of the Father and throughly pleads their cause Fourthly In thy spiritual desertion thou must look up to Christ to seek the fulfilling of that promise of his that he makes to his disciples to send to them the comforter When Christ was to leave his disciples he saith Be of good cheer I will send the comforter to you and therefore be of good cheer Christ doth comfort his disciples against his absence he was to go from them and leave them in regard of his bodily presence Now Christ was so careful of his poor Servants that when he was to leave them in regard of his bodily presence he tels them he wil send the comforter to them that is the Holy Ghost shal come so much the more fully and he shal manifest me unto you Now plead this promise of the Lord Christ in the times of spiritual desertion and say Oh blessed Redeemer wert thou careful of thy disciples that when thou wert to leave them in regard of bodily presence that thou wouldst send the Holy Ghost that should come to testifie of thee and reveal thee to them and bring things to remembrance Oh much more wilt thou have compassion of a poor Soul from whom thou art absent in a spiritual way it is a greater affliction to want thee O blessed Redeemer in a spiritual way then to want thy bodily presence and therefore there is a great deal more need that the comforter should come in now to supply the want of spiritual presence then bodily presence Fifthly In the time of spiritual desertion if thou canst find no evidence at all nothing at all to satisfie thy Soul then go to Christ in the very same way that thou wentest to him at first better to do so then to lie groveling and sinking under thy Burden If thou thinkest that yet thou hast nothing that all is nothing all is lost and the like go again in the same way that thou wentest at first unto Christ thou art not in a worse condition then thou wast then when thou wert an enemy and thou foundest ease and rest in him at first now renew that work that there was in thy Soul at the very first There are many people in the time of spiritual afflictions and desertions they spend so much time in looking after old evidences whereas the truth is they might get new ones sooner then the old ones As somtimes a man may spend a great deal more time in looking after an old Key of a Box then in making a new one he might make a new Key with a great deal less trouble and it would not be so much prejudice to him to have a new Key made as to look the old one He may look up and down and spend a great deal of time that may be more worth then to make a new one So it is with the Soul in time of trouble and under spiritual desertion it is looking about for its old evidence and to such and such works of Grace and cannot find them and is poring and cannot be at quiet til it can find those former signs and marks that he had before I say such and such may sooner get new ones then find the old ones If a man have writings perhaps he cannot find such a writing he may be at less charge to have new ones writ over again then to look the old ones so thou wantest the evidences of thy Grace and canst not find them I say renew thy Grace upon Christ again and thou maist get thy evidence new writ over again and have it with less cost then to look after the old ones Sixtly Be sure in time of thy desertion to keep good thoughts of God though thou hast no comfort in them for the present yet beleeve it there is comfort in Christ and whatever becomes of thee acknowledg Christ to be faithful Christ is to be thy Lord and thy king and let thy Heart Love him and strive at the least â—o do so It is true the sence of his Love wil inflame Love again yet at that time when thou canst not have the sence of his Love yet resolve to Love him and Love his waies You know Christ when God seemed to forsake him yet at that time when he was upon the Cross when human Nature could not but see he had need of Gods presence but then he cryed out My God My God And so in Psalme 88. The example of Heman O God of my Salvation He speaks yet stil wel of God and cals God the God of his Salvation· O God of my Salvation he speaks yet stil wel of God and cals God the God of his Salvation O God of my Salvation stil keeps good thoughts of God And so the Church in the Canticles when Christ had withdrawn himself from her yet she would cal him her beloved and go up and down asking for her beloved and where her beloved was so let the soul in time of desertion Keep good thoughts of God Seventhly And Lastly If thou canst not have Rest in Christ resolve thou wilt never find rest in nothing else that thy Heart shal be restless til thou hast rest in Christ Perhaps in the time of desertion there comes one to thee and saith Christ hath forsaken thee go and have comfort elswhere look for it other where or may be the tempter wil come to a poor deserted Soul as he did to Christ in Matth. 4. When Christ was a hungry then comes the tempter to him and saies Command that these stones be made Bread As if the tempter should say thus do do not you see how your Father hath forsaken you that he will not afford you bread take a course for your self So here just thus it is for all the world with a troubled Soul the Soul is troubled the Lord is withdrawn from the Soul and now comes the tempter and saith you see you cannot have comfort you have praied all this while and you cannot get comfort Peace and Rest now therefore seek for Rest elswhere Oh take heed of this a deserted Soul should abandon such temptations and resolve that it wil be content to be in a restless condition to al eternity if it cannot have Rest here As it is with those that do ill offices if there be any breaches between Father and Child or one freind and another they take the advantage of that and say do not you see your Father regards you not though you be in such need he wil not regard you nor help you come therefore and take my counsel I will shew you how you shal live a better life and so when they would withdraw one friend from another those that would do ill offices they go and take advantage of the breach so doth the Devil when the Lord is withdrawn from the soul and the soul is in a deserted condition then comes the Devil to draw the soul to unlawful waies he wil be sure to take the advantage to do al ill
but few that Receive Christ 11 Three sorts that come not to Christ 1 Such as Receive him not as he is 2 Such as delay their coming to him 3 Such as give not that place to Christ in their hearts that is fitting for him In the Treatise of Covetousness is shewed 1 It is the Duty of all as they would obtaine eternal Life to beware of covetousness 2 The Reasons of the Doctrine 1 Its a spiritual Sin 2 It over spreads the whole man 3 It s opposite to the Nature of Godliness and Religion 4 It s the Womb and seed of all Sin 5 It s a base Sin 3 The Dangerousness of covetousness· 1 It is hardly avoided 2 It s difficultly cured 4 You shal have all things needful for this life if you wil look after Grace 5 Your Life lies in Grace not in Riches 6 There is more to be feared than to be desired in Riches 7 We should Mortifie our desires after Riches In Book 1 Of Unbelief or the want of Readiness c. is shewed 1 What Vnbelief it is that is here spoken of 2 The best way to deal with Vnbelief 3 That Vnbelief is a sin against al the Attributes of God 4 That Christ will not bear with this Sin of Vnbeleif 5 That we should be quick and reâ—yd to beleeve 6 Motives to indeavor for readiness to beleeve 7 Helps to attain readiness in Beleeving In Book 2 Of Not going to Christ c. is shewed 1 That unbelief is a great Sin and exceeding provoking unto God 2 Several arguments provoking us to beleeve the greatness of the Sin of unbelief 3 Many Objections answered 4 Several sorts of this Sin of unbeliefe 5 Means to convince us that unbelief is so great a Sin 6 Though the Sin of unbelief be very great yet it 's pardonable 7 God hath pardoned unbelief and wil pardon it A Congregational Church is a Catholick Visible Church By Samuel Stone in New-England A Treatise of Politick Powers wherein seven Questions are answered 1 Whereof Power is made and for what ordained 2 Whether Kings and Governors have an Absolute Power over the People 3 Whether Kings and Governors be subject to the Laws of God or the Laws of their Country 4. How far the People are to obey their Governors Dr. Sibbs on the Philippians Vox Pacifica or a Perswasive to Peace Dr. Prestons Saints submission and Satans Overthrow Pious Mans Practice in Parliament time Barriffs Military Discipline The Immortality of Mans Soul The Anatomist Anatomized The Bishop of Canterbury's Speech Woodwards Sacred Ballance Dr. Owen against Mr. Baxter Mr. Hookers New Books in three Volums One in Octavo and two in Quarto These Eleven New Books of Mr. Thomas Hooker made in New-England Are attested in an Epistle by Mr. Thomas Goodwin and Mr. Philip Nye To be written with the Authors Own hand None being written by himself before One Volum being a Comment upon Christ's last Prayer in the Seventeenth of John wherein is opened The Union beleevers have with God and Christ and the glorious Priviledges thereof Besides many other Gospel Truths there you have shewed 1 That the end why the Saints receive al glorious Grace is That they may be one as the Father and Christ are one 2 That God the Father loveth the Faithful as he loveth Jesus Christ 3 That our Savior desireth to have the Faithful in Heaven with himself 4 That the happiness of our being in Heaven is to see Christs Glory 5 That there is much wanting in the knowledg of Gods Love in the most able Saints 6 That the Lord Christ lends dayly direction according to the dayly need of his Servants 7 That it is the desire and endeavor of our Savior that the dearest of Gods Love which was bestowed on himself should be given to his faithful Servants 8 That our Vnion and Communion with God in Christ is the top of our happiness in Heaven The first eight Books of the Application of Redemption By the effectual Work of the Word and Spirit of Christ for the bringing home of lost Sinners to God In which besides many other seasonable and Soul-searching Truths there is also largely shewed 1 Christ hath purchased al spiritual good for HIS 2 Christ puts al HIS into possession of al that good that he hath purchased 3 The Soul must be fitted for Christ before it can receive him And a powerful Ministry is the ordinary means to prepare the heart for Christ 4 The work of God is free And the day of Salvation is while this Life lasts and the Gospel continues 5 God cals his Elect at any Age but the most before old Age. 6 The Soul is naturally setled in a sinful security 7 The heart of a Natural man is wholly unwilling to submit to the word that would sever him from his sins 8 God the Father by a holy kind of violence plucks His out of their corruptions and draws them to beleeve in Christ The Ninth and Tenth Books of the Application of Redemption by the Effectual Work of the Word and spirit of Christ for the bringing home of lost sinners to God Besides many other seasonable and Soul-searching Truths there is also largely shewed 1 The heart must be humble and contrite before the Lord wil dwel in it 2 Stubborn and bloody sinners may be made broken-hearted 3 There must be true sight of sin before the heart can be broken for it 4 Application of special sins by the Ministry is a means to bring men to â—ight of and sorrow for them 5 Meditation of sin a special means to break the heart 6 The same word is profitable to some not to another 7 The Lord somtimes makes the word prevaile most when its most opposed 8 Sins unrepented of makes way for piercing Terrors 9 The Truth terrible to a guilty conscience 10 Gross and scandalous sinners God usually exerciseth with heavy breakings of heart before they be brought to Christ 11 Sorrow for sin rightly set on pierceth the hearâ— of the sinner throughly 12 They whose hearts are pierced by the Word are carried with love and respect to the Ministers of it And are busie to enquire and ready to submit to the mind of God 13 Sinners in distress of conscience are ignorant what they should do 14 A contrite sinner sees a necessity of coming out of his sinful condition 15 There is a secret hope wherewith the Lord supports the hearts of contrite sinners 16 They who are truly pierced for their sins do prize and covet deliverance from their sins 17 True contrition is accompanied with confession of sin when God cals thereunto 18 The Soul that is pierced for sin is carried with a restless dislike against it Six Books more of Mr. Hookers in two Volums in Quarto are printing Twenty one several Books of Mr. William Bridge Collected into two Volumns Viz. 1 Scripture Light the most sure Light compared with 1. Revelations Visions 2. Natural Supernatual Dreams 3
tiresome to the flesh then any other work But now Schollars though it is tiresome to the flesh they can go on and make it easy to them why because they find sweetness in their work it is not with them as with â—ther men other men work that they may have wages afterwards but al the while they are about their work they have truths come in and heavenly notions comes in to them while they are about it and so makes the work easy unto them this is happiness of a Christian that the while he is in his work the sun of righteousness shines upon him and there is sweetness comming in unto him and herein is rest and ease in the performance of duty Tenthly and lastly When the soul comes to Christ it finds abundance of rest in holy duties because now it hath the love of God shed abroad in its heart and that makes every thing delightful to it the love of God is shed abroad in the heart you know Jacob because he loved Rachel though he was abroad in frosty nights he accounted it nothing because he loved Rachel Oh! when the love of God is shed abroad in the heart of a Christian then there is nothing that he doth but is delightful to him it makes every thing easy For that is a certain rule that love is ashamed to mention any difficulty you never hear love to complain of any thing to be heard and those that complain of holy duties to be heard certainly they want the love of God Now you have heard in these ten particulars wherein the ease and rest of spirit in performance of holy duties doth appeare there is much more to be said in the latter end of the Chapter when it is said that Christs yoke is easy and his burden light which if God give opportunity we shal come unto APPLIC I. Now from al this first here you may see the happiness of a Christian you do not think that a Cristian is happy here but he shal not have only heaven hereafter but his way to happiness is heaven here Oh how good is the way of the Gospel that gives us rest in our way to heaven such rest that al the malice in the world and of 〈◊〉 cannot disturbe the peace and rest of a Christian II. Hence we see the reason why true beleevers do persevere you hear oftentimes speaking of the doctrine of perseverance you are ready to thinke I but is it certain the soul that once comes to have true Grace shal certainly persevere yes certainly one that is once come to Christ wil not go from him again why because there is so much rest in holy duties It is true those that are drawn to holy duties they wil not abide as it is said The son abides in the house but a servant abides not alwaies in the house So such as perform duties in a legal way they wil be gone they wil not abide but now one that is come into Christ and hath a son-like disposition he continues As we say in phylosophy no violent thing or motion is perpetual and indeed those that performe duties in a legal way a hundred to one but they wil prove Apostates at last but one that performes duties in an Evangelical way wil continue and hold out unto the end III The maine use of al is to stirr up the hearts of those that are Godly to know what the Gospel means to exercise much faith in Christ that they might have much comfort in performance of duties Do not content thy self that thou doest duty but think with thy self Oh I have heard of such a way that Christians in performance of duty find a great deale of rest and ease why should not I get that way Thou hearest of it Oh! that thy soul might be unquiet til thou comest to understand the way then your duties would be more sound more spiritual more supernatural more acceptable then they are The Lord loves a cheerful giver and so he loves a cheerful server you love to heare your servants sing at their work but if you set your child or servant about a work and he goes heavily and dully about is grumbling and pineing and think you to be a hard master then he doth but a little work so they that perform duties in a legal way the truth is they perform little duty and that is not acceptable but when a soul comes to find rest in duty it makes it more spirituall more plentiful and more acceptable and those duties are very pleasing unto the Lord. CHAP. XXXVI Sheweth the Rest from the remainder of Corruption to be Sanctification and that to be a great Rest Laid open in six particulars 1. It is the right temper of the heart 2. In it the soul doth in great part attain its end 3. In it the Soul lives the life of God 4. It raiseth the soul above the region of al troubles 5. It turnes every thing to good 6. It is the beginning of Glory YOu may remember when we handled the point of the load that was upon sinners we shewed that the remainder of corruption was a great burden it was so great a load that it made the Apostle cry out Oh! wretched man that I am who shal deliver me from this body of death How that was a load hath been already opened That which we have now to do is to shew what rest is to be had in Christ against this fourth burden Come to me saith Christ al you who are sensible of the corruption of your heart and find the remainder of sin that is in your heart to be a burden come to me I wil give you rest against that We are not now to speak of the rest in deliverance from the trouble of soul in the sense of the guilt of sin that was before spoke of but now we are to speak of the rest in giving power against the remainder of corruption that there is in the heart This rest is the rest of Sanctification that here we are to speak of I wil give you rest And in this point there are a great many of useful and sweet things that might require very large handling but I shal endeavor as much as I can to contract al within a few things for this rest of Sanctification There are in it these five things to be followed that ye may see cleerly the method that I shal proceed in and so go along with me First I shal shew you that Sanctification is a great rest to the soul or deliverance from corruption is a great rest to the heart of a beleever there is much rest in Sanctification Secondly That this rest it is in Christ al our Sanctification and helping against corruption is in Christ Thirdly How Christ comes to be this rest unto the Soul Fourthly Some consequences that wil follow from this consideration of Christs being the rest of Sanctification unto the heart Fiftly Conclude with exhortation to come unto
curse shal be removed but there shal be this blessing upon it that there is no affliction shal befal thee but such as may stand with Gods love yea such as shal come out of Gods love and from Gods love love shal be the great principle not only of thy affliction but from thy affliction to know this that though there are these and these afflictions upon me yet I thank God there is no want of Gods love upon me for I would not know any thing of Gods love then if any spiritual judgment were upon me but these are no other but what may stand with the love of God Yea but that is not so much that they may possibly stand with the love of God but this that they come out of Gods love and come from Gods love they come as really from the love of God as any thing that thou dost injoy in this world Thou thinkest if thou hast a prosperous voyage that God loves thee if thou beest recovered out of an affliction that God loves thee but I say that the Lords bringing thee into affliction may stand with greater love to thee than deliverance out of affliction to another The afflictions that are upon the Saints now they do not come out of revenge as they do upon the wicked the same affliction that comes from the principle of love to thee may come from the principle of hatred to another and although therfore in the outward view they be the same yet they are infinitely different in the principle It is not so much what we see or what wee feel but from whence that comes that we see or feel and indeed a gracious heart is ever sollicitous about the principles of those things that do befal it if it be an outward mercy I but what is the root of it is the root of it the love of Christ to my soul there is an affliction upon me but what is the root of it is the root of it Gods displeasure Gods wrath Gods hatred Oh that were dreadful Although the affliction were vast if there were a hundred temptations if the root of it were Gods displeasure Oh that were terrible I but then when he shal come to know that the root of it were not from Gods wrath but his love that is joyful You wil say doth not God sometimes chastise his people for their sins what if the affliction comes to me for my sin can I have rest then It is true if the affliction come to me for my tryal then the root may be from his love but I have sinned against God I have abused my estate my conscience tels me I have not honored God with my estate and therefore the Lord hath taken it from me and spoiled me of al and can I look upon this as the root of Gods love Now to that I answer though this be a certain thing and will and must hold notwithstanding all the late wanton conceits of men and all the vanities of their thoughts which shal come to nothing yet this shal hold that God doth chastise his people for sins and offences that is not a part for me to enter upon yet stil it holds forth this That at that time when God chastiseth for sin at that time their afflictions come out of love from a principle of Love even when God chastiseth them for their sins But you wil say hath not Christ suffered This derogates from the sufferings of Christ when he hath suffered For this it is true Christ hath suffered and so hath swallowed up al Gods revenging wrath and the curse I but doth Gods wrath hinder me from having the fruit of Gods Love You wil say it comes from Love therefore God chastiseth not for sin No Why all Gods revenging wrath may be gone and yet God may chastise for sin and chastise out of Love too at the same instant You know it is said of Zachary because he did not beleeve the Scripture saith in Luke 1. For this Cause thou shalt be Dumb For this Cause because thou didst not beleeve And so therefore because of their sin they may be chastised Cannot a Father chastise his Child and yet do it out of Love not only it may stand with his Love but because of Love he would not meddle with him but let him go if he did not love him Certainly affliction may come out of Love though for sin but for God not at all to chastise them would be an argument of hatred therefore for him to chastise is an argument of Love rather than hatred If ye be not chastised you are bastards and not Sons so that you are to look upon him though God be displeased yet stil it is out of love These two may stand together he may be displeased with thy sin and with thee and yet he may love thee in the very act wherein he manifests his displeasure against thy sin and he may manifest his displeasure against thee and against thy sin out of love to thee And therefore the people of God may have Rest in all their afflictions because it is out of Love Here is an affliction but from whence doth it come It comes from Love now I am at Rest If thou canst exercise Faith in Christ in thy affliction that I know that through Christ God Loves me and this is the efficacy of the merit of Christ that in al thy afflictions thou shouldst injoy the Love of God this wil give Rest unto thy Soul and until this be al the arguments in the world will never do it Come to those that are afflicted and seek to pacifie and quiet them with any argument in the world it will not do it until they exercise Faith upon Christ and that makes them to know here is the love of God to my Soul in this affliction and then it is no matter whether I be in prosperity or adversity If God give me an estate there is love in that if he take it away there is Love in that if he give me health there is Love in that if he cast me into sickness there is Love in that and this indeed is the great mystery of godliness that the heathens were not acquainted with this Mystery of godliness Fourthly We have Rest in all afflictions through Christ because in his merit it is that al afflictions are proportioned both for the time of coming and the time of continuing and the measure and the manner of them they are proportioned by the infinite wisdome of God for the good of a beleever God proportions all so as shal be suitable to the condition that thou art in As a wise Physitian knows the ful condition of thee that art his patient at all times therefore he doth weigh every dram and take care that there be not one drop put into thy cup that he gives thee to drink more than shal suit with thy condition for thy good and takes care it shal be given at a seasonable time and
the hearts of the godly that it is ready to cast them into the fire and into the water to do those things that are against their own inclination against their prayers against their resolutions against their vowes against their covenants though they see such a thing to be evil are convinced of it though they find a strong inclination against the evil though they have been at prayer to God to help them against it though they resolve with the strongest resolutions against it yea though they vow and Covenant yea they come to the sacrament and set to their seale so violent is their corruption that it carries and hurries them on in wayes of evil notwithstanding 4. Again the motions and stirring of Corruption are very burdensome unto the Saints in regard of the confused disorder that there is in the motions of their corruptions there is much disorder and confusion in the heart when corruption doth stir which causeth much disturbance what causeth more disturbance in a State in a Family in a Town then confusion and disorder nothing is more disorderly and confused then the corruption in our hearts and therefore burdensome it causes much perplexity in the hearts of the Saints because they find their corruptions working and stirring in such a confused way they find sometimes when they are in duty such strange confused working of their hearts that it is an extream burden upon them 5. Further the corruption of the heart works very maliciously and therefore the more burdensome that is it watcheth especially those times wherein it may do us most mischief then it wil be most stirring as a malicious enemy wil not only be troublesome to one that he is an enemy unto at sometimes but he watcheth if there be any time wherein he may do him more mischief then another I wil take that time saith an enemy so the corruptions of the hearts of men they watch when they may do the soul the greatest mischeif now many a christian may think though I find much corruption stirring many times yet if I could but be free when I get alone to have communion with God O! that it would let me alone at that time and so though I find it stirring at other times yet if it would let me alone at the hearing of the word but it comes at that time especially you wil have evil thoughts at prayer more then ever you had and at the hearing of the word light workings of spirit more then at other times and not only at the word but if there be but one truth that doth more neerly concerne the good of your soules then another you shal find your corruptions to hinder you then more then at another time and so at the sacrament and fasting there it wil be more working then at another time 6. yea and further if there be any time that through Gods mercy in a day of prayer fasting and the like if you can get your hearts to any comfortable frame brokenness of heart renewed resolutions to walk in the waies of God more strictly then before as many times it is in dayes of fasting and prayer above al times wil your corruptions be stirring after that more then any time thus maliciously when it may do you the greatest michief then it wil be most working Now what a burden is this to the soule as it is said of Christ in Matth. the latter end There you have the story of Christs baptisme and when he was baptised then came the holy Ghost upon him in the likeness of a dove and this manfestation of God from heaven This is my beloved sonn in whom I am wel pleased wel presently saith the text he was led into the wilderness to be tempted of the divel God was in the worke but the devil was malicious against him presently after a glorious manifestation of God the father to him As it was with Christ your savior so you must expect it wil be with you Christ when he had such a glorious manifestation of God the father from heaven to him then he was led aside then the divel presently came upon him so it wil many times be with you when at any time you have got your hearts up to God in a day of fasting prayer or the like and have got some sense of Gods love take heed of security at that time more then at al times and that is the reason that you shal find if you observe it that very often after a day of fasting after such a day that you have got most in if not the very night yet the next day you wil find strong workings of the corruptions of your herets to keep them down immediately after that time for the stirring of corruptions they are very malicious and watch for the time that they may do us the greatest mischief of al. 7. Further the stirring of the Corruptions that remain in us are very burdensome in regard of their unseasonableness by that I meane this to speak plainly to your hearts the stirrings of our corruptions if we shal gratifie them many times yeild to them as it were for peace sake as sometimes the heart of a man or woman is so troubled with the workings of corruption that they think they must needs yield that they might be quiet wel if thou shalt yeild to them to quiet them they wil come upon thee more and more with greater strength they wil come upon thee then before as now if any one that is troublesome to us in seeking to get such and such a thing of us and at length because of trouble to us we yield to them then afterwards they grow more and more upon us incroach more and more upon us and are very troublesome and burdensome to us it is so in the stirring of corruption if you yield to your corruption for one thing it comes more and more upon you so that the only quiet you can have is by being at open defiance with them now this is another thing wherby the corruptions of the hearts of Gods people are very burdensome to them 8. Lastly The Corruptions in the hearts of Gods people are very burdensome because they are very prevailing this is an higher degree they are burdensome in the root and then in the working they are more burdensome but then in the prevailing they are yet more burdensome If so be a Child of God that looks into his hearâ— and finds what a root of bitternese there is that makes him go heavily al his dayes but now when he finds such working and stirring of corruption this troubles him more he thinks though I have such a cursed nature though I cannot keep down the motions and stirrings of my corruption yet if I could keep them from working yea though I cannot keep them from working yet if I could but keep them from prevailing but alas they overcome me many times and this is the greatest burden of al that they prevail in our hearts
come and cast your souls upon me You may say Lord we that have been guilty of so many sins so many years might it not be just that God should require and say I but you shal live so many yeares to my honor live so many yeares to my service and then I wil pardon and accept of you no but saith God I wil receive you and accept of you upon your comming before ever you are able to do me any kind of service no saith God come to me and you shal have first my favour and you shal be first accepted and first pardoned and then indeed I expect service from you then I expect that you should live as the redeemed ones of the Lord and al that you shal do afterwards shal be but in way of thankfulness to me for my grace And indeed thus do beleevers live in the world though they look upon what they do in a way of duty but they do it in a way of thankfulness that is the special thing that carries them on the grace of God in his son and that is a stronger argument to al kind of duties that now God requires of them then what they had before God doth not cal upon you to suffer first and then he wil pardon your sin no but saith God I wil bestow my favour first upon you and try whither you wil suffer afterwards God wil not do as men try them whether they wil suffer and deserve their favours before they bestow them on them but saith God I wil first bestow my favours upon you and then I wil try whether you wil suffer for me and do me service And therefore the less God requires as a condition before we come to Christ the more should we be willing to do for God after we are come to Christ As a man that shall receive a poor child into his family and make him his heir the less that was procured to the favour of the man the more if the child be ingenious wil he do to him in way of thankfulness Indeed if the friends of the Child come and indent with the man and promise him a hundred pound the Child thinks he is not so beholding to his master for their was money given with him I but now if you should ly at the dore and no friend to look after you and not a rag upon you and if then he wil take you in and teach you his trade and make you the heir of al he hath Oh! now how infinitely ingaged are you to him that how my master doth al this for me and there was nothing done before to procure his love Thus Jesus Christ is a forehand with us Come to me only come to me that you might have Rest 8. Hence follows another note of very good use seeing nothing is required first but only coming to Christ here is a strong ground of assurance that those that are once in Christ shall not be cast away but shall have eternal life for there is not so great a distance between eternal life and the members of Christ as there is between one that is in his Natural estate and a member of Christ Now God hath done more for thee in bringing thee unto Christ then he shall do for thee when he brings thee unto Heaven For there is a geater distance between thee and Christ than there is between thee a Member of Christ and a glorified Saint in Heaven and if God bring thee over this great distance meerly out of free Grace and nothing required but coming that now thou art a member of Christ and therefore hast right to Heaven and thou canst challeng Heaven through the Righteousness of Jesus Christ and God hath put a principle of life into thee to live unto Jesus Christ a principle of everlasting life into thee when there was no principle at all God brings thee to Jesus Christ meerly out of free Grace Now if thou comest so freely to him surely thou shalt not be shut out of Heaven and therefore it may be a mighty incouragment What if when we were enemies we be Reconciled to Christ much more now shall we be saved by his life If when I was in the Gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity God gave me mercy upon coming to his Son surely he will not cast me out of Heaven 9. Another note that we may learn from hence is this That those that are beleevers if at any time through their negligence sluggishness or fals they loose the assurance of Gods love in Christ loose their Rest in Christ here they have a direction to know what to do Look how thou did'st at first when thou attainedst first Rest in Christ it was not by any Righteousness of thine own nor by thy humiliation though that might make some way towards it So now when thou art a beleever and hast lost the assurance of Christs Love and the comfort of Rest in Christ now thou must go and take the same way again Christ cals those that are beleevers to come to him those that have lost the assurance of Faith that is the way for Rest to renew the act of thy coming to Christ just as thou did'st before Though God did humble thee yet the thing that did bring thee Rest was the coming to Jesus Christ so much more should'st thou do now being a beleever When thou hast not the Rest in Christ thou desirest thy way is to renew thy act of coming of going to Christ and so you may sooner come to have Rest that way than by thinking thus I know not whether my evidences be right or no and I had need look to them and therefore I had need to look whether my humiliation be right and my Sanctification be right or no. I say the renewing the act of thy faith in coming to Christ will bring Rest sooner and safer Rest and therefore thou shalt come to see thy Sanctification better too by renewing the act of thy Faith in coming unto Christ and thou wilt have thy Rest sooner that way it follows from hence because at first conversion there is coming Thus much for the Consequences that follow from the point of Christs requiring only to come CHAP. XXI Nine Rules to be observed in right coming to Christ 1. Rest not in outward means that lead to Christ before Christ himself be enjoyed 2. Pitch rather upon Christ himself than upon the good things of Christ 3. Come with the whole Soul 4. Keep Christ continually in thine Eye 5. Be convinced that whatsoever keeps thee from Christ comes not from God 6. Take heed and beware of al discouragements and hinderances 7. Keep the Heart stil tending to Christ 8. Give up thy self to Gods Spirit 9. Often renew the act of coming come often to Christ NOw there is only two things remaine and that is some Rules to be propounded about our coming to Christ And then some means to draw the Hearts of sinners to come
to have so much sin conveyed to us by Adam by propagation but thus As we may read in Rom. 5. By one man sin came into the world Now Adam he was the head of the first Covenant and by being the head of that al mankind are looked upon as members of the first Adam he being the head in that notion of the Covenant in that consideration Adam was not looked upon as a parent only as the first father but as the head and we are not looked upon only as the children of Adam but as members so that al men were looked upon as one in Adam and therefore the Scripture speakes but of two men the first Adam and the second Adam that look as sin is conveyed to us being members of the First Adam and he being the head of the First Covenant so grace comes to be conveyed unto the soul by our being members of the second Adam the Lord Jesus Christ being the head of the second Covenant here is the way of conveyance of holiness our union with Christ So that now the holiness that is in Christ comes to us by virtue of the mistical union As by virtue of the natural union of the members of the body with the head there comes animal spirits to the members of the body so by virtue of our mistical union with Christ our head there is conveyed holiness and grace to strengthen us against our corruptions As the oyntment did run from Aarons head 〈◊〉 â—to the rest of his members so Christ that is anoytâ—â—at hath the oyl not only of gladness but holiness too doth descend down to al his members by virtue of the union they have with him And for that end you have a most famous scripture in Rom. 8.2 For the Law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of sin and death It is a scripture that hath very much in it What doth he mean by the Law of sin and death The Law that is the mighty power that there is in sin and so in death that comes by sin in the hearts of unbeleevers There is a Law of sin the strength of sin I speak of sin hath strength going along with it hath power with it So a Law of sin there is in the hearts of men they are compelled to sin as I may so speake as a man is compelled to a thing by a law a law of sin though this be no excuse to them And let them know that so far as they are compelled to sin they are compelled to death to But how shal this Law of sin and death be overcome Marke the words The Law of the spirit of life in Christ hath made me free from the Law of sin and death The Law of the spirit of Life here is two gradations that is the holiness that is in Christ that is likewise a Law as wel as the corruption that is in the heart The corruption in the heart hath a strength in it and the holiness of Christ hath a strength in it too So that when grace comes into the heart the heart goes on in a way of holiness in a holy kind of necessity We can do nothing against the truth saith the Apostle But yet there is a necessity of willingness goes along with it too there is a Law of Love and kindness but by this word of Law is meant a strong impetuousness a mighâ—y power that carries the soul on to holiness Again secondly it is the Law of the spirit and of the spirit of life the holiness of Christ it is a holiness that is ful of life First it is Life And secondly it is the spirit of Life Now the spiriâ— of life is a higher degree then life as the spirit of a thing hath the quickning of the thing in it beyond what the whol bulke of the thing is When the spirit of herbs or any such thing is extracted you know those spirits have much quickning in them beyond the things themselves so the spirit would express the mighty activity in the holyness that comes from Christ it is life it is the spirit of life and then it is the Law of the spirit of life Oh my brethren you see then here that Godliness is no dul thing it is no heavy thing no poor weake contemptible thing but it is the life it is the life of Christ it is the spirit of life and it is the Law of the Spirit of life he speakes of grace when it comes to that as the Law of the spirit of life There is but two things in sin the Law of sin and death and in grace there is life and the spirit of life and the law of the spirit of life and al this in Jesus Christ It is not in our owne resolutions purposes endeavours but in our union with Jesus Christ and this it is that brings grace unto the heart though there be much corruption before yet the soul being thus one with Christ and looking upon Christ as the head of the second Covenant and doth draw virtue from Jesus Christ a mighty strong virtue to help the soul against corruption and quicken it in the wayes of God and thus comes the rest to the soul by Christ in sanctification Carnal hearts they know no way in the world how to get grace they heare talking of grace and leaving of sin but they know not how to get it and they wil go and pray read heare and the like I but you must know that grace lies in another way then you think of for you think it must come from God I but it must come from God in a mistical way through Christ Perhaps some of you hearing the mysteries of the Gospel understand this that as God is the fountain of al grace so it must be conveyed by Christ as through the cisterne I but you must understand also that you must have it from God through Christ as he is a head unto you and you are the members through a mistical union that your souls must have with Christ so as you be made one with Christ you must be made one with Christ As the member can never receive any spirit from the head except it be united to the body it is not by being tied to the body If you take an arme of flesh and tie it to a mans shoulder it wil never receive life that way but it must have a natural union Just thus your common Professors that meerly have the name of Christians and are not spiritually united to Christ they are like to Armes tiâ—d on to the shoulder or to wooden legs that are fastened upon mens thighes that want legs they have some use of those legs to help theÌ„ a little to go I but those legs have not virtue and life conveyed from the head So your common Christians they have some knowledg of Christ they are only fastened to Christ as a wooden leg is fastened to a mans
body they make some use of Christ some profession of Christ can speake of Christ what they heare spoken of Christ is somewhat serviceable and useful to them I but they have not life from Christ and hence they have not holiness from Christ they have not the true holiness that comes from the Law of the spirit of life that is in Christ Sixthly Another thing that is to be considered of in Christ how the rest of sanctification comes to the soul through him is this In Christ there are the greatest arguments for holiness that possibly can be imagined and Christ comes to be a rest of sanctification that way when the soul comes unto Christ and knowes Christ in the right way the soul sees in Christ enough against sin and for holiness if it never saw any thing else there is enough in Christ to help against sin and for the furtherance of of holiness that that is discovered in Christ hath a mighty power to help the soul against sin and to further it in the way of holiness as now to instance the mighty arguments that there are in Christ against sin and for holiness as CHAP. XXXIX Containing two strong Arguments in Christ for holiness First In him the soul sees the greatest breach between it and God by reason of Sin Secondly In him it sees the greatest Hatred of Sin in God FIrst in Christ there the foul sees the greatest breach that can be imagined that sin made between God and the creature it is true when we preach the Law to you and tel you of the curse of the Law that is due to sin this acquaints you with somewhat of the breach that sin made between God and you and this may terrifie you but the truth is the breach between God and a soul by sin is never throughly seen til you come to Christ the soul never throughly sees sin til then when it comes to Christ and sees Christ indeed sees Christ so as one that hath union with him then it understands the evil of sin after another manner then ever it did before And that is the reason that faith doth more purge the heart from sin then al the terrors of the Law possibly can do yea if God should let a crevis into hel and let you see into al the torment that is there they could not discover so much the evil of sin to you as when you come to have a real sight of Jesus Christ how sin made such a breach between God and us as can be made up no other way but the son of God must come and take upon him mans sin this is the greatest discovery of the evil of sin that possibly can be Object You wil say Others know this as wel as beleevers It is true they know it after a sort but none can know this throughly but those that through faith have the real sight of Christ and so have the real sight of the evil of sin in Christ Secondly another strong argument of the evil of sin in Christ is this the infinite hatred of sin in God that God should so infinitly hate sin that he would not spare his owne son this shewes the evil of sin We heare much of hell and of the terror of the Law now when I come to consider the fruit of Gods hatred of Sin in his son this shewes me a great deale more the evil of sin And therefore though the terror of the law may restrain men from sin I but when the soul comes to know the infinite wrath of God against sin that he would give his son to satisfie for sin this shewes the evil of sin and this shewes the infinite holiness of God that he would send his only son to purchase holiness And in this we see the infinite love of Christ to die for sin the infinite price of the soul to purchase it and the infinite difficulty in the deliverance from sin and nothing can prevail upon the heart more then the viewing of Christ There is so many things that I cannot speak of them that when the soul comes to Christ makes the soul hate sin and makes it in love with holiness The knowledg of Christ in any common way hath as much power to restrain sin as any thing but now the knowledg of Christ in a spiritual way in a saving way it hath an infinite efficacy in it And the truth is the special way for a soul to help it self against its own corruptions it is much to dive into the knowledg of the Gospel look into the Gospel pry into the mystery of the Gospel be much conversant in the mistery of the Gospel and there consider what argument thou maiest draw against thy sins They are poor low arguments that common people draw against their sins they have a temptation to sin and they think Oh! let me take heed I do not do it for my master and mistris wil know of it or such a one wil know of it or if I do it I shal be brought to punishment these are poor low arguments But saith a beleever Oh let me not commit sin Why It is that that brought the son of God down from heaven to be made a curse for man It is that that made the greatest stir in the world that ever was it is that that Gods soul infinitly hates and it is that that made such a breach between the soul and God as only can be made up by the son of God These are the arguments that a beleever hath against sin and a beleever being conversant â—n these arguments and often exercising faith in Christ they being made real to the soul They must needs have a mighty power to overcome any corruption whatsoever As we read in the Gospel when the husband man that let out the vineyard sent for fruit and they took the servant and beate him and killed another at length saith he I wil send my son surely they wil reverence him So may I say there is such and such arguments against thy sin to overcome thy Corruption and to put thee on to the way of holiness perhaps those arguments thy corruptions break and they are but like Sampsons cords thy corruption snaps them asunder like flax I but saith God I wil send my son and reveale the glorious misteries of the Gospel in my son I wil shew to their souls what my son hath done and what the deep counsels for the salvation of their soules in my son are and these shal prevail upon you And here is the reason of al their fearfulness of sin and strictness in walking with God when the Gospel hath convinced them you wonder why they wil be so strict and fearful to offend do you wonder at it Oh my brethren they have arguments perhaps that you know not of God hath revealed much of his son to them the wonderful misteries of Godliness revealed in his son and they are the arguments they go upon They do
not go upon such mean and low arguments as you do meane and low arguments may keep men in an orderly course to live quietly with their Neighbors and keep them from thievery drunkenness swearing and the like arguments that the heathen had skil of may keep them from those things But the saints beleevers that are acquainted with the wayes of Christ they have higher arguments they behold him with the eye of faith and so they come to have power against their sin and to have ease in their souls Thus saith Christ come to me you have Corruptions prevailing over you and you perhaps strive with them with such and such arguments but come to me and I wil give you such things you shal see so much against sin and so much for holiness as that that I shal discover to you shal help you against your corruptions and further you in the way of holiness and so you shal have rest unto your souls CHAP. XL. Shewing how Sanctification comes from Christ in six Particulars more 1. It is he that reveals the Father to the Soul 2. Through Christ the Love of God is shed abroad into the heart 3. All the Promises are made to us through him 4. In him all the Ordinances are effectual 5. He sends the Spirit into the heart 6. Christ Rules in the heart SEventhly Christ comes to be our Sanctification we have the rest of sanctification in Christ thus It 's Christ that doth make known the Father unto the soul No man knows the Father saith Christ but the Son and him to whom the Son reveals him I suppose you know the Scripture And if you have seen me saith Christ you have seen the Father in John 14. It is Christ that makes known God unto the soul and there is a mighty power to work Holiness in the heart by the knowledg of God Saith the Apostle St. John in 1 John 2.4 He that saith I know him and keepeth not his Commandements is a lyar The knowledg of God cannot stand with the neglect of Gods Commandements There is a mighty power in the knowledg of God for the Sanctifying of the heart the very looking upon Gods Holiness hath a great deal of power to sanctifie the heart and the reason of al the wickedness and prophaness in the world it is because men know not the Lord know not what an infinite blessed glorious God they have to deal withal They that know thy Name will trust in thee saith the Psalmist So may we say Those that know thy Name O Lord will fear thee they will serve thee they will walk before thee in obedience and Holiness Now the knowledg of God it is in Christ there may be some kind of Natural knowledg of God out of Christ in beholding the Works of God we may know somwhat of him But as the Scripture saith in 1 Cor. 1.21 After that in the Wisdom of God that is in the Creature in the Glory of God that shines in the Creature the World by Wisdom knew not God The World by Wisdom that is the World by all their Natural Understanding by al Learning that Phylosophers had that saw much of the Glory of God shining in the Creature yet saith the Text by al their wisdom they knew not God but yet it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that beleeve And what preaching was this verse 23. We preach Christ crucified c. So that there is no saving knowledg but only in Christ when the Soul comes to Christ then the Lord Jesus Christ reveals the Father to him reveals the Counsels of God unto the Soul reveals the very heart of God unto the soul and hence it is that many poor people that are very ignorant before they come to know Christ know little or nothing of God at al but had strange thoughts of God yet as soon as ever the things of the Gospel come to be revealed to them they begin to have high thoughts of God high and honorable thoughts of God and those high and honorable thoughts of God do mightily prevail upon their hearts to purge out sin and sanctifie their hearts exceedingly Do but consider of those places where the preaching of the Gospel hath been but very little what poor thoughts they have of God they know not God and therfore they live in all manner of Ungodliness But now when the preaching of the Gospel comes to any place and God comes to be known there the Devil is cast out and the hearts of people being filled with the knowledg of God they come to be sanctified unto the Service of God That is another thing It is Christ that reveals the Father unto the Soul and so comes for to sanctifie the heart Eighthly It is through Christ that the love of God is shed abroad into the heart of a beleever and that hath a mighty power to sanctify the heart the shedding abroad of the love of God into the heart this only can be in Christ There may be though out of Christ common fruites of Gods bounty general patience goodness and the like but the special love of God that hath a sanctifying power that goes along with it it is that only that is in Christ and when the soul comes once to have union with Christ there flowes the sweet sence of the love of God unto the heart it is shed abroad according unto the scripture Phrase that the heart being filled with the sweetness of Gods love and comes to be sanctified thereby then al base love of the creature and the love of sin comes to be eaten out and the heart comes to be carried on in a blessed sweet and gracious manner after the Lord. Al the terror of the Law cannot sanctifie so as the shedding abroad of the love of Christ in the heart can Indeed by the terror of the Law sin may be restrained but by the terror of the Law the heart can never be sanctified This is a certain truth the terror of the Law may restrain from sin but it can never sanctifie the heart the terrors of the Law are useful to be preached in that way for to restrain Sin but when we preach them we do not think that we can thereby possibly sanctifie the heart corruption may be restrained for a while but that which must sanctifie the heart must be the love of God in Jesus Christ As I remember Fulgentius compares the love of God in Christ in the heart of a beleever to the fire that is within the furnace and the love of God in his common bounty to a few sparkes that fly out at a distance from the mouth of the furnace take al the love of God that is in the creature suppose the Lord should give unto you the possession of al the world and should make a thousand worlds and give thee possession of them al this were but as a spark from the furnace but the love of God in Christ is as the
heat of the furnace and as the heat you know consumes stubble combustible matter put into it so there is that heat in the love of God shed abroad in the heart by Christ that consumes the lust of the heart and the soul growes up into holiness thereby It is with the heart of a Beleever as it is with the fruites of the earth you know that the frost may keep down some weeds but it is the sun-shine it is the beams of the sun and the warme beames that makes the fruit to ripen and to grow up that fruit that growes in the sun is soonest ripe your grasse that growes in the orchard is sowre and the beast wil not eate it and other herbs that grow in the shade comes to no maturity nor to be so good as those that grow in the sun fruit that growes upon the wal how quickly doth that grow ripe whereas the other that grows in the shade withers so there are some that live altogether under Legal feares and trouble of conscience perhaps they have somtimes fruite but it is sour fruit it is not so sweet fruite as comes from those that are under the sun-shine of the Gospel that have the shine of the love of God upon their hearts their fruite is sweet and they thrive better and looke more lovely and live a more amiable and lovely life then the lives of others And this is another way how Christ comes to be our sanctification in shedding abroad the love of God into the heart and that the scripture is ful of how the love of God is shed abroad in Jesus Christ Ninthly Christ is our Sanctification in this respect becaus al the promises of the Gospel are made to us in him he is the foundation of al the promises that are in the Gospel they are al made good in him they have a boundance of sanctifying power in them Christ is our sanctification I say because it is through him that the promises are made which hath a mighty sanctifying power As for the First In 2. Cor. 1.20 For al the promises of God in him are yea and in him Amen unto the glory of God by us Al the promises of God in him are yea in him amen al Gospel promises are made unto us by christ that is a very useful a notable meditation to consider of al promises that they come unto us from Christ an excellent meditation to set out the excellency of Jesus Christ that in him are al the promises they are in him yea what is the meaning of that That is they are confirmed to us in Christ in him they are made certain to us they are made good in him or as some of your books read it thus For al the promises of God in him are yea and I find it is I know not whether it be in your books but Calvin Beza and other interpreters say it is read in some copies thus Therefore in him let them be yea and Amen unto the glory of God by us Al the promises of God in him are yea that is they are made certain things in Christ as the foundation therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so Beza saith it is read therefore let them be Amen in him unto the praise of God That is as God hath made al promises in him as certain so let us look upon Christ and see the promises of God in him and beleeve in them and so by our faith say Amen unto the promises that are made in him unto the glory of God so shal we Glorifie God when we shal look upon the promises by our faith and say Amen unto our soules Now the word Amen signifies firme and sure that is the meaning of the word Amen Sometimes it signifies at the end of our prayer so be it Amen it is an Hebrew word that signifies so be it let it be O Lord as we have prayed and according to thy promise that is the meaning of the word Amen when you conclude your prayer with Amen It is a word that is used for faith and it is the expression of faith after we have made our prayer and that is the meaning here therefore al the promises in him are yea they are made in Christ and affirmed in Christ as certain therefore in him let them be Amen unto the soul let them be as firme and certain things unto us for us to rest upon unto the glory of God by us and thereby shal we glorifie God ye have so many precious promises in Christ but now they are unto the glory of God by us we by faith say Amen to them and we make them as firme and sure unto our soules by the exercise of our faith upon them So you may understand in some measure this scripture which hath exceeding much in it thus you see by Christ the promises are made to us Quest I but you wil say How doth this help our sanctification Answ I answer exceeding much there is nothing helps the sanctification of the soul of a beleever more then the promises of the Gospel those that are exercised in the promises of the Gospel they grow more abundantly in sanctification then others The promises of the Gospel are channels not only of mercy for our salvation but of holiness for our sanctification and for that you have a most excellent scripture 2. Cor. 7.1 Having therefore these promises dearly beloved let us clense our selves from al filthiness of flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God It is as ful a scripture as I know any here you may see what use the holy Ghost would have you make of the promises of the Gospel and of mercy It may be you think that seeing there is such promises of mercy you may take more liberty to the flesh but that is not the reasoning of the spirit he would not take more liberty therby but seeing we have such promises saith he let us clense our selves from al filthiness filthines cannot stand with beleeving of promises And marke he saith from al filthiness of the flesh and of the spirit So that it is not enough for you to say you have as good a heart towards God as any others I thank God my heart is right my spirit is right I but you must clense from al filthiness of the flesh as wel as of the spirit and these promises if you have the right use of them they wil be mighty clensing And marke from al filthiness it is not enough to clense from some gross filthiness that is that you do not live in the grost sins that others of the world live in and that your neighbors live in that you are not whoremungers drunkards cheaters prophaners of the saboth and the like but these promises wil cleanse from al filthiness that is there shal be no filthiness that shal stick to you as to the wicked and ungodly but it wil clense gradually by degrees from al Filthiness of
The Scripture speaks of true holiness there may be abstaining from many sins and performance of many duties but no saving holiness but that that is had from God through Christ as Mediator no true holiness til the Soul comes to be acquainted with Christ and have it that way and the holiness that we have by exercising of Faith upon Christ as the Head of the Covenant that indeed is the mystery of godliness that is the true godliness that is godliness in a mystery which the world is not acquainted with that is the power of godliness the powerful holiness that comes by Christ And indeed that is the Reason why there is so much strength of Grace in the Hearts of the Saints because they have it from Christ it is from the spirit of Jesus Christ that is in him and Christ is the Lyon of the tribe of Judah his spirit is a spirit of might Common gifts have not that strength as this holiness that comes from Christ hath the holiness that is from Christ that is the only supernatural holiness it is that that is the divine Nature whereas that kind of abstaining from sin and performing of duties that civil men have and that comes in by common gifts that is not the divine Nature they have it but in a natural way what they have is by strength of Reason and argument but that which comes in by the exercise of Faith in Christ that is supernatural that is of a divine Nature and that is aboundant aboundant is the holiness that the Soul comes to have in exercising of Faith in Christ In drawing of Grace from Christ the Heart grows more in the way of Holiness it exerciseth much more Faith in Christ in a little time then it did in a long time before though perhaps those were truly godly before and members of Christ yet for want of a right understanding how all Grace comes from God through Christ and so drawing of it that way they did not thrive in the waies of Godliness That text in the 3 of the Ephesians and the 17. Is most admirable for this the Apostle praies That Christ might dwel in your hearts by faith that ye being rooted and grounded in Love there is the strength of Grace when Christ dwels in our heart That you may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height and to know the Love of Christ which passeth knowledg that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God Here is the fruite of it that you might be filled with all the fulness of God a strange speech had it not been in Scripture who durst have exprest himself thus that by comming to know God in Christ you may come to be filled with all the fulness of God in Christ It were very much to say thus by knowing God in Christ you may come to have God that is somwhat but secondly that you may come to be filled with God that 's more But Thirdly That ye may come to be filled with the fulness of God that is yet more yea Fourthly That you may come to be filled with all the fulness of God What a gradation is here that shews the admirable use of knowing God in Christ Whereas now other men and women that onely are taught in their childhood to serve God they must serve God and they are restrained from many sins and they performe duties they wil pray and come to heare but not being acquainted with the mystery of the Gospel and drawing holiness from God through Christ how far are those from having this text made good in their hearts that is from being filled with al the fulness of God Whereas afterwards they come to have more cleere understanding of the mistery of Godlyness from Christ then they come to enjoy communion with God more then ever they did whereas before they were strangers to God now they have communion with him yea now they feele Gods fulness come more fully into their hearts then before now they feele a fulness from God and so come by degrees to be what is said in this text to be filled with al the fullness of God The reason of al the emptiness scantiness and barrenness that is in your heart is for want of understanding how God hath filled Christ with al fulness from whom wee are to receive grace for grace and by drawing grace from Christ we come to have permanent holiness and lasting holiness and this indeed is the reason as heretofore ye have heard why the grace of the saints endures for ever and they can never faile whereas the grace of Adam did faile because the one comes from God through Christ and the other did not that did not come from God through a mediator so as this did and therefore this is permanent and the other is not But of that I spake before only we bring it in now as a further motive to make us seek for holiness in Jesus Christ this rest of sanctification Some rules I wil briefly propound by way of direction as helps in seeking of grace and sanctification in Christ As First Labor to get a sence of your want of holiness and of your need of Christ for it Secondly in the exercising of your selves in the ordinances be not satisfied with the ordinances any further then you meet with Christ be not satisfied with a prayer or with hearing but think with your selves what have I of Christ here that I told you in the opening of the point how Christ was the sanctification of the heart because the blessing of al the ordinances is by having Christ there There are two or three things more that I would commend unto you The First Is this in seeking Christ do not come so much for enlargement for comfort for peace as for sanctification you seek your peace for holiness rather then seek holiness for peace this is a special rule of direction to thrive in seeking for sanctification by Christ Many Christians they seek to have Christ but why that they might have peace that they might have comfort and they make their holiness but subservient to their peace and comfort They think thus except I be holy I cannot have peace therefore I wil labor for holiness that I might have peace But a true gracious heart wil rather say thus the more holiness I have the more peace I have and therefore I wil labor for peace that I might have holiness One labors for holiness that he might have peace and the other labors for peace that he might have holiness Now those Christians that labor rather for peace that they might have holiness wil more thrive then the other that labors for holiness that they might have peace It is true indeed it is one good motion to labor for holiness because it wil bring peace I but it is a stronger motive to labor for peace that we might have holiness therefore when we seeke to
if it were but the exercise of the Grace of Faith that thou art put upon in thy affliction there may be more good to thee in that then thou canst imagine There is more excellency in the exercise of any one Grace but especially in the exercise of Faith then in all prosperity in the World if God should give thee a kingdome it may be thou hast lost thy land thy House and goods I but God hath put thee upon the exercise of Faith now more then ever Now know that the exercise of one Grace is more then a kingdome to thee better then all the prosperity in the world thy friends may come and tell thee this and that I but dost thou feel thy affliction Sanctified to thy Soul Dost thou feel thy Heart drawn nearer to God Dost thou find the discovering of thy Heart more and the purging out thy Corruption more and thy Heart quickned in the waies of God more This wil bring Rest unto thy Soul for you have heard Sanctification is Rest unto the Soul therefore Sanctification of afflictions unto the Soul must needs bring Rest unto it Seventhly God is with his people in time of affliction by Christ thou hast the presence I say of God in thy affliction Gods gracious presence is only in his Son no man comes unto the Father but by the son it is true both waies as no man comes to the Father but by Christ so the Father comes to no man in a gracious way but by Christ now Gods gracious presence wil be with them in his Son I will be with thee in the fire and in the Water that is enough for the Soul to Rest upon that God wil be with them in the Fire and in the Water in Isa 43.2 When thou passest through the Water I wil be with thee and through the flouds they shal not overflow thee when thou walkest through the Fire thou shalt not be burnt neither shal the flame kindle upon thee for I am the Lord thy God the Holy one of Israel thy Savior I wil be with thee saith God so that there is Gods presence to support them now as ye heard al the promises are yea and amen in Christ in Christ they are al made good so that Rest in affliction comes by Christ As now in sickness art thou in sickness see what Rest there is in Christ in time of sickness in Psalm 41.3 The Lord wil strengthen him upon his Bed of sorrow thou hast made all his Bed in his sickness Surely then thou wilt lie soft thou shalt have Rest there Many poor sick people complain they cannot Rest they cannot lie soft their Bed is not made well their Bed is not made easie high in one place and low in another now here is a promise that God wil make the Bed of his people in the day of their sickness in the day of their trouble what an expression is here of Gods love that we may know how God tenders his people And though it be but a hard bed a flock bed a bed of straw you may lie easie if God make it And here you see in this psalme God promiseth to make the bed of his people now if you have not Rest it is because you have not been acquainted with the promises nor not exercised Faith upon the promises such a promise will bring Rest unto the Soul when you cannot Rest otherwise And so I might give you Scriptures likewise for poverty the many sweet expressions that we have in Scripture for the quieting of the Heart in poverty the special regard that God hath to poor people especially such as are godly who are in poverty I might name abundance of Scriptures as that The Lord hath chosen the poor to be Rich in Faith And the Gospel is preached unto the poor And not many mighty and noble but the poor receive the Gospel And in Zeph. 3.12 I will leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people and they shall trust in the Name of the Lord The Lord hath respect to them and if thou be godly and poor thou maist search into Scripture and find abundance of expressions to give thee Rest Christ was made poor that he might make us Rich doth therefore poverty trouble thee Consider that Christ he was poor and the poverty of Christ it was to make me Rich and all the evil of my poverty is taken away by Jesus Christ If poor people would exercise their Faith upon the poverty of Christ that he was made poor for so he saith though he was the Lord of all yet the foxes had holes and the Birds had nests but he had not whereon to lay his Head Christ had not so good a House as any of you Christ had not a cottage to dwel in but went abroad from one place to another therefore exercise but thy Faith upon the poverty of Christ and that will help thee in thy poverty And so for dishonor the Scripture is very ful that way too In Matth. 5.9 Blessed are ye when men shall speak all manner of Evil against you for my names sake And that in Peter Blessed are ye when ye suffer reproach for the Spirit of Glory shall Rest upon you Now all these promises in time of affliction is made to us in Christ and therefore come to me saith Christ you shal have the vertue and efficacy of al these promises Indeed carnal Hearts they do not think the promises of the Gospel worth any thing and they think that if they can have no more comfort but that this is poor comfort but those that are godly they know that there is abundance of comfort and sweetness to be had in the promises of the Gospel Eightly The abundance of present good that Christ will bring unto the Hearts of the Saints that shal swallow up all the trouble of affliction the abundance of present good shall swallow up al the bitter of affliction As thus now suppose you have a little Vinegar one drop of Vinegar if there were a pinte or quart of the sweetest liquor in the world put into it could you tast the Vinegar the tast would be taken away So now the Soul that comes to Christ and exerciseth Faith upon him Christ brings in the present good besides that that it shal have hereafter the present good that is enough to sweeten all things and to satisfie the Soule Christ sets up such a light in the Heart that such a one hath light in the midst of darkness though there be darkness round about yet there is such satisfying Contentments in Christ that is enough to overcome all the bitterness that is in the world such a one though never so afflicted yet is able to say with David as before My Soul return unto thy Rest And indeed all afflictions to those that are beleevers and have the exercise of Faith I do not speak of all beleevers one may be a beleever and yet not have Rest in