4 And lastly The Reason why Christ gives his best gifts to his best beloved ones For the first What are those best gifts that Christ bestowes upon his best beloved ones I shall not instance in those Common gifts that they have in common with others But rather shew unto you those speciall gifts that he bestowes upon them and of those I shall single out them that are most choyce and that carry most in them of the glory favour and good will of him that dwelt in the Bush And the first is this He gives Light to his beloved ones and Light is a pleasant Eccles 11. 7. thing to behold as the wise man speaks He gives spirituall light which is a mercy of mercies Ephes 5. 14. Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead and Christ shall * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Some upon thee Life â—â—hâ—uâ—lighâ—s but a lifelesse life give thee light So John 1. 7 8 9. He was not that light but was sent to bear witnesse of that light that was the true light that lightneth every man that cometh into the world Vide Cameron and Augustine on the words When Telemachus saw a great light that guided him and his father in a dark Roâ—me Surely sed he there is some God in it Mal. 4. 2. He gives that light whereby his people are inabled to see sin to be the greatest evill and himselfe to be the chiefest good He gives that light that melts the soule that humbles the soule that warmes the soule that quickens the soule that quiets the soule and that glads the soule Man is not borne with heavenly light in his heart as he is borne with a tongue in his mouth Till Christ comes and sets up a light in the soule the soule lives in darknesse and lyes in darknesse yea is darknesse in the very abstract Ephes 5. 8. Ye were sometimes darknesse but now are ye light in the Lord. Saints are alwayes in the Sun-shine therefore they should be like a Christall glasse with a light in the midst which appeareth in every part A Christian should be like the Lamp in the story that never 2 Cor. 3. 5. If there be such a power in fallen man to repent and believe c. to what purpose was the coming of Christ into the world 1 John 2. 9 1 John 3. 8. And why doe naturall men when their consciences are awaken'd so cry out That they arâ— as able to stop the Sun in his course to raise the dead and to make a world as they are able of themselves to repent c. went out Were it not for the Sun it would be perpetuall night in the world notwithstanding all Star-light and Torch-light and Moon-light 'T is not the Torch-light of Naturall parts and Creature-comforts nor the Star-light of Civill honesty and Common gifts Nor yet the Moon-light of temporary faith and formall profession that can make day in the soule till the Son of righteousnesse rise and shine upon it And that 's the first thing he gives Light Now the second thing he gives is Repentance Repentance is not a Flower that growes in Natures Garden Acts 5. 31. Him hath God the father exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour to give Repentance to Israel and forgivenesse of sins So in 2 Tim. 2. 25. The servant of the Lord must in meeknesse instruct those that oppose themselves if God peradventure will give them Repentance to the acknowledging of the truth By these Scriptures 't is clear that Repentance is no flower that growes in Natures Garden though Arminians teach and Print That if men will but put out their power and their strength they may repent c. But severall that have been of this Opinion have experienced the falsenesse of it when it ha's been too late The Ethiopian cannot change his skin nor the Leopard his spots Jer. 13. 23. And certainly if there were such a power in man to repent as some would make the world believe man would never miscarry everlastingly for his not repenting Oh! is it good dwelling with everlasting burnings with a devouring fire Is it good being for ever shut out from the presence of the Aut paenitendum out pereundum Lord and the glory of his power Certainly if there were such a power in vaine man to repent no man would goe to hell for not repenting And many that have boasted much of their abilities to repent when they have been upon a dying bed would have given a thousand worlds were there so many in their power that they could but repent Luther confesses That before his Conversion he met not Homo ipsius paenitentiae paenitere debâ—t Salv. Paenitens de peccato dolet de dolore gaudeâ— Luther with a more displeasing word in all the study of Divinity then this word Repent But after the Lord had converted him and manifested himselfe to him he delighted in this worke Then he could sorrow for his sins and rejoyce in his sorrow Repentance strips the soule stark naked of all the Garments of the old Adam and leaves not so much as the shirt behind In this rotten building there is not one stone left upon another As the Flood drowned Noah's owne friends and servants as well as strangers so true Repentance drownes all darling lusts True Repentance is the cutting off the right hand and the pulling out of the right eye and is this such an easie thing surely no. True Repentance is a gift that is from above and if the Lord does not give it man will eternally perish for the want of it You may read much more of this in my Treatise call'd HEAVEN ON EARTH Thirdly Christ gives his Spirit Rom. 5. 5. The love of Spiritus sanctus estres delicata God is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost which is given unto us So in 1 John 3. ult And hereby we know that he abideth in us how by the spirit which he hath given John 14. 26. us So in Chap. 4. 13. The spirit that the Lord Christ gives is an inlightning spirit 't is the Candle of the Lord set up in the hearts of the Saints to guide them in the way everlasting 'T is a sanctifying spirit a spirit of burning Isa 4. 4. He is a fire to inlighten the soule and a fire to inliven the soule and Nil nisi sanctum a sancto spiritu prediere potest a fire to warme the soule c. Whatsoever is of the spirit is spirit It is nimble and lively and active and full of life and motion as the Spirit is A man without the spirit of the Lord is a dull dromish Creature as the Latines call a dull dromish man A fire-lesse man so we may call a man that hath not the spirit a spiritlesse man The spirit that Christ gives is A sealing spirit Ephes 1. 13. and a Leading spirit Rom. 8. He leads from sin he leads from wrath he leads from
yet I can truly say I dearly love the people of Christ for the Image of Christ that I see stampt upon them 'T is true I dare not say Christ is mine and heaven is mine I cannot say with such and such The Lord is my Portion yet I can say that I dearly love those that have the Lord for their portion I can truly say that the poorest and the most neglected and the most despised Saint in the world is more pretious in my eye and more deare to my soule then the greatest and the richest sinner in the world Psalme 16. 3. Well is this all O weake Saint that thou hast to say No Sir I have one thing more What 's that Why that 's this Though I dare not say that I have an interest in Christ or that I love Christ yet I dare say That my soule weeps and mournes in secret for the dishonour that is done to Christ both by my selfe and by others also I can look the Lord in the face were I now to dye and say Lord thou that knowest all thoughts and hearts thou doest know that mine eyes run downe with Rivers of teares because men keepe not thy Law Well is this all No Sir I crave your patience to heare me in one thing more What 's that O weake Christian Why that is this That I prize persons and things according to the spiritualnesse and holinesse that is in them and the more spirituall and holy any man or thing is the more is that man and thing prized by my soule I have often thought of that sweet word Psal 119. 104. Thy word is very pure therefore doth thy Much in the word is wrapt up in a little 't is more to be admired then to have Homers I liads comprized in a nut-shel The word is like the stone Garamantides that hath dâ—ops within it selfe enriching of the gracious soul servant love it Other men love it because of the profit they get by it or because of a name or this or that but I love it for the purity for the holinesse and the cleannesse of it No preaching saith the weak Saint nor no praying nor no talking nor no society that likes me and is sweet to me but that that 's most spirituall most holy It is not an Exercise trick'd and trim'd up with wit learning and eloquence 't is not the hanging of truths ears with counterfet Pearles that takes me but the more plainnesse spirituallnesse and holinesse I see in an Exercise the more is my heart raised to prize it and love it And therefore saith the weak Saint because Christ is perfectly and infinitely holy above all others I prize Christ above all Ordinances are sweet O but Christ is more sweet to my soule Saints are precious but Christ is far more precious Heaven is glorious but Christ is infinitely more glorious The first thing that I would ask if I might have it saith the weak Saint is Christ And the next thing that I would ask if I might have it is more of Christ And the last None but Christ none but Christ â—â—id the Martyr thing that I would ask if I might have it is that I might be saâ—iated and filled with the fullnesse of Christ Let the Ambition man take the honours of the world so I may but have Christ Let the Voluptuous man swim in all the pleasures of the world so I may have Christ And let the covetous man tumble up and downe in all the gold and silver of the world so I may have Christ and it shall be enough to my soule Well is this all O weake Saint No Sir I have one thing more to say What 's that Why it is this I find the same Conflict in my soule that Paul found in IX The best Saints in this world are lâ—ke the Tribe of Manasses halfe on this side Jordan in the Land of the Amorites and halfe on that side in the holyland And tho to be kept from sinne brings most comfâ—rt to a poore soule yet for a poore souâ—e to oppose sin and God to pardon sinne that brings most glory to God 2 Cor. 12. 7 8 9. X. Sozonem râ—lates of one who was as circumspect to be seen as to be A gracious soule is as carefull that he does not indanger another by a bad life as he is carefull to save his own life his soule after he was converted neere upon 14 years after he was taken up into as clear and choyce injoyments of God as any soule that ever I read of The Conflict that is mentioned Rom. 7. I find in my soule the whole frame of my soule understanding will and affections are set against sin I find that I hate the evill that I doe and I find That the good that I would doe I doe not and the evill that I would not doe that doe I. I find a Law in my Members rebelling against the Law of my mind and leading of me Captive to the Law of sin And this makes me often to cry out with Paul O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death Therefore I sometime hope that those sins that are now my burden shall never hereafter be my bane Well and is this all O weake Saint No Sir I have one thing more to say What 's that Why it is this I can truly say when the Lord gives me any strength against sin and any power to serve him and to walk close with him in his wayes it is a greater joy and comfort to my soule then all the blessings of this life Though I have not yet seen that he ha's set me as a seale upon his heart as a seale upon his arme Though I have not yet the clear assurance of his love Though his Spirit hath not yet set up such a light in my soule whereby I might run and read my right and title to himselfe and heaven yet when he doth give me but a little light through a crevis when he does but begin to cause his love to dawne upon me when he gives me but a little strength against sin and a little power to walk close with himselfe c. O this doth administer more abiding joy and more sweet peace and more sollid comfort to my soule then all the riches honours friends and favours of this world Well is this all O weake Saint No Sir I have one thing more to say What 's that Why that is this Though my interest in Christ be not cleer to me yet I can XI Psal 101. 3. Psal 139. 21 22. Psal 120. 6. truly say I would not change my condition with the men of this world for a thousand worlds 'T is true I cannot say that I have the seale and witnesse of the Spirit that many talk and boast of though I fear but a few injoy yet I can really say That I would not change my estate with men meerly civill nor with the
these precious Gifts are denyed Let us therefore sit downe and wonder at this O Lord Jesus saith Bernard breaking sorth into an admiration of Christs love I love thee plusquam mea plusquam ineos plusquam me more then all my goods more then all my friends yeâ— more then my very selfe c. condiscending love of God Oh! we were once poore wretches siting upon the dunghill yea wallowing in our blood and yet behold the King of Kings the Lord of Lords ha's so far condiscended in his love as to bestow himselfe his spirit his grace and all the Jewels of his Royal Crowne upon us Oh! what heart can conceive what tongue can expresse this matchlesse love I will be thine for ever sayes Christ and my spirit shall be thine for ever and my grace thine for ever and my glory thine for ever and my righteousnesse thine for ever all I am and all I have shall be thine for ever Oh Sirs what condiscending love is this Oh! what a Christ is this But then secondly Be greatly thankefull O be greatly thankefull for the great Gifts that Christ hath bestowed upon you It 's not a little thankfullnesse that will answer and suite to the great Gifts that the Lord Jesus hath bestowed upon you Psal 103. O say with the Psalmist What shall I render to the Lord for all his favours and great benefits I will take the cup of salvation and will call upon the name of the Lord. Yea say againe Psal 71. 14. Injuries shall be writ in the dust but our mercies on Mâ—rble that our hearts may be the better provokt to praise and thankfulnesse with the same Psalmist I will yet praise thee more and more Or as 't is in the Hebrew I will add to thy praise Oh when thou lookest upon the Jewels the Pearles that Christ hath given thee say Lord I will praise thee more and more I will rise higher and higher in thy praises I will be still a adding to thy praise The very Law of Nature bespeaks great thankfullnesse where great favours are given and the Law of Custome bespeaks it and doth not the Law of grace bespeak it much more When Tamerlin had taken Bajazet among other Questions he askt him If ever he had given God thanks for making him so great an Emperour He confest immediately That he never thought of that To whom Tamerlin replied Turk Hist 220 c. 'T is no wonder so ungratefull a man should be made a spectacle of misery Oh! what doe they then deserve that are unthankfull for spirituall favours Tell me O Christians are not the Gifts that Christ ha's confer'd upon you peculiar Gifts And will you not be thankfull for them Were they There are but few upon whom God bestoweth his love 'T was alwayes a principle in morality that sweet and intimate friendship cannot be extended to many friends usually goe by paires but common Gifts you ought to be thankfull for them how much more then for peculiar Gifts for right-handed favours Tell me are not the Gifts that Christ ha's given thee rare Gifts What hadst thou been if Christ had not made a difference between thee and others by those glorious Gifts that he ha's confer'd upon thee Thou lookest upon some and seest they are very ignorant Oh! what hadst thou been if God had not bestowed the Grace of knowledge upon thee Thou lookest upon other persons that are unclean prophane and filthy why such a wretch wouldst thou have been if the Lord had not made a difference between thee and them by bestowing himselfe his grace and spirit upon thee It was long since determined in the Schools That penitents had more reason to be thankefull then innocents Sin giving an advantage to mercy to be doubly free in giving and in pardoning And so the greater obligation is left upon us to thankfullnesse Luther hath a very famous story in his writing upon the fourth Commandement in the time of the Councel of Constance he tells you Of two Cardinalls that as they were riding to the Councel they saw a Shepheard in the field weeping one of them being affected with his weeping rode to him to comfort him and coming near to him he desired to know the reason of his weeping the Shepheard was unwilling to tell him at first but at last he told him saying I looking upon this Toad considered that I never praised God as I ought for making me such an excellent Creature as a man comely and reasonable I have not blessed him that he made me not such a deformed Toad as this The Cardinall hearing this and considering that God had done far greater things for him then for this poore Shepheard he fell downe dead from his Mule his servants lifting him up and bringing him to the City he came to life againe and then cryed out Oh Saint Austine how truly didst thou say The unlearned rise and take heaven by force and we with all our learning wallow in flesh and blood The application is easie Thirdly The next Use is this If the Lord hath given the best Gifts to his people then Oh that his people would not give God the worst but the best of every thing 'T is the most wicked aâ—aâ—ice to defraud God of the oblation of our selves saith Chrysost Oh! give the Lord the best of your strength the best of your time the best of your mercies and the best of your services who hath given to your soules the best of Gifts Num. 18. 29. Out of all your Gifts ye shall offer every heave Offring of the Lord of all the best thereof even the hallowed part thereof out of it So I say of all thy Offrings offer God the best who hath given to thee the best and greatest Gifts So in Exod. 35. 22. For the service of the Tabernacle they brought bracelets and ear-rings and rings and tables all Jewels of If a man should serve the Lord a thousand years saith Austin â— would net deserve an â—oure of the reward in Heaven no not a moment much lesse an Eternity And therefore sayes he we had need doe as much as we can and doe all that we doe as well as we can c. gold and every man that Offered Offered an Offering of Gold unto the Lord. They gave the best of the best and so must we O doe not offer to God the worst of your time the worst of your strength the worst of your mercies the worst of your services That same is a very dreadfull Text Mal. 1. 8. 13 14. compared And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice is it not evill And if ye offer the lame and the sick is it not evill Offer it now unto thy Governour will he be pleased with it and accept thy person saith the Lord of hosts Saith God will men be put off thus No I know they won't and why then should you deale worse with me then with men Thy Governours will have
To read much and practice nothing is to hunt much and catch nothing Suetonius reports of Julius Caesar That seeing Alexanders statue he fetched a deep sigh because he at that Age had done so little Ah! what cause have most to sigh that they have heard so much and read so much and yet done so little Surely 't is more honourable to doe great things then to speak or read great things 'T is the doer that will 'T was a saying of Augustine one thousand two hundred years agoe That we must take heed least whilst we fear our exhortation being cooled prayer be not â—amped and pride inflamed be most happy at last John 13. 17. In vitae libro Scribuntur qui quod possunt faciunt si quod debent non possunt Bâ—rn They are written in the Book of Life that doe what good they can though they cannot doe as they would I have read of a good man coming from a publick Lecture and being askt by one whether the Sermon was done answered with a sad sigh Ah! it is said but not done My third Request is this That you will pray over what you read Many read much and pray little and therefore get little by all they read Galen writes of a Fish called Vrana Scopos that ha's but one eye and yet looks continually up to Heaven When a Christian ha's one eye upon his Book the other should be looking up to Heaven for a blessing upon what he reads When one heard what admirable Victories Scanderbeg's Sword had wrought he would needs see it and when he saw it sayes he This is but an ordinary sword alasse what can this doe Scanderbeg sent him word I have sent thee my Sword but I have the arme that did all by it Alasse what can Christs Sword Christs word doe without his arm Therefore look up to Christs arme in prayer that so his Sword his word may doe great things in your soules Luther professeth That he profited more by prayer in a short space then by study in a longer as John by weeping got the sealed Book open My fourth Request to you is this That Ingratitude say some is a monster in nature a solicisme in manners and a Paradox in grace damning up the course of Donations Divine and humane if by the blessing of the Lord upon my weake endeavours any leafe or line should drop myrrhe or mercy marrow or fatnesse upon your spirits that you will give all the glory to the God of Heaven for to him alone it does belong Through grace I know I am a poore Worme I am nothing I have nothing but what I have received The Crowne becomes no head but Christs Let him who is our all in all have the honour and the glory of all and I have my end Pliny tells of some in the remote parts of India that have no mouths and yet live on the smell of Hearbs and sweet Flowers But I hope better things of you even such as accompany salvation My fifth Request to you is this That you would let me lye neere your hearts when you are in the Mount especially 1 Thess 5. 25. 2 Thess 3. 1. Heb. 13. 18. Col. 4. 3. Phil. 1. 19. â— Cor. 1. 11. Acts 12. 5. O pray pray hard for me that the spirit of the Lord may be redoubled upon me that his word may prosper in my mouth that it may run and be glorified and that I may be high in my communion with God and holy and unblameable in my walkings with God and that it may be still day with my soule that I may live and dye in the joyes and comforts of the holy Ghost and that when my Sun is set my glasse out my work done my race run I may rest in the Rev. 14. 13. everlasting armes of Divine love c. My last and least Request to you is this That you will please to cast a Mantle of love In every Pomgranate there is at least one rotten kernell to be found said Grates the Philosopher over the mistakes of the Presse and doe me that right and your selves the courtesie as before you read to correct any materiall faults that you shall find pointed at in the Errata Gods easie passing over the many and daily Errata's of your lives cannot but make you so ingenuous as readily to passe over the Errata's in this Book You are choice Jewels in my eye you lye neer unto my heart I am willing to spend and be spent for your sakes My earnest and humble desire is That my service and Rom. 15. 31. labour of love may be accepted by you and that it may worke much for your internall and eternall welfare And that an abundant 2 Pet. 1. 11. Ch. 1. 8. entrance may be administred to you into the everlasting Kingdome of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ And that you may be filled with joy unspeakable and full of glory and with that peace that passes understanding This is and by grace shall be the Prayer of him who desires to approve himselfe faithfull to Christ his truths his interests and his people and who is Your soules servant in all Gospel Engagements THOMAS BROOKS THE Contents THE words opened Page 1 2. The first Doctrine Those that are lowest in their owne esteem are highest in Gods estem Proved 3 c. Eighteen Properties of an humble soule 6. to 27. Five Reasons of the Point 27 30 Eight Motives to provoke persons to be humble 31 41 Nine Directions and Helps to keep us humble and low in our owne eyes 41 49 The dangerous Nature of Pride held forth in nine Propositions Also six wayes wherein Pride shewes it selfe 49 58 The second Doctrine All Saints are not of an equall cize and growth in grace and holinesse 58 59 Twelve things by which soules weake in grace are discovered and deciphered 59 75 Twelve Supports and Comforts to uphold Weake Christians Wherein also you may see how Christ and they are sharers 75 96 Six Duties that lye upon weake Siants And in the opening of them severall weighty Questions are propounded and answered 96-124 The Duties of strong Saints to the weake shewed in eleven particulars 124-136 The third Doctrine That the Lord gives the bests gifts to his best beloved ones 136 137. What those best gifts are that Christ bestowes upon his dearest ones shewed in ten particulars 137-147 The Difference between Christs giving and the worlds giving shewed in six things 147-149 The Excellency of those gifts that Christ gives above all other gifts that the world gives shewed in five things 149-151 Six Reasons why God gives the best gifts to his dearest ones 151-157 Eight Inferences or Vses made of this Point 157-165 A Word to Sinners 165-168 The fourth Doctrine That the gifts and graces that God bestowes upon his people should be improved imployed and exercised by his people This Point proved and opened 168-170 Twelve Reasons why gracious soules should exercise
basenesse and wickednesse whereby their carnall ends may be attain'd and themselves exalted but these men and their honour will quickly be laid in the dust Oh! but the readiest the surest the safest the sweetest way to attaine to true honour Qui parvus est in reputatione propria magnus est in reputatione divina Gregory 8 Motive is to be humble to lye low Humility makes a man precious in the eye of God He that is little in his owne account is great in Gods esteem The eighth and last Consideration that I shall propound is this Consider humility keeps the soule free from many darts of Satans casting and snares of his spreading As you may see in the three Children in Daniel and in those Worthies in the 11 of the Hebrewes of whom this world was not worthy As the lowest shrubs are freed from many violent gusts and blasts of wind which shake and rend the tallest Cedars So the humble soule is free from a world of temptations that proud and lofty soules are shaken and torne in pieces with The Devil hath least power to fasten a temptation upon an humble soule He that hath a gratious measure of Humility is neither affected with Satans proffers nor terrified with Satans threatniugs The golden Chaine does not allure him nor the iron Chaine does not daunt him I have read of one who seeing in a Vision many snares of Satan spread upon the earth he sate downe and mourned Quis pertran siet ista The answer was Humilitas pertransiet and said with himselfe Who shall passe through these whereunto he heard a voyce answering Humility shall passe through them A proud heart is as easily conquered as tempted vanquished as assaulted But the Humble soule when tempted sayes with that worthy Convert I am not the man that I was Ego non sum ego There was a time when my heart was proud and lifted up and then thou couldst no sooner knock but I opened no sooner call but I answered no sooner tempt but I did assent Oh! but now the Lord taught me to be humble I can resist though I can't dispute I can fight but not yeeld Mistriss Catherine Bretterge an humble precious soule being once in a great Conflict with Satan said thus to him Satan Reason not with me I am but a weake woman if thou hast any thing to say say it to my Christ he is my Advocate my strength and my Redeemer and he shall plead for me An humble soule is good at turning Satan over to the Lord Jesus and this increases Satans Hell It is reported of Satan that he should say thus of a Learned man Thou doest alwayes overcome me when I would throw thee downe thou liftest up Tu me semper vincis thy selfe in assurance of Faith and when I would exalt and promote thee thou keepest thy selfe in humility and so thou art too hard for me The onely way to avoid Cannon-shot as they say is to fall downe flat No such way to be freed from temptations as to keep low And so I have done with the first Head namely The Motives that should move and provoke us to keep humble to be base to be nothing in our owne eyes I shall now come to some Helps and Directions that may be usefull to keep us humble and low in our owne eyes And the first is this Dwell much upon the greatnesse of Gods mercy and goodnesse 1 Direction to you Nothing humbles and breaks the heart of a sinner like mercy and love Soules that converse much with sinne and wrath may be much terrified but souls that converse much 'T is said of Adam that he turned his â—â—ce to the Garden of Eden and wept sore with grace and mercy will be much humbled Luke 7. the Lord Jesus shewes mercy to that notorious sinner and then she falls downe at his feet and loves much and weeps much c. In the 1 Chron. 17. it was in the heart of David to build God a house God would not have him doe it yet the Messenger must tell David that God would build him a house and establish his Son upon the Throne for ever Look Vers 10 11. into the 15 16 17 verses and there you shall find that David le ts fall such an humble speech which he never did before that God had sent him that message of advancement And 2. Sam. 9. 7 8. David the King came and sat before the Lord and said Who am I O Lord God and what is mine house that thou hast As Honey flowes naturalâ—y from the Bee so does mercy flow naturally from God brought me hitherto And yet this was a small thing in thine eyes O God for thou hast also spoken of thy servants house for a great while to come c. And this sweetly and kindly melts him and humbles him before the Lord. Oh if ever you would have your soules kept low dwell upon the free grace and love of God to you in Christ Dwell upon the firstnesse of his love dwell upon the freenesse of his love the greatnesse of his love the fullnesse of his love the unchangeablenesse of his love the everlastingnesse of his love and the activity of his love if this doe not humble thee there is nothing on earth will doe it Dwell upon what God hath undertaken for you Dwell upon the choyce and worthy gifts that he ha's bestowed on you And dwell upon that glory and happinesse that he ha's prepared for you and then be proud if you can Secondly Keep faith in continuall exercise upon Christ as 2 Direction crucified and upon Christ as glorified There are two speciall sights of Christ that tend much to humble and abase a soule The one is A sight of Christ in his misery in the 12 of As one scale goes up the other goes downe So as faith goes up the heart goes downe Zech. ver 10. And the other is A sight of Christ in his glory Rev. 1. 7. Isa 6. 1 3 5. compared 'T is dangerous to be more notion then motion to have faith in the head and none in the heart to have an idle and not an active faith 'T is not enough for you to have faith but you must look to the acting of your faith upon Christ as crucified and upon Christ as glorified Soules much in this will be very little and low in their owne eyes The great reason why the soule is no more humble is because faith is no more active Thirdly Study your owne natures more and what ever evill 3 Direction you behold in other mens practises labour to see the same in your owne nature There is the seed of all sins of the vilest and worst of sins in the best men When thou seest another drunk thou mayest Imibria sued Scenola for that he received not his weapon deep enough into his body Aug. see the seed of that sin in thy owne nature When
fore-runner of a fall Pride goes before destruction and a haughty mind before a fall Herod fell from a Throne of Gold to a Bed of dust Prov. 16. 18. Chap. 18. 12. Nebuchadnezzar fell from the state of a mighty King to be a Beast Adam fell from Innocency to Mortality The Angels fell from Heaven to Hell from felicity to misery The tenth and last Proposition is this God will by an invisible power carry the day against proud soules You that it escape and ruffle it out and carry it with a high hand remember this God will by an invisible power carry the day against you when you think not of it he will Pope Innocent the fourth as he was walking securely in his Pallace heard that sorrowfull and dreadfull Summons Veni miser in judicium come thou wretch receive thy judgement and soon after he was found dead Eccl. 8. 11. eat you out like a Moth. Isa 47. 10 11. For thou hast trusted in thy wickednesse thou hast said None seeth me Thy wisedome and thy knowledge it hath perverted thee And thou hast said in thine heart I am and none else besides me Therefore shall evill come upon thee thou shalt not know from whence it riseth and mischiefe shall fall upon thee thou shalt not be able to put it off And desolation shall come upon thee suddainly which thou shalt not know Impunity oftentimes causeth impudency but Quod defertyr non aufertur Forbearance is no Acquittance The longer the hand is lifted up the heas vier will be the blow at last Of all Mettals Lead is the coldest but being melted it becomes the hottest Humble souleknow how to apply this and Proud soules shall sooner or later experience this I shall now proceed to a second Observation namely That all Saints are not of an equall cize and growth in Grace and Holinesse Some are higher and some are lower some are stronger and some are weaker in spirituall Graces and Heavenly Excellencies Vnto me who am lesse then the least c. Among true Believers some may be found to be but weak Believers This Point flowes as naturall from the words as the stream do's from the fountaine and no Point more clear in all the Scripture then this In Rom. 14. 1. you read of some that are weake in the faith Them that are weake in the faith receive saith the Apostle None are to be rejected in whom Aliquid Christi any thing of Christ is to be found And so Mat. 14. 31. there is mention made of little faith 1 Cor. 9. 22. To the weak became I as weake that I might gaine the weake You read of Babes in Grace 1 Pet. 2. 2 3. As new borne babes desire the sincere milke of the word that you may grow thereby if so be that yee have tasted that the Lord is gratious 1 John 2. 12 13 14. there is mention made of little children of young men and of Fathers All are not Fathers in grace nor all are not young men in grace there are some Children in grace It is with Christians as t is with Planets The Moon goes her course in a month the Sun in a year the rest not in many years yet at length they finish A Christian in this life hath his degrees of growth he is first a Child in Grace and then a young Man in Grace and then a Father in Grace For the further opening of this Point I shall endeavour these foure things 1 I shall endeavour to decipher to you soules weak in Grace 2 I shall endeavour to lay downe those things that may Incourage Support and Comfort soules that are weak in Grace 3 I shall speake to the Duties that lye upon those that are weak in Grace 4 The Duties that lye upon those that are strong in grace towards those that are weak in grace Of these foure we shall speak as the Lord shall assist I shall begin with the first To decipher soules weak in Grace The first thing by which I shall decipher soules weak in Grace is this Weak Christians are usually carried much out after the poore low things of this world They are much in carking and caring for them and in pursuing and hunting greedily after them That 's a clear Text for this Mat. 6. 24. to the end Christ labours by severall weighty Arguments to fence and fortifie his Disciples against those dissident doubtfull carking cares that divide distract distemper torture and teare the heart in a thousand pieces And yet neither these Arguments nor yet the presence of him who was the great Land-lord of Heaven and Earth and whose love and bowels were still yearning towards them and whose speciall eye of providence was still over them could rid their heads and hearts of these worldly cares that doe but vex and perplex the soules of men And 't is very observable that after this smart Lecture that Christ had read them they did strive three severall times who should be greatest and highest in worldly Enjoyments Their hearts should have been onely in Heaven and yet they strive for Earth as if there were no Heaven or as if Earth were better then Heaven All which do's cleerly evidence that their Graces were very weak and their corruptions very strong Men that have little of the upper springs within are carried out much after the springs below Baruch was good but weak in Grace he had but some sips and tasts of the glory of that other world and Jerem. 45. 1 2 3 4 5. that made him when God was a pulling downe all worldly glory to seek for Earth as if there were no Heaven Certainly there is but little of Christ and Grace within where the heart is so strongly carried on t after these things without Where there is such strong love and workings of heart after these poor things it speaks out soules enjoyment of God to be but poor and low In the Old Testament the Jewes being Babes and Infants in grace and holinesse had a world of Temporall Promises and very few Spirituall Promises But now in the dayes of the Gospel the Lord is pleased to double and trebble his spirit upon his people and now you meet with very few temporall Promises in the Gospel but the Gospel is fill'd with spirituall Promises the Gospel drops nothing but marrow and fatnesse love and sweetnesse and therefore God looks in these dayes that men should grow up to a greater height of holinesse heavenlinesse and spiritualnesse then what they attained to in those dark dayes wherein the Sun shin'd but dimly Men rich and strong in Grace look upon the world with a holy scorne and disdaine as Themistocles when he saw in the dark a thing like a Pearle he scorn'd to stoop for it himselfe saying to another Stoop thee for thou art not Themistocles Abraham a man strong in Grace look't with a holy scorne and with an eye of disdaine upon these poor things When Melchisedech from God had made
him Heire of all things he refused the Riches that the King of Sodome offered Gen. 14. 21. Chap. 15. 1. him because God was his Shield and his exceeding great Reward The greatest bargaine that a soule rich in Grace will make with God for himselfe is this Give me but bread to eat and cloaths to wear and thou shalt be my God so it was with that brave soul Gen. 28. 21. he desires but Food and Rayment Marke he asks food not junkets Rayment not Ornaments A little will serve a man that is strong in grace much will not serve a man that is weak in grace nothing will serve a man that is voyd of grace Soules weak in grace have their hearts much working after these poore low things as you may see Mat. 18. 1. Who shall be greatest in the Kingdome of Heaven The Question is stated by the Disciples that one would have thought should have had their hearts and thoughts in Heaven but they dream'd of an earthly Kingdome where honours and Offices should be distributed as in the dayes of David and Solomon And 't is observeable in Mark 9. 33 34. they are at it againe And he came to Capernaum and being in the house he asked them What was it that ye disputed among your selves by the way But they So in Luke 9. 46. held their peace they were asham'd to tell him for by the way they had disputed among themselves who should be greatest Saith one I 'le have this saith another I 'le have that c. Or as 't is in the Greek they disputed who was greatest sayes one I am greater then thou no says another I am greatest It is an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 T is meâ—â—â—n Who was greatest Argument of a Childish disposition to be taken more with Rattles and Baubles then with Jewels and Pearles That Christian hath little of the power of grace within him whose heart is so strongly carried out to these vanities below Men that are growne up to years of understandiug prefer one piece of gold above a thousand new Counters A soule that is strong in grace that is high in its spirituall enjoyments prefers one good word from God one good look from Christ above all the glory of this world Lord saith he lift thou up the The Philosophers preserâ—ed the Kings countenance before his Coyne light of thy countenance upon me Warme my heart with the beams of thy love and then a little of these things will suffice You see Moses and all those Worthies in the 11 of the Hebrewes who were men strong in grace how bravely they trample upon all things below God they lav'd their Families and their Countreyes where they liv'd like Princes to wander in a Wildernesse upon the bare Command of God So Luther a man strong in grace when he had a Gowne and Money given him by the Elector he turned himselfe about and said I protest God shall not put me off with these poore low things Soules that know by experience what the bosome of Christ is what spirituall Communion is what the glory of Heaven is will not be put off by God nor man with things that are mixt mutable and momentary And to shame many professors in these dayes I might bring in a Cloud of Witnesses even from among the very Heathen who never heard of a Crucified Christ and yet were more Crucified to things below Christ then many of them that pretend much to Christ But I shall forbear onely desiring that those that think and speak so scornfully and contemptuously of Heathens may not at last be found worse then Heathens yea be judged and condemned by Heathens in the great and terrible day of the Lord. Secondly In order to a further deciphering of weak Christians I shall lay downe this That weak Saints doe usually over-feare troubles before they come Yea those future evills that forty to one may never fall out The very empty thoughts and conceit of trouble is very terrible and perplexing to a weak Saint When it was told The Chamelion saith Pliny is the most searfull of all Creatures and doth therefore turne into all colouâ—s to save it self and so 't is often with weak Christians the house of David saying Syria is confederate with Ephraim his heart was moved and the heart of his people as the Trees of the wood are moved with the wind Isa 7. 2. Their heart quaked and quivered as we say like an Aspen leaf It is an Elegant expression shewing in their extremity the basenesse of their feares arguing no courage or spirit at all in them The very newes and conceit of trouble or calamities oh how doth it perplex and vex and grieve and overwhelme weak Christians The very hearing of trouble at a distance makes them to stagger and reele and ready to say Will God now save Will he now deliver It puts them into those shaking fits that they know not what to doe with themselves nor how to performe the service they owe to God or man Now tell me can you call that a stout spirit a strong spirit Pray for me said Latimer in his Letter to Ridley for I am sometimes so fearfull thaâ— I would creep into a Mouse-hole Acts Mon. 1565 that is daunted with the very report and thoughts of Calamity Or that does torment men with immoderate feare of a thousand things that happily shall never fall out as feares of forraigne Invasions or feares of home-bred Confusions fears of change of Religion or being surprised with such or such Diseases or being ruin'd in their outward estate by such and such devises or disadvantages or by falling under the frownes of such a great man or under the anger and revenge of such and such a man and a thousand such like things Now this speaks out much weaknesse in grace Soules strong in grace are carried up above these fears yea with the Leviathan in Job they can laugh at the shaking of the spear Job 41. 29. Psal 23. 4. they can say with David Though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death we will feare no evill for thou art with us thy rod and thy staffe doe comfort us But weak soules are Bucephalus was not afraid of his burden the shadow onely frighted him So weak Christians are afraid of the shadow of the crosse afraid of their owne shadow the very shadow of trouble will exceedingly trouble such soules and oftentimes make their lives a very hell Thirdly Fainting in the day of Adversity speaks out the soule to be but weak in Grace Weak Christians are overcome with little crosses the least crosse doth not onely startle them but it sinks them and makes them ready to sit downe and to cry out with the Church Behold you that passe by see whether there be any sorrow like my sorrow Before trouble comes weak Christians Lam. 1. 12. are apt to think that they can bear much and indure much
what thou wouldest have as you may see in Ephes 1. 13. In whom ye also trusted after that ye heard the word of truth the Gospel of your salvation In whom also after that ye believed ye were sealed with that holy spirit rf Promise The Originall runs thus In whom believing you were sealed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 While faith is busied and exercised about Christ and those varieties of glories and excellencies that are in him the Lord comes and by his spirit seales the life and love and glory of them Thus by Divine assistance I have dispatched the first thing viz. The deciphering of weake Christians The second thing that I propounded for the further opening and clearing of this Point was To hold forth to you those things that tend to support comfort and uphold weak Christians And truly I must needs say that if ever there were a time wherein weak Christians had need of support I verily believe this is the time wherein we live for by the horrid prophanenesse of men on the one hand and the abominable loose and rotten Principles of others on the other hand the hearts of many weak Christans especially are sadded that God would not have sadded and their spirits wounded and grieved that God would have comforted and healed and therefore I shall dwell the longer upon this second thing And the first thing that I shall lay downe by way of Support is this 1 Support He that loâ—kt upon the brazen Serpent though with a weak sight was healed a throughly as he that lookt upon it with a stronger sight A weak faith is a joynt possessor though no faith can be â— joynt purâ—haser of Christ That the weakest Christians have as much interest and propriety in Christ and all the fundamentall good that comes by Christ as the strongest Saints in the world have Weak Saints are as much united to Christ as much justified by Christ as much reconciled by Christ and as much pardoned by Christ as the strongest Saints 'T is true weak Christians cannot make so much improvement and advantage of their interest in Christ as strong Saints can they have not that power that wisedome that spirituall skill to make that advantage of their interest and propriety in Christ as strong Saints have Yet have they as much interest and propriety in the Lord Jesus and all the fundamentall good that comes by him as the strongest Saint that breaths The sucking Child hath as much interest and propriety in the father and in what is the fathers as the Child that 's growne up to age Though the young Child ha's not that skill nor that power nor wisedome to improve that interest to his advantage as he that 's growne up in years hath It 's just so here A soule weak in grace hath as much interest in the Lord as the strongest Saint hath though he hath not that skill to improve that interest And is not this a singular comfort and support Verily were there no more to bear up a poor weak Saint from fainting under all his sins and sorrowes and sufferings yet this alone might doe it c. The Second Support and Comfort to weake Saints is this That God doth with an eye of love reflect upon the least good 2 Support that is in them or done by them And is not this a glorious Comfort and Support that the Lord looks with an eye of love upon the least good that 's in you or done by you You cannot have a good thought but The least Star gives light the least drop moystens God looks upon that thought with an eye of love Psal 32. 5. I said I would confesse my sin and thou forgavest mine iniquity I said it in my thoughts that I would confesse my sin and thou presently meeting me with pardoning mercy forgavest mine iniquity So in Mal. 3. 16. And there was a Book of Remembrance written for them that feare the Lord and that thought upon his name They had but some thoughts of God and God reflects upon those thoughts with an eye of love Isa 38. 5. I have heard thy prayers I have seene thy teares Tears we look upon but as poor things and yet God looks upon them as Pearles and therefore he puts them into So in Ps 6. 8. One observes that there are 2 strong things in Tears 1 Deorsum fluunt coelum terunt They drop downward and fall to the earth yet they teach upwards and pierce the Pereâ— 2 Muliae sunt loquuntur They hold their peace yet cry very loud his Bottle as the Psalmist speaks There is not a bit of bread nor a drop of drink thou givest but God casts an eye of love upon it Mat. 25. 35 36. There is not a desire that arises in thy soule but the Lord takes notice of it Prov. 10. 17. Thou hast heard the desire of the humble Weak Saints are full of desires their whole life is a life of desires they are stil a breathing out holy desires Lord Pardon such a sin and give me power against such a sin and strength Lord to withstand such a Temptation and grace Lord to uphold me under such an Affliction c. and the Lord hears and answers such gracious breathings and longings It was holy Jewell's desire That he might dye Preaching and God lookt with an eye of love upon his desire and he had it It was Latimer's desire That he might shed his heart blood for Christ and God lookt with an eye of love upon the breathings of his heart and he had it The Israelites did but groan and God lookt upon their groans with an eye of love he comes downe he makes his Arme bare he tramples upon their proud Enemies and by Miracles he saves them O weak Christian Is not this a singular comfort that the Lord reflects with an eye of love upon your thoughts upon your desires upon your tears and upon your groanings c. What though others slight you what though others take no notice of you yet the Lord casts an eye of love upon you Some think its very strange that God should set downe in Scripture the story of Jacob a poor Countrey-man Gen. 31. that he had a few Ewes and Lambs streaked and spotted and yet take no notice of the great Emperours and Kings of the Earth nor of their great actions and Warlike designes in the world But this is to shew that tender love and respect that God bears to his Children above what he does to the great ones of this World God is more taken with Lazarus patcht Coat then with Dives silken Robe c. A third thing that I shall propound for the Support and Comfort of weak Saints is this Consider the Lord looks more upon your Graces then he 3 Support doth upon your weaknesses Or thus The Lord will not cast away weake Saints by reason of the weaknesses that cleaves to their persons or services In 2 Chron. 30. 18
19 20. there came a multitude of people to eat the Passeover but they were not prepared according to the preparation of the Sanctuary therefore Hezekiah puts up a Prayer for them and the Text saith That the Lord hearkened to Hezekiah and healed the people lookt upon their uprightnesse and so past over all their other weaknesses He did not cast off Peter for his horrid sins but rather looks upon him with an eye of love and pity Mark 16. 7. But goe your way tell his Disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee there shall ye see him as he said unto you Oh admirable love Oh matchlesse mercy where sin abounds grace do's super-abound This is the glory of Christ that he carries it sweetly towards his people when they carry themselves unworthily towards him Christ looks more upon Peters sorrow then upon his sin upon his tears then upon his Oaths c. The Lord will not cast away weake Saints for their great unbeliefe because there is a little faith in them He will not throw them away for that hypocrifie that 's in them because of that little sincerity that 's in them He will not cast away weak Saints for that Pride that 's in them because of those Rayes of humility that shine in them He will not despise his people for their passions because of those graines of meeknesse that are in them We will not throw away a little gold because of a great deale of drosse that cleaves to it nor a little wheat because mixt with much chaffe and will God will God We will not cast away our Garments because of some spots nor our Books because of som blots nor our Jewels because of some flawes and do we think that the Lord will cast away his dearest ones because of their spots and blots and flawes Surely no God looks more upon the bright side of the Cloud then the dark James 5. 11. Remember the patience of Job 'T is not Remember the murmuring of Job the cursing of Job the complainings of Job the impatience of Job but Remember the patience of Job God looks upon the Pearle and not upon the spot that is in it So in Heb. 11. 30 31. there 's mention made of Rahabs faith love and peaceable behaviour towards the Spies but no mention made of her lye the Lord overlooks her weaknesse and keeps his eye upon her virtues Where God sees but a little grace he doth as it were hide his eyes from those circumstances that might seem to deface the glory of it So in 1 Pet. 3. 6. Even as Sarah obeyed Abraham calling him Lord. Mark there was but one good word in Sarahs speech to Abraham she call'd her Husband Lord the speech otherwise was a speech of unbeliefe yet the holy Ghost speaking of her in reference to that speech conceales all the evill in it and mentions onely the reverent title she gave to her Husband commending her for it He that drew Alexander whilst he had a scar upon his face drew him with his finger upon the scar So when the Lord comes to look upon a poore soule he layes his finger upon the scar upon the infirmity that he may see nothing but grace which is the beauty and the glory of the soule Ah but weak Christians are more apt to look upon their infirmities then on their graces and because their little gold is mixt with a great deale of drosse they are ready to throw away all as drosse Well remember this the Lord Jesus hath as great and as large an interest in the weakest Saints as he hath in the strongest He hath the interest of a Friend and the interest of a Father and the interest of a Head and the interest of a Husband and therefore though Saints be weak yea though they be very weak yet having as great and as large an interest in them as in the strongest Saints he can't but overlook their weaknesse and keep a fixed eye upon their graces A fourth Support is this 4. Support That the Lord will graciously preserve and strengthen those weake graces that are in you Though your graces be as a spark of fire in the midst of an Ocean of corruption yet the Lord will preserve and blow up The tallest Oak was once â—n A corn the deepest Doctor was once in his Horn-book that spark of fire into a flame It was the Priests Office in the time of the Law to keep the fire in the Sanctuary from going out and it is the Office of our Lord Jesus as he is our High Priest our Head our Husband our Mediator for to blow up that heavenly fire that he hath kindled in any of our soules His honour his faithsulnesse and his goodnesse is engaged in it and therefore he cannot but doe it else he would loose much love and many prayers and praises did he not cherish preserve and strengthen his owne work in his owne people The faith of the Disciples was generally weak as I have formerly shew'd you and yet how sweetly doth the Lord Jesus John 16. Acts 2. carry it towards them He was still a breathing out light life and love upon them he was still a turning their water into wine their bitter into sweet and their discouragements into incouragements and all to raise and keep up their spirits His heart was much in this thing therefore sayes he 'T is necessary that I leave you that I may send the Comforter to be a comfort and a guide unto you I will poure out my spirit upon you Isa 60. 22. that a little one may become a thousand and a small one a strong Nation and that the feeble may be as David and the house of David as God as the Angel of the Lord. That 's a sweet Zech. 12. 8. Text Isa 65. 8. Thus saith the Lord as the new wine is found in the Clusters and one saith destroy it not for a blessing is in it so will I doe for my servants sake c. Oh! saith Christ to the father here are a company of weak Saints that have some buddings of grace Oh doe not destroy it father there is a blessing in it though it be but weak The Genuine sence of the similitude I think is this when a Vine being blasted or otherwise decayed is growne so bad and so barren that scarce any good Clusters of Grapes can be discerned on it whereby it may be deemed to have any life or of ever becoming fruitful againe and the Husband-man is about to grub it up or cut it downe to the ground One standing by sees here a cluster and there a little cluster and cryes out O don't grub up the Vine don't cut downe the Vine it ha's a little life and by good Husbandry it may be made fruitfull We may look upon the Lord Jesus Christ as thus pleading with his fathers Justice Father I know thou seest that these soules are dry and barren and that
cursing banning and a blaspheming God to his very face Had not the Lord given thee a little grace ten thousand to one but thou hadst been one in wickednesse among these Monsters of mankind And thou lookest another way and there thou seest persons dicing carding drabbing and drunkening c. why had not the Lord vouchsafed to thee some tasts and sips of grace thou mightest have been as vild as the vildest among them Ah weak Saints you doe not think what an awakened conscience would give for a little of that little grace that the Lord ha's given you Were all the world a lump of gold and in their hand to give they would give it for the least spark of grace for the least drop of mercy I have read of a man who being in a burning Feaver profest One of the Kings of England in his straites cryed out A Kingdome for a Horse a Kingdome for a Horse So do awakened coâ—sciences cry out A Kingdome for a Christ a Kingdome for a Christ or a little grace That if he had all the world at his dispose he would give it all for one draught of Beer So would an awakened conscience for one dram of grace O saith such a soule when I look up and see God frowning when I look inward and feele conscience gnawing and accusing when I look downward and see hell open to receive me and when I look on my right and left hand and see Devils standing ready to accuse me O had I a thousand worlds I would give them all for a little lirtle drop of that grace that such and such soules have whom I have formerly slighted and despised Oh! what would not a damned soule that hath been but an houre in hell give for a drop of that grace that thou hast in thy heart Think seriously of this and be thankfull Well remember one thing more and that is this viz. That there is no such way to get much grace as to be thankefull for a little grace He who opens his mouth wide in praises shall have his heart filled with graces Ingratitude stops the ear of God and shuts the hand of God and turnes away the heart of the God of grace and therefore you had need be thankfull for a little grace Unthankfullnesse is the greatest injustive that may be 't is a with-holding from the great Land-lord of heaven Lycurgus saith Musculus amongst all his Lawes made none against the Ungratefull because that was thought a thing so prodigious â—s not to be committed by man Isa 1. 3 4. and earth his due his debt Phillip branched his Souldier that begged the land of one that had relieved him and kindly entertained him with ingratis hospes The Vngratefull Guest Oh weak Saints give not God an occasion by your ingratitude to brand you and to write upon your foreheads Vngratefull Children Had it not been for unthankfullnesse Adam had been in Paradise the lapsed Angels in heaven and the Jewes in their owne Land of Promise The Jewes have a saying That the World stands upon three things The Law Holy Worship and Retribution And if these things fall the world will fall You know how to apply it But that I may in good earnest stir up your soules to thankfullnesse will you take home with you these things that happily have never or seldome been thought of by you First Consider That there is more need of Praises then Gods favours and mercies seldome or never come single there is a series a concatenatioÌ„ of them and every former drawes on a â—uture there is of Prayers Two things doe with open mouth proclaime this truth And the first is this Our mercies doe out-weigh our wants This is true in temporals but infinitely more in spiritualls and eternalls Thou wantest this and that outward mercy and what 's thy want oh soule of this and that single mercy to the multitudes of mercies that thou doest enjoy And as for spiritualls there 's nothing more clear then this that thy spirituall mercies doe infinitly out-weigh thy spirituall wants Thou wantest this and that spirituall mercy but what are those wants to that God that Christ and all those spirituall blessings in heavenly places with which thou art blest in Christ Jesus Ephes 1. 4. Secondly Consider this That all your wants and miseries are deserved and procured by your owne sins Jer. 4. 18. Thy way and thy doings have procured these things unto thee this is thy wickednesse because it is bitter because it reacheth God and Christ are the sole fountaine from whence all these streames of living waters flow unto thy heart And Chap. 50. 25. Your iniquities have turned away these things and your sins have with-holden good things from you But now all your mercies are unmerited and undeserved they all flow in upon you from the free love and favour of God and therefore there 's more need of praises then of prayers And oh that the high praises of God were more in your mouths upon this very account And oh that with David you would summon all the faculties of your soules to praise the Lord who hath freely fill'd you and followed Psal 149. 2. Psal 103. 1. to 5. you with the riches of mercy all your dayes But secondly Consider this Thankefullnesse is a surer and a better evidence of our sincerity and spirituall intenuity then praying or hearing or such like services are Thanksgiving is a selfe-denying grace 't is an uncrowning our selves and the Creatures to set the Crowne upon the head of our Creator it is the making our selves a footstoole that God may be lifted up upon his Throne and ride 'T is much to be feared that that man is Christlesse and gracelesse that is earnest in craving mercies but slow and dull in returning praises 'T is a signe that the Dumb Devill ha's possest such a man in a holy triumph over all It is a grace that gives God the supremacy in all our hearts thoughts desires words and marks self-Selfe-love flesh and blood and many low and carnall considerations may carry men to pray and hear and talk c. The whip may work a shame to begge but thankfullnesse is the free-will Offering of a Child There 's nothing that so clearly and so fully speaks out your sincerity and spirituall intenuity as thankfullnesse doth Therefore weak Saints if you would have a substantiall evidence of your sincerity and spirituall intenuity be thankfull for a little grace The little Birds doe not sip one drop of water but they look up as if they meant to give thanks To shew us what we should doe for every drop of grace c. The third and last Consideration to set this home is this A thankefull soule holds consort with the musick of Heaven By thankfullnesse thou holdest a correspondency with the Rev. 4. 6 7 8 9. 5. 12 13 14. Angels who are still a singing Hallelujahs to him that sits upon the Throne and is
humility by humility fear by fear and love by love if you doe not look upon all your graces as streames flowing from the fountaine above and as fruits growing upon the Tree of life that is in the midst of the Paradice of God Therefore when one eye is fixt upon your graces let the other be alwayes fixt upon the God of grace Secondly At the time when your eye is upon inherent grace Aut totum mecum tene aut totam omitte Greg. Naz. Let us say of Christ as the heathen once said of his petty Gods Contemno minutus istos Deos modi â—ovem propiti am habeam So long as he had his Jupiter to friend he regarded theâ— not So so â—ong as we have our Jesus to friend we shouâ—d not regâ—rd others no not our very graces in comparison of Christ and righteousnesse let your heart be fixt upon Christ and his imputed righteousnesse Pauls eye was upon his grace Rom. 7. 22. 25. I delight in the Law of God after the inward man And with my mind I serve the Law of God And yet at that very same time his heart was set upon Christ and taken up with Christ vers 25. I thanke God through our Lord Jesus Christ So in Col. 2. 2 3. you have one eye fixt upon grace and at the same time the heart fixt upon Christ That their hearts might be comforted being knit together in love and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God and of the father and of Christ in whom are hid all the treasures of wisedome and knowledge His eye is upon grace his heart is upon Christ So in Phil. 3. 8. the Apostle hath his eye upon the excellent knowledge of Christ but vers 9. his heart is set upon the righteoushesse of Christ That I might be found in him not having mine owne righteousnesse which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousnesse which is of God by faith Here you have his eye upon grace and his heart upon Christ in the very presence of his grace This is your glory Christians in the presence and sight of all your graces to see the free grace of Christ and his infinite spotlesse matchlesse and glorious righteousnesse to be your surest sweetest highest and choycest comfort and refuge Peter was not well skill'd in this lesson and that was the very reason that he fell fowlest when his confidence was highest Grace is a ring of gold and Christ is the Pearle in that ring and he that looks more upon the ring then the Pearle that is in it in the houre of temptation will certainly fall When the wives eye is upon her Rings or Jewels then her heart must be set upon her husband When grace is in my eye Christ must at that time be in my armes yea he must lye between my breasts Cant. 1. 13. My Beloved is as a bundle of myrrhe he shall lye all night between my breasts Christ and not grace must lye neerest to a Christians heart A third thing is this When you looke upon your grace you must looke upon it as a beautifull Creature that is begotten in Gal. 2. 20. Phil. 5. 6 Deus nihil coronat nâ—si dona sua Aug. When God crowneth us he doth but crowne his owne gifts in us the soule by Christ and that is strengthend maintained cherished and upheld in your soules by nothing below the spirituall internall and glorious apperations of Christ Though Grace be a beautifull Creature yet Grace is but a Creature and so your soules must look upon it Grace is a heavenly off-spring 't is the first-borne of God as I may say and does most represent him to the life Grace is a bud of glory 't is of the blood Royall 't is nobly discended Jam. 1. 17. So in Heb. 12. 2. Looking unto Jesus the Author and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Leader and Crowner Finisher of our faith Christ is the Alpha and Omega the Beginner and Ender In all other things and Arts the same man cannot begin and finish but Christ doth both Phil. 1. 5. Our graces thrive and are upheld in life and power in beaury and glory by the internall apperation of Christ in our soules So in Col. 1. 27. Christ in you the hope of glory So vers 29. Whereunto I also labour striving according to his working which worketh in me mightily So Phil. 4. 13. I can doe all things through Christ that strengtheneth me I 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is wrong â—â— in me in power The word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 All things tho it be an universall is not to be taken in the u most exâ—ent but according to the use of the like phrases in all languages wherein the universall signe affixâ— either to persons oâ— times or places or things signifies a greater number but not all without exception as you may see by comparing these Scriptures together Psal 14. 4 8 9. John 14. 26. 1 Cor. 10. 23 So those words are to be understood in Phil. 4. 13. can be high and low poore and rich honourable and base something or nothing c. through Christ that strengthens me So in Cant. 4. ult Blow upon my Garden that the spices thereof may send forth a fragrant smell We may puffe and blow our hearts out and yet no savoury smell will flow forth if Christ does not blow So in Psal 138. 3. In the day when I cryed thou answeredst me and strengthenest me with strength in my soule Your graces Christians are heavenly Plants of Gods owne setting and watering and certainly this heavenly Husbandman will never suffer such Plants of renowne to wither for want of heavenly sapp he will look to the strengthening supporting and nourishing of the work of his own hand he will cause the desires of his people to bud and their graces to blossome and their soules to be like a watered Garden green and flourishing Isa 58. 11. compared with Isa 35. 6 7. Fourthly When you looke upon your Graces you must looke upon them as an earnest of more glorious and unspeakeable measures of Grace and glory that your soules shall be filled with at last In Ephes 1. 13 14. After that ye believed ye were sealed with that holy spirit of Promise which is the earnest of our inheritance untill the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glory That little light and knowledge thou hast is an earnest to thy soule that thou shalt at last know even as thou art knowne 1 Cor. 13. 12. For now wee see through a glasse darkely but then face to face Now I know in part but then shall I know even as I am knowne Christians know but little of that they should know they know but little of that they might know they know but little of that others know they know but little of that they desire to know they
to me as unreasonable as it is absurd Certainly 't is one thing to judge by our graces and another thing to trust in our graces to make a Saviour of our graces There is a great deale of difference betwixt declaring and deserving And if this be not granted it will follow that the Apostle hath sent us aside to a Covenant of works when he exhorts us to use all dilligence to make our Calling and Election sure 2 Pet. 1. 5-10 Secondly Carry home this with you If Justification and Sanctification be both of them benefits of the Covenant of Grace then to evidence the one by the other is no wayes unlawfull nor no turning aside to a Covenant of works But our Justification and Sanctification are both of them benefits and blessings of the Covenant of Grace Ergo. In Jer. 33. 8. I will pardon all their iniquity whereby they have sinned against me there 's your Justification And I will cleanse them from all their iniquity whereby they have sinned against me There 's your Sanctification And therefore to evidence the one by the other can be no wayes unlawfull nor no turning aside to a Covenant of works Thirdly Carry home this with you Whatever gift of God in man brings him within the compasse of Gods Promise of Eternall Mercy that Gift must be an infallible evidence of salvation and happinesse But such are those gifts mentioned in those Scriptures that prove the first head Therefore they are infallible evidences of our salvation and eternall happinesse I confesse a man may have many great gifts and yet none Covet rather graces then gifts as to pray more fervently tho lesse notionally or eloquently Stammering Moses must pray rather then well-spoken Aaron The Corinthians came behind in no gift 1 Cor. 1. 7. yet were Babes and Carnall Chap. 3. 2 3. of them bring him within the compasse of Gods Promise of Eternall mercy But I say whatever gift of God in man brings him within the compasse of Gods Promise of eternall mercy that gift must be an infallible evidence of his happinesse and blessednesse For the further clearing of this I will instance in a gift of Waiting where this gift is it brings a man within the compasse of Gods Promise of eternall mercy And had a man as in a deserted state it often falls out nothing under heaven to shew for his happinesse but onely a waiting frame this ought to bear him up from fainting and sinking When the soule saith My sun is set my day is turned into night my light into darknesse and my rejoycing into mourning c. Oh! I have lost the comforting presence of God I have lost the quickening presence of God I have lost the supporting presence of God I have lost the incouraging presence of God c. and when I shall recover these sad losses I know not All that I can say is this That God keeps me in a waiting frame weeping and knocking at the door of mercy Now I say This waiting temper brings the soule within the compasse of the Promise of Eternall mercy And certainly such a soule shall not miscarry Take three Promises for this In Isa 40. ult They that waite 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 walke and not faint The mercy is the waiting-mans but the waiting-man must give God leave to time his mercy for him So in Isa 30. 18. And therefore will the Lord waite that he may be gracious unto you And therefore will he be exalted that he may have Vide Lyra Junius on the words mercy upon you for the Lord is a God of Judgement blessed are all they that waite for him So in Isa 64. 4. For since the beginning of the world men have not heard nor perceived by the eare neither hath the eye seene O God besides thee what he hath prepared for him that waiteth for him So in Isa 49. 23. They shall not be ashamed that waite for me Men are often That is they shall be advanced by me to great hap pinesle and glory to great dignity and â—elicity for in the Hebrew Dialect Adverbs of denying signifie the contrary to the import of that Verb whereunto they are joyned as might be shewed by many Scriptures ashamed that waite upon the mountaines and hills Men high and great often frustrate the expectation of waiting souls and then they blush and are ashamed and confounded that they have waited and been deceived but they shall not be ashamed that waite for me sayes God I will not deceive their expectation and after all their waiting turne them off and say I have no mercy for you Now I say where this waiting temper is which is all that many a poor soul hath to shew for everlasting happinesse and blessednesse that soule shall never miscarry That God that doth maintaine and uphold the soule in this heavenly waiting frame in the appointed season will speak life and love mercy and glory to the waiting soule And so I have done with the third Use which was to stir you up to look upon your graces with Cautions The fourth Duty is To perswade weake Saints not to turne aside from the wayes of God nor from the service of God because of any hardships or difficulties that they may meet with in his wayes or service There is a very great aptnesse in weak Saints to take offence almost at every thing and to be discouraged by the least opposition affliction and temptation and so to turne aside from the good old way Now that no difficulties nor hardships may turne you out of the way that is called holy consider seriously of these few things First Consider this The Lord will sweeten more and more his services to you He will make his work to be more and more easie to your soules he will sute thy burden to thy back and thy work to thy hand O weak soule Thou shalt find that his grace will be sufficient to hold thee up and carry thee on notwithstanding 2 Cor. 12. 9. 2 Cor. 5. 14. any difficulties or discouragements that be in the way He will shed abroad that love that shall constraine thy soule The Philosopher told his friends when they came into his little low Cottage Enteuthen ouk apeisi the oi the Gods are here with me Surely God and Christ and the Spirit are and will be with weak Saints to aid and astist them in every gracious work both to keep close to his service and to delight in his service He will make all his services to be easie to thee he will vouchsafe to thee that assisting grace that shall keep up thy head and heart from fainting and sinking under discouragements as you may see in Ezek. 36. 25 26 27 28. And I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walke in my Statutes and ye shall keepe my Judgements and doe them
the curse he leads to God he leads to Christ he leads to the Promises he leads to glory c. There is no gain-sayingt Demoâ—â—heneâ— words said one So â—herâ— is no gaâ—â—laâ—ing of the pleadings of the Spirit Againe this spirit is A comforting spirit John 14. 16. and A pleading spirit Rom. 8. 26. Every Christian ha's three Advocates pleading for him The first is that Divine Love that is in the bosome of the father The second is the Lord Jesus that is at the right hand of the father And the third is the holy Spirit that is one with the father Fourthly He gives his Blood the blood of Christ is a gift of Christ to his beloved ones Mat. 20. 28. The Son of man came not to be ministred unto but to minister and to give his life a ransome for many So in John 10. 11. I am the good Sheppard the good Sheppard giveth his life for his sheep His blood was the purest blood his humane nature being most pure his blood was the noblest blood and therefore called Acts 20. 28. in Scripture The Blood of God by reason of the conjunction of the Divine Nature with the humane It was his life-blood his heart-blood that he gave it was not the blood of his finger but the blood of his heart it was precious blood Rom. 3. 25. Rom. 5. 9. Ephes 1. 7. Col. 1. 20. Heb. 9. 7-26 Chap. 10. 19. 1 John 1. 7. Rev. 1. 5. c. Three things are called precious in the Scripture 1 Faith is called Precious Faith 2 Pet. 1. 1. 2 The Promises are called Precious Promises ver 4. 3 The Blood of Christ is called Precious Blood 1 Pet. 1. 19. All your precious mercies swim to you in precious blood as you may see by comparing the Scriptures in the Margent together It was an excellent saying of Luther speaking of this blood Vna guttula plus valet quam coelum terra-Luth of Christ One little drop of this blood saith he is more worth then heaven and earth Your pardon swims to you in blood your peace swims to you in blood your reconciliation is made by blood your acceptation is wrought by blood c. Sanguis Christi clavis coeli Christs Blood is Heavens Key Christs blood is a Preservative against the greatest evills Christs blood as Pliny saith of Polium is a Preservative against Serpents c. Fifthly Christ gives Pardon of sin and doe you know what a mercy that is Ask the troubled soule ask the soule that knowes what it means to lye under the wrath of the Almighty and he will tell you that pardon of sin is a gift more worth then a thousand worlds Now that pardon of sin is a gift of God you may see in Acts 5. 31. Him hath God exalted * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To his right hand That is to honour and dignity c. with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour to give Repentance to Israel and forgivenesse of sins So in Acts 26. 18. Ah soules of all mercies pardoning mercy is the most necessary mercy I may to Heaven without honours and without riches and without the smiles of creatures But I can never to Heaven without pardoning mercy As Ahab Haman Dives c. A man may be great and gracelesse he may be rich and miserable he may be honourable and damnable c. But he cannot be a pardoned soule but he must be a very blessed soule †〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Blessednesses in he plurall Pardon of sin â—â—cludes a plurality of mercies a chaine of Pearles a chain of blessings Gen. 30. 11. Psal 32. 1 2. It intitles soules to all blessednesse it puts the Royall Crowne upon their heads Of all mercies pardoning mercy is the most sweetning mercy 't is a choyce Jewel and swims to the soule in blood Heb. 9. 22. 'T is a mercy that makes all other mercies to look like mercies and tast like mercies and work like mercies and the want of it takes off the glory and beauty of all a mans mercies and makes his life a very hell Pardon of sin is a voluminous mercy a mercy that ha's many precious mercies in the womb of it You may well call it Gad for it ushers in Troops of mercy When you can number the sands of the sea and tell the Stars of heaven then and not till then shall you be able to recount the mercies that attend pardoning mercy He that ha's this mercy cannot be miserable he that wants it cannot be happy get this and get all misse this and misse all this is a gift confer'd onely upon Christs favourites Son be Mat. 9. 2. of good cheere thy sins be forgiven thee No mercy will make a man everlastingly merry below pardoning mercy He ha's no reason to be sad that ha's his pardon in his bosome nor he ha's no reason to be glad who is upon the last step of the Ladder ready to be turned off without his Pardon And this is the fifth gift that Christ gives to his viz. Pardon of sinne Sixthly Christ gives Precious Promises 2. Pet. 1. 4. The Promises are precious beds of spices they are Vâ—res caelesieâ— bottles filled with those heavenly dews that wiâ—l never faile like that of Hagars but will cheâ—ish and nourish the soule to life eternall c. Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and Precious Promises c. The Promises are a precious Book every leaf drops myrrhe and mercy The Promises are golden Vessels that are laden with the choycest Jewels that heaven can afford or the soule desire All our spirituall temporall and eternall good is to be found in the belly of the Promises Promises are big-bellied mercies there 's nothing you can truly call a mercy but you will find it in the belly of a Promise under all changes they are the comfort support and relief of the soule Psal 119. 49 50. Remember thy word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to hope This is my comfort in my affliction for thy word hath quickned me If the soule groane under the power of sin then that Promise relieves it Rom. 6. 14. For sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the Law but under grace If the soule groane under the guilt of sin then that Promise relieves it Jer. 33. 8. I will pardon all their iniquities whereby they have sinned against me c. And that Promise Isa Anochi anochi ha mâ—hhe 43. 25. I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for my owne sake and will not remember thy sins I even I am he blotting out thy transgression I even I whom thou hast offended I even I whom thou hast provoked I even I whose glorious name thou hast prophaned I even I whose righteous Law thou hast violated I even I whose holy Covenant thou hast transgressed I even I whose mercies thou hast dispised I even I
ha's bestowed upon them such choyce spirituall blessings the least of which will out-weigh all temporall blessings Well Christians remember this you act below your spirituall birth your holy calling when you suffer your hearts to be troubled and perplexed for the want of temporall things Can you read speciall love in these Does your happinesse lye in the injoyment of them Are not the Angels happy without them Was not Lazarus more happy then Dives Yes O then let not the want of those things trouble thee the injoyment of which can never make thee happy Should the Child be troubled for want of a Rattle or a Babie that is proclaimed Heire of a Crowne And why then should a Christian that is Heire apparent to a Heavenly Crowne be troubled upon the want of worldly toyes c. Jerous tells us of one Didymus a godly Preacher who was Socrates Scho. l. 4. c. 20. blind Alexander a godly man coming to him askt him Whether he was not sore troubled and afflicted for want of his sight O yes said didymus It 's a great affliction and trouble to me Then Alexander chid him saying Hath God given you the excellency of an Angel of an Apostle and are you troubled for that which Rats and Mice and bruit-beasts have 'T is great folly 't is double iniquity for a Christian to be troubled for the want of those things that God ordinarily bestowes upon the worst of men Oh the mercies that a Christian ha's in hand Oh the mercies that a Christian ha's in the Promises Oh the mercies that a Christian ha's in hope are so many so precious and so glorious that they should bear up his head and heart from fainting and sinking under all outward wants There goes a Story among Scholars Of Aesops deceiving Mercury He having promised him one part of his Nuts keepes all the meat to himselfe and gives the other the shells Cyprian in his Sermon De lapsis reporteth of divers who forsaking the Lord were given over to eviâ—l spirits and died fearfully A backslâ—der may say Opera impensa peâ—it All my paines and charge is lost Ah Christians God ha's given you the meat but the world the shells why then should you be troubled for want of the shells when God ha's given you the kernell c. Seventhly If the Lord hath given his people the best of Gifts Oh then let not them leave off that God that hath bestowed such choyce and noble favours on them Jerem. 2. 11 12 13. Hath a Nation changed their Gods which are yet no Gods but my people have changed their glory for that which doth not profit Be astonished O ye Heavens at this and be horribly afraid be ye very desolate saith the Lord. Why For my people have committed two evills they have forsaken me the fountaine of living waters c. This was that that aggravated the Israelites sin Psal 105. 106. That They forsooke that God that had confer'd upon them many rich and royall favours But O then what madnesse and folly is it in you that you should forsake that God that hath done such mighty things for your soules I may say to keep you close to God as Saul said to his servants to keep them close to him 1 Sam. 22. 7. Then Saul said unto his servants that stood about him heare now ye Benjamites will the Son of Jesse give every one of you fields and Vineyards and make you all Captaines of thousands and Captaines of hundreds Ah Christians can the world give you spirituall life Can the world give you peace of conscience pardon of sin the favour of God the hopes of glory No O then never leave nor forsake that God that ha's given you all these royall favours which none can give nor take but himselfe He that forsakes Diis proximuâ— ille est quem ratio non ira movet Sen. He is next to God whom reâ—son and not anger moveth Did an impatient soul buâ— see himself iâ— a glasse he would loath himselfe for saith Homer his eyes sparkle like sire his heart swels his puls beats c. In a word aâ— impatiem soul is a bed lam a monster a devil c. God forsakes his owne mercies he forsakes his life his joy his Crowne his all in all No evill to this of forsaking the greatest good It makes a mans life a very hell Such shall be written in the dust Jer. 17. 13. Eighthly and lastly Be not impatient nor froward when God shall take away some lesser mercies from you Hath God given you the best and the greatest gifts that your soules can begg or himselfe can give And will you be froward or impatient when he shall come to take away lesser mercies What wilt thou be an impatient soule when God comes and writes death upon such a neere mercy and passes the sentence of death upon such and such desirable mercies Verily this is the way to provoke God to strip thee naked of thy choycest ornaments and to put thee in Chaines or else to turne thee a grasing among the beasts of the field as he did Nebuchadnezzar God gives the best and takes away the worst he gives the greatest and takes away the least the sense of which made Job blesse God when stript of all If a man should give you a Pearle and take away a pin if he should give you a bagge of gold and take away a bagge of Counters would it not be madnesse in you to be impatient and froward Does God take away a pin and ha's he not given you a Pearle for it He ha's given thee a pound O Christian for every penny that he ha's taken from thee therefore be not froward nor impatient Remember Christians how many in the world there be that sit sithing and mourning under the want of those very favours that you doe enjoy Why does the living man complaine What out of the grave and complaine What out of hell and complaine This is mans sin and Gods wonder But now some poor sinners may say Here 's good Newes for Saints but what 's all this â—o us all this while Read also Pro. 1. 20. to 29. Ch. 8. 1. to 8. Chap. 9. 1. to 7. Isa 43. 22 23 24 25. Jer. 51. 5. Why I 'le tell you I have something to say for the comfort and incouragement of poor sinners Ah sinners Christ is willing to bestow the best Gifts upon the worst sinners take one Text for all 't is a sweet one and full to the point in hand Psal 68. 18. Thou hast ascended on high thou hast led Captivity Captive thou hast received Gifts for men yea for the rebellious also that the Lord God might dwell among them Christ hath received Gifts as a Steward from the hand of None so faith â—ull as Christ Heb. 3. 5 6. the father to dispence them among men yea among the rebellious the worst of men If there be here at this time any