vowing often when you have such constant mercies and wonder well you might if God did expect your extraordinary bond and security for every ordinary mercy but he requires it not he is content with ordinary security of gratitude for ordinary mercies when he cals for extraordinary security and acknowledgment by giving extraordinary mercies then give it and do it 1. Chearfully enter such bonds willingly 2. Pay the bond punctually at its time 3. Pay it fully in the whole of it so do it that you may say I will chearfully and of choise so do it that you may call it a paying punctually and fully And this will be accounted a rendring to the Lord and a reall promoting of Religion by setting forth our debt and the Lords goodnesse to which we are endebted Fear not to give thy God double security when he requires it Fail not to pay readily and fully when pay day comes for the Lord doth expect and command thee so to do and if thou do willfully make default he will lay folly to thy charge and take the forfeiture of thy bond and make thee know it too some way or other to thy grief and trouble keep out so long or get out of such debts so soon as thou canst Pay the Lord thy Vowes How are we compleat in Christ COL 3. last clause of ver 11. But Christ is all and in all THe great concernment of lost creatures is above all things to mind salvation this is the one thing needfull Luk. 10.42 Act. 16.30 this should be the great enquiry and in the neglect of this all our other endeavours are no better than laborious trifles The great danger which even they are in who seriously mind salvation is least they build upon some sandy foundation seeking Heaven in those wayes which lead not thither The great design of Satan is either to detain poor undone creatures in a totall neglect of salvation or to deceive them in the way and means thereof 't is therefore the great care of the Apostle as in other Scriptures so in this not only to undeceive the world as to those mistakes which prevailed then but to point out the right the proper the onely sure way of salvation viz. through Christ whom he here declares
affections both in the desires in the affections in the use in the injoyments and moderate our cares and griefs in the losse and want of worldly things to have them as if we had them not to rejoyce in and for them as if we rejoyced not to grieve for the want of them as if we grieved not seeing they are to us as if they were not they are a scheame a representation that passeth away Gal. 6.15 Nay if the world be not crucified to us and we to the world we are still in danger of this gall of bitternesse this leaven of hypocrisie This is exemplified in the Jews in Babylon they would come to the Prophet and sit before him as Gods people with much seeming reverence and appearance of devotion and affection they hear thy words but they will not doe them for with their mouth they shew much love Ezech. 33.31 but their heart goeth after their covetousnesse Therefore as you love your souls beware of the love of the world and set not your affections on things below but on things above else you will not be able to avoid the guilt and danger of hypocrisie A not loving the Word of God a not receiving it as the Word of Sign 2 God when it comes as the Word of God in power It is the property of the Word of God to be quick and powerfull 1 Thess 1.5 sharper than any two-edged sword piercing to the dividing of soul and spirit and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart Heb. 4.12 2 Cor. 10.5 to cast down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth it self against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ This is the Word of God and this it doth as the Word of God these are the properties of it Such a Word of God an hypocrite can not love because he loves this carnal sinfull self he loves his lusts which this Word opposeth He flattereth himself in his own eyes until his iniquities be found to be hatefull The Word in power will shew him that all is ill Psal 36.2 when he flattereth himself that all is very well Hast thou found me O mine enemy saith Ahab An hypocrite thinks he hath no greater enemy than a faithfull Minister because hypocrisie hath no greater enemy than the Word of Truth which will detect and make it odious 1 King 21.20 1 King 22.8 So Ahab hated Micaiah and his Ministry because he prophesied evil to him in his evil wayes he spake the Word of God the truth to him which Ahabs corrupt life Mark 6 17 18 20. and hypocritical heart could not bear Herod heard John Baptist gladly in other things but when he preached against his having his brothers wife when he came home to his conscience to his very darling fin then Herod stopt his mouth shut him up inprison Felix trembles and dismisseth Paul when he came so close Act. 24.25 an hypocrite may love to hear the same Minister on another subject The very notion of Religion is amiable and acceptable to ingenuous persons nay he may love the Word may come to others but to himself during the predominancy of hypocrisie that the powerfull Word neither read nor preached can be welcome because it applies it self to the cutting off of his right hand Mat. 5. and plucking out his right eye Sign 3 3. A long and continual unprofitableness under the powerfull Word of God is a fearfull sign of hypocrisie What warnings and instructions had Judas What convictions and reprehensions had Ahab and Herod and yet as to those things which the word opposed they were still the same men If men that hear much minde nothing if there be no change no alteration but they are still where and what they were where they are still as carnal as earthly as they were ten twenty years ago though they hear much and are as earth that drinketh in the rain nay though they have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come if yet they bring not forth meet fruit for him that dresseth it that ground is rejected that heart is near to cursing and burning Heb. 6.7 8. there is some guile and hypocrisie there there would be some growing else When the word is precept upon precept line upon line i. e. 1 Pet. 2.2 very plentifull and yet no amendment there is hypocrisie they will fall backward Hos 6.4 5. be broken and snared and taken Oh 't is no small matter to be dead unprofitable unaltered hearers It is a fearfull sign of hypocrisie and that there are many hypocrites in the bosome of the Church 4. The principles and ends of mens actions and performances are a Sign 4 great discovery of the sincerity or insincerity of mens hearts If mens principles be no higher than good education Act. 26.5 Phil. 3.5 6. and being conversant with good or strict men which seems to be Pauls case or no higher than good nature and moral qualifications Mark 10. this seems to be the young mans case they are no farther than those were at that time in an ignorant and insincere condition He that is really and sincerely a good Christian doth all as from God and Christ he is all and in all Christ is wisdome and sanctification to him Col. 2.11 1 Cor. 1.30 He acts and performs duties not onely from strength of parts and acquired qualifications but from strength of grace and infused habits from God and for God from a new heart Ezek. 36.25 Rom. 11.24 â—er 21.33 Rom. 3.5 2 Cor. 5.19 2 Pet. 1.4 Eph. 3.17 2 Cor. 13.5 Ier. 32.40 from the Law written in the heart from the love of God shed abroad in the heart and constraining to love from the Divine nature communicated to the heart from Christ by his Spirit dwelling in the heart from the fear of God possessing and establishing the heart These be the springs and principles of a sincere Christians spiritual life and actions and where they act and bear rule it is no wonder if such motions and performances be produced as the world may admire hut not imitate Sauls life after his Conversion was a kinde of constant miracle so much he did and so much he suffered and so much denied himself that if he lived in these dayes his life would be a miracle but yet if we consider the principles that he was acted by the great wonder will be not that he did so much but that he did no more for saith he Christ liveth in me and the life that I live I live by the faith of the Son of God c. Gal. 2.20 And so the ends of a mans actions are a great discovery of sincerity or hypocrisie If a mans ends be lower than God himself and obeying glorifying walking with and injoying God if either praise gain reputation nay acceptation with good people nay if a
Tim. 1.15 Some have left their Love Rev. 2.3 Some left the Faith 1 Tim. 5.12 Some have turned after the world as Demas 2 Tim. 4 10. Some have turned aside after Satan 1 Tim. 5.15 And would to God there were no Example to be given in our age and observation it is that which the professors of a true Religion are more subject to then those of a false Jer. 21.1 Hath a nation changâ—d their god which yet are no gods but my people have changed their glory for that which doâ—h not profit Now there are three falls to which men are subject 1. Some fall as wood or Cork into the water sink at first Mat. 14.31 Act. 27.20 and 44. but get up again being helped by the hand of divine grace as Peter or brought off by a miracle of mercy as Paul and his company after all hopes of safety were quite taken a way This the fall of the godly 2. Some fall as lead or stone into the bottom of hell as Pharaohs host into the bottom of the sea and never rise again Exod. 15. having neither promise of God nor seed of God to raise them up again 1 Tim. 1.19 but make a final shipwarck of faith and conscience and of their souls together This the fall of the wicked 3. There is a mixt fall common to both which is like the falling into an Epidemical Disease whereof many dye and as many recover of which in their order There are four kinds or degrees of falling which the people of God are subject to And four kinds or degrees to which the wicked are subject and each latter is worse then other in them both 1. The first and lightest fall of the godly 4. Falls of thâ— Godly is that in their daily combate between flesh and spirit set out Rom. 7. at large and Gal. 5.17 We cannot do what we would but fail or fall short after our best endeavours Our duties are imperfect graces defective our gold and silver drossy our wine mixt with water Sin deceiveth surprizeth captiveth slayeth yet reigneth not all this while It is not I but sin that dwels in me I consent to the Law I delight in the law of God even in my inner man c. These falls or slips are unavoydable involuntary there is no Saint but complains of them no duty but is stained with them In our clearest Sun-shine we see a world of such Moats which yet hinder not the light and comfort of our Justification and destroy not Sanctification True grace consists with these Velimus nolimus Irruunt in nos Egyptiorum muscae obstrepunt Ranae in Cubilibus Regiis Prov. 24.16 yea is not separated from the assaults and induelling of such motions Will we Nill we said Bernard We are pesterd with swarms of these Egyptian flyes and have these frogs in our inmost chambers We are none of us Supralapsarians in this sense but Sub-lapsarians all yea and Relapsarians too The just falleth seven times a day by this infirmity and riseth again and taketh no harm but is kept humble and depending thereby Every son and daughter of Abraham is kept bound under this spirit of infirmity to their dying day This first fall is but like the fall of a mist in a winter morning the Sun gets up and it is a fair day after This is the first fall The second is worse which is 2. An actual visible stumble as to offence of others yet occasioned by some surreptitious surprize of temptation for want of that due consideration which we should always have this Gal. 6.1 the Apostle calls a mans being overtaken with a fault who is to be restored with a spirit of meekness considering we also may be tempted such falls or slips rather all or most are subject to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jam. 3.2 In many things we offend all We sometimes trip or slip or misse our hold so the word signifies and so down we come but not out of choice Thus did Peter slip or halt Gal. 2.14 when he did Judaise out of too much complyance with the Jewes whom therefore Paul did rebuke and restore Thus the Disciples slipt when they in zeale to Christ would have fire fetcht down from heaven upon those that would not receive them Luk. 9.54 55. whom Christ set right with a spirit of meekness These slips or falls are like those of him whose foot is wrenched or out of joynt whence he halts till it be set right Thus Peter is said to halt Gal. 2.14 he did not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 only not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but when Paul had set his wrenched foot he went upright ever after Hence that word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gal. 6.1 restore is a Chirurgeons word to set him right as a bone out of joynt He that shall be censorious and severe against these two first kind of falls incident to most let him as Constantine said to Acesius the Novatian Bishop Get himselfe a ladder Socr. l. 1. c. 7. and climbe up to heaven by himselfe he should have but a few come there else 3. The third fall is much worse a fall from the third lost whence like Eutichus they are taken up dead for the present but they come to themselves again These are falls into grosser and more scandalous sins which do Vastare conscientiam set the stacks or Corn-fields of Conscience on fire whereas the other two forenamed especially the former are such as Tertullian calls Quotidianae Incursionis these are very dangerous and befall not all Professors they had not need but now and then one falls into some scandalous sin but they not usually again into the same sin after sense and repentance of it Thus fell David and Peter into foul flagitiousness but not deliberately nor totally nor finally nor reiteratedly Sin raged indeed and seemed to reign for the present Moses hands grew weak and the hand of Amaleck prevailed for the present But a seed of God was in them 1 John 3.9 and they could not sin unto death but were renewed to repentance and their sins are blotted out This fall is like the fall of the Leafe in Autumn life remains safe a Spring in due time follows though many a cold blast first 4. There is yet one worse fall than these former incident to a child of God too to be of the decaying hand and to remit and lose his former fervour and livelinesse And it may be he never comes as the second Temple up to the former pitch and glory Ezra 3.12 1 King 11 4 9 10. Thus Solomons zeale and love was abated in his old age as his father Davids naturall heat was in his age that he needed an Abishag to lye in his bosome Incepit melius quâ—m definit Vltima primit cedunt dissimilis hâ—c puer ille senex so was Solomons spirituall heat cooled by the many Abishags that lay in his bosome and