Selected quad for the lemma: love_n

Word A Word B Word C Word D Occurrence Frequency Band MI MI Band Prominent
love_n heart_n lord_n love_v 20,974 5 6.4258 4 true
View all documents for the selected quad

Text snippets containing the quad

ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A93368 Soule-reviving influences of the sun of righteousnesse, or Some bright beames of light and love, sparkling from Christ upon the darke and drooping hearts of sin-weakend and clouded believers, even while we are in this solitary wildernesse, not yet arrived at the land of spirituall Canaan; but taking a turne in the darke and dampe valley of the shadow of death. With several evangelicall and heart-winning incouragements to the life of faith in the Sonne of God, notwithstanding our manifold weaknesses and hainous provocations; yea to the keeping up of the same comfort, hope confidence, and joy in him in the sadest straights, of the sorest darknesse. Smith, John, of Badgworth. 1654 (1654) Wing S4091A; Thomason E1485_1; ESTC R208761 97,631 237

There are 13 snippets containing the selected quad. | View lemmatised text

reason of strong motions in the flesh he would not repent yet he cannot resist this law of his mind he must performe it when the Lord saith in his word repent and seeke my face hee this poor child of God replies Thy face Lord wil I seek the very same lesson that he is taught outvvardly by the vvord he is taught inwardly by the annointing spirit yea it is even his meat and drink to do the wil of God 2. Repentance in the hypocrite proceeds from a servile fear he being begotten under a covenant of works is through fear of death subject unto bondage all his life long and though he look to be saved by faith and repentance being instructed out of the Gospel yet he dares not expect grace and pardon any further then he sees himself work for he looks to be saved though not altogether yet as it were by the works of the Lavv thinking that mercy and pardon must needs follovv his vvorks and this is that which makes him take a great deal of pains in the Church yea he wil bear the burden and heat of the day and performe abundance of hypocriticall service unto the Lord yea til he troubles the Lord therewith and makes him weary thereof But the child of God is begotten under a Covenant of grace and hath not received the spirit of bondage again to fear but the spirit of Adoption to cry unto God Abba Father and being delivered serves God without fear in holinesse and righteousness all his dayes he knows very wel that sin cannot damn him being delivered out of the hands of his enemies by the blood of Christ And hence though God break him in the place of Dragons and cover him with the shadow of death yet wil he not forget God nor deal falsely in his Covenant His repentance in that sin cannot damn him is not arbitrary he is bound to it by the Covenant of grace his faith works by love the love of Christ constrains him many waters cannot quench this love neither can the floods drown it if a man would give all the substance of his house for love it would utterly be contemned the more sin the Lord hath forgiven him the more he loves God and repents mourns and weeps bitterly because of sin as it is an injurious offence against so merciful a Father instance Peter and Mary Magdalene who thought nothing too dear for a Christ from whom they had received a free and ful discharge from all their sins and provocations the hypocrite repents from a principle of slavish feare but the poore believer from a principle of a child-like love 3. An hypocrite never turnes to the Lord with his whole heart as the Lord requires for he is double minded True it is he may walk according to the dictate of his conscience as far as he is inlightned by the word of God leading a blamelesse life and may doe that which he does out of the integrity of his heart with Abimilech he perswades himselfe he is in the right when in truth he is farre wrong and because he received not the love of the truth that he might be saved the Lord gives him up to strong delusions to believe a lie that he might be damned who believes not the truth He may indeed seemingly turne unto the Lord in respect of many glorious actions but he hath not a new heart nor a renewing Spirit within him and if that action that as he thinks he doth most uprightly were put into an Evangelical frame he would most exceedingly ha●e it because the carnal mind is at enmity against God for it is no● subject to the Law of God nor indeed can be his best duties proceed but from flesh and nature and from the old man which never turn'd to God and as for that which should give a spiritual being to those actions namely faith in Christ and the Spirit of grace these he hates from his heart But the child of God hath a new heart and a new Spirit he is a new creature all things are become new and although the flesh lusteth against the Spirit yet this new creature turneth wholly unto God and is all for God such a man seeks the Lord with his whole heart and all that is within him praises the Lords holy name 4. The hypocrite in his repentance and all his performances aimes at himselfe he doth them for corn wine and oyle when he fasts and mourns he doth it for himselfe and not unto the Lord the salvation of his soul is his utmost end But the child of God the believer doth all for Gods glory he desires the Salvation of his soul but he hath a further end hereby the Lord manifests his truth and mercy and gets himselfe a name Saith blessed David save me for thy mercies sake for thy Names sake and when he repents and confesses his sinne it is principally that he may give glory unto God and in all his actions terminates not in himself but doth them to the end that Christ may be magnified and esteemed all in all Sixteene precious and soul establishing considerations deduced from the Covenant of Grace The new Covenant of grace is held forth principally in these places of Scripture viz. 8. Heb. 10. Jer. 31. 31 33 34. 36. Ezek 25 26 27 29 31. Ezek. 16. 3 4 5 6 8 9 10 11 59 60 63 Jer. 32. 40. Jer. 33. 20 Heb. 6. 17 18. Heb. 12. 24. Heb. 13. 20. Mic. 7. 20. Psal 89. 28. 31 32 33 34. 1. Consideration His Covenant is a free Covenant being the offspring of the free love meer grace and rich mercy of God whereby he is pleased to make a blessed agreement with his Sonne Christ to save poore lost man yea the worst most vile despicable and helpless creatures in the world and of this sort of mankind doth God usually please to take into covenant with himself for he doth not as many would insinuate therfore take men into this covenant because they believe and are holy but that they might have faith and be holy in this covenant he promises holiness and through it conveys holinesse unto men as for example the Idolatrous Ephesians the profane Corinthians the vile Publicans the filthy Harlots yea the poore thiefe even at the last hour when he could neither serve nor glorifie God so much as one hour on earth and these when they were at the highest of their provocations and when no eye pityed them yea when their own eyes pittyed them not then was the time wherein the Lord out of the riches of his grace and soule astonishing love sware unto them and entred into covenant with them and this was likewise the time vvherein they became his as in that pregnant place of Scripture vvorthy to be vvritten in indelible characters of Gold upon the memory of
If thou beest included in and art under the promise of them thou shalt possesse them 2. Consider they may be made good to thee without thy sensible enjoyment of them there is neither faith nor hope exercised upon what we possesse to have a right in or to a thing and to possesse it are distinct They died in faith they possessed not what they believed they should enjoy Abraham believed he should have a sonne here was his faith yet did he not then possesse his sonne To make enjoyment essentiall to faith is a very great mistake wee being united and married unto Christ doe through faith by him bring forth fruit unto God yea perfect obedience imputatively and through the operation of his Spirit I have many discouragements for that I am not filled with joy and comfort and peace in believing Consider two things viz. 1. Faith may be strong when joy is absent David had faith when he had not joy Restore to me the joy of my salvation he had refused comfort before but now he came to want it 2. Such as judge their condition good because they are filled with joy build upon a sandy foundation in that they are not founded upon Christ alone If some had joy they would make it a Christ to them they would live upon it and therby abuse Christ themselves and their joy It is a mercy unto such poore creatures that they have not joy til they better know how to use it I cannot believe that I am in Christ for that I fall back into sinne Consider three things viz. 1. That no sinne can make one less beloved of God or lesse in Christ for the mercies of God are called sure mercies his love an everlasting love his covenant an everlasting covenant I am perswaded saith Paul That neither death nor life nor principalities nor powers c. shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord So that to whom he is once merciful he is ever merciful whom he once loves he ever loves when he once takes poore creatures into covenant with him he is ever theirs I am the Lord I change not 2. That whom the Father loves he loves in his Son in whom he is well pleased and his Son is alwaies alike beloved of him The same yesterday to day and for ever and whom he loves in his Son he accounts as his Son he is made unto us of God righteousnesse sanctification and redemptiin so as wee being not beloved for our owne sakes nothing in us can make God love us lesse because he loves us not for our selves nor any thing in our selves but in and through his Son in whom he is wel pleased with us 3. Consider That if God should love us lesse or more as we are lesse or more sinful then he should be as man and as the Son of man and if believers stood upon these termes with God then how are these Scriptures said to be true He arose again for our Justification Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect Who shall condemne There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus The foundation of God standeth sure he ever lives to make intercession for us so as God is ever the same that loves and his love is as himselfe ever the same and Christ in whom we are beloved ever the same and our righteousnesse ever the same Thy righteousnesse is of mee saith the Lord. Saith a poore drooping believer I having lyen a long time under and used the means of grace grow stil worse and worse therefore I cannot but conclude That God wil not doe me good Poore heart 1. Dost thou know Gods means and the number of them Have your ends been good and rightly placed Have you used the means in a right manner measure time and in sincerity Have you not rested in the means Have you used them in faith waiting for Gods blessing upon them The word they heard profited them not for want of faith 2. It is not good reasoning to say because God hath not as yet given me my request therefore he never wil mind what the Lord saith But ye are a chosen generation a royal Priesthood c. Which in time past were not a people but are now the people of God which had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy They shallnot be ashamed that wait for me 3. Consider that it is just with God to blast the means yea it is a mercy to blast it that yet still using them we might look more unto Christ for his blessing upon them and to be all unto us 4. Consider If thou hast a wil that Christ should save thee and rule in thee and over thee he that hath begun this good work in thee wil perfect the same Thou shalt one day know that thy sins are pardoned and not imputed unto thee and subdued in thee 5. Consider God may have mercy for thee though thou know it not for mens sins are first forgiven before they can know it believe it or be assured of it thy sins may be pardoned though thou knowest it not faith believes the pardon of sinne but our believing neither pardons nor procures the pardon of any sin but faith brings into the soule the apprehension of the pardon of those sins which were pardoned before though not by us known so to be til then I fear that my motions Godward doe flow from a principle of self-self-love and not from pure love unto the Lord Jesus Consider though they do not yet the Lord Jesus promised to his people Israel of old who were incompassed with as many Aggravations of sinnes and infirmities as thou that he would love them freely and as he loved his people Israel of old so he wil love thee freely and betroth thee unto himselfe in loving kindnesse and mercyes he hath also promised and his faithfulnesse is engaged I will circumcise thy heart saith he and thou shalt love mee he wil give thee an heart-breaking sight and sense of the free pardon of all thy sins through the spirits manifestation of the riches of his superabundant grace and love and thy apprehension thereof through faith ingages thy heart and constrains thee to love him again Wee love him because he loved us first Saith a poore deserted soule I cannot believe that God wil pardon my sins they being greater and heightned with many more circumstances of aggravation then the sins of others are This is the effect of thy unbeliefe and of thy low and finite thoughts of God his grace and mercy whereas they are infinite Oh measure not the Lord by thy selfe but remember that hee whose Character is The Lord gracious and merciful c. Hee doth great things
Soule-Reviving Influences Of the Sun of RIGHTEOUSNESSE Or Some bright beames of Light and Love sparkling from Christ upon the darke and drooping hearts of sin-weakned and clouded Believers even while we are in this Solitary wildernesse not yet arrived at the Land of Spirituall Canaan but taking a turne in the darke and dampe valley of the shadow of death With severall Evangelicall and heart-winning incouragements to the life of faith in the Sonne of God notwithstanding our manifold weaknesses and hainous provocations yea to the keeping up of the same comfort hope confidence and joy in him in the sadest straights of the sorest darknesse In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer Isa 54. 8. For Israel hath not been forsaken nor Judah of his God though their Land was filled with sinne against the holy one of Israel Jer. 51. 5. I cryed in mine affliction unto the Lord and he heard me out of the belly of hell cryed I and thou heardst my voyce Jonah 2. 2. LONDON Printed for Giles Calvert at the Black-Spread-Eagle at the West end of Pauls 1654. The Preface To all the truly faithful the Sons and Daughters of the most High God as wel those under the form of Presbytery as those under other administrations Grace be multiplied and peace from God our Father and the Lord Iesus Christ our Head and Hope Precious Hearts EVER since any of the light and glory of Christ dawned upon us since first we saw that morning star of righteousnesse any of the brightnesse of the glory thereof in those hearts of ours which once lived in the coasts of Zebulun and Naphtali in the Region and shadow of death our life hath remained hid with Christ in God and is that sparke of glory which hath alwaies attracted the most venemous envies of those men who make the flesh their residence were you lower as Saints you should be higher as creatures The world indeed may outrunne you and come first to the Meridian altitude of their glory but surely in the end the inheritance shall be yours their first shall be last and your last first your latter end shall in brightnesse out-shine your beginning And in the meane time also your God wil not leave you Fatherlesse in this solitary desert his left hand is under your head and his right hand embraces you Heaven rains Mannah in the wildernesse The Lord who is your Husband and your Redeemer the Mighty one of Jacob though he may seeme as with Jacob to wrestle with you wil be as the dew unto you the Rocks shall give water in the heat of drought in the wildernesse shall waters break out and streames in the Desert The possession that he hath in you shal for ever entitle you A spring shut up and a fountaine sealed I know nothing you have that is long lived but Jesus Christ earth more grosly carnal and heaven more refinedly carnal shal passe away even the kingdome of heaven so farre as it is made up of forms and administrations shall wither and die but the kingdom of God within you shall remain as Mount Sion which shall never be shaken Forget not therefore your resting place which is the Lord Jesus who will come and lead you with his sweet spices and the savor of his oyntment then shal not the consideration that he hath laid his hand upon any of your enjoyments below himselfe have an uncomly influence upon you Expect not a bed of rest in the barren wildernesse of your owne performances righteousnesses since God hath appointed spiritual Canaan to be your rest and in the midst of sinne and miserie pray in faith without wavering that the Lord Jesus would by his Spirit lead you unto that rock which is infinitely higher then selfe and fix your eie of faith upon that brazen Serpent the Lord Jesus who is made unto us of God Wisdome Righteousnesse Sanctification and Redemption one vision of whose love wil bid defiance to the stoutest of our lusts and to all the powers of darknesse combined therewith yea to Principalities and Powers and spiritual wickednesses in high places and in an encounter wil more then conquer them all so that our David come into the field and engage against them for us And you who have taken forth so many Lessons in the Schoole of Christ as well as the poore Lambs of his fold for whose sakes chiefly the insuing Treatise is made publick are the objects of Satans rancor he either tempts us to sinne and that will cause us to doubt or else he tempts us to doubt and that will cause us to sinne In the treatise are held forth some of the dewes of Hermon hill descending upon the parched hearts and spirits of poore sin-weakned believers with several evangelicall and experimental directions for quieting and establishing a poore soule upon the Rock of ages the Lord Jesus in the apprehension and assurance of his rich grace and free love and in the life of faith in him notwithstanding it s owne weaknesses corruptions and hainous provocations yea for keeping up the same comfort hope joy and confidence in God at all times with several reasons and inducements thereunto and to exult and triumph in God and the soul-astonishing riches of his grace making its boast of him all the day long who wil lead us forth with perfect boldnesse not only to looke in the face of but to trample upon the most terrible of our adversaries sin our own legal righteousnesse death Satan and hell it selfe through the great and glorious conquest of our captaine who hath led captivity captive in whom God alwaies beholds us and in whose righteousnesse we shall be found being not only delivered from this present evil world but made freely meet to be partake●s of the inheritance of the Saints in light And surely the bright and glorious appearance of God in you and the high Spirit of faith and prayer which hee hath richly powred forth upon divers of you is so far from leading those to repentance who wondring after the beast are bewitched by her and drunke with the wine of the wrath of her fornications that it makes them to gnaw their tongues for paine and blaspheme the God of heaven The Prince of darknesse can indeed do no lesse then repine to see a stronger then himselfe bind him and release many of his captives And hereupon he with the greater violence bestirrs himselfe in setting the Foxes and young Cubs to destroy the Vines and tender grapes and endeavours with might and main to let out the wild boare out of the wood and the wilde beasts of the field into the Vineyard which the Lords right hand hath planted The Mysterie of iniquity is now grown more mysterious and deceiving then ever
this as it should seeme was infidelity therefore hee exhorted them to use all diligence to the full assurance of faith and hope unto the end and to believe whatsoever is contained in the covenant of grace of which remission of sinne is one main thing we must therfore after commission of sinne fly for refuge unto the covenant by a true and lively faith it being confirmed by an oath and ratified to us in the bloud of Christ and thence fetch pardon solid comfort and strong consolation 5 Admire such wisdome and love as sparkles forth in that God who made not a covenant with us for our good works nor can it be broken or disanulled by our sins nor is it in our keeping nor stands it upon the rotten and sandy foundation of selfe and duties but is grounded upon the word and faithfulness of that God with whom there is no variablenesse nor shadow of turning 6 Consider as concerning thy objection against thy selfe upon the accompt of thy unworthines whereof thou art sensible that the Lord chargeth the Angels with folly and thou being sensible of thine unworthiness Christ invites thee immediately to himselfe it is nothing but ignorance and pride that keepes poore soules from coming to Christ they will not be beholding to him for all and therfore would stay til they have somthing of their own to commend them unto Christ But if they wil stay til then they shal never come to Christ but now for that thou seest no good thing yea nothing but evil in thy self thou shouldest the rather go unto Christ who is the fountaine set open for sinne and for uncleanness wherein thy uncleane soul must be washed for Christ saith unlesse I wash thee thou canst not be cleane nor have any part in mee Surely if I were not an out-cast and a reprobate I should not be left as I am in a wildernesse condition Israel was accounted an out-cast yet God was then a God unto her and shee a people unto him True saith the poore soule were I a branch in Christ and a true member of his house then could I believe these precious truths and promises of his but I am neither of both but separated from him and his people Be not arrogant in any false conclusion against thy selfe but hearken unto what the Lord saith Let not the Son of the stranger that hath joyned himselfe to the Lord speak saying The Lord hath utterly separated mee from his people neither let the Eunuch say Behold I am a dry tree Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better then of Sons and Daughters A believers comfort hope joy confidence c. should be in God the same at all times The Lord hath various dispensations of providence as well relating to the outward as the inward man He hath his way in the whirlwind And he is in the small still voice his dispensations are many times contrary one unto another to day perhaps thou enjoyest peace joy strength riches and honor with health prosperity and many friends and to morrow all these may be blasted to day God unbosoms himself unto thee and shines forth upon thee and there is a sweet intercourse of love between him thy soule but in a moment he withdrawes him selfe as blessed Job and divers other of the children of God experienced And we find that David reckning of a day of desertion saith Though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death I will fear none evill for thou art with me thy rod and thy staff comfort mee wherein he holds forth his resolution to encounter with such a wildernesse condition where by desertion he should take a turne in the dark and damp valleys of the shadow of death and be incompassed with dreadful terrours and sore trials Gods actings in and upon his people are not alwaies as he is unto them but he being unchangeable is to his ever the same however he may seeme to bee his actings in us or upon us are the accomplishment of his wil for his own glory and the good of his people therefore make we a good construction of all his dealings with us remembring that what we think to be worst may be best for us However it be yet God is good Gods children are to carry an even spirit through the various dispensations of the providence of the Almighty In order to thy confirmation in this truth peruse and seriously meditate upon the ensuing places of Scripture and crave the assistance of the blessed spirit of truth in the opening and understanding of them wherein is treasured up much of the marrow and fatness yea and of the glory of the Gospel Hos 2. 19 20. Jer. 3. 14 1. Jer. 33. 8. Isa 62. 5. Heb. 8. 10 12. Ezek. 16. 62 63. Heb. 3. 6. Jer. 33. 20 21 Hos 14. 5. Isa 61. 10. Isa 54. 5. Jer. 31. 9. Hab. 3. 17 18. Heb. 6. 17 18. Rom. 3. 3. 2 Tim. 2. 13. Rom. 8. 28 33 35 38 39. Isa 41. 10. Isa 57. 18 19. Isa 54 7 8. Heb. 10. 19 20 22. Psal 46. 1 2 3 4. Rom. 8. 1 2. John 13. 1. Zech. 3. 9. Isa 63. 16. Josh 1. 5. Psalm 89. 30 31 32 33 34. Ezek. 16 14. Six Reasons of the Point 1. Reason Because that God who hath loved thee with an everlasting love loves thee in his Son thou art not beloved for thy owne sake or for any thing in thee but upon the account of the Lord Jesus in whom God is well pleased therefore no corruption in us nor all we doe can make us to be loved more or lesse believers are never the more just before God for their own integrity nor the lesse just for their iniquity God may well say of himselfe I am the Lord and change not his love is as himselfe ever the same and Christ in whom thou art beloved the same yesterday to day and for ever and hereupon thou art commanded to rejoyce evermore to rejoyce exceedingly 2. Reason Because whatsoever thoughts thou hast of God he is unchangeable if he doth withdraw himselfe if he doth allure thee into the wildernesse it is that he may speake comfortably unto thee and all this while thou hast his promise with thee and his faithfulnesse is ingaged unto thee For a small moment have I forsaken thee but with great mercies will I gather thee in a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindnesse wil I have mercie on thee saith the Lord thy redeemer Having loved his own which were in the world hee loved them to the end 3. Reason Because God considers his to be in Christ before they had a being in themselves and indeede they are never out of Christ they dwel in
God and his motive to make and enter into this covenant was his everlasting love the righteousnesse upon which it is established is an everlasting Righteousnesse and all the mercies and blessings thereof are everlasting as everlasting pardon for I will be mercifull to their unrighteousnesse and their sinnes and Iniquities will I remember no more Everlasting kindnesse In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer everlasting mercy for the Lord is good his mercy is everlasting and his truth endureth to all generations Everlasting joy and the ransomed of the Lord shall returne and come to Sion with Songs and everlasting joy upon their heads c. Everlasting consolation Now our Lord Jesus Christ himselfe and God even our Father who hath loved us and given us everlasting consolation c. and likewise everlasting life For God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life God hath ordained men unto eternal life before they believe and faith is a fruit of the spirit of Christ and of consequence we must be in Christ before we can bring forth fruit that whosoever believeth on him should not perish c. This and such like expressions are to be considered as declarations of the qualification of such as are saved not that faith gives us any interest in Christ but manifests unto us that he who hath loved us with an everlasting love hath by his Spirit come into our hearts and created faith there and shewed forth this love unto us When God is said to be in Covenant with a Soule A soule is then properly actually or expressy in Covenant with God when God hath come to it in the promise and then when it feels it self under the power of the promise it begins only to know it is in Covenant and yet to obey as if it were but to enter into that covenant which God hath made with it in Christ before it could do any thing so as they that believe doe rather feele themselves in that covenant which God hath made with them without any thing in themselves either faith or repentance c. The effect of this Covenant The Lord in and through this covenant brings a poore creature to see and seeing to admire the superabundant riches of his free grace and love and humbly and thankfully to embrace the same and the heart thus wrought upon vehemently desires that such carriage and kindness of its God might not slip out of mind but that the consideration of this soul-ravishing heart-melting and astonishing grace and loving kindnesse might through the Spirit of the Mediatour of this covenant carry him forth stedfastly to believe in dearly to love chearfully to obey and dutifully to honour and serve the God of this mercy in soule body and spirit so long as the Sun and Moon endure and for ever in a word the soul is carried forth out of selfe unto God and in God alone finds rest and satisfaction Divers inviting Characters and soul-winning encouragements of faith Faith is an assenting or cleaving to the truth and faithfulnesse of God in his promise not from any thing the soule sees or feels in it selfe but from something it apprehends in God in his word faith sometimes is attended with much strife and strugling for Satan wil say to the soule it is in vain to believe Christ saith come I will ease thee and faith sweetly perswades the heart to rest upon the ability and fidelity of God in his free promise Faith is an emptying grace yea it is its property to empty the soule and keep it empty of selfe confidence and thereby it makes way for receiving of the righteousnesse of Christ even as the poor widows empty vessels for the receiving of the oyl out of the cruse whereas the fulnesse of the vessel caused the stay Yea it implies an emptinesse of selfe that we may be filled with him out of whose fulnesse wee receive grace for grace Faith is a believing that Jesus Christ is the Christ which implies a seeing and knowing that all is in Christ for life and salvation and so to rest upon him for it he that thus believs in Christ is brought over by Christ unto Christ and so centered upon him that he wil never go from him My soule wait thou on God for my expectation is from him And in those souls who enjoy this precious faith old things are done away and they are new creatures there is a light set up in the soul and the soul sees and knowes all is by Christ and that there is no way or meanes of life but by him and thereupon closes with him and rests upon him Faith looks unto what God saith rests upon it and sets to its seale that God is true Faith doth not lay hold on Christ to fetch Justification from him till Christ hath first laid hold on us and imputed his righteousness unto us and by his Spirit in a free promise of grace declared the same unto us and then faith becomes active to receive and depend upon Christ and his everlasting righteousnesse Faith works by love and most highly prizeth Christ and his righteousnesse debases and vilifies self admires the immense and infinite riches of Gods free grace and love and engages the heart to holinesse yea to dedicate it selfe as a monument of eternal praise and thanksgiving for his inestimable goodnesse Yea that soul that is possessed of such precious faith can never in its owne eye see God high enough nor it selfe vile enough and fetches all its strength from Christ to doe all it doth There are many mistakes about faith some have thought comfort joy or ravishments of soule with God to be faith and so because they had not them have concluded they had no faith it is not mens believing but the object of faith that gives faith its denomination There are many precious souls that trust in Christ for life from an hope of mercy but this hope though the poore soul at present sees or knowes no certainty of enjoyment of what it hopes for hath a blessing intailed on it Turn ye to the strong hold ye prisoners of hope Eleven Motives to believe 1. By believing we come to know our interest in Christ and salvation by him 2. By believing we honour God he that receives his testimony hath set to his seale that God is true 3. If ye believe not surely ye shall not be established there is no true quietnesse and settlement of soule without believing thou standest by faith and fallest into sin by unbeliefe the word preached is precious and powerful yet it profited not being not mixed with faith in them that heard it 4. It s faith that
rids the soule of all its distempers doubts feares and discouragements we may not separate the Spirit from faith nor faith from the Spirit nor Christ from both 5. By faith in Christ thou shalt be kept in perfect peace it will sweetly and transcendently refresh the soule thou shalt keep him in perfect peace because he trusts in thee Being justified by faith we have peace with God by faith we apprehend Christ our Justification the fruit of which is joy and peace 6. By unbelief we adde sinne unto sinne in the highest nature if we believe not what God saith we accuse God of speaking falsely he that believeth not hath made God a lyer It is impossible for God to lye the strength of Israel cannot lye nor can it be any dishonour to God or danger to thy selfe to hope in his mercy and believe in him The eye of the Lord is upon them that hope in his mercy 7. As bad as thou canst be have been received unto mercy Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners This is a faithfull saying and worthy of all acceptation When thou layest in thy blood it was a time of love He justifies the ungodly While we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us have hope therefore feare not but believe the Lord will command his loving kindnesse in the day time and in the night his song shall be with thee hope thou in God 8. Unbeliefe streightens thy heart stops thy mouth and hinders thy thankfulnesse and praysing of God thou shalt be dumb because thou believest not 9. Unlesse we believe we can never glorifie God Abraham staggered not at the promise of God through unbeliefe but was strong in faith giving glory to God 10. Our naked cleaving to God in his free promise shall carry down all our distempers at once and drowne them in it as in a Sea the promises will answer all thy doubts and feares whatsoever and fill our soules with peace in believing 11. By our unbeliefe wee oppose riches of grace and love yea that love that could love enmity it selfe and reconcile those unto God that are enmity against him There is but looking up to Christ Jesus and salvation is in thy soule and believing with thy heart and thou art saved thou wert saved by Christ before but now in thy selfe Jesus Christ and forgivenesse of sins in his name and redemption through his blood is the first and only thing held forth in the Gospel to sinners the other mysterie of Righteousnesse is revealed to believers forgivenesse of sins is first taught that they may believe and the other glorious mysteries are taught that they may know what they believe they are first to see Gods love and afterwards his glory Jesus Christ crucified is the best story for sinners and Jesus Christ exalted for Saints and therefore it is that in all the Apostles Sermons the story of blood and redemtion was first preached and when they did believe that then they wrote Epistles and Revelations of greater things unto them so as they spake of Christ only to make them beleeve and wrote to them of him when they did beleeve Salvation is not made any puzzling work in the Gospel it is plainly easily and simply revealed Jesus Christ was crucified for sinners this is salvation and this work of salvation is past and finished sins are blotted out sinners are justified by him that rose for their justification now that which we must do to be saved is to believe in the Lord Jesus Jesus Christ and the promise is annexed thou shalt be saved All that is to be done in the work of salvation is to believe that there is such a worke and that Christ dyed for thee among all those other sinners he dyed for This is the commandment that ye believe on his Son Jesus Christ that is that ye be perswaded of such a thing that Christ was crucified for sins and for your sins and we are called on to believe because they only that can believe are justified by him all that believe are justified so that salvation is not a business of our working and doing it was done by Christ with the Father Sin Satan and hel were all triumphed over by Christ himself openly for us and all our worke is no worke of salvation but in salvation in the salvation we have by Christ We receive all not doing any thing that we may receive more but doing because we receive so much and because we are saved therefore we work not that we may be saved and yet we are to worke as much as if we were to be saved by what we doe because so much is done already for us and to our hands as if we were to receive it for what we did our selves this is short work believe and be saved and yet this is the only gospel work and way Christ tels ye in few words and his Apostles in as few As Moses lifted up the Serpent in the wildernesse so must the Son of man be lifted up that whosoever believes on him should have eternal life Saith Saint Paul say not in thy heart who shall ascend into heaven that is to bring Christ from above or who shall descend into into the deepe that is to bring Christ from the dead but what saith it the word is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart the word of faith which we preach if thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved The work is already done but then thou shalt see that it is done There are five grounds why salvation is so soone done 1. Because it was done before by Christ but not believed on before by thee til now 2. Because it is the Gospel way of dispensation to assure and passe over salvation in Christ to any that will believe it 3. There needs no more on our sides to work or warrant salvation to us but to be perswaded that Christ Jesus died for us because Christ hath suffered and God is satisfied now suffering and satisfaction is that great worke of salvation 4. Because they and they only are justified who can believe Righteousnesse is revealed from faith to faith all that believe are justified 5. That it may be by grace and not of works being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus How God begets faith in an unbeliever We are commanded to believe and faith is the gift of God and the Spirit of Christ without which we can do nothing enlightens our understandings and worketh faith in us and hereupon our believing is said to be the work of God and the Spirit having set up a divine light in our understandings we being before altogether darknesse bowes our hearts to believe and indeede without
this quickning Spirit of Christ the two edged sword of the word preached wil prove but as Scanderbegs sword which without Scanderbegs arm was able to doe little or nothing It is through grace that men believe yet men are to use the means for in the preaching of the word God hath covenanted that his Spirit go along with and add power to the word spoken make it effectual to the enabling of the creature to obey he said unto me Son of man stand upon thy feet and the Spirit entered into me when he had spoken unto me and set me upon my feet And the dead shal hear the voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live otherwi●e were it in vaine to speak unto dead men to believe and all men are by nature spiritually dead only they believe whose hearts God opens None can believe but they unto whom it is given When the soule is come to believe that Christ was made sinne for it its doubts are vanquished and the soul sweetly quieted and setled As soone as Jesus Christ by his Spirit hath convinced the soule that he is made sin for it and that it is made the Righteousnesse of God in him then do all its doubts fears and objections vanish and Christ is believed in and lived upon with thankfulnesse and joy yea such a soule by its eye of faith sees it farre better that Christ was made sin for it then if it had never sinned yea as much better as a spiritual body is better then a natural as much better as the image of the heavenly is better then the image of the earthly body yea as much better as strength is better then weaknesse and as heaven is better then earth It is faith in Christ that rids the soul of all its distempers doubts fears and discouragements we may not separate the Spirit from faith for faith is the fruit and effect of the Spirit and wee cannot rationally expect the effect without its cause And it is the want of faith that causes troubles in the soul saith Christ ye believe in God believe also in me and let not your hearts be troubled believing in Christ sweetly quiets and settles a troubled soule and those that know God wil trust him with their bodies and souls and that upon his word all that know thy name wil trust in thee yea they wil cleave unto God in his promise even then when they are in their greatest fears and most sensible of their owne vilenesse and that not without sufficient war●ant Trust in him at all times God is a refuge for us Selah if at all times then at the worst of times yea even then believe and hear nothing against thy believing of God in his promise Abraham the faithfull believed against hope oh believe God intends thy good Christ came to seeke and to save the lost such as are lost in their sight and sense of their owne vilenesse insufficiency and misery A Collection of divers things from wh●n●e it is that many weake Believers are incompassed with so many doubts feares and discouragements together with sundry especiall meanes which they are to make use of and wherein the Lord Jesus usually qui●ts and 〈◊〉 a disquieted soule in the assurance of his Love Negatively the doubts feares and discouragements of weake Believers proceed not from God for his voice is peace and comfort to his people I know the thoughts that I think towards you saith the Lord thoughts of peace and not of evill Comfort yee my people saith the Lord speake yee comfortably to Jerusalem cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished that her iniquity is pardoned You see they come not from God Nor come they from Christ he neither troubles nor discourages any it was promised concerning him that hee should speake peace Thy King cometh he shall speak peace unto the Heathen this is his worke and he doth it therefore he doth not trouble nor discourage any He is the horne of Salvation that God hath raised up for us to guide our feete in the way of peace He opens the blinde eyes He brings out the prisoners from the prison and them that sit in darknesse out of the prison-house He is that light that is sprung up unto those that sit in darknesse and in the Region and shadow of death he bindes up the broken hearted he proclaimes peace and liberty he comforts all that mourne He gives beautie for ashes the oyle of joy for mourning and the garments of Praise for the spirit of heavinesse he was given to heale the broken hearted to preach deliverance to the Captives and recovering of sight to the blinde to set at liberty poore bruised prisoners that have been taken Captive by the Devil and the maine end of his coming is to abolish death and to bring life and Immortality to light through the Gospel this is his worke and he doth it he is gracious and pitifull hee will not quench the smoaking flax nor breake the bruised reed his voice is full of love and tendernesse his words are sweet words as Let not your hearts be troubled feare not it is your fathers pleasure to give you a Kingdome Cast your care upon me I will care for you Christs voyce unto his poore people is Open to mee my sister my Love my Dove my undefiled his name is King of Salem that is King of peace It is palpably apparent that our feares and discouragements come not from Christ Nor come they from the holy Spirit of God for he is the great and most sweet Comforter he causes no discouragements but removes them all by revealing and applying unto the soule the love of God and carries the soule by faith from all discouragements unto God who is love and peace where the soule is to rest and be filled with sweet peace This is the worke of the Spirit and hence it is that he is called the Comforter he never caused the least feare or discouragement in the soule of any The consideration that our feares doubts and discouragements come not from God nor from Christ nor from the holy Spirit is sweet for then what need wee regard them yea we may slight them Affirmatively the doubts feares and discouragements of weake believers doe proceed viz. 1. From the Devill who is a malicious adversary to the Saints hee either tempts us to sinne and that will cause us to doubt or else hee tempts us to doubt and that will cause us to sinne and thus he raises doubts and feares to hinder their comfort and peace in believing he also tempts them and takes the word out of their hearts least they should believe From whence these particulars ensue 2. From our owne hearts Take heed brethren lest there be in any of you an evil
sinne as easily as the least And we are to consider that one sinne cannot be forgiven but all are forgiven Jesus Christ hath done away all sinnes For this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sinnes for ever sate down on the right hand of God 3. They looke not upon God in the pure simplicity of his word and promise but suspect and are jealous that God hath some reckoning still behind because they see themselves sinful and know that God is of purer eyes then to behold iniquity and they cannot believe that God can bear with all those corruptions and transgressions in them Briefly they fear still God doth not intend them such grace as he proffers and speaks of in his word and suspect the Gospel The Remedie We are to believe God in the plainnesse and simplicity he speaks in in Gospel promises the word of his grace even unto our soules as if he spake out unto us by name from heaven he that believeth not God hath made him a liar because he beleeveth not the Record that God gave of his Sonne 4. They think though God may be reconciled unto them and love them at sometimes for they poore souls only reckon the seasons of the Spirits comfortings and breathing for the times of forgivenesse yet God may be provoked againe and angry again for new sins and failings and then they are as much troubled how to come at any peace againe as they were before and then it must be only another sun-shine of the like comfort must warme them into peace and believing In a word they think if God do pardon them yet they may provoke him againe soon after The Remedie We must know that God is not as man that he should be angry and pleased as we carry our selves I wil be merciful to their unrighteousnesse and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more I wil be to them a God and they shall be to me a people There is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus c. The apprehension indeed of pardon and salvation is variable but yet the pardon and salvation it self is immutable and as the Gospel needs to be given but once so a mans sins need but once to be forgiven once is enough because if once then for ever 5. They cannot perswade themselves how they can sin as they doe daily but that they are countable for all the breaches and set up new scores of sin in their consciences and keepe reckoning for God and disquiet themselves in vaine in a word they suppose they cannot sin as they doe and not be accountable and they cannot but be sinners in Gods sight as well as their owne The Remedie We must remember our sins are no more ours but Christs and his righteousnesse is ours God reckons and accounts us as one now so though we sin yet every sin was accounted for in him And now there is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect It is God that justifieth 6. They think every affliction or trouble that befalls them is a punishment for some sin they have committed and they looke on them as messengers of wrath from God sent upon them in judgment as if God were satisfying himselfe upon them and pouring forth some wrath upon their heads to satisfie his justice against such sins In a word they think afflictions are sent upon them for their sins and they cannot look upon God in them but as angry and so helpe the afflictions to afflict themselves The Remedie We are to consider that although afflictions come in with sinne and for sin and are the wages of sin yet to the righteous and believers they are not judgements for every thing of justice against sin was spent upon Christ so as to believers they are only trials and temptations My brethren count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations They are chastnings of love to prevent and imbitter sin unto us As many as I love I rebuke and chasten c. The rod of afflictions is a teaching rod David found it good for his soule that he had been afflicted and the fruit of affliction to believers is the taking away of sinne And the Spirit tells us expresly If ye endure chastening God dealeth with you as with sons for what sonne is hee whom the father chasteneth not But if yee be without chastisement whereof all are partakers then are ye bastards and not sonnes Afflictions are in a word a diverse way or dispensation of love and grace unto the poore soule love working by that which is evil in it selfe We know that all things do work together for good unto them that love God 7. They mistake the Gospel in the doctrine of it and every Scripture that threatens for sinne they apply unto themselves because they have committed that sin In a word They interpret every curse in the law and new Testament for sin their own if it be against their sinne The Remedie We are to consider that though the Scriptures do often set forth the righteousnesse of God against sinne and his justice against iniquity yet the justice of God being satisfied by him who made his soule an offering for thy sins Justice it selfe hath no more power against thee for thy sins then the pursuer hath to doe with the murderer in the City of refuge For sin shall not have dominion over you ye are not under the law but under grace The Discouragements of poore weake believers herein mentioned are as followeth I feare I am but an hypocrite notwithstanding all the faire shewes I have made for the Lord his waies and people It is contrary to the nature of an hypocrite to feare that he is such an one and it is a Character of a sincere heart to see and seeing to bemoane its owne deceitfulnesse to desire sincerity and to imbrace and most highly to prize that word of th● Lord that is most searching in its owne soule to thirst after that word that is most powerful and keene and pierceth even to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit and of the joynts and marrow and to examine it selfe it is the prayer of a David-like spirit Examine me O Lord and prove me trie my reines and mine heart It is as dangerous for a soul to skin up its wounds before they are searched as to presse it selfe downe with discouragements and helpe the affliction to afflict it self Take it rather for granted that thou art an hypocrite and if so what is that but a sinner though of a deeper die then an ordinary sinner is We reade that Ephraim compassed the Lord about with lies and the house of Israel with deceits c. and that he was a cake not
manifests himselfe to others of our Brethren and fellow Members he rises in their Hemispheare And what though thy sinnes have eclipsed the love of thy God unto thy soule The Lord onely bids thee to acknowledge thine iniquity that thou hast transgressed against the Lord c. What a poore recompence is this Turne oh backsliding children saith the Lord for I am married unto you c. Poore soule the love of God remaines still as sure and as great as ever and in his due time shall shine forth againe upon thy soul the thick clouds will blow over and the soule reviving light of his love will arise upon thee He will take away all iniquity and receive us graciously I thought I had true faith but since I fell into an hainous transgression I am perswaded that if I had beene the Lords he would not have left me to sin as I did This is a deplorable case indeed and the fruit of unbelief and of the want of watchfulnesse yet consider the Lord hath suffered such or as great if not greater spots to overtake his own dear children David sinned in adultery and murder Solomon sinned greatly after hee had obtained mercy and Peter denyeth Christ with an oath these examples are recorded to hold forth the glory of the riches of Gods free grace that men may be acquainted with the mirrour of his grace long sufferance and forbearance that so great sinners might not despaire and faint under their sinnes 2. To despair of the mercy of God because our sins are great were to limit God in his mercy which is to add sin unto sin and a greater sin then the former The Lord Jesus takes much pains and le ts out merciful power for the raising of sin-weakened souls and for the gathering of wandring Lambs Poor soul know this that the greatest sin a believer can commit ought not to make him mourn without hope for no sin can put him in the state of condemnation or bring him under the curse While we live here below God healeth not our sinfull nature wholly nor takes it quite away the flesh lusteth God ever looks upon his as they are in Christ and not simply as they are in themselves saith Paul I my selfe keepe the Law of God but with my flesh the Law of sin flesh and sin do the evil Consider Nehem. 9. 16 17. The Spirit also tells us in another place that he knowes our frame and remembers that we are but dust God hath in much wisdome and love left sinne in his to humble them and to exercise the fruits of the Spirit in them and that we might long to be where we shall not sinne also that we might the more dearly love Christ in that it is pardoned and depend upon him to subdue it and that we might not scorne nor insult over any poore sin● weakned ones but restore them with the spirit of meeknesse and that we may admire the more that rich grace of the Lord Jesus whereby notwithstanding all our provocations we have accesse unto the Father by him The Lords people are indeed taught by his spirit not to sinne that grace may abound but to love and to love with the more vehemency of affection the God of their incomprehensible mercy and to use all means against sinne and not to be over-pressed and sunk in despaire under it They also know that they are the more happy in that they were sinners else how could they be capable of union with God of mercy and heaven If there were not evil it would not be known what is good Justice and mercy had not beene known the wisdom of God could not have been known in drawing good out of evil or his love in sending the dearly beloved out of his bosom to die for us man had not come unto that happness in Christ which the Saints have and shal enjoy 3. God is never an enemy to his though they greatly sinne against him Wee are not beloved for our owne sakes nor for any thing in our selves but in Christ Who hath made us acceptable in the beloved Therefore nothing wee doe can cause God to love us more or lesse his love is as himselfe ever the same therfore a belivers hope joy and confidence is to bee ever the same in Christ Hence it is that such are alwayes to reioyce Reioyce alwayes Reioyce evermore Againe I say rejoyce Let them exceedingly rejoyce The joy of the Lord is our strength Oh there is enough in the Lord to satisfie● thee at all times he is an unchangeable object of true joy in him is all our hope and happinesse therefore let not thy fall cause thee to question the love of God unto thee thy salvation depends not upon thy repentance and holinesse See Rom. 9. 15 16. Isa 43 24 25. Ezek. 16. from 1. to ver 9. See also and mind what the Apostle saith in this case My little children these things write I unto you that you sinne not And if any man sinne we have an advocate with the Father Christ Jesus the righteous and he is a propitiation for our sins c. These things are written unto us indeed that we sinne not But as for such as turne the grace of God into wantonnesse whom the mercies of God encourage in their sinful practise these are led by the spirit of the divell he is their father and his works they doe these are not at present in any wise to be numbred with those who through temptations and weaknesse are overtaken with the sin they hate if fallen be not out of hope If the Lords children have fallen into sinne they are to rise by faith Shal a man fall and not arise Who is a God like unto thee that pardonest the transgression of the remnant of thy people God subdues the corruption that is in his not all at once but by degrees and thereupon saith I will be merciful to their unrighteousnesse and their sins and iniquities I wil remember no more God hath nothing in charge against those who are in Christ and therefore commands us to goe boldly to the throne of grace in full assurance of faith If I were fitted with Qualifications as humblenesse brokennesse of heart c. and tooke delight in hearing and praying as others I could then entertaine hope that God hath thoughts of love and mercy towards me but it is not so with me Such an objection in some may be the product of the sweet operation of the Spirit of grace which hath shewed them some amiable and desirable thing in the precious promises and wayes of God so as they pan● after them But more usually this is a whining because the worke of preparation is more sensible then the worke of
saith the Lord from all your uncleannes what is the effect of this then shall ye remember your own waies and doings that were not good and loath your selves in your one eyes for all your abominations thus the Lord brings his people to repentance And I will pour upon the house of David and upon the Inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and supplication and they shall looke upon him whom they have pierced and mourne c. That is I will give them such a spirit as shall abundantly manifest unto them my rich love and sinne-pardoning grace and this produces mourning yea bitter and solitary mourning such as of Hadad rimmon in the vally of Megiddon where the nobles of Israel cast away their musicall Instruments and clad themselves in sable or sacke-cloath and breathing forth their mournful elegies cryed out our Growne is fallen from our heads woe woe unto us wee have sinned Sorrow for sinne in the glory of the gospel proceeds from Christs peircing wounding melting the heart from Christ discovering sin pouring water upon the dry grounds and dropping the dewes of Hermon hill upon the thirsty lands 2. Consider that God deales not with all his alike hee knowes best what is meet for us Physicians know that such a physicall potion is necessary for one as will kill another All that believe have not the same measure of sorrow for ●inne Lydia received the word with joy but the Jaylor trembled being in feare 3. The greatest measure of sorrow for sinne that ever any had was not the least cause of their being loved or saved it is a great mistake to thinke that God delights in feares or tears 4. A deepe sensibleness of sinne proceeding from feare and terrors hinders the soules believing and drives it from Christ and makes it say with Peter Lord depart from mee for I am a sinfull man 5. If God deales with thee as with Lydia more gently then with divers others thou hast no ground for complaint against it 6. That sensibleness of sinne that flowes not from the apprehension of pardon and love is of no value And remember wee to looke to Christ and not unto our sensibleness of sin 7. Our best and greatest sorrow for sinne is not free from sinne yea and deserves nothing but death 8. If thou hast seene thy selfe lost and fatherless so as nothing could satisfie thee but Christ this is a sweet supernaturall and glorious work of the gospel and such as is wrought upon none but such as shall be ●aved by thy renouncing thy owne sufficiency it appeareth that there is a greater a better come in places I feare I have no worke of grace wrought upon me because I feel not its power and am not able to subdue my passions and corruptions Thy complaint of the want of a sense and feeling of the power of the work of grace upon thee and of thine inability to subdue thy passion and corruption declares a weaknesse of grace and not a defect of the truth grace in the soule If thou dost what thou wouldst not mind what Paul saith that which I do I allow not for what I would that do I not but what I hate that doe I c. The strongest and most spiritual Christian is in himself very weake imperfect falls often and is not able to stand alone Among Christians some partake more of natural choller then others and they accordingly are more or lesse hastie and passionate a wicked man may naturally be patient and a child of God sinfully passionate Elias was a man subject to the like passions we are 2. Thou must not measure Gods love to thee nor the truth of his worke in thee by thy mortification of sinne 3. God may for ends best known unto himselfe leave thy passions and corruptions unsubdued yea suffer them to be too strong for thee it may be that thou mayst be abased more in thine own eyes and that thou mightest see thine own weaknesse and bee thereby the more sensible of thy necassity of Christs strength and depend daily upon him for it and that thereupon we might love and prize him the more in that we have such necessity of him to pardon and heale us and that he might hold forth the glory of his power in keeping alive a ●mal sparke of grace in us in the midst of the vast ocean of our corruptions God may leave thy personal sanctification the more imperfect that thou mayest the more mind and behold Jesus Christ and our righteousnesse in him and live the more upon him and his fulnesse and joy the more in our free justification by him 4. It is one thing to have thy sinne forgiven or not imputed unto thee and another thing to have thy sin subdu●d in thee the first may be where the later is wanting 5. The reason why sinne so much prevailes is because we live so much in discouragements Live in the apprehension of the love of God and down goes sinne and discouragements but while we lie in our discouragements sinne prevailes as appeares by 77. Psal 2. 7 8 9 10. verses 6. Thy comfort and happinesse depends not upon thy feeling but upon Gods never-failing covenant and promise confirmed by his oath and we are not to live by sense and feeling but by faith in the Sonne of God we are not to fetch our comfort from our subduing of sinne but from Christ who is made unto us both righteousnesse and sanctification Thankes bee unto God who hath given us victory by Jesus Christ when we are at the best we may not live in our selves nor by sight but by faith and when we are at the worst we are to remember that wee are not our owne but Christs and that wee ought to live upon him by faith and derive strong consolation from him and his leading of Captivity Captive I finde within my selfe no relish of spirituall things nor willingnesse to duties and I often omit them God may have begun his worke in thee although it be thus with thee though this be an argument of much corruption in the soule This distemper may arise from diverse causes as 1. From unbeliefe 2. From doubting of the acceptance of thy person and duties 3. From want of love to Christ 4. From loving of temporall things which deadens the heart and makes it carnall 5. From weaknesse of grace 6. From sloath and ease which slay the soule 7. From ignorance of the sweetnesse in spirituall duties 8. From the soules sicknesse and distemper for as the body when sick oft cannot relish its food so this soule-distemper hinders its relish of spirituall things and thereby brings weaknesse a knowne enemy to action My flesh and my heart faile but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever He never failes I feare that that worke of grace which I once felt is
now decayed Poore heart I would have thee consider these five things viz. 1. The ground of our faith is God in his word and not our sight and feeling That is sensual we live not by sight but by faith in the Son of God 2. Consider that as long as thou maintainest fears jealousies of Gods love unto thee it is no wonder if thy condition be no better then it is Call to mind the daies of old And remember that with God is no variablenesse nor shadow of turning whom he loves he loves for ever his love is an everlasting love And remember that a poore believers consolation depends not so much upon his knowing Christ as upon this that we are knowne of him and held fast by him who hath taken the charge of us 3. A child of God may decay in parts sight feeling and exercise of faith these are sometimes more and sometimes lesse as God sees best that we might rest and relie upon Christ alone The graces accompanying salvation no saint shal ever lose but a present sensible and continuall exercise of any grace God hath not promised the exercise of grace in the Saints ebbs and flowes the Lord often withdrawes the exercise of one grace that so another may shine forth with the greater lustre and that we may in faith and humility depend up on him who is the rock of our strength and our portion for ever 4. Consider That it is a principal part of the new covenant of Gods grace that he wil write his law in our hearts and that we shall not depart from him And the Lord also saith The mountains shal depart and the hils be removed but my loving kindnesse shall not depart from thee neither shall the Covenant of my peace he removed And in the Prophesie of Jeremiah he saith further If thou canst breake my Covenant of the day and my Covenant of the night that there shall not be day and night in their season then may also my covenant be broken 5. Consider that wee ought to believe that which wee neither see nor ●eel wee are to believe under hope against hope Faith is the evidence of things not seene To live by faith is to walk after the spirit and to live by sight sense and feeling is to live after the flesh Were it not a groundless thing in nature to feare that there is no sinne in the firmament because that at present its face is masked with a cloud and wee feele not the warming and inlivening influence of its beames I feare that the opposition in mee against sinne is not between Christ and Satan or the spirit and the flesh but betweene my corrupt will and my inlightened conscience It is granted that every opposition or striving in men is not from the antipathy between Christ and Satan or the flesh and spirit which reciprocally lust against each other yet the difference between the antipathy of the flesh and spirit and of the corrupt will and enlightened conscience is very discernable 1. The naturall conscience though inlightened acts only in a naturall way at the most it is but morall as not to lie steale sweare c. 2. It stirs not unless forced and then unto that only whereunto it is forced as a Justice of the peace having issued forth his warrant to a drunken constable to search for drunkards this constable dare do no other then search for them though his heart bee with them 3. Conscience inlightened strikes only at the branches but not at the root of sinne 4. It sets one faculty against another as the will and affections against the understanding First But the spirit of Christ causes an opposition in the same faculty as in the will c. 2. The spirit● of Christ makes a free full constant and impartial resistance against all sinne 3. It discovers to the soule her secret corruptions in their colours this spirit overpowereth the soule causing it to hate sinne and leave it 4. This spirit causeth the soule to bee so much the more glad by how much sinne is the more discovered 5. It teaches the soul to oppose all sin even the appearance of evil equally proportionably and orderly 6. This Spirit teaches the soul not to turn the grace of God into incouragement to sin I cannot pray nor do any thing that is good therefore God hath not done my soule good and I have many suggestions that I have no worke of grace wrought in mee which much weakens my confidence 1. Poore soul 〈◊〉 thy grace is weak and thy weaknesse proceeds from infidelity which deadens the heart and hinders thy living upon the strength of Christ 2. It is thus with thee that thou mayest see thy necessity of Christs strength go to and waite upon him by faith for it and live upon him who hath promised to be a ful supply unto his 3. If God hath given thee a desire to obey him say not that it is nothing God saith it is something he that gives this accepts it for if there be a willing mind it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not and he wil grant thy desire in his time he wil 〈◊〉 the desires of them that feare him he also will heare their cry and wil save them Christ wil not quench the smoaking flax though we see no fire yet we know there is some by the smoake it is a Character of a servant of the Lord to desire to feare his name spiritual or holy desires cannot be in a soule that hath no grace desires after grace and of spiritual things is an act of spiritual life an act is from a faculty and a faculty is a concomitant of life a man that is dead in trespasses and sins cannot while dead have a spiritual desire spiritual desires are the productions of faith and love and many times a wil to obey is all that a spiritual believer can find To will is present with mee but how to performe that which is good I find not for the good I would I do not but the evil I would not that do I the strongest saint is but weak Paul was an eminent Saint yet consider what he saith of himselfe Rom. 7. from 14. to 25. Rom. 8. from 37. to 39. he had no power to doe what he would yet he lived by faith in the Son of God 4. We should doe all we can to obey God yet we must know that our all wil be infinitely too little to justifie us in the sight of God for by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of our selves c. not of works lest any man should boast Then as to the second branch viz. That God hath not done thy soule good Certainly God hath begun his work in thee if he hath convinced thee of sin and
and thou maiest be as well mistaken as Gideon was 4. Consider that the greatest peace any saint enjoyes is not any ground of incouragement for him to believe and likewise remember that no terrors that ever take any of Gods Jobs Davids or Jeremiahs ought in the least to discourage them in believing for our happiness consists not in any thing that wee can ●ee feele or apprehend in our selves but in the word and promise of our God and in that wee are knowne of him who loves us and comprehends us in himselfe not imputing our trespasses unto us but his righteousnesse without works 5. Hearken what the Lord saith by his Prophet Isaiah and cast all thy fears of hell upon God in a promise and trust in the Lord when thou art in the flames of this fire thou shalt not be burnt With God nothing is impossible oh troubled soule the day spring from on high hath by the tender mercies of our God visited us and so it will visit thee also and give light to thee that sittest in darkness and in the shadow of death to guide thy feete in the way of peace 6. Consider whether poring too much upon thy sins untill thou wert filled with despaire hath not brought thy terrors upon thee consider whether thy omissions and commissions against conscience have not augmented thy horrour and looke that thou skin not thy self againe with thy performances and duties and remember that what is a great cause of mourning is not the least ground of dispaire Oh therefore cast not away your confidence for yet a little while and hee that shall come will come and will not tarry And say with the Prophet Micah When I sit in darknes the Lord shall be a light unto mee He will bring mee forth into the light and I shall behold his righteousness I have no love to Christ I am an enemie to him and not fit for him 1 The reason why thou lovest not Christ is because thou livest not in the apprehension of his rich love because thou hast not the heart-breaking sight and sense of the pardon of thy sinnes by him Wee love him because hee loved us first the manifestation of this love unto a poore soule constraines it to love him againe 2. Dost thou apprehend thy selfe an enemy to God so were the dearest of Gods children While wee were yet enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son c. Enemies cannot deserve nor desire a Christ yet God gives forth a Christ unto such 3. It is impossible for thee to fit thy selfe for Christ If thou seest such a necessity of him as that without him thou art undone and hereupon pantest after him he hath brought thee absolutely under his promise oh then go to him and thou shalt speed he is faithful that hath promised He wil draw thee unto him with the cords of a man with bands of love and with loving kindnesse He saith also He that cometh unto me I wil in no wise cast out And Christ adds further I and my Father are one And we give power to the faint and to them that have no might we adde strength Even the youths shall faint and be weary and the young men shall utterly fall 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 walke and not faint Remember this that if God hath wrought in thee to hunger and thirst after righteousnesse that is Christ he himself hath pronounced thee blessed a desire after Christ and his righteousnesse is no other then the off-spring of the Spirit and life of Christ in the soule the best perswasion for Christ is to see in our selves no preparation for Christ at all None but fitted or prepared ones will take Christ yet is no preparation to be forced on any as mans work in any sense There are indeed many sweete and precious promises in the word but those who have a propriety in them are believers and I am none Poore soule Consider three things 1. Consider that you may be mistaken in your selfe and think you do not when you do believe and herein may you erre on the one hand as the carnal man doth on the other he thinks he doth believe when he doth not and you think you do not when you do believe as a cheater would put off his brasse for gold so an honest man may suspect his gold to be brass It is a great signe and symptome of faith to have a sight and sense of our owne infidelity and unworthinesse 2. I grant that none may apply a promise of life but such as believe yet the promises are for all the elect thou knowest not but that thou art one of them when God shall give thee faith thou shalt know thy interest in the promises In the meane time stay thy selfe with this that the Lord Jesus gave himselfe for enemies and to justifie the ungodly Be not dismayed God may save you hearken unto what the Lord saith I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy and I will say unto them Thou art my people and they shall say thou art my God Oh sweet place then by no means yeild to thy fears nourish not jealousies against the love of God but resolve in the strength of Christ to cleave unto him in his word hold him fast with the Spouse saying My beloved is mine and I am his 3. Consider that if ever any of the light of Gods soule-astonishing love and sinne pardoning mercie dawned upon thy soule if ever hee hath made any spirituall discoveries of his love unto thee and in thee remember with him is no variablenes nor shadow of turning hee changes not and therefore the Sonnes of Jacob are not consumed And though you finde your selfe unbelieving yet you are not to question the truth and certainty of the accomplishment of Gods promises that are in him yea and amen that are sure and not grounded upon your faith but upon his owne grace and upon his Sonne and his righteousness and faithfulness it is not thy unbeliefe that can make the faith of God without effect if wee believe not yet he remaines faithful he cannot deny himselfe I have no assurance of salvation I am not sealed up to the day of redemption and therefore have no faith 1. Consider that faith and assurance are distinct assurance cannot bee without faith but faith may be without assurance assurance is not properly an act of faith but an effect of it and indeed above it After that ye believed ye were sealed with that holy spirit of promise the seede of faith may be in the soule before the soule know it and by how much the greater our feeling and
and that is for the soule to cleave to and depend upon God in Christ for life and salvation upon such places of Scriptures as these To live by faith in justification The Lord Jesus having spoken peace to the soule that he hath paid all for it and that its sins shall be remembred no more now the soule knowes its happy and enjoyes the comfort of it is filled with joy and peace in believing his life is a life of comfort beholding and enjoying Christs righteousnesse as his owne lives upon it whatsoever befals him he is comforted in his interest in the righteousnesse of Christ as sufficient to satisfie him at all times living upon such places of Scripture as these To live by faith in Sanctification which is twofold 1. For the soule to cleave unto Christ its sanctification Secondly for a Believer to cleave unto God in his promise to cleanse and renew his heart and life and to be a quickning Spirit in him To live by faith in Infirmities And that is for the soule to believe that God will be to us according to his owne gracious promise and Covenant for ever a God of love grace and mercy notwithstanding all our daily omissions and commissions excesses and defects according to that blessed word of his If his children forsake my Law and walk not in my Judgments if they break my statutes and keep not my Commandements then will I visit their transgression with the rod and their iniquities with stripes Neverthelesse my loving kindnesse will I not utterly take from him nor suffer my faithfulnesse to faile My Covenant will I not breake nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips c. He that lives by faith in infirmities may be thus characterized First he will hear Christ and not the voice of a stranger Secondly he is not offended at whatsoever Christ requires Thirdly the revealed will of God in the Scripture is his rule Fourthly he will trust God and rely upon his word he eyeth the promise and saith Surely in the Lord have I righteousnesse and strength c. Fifthly he will contend for the truth Sixthly he will doe others good Seventhly his sin doth not sink him into dispair though he may have many doubtings yea he is not by any sinne or trouble reduced unto dispaire He will and indeed the weakest Believer ought in the midst of all his imperfections say I have as much of the love of God acceptation and perfect righteousnesse in Christ as the best Saint ever had my state is as happy as any of theirs And say with Habakkuk Although the figtree shall not blossome neither shall fruit be in the vines The labour of the Olive shall faile and the fields shall yield no meat the flock shall be cut off from the fold and there shall be no herd in the stalls yet I will rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my salvation Such as live by faith in infirmities live upon Christ in his promise for strength against all infirmities in such places of Scripture as these In deadnesse of heart 35 Isa 5 6. If falne by passion not to sinke under it 5 James 17. 14 Acts 15. They relie upon God for ability to obey him and for fruitfulnesse in season 17 Jer. 8. 1 Psa 2 3. 92 Psa 13 14. 61 Isa 9. 62 Isa 12. Psa 84. 7. If they are under temptations they have a promise that no temptation shall be above their ability to beare and to have a good issue To live by faith for Protection and supply of all wants They who live by faith for these things relie upon Christ in such Scriptures as these are if in sicknesse 41 Psa 3. 103 Psa 3. to be hid in times of danger 3 Zeph. 16 17. v. for a supply of every thing we need 4 Phil. 6. 19. if in Prosperity 29 Jer. 5 6. till God see it good we shall meet with no change our condition may be changed indeeed but our God i● Jehovah that changes not 13 Heb. 5 6. If in adversity to be contented in a hard or low condition 13 Heb. 5. 18 Joh. 11. 4 Phil. 11. 12. it is appointed 1 Thes 3. 3. John 16. 33. Joh. 7. 30. Wee stand in need of such a condition if our need required it not our God that loves us would not afflict us with it 1 Pet. 1. 6. and the time cannot be long ere they shal be no more And they live upon Christ and his presence in times of trouble in such places of Scripture as these Psalm 91. 15. Psal 9. 9. Psal 37. 39. That the troubles shal not be too great Jer. 30. 11. and that they shall profit by them Heb. 12. 11. for deliverance out of them Job 5. 19. Psal 50. 15. for speedy deliverance Psal 31. 2. Psal 69. 17. Isaiah 58. 8. To live by faith in glorification Which is by the eye of faith to behold hold the rest joy peace and perfect happinesse which is provided for us in heaven firmly believing that God will after this life give us all those things with himselfe which hee hath promised his For the resurrection of my body 1 Thes 4. 16. To have a spiritual body 1 Cor. 15. 43 44. To have a glorified body Phil. 3. 21. The Sun in the firmament is not so glorious as the bodies of the Saints shall be because the Sunne is but a naturall body To have fulnesse of knowledge Eph. 3. 18 19. To have fulnesse of joy and pleasure Psal 16. 11. Such as shall be internall pure full spiritual and eternal no miserie hunger cold nakednesse paine griefe nor wearinesse but rest without labour 2 Thes 1. 7. In rest tranquillity in tranquillity contentment in contentment joy in joy variety in variety security in security eternity To see the Lord as he is 1 John 3. 1 2. 1 Cor. 13 12. To behold his glory John 17. 24 with him in glory Col. 3. 4. And to be changed from glory to glory 2 Cor. 3. 18. To have fulnesse of communion with God Ephes 3. 19. Sight is a degree higher then presence union then sight communion then union and full communion is more Wee shall have as much of God as we can desire be filled with him and enjoy the Quintessence of all sweetnesse fulnesse and goodnesse in God yea we shall be raised inflamed and ravished with him in admiration of the perfection of his beauties and this shall coninue without intermission or wearinesse this is our Summum bonum our chiefest good and the end of our being viz. To be for ever with the Lord. 1 Thes 4 17. and enjoy the things which eye hath not seene neither ear heard neither came into mans heart to conceive which God hath prepared for