the Beloved and only begotten Son of God should die for us Sinners for Enemies to reconcile us to God and not only offer us a Pardon written in his Blood but a Kingdom an heavenly Inheritance purchased by his Blood how admirably taking are such expressions of Divine Grace and Love Shall not such love constrain us 1 Joh. 4.10 Herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our Sins And ver 16. with ver 19. We have known and believed the love that God hath to us We love him because he first loved us Suppose a condemned Traitor that could have expected nothing but the stroke of Justice and a shameful Death should yet have a Pardon offered him under his Princes Hand and Seal with a Promise of the greatest Dignity and Promotion in the Court and Kingdom that a Subject was capable of if he would heartily acknowledg his offence and faithfully promise Loyalty for the future how would his Heart melt as overcome of such kindness and Clemency But we may well say here Is this the manner of Man O Lord God Is there any parallel to be found or thought of to the love of God and Jesus Christ towards poor lost Sinners When David had spared Saul's Life 1 Sam. 26. how it wrought upon him Is this thy Voice my Son David I will no more do thee harm because my Soul was precious in thine Eyes this day But Faith will give us to see that our Souls were much more precious in the sight of Christ who gave himself a ransome for them Again As Faith shews the Soul the wonderful and matchless love of God and Christ to Sinners so likewise it presents God in Christ to the Soul as the most desirable Object in all the World and the most worthy of Mans Love By Faith Moses indured as seeing him who is invisible and by Faith Souls fall in love 1 Pet. 1.8 A sight of God and Christ by Faith will work love to him Faith discovers the greatest amiableness to be in him And thus indeed there is some degree of love in the very first act of Faith as saving It is impossible to conceive that a Man should accept of Christ without a desire of him without affecting and embracing him as a most sutable Good Though the Act of Assent be before the Love of Desire yet this Love ever goes along with the Act of Consent and Acceptance As one sayes We do not accept Mr. Baxter or marry Christ first and only love after but lovingly accept him When we give up our selves to God and Jesus Christ to be saved by him in his appointed way surely we have a liking of him to whom we give up and make over our selves We must needs prefer him in our Judgment and Will in our desire and choice before all other Therefore our Faith is not Saving if it worketh not love yea if it doth not cause us to love God and Jesus Christ above all so that we could forsake all for God and Christ And the predominant love of God and Holiness as Mr. Cathol Theol. Book 1. Part. 2. §. 17. p. 91. B. hath it is the very Heart of the new Creature And as Christ as Mediator is the summary means and way to the Father to bring Man home to his Creator So Faith in Christ is a mediating Grace to work in us the love of God And then Faith worketh by Love Indeed when this Love is kindled in the Heart it is a most powerful a leading and commanding Affection it will work upon all the Affections Then there will be grief and sorrow for having offended God there will be fear of displeasing him an hatred of what is offensive to him a desire to please and enjoy him delight in his Service and in ways of communion with him So Love will put a Man upon Action This would make us active for God to promote his Honour and Interest And his Commands would not be grievous to us Yea this would make us ready not only to do but also to suffer for him This would help us to hold out in a way of Obedience and patient Suffering If we love the Lord we shall cleave to him with full purpose of Heart But of the Grace of Love see more afterwards 4. True Faith overcometh the World 1 Joh. 5.4 5. This is the Victory that overcometh the World even our Faith Who is he that overcōmeth the World but he that believeth Faith is a victorious Grace and every true Believer is a Conqueror He is a greater Conqueror then Alexander the Great He obtaineth a better Victory a more gainful and glorious Conquest of the World It is true that Believers do not here obtain a full and absolute Conquest of the World And where Faith is but low and weak this Victory is less discernable But as the more a Christian is raised above the World the more doth the Truth and soundness of his Faith appear so while a Man is at the Worlds command and plainly captiv'd by it he may know that his Faith is not sound and saving That Faith will never bring a Man to Heaven that cannot raise him any degree above the * Nee sane mirum videri potest si nequaquam vincit quae nec vivit quidem Bern. World 1. True Faith will overcome a smilling flattering enticing World The World indeed as it is God's Creature is to be loved and used for him But as Man's Corruption hath made an Idol of the World as it is that wherein Men commonly place their Happiness as it is set in Competition with God and Christ or set in Opposition thus it is to be despised renounced and crucified Thus the World is an Enemy indeed an Enemy that we did vow and covenant against in our Baptism when we were solemnly listed into Christ's service It is a deadly Enemy if we do not overcome it it most certainly overcometh us and a we shall fall and perish by and with the World The Apostle hath told us plainly That their End is Destruction whose God is their Belly and who mind earthly things Phil. 3.9 And such as are Lovers of Pleasures more than Lovers of God have no more than an empty Form of Godliness denying the Power thereof 2 Tim. 3.4 5. When Man fell from God he fell to the Creature he fell down to the World and he cannot return to God without being loosened from the Creature and raised above the World While a Man rests in the World he stayeth at a broken Cistern he neglects and forsakes God the Fountain of living Waters And how can ye believe which receive Honour one of another and seek not the Honour that cometh from God only Joh. 5.44 So such cannot be sound Believers that are more for the World's favour than for the favour of God Such cannot be sound Believers that are more for carnal Pleasures than for
worldly comforts Would an interest in God with us weigh down all the World This is a surer evidence of true love to God if the settled bent and inclination of our Souls be towards him than any sudden transports and flashes of affection or passionate workings or ravishments that come and go and leave not the Soul in such a frame Well lay up this Note and try and judg of your selves by it So much as the Will is inclined towards God and the Heart set upon him above all things in the World so much there is of the Grace of Love so far a Soul loveth God in sincerity 5. If we love God indeed than we cannot be satisfied without an interest in God and we cannot but earnestly desire to have our interest in him cleared to us I do not say we must know our special propriety in him that he is our God before we can truly love him No but a true love to God is that which must evidence God's especial love to us and our special interest in God By being such as love God we may know we are in special relation to him of the number of those who are the Called according to his purpose Rom. 8.28 But if we love him indeed we shall long to come to a sense of his love and to see our special interest in him As the Psalmist Psal 119.58 I intreated thy favour thy face with my whole heart Lord one good look one smile from thee A little in the World with God's favour would give us more content than the whole World without it As the Spouse says Cant. 6.3 I am my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine So if God hath our love we shall be restless till we can say that he is ours till we can call him our own As they that are in love cannot injoy themselves unless they may obtain their Beloved As they say Love would be paid in its own coin If we love God we cannot be content unless we may be in his Eyes as them who find favour So we shall desire rather to enjoy the light of his Countenance than the greatest affluence of worldly comforts as Psal 4.6 7. But are not most of us of another mind How many that are more intent upon the World to get Estates here than to get an interest in God How many who if they may have the World smiling on them never regard though they are under God's frowns How many that seek the favour and friendship of Men more than the favour of God Doubtless such have not the love of God in them 6. If we have the love of God in us then we shall greatly desire and delight in his presence and mourn take on sadly in his absence Psal 42.1 2. As the Hart panteth after the Water brooks so panteth my soul after thee O God Psal 101.2 O when wilt thou come unto me If we love God we shall long for his gracious visits It will be our delight to draw nigh to God in holy Duties in his Ordinances and especially when we can find the Lord drawing nigh to our Souls as we are joyed at the coming of a special friend And as intimate friends are not content to be long asunder we shall not be satisfied without God's presence As Moses said Exod. 33.15 If thy presence go not with me carry us not hence He would have chosen to be in a Wilderness with God's presence rather than to enjoy a Canaan without it so if we have the love of God in us we shall rather desire to be in affliction and have his presence with us than to enjoy great worldly prosperity without him So we shall account this one of the saddest afflictions if the Lord withdraws and estrangeth himself from us as the Psalmist Psal 30.7 Thou didst hide thy face and I was troubled We know not how to bear his frowns In such a case we shall have many sad and serious self-reflections often asking our Souls What is the matter what have we done that the Lord takes unkindly that has set him at such a distance We shall not rest till we have found out the cause and removed it till this sad breach be made up and we restored to our communion with God If indeed our hearts be with him we can no longer enjoy our selves than we enjoy him A soul that loves God cannot but say It is not good Lord for me to be alone counting it an Heaven upon Earth to enjoy him but an Hell to live without him in the World As the Needle touch'd with the Loadstone will be turning to such a point the Heart being touch'd with the love of God will be moving and inclining towards him it cannot rest but in the enjoyment of him as Psal 63.8 My soul followeth hard after thee Such a soul is in a trembling posture and is fainting for him when the Lord carrieth more strange when he hides his face Psal 84.2 My soul longeth yea even fainteth for the Courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God my soul even fainteth This is Love's sickness Are we thus sick of Love as the Spouse was Cant. 5.8 There is a lamenting love as well as a delighting love As the Child crieth for its Mother As we are grieved at the loss or long absence of a dear friend Absence is the Lover's night God's absence makes the darkest and faddest night to the souls of his People My soul fainteth for the Courts of the Lord because there he was wont to have fights of God Psal 63.2 there he was wont to enjoy sweet communion with him And my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God He would send his hearty and carnest cries after him So if we love God we shall seek him still though he be a God that sometimes hideth himself Isa 45.15 Thus the Spouse shewed how her heart went after her Beloved whenshe sought him in the streets of the City sought him in the broad ways Cant. 3.2 went about up and down seeking him and could not rest till she had found him As they shewed how they were taken with their Idols Jer. 8.2 Whom they have loved and whom they have served and after whom they have walked and whom they have sought By love the Soul is knit to the Lord and cleaveth to him Deut. 11.12 and it must needs go fore with such a soul to be parted to be separated from him Nothing in the World can be more grievous to it 7. If we have the love of God in us while we are our selves are in our right frame and act like our selves we are breathing after and longing for the full enjoyment of God in Glory We desire and are glad of his presence with us here yet are not satisfied therewith but set a longing after Heaven where our love to God shall be perfect our communion with him more immediate and our joy in him full so if we love God how
should we love the appearing of Christ 2 Tim. 4.8 how should we rejoyce to think of the day when Christ will come and take us up to himself to enjoy God in Glory If it be so desirable to enjoy his presence here how much more to enjoy his presence in Heaven So this would shew that we love God if we are looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God as 2 Pet. 3.12 and if we heartily lament it that we are at so great a distance from him that we enjoy so little of him and desire the clearest manifestation of his love and the nearest fellowship with and fullest fruition of him above all the riches pleasures and honours in the World Then certainly we are taken with him Yet it is granted many times such as have the love of God in them cannot find in themselves such willingness to be absent from the Body to be present with the Lord as would become them and which they would attain unto But generally it is because they are clouded and full of doubts and fears about their spiritual estates or because they are conscious of present great unpreparedness they see themselves so unmeet for Heaven They are ashamed that the Bridegroom should come and find them so unready But yet they would not build Tabernacles and set up their rest here They could not be content with the World for their Portion might they always enjoy it They look higher And if they may not hope at last to come to the enjoyment of God in Heaven they must despair of ever being as they would be But alas how many are there who might they but have their lives perpetuated here and so enjoy the World for ever would never think of Heaven would desire no other Heaven and when they desire Heaven it is only in a second place when they can enjoy the World no longer but if they were put to their choice they would not leave Earth for Heaven And they desire not Heaven at all for the enjoyment of God there and to live in the perfect love of God and full conformity to him but only to be free from trouble and secured from the pains and torments of Hell and to enjoy a Paradise of delights to please their senses The Heaven that cornal minds are for is but a dream a fancy of their own That which is the Heaven of Heavens scil the full enjoyment of God in his love and likeness they have no mind to 8. If we have set our love upon God then our thoughts are much upon him Thus the Psalmist proved his love to the Word of God Psal 119.97 O how I love thy Law it is my meditation all the day As he says ver 24. Thy Testimonies also are my delight Where the Septuagint read my meditation It was his delight to meditate on them Thus his love to God was acting in frequent and most pleasing contemplations of God As it is the covetous Worldling's delight to think on his riches and the Sensualist's delight to think on his pleasures so his meditation of God was sweet to him Psal 104.34 which shewed his love to God As the Lover delights to behold the party with whom he is enamoured The thoughts of the soul are its glances and serious meditations its fixed looks And if we have set our love upon him our most intent and powerful affecting thoughts are fixed on him Our best our most deliberate advised if not our most frequent thoughts are on God The soul is where it loves rather than where it lives You may be in company with one that is deep in love you may talk to him and yet he little minds you or your discourse his thoughts are elsewhere taken up with his beloved Therefore when you see one mindless of his business you will oft say surely he is in love So indeed the the soul that loves God is much with him in its thoughts As the Psalmist would remember him upon his bed and meditate on him in the night-watches And sayes he when I awake I am still with thee Thus one that loves God will ordinarily have his thoughts on God both lying down at night and rising up in the morning So when he is at work in his Calling his thoughts are ever and anon ascending up to God And when he is in Company he oft leaves his Company unespyed his heart and thoughts going out after God But now when it is so that a Man does what he can to banish God out of his thoughts when the thoughts of God are unwelcome guests are not kindly entertained when God is not in all his thoughts from morning to night at least not with his good will surely such a one does but vainly pretend to love God How canst thou say that thou lovest him when thy heart is not with him when thy thoughts are not on him Such as love not to think on him it is plain they are great strangers or rather enemies to God in their minds 9. If we love God we shall delight to speak or hear of him to put us in mind of him or to set forth his praise It will be pleasing to us to hear of God and the things of God if we hear the things that are right To hear his Word and to hear Men speak well of him according to his Word So we shall delight as to think on his Name so to make mention of his Name Though we shall dread to speak slightly carelessly of him though we shall abhor the abusing and profaning of his sacred and reverend Name we shall desire to speak reverently and affectionately of him Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh Where the heart is full of love to the World a Man's delight will be to speak of worldly things such as he loves most And he cannot relish other discourses but it sounds harsh is unpleasing to him On the contrary when the heart is taken up with the love of God it will be ones delight to speak of him and to speak in his praise to speak good of his Name As we are forward upon all occasions to speak in the commendation of those whom we most affect so if we love God we shall be speaking well of him we are oft setting forth his goodness we love to speak of his excellencies and of his glory 10. If we love God it will be a great grief to us to see or hear God dishonoured Psal 69.9 The reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me He took them to himself Yea to hear himself vilified would not have moved him so much When Shimei cursed him he could hear and bear it patiently So if we love God we shall be grieved at those that rise up against God with the Psalmist Psal 139.21 22. we shall count those our enemies that are enemies to God Who could endure to see his friend abused to see his Father wronged If we have the love
of God in us our indignation will be moved when we hear the Name of God profaned and see his Majesty affronted his Laws violated his truth and interest opposed Now what say you to this If you can be sensible enough of any injury done to your selves but no way touched or affected with the great indignities you oft see and hear offered unto God If you can see Sinners as it were flying in God's face and yet remain sensless and speechless having nothing to say in God's cause as the Psalmist was dumb in his own cause Psal 38.14 as a Man that beareth not and in whose mouth are no reproofs If you can have fellowship with Sinners delight in their company and rather countenance than discountenance the Ungodly and love them that hate the Lord will these things shew any love to God Would you take him for your friend that could see others evil intreat you and yet stood by as one wholly unconcerned And can you be friends with those who shew themselves enemies to God and no way manifest your displeasure against them and their evil ways and will you yet pretend to love God 11. If we love God we have a desire to win and draw in others to him Cant. 1.4 Draw me we will run after thee When she was drawn she would be for drawing others to him She was not content to come alone but would endeavour to bring in others with her As the Psalmist Psal 34.3 O magnify the Lord with me So one that loves God will be ready to call upon others O love the Lord with me O serve the Lord with me If we have the love of God in us it will grieve us to see others enemies to God As the Psalmist I beheld the transgressours and was grieved And especially it will be our grief to see any of ours alienated from God to see any of our friends enemies to God any of our Relations such as are near to us afar off from God to see any of our Children backward to that which is good Children of disobedience carrying so that we may know they have not the love of God in them We shall be earnest with God in Prayer that he would change their hearts that he would circumcise their hearts to love him What is it that we would chuse for ours if we might have our choice Whether would we chuse God or the World Had we rather see them in a state of Grace and in favour with God though they were never so poor and low in the World than see them rich and graceless And would we in the first place acquaint them with God Are we still admonishing perswading charging them to come in to him If we are less afraid of displeasing God by a sinful silence here than of displeasing them by plain and faithful dealing with them is not this to honour them above the Lord And if we can be well enough pleased with Children though we cannot see the least spark of Grace in them if they are but likely to thrive and prosper in the World and if we regard not though our Servants are backward to God's Service while they follow our business close if we take no pains with them to get them better principled such things would shew as little love to God as to their souls 12. If the love of God be in us then we are no longer in love or in league with Sin Psal 97.10 Ye that love the Lord hate evil How can we love God who is Holiness it self and yet be in love with Sin that is so contrary to God He that loves his Prince hates Treason and Rebellion against his Prince He that loves his Father Ubi regnat charitas non regnat cupiditas Lud. Carthus does not delight to walk cross to his Father The predominant love of God and reigning Sin are things utterly inconsistent If we love God we cannot but hate and dread that which would separate betwixt us and our God Here I may allude to that Text Deut. 13.4 6 8. Ye shall walk after the Lord your God and cleave to him And if thy friend which is as thine own soul entice thee secretly saying Let us go and serve other gods Thou shalt not consent unto him nor hearken unto him neither shall thine eye pity him neither shalt thou spare neither shalt thou conceal him But thou shalt surely kill him thine hand shall be first upon him to put him to death So if we love God and cleave to him we shall not be for concealing and sparing any sin how dear so ever it may have been though it hath been as a right Eye or as a right Hand to us we shall no longer connive at any Darling Lust that would entice and draw away our hearts from God we shall be resolved on the mortifying and crucifying of it The love of God and friendship with Sin will not stand together Oh! think seriously of this While thou art wedded to any lust to thy Pride to thy Flesh-pleasing Sensuality or to thy Covetousness c. thy heart is not with God Thou canst not cleave to God and Sin both Thou canst not be for two Masters so contrary but if thou lovest the one thou must needs hate the other if thou cleavest to the one thou must needs forsake the other If thou lovest evil more than good as Psal 52.3 if thou art so far linkt in and in league with any lust that thy Will is more for keeping than for parting with it more for serving and gratifying than for subduing and crucifying it the love of God is not in thee 13. If we love God then it is our delight to serve and obey him 1 Joh. 5.3 This is the love of God that we keep his Commandments and his Commandments are not grievous So in 2 Epist v. 6. This is love that we walk after his Commandments To love him and keep his Commandments are joyned Exod. 20.6 Neh. 1.5 When a friend says If you love me do such a thing for me his Intreaty useth to have the force of a Command If God's Commands have no force with us it is a sign we love him not If we have the love of God in us Nunquam est Dei Amor otiosus Operatur etenim magna si est Si vero operari renuit Amor non est Gregor Mag. Hom. 30. we shall delight in his Law as the Psalmist did Psal 119.70 we shall delight to do the will of God and chuse the things that please him As we must shew our faith so our love by our works Qui non placet Deo non potest illi placere Deus Bern. As I told you before Love is a well-pleasedness with God above with a desire in all things to please him Now if we are more for pleasing our selves than for pleasing God more for having our own wills than for doing the will of God if we are more at Mens command at the command
heart to Pray to Read and Hear the Word c. It is noted of the Hypocrite Job 27.9 10. When trouble comes upon him will he delight himself in the Almighty will he always call upon God 17. If we love God indeed we shall desire to love him more and more and to express our love more and more We shall never think we love him enough or that we do enough for him or that what we do in God's service at any time is done well enough It will be our unfeigned desire to honour God more and to serve him better As the Psalmist 71.14 I will yet praise thee more and more Love in the Heart will set the Head on contriving the Tongue on pleading the Hands on working for God Love is kind is bountiful Amicorum omnia communia If we have the Love of God in us we shall desire that all we have may be at his service that our parts interest estate may be imploy'd and improved for him Love to God will put us upon holy Projects for God As it is very pleasing to us to serve a special Friend it will be our joy and delight to serve God to act for his Glory to do any thing to promote his interest And such as abound in Love to God will also abound in the work of the Lord. Whereas a Soul without Love is like a Bird that has lost his Wings or like a Chariot without Wheels it moves very heavily What such may seem to do for God is done without heart with no alacrity or delight but rather with pain and trouble further than self-interest and self-self-love carries them out Thus if what is done for God be done grudgingly and if we are weary of his service and if we are setting our selves bounds and think we have done enough already these things would not shew any love to God 18. If we love God it will be a joy to us to see others active for God Though we shall be ashamed to think how little we have done for God though it will grieve us that we can do no more yet withall it will be a pleasing sight to us when we can see his Interest and Honour promoted and advanced be it by others Though we shall desire in our places to do as much as those that do most for God yet it will be no eye-sore to us when we see others out-stripping us We shall honour them the more and shall desire to imitate them we shall not envy or stomach them But if we are offended at those that are more forward and zealous if we grudg that any cloud us by their shining brighter if we have a secret dislike of those that excell in Holiness and Vertue and quite out-do us in the service of God though the Lord hath more honour by them this is an ill sign a sign that we prefer our own interest before Gods interest and prefer our own reputation before his Glory and so that we love him not as we ought 19. If we love God we shall be ready not only to act but to suffer for him too Be willing to suffer any thing for God rather than forsake him Amanti nihil difficile Love makes any cross tolerable They that endure temptation or trial and they that love God are made all one Jam. 1.12 True Love is fugatrix timoris et animatrix confessionis according to Tertul. Many Waters cannot quench Love Where this divine spark is kindled it oft flameth forth more the more it meeteth with opposition It is intended by an Antiperistasis as Fire burns hottest in cold frosty weather How oft have the Faithful rejoyced in tribulation gloried in their sufferings Though we are not to run upon Sufferings uncalled yet how many have counted it à joy and pleasure when they have fallen into them I grant some may be carried on to suffer for God and his Truth who are only animated with vain-glory or with a vain proud conceit of meriting highly by their sufferings and not with a principal of Love Yet that Mans Love to God is to be suspected or rather concluded unsound that will not carry him through sufferings and tryals here He that loveth Father or Mother Wife or Children Liberty or Estate or Life it self more than God does not love him sincerely If we had rather incur God's displeasure than Man's had rather forgo an interest in God than forgo Estates in the World for him if we had rather venture on an everlasting separation from God than lay down our lives here for him surely we care little for him 20. If we love God we shall love others for his sake Love all Men love Enemies and especially love the Godly for his sake The Love of God includes under it the Love of our Neighbour and Love of the Brethren As it is well defined thus It is a Grace whereby we love God for himself above all and all others for God and in God 1 Joh. 4.20 21. If a Man say I love God and hateth his Brother he is a liar c. And this Commandment have we from him that he who loveth God loveth his Neighbour also Here I should say something of Love to Men. 1. Of Love to Men in general 2. Of Love to Enemies in particular 3. Of Love to the Godly in special 1. The Love of God will incline the heart to love all Men As it is a thing that God requires And as there is something of God to be seen in all Men Yea more than in Sun and Moon or the most excellent Creatures in the World that are without life and void of Reason All Men are worthy of our love as they are God's Workmanship as they are reasonable Creatures and capable of enjoying God and Happiness though such in a special manner are worthy of our love who are more especially God's workmanship being created again in Christ Jesus It is true the Damned are none of our Neighbors but removed quite out of all society with us and out of all capacity of ever loving and enjoying God And such as have sinned unto Death if we can certainly know them we may know to be utterly outlaw'd and lost Creatures to all Eternity for whom there remains nothing but a certain fearful expectation of Judgment and fiery Indignation which shall devour the adversaries But excepting such do we bear an universal Good-will to Men for God's sake with respect to his holy VVill and Command and to his Honour and Glory Then certainly it will be our Prayer and hearts desire that his way may be known upon Earth his saving health among all Nations And then we cannot but pity those that sit in darkness and in the region and shadow of Death And then we shall have aking and bleeding hearts for those that enjoy the Gospel and ordinary means of Salvation but plainly reject the counsel of God against themselves and will not attend to the things of their peace Then it will affect us
you rather err on the hand of Charity in making his faults less than they are than make them greater And would you not grieve so much for the wrong an enemy does you as for the wrong he does his own soul Would you not have so deep a sense of the greatest trespasses against you as of his transgressions against God as Psal 119.139 Then indeed it is to be hoped notwithstanding sometimes your passion is too much moved on a suddain yet that in cool blood you do love your Enemy 3. The love of God will incline one especially to love the Godly And every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him 1 Joh. 5.1 If we love God we cannot but love the Children of God for their Fathers sake There is no living Christian but is a loving Christian 1 Joh. 3.14 But here many deceive themselves and others Some only pretend love to the Godly to purchase others love and gain more esteem of others As Dyonisius maintained Philosophers not that he did much esteem or admire them but because he hoped to be esteemed for them Some love them from meer self respects As those they have been and further may be beholden unto as having received kindness from such and being convinced of their love and good-will towards them as having a dependance on such or being tied to them by natural bonds They that are not without natural affection will love their own Some love them for other common worldly respects As some of them are Men of Wisdom and Prudence able to advise in difficult and weighty matters or learned Men c. But first If our love to the Godly be sound such as will prove and evidence the love of God to be in us then we love them for their godliness Do we see a beauty in Holiness Are we so taken with it that we cannot but love those in whom we see it cannot but highly esteem such as the excellent ones in the Earth Do we love the Children of God eo nomine because they are his Children because they resemble their Father bear his Image As the Cynick Philosopher could say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Laert. l. 6. in Diog. p. 397. that good Men were images of God Are we taken with them for what of God or of a divine Nature we see in them As we are pleased with the Pictures of those whom we love and honour As on the contrary if we should see a Man expressing an hatred and contempt of anothers Picture scratching and tearing it soiling bespattering and defacing it we would conclude that he hated the Person much more whom the Picture did represent Do we love the Godly as such Mat. 10.41 42. He that receiveth a righteous Man in the name of a righteous Man shall receive a righteous Mans reward He that gives a cup of cold Water only to a Disciple in the name of a Disciple shall in no wise lose his reward In the name of a righteous Man and in the name of a Disciple that is as such upon that very account and not for any lower by-respects The Apostle had a great love to Timothy he thought on him daily he had him daily in his best thoughts and what was it that drew out his heart so towards him calling to mind says he the unfeigned faith that is in thee 2 Tim. 1. 3 4 5. Do we love the Godly for their Godliness in its full latitude for the whole of it and not for some parts only We may love them in part as godly or love some parts of Godliness without any true love to God and without loving them for his sake As many a natural Man is convinced and will confess that the Godly are better than they As Saul to David Thou art more righteous than I. So several parts of Godliness are lovely even in the eyes of a natural Man Plain-heartedness upright-dealing in ones Calling faithfulness in matters of trust peaceableness charitableness things which Godliness teacheth are commendable and amiable even our enemies themselves being judges And as godliness teacheth the best discharge of Relative duties so far a natural Man may love it in relations As it teacheth the Wife a chaste conversation coupled with fear thus a carnal Husband may love it in his Wife As it teacheth the Child to honour his Parents to carry reverently and dutifully towards them ungodly Parents may so far like it in a Child and love such a Child the better for it As it puts a Servant upon diligence care and faithfulness in his Masters business that he serveth not with eye-service but in singleness of heart so far a bad Master may love a good Servant While Godliness in the full latitude of it and taking in all its essential and integral parts is not pleasing but distasteful unto such Where it crosseth their corrupt Wills Affections and their carnal Interests and Designs where it reproveth and condemneth them for their sinful omissions or commissions where it galleth them they cannot away with it or be so well pleased with others where they see it 2. And if we love the Children of God aright for the Grace of God appearing in them for their Godliness then we love all that appear to be such we have a special love to all that are godly so far as we can judge So the Colossians had a love to all Saints Col. 1.4 So Philemon Phil. v. 5. So the Apostle Peter enjoyneth to love the Brotherhood the whole Fraternity all that were of the houshold of Faith 1 Pet. 2.17 To love all parts of Godliness all Grace as was said before and to love all Saints would be good evidence of the soundness and sincerity of our love But partiality here would bewray unsoundness and hypocrisy Surely that is a partial love if we love some while we despise and lightly esteem others who yet give as good proof of their godliness Some are ready to Saint all that are of their own Party and to un-Saint any that differ from them though the difference be not in any fundamental and essential point of Faith and Godliness and though perhaps the errour and mistake be in themselves Do not such love for an Opinion or for some self-respect rather than for real Godliness who look but shily on carry strange towards any though sound in all points necessary to Salvation and strict and conscientious in their lives yea though eminent in Godliness that are not of their Opinion Such have not learnt to love Saints as Saints and to love all Saints Suppose such as differ from them to be but weak in the Faith yet Christ would not have his little ones despised 3. And if we love the Children of God for God and Godliness sake then the more holy and the more like to God any are the more we shall love them and be taken with them the more our hearts will be knit to them as Jonathan's Soul was knit to
the World and to our carnal interests is not to love them sincerely Moses chose rather to suffer affliction with the People of God than to enjoy the pleasures of Sin for a season And esteemed the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Aegypt Heb. 11.25 26. So love to the Godly and to their society would make us willing to ship our selves in the same bottom to take our lot with them in sufferings rather than forsake the assembling of our selves together with them 11. If we love the Godly than we shall be ready to relieve them As we are required to do good unto all Men as we have opportunity but especially to those that are of the houshold of Faith Gal. 6.10 We shall not love in word or in tongue only but in deed and in truth But whoso hath this Worlds good and seeth his Brother have need and yet shutteth up his Bowels of compassion from him how dwelleth the love of God or of his Brother in him 1 John 3.17 As one says of true Friends they will not come in prosperity when called but they will come in adversity uncalled Like that saying of Chilo Lacrt. c. 1. in Chilo p. 47. Promtiùs ad amic rum adversos casus quam ad secundos successus accurrendum Ib. in Zeno. l. 7. 513. As the Stoicks said Among Friends there is a certain community of those things which are necessary to life we using our Friends as our selves As we read of the primitive Christans Act. 4.32 Neither said any of them that ought of the things that he possessed was his own but they had all things common Then a community of goods was very needful and expedient when so many from remote parts came to joyn themselves with the Church at Jerusalem But instead of that community afterwards Christians were required to be ready to distribute and willing to communicate 1 Tim. 6.18 And to the end they might be more ready and free this way the Apostle ordered 1 Cor. 16.1 2. that every one should lay by him in store something every week as God had prospered him And true love would not be satisfied in our giving a few good words to our Brethren and fellow-Christians in necessity and distress as saying Depart in peace be warmed be filled Jam. 2.16 but it would cause us to abound in good works As the Apostle speaks of their work and labour of love shewed to God's Name in ministring to his Saints Heb. 6.10 And thus the Apostle would prove the genuineness and sincerity of the Corinthians love 2 Cor. 8.8 If we would prove that our love is not adulterate or spurious but right indeed we must be free and forward this way in ministring to the necessity of the Saints and that for the Lords sake And certainly while we grudg them any part of our Estates they have little share in our hearts Read Mr. Gouges Sermon of good works with Mr. Baxters Directions or Letter annexed To say as Nabal Shall I take my Bread and my Flesh and give it unto Men whom I know not whence they be or if we give any thing to do it grudgingly not as a matter of bounty but of covetousness rather when what we give beareth no proportion to their necessities and our abilities and is given more to salve our own credit than to relieve their wants such things would shew us without compassion towards them and so without true love As one sayes He that loves the Godly in sincerity Mr. B. Christian Directory part 4. p. 175. q. 15. He loveth Godliness and Godly Men above his carnal worldly Interest his Honour Wealth or Pleasure and therefore will part with these in works of Charity when he understandeth that God requireth it Job would not see any perish for want of clothing or any poor without covering Job 31.19 He that was so much concerned for any that were poor what care would he have taken of poor Saints Clark Lives part 1. p. 795 796. It is said of J. Fox that wrote the Acts Mon. c. That he never denied to give to any one the asked for Jesus sake And one asking him whether he knew a certain poor Man whom he used to relieve Yea said he I remember him well and I tell you I forget Lords and Ladies to remember such 12. If we love the Godly then we shall heartily lament the loss of such We are true Mourners when we hear of such being taken away When Jesus wept over Lazarus the Jews could say Behold how he loved him Joh. 11.35 36. And are we thus expressing our love to the Godly by our grief at parting with them Are we ready to cry out Help Lord for the godly Man ceaseth When the righteous perisheth and we lay it not to heart it shews want of love to them It 's true some can be sorry when merciful Men Men of kindness are taken away can bewail the death of a good Man or Woman such as had estates and hearts to do much good such as were Benefactors But the poor wise Man is not remembred Eccl. 9.15 The loss of such is regarded of few Few are affected with the death of the righteous as such though alas their number is but small compared with the ungodly yet how many that would not be sorry to see their company lessened How weary is the World of those of whom the World is not worthy But if we love them it will go near our hearts to lose them Acts 8.2 Devout Men carried Stephen to his burial and made great lamentation over him Thus try your love He that loveth not knoweth not God 1 Joh. 4.8 He that loveth not his Brother abideth in death Chap. 3.14 Of Godly Fear PSAL. 112.1 Blessed is the Man that feareth the Lord. FEar is a reverend respect which the highest and best of Creatures owe unto God their Soveraign Lord. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say some as some would have the Latine word Deus God to come from the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Fear Jacob calleth God the fear of his Father Isaac Gen. 31.53 The Seraphims are said to cover their faces standing about his Throne Isa 6.2 They cannot but adore and reverence Divine Majesty They fear to behave themselves any way unseemly in such a presence Jude ver 9. Even Michael the Archangel when contending with the Devil he disputed about the body of Moses durst not bring against him a railing accusation The Lord is the dreadful God He it is that ought to be feared Psal 76.11 Unto him doth it appertain Jer. 10.7 This is certainly the Creatures duty yea so great a duty that it is oft put for the whole worship of God Psal 34.11 Deut. 6.13 And 10.20 Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God which we read thus Mat. 4.10 Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God And the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is used for Fear or
from them Without doubt the wicked and impenitent are bound to believe God's threatnings denounced against such in his holy Word and so to conclude themselves at present in a miserable state subject to God's wrath and curse and final condemnation that if they die in their present state they are sure to be damned And certainly they that are bound to believe and conclude thus of themselves ought thereupon to be moved with fear Can there be any greater fool-hardiness than this for any to see Hell before them to see themselves ready to drop into that Lake that burneth with fire and brimstone for ever and yet not fear and tremble only indeed such are not to despair to conclude there is no hope There is hope yet upon condition and supposition that if they repent and turn they shall live they shall not die 4. There is a penal Fear not only a fear of punishment but a fear inflicted as a punishment Terror and consternation of mind is threatned as a punishment Lev. 26.16 I also will do this unto you I will even appoint over you terrour And v. 36. and if Men sin sin wilfully after they had received the knowledg of the truth there remains nothing for them but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries Heb. 10.27 This penal fear in its full strength and perfection is upon the Devils and the Spirits of disobedient ones in Prison with them They cannot but tremble Jam. 2.19 Horrour hath taken full and fast hold of them which they can no more any ways shake off This is one part of the punishment and misery of the Damned that they can never think of God and of his Wrath without Horrour and while they lie under the fierceness of his Wrath while they feel the weight and heat of it while they are scorching in the flames of his Wrath how is it possible to put off such thoughts 5. There is also a gracious holy filial Fear A Godly Fear and a Fear proper to the Godly Which is not only a fear of God as a Judg but as a Father not only a fear of Punishment but of the Offence a fear proceeding from Love An humble and reverent respect to his Presence Majesty and Excellency a careful shunning of what we know to be displeasing to him not only in regard of his Greatness Power Holiness Justice but also in regard of his Goodness and Mercy Psal 136.4 Hos 3.5 There is a Natural Fear as we have heard but this is a Spiritual Fear A Grace a choice fruit of the Sanctifying Spirit who is therefore called the Spirit of Fear Isa 11.2 There is a Sinful Fear which is forbidden as the Fear of Man c. but this is a great Duty commanded A special means to keep from sin Exod. 20.20 There is a Servile Fear but this is a Fear of Sons not of Slaves it well agrees with the Spirit of Adoption There is a Penal Fear but this is no Punishment but a special Blessing a rare and excellent gift of God As that is a precious Promise Jer. 32.40 I will put my Fear in their hearts Now I shall apply these things to the Text objected in these following Conclusions 1. It is not to be expected that the highest degree of love found in any Saint upon Earth should quite expel and cast out all natural Fear Christ's Love was absolutely perfect yet was he not without a natural fear of Death only that natural passion was in a perfect subjection to his Reason and Will the higher powers of his Soul and these in perfect subjection to the will of God his Father Note it is the work of Grace here not to extirpate natural Passions but to rule and govern them And the Self-denial Faith Love Patience Constancy of the Saints would not be tried by their sufferings if these were things that they had no fear of no natural reluctancy unto 2. So far as the love of God prevails so far carnal fear is expelled And some very learned Men think Quem timorem intelligi praestat nisi negation is auctorem quam dilectionem perfectam adfirmat nisi fugatricem timoris animatricem confessionis Tertull advers Gnostic the Apostle John speaketh of this kind of fear So Grotius and Dr. Hammond As the Fearful that are joyned with the Vnbelieving Rev. 21.8 may well be understood of such as are overpowrâ—d with carnal fear Such as are possessed with that spirit of fear 2 Tim. 1.7 of such a base cowardly timerous spirit that they dare not own the truth and ways of God when any danger may attend it Much might be said for this exposition It cannot well be denied but carnal fear is a tormenting thing But such is the power of holy love that it will raise the Soul ordinarily above such fear It will endue a Christian with a spirit of fortitude to bear the greatest torments Men can inflict as was seen in the Martyrs But as love in the Saints is not absolutely perfect here so neither are they wholly freed here from carnal fear nor are they wholly under the power of it It riseth sometimes and puts them into great disorder and confusion for a time but it is quelled and suppressed again 3. As the love of God gets ground in the heart servile fear is giving place The more vigorous and lively our love to God is the clearer evidence we have of his love to us that ordinarily we shall be more freed from that tormenting fear of being under his wrath And while we act from love it is certain we are not only or chiefly irrepelled by fear If love to God and his service be the chief moving principle then fear of punishment is not the chief And further the more we love God the more unwilling we shall be to entertain hard and black thoughts of him The more we love him the more lovely he appears to us And while our hearts are united and cleave to him in love we are secured from that fear which drives Souls from him 4. A true filial Fear of God is so far from being contrary to that it is a good evidence of love to God As on the contrary if we do not stand in awe of him if we care not to offend and displease him it is an argument that we do not love him True love to God will make us tender of his Honour and most sollicitous to keep in his Favour Res est solliciti plena timoris amor Thus if we have the Love of God in us we shall fear and shun what we know to be displeasing and a dishonour to him And when we fear sin more than punishment it argues that we love God above our selves that his Honour is dearer to us than our own ease or interest Yet all fear of punishment is not contrary to the love of God nor will prove one of a slavish spirit A Child of God is
And all of Christ precious And so 1. Do you now see your vileness in having had such low thoughts of a precious Saviour Are you ashamed of your former Sin and Folly in despising and setting so light by him 2. Do you now prize him above all things in the World 3. Can you not endure now to see or hear Christ vilified or dishonoured 4. Are you restless till you may know your interest in him that he is yours 2. Are you sanctified by Faith Is your Faith such as purifies the Heart 1. Is there not only an outward but an inward change wrought in you 2. And not only a negative but a positive change 3. And a thorow though not a perfect change 4. Are you aiming at perfect Holiness 3. Is your Faith such as worketh Love and worketh by Love 4. Is it such by which you have in some measure conquered the World and go on to conquer it more Are you taken off from placing your happiness in the smiles of the World What power in your Faith to overcome the enticements of the World And what in it to overcome the storming rage and furious assaults of the World 3. Try your Repentance 1. Your sorrow for Sin Is it Godly sorrow First Is it on right grounds 1. Is your sorrow for Sin considered as a breach of God's Law 2. as a dishonour to God 3. as displeasing to him as the abominable thing which he hates 4. as against God's Mercies as an ill requital of his Goodness Does the Goodness of God lead you to Repentance 5. As a cause of Christ's Sufferings 6. As it defiles and deforms your Souls 7. As it disables you from serving honouring God as you ought 8. As it hindreth Communion with God Secondly As to the Object 1. Are you humbled for Original Sin as well as for Actual Sins 2. Do you lay load of sorrow on your special Sins 3. Are you grieved even for secret Sins 4. And for spiritual Impurities 5. And for spiritual defects and weaknesses in Grace 6. And for sinful Omissions and the Iniquities of your holy things 7. Are you grieved for the least Sins you take notice of 8. Are you so far troubled even for your unknown Sins is it an humbling consideration to think that you are guilty of many more Sins than you know of or can find out in your selves 9. Are you disposed and inclined to mourn for the Sins of others Thirdly As to the properties of your Sorrow 1. Is your sorrow and humiliation for Sin free and voluntary 2. Is it inward and most in secret 3. Is it not for a fit but continued 4. Is it deep and vehement Though the passion of Grief may be more moved at some great Cross and Affliction that has befallen you yet do you really account Sin a greater evil than the greatest Cross And have you a greater displicence in your Wills against it Would you ordinarily chuse any Affliction rather than Sin 2. Do you turn from Sin 1. And from a right Principle As 1. from a true fear of God from a Childlike fear of offending and not from a meer slavish fear of Suffering 2. Do you turn from Sin out of love to God 3. And from an hatred of Sin 4. And with a firm and fixed resolution against it 2. Do you set against your inward Corruptions and do you fear to sin in secret 3. Do you set your selves especially against your special Sins And though there is Sin remaining in you yet is there no Sin reserved 4. Do you set against all known Sin not making light of sins of Infirmity but watching and striving against them much less of allowing of presumptuous Sins 5. Are you for undoing what you have done amiss so far as you can as in cases of Wrong and Injury to Men 6. Are you ordinarily afraid of Temptations and careful to avoid occasions of Sin 7. Would you shun and abstain from the very appearance of Evil 8. Is it your desire to turn others from Sin 9. And would you never return to it more 3. Are you turned unto God 1. Are your Hearts turned to Him and set upon Him 2. Are you for joyning your selves to the Godly and do your hearts cleave to them 3. Are you for turning others to God 4. Are you for walking with God for walking in his Ways 5. Would you be getting still nearer and nearer to him 6. And do you cleave to him with purpose of heart resolving to follow him fully 4. Try your Love to God 1. Is your Love founded in a sound knowledg of God of his Love and of his Loveliness 2. Do you love him for himself and not meerly for your selves 3. Do you love him as your holy Governour and not only as your good and gracious Benefactor 4. Do you love him superlatively love him above all 5. Is your love to him such that nothing will satisfie you without an interest in him 6. Have you an earnest desire of his gracious Presence and do you mourn and take on in his absence 7. Are you breathing after longing for a full enjoyment of God in Heaven 8. Are your thoughts much upon him and are the thoughts of God most welcome to you and most kindly entertained 9. Is it pleasing to you to speak or hear of him 10. Is it very grievous to you to see or hear God dishonoured 11. Are you no longer in league with his enemy Sin 12. Is it your delight to serve and obey him 13. Are you for winning and drawing others to him 14. Are you growing in likeness to him and do you desire to be followers of him 15. Do you highly account of his Favours Do you set a value upon your enjoyments according to what of his Love you see in them 16. Are you for putting a good construction on his severest dealings with you and not for entertaining hard thoughts of God tho he shew you hard things 17. Would you love him more and more and do you think you never express love enough to him 18. Is it a joy to you to see others active for him 19. Are you willing not only to do but to suffer for him 20. Do you love others love all in general and in particular love your Enemies and more especially love the Godly for his sake And here 1. Have you a love to the Godly even for their Godliness and not only for some part of Godliness but for the whole of it 2. Do you love all that appear to be such that you are bound according to the judgment of Charity to account such 3. And the more of God the more of his Grace you discern in any do you love them the more for it 4. Do you earnestly desire to find that in your selves which you cannot but approve in them 5. Is your delight in holy Society and Conference 6. Do you fear giving scandal to them 7. Do you take well their just Reproof 8. Would you not neglect your
THE Christian Temper OR A DISCOURSE concerning the Nature and Properties of the Graces of Sanctification Written for Help in Self-Examination and Holy Living By JOHN BARRET M. A. LONDON Printed for Jonathan Robinson at the Golden Lion in St. Pauls Church-yard and Samuel Richards Bookseller in Nottingham 1678. THE Epistle Dedicatory To the Honoured Mris ANNE CHARLTON of S. in the County of D. Much Honoured I Present You with this ensuing Treatise as an Acknowledgment of my special Obligation to You heartily wishing it may be of as good use to you as it is offered with good will I know you will not expect flattering Titles from me and hope you would blush to read or hear your own Praises And I may not cross intention so as when I am putting you upon the trial of your Humility and Self-denial among other Graces withal to tempt you to the contrary Vices and Corruptions Our good old Friend Mr. Rich. Whitchurch for whose sound and profitable Labours you and I have cause to bless God I hope or else I am sure we have great cause to blame our selves He had much satisfaction a little before his Death in the love he had to Uses of Examination the delight he took in reading or hearing them well handled And for a Christian to delight in frequent and serious Self-examination is the way to a more full and profitable Self-acquaintance and to a comfortable Assurance You have seen some Changes in your outward condition Have you not sometimes met with great Trials here O how good how comfortable to have your Spiritual Estate secured and settled How would this prepare one for any Changes in this World even for that great Change by Death Methinks the uncertainty of all outward Enjoyments that we are not sure of enjoying Estates or the dearest Friends and Relations or Health or Life one day more should be a prevalent motive to excite and quicken us to make sure of better things than natural and Worldly comforts those better things that accompany Salvation The best things may be made most sure And what comfort would this yield when there is such a terrible shaking of Nations to see our Interest in that Kingdom that cannot be shaken Now may these following Pages bring good Tidings to your Soul may I herein be an helper of your Joy this would also rejoice my Heart even mine who am Your Servant in Christ J. B. A PREMONITION TO THE READER THis Portraiture of the New Creature I have here drawn and set before thee though not drawn at full length this Description of the Spiritual Man by several Scripture-Caracters as parts of him as by the Eye of Knowledg the Face of Repentance turning from Sin to God the Hand of Faith the Heart of Love and the like may serve as a Looking-Glass wherein beholding thy own Face thou mayest come to know thy self better both what manner of Person thou art and oughtest to be so it may serve as a Touchstone whereby true Grace may be discerned from that which is counterfeit Now if thy cause both concerning Estate and Life all thou hadst in the World was trying wouldst thou not attend diligently and with fear and trembling wait for the issue and narrowly observe whether the Verdict and Sentence was for or against thee And does it not as much concern thee to be very serious and observant about the trial of thy Spiritual and Everlasting State Here I would borrow a weighty saying of Mr. Glanvil's Meer Speculative mistakes about Opinions do no great hurt but error in the Marks and Measures of Religion is Deadly Indeed if upon trial thou findest thy self in a Graceless state at present yet thou shouldest not thereupon conclude thy case desperate So long as the time of God's Patience is not expired the Long-suffering of the Lord is for our Salvation while the day of Grace lasteth while the Lord affords any means continues to make any offer of Grace to thee thou art yet in a possibility of obtaining Saving-Grace notwithstanding thy former rejecting and resisting of his Grace That as yet thy condition is not altogether hopeless but rather there is more hope of thy coming on to Saving-Grace when thou art made truly sensible of the want of it Or if upon Trial thou findest some Grace in thee but very low and weak almost not to be discerned if it be but in the bud or but as smoaking Flax thy Faith but as a grain of Mustard-Seed thy Love thy Zeal but as a spark c. whether thy weakness be like that of a Child a new-born Infant or like that of a sick Man one that has lost his strength by some Disease prevailing on him how should it humble thee that thou hast so little Grace How should it quicken thee to labour after more And especially if thou hast declined if thou hast lost thy first Love thy former liveliness and tenderness Oh Repent and do thy first Works Now stir up the Grace of God in thee blow up that little spark that is almost buried under an heap of Ashes Now strengthen the things that remain and are ready to die Delayes would expose thee to further deadness and decayes Or if thou canst discover Grace in lively and kindly exercise in thy Soul if thou seest it in growth and vigour O how may this heighten thy Joy in the Lord even raise thee to a life of Joy Praise and Thankfulness But there are two or three things I would lay down here by way of caution to prevent Souls mis-judging themselves 1. Let none conclude themselves in a state of Grace because they are in a good mood sometimes Even such as Pharaoh Ahab Herod Felix c. were in a good mood sometimes Learn to distinguish betwixt a good Mood and a Gracious Frame We are in God's account which is the true account what we are most ordinarily and habitually I mean in respect of prevailing habits There is no reason that God should take Sinners at best in an unusual fit 2. Let not any poor trembling Hearts who are ever forward to suspect and conclude the worst of themselves judg of themselves and the frame of their Spirits by what they may seem in a Paroxism of Temptation The best upon Earth are not at all times alike Even eminent Saints have sometimes bewrayed weakness and imperfection in those very Graces wherein they were most eminent As Abraham who was strong in Faith yet sometimes staggered through distrust Meek Moses is once noted upon a great provocation to have spoken unadvisedly with his Lips And patient Job was once heard to curse the day of his birth But as God takes not Sinners at best so neither will he take his own Children at worst 3. Though all ought to be pressing after full Perfection in Grace and Holiness yet let none look for it here And though we should have an holy emulation and desire to overtake and if it might be to excel the most eminent
or to condemn Knowledg but indeed to condemn Pride in the opinion or conceit of our Knowledg There is a Woe to those that are wise in their own Eyes Isa 5.21 True Wisdom and Lowliness go together Prov. 11.2 With the Lowly is Wisdom And Wisdom and Spiritual Understanding go together Indeed Sound Spiritual Knowledg would take down the swellings of Pride Pride cannot reign where Sound Knowledg dwelleth Spiritual Knowledg cannot be without a Sound Knowledg of God ‖ Igitur ignorantes quique Deum rem quoque ejus ignorent nec esse est Tertul. de Poenitentia And the more we know of God the more we shall see cause to be humbled in our selves As holy Job the more he saw of God the more he was humbled Chap. 42.5 6. Again Spiritual Knowledg cannot be without a Knowledg of our selves And when the Spirit enlightneth Sinners one of his first works is to convince of Sin Joh. 16.8 Now certainly they that are lifted up in themselves know little of themselves They that are thorowly convinced of Sin and come to know themselves aright cannot but have low thoughts of themselves Again Spiritual Knowledg is not without the Knowledg of Christ * Cui enem veritas comperta sine Deo cui Deus cognitus sine Christo cui Christus exploratus sine Spiritu Sancto Tertul de Anima the only Mediator betwixt God and Man Now the Knowledg of Christ leads us out of our selves makes us appear to be worse than nothing in and of our selves Again Let me add this even they that are best learn'd in the School of Christ cannot but be sensible that they know but in part that they are very defective herein Christ's Scholars the further they learn the more they perceive their own Iâ—norance and Shallowness O the depths in Divinity How short are our Conceptions How many Mysteries here that we are not able to dive into or fathom †Maxima pars corum quae scimus est minima pars corum quae nescimus All we know is but little to what we know not It is the Novice in Religion that is in most danger of being lifted up with Pride 1 Tim. 3.6 While such as know little are too often wise in their own conceits they that have made greatest proficiency cannot but charge themselves with folly See Psal 73.16 22. Prov. 30.2 3. 8. Spiritual Knowledg is nourishing As the Lord promiseth that his People should be fed with Knowledg and Vnderstanding Jer. 3.15 As some have noted with Knowledg and Vnderstanding there may not only respect modum pascendi the manner how their Teachers should feed them scil understandingly and prudently but also materiam pastûs the matter of their Food the sound Knowledg of God's Word This is nourishing There 's Heart in it As Timothy was nourished up in the Words of Faith and of good Doctrine 1 Tim. 4.6 As the Word of God is compared to Milk 1 Pet. 2.2 Indeed there is both Milk and strong Meat Heb. 5.12 It is pabulum Animae The Spiritual Knowledg of God and his Word does Souls good indeed It is as Food to the Graces of the Spirit as Fuel to holy Affections Therefore the Apostle Peter prayeth 2 Pet. 1.2 Grace be multiplyed unto you through the Knowledg of God and of Jesus our Lord. And in his concluding exhortation to grow in Grace chap. 3.18 he addeth and in the knowledg of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ as a means specially conducing to their growth in Grace I have shewed you even now that Spiritual Knowledg is a great promoter of Humility So doth it further on Repentance As that expression of a Mans knowing the Plague of his own Heart 1 King 8.38 may shew There is no Repentance without knowing the Plague of ones own Heart Spiritual Knowledg is both an In-let and a stay and help to Faith and trust in God Psal 9.10 They that know thy Name will put their trust in thee So Knowledg is put for Faith Isa 53.11 By his Knowledg i. e. by the Knowledg of himself shall my righteous Servant justify many So it begets and maintains the Fear of God The Spirit of Knowledg and of the Fear of the Lord go together Isa 11.2 Prov. 2.3 5. If thou cryest after Knowledg then shalt thou understand the Fear of the Lord. And if thou knowest God aright surely thou wilt reverence him thou wilt fear before him thou wilt stand in awe of him fear to offend him Again this is ever a Friend to the Love of God Psal 91.14 Because he hath set his Love upon me because he hath known my name They that know his Name will set their Love on him How great is his Goodness and how great is his Beauty If we know him aright we cannot but admire him Jer. 24.7 I will give them an Heart to know me that I am the Lord not only an Vnderstanding but an Heart to know me They shall know me so as to love own and cleave to me It follows and they shall be my People and I will be their God That this Promise I will give them an Heart to know me seemeth to be the same in sense with that Deut. 30.6 The Lord thy God will circumcise thine Heart to love the Lord thy God The Spiritual Knowledg of God hath both Light and Heat in it It warmeth it enflameth the Heart with love to him It promotes Sincerity Phil. 1.9 10. Psal 36.10 O continue thy loving-kindness to them that know thee and thy Righteousness to the upright in Heart Here they that know God and the upright in Heart are the same Persons They that know God aright would dread to think of mocking God in Religion would fear to play the Deceivers Would not God search this out for he knoweth the secrets of the Heart Thus Spiritual Knowledg is sound indeed Notional-Knowledg is windy and airy Men may have their Heads swelled with it but that 's all Their Hearts are not bettered by it As Meat that lyeth on the Stomack undigested is more noxious than nourishing it breedeth ill Humours a meer speculative Knowledg is like Food that digests not I remember it is Bernard's comparison 9. Spiritual Knowledg is fruitful Good Knowledg is like good Seed As the Apostle says of the Word here Col. 1.6 It bringeth forth Fruit in you since the day ye heard it and knew the Grace of God in Truth It brings forth the Fruits of Repentance and Reformation Psal 119.104 Through thy precepts I get Vnderstanding therefore I hate every false way Job 28.28 The fear of the Lord this is Wisdom and to depart from evil is Vnderstanding And the fruit of Obedience Psal 111.10 A good Vnderstanding have all they that do his Commandments Deut. 4.6 Keep my Statutes and do them for this is your Wisdom and your Vnderstanding 1 Joh. 2.3 4. Hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his Commandments He that saith I know him
a fit Object to work on our Fear and we are commanded to fear him that is able to destroy both Soul and Body in Hell Mat. 10.28 Luk. 12.5 And commonly this is the first Motive in place though the last in dignity and worth as Mr. A. Burgesse says But more of this when I come to speak of the Grace of Fear At present note If we are only restrained and kept in by a Fear of Punishment this is but a natural Principle and shews only a slavish Spirit To follow Vertue only or chiefly in hope of Reward is mercenary to flee Vice only or chiefly for fear of Punishment is servile But where the true Fear of God ruleth in the Heart there is a Fear of displeasing and offending God and not only of suffering 2. When we forsake Sin out of Love to God Psal 97.10 Ye that love the Lord hate Evil. So this is right when our Love to God will not suffer us to walk contrary to him Jer. 44.4 Oh do not this abominable thing that I hate When this is a prevailing Argument to keep us from Sin that God hates it this would shew that we love God When we would not displease him would not grieve his Spirit and would not dishonour God as we would be ashamed to wrong and abuse our best Friend and would not be so unlike to God as Sin makes us and would not follow such a Course as would separate betwixt us and our God and would hinder our Communion with God these things would shew a loving child-like disposition towards God and that we forsake Sin from a gracious Principle 3. When we forsake Sin from an hatred of it When Sin is not onely barely left but loathed when we turn from it having our Hearts turned against it Psal 101.3 I hate the Work of them that turn aside then it follows it shall not cleave to me Prov. 8.13 The Fear of the Lord is to hate Evil not only to depart from Evil but to hate Evil There is a Contrariety and Opposition betwixt Grace and Sin Where true Grace is therefore there is not only a declining of Evil from the force of Education or Example or as being moved with Rewards promised or Punishments that are threatned but there is an Aversness to Sin it self from a contrary Principle within a Detestation of it an Antipathy against it It is part of the Description of a wicked Man Psal 36.4 that he abhorreth not evil And a bare Abstinence from the ward Act of Sin is not enough without an abhorrence of it While a Man retains a secret love and liking of Sin in Gods account he lives in Sin though he refrains from the gross outward Act. †Quid quod volumas facti origo est Vanissimum est dicere volui nec ramen feci Sicut malum non persicis nec concupiscere debueras Tertul. de Paenit Though one be not drunk with the Drunkards though one doth not swear with the Swearers nor mock and taunt with the Scoffers yet it is bad enough to have pleasure in them that are such Rom. 1.32 As it is a sign that we do not truly hate Sin if we are not willing to forsake it So on the other hand we do not rightly forsake Sin if we do not hate it There are some whose Sins leave and forsake them rather than they leave and forsake their Sins Some there are who do not put away their Sins but are forced to part with them As Pharaoh was forced to let Israel go As Phaltiel parted with Michal when he could keep her no longer but was sad at parting 2 Sam. 3.16 But there is a great difference betwixt a Mans parting with what he loveth and his casting away what is loathsome to him It is very unpleasing and grievous to him to part with what he loveth And this shews a Man's love to Sin when he is sad to think of parting with it when it is grievous to him to think of parting with his vain Companions sinful Pleasures c. When it is very unpleasing to him to hear his Sins spoken against reproved and threatned When it is irksome to him that Parents or Governours keep him in will not suffer him to take his Swing or when he is under restraint by Poverty Sickness c. But what a Man loaths and abhors he is most willing to put away Such things as one hath an Antipathy against he is ready to flee from or is not at ease till they be removed out of his sight So a Man that loaths Sin how earnestly does he desire to be rid of it how glad would he be to have Sin removed quite out of his sight He could not be satisfied only with a removal of the Guilt of Sin to be left under the Power of Sin The presence and prevalency of Sin greatly afflict him The very presence of Sin is a sad annoyance and disturbance to a gracious Spirit A Man cannot delight in the Company of those he hates So if we hate Sin we are sick of it weary of it we would have no more to do with it And this is a right turning from Sin when it is cast off and abandoned with hatred and detestation So 4. When it is forsaken from a firm and fixed resolution in the Soul against it Many have a wishing Will as Mr. Perkins says but no settled purpose Vid. Cases of Consc l. 1. c. 5. §. 4. p. 16. in Vol. 2. But now where the Fear and Love of God and hatred of Sin prevails in the Heart there will be a rooted settled resolution against Sin 2. It is a good sign that a Man truly forsakes Sin when he setteth against his inward corruptions and feareth to Sin in secret Some are tender of their credit while they have no tenderness of Conscience as they are not afraid of being guilty of those Sins in secret which they would be ashamed that others should know Close Chapmen cunning Gamesters that love to play under-Board Some are for their private Walks and so sly that others shall have much a doe to trace them Their way is like the way of a Serpent on the Rock or of a Ship in the Sea But let such know The Eyes of the Lord are open upon all the ways of the Sons of Men to give every one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his doings Jer. 32.19 Prov. 5.21 There is no blind-folding of the Eye of God's Omniscience And as he sees the most secret Sins so when at last he shall turn the way of the wicked upside down he will lay all open to the view of the whole World There is nothing secret which shall not be revealed nothing hid which shall not be made known Your secret Sins will one day find you out and will come out at last But he that truly forsakes Sin dares not allow of Sin in secret Yea he is for mortifying his most inward corruptions He
not the Love of God in them Alas shall not such be judged out of their own Mouths Even these to whom our Saviour here speaketh were the People of God in Profession and would have spoken him as fair as we can do With their Mouths they shewed him much Love whereas it was not found in their Hearts As he that knew what was in Man and whose Judgment is ever according to Truth pronounceth of them But I know you that ye have not the Love of God in you And when you have the Notes of true Love to God plainly laid down then you may know and judg whether the Love of God be in you or no. To be loved of God is the Creature 's highest Felicity and to love God is its highest Duty yea it is the Sum and Abridgment of the whole Duty of Man The Love of God is as the Heart and Soul of Religion It is a necessary Principle of all sound Obedience And the most specious Acts that any Man can possibly perform though one should give all his Goods to feed the poor or give his Body to be burned are not acceptable unto God without it It is the Rule and Measure as it were of other Graces Charitas est virtus virtutum reliquae virtutes sine charitate Figuram habere possunt Veritatem habere non possunt Lud. Carthus in Psal 47.12 Sorrow for Sin is not kindly if it proceed not from the Love of God and tend not to promote our walking with him in holy Love No tears are desirable as * Mr. Baxt. Christian Directory p. 147. §. 21. one says but those that tend to clear the Eyes from the filth of Sin that they may see the better the Loveliness of God Absque hoc timor poenam habet honor non habet gratiam Servilis est timor quandiu ab amore non manumittitur qui de amore non venit honor non honor sed adulatio est Bern. in Cant. Serm. 83. And Fear degenerates when it is not joyned with Love when it begets hard and black thoughts of God when it drives not the Soul to God but rather from him All Grace in the kindly exercise thereof tends to cherish and increase this of Love The Love of God is as the Queen Regent on whom the whole Train of other Graces must attend whom they must serve Faith and Hope are eminent Graces yet the Apostle gives the preheminence to Charity or Love 1 Cor. 13.13 Now abideth Faith Hope Charity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Love but the greatest of these is Charity Where some Copies instead of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the greatest of all is Charity And Charity first and most properly agrees to that Love we ow to God who ought to be summè charus dear to us above all other The account that is commonly given why Love hath the preheminence of Faith and Hope is because of its everlasting duration Faith and Hope abide here but Love abideth in Heaven where Faith is swallowed up in Vision and Hope in Fruition And yet note further that it is not simply for its duration that it excelleth but because of its excelling Nature it is to endure The moral Image of God true Holiness eminently consists in Love And Faith and Hope though necessary Graces here while we are in statu viatorum yet they cannot properly be exercised by those who are Comprehensores in the actual enjoyment of full and compleat happiness whereas Love is not only necessary in the way to Happiness but in the full fruition of it Yea it is a main part of our happiness And without perfect Love we could not be perfectly happy There is no perfect enjoying of God without perfect Love to him and perfect delight in him And as Christ as Mediator is the principal means of bringing us to God so Faith is a means to beget and increase the Love of God in us True Faith worketh this way And this is the end and principal scope of the Commandment 1 Tim. 1.5 Whereby it sufficiently appeareth that it is a matter of so great concern that every one ought seriously and strictly to inquire whether he hath the love of God in him or no Now the Love of God in short is an intense willing of God More plainly it is the disposition or motion of the Will the rational appetite renewed and rectified by the Holy Spirit whereby the Soul cleaveth to God is united to him and fixed on him as the chiefest Good Or thus It is a being well pleased with God above all things in the World with a desire to please him in all things The most proper principal and formal act of Love is a complacency or wel-pleasedness with the Object loved So the Love of God if it be right is the highest complacency of the Soul a being most taken with God as the most transcendent as an Universal and Infinite Good And hence though the Love of God and the Love of Christ be inseparable yet they must be distinguished The Love of Christ as Mediator is the Love of the principal means to our ultimate end as he is the new and living way by whom we must come to God but Love is terminated upon God as our very ultimate end that we look no further Now to the Question How we may know whether we have the Love of God in us or no Answ 1. Sound Love to God is founded in a sound Knowledg of God Ignoti nulla cupido There may be some knowledg of God where there is no true Love to him but there cannot be Love to God where there is no knowledg of him But the eyes of the understanding being truly enlightened with the knowledg of God by this means the heart comes to be affected Ex aspectu nascitur amor We read Psal 9.10 They that know thy Name will put their trust in thee So they that know his Name aright will set their love on him And therefore Psal 91.14 Because he hath set his love upon me and because he hath known my Name are used promiscuously And so the Apostle praveth Phil. 1.9 that their love may abound in knowledg As the Saints the more they know God the more they love him As in Heaven where they have the clearest sight of Gods excellencies and fullest manifestation of his Love there they have perfect Love to him are as full of love to God as their Souls can hold The Love of God is founded in Knowledg And there is especially a knowledg of these two things viz. of his Love to Man and of his loveliness that makes the soul in love with him How great is his Goodness and how great is his Beauty to enamour us 1. There is a knowledg of the Love of God especially of his Love in Christ A knowledg of God in Christ and so a love to God in Christ As we read of love in Christ Jesus 2 Tim.
1.13 O the unparallel'd love of God in Christ Joh. 3.16 God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son Rom. 5.8 Herein God commended his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us 1 Joh. 4.9 10. In this was manifested the love of God towards us c. Herein is love such love was never read or heard of What is there in all the World that should take so much with lost sinners as the love of God in providing such a Saviour Indeed there are some who have a kind of love to God grounded on those outward Mercies and temporal benefits they receive from him as Health and Wealth Plenty and Peace and temporal deliverances These things take more with them than the richest offers of Divine Grace Alas they are so far from a loving and hearty acceptance of God's Grace in Christ that they most ungratefully reject it Now such as slight and despise the highest expression and manifestation of God's Grace with what face can they pretend to love God upon this account Others speak sometimes as if souls must know their special interest in God and that God loveth them in special before they can love him But certainly that is a great mistake It is true the Assurance of God's Love is a special means of heightning and inflaming our love to God for which end more than for our own peace satisfaction or comfort we should use all diligence to attain Assurance Yet our first Love is not the effect of such an Assurance but a necessary Antecedent to it How can we know that God loveth us with a special Love till we know that we are such as believe and such as love God as Faith and Love are inseparable But though we have not this particular Assurance is there not ground enough to love God that he is infinitely Good and therefore most amiable in himself and further that he hath so loved us when most unworthy of his love and fit objects of his wrath yet that he hath so loved us as to give his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting Life That it is possible we may have yea certain that we shall have his special Grace and favour towards us we coming to him in and through Christ that in Christ he is reconciling Sinners to himself that it is a principal design of the Gospel and a chief errand that his Ministers are sent upon to beseech Souls to be reconciled to God is not this a drawing with cords of a Man with bands of Love That God hath prevented us with such a demonstration of his Love and Goodness towards sinners in general setting forth a way of Peace and Reconciliation Are we not all bound upon this account to love God though all are not presently to conclude that they are elected or that God loves them with a peculiar Love Now have we been drawn with these cords of Divine Love scil God's giving Jesus Christ the Son of his Love for us his offering Christ to us and with him all that our Souls can desire to make us everlastingly happy if we will but heartily accept of him Are we drawn with this his lovingkindness Jer. 31.3 are we overcome of that kindness and love of God our Saviour towards us 2. There is a Knowledg of God's Beauty and Excellencies of his most glorious and infinite Perfections that is to be laid as the foundation of our Love Thus God will appear most amiable We cannot love him as God Quid est Deus Quo nihil melius cogitari pot est Bern. de consid l. 5. but we must love him as most perfect as infinite in all Perfection We must see all Excellencies in him and nothing in him but what is excellent That he is infinitely more worthy to be loved than any or all the Creatures in the World as they all come infinitely short of him We must know that the virtue and goodness found in any creatures for which they are to be loved is but as a drop of the Ocean or not so much compared with his infinite Goodness We must see so much in God an infinite Fulness and Alsufficiency that there needeth no more to make us for ever happy while there is a scantiness and deficiency in creatures that we could not be happy in the enjoyment of the whole World without God It is true the knowledg of God admits of degrees And the holiest and most knowing creature in the World is far short of knowing God to Perfection But such as are meer strangers to God without the true knowledg of God cannot love him aright This Love is never blind It is impossible Men should love God for that which they see not to be in him And such as have very low thoughts of God it is plain neither know him aright nor truly love him 2. We may know we love God in truth if we love him for himself and not meerly for our selves Yet we cannot love God but we shall love our selves We cannot love him but we shall desire above all things in the World to be happy in the fruition of him And is not this to love our selves to desire the greatest happiness to our selves that we are capable of And God never requireth this that we should love him without seeking our own happiness in him And further he is to be loved as our gracious Benefactor Psal 116.1 I love the Lord because he hath heard my voice and my supplications Yet observe the benefits we do or hope to receive from him must not be the only or chief reason of our love We must rise higher even to love God as God We must love him for what he is in himself Qui hoc desiderat propter aliud non hoc desiderat sed aliud and not only for what he doth or promiseth to do for us As Dr. * Vid. Of effectual Faith p. 133. Preston distinguisheth betwixt the love of Harlots and the love of Virgins Harlots look only at what they shall have by him but they that have right holy and chast Affections look as well at his own Excellencies for which he is most worthy to be loved Sound Love is not meer Self-Love Love which is regular is not only loving a thing or person good to us but loving that which is good in it self whether we have benefit by the same or no and loving the same according to the degree and measure of goodness which is in it Thus if our love be regular we love God most he being infinitely good not only best for us though in this respect we are allowed to love him but also as infinitely Good in himself Good in that sense as none are to be acknowledged good besides Mat. 19.17 There is none good but one that is God He alone is perfectly universally originally immutably infinitely good And hence a modern School Divine concludes Zanch.
tom 4 col 304 c. that God alone speaking properly is to be the object of our love He deserves all the love our hearts can hold yea all that is nothing to what he is worthy of Mat. 22.37 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy Soul and with all thy mind And though our Saviour subjoyns v. 39. Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self yet we are not allowed to love our selves or Neighbours in that sense after that manner as we are required to love God As a great School-Divine of our own Mr. Baxt. Christian Directory p. 183. §. 23. We are to love God totally not only in degree above our selves and all the World but also as God with a love in kind transcending the love of every Creature We are to love God for himself but to love others only in God and for him And so our love of Creatures is a secondary love of God Vid. pag. 184. §. 29. when we love them with respect had unto God and for his sake Ita ut à Deo incipiat Zanch. per creaturas transeat in Deum desinat sanctus amor noster Holy love takes its rise from God passeth through the Creatures and does not terminate in them but in God The grace of Love Charitas est dilectio qua diligitur Deus propterse proximus propter Deum vel in Deo P. Lombard Sent. lib. 3. Dist 27. p. 627. respecting others is but a stream of the Souls love to God it flows from this Fountain The grace of Love is a loving God for himself and others in God under him and for him Now that God is to be loved for himself hence it follows that our love is greatly defective privatively sinful when we love him only or chiefly for our selves And this further appears in that the love of God is a chief and eminent part of that Worship we owe to God Deut. 6.5 yea sometimes it is spoken of as the sum of all The love of God is the abridgement of the first Table as the love of our Neighbour is the abridgement of the second But certainly this is not to glorify God as God to love him but for our selves for this is to love our selves more than God this is to set our selves above him to deify our selves And further if we acknowledge him to be God we must acknowledge him our ultimate end that the pleasing and glorifying of God is the great work and chief design on which we ought to be most intent whereas to love God but for our selves this is to turn Mans highest ultimate end into the rank of a means as Mr. B. well noteth This is instead of serving him as God only to seek to serve our selves of him Yet it is granted that God useth the principle of Self-love which is naturally implanted in Men and by this brings on Souls to the love of himself even for himself Though there is no greater obstruction to the love of God than a base corrupt sinful Self-love following a corrupt fancy yet Self-love regulated true Self-love which is according to Reason is no enemy to the love of God There is a lawful and regular Self-love by which we are led on to the love of God as best in himself and best for us If we truly love our selves it makes way for the love of God when we are convinced we can never be truly happy without him without making our choice our portion our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our chiefest good esteeming and desiring him above all and loving him even for himself and being willing to take up with him alone And God in himself is such an object for our love and complacency as would infinitely delight us but that our faculties are finite as we are our selves And suppose a Soul to lose it self as it were in the loving admiration of God so as not to have any actual thought or intention of its own Happiness yet it would be nevertheless happy while so taken up with God and ravished in the love and admiring contemplation of him It s happiness certainly would not be one jot less for not being actually designed and looked at in such holy heavenly raptures and ascensions of the Soul Thus a right judgment will determine that God who is infinite in all Goodness and Perfection is infinitely more amiable and delectable than our selves and therefore to be loved chiefly for himself and above our selves And that in loving God above our selves we do most truly love our selves as thus we should come to the enjoyment of God the chiefest Good that which is best for our selves Yet it is further granted that we are allowed yea we ought to love God for his Benefits We must both love and praise him as the Author of all the Benefits he hath conferred and that he hath promised to confer upon us only we are not to rest here but must come on to love him as the Ocean of all Goodness and infinitely amiable in himself And this also must be granted that Believers who love God for himself and have their hearts carried out towards him as their chief ultimate end yet can hardly discern it at first that they love God for himself and above themselves The love of our selves being more passionate is more easily felt and if we go to the common experience of Christians I doubt not but it will tell us that they were first most sensibly drawn to the love of God by a principle of Self-love working in a desire of happiness and a fear of misery And yet a Man is no sooner brought home to God but he is humbled and ashamed that before he was led away so with corrupt Self-love and inordinate love to Creatures that he hath not lived in the love of God nor made it his chief care and study to please and glorify God which is the life he now desires to lead He de sires that now and for time to come he may love God for himself and be addicted to please and serve God before himself and he would account himself more happy could he find his heart and life brought up to this than if he might enjoy all the pleasures and contentments of the whole World Now here is the beginning of love to God as God And let us be never so intent upon our own happiness yet so long as we practically judge and account our happiness to consist in the perfect love of God as infinitely good and perfect and Gods love to us here God is made our ultimate end But for a man to love God as one who he hopeth will not damn or for ever torment him as one who he hopeth will at last bring him to an Heaven of he knows not what sensitive pleasures and delights while he apprehends not at all what the enjoyment of God in Heaven is while he is without any sense of that infinite excellency and
amiableness which is in God for which he is to be loved above all and in respect of which Mans nearest conjunction with him must needs be his highest felicity while a Man is a stranger to all this he cannot love God as God for himself but only for some fancied happiness and self-advantage expected from him See more of this and so the Mystery of the love of God and of our selves accurately opened in Mr. Baxters Christian Directory pag. 182. c. 3. That is a right holy love of God indeed if we love him as an holy God And it is not enough to love him as our great and gracious Benefactor but we must also love him as our Righteous and Holy Ruler and Governor A Gracious Soul feareth the Lord for his Goodness and loves him even for his Holiness but graceless ones contemn him for the former and hate him for the latter Psal 119.140 Thy Word is very pure therefore thy Servant loveth it So this is comfortable indeed if we can say the like of God himself if we love him not only for his Kindness and Benignity but also for his Holiness and Purity Flesh and blood would never teach this Corrupt nature is contrarily inclined Sinners either suppress the notion of God's Holiness and take up a most false blasphemous conceit that God is like to them and approveth well enough of them and their wayes as in Psal 50.21 Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thy self Or if they have an apprehension of his Holiness in that respect they love him not but have a great aversation from him and contrariety to him Now it is not being taken with a false Idea or representation of God which will pass for love to God This is but setting up an Idol in the heart Neither is it enough to love God as the God of Nature the Creator and Preserver of all things He from whom we have our beings and well-beings our great Benefacter who giveth us life and breath and all things who giveth us rain from Heaven and fruitful seasons filling our hearts with food and gladness c. I say it is too short to love him as our Creator and Preserver but we must love him as our Righteous and Holy Governor Sinners do not take distaste at all that is in God or at all he does but his Holiness exprest in his most Righteous and Holy Laws this is that in special which they cannot be reconciled unto So they are far from loving him as their Holy Ruler and Judg as one that cannot but be displeased at Sin which is so contrary to his Holy Nature and to his Righteous Will They are not so much taken with God in any other respect as in this respect they are displeased with him But Holiness is as essential to God as any other Attribute of his Exo. 15.11 Who is like thee glorious in Holiness So they that would deprive him of his Holiness would spoil him of a chief part of his Glory Yea if he were not Holy he should not be God That Sinners who wish in their hearts that God was not so Holy and that his Laws were not so strict or that they might be exempted from his Laws or from giving account to God they interpretatively wish that there was no God And if it was in their power it is in their hearts to dethrone and un-God him Now surely such are so far from loving God that indeed they are haters of God Rom. 1.30 And well may his soul loath them while their souls abhor him Zech. 11.8 How many alas who love not God for all that he is pleased to do for them as they dislike him upon this account that he hath imposed upon them Laws that are contrary to their Lusts such will be found in the rank of those that hate him Exod. 20.5 The love of God as our Holy Ruler is so necessary that it will nothing advantage a Man if he should dy in God's cause as a Turk may chuse to dye rather then to deny his Mahomet If one of us should chuse to sacrifice his life rather than renounce his Religion professed I say this would not avail at all while his heart was more for his lusts than for God As indeed this is not to love God to prefer any lust before him what ever else one may part with for him So 4. If we love God sincerely we love him suparlatively we love him above all Psal 73.25 Whom have I in Heaven but thee and there is none upon Earth that I desire besides thee True love to God will not admit of any corrival with him will suffer nothing to stand in competition with him We cannot love him as God if we love any creature as much or above him For a Wife to love her Husband but as she loveth another Man this is not in a moral sense to love her Husband this is not true conjugal love So we do not love God sin cerely as God if we love any thing in the World as much Therefore certainly they that are lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God as 2 Tim. 3.4 and they that love the praise of men more than the praise of God Joh. 12.43 they that are lovers of the World and worldly things 1 Joh. 2.15 that have their hearts chiefly set on these things they are spiritual Adulterers and Adulteresses as the Apostle James calleth them Jam. 4.4 their hearts depart go a whoring from God The love of God dwelleth not in them It dwells not where it rules not where it is not predominant prevailing over carnal sinful love and subjugating natural love though they are not totally eradicated here But hereupon some sound upright hearts may be questioning the truth of their love to God not finding those strong passionate workings in their hearts towards God which they have towards some creatures towards their dear relations c. To satisfy such As we distinguished before in speaking of Godly Sorrow there is a passionate Sorrow and there is a rational Sorrow so we must distinguish of Love There is a passionate Love which may express it self more towards creatures God being a Spirit is removed further from our senses and not so near unto our passions he is not directly the object of a passionate Love But as he is manifested and shewed to the enlightned understanding as most amiable and the chiefest Good the renewed Will preferreth chuseth and adhereth to him before all other And this is a rational spiritual Love Now do we in our setled judgment esteem and prefer and in our will chuse and imbrace him before all Do we indeed prize and desire an interest in him above all things in the World Had we rather part with all Possessions Relations c. than to have no part in him Should we account our selves really miserable without him what ever else we may enjoy but happy and blest in him though we were deprived of all
with grief and horrour to see sinners posting on in the broad way to Hell and Destruction As the Psalmist 119.53 Horrour hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy Law Then it would greatly rejoyce our hearts might we be a means of stopping any such in their desperate career a means of converting any Sinner from the errour of his way and consequently of saving a soul from death Now what should they think of themselves who are wholly unconcerned I mean carry as not at all concerned how it goes with the Souls of others Such as would say with Cain Am I my Brothers keeper Such as make no conscience at all of but grosly neglect that plain and necessary duty of reproving Sinners though they have never so loud a call and never so fair opportunity Are not they said to hate their Brother in their heart that will not rebuke but suffer Sin upon him So what enemies are they to Souls that are enemies to the Gospel and the faithful preaching of it 1 Thess 2.15 16. True love wisheth the best good to Men and so the means of it without which it is not ordinarily obtained But though sound love respecteth the Souls of Men and their spiritual welfare chiefly yet not only So Are we far from envying others prosperity Charity envieth not 1 Cor. 13.4 Are we grieved for others calamities As the Psalmist 35.13 14. Is it our desire not to be wanting in any Office of love to others Ubicunque homo est ibi beneficeo locus est Sen. would we do good to all as we have opportunity Are we for helping and shewing mercy to any in misery so far as we are in a capacity Do we not know how to hide our selves from our own flesh Yea do we not only deal our bread to the hungry but draw out our Souls our Bowels to them And are we for setting aside all base self-respect in the love we bear and the good we do to others Are we willing to do good to such as either will not or cannot recompence us Do we not some way aim at our own ends advantage praise c. Charity seeketh not her own To love another but for and with respect to our selves is not properly to love another but only to love our selves But if we can find our hearts going out in love and good-will towards all Men though we cannot expect so much as thanks from one of many this is very comfortable But here you may ask Quest 1. Should we not with the Psalmist 139.21 22. hate the wicked How than are we to love all Men Answ As we are to loath and abhor our selves so far as we are sinful and yet notwithstanding we must love our selves so we are both to love and hate the wicked As God hath a love to them as his Creatures and many ways is doing good to them whom yet he hates as they are wicked So must we In hating a sinner we must neither hate his nature for his sin as one notes nor his sin for the Man but hate Sin as sin Dr. Burgess Chain of Graces p. 239. and love the Man considered as a Man There is a Physical or natural goodness which is found in wicked Men as they are Men which includes in it a capableness of moral goodness for which they are so far to be esteemed and loved And while the wicked are in a possibility of being reclaimed from their wickedness we must pity pray for and heartily wish well unto them and indeavour to promote their Conversion and Salvation as it may lye in our way to contribute thereunto Quest 2. Is it not sometimes lawful to imprecate God's Vengeance on the wicked Answ This is not to be done ordinarily First of all Supplications Prayers Intercessions must be made for all Men 1 Tim. 2.1 Contrary to the custom of the Jews as Dr. Lightfoot notes who use to curse the Heathen and pray for none but themselves and those of their own Nation and Religion In praying for all we should pray for the wicked that God would restrain convince and convert them if it be his will If we pray that God's hand may find out his enemies his right hand those that hate him it must be conditionally that is If they be incurable incorrigible implacable obstinate in their malice against God his Church and Interest Before we pray absolutely against any particular Persons we should look well to our warrant Charity hopeth all things 1 Cor. 13.7 while we cannot certainly know or pronounce such without all hope of mercy we should not dare in our prayers to devote them to Justice What some holy Men have done here as David c. seems to be extraordinarily Spiritu praevidentis non voto optantis from a spirit of Prophesie rather than from the spirit of Supplication Unless we had their spirit we have not their warrant to pray directly against any Mens persons Quest 3. May not the righteous sometimes rejoyce seeing Gods Vengeance on the wicked as Psal 58.10 Answ As God is glorified by the Judgment which he executeth and as it may tend to promote his Interest and the good and safety of his Church and People so they may rejoyce at the cutting off and fall of wicked and mischievous Instruments but may not rejoyce meerly in their destruction Not as it makes against them but as it makes for Gods Glory and the good of others Qu. 4. Is it not lawful to desire that Justice may be done on notorious offenders Now is this to love them to will their punishment Answ We may desire that such may be punished without breach of Charity 1. When it is not from any private grudge but from a love to publick justice and with respect to the glory of God thereby 2. When we have respect to the good of the Community As we owe more love to the publick Society of which we are Members than to particular Members in the Society and much more then to corrupt gangren'd Members that endanger the whole Body When great notorious crimes go unpunished the Community may suffer for it Blood desiles a Land so Whoredom Drunkenness c. And where Men care not to let such sins go unpunished it provokes the Lord to punish for them It is better that the Offenders should suffer punishment than the whole Body should suffer for them Again when great crimes go unpunished more are encouraged to commit them That this is a sparing cruelty There is Credulitas parcens and there is Misericordia puniens Civil Magistrates are ordained of God to be a terror to Evil-doers And it is better that such should suffer than be suffered to go on to corrupt and infect others It is sinful against Charity to will the punishment of another meerly sub ratione mali as evil to him But the punishment of notorious Offenders hath also Rationem boni is good being a means of keeping up justice and order
a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a natural tender affection to their young and in part also commanded being a duty becoming such Relations a necessary Principle and help to the discharge of other relative duties To be without natural affection towards Parents or Children is a great Sin and a cause of other Sins against those Relations And if such as are in a married state have not a true conjugal affection other conjugal duties can never be rightly performed It is certain Grace breaketh not but rather strengthens Natures bonds So 2. We are ordinarily bound to do more for near Relations though ungodly than for strangers be they Godly We are not always to do most for the most needy and worthy because we may be under a specialâ—ty and obligation to do for others and we may not be able to do so well for both The Law of Nature layes a special obligation on us to take special care of Wife and Children being nearest to us And if we do not who should This is a necessary order for the good and preservation of Mankind as that love which is naturally planted in bruit creatures towards their young is necessary for the preservation of their kinds And 1 Tim. 5.8 If any provide not for his own and especially for those of his own house he hath denied the faith and is worse than an Infidel 2 Cor. 12.14 Parents ought to lay up for the Children Parents ordinarily are bound to provide especially for Children though sometimes also Children are bound to relieve their Parents and that before others As Joseph nourished his Father Jacob in the Famine Thus therefore we are especially to look to those whom Nature has devolved on our special care whom God hath especially committed to our charge not neglecting others as if we owed nothing to them but in some expressions of love preferring those to whom our obligation is greater 3. And yet in our estimations and rational spiritual complacence we are to prefer such as are godly before the nearest Relations if ungodly So likewise must we prefer such as are more eminent in Grace before a godly Relation that is not so eminent As Christ said Mat. 12.48 50. Who is my Mother and who are my brethren Whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in Heaven the same is my Brother and Sister and Mother The best are to be preferred in honour though not in point of maintenance Quest 2. Then by a parity of Reason are we not to love the weakest Christian whose sincerity we do not question more than a Professor or Minister whose sincerity is very questionable let their gifts be never so great and let them be never so serviceable upon that account Answ 1. It is certain That gifts of edification are very desirable and amiable yea they give a lustre to Grace it self As the Gold did beautify the Temple though the Temple did sanctify the Gold So says one though Grace do sanctify Gifts yet Gifts do beautify Grace No doubt but Gifts to edify to profit withal Gifts that promote the conversion and salvation of others are to be highly esteemed 2. Grace is more lovely and excellent Gifts are desirable in ordine ad aliud as Hand-maids to Grace but Grace is desirable even for it self 3. He that is both gracious as we cannot but judge and also of eminent Gifts is to be esteemed above another who hath not the like Gifts though he may have the like measure of saving Grace 4. He that hath Gifts without Grace is to be esteemed for that good and benefit others may receive from his Gifts and so for the service and honour God may have by them He is to be esteemed for others sakes But one that is truly godly though his Gifts be never so small is to be esteemed for his own sake And there is that real worth and excellency in true Grace which will weigh down the greatest excellencies a natural Man can have 4. Now I proceed to another note of true love to the Godly If we are taken with them for their godliness then we are for godliness in our selves We do not barely commend it in others but follow after it our selves We honour the Godly not only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in speaking well of them but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by imitating them If we love them aright we desire to be like them If we are taken with God's Image in them we would be followers of them so far as they are followers of God And wherein we see our selves to come short we are ashamed of our selves and so far out of love with our selves As the Stoicks said Laert. in Zeno. l 7. p. 513. that true friendship was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 inter solos probos virtutis studiosos only among the good and vertuous 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whom a likeness of disposition and manners uniteth Certainly they that care not for godliness themselves cannot truly love others for it They that delight to see it in others will much more desire and be pleased to find it in themselves To love it only at a distance would argue deceit in our love 5. If we love the Godly as such then we delight in godly society As the Psalmist Psal 119.63 I am a companion of all them that fear thee and of them that keep thy Precepts I am for the company of all such even the poorest the meanest of them and for no other company All his delight was in the Saints Psal 16.3 He had no delight to be so familiar and intimate with others When we are for holy society and holy conference it is both an expression of love to the Saints and a means to encrease it But to despise a poor Saint because poor to think such unworthy of our acquaintance to shun familiarity and converse with such would shew a sinful respect of Persons and partiality in our love that we have not a love to all Saints or to any as such So it is an ill sign if we are pleased with the society of vain and vile persons such as we ought to contemn Psal 15.4 A Man is known what he is by the Company he keeps and most affects 6. Another note of true love to the Godly is a fear of giving scandal a desire and care to walk in-offencible towards them Yea if we love them it will grieve us to see others casting stumbling-blocks in their way 2 Cor. 11.29 Who is weak and I am not weak who is offended and I burn not And much more we shall fear to offend them our selves As we would not offend and injure our friends It is true some are so weak that they will take offence where none is given And we may not decline our duty offend God for fear of offending or displeasing our weak Brethren Indeed this to comply with them in their Errours and Mistakes and by our practice to encourage them in any sinful way this I say would
brings down a rebellious Will As it is contrary to Self-conceitedness so to Self-willedness This is the great Controversie betwixt God and Sinners whose Will shall stand his or theirs But Self-denial where it comes decides the cause for God One that truly denies himself would have no will of his own but what is subject to the Will of God He resolvedly crosseth his own will wherein he sees it cross and contrary to the Will of God And thus it is plain They that walk in the way of their own hearts that are fully bent upon their own wills that give up themselves in their ordinary course to follow their own sinful Inclinations are far from Self-denial Self-denial and a course of wilful disobedience Self-denial and any reigning Sin are things utterly inconsistent A will to please God and a will to please our selves in any way or course which we know to be contrary to the Mind and Will of God cannot be both together in a prevailing degree 7. Self-denial is not consistent with reigning inordinate Self-love It 's true there is a regular Self-love which is not contrary to Self-denial Indeed there are none that do so truly love themselves as those that have learnt to deny themselves for God and Jesus Christ who love God and Jesus Christ above themselves But a corrupt Self-love where it is predominant excludes the true love of God and the love of our Neighbour and all true Self-denial By this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Man prefers and esteems himself and his own things above all other is most pleased with himself and most devoted to himself in short by this a Man makes an Idol of himself This self-Self-love is blind indeed and makes Men blind It will not let a Man see the evil of his state and of his way and course It is a chief cause of Self-flattery Self-deceit But the grand impediment and obstruction of Self-denial This Self-love is the heart of the Old-Man till this be mortified we can neither die to Sin nor live to God So while sinful self-Self-love is in full power we are far from Self-denial 8. Self-denial will heartily engage a Man against a sensual flesh-pleasing course For one to place his Happiness in pleasing his Appetite or Senses in Meats Drinks fine Apparels Pastimes and Recreations c. to mind such things more than the pleasing and enjoying of God to be more set upon them is a plain evidence that he is in the flesh and walks after the flesh which is most contrary to a Self-denying life Yea though he do not run into the excess of Riot which loose profane debauched Persons give themselves up unto Mr. Baxt. Christian Directory p. 271. §. 20. As is well observed Even the flesh it self may forbid a sensualist to be Drunk or to eat till he be Sick for Sickness and Shame are displeasing to the flesh It is enough to prove a Man a Sensualist and still for Self while he aimeth at the pleasing of his Appetite or Senses even as his end and looketh no higher surely we should be for pleasing these no further than may promote our main Work may help us on in the lively chearful Service of God And whether we Eat or Drink or Recreate our selves at any time that should be our end even that we may be fitter to serve and glorifie our Maker and Redeemer Now such as have no respect hereunto and such as are for pleasing the Flesh though God be displeased have not yet learn'd to deny themselves Self-denial would teach us to pinch and displease rather than pamper the Flesh And they that cannot deny their Excesses for God stint their inordinate Appetites refrain from immoderate Recreations cut off and cast away their proud and vain fashions of Attire that commend them to none unless it be to light and vain Persons how shall such deny and forsake all for God 9. Self-denial is opposit to a course of Self-seeking and will cause a Man habitually and most ordinarily to prefer God's Interest above his own Surely they are altogether strangers to Self-denial that are all for seeking their own things and not the things which are Jesus Christs And if we seek our own things more heartily seriously and earnestly than the things of Christ what would this shew but that inordinate Self-love is predominant in us And does it not argue plain selfishness when Men are chiefly led by self-ends and most set upon self-interest when Men are more for their own interest than for the interest of Christ Now how full is the World of such as are for enriching and advancing themselves who little or nothing regard the advancement of the Kingdom and Interest of Christ How many whatever pretentions they make of serving Christ yet their intentions and designs are rather to serve themselves of him And that are indeed for no more of Religion than will stand with and promote their worldly interest supposing that gain is Godliness as the Apostle speaks of them 1 Tim. 6.5 How many that will follow Christ no further than may be in the way to riches and preferment in the World But such as have learn'd to deny themselves would not seek their own things above or in competition with the things of Christ but only in subordination to those higher things While others follow Christ but for self such follow their worldly Callings and ordinary Imployments for Christ They are painful and diligent in their Callings but if you ask who they work for It is not for the flesh not for self but for God and Christ They are laying up for God and laying out for God When we have given our own selves to God as they did 2 Cor. 8.5 accounting our selves no more our own we shall make over all we have to God and shall desire to use and imploy our Parts Interest Estate c. for him according to his Will We shall not account any thing so our own as for us to use how we please but as may be most pleasing to God But if we are at excessive pains and at great cost and charge for Self while we care not how little we are at in God's Service if we think we can never lay up enough for Self or care not how much we lay out on Self and how little we lay out for God and Christ if we think a little expended in works of Charity or for Pious-uses too much such things would bewray base selfishness they are no signs of Self-denial 10. Self-denial will take a Man off from hunting after vain applause One of a self-denying spirit is more for the favour and approbation of God than for the praise of Man It 's true he may and ought to prize a good Name he would not do any thing to wound and blemish his Credit But it is not so much on his own account that he is tender of his good Name and Reputation as upon the account of Religion with respect to the
the pardon of Sin is promised as we find in other Texts of Scripture see Prov. 28.13 1 John 1.9 And what follows there Psal 32.3 5. doth very much countenance such an interpretation Blessed is the Man unto whom the Lord imputeth not Iniquity and in whose spirit there is no Guile Then it follows When I kept silence my Bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long I acknowledg my Sin unto thee and mine Iniquity have I not hid I said i. e. resolved I will confess my Transgressions unto the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my Sin And he freely confessed his Sin not only to the Lord but to Man 2 Sam. 12.13 Hypocrites like the Pharisees are for justifying themselves And what they cannot justifie they will mince and extenuate all they can How much ado had the Prophet Samuel with Saul to convince him of his Sin And after all he could not be brought to a free serious and hearty Confession He confesseth but not without an excuse 1 Sam. 15.24 Hypocrites are not for confessing till they can no longer hide their Sins Or if they confess some Sins for fashion-sake they are usually such as the best are not free from They have still a desire to keep close their Bosom-sins 6. The upright Man has left halting betwixt two is really resolved for God and entirely devoted to him Thus his heart is perfect with God 1 King 8.61 2 Chron. 16.9 his heart is for God before all other it is not divided betwixt God and other things The Hypocrites heart like the Adulteresses is divided divided betwixt God and Mammon divided betwixt God and his Lusts That is a false adulterous heart that is divided betwixt God and other Lovers But blessed are they that seek him with the whole heart Psal 119.2 Sic ut eum solum quaerant diligant reliqua tantùm propter Deum Muis in Pol. Synop. Blessed are they that seek him above all seek him indeed for himself and other things but for him As the Psalmist could say for himself ver 10. With my whole heart have I sought thee The Lord promised Jer. 24.7 that his People should return unto him with their whole heart As he says of the main Body of the People on the contrary Jer. 3.10 Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart but feignedly Where we see that is not a true but feigned conversion to God which is not with the whole heart We must turn unto the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul Deut. 30.10 And thus we must love him Deut. 13.3 And thus we must serve him Deut. 10.12 And to serve him thus is to serve him in truth 1 Sam. 12.24 Serve him in truth with all your hearts Object But then where is there a Man upon Earth that truly turns to God or loves or serves him if there be no doing these in truth but with all the heart Answ Speaking strictly none do thus turn to God love seek or serve him But the phrase with all the heart and with the whole heart must be taken in a more favourable sense here So the whole heart and a perfect heart is opposed to a double heart a divided heart an heart and an heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A double-minded Man is the Character of an Hypocrite James 1.8 He has two souls as it were one inclining him towards God and Christ and Heaven another inclining more strongly towards the World towards Worldly Riches Pleasures Vain-glory or Applause He is double-soul'd and therefore unstable not knowing where to fix When he would give up himself to his Lusts Conscience is pulling him back and when he should give up himself to God his Lusts draw him back And his heart being never truly set on God it is more easily drawn from him than from the World from his Lusts which he is more for Object But is there not Flesh and Spirit two contrary Principles in the best Saint upon Earth Answ True Yet so that the Spirits interest is predominant the prevailing bent of the Heart and Will is for God But the Hypocrite is still halting betwixt two Opinions his heart divided betwixt God and the World Like a Man that is in bivio Of the new Cov. p. 225. in a double way as Dr. Preston has the Comparison he stands and looks on both and knows not which to take So the double-minded Man looks upon God and looks upon the World and one while he is for God another while for the World He stands thus in suspence Whereas the upright Man is come to his choice he is resolved what way to take and all the World cannot turn him His heart is fixed upon God his resolution thorowly set for God Though honest hearts do find unsteadiness as to Degrees yet they are not unsettled as to the Object The prevailing habitual bent of such hearts is towards God though they are not carried out towards him with the like ardency of Affection and like vigorous endeavours at all times 7. The upright Man is one that loves the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity Cant. 1.4 The upright love thee Hypocrites unsound Professors do but pretend love to the Lord Jesus Christ the Upright only love him indeed Thus the Apostle concludes his Epistle to the Ephesians Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity Here all the Hypocrites in the World fall short and are cut out While an Hypocrite in outward actions may may seem to out-do many a sincere Christian yet in the point of affection he is utterly wanting He wants that which should be the main spring of his actions He is wholly acted from self-love and by self-respects not from love to Jesus Christ which is the cause of that great unevenness in the course of Hypocrites They are not steady but off and on moved to and fro as self-interest and self-respects move and incline them While it is for their credit and profit and is like to make way for their preferment to profess his Name they would be sorry that any should be more forward to own Christ and his wayes than they but when the wind bloweth in another quarter ordinarily they will then face about and shamefully retreat or if they hold on yet it is still from some self-respect not from real love to Christ But the Upright heartily love him and therefore cleave to him with full purpose of heart and follow him fully even when he is most despised and opposed Like those good Women to whom the Angel spake Mat. 28.5 Fear not ye for I know that ye seek Jesus which was crucified They that love Christ indeed will continue seeking him when most despised when persecuted when crucified And if our hearts be not with Christ they cannot be sound and upright 8. The Upright Man is careful in his ordinary course to walk before God to carry as in God's sight and presence Gen.
your selves advanced in the World 18. Do you take part with the strictest of God's Commands 19. Are you well pleased with the harshest Providences that are a means to bring down sinful-self and selfishness 20. Are you fully resolved in the strength of God's Grace to forsake all rather than forsake God and Christ his Truth and Ways 8. Try your professed Sincerity and Integrity 1. Are you got past those simple ones that rest in their good meanings 2. Are you willing to know your whole duty 3. Are you for strict self-searching 4. And for wholsom Admonition and Reproof 5. And for an ingenuous Confession of your Sins not for hiding or palliating them 6. Have you left halting betwixt two Are you now really resolved for God and entirely devoted to him 7. Do you love Christ in Sincerity 8. Do you walk before God carry as in his sight and presence in your ordinary course 9. Do you hate and forsake all known Sin Is there no beloved bosom-sin which you would spare and indulge 10. Particularly are you set against Hypocrisie a way of lying and walking by the crooked rule of carnal policy Sins more directly opposit to Uprightness and Sincerity 11. Have you a respect to all God's Commands 1 Have you a respect to both Tables Would you not despise the least of God's Commands 3 Do you look first and most to the greatest 4 Have you a respect to the hardest and such as are most cross to your natural inclination or carnal interest 12. Do you carry uprightly in holy Duties 1 Do you engage your Hearts to approach to God in Duty 2. Are you free in God's Service 3 Have you a special respect to God in Duty Do you look most at his approbation 4. Have you a love to secret Duties 5. And even to disgraced Duties and such as may expose you to Suffering 13. Are you steady and constant in an holy course 14. Are you pressing after Perfection 9. Try your Zeal 1. Have you a Zeal according to Knowledg 2. Does it burn within before it flames forth 3. Is it a Zeal for God indeed and not for self 4. Would it burn alone though you had none about you to encourage and blow it up 5. Are you zealous for the whole Interest of God 6. And zealous against all Sin Is your Zeal more than a partial Zeal 7. Yet is your Zeal hottest in the greatest matters 8. Is it joyned with Christian moderation and for Christian concord 9. Is it more moved with Indignities offered unto God than with injuries done to your selves 10. Is it joyned with real love and true compassion towards Sinners 11. Is it for expedition in God's Service 12. Does it make you free and lively in his Service 13. Does it sharpen your courage and resolution for God 14. Is it a pleasing sight to you to see others zealous for him 15. Have you an holy emulation a desire to imitate yea if it might be to outstrip those that are most forward 16. Is it not for a flash but a Fire that goes not out though it burns not at all times alike clearly yet is it still kept burning Find these gracious dispositions in truth in your selves and then you may have good hope through Grace and Joy unspeakable everlasting Consolation But many grosly deceive themselves holding the conclusion never look to the premises therefore 10. Try your Hope 1. Has it come in after doubts and fears 2. Have you any ground to hope it is a fruit of the Spirit Have you the Spirit 3. Is your Hope an Hope in God an Hope in God through Christ according to his Word 4. Is it not only an Hope in God but for him Is the enjoyment of God in Christ the to of your Hopes 5. Is your Hope accompanied with an holy Fear of God 6. And with sound Obedience doing the Will of God 7. And maintained by diligence and watchfulness 8. Does it quicken you to make progress in holiness 9. Does it produce Patience 10. And give courage 11. And raise your Hearts and Desires Heaven-ward 12. And excite praise and thankfulness 13. And further on Spiritual Joy 11. Try your Joy 1. Hath Godly Sorrow prepared and made way for it 2. Is it the Joy of the holy Ghost Have you the holy Spirit your Sanctifier Are you filled with Joy in believing 4. Was it attained or is it strengthened and maintained by serious self-examination and probation 5. Came it in the way of Prayer 6. Or in attendence on other of God's Ordinances 7. Is God your chief Joy Do you rejoyce in Christ Jesus 9. Are you most taken with Spiritual Mercies 10. Can you heartily rejoice in the good of others 11. Is your Joy in working Righteousness 12. Does it further enlarge your hearts in God's Service 13. Is it a special incentive to praise and thankfulness 14. Can it keep alive and keep you alive in outward troubles 15. Is it not swelling but accompanied with an humble frame of spirit 16. Is it not intoxicating but joyned with an holy fear care and watchfulness 17. Does it fit and incline you to encourage and comfort others in trouble 18. Does it set you more a longing after the Joys of Heaven Of Repentance This should have been inserted after the sum of Repentance in the Rehearsal Page 412. VIZ. ARe you no longer under the Dominion of Sin Do you see what a miserable bondage the service of Sin is Do you not so much desire to be exempted from Affliction as to be freed from your Corruptions Are you no longer for defending Sin or taking its part Would you pay no more Tribute to Sin no longer make provision for it Do you heartily resist the motions and commands of Sin Are your hearts turned to hate all known Sin Are you heartily devoted to the Service of God and Jesus Christ And now Reader if thou canst find it thus with thee thou mayest well rejoice in thy Portion Suppose thou hast never so little in the World yet happy thou who hast that better part which shall never be taken from thee The good Man may have satisfaction from within when no satisfaction is to be had from without The Fear of the Lord is his Treasure and such a Treasure as the World cannot rob him of And surely the gleanings or rather first Fruits of Heaven is better than the Vintage of the Earth Yea the least true santifying Grace will go further than all this Worlds goods A state of Grace is a short Preface to an everlasting State of Glory Canst thou prove thy Graces are of the right stamp Certainly they will prove thy title to Glory Now let it be thy care henceforth to grow in Grace and live in the constant exercise of Grace and so thou mayest have an abundant enterance into the Everlasting Kingdom FINIS
Article as Estius says because in it especially the Jews differed from Pagans or because it is the first Article of our Faith But he might questionless have added other Articles which the Devils as well believe and are convinced to be certain Truths They believed Jesus to be the Son of God Mat. 8.29 And that he was the Christ Luk. 4.41 The Devil that puts others upon questioning whether there be a God Or whether the Scriptures be the Word of God hath no doubt of these things himself He that would have Men Atheists or Infidels is far from being either himself Atheism and Infidelity are Sins which the Devil cannot be guilty of An Atheist or an Infidel is in that respect worse than the Devil himself Now certainly that Faith which the Devils have cannot be true Saving-Faith But the Devils have such a Faith as this they are clearly convinced that the Scriptures are the Word of God and that what God's Word holds forth is certainly true How absurd and irrational is it to suppose that the Devils that are Damned have that same Faith for the nature of it which the Scripture calls precious Faith and which it maketh the condition of Salvation And yet mistake me not I grant a Dogmatical Faith is included in Saving Faith As the Vegetative Soul is included in the Sensitive or as both these are included in the Rational Soul So a believing that there is a Christ that he is come in the Flesh and a believing the Word of Christ is included in our believing in him And indeed they that believe not what is spoken of him in the Gospel that believe not the Son of God his taking Mans Nature on him uniting it to his Person that there was such a one as Jesus Christ that was born of a Virgin that suffered was crucified at Jerusalem and rose again from the dead and ascended up to Heaven according to the Scriptures they that allegorize the true Christ out of Doors and only acknowledg a Christ within them they do not believe in that Jesus whom Paul preached whom all the Apostles preached whom the Father sealed I further grant that to believe with a Dogmatical Faith is part of Man's duty It is a setting to our Seal that God is true Joh. 3.33 And he that believeth not God hath made him a Lyer 1 Joh. 5.10 Think what an heinous Sin it is to give God the Lye If you deny his Truth you deny him to be God If he were not the God of Truth he were not the true God And further we must grant that the Word is a great gift of God that it is a wonderful favour that he is pleased thus to reveal his Mind and Will and make himself known to the Sons of Men. And that it is a work of the Spirit though but a common work which such may have as shall not be saved to bring Men to assent to the Truth All this is granted But yet though we know the Truth and cannot but assent to it in our Judgments if we do not embrace it with suituble Affections if we do not heartily cleave to it and sincerely submit to it our simple belief of the Truth is so far from being a Saving work that it will increase our Condemnation as our guilt is increased by it 3. True Saving-Faith is not a meer perswasion that my Sins are pardoned that I shall be Saved Some have gone this way Believe that your Sins are pardoned for Christ's sake and they are pardoned and you justifyed Believe that you shall be saved by Christ and you shall be saved A short cut to Heaven But how little need is there to teach Men Presumption or to encourage it But to shew you the Vanity of this conceit 1. All that hear the Gospel are bound to believe in Jesus Christ But all such are not bound to believe that they are pardoned justifyed and shall be saved 1 Joh. 3.23 This is his Commandment that we should believe on the Name of his Son Jesus Christ And what Duty is more pressed in the Gospel But where doth the Gospel command all to believe that they shall be saved How many alas that are in their Sins that are such as the Word of God condemneth Know ye not that the Vnrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Such as the Apostle speaketh of 1 Cor. 6.9 10. believe contrary to the Gospel if while such they believe that they are pardoned and shall be saved The Gospel calleth us to repent that our Sins may be blotted out And we have no ground to believe or hope that our Sins are pardoned till we repent When we find unbelief spoken of as the great condemning Sin we must not take it so as if Sinners were condemned because they would not believe that their Sins were pardoned Nor is it the sense of that Article in our Creed I believe the Remission of Sins that I believe my Sins are remitted Too many lay down this Conclusion that yet stand condemned by the Sentence of God's Word All impenitent Sinners are bound to believe that at present they are in a state of Wrath Heirs apparent of Hell that except they repent they shall perish they cannot be saved 2. Are we not justifyed by Faith Deny that and you deny plain Scripture Now we cannot be justifyed by Faith if we are first of all to believe that we are pardoned and justified Le Blanc Thes Theol. p. 212. §. 103. Quomodo enim possemus justificari per actum qui justificationem jam factam praesupponit Must we believe our Sins are pardoned that they may be pardoned Must we believe we are Justifyed that we may be Justifyed What can be more absurd Then we must believe what is not that it may be as we believe If the first Act of Faith be to believe that I am pardoned and justifyed then Remission and Justification must needs go before Faith The Act supposeth the Object In order of Nature Faith is before Justification otherwise we are not justified by Faith and in order of Nature at least we must be justified before we can truly believe that we are justified Therefore we cannot be justified by believing we are so It is a plain contradiction to say that we believe before we are justified and yet are justified before we believe 3. It cannot be the first Act of Faith to believe I shall be saved except instead of the Word some special Revelation besides the Word be the Ground of my Faith This is plain because it is not at all credible to me according to the Word that I shall be saved till I know I have Faith such a Faith as hath Salvation annexed to it by promise such a Faith as purifieth the Heart worketh by Love c. According to the Word only he that believeth with such a Faith shall be saved That I cannot believe according to the Word that I shall be saved till I find such a Faith
be advanced above all the World in our Affection so will he be preferred in our account and estimation Indeed how can we love him above all if we do not prize him above all 3. If Christ be precious to us then certainly we cannot endure to see or hear Christ vilified and dishonoured It will grieve us at Heart to see this Pearl trodden under Foot We could be more content to be vilified for him than to see him contemned How would it move us to hear and see a special Friend whom we most highly esteem reproached and abused As Jonathan was grieved for David because his Father had done him shame 1 Sam. 20.34 That Christ is generally so lightly esteemed yea so much dishonoured in the World and that many of ours make light of him this will be very greivous to us if indeed Christ be precious to us And as Jonathan took David's part there we shall be ready to plead for Christ We would not have him despised of any if we can help it We would be commending him to others and especially to ours 4. If Christ be precious in our account we shall be restless and unsatisfied till we have in some good measure cleared up our Interest and propriety in him As the Apostle Phil. 3.8 I count all things but loss for the excellency of the Knowledg of Christ Jesus my Lord. One that sees how precious Christ is cannot but earnestly desire to know further that he is his Jesus and his Lord. A Believer who sees his All bound up in Christ lose Christ and lose all how will he pray search use diligence to have his Interest in Christ evidenced and made sure As if a Man's title to House and Land and all he had in the World be in question he would not rest till he had got his title cleared 2. Saving Faith is Sanctifying Act. 26.18 Sanctified by Faith Act. 15.9 Purifying their Hearts by Faith No Salvation without Sanctification 2 Thes 2.13 God hath from the beginning chosen you to Salvation through Sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the Truth Saving-Faith and Sanctification are linked together The one necessarily inferreth and draweth on the other Rolloc in loc pag. 295. Spiritus nos Sanctificans emanat quasi ex Christi sanguine fide apprehenso nobisque applicato Faith is nor only a part of Sanctification as it is a Grace and as other Graces are but as some call it a Mother-Grace and a Root-Grace from whence other Graces spring it is introductive of Sanctification and of other habitual Saving Grace As upon our first believing in Christ and accepting of him we are thereby interested in him and united to him not only to be justified by his merit but also to be sanctified by his Spirit As we are said to receive the promise of the Spirit through Faith Gal. 3.14 And Eph. 1.13 In whom also after that ye believed ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise Indeed it is by the special influx or operation of the Spirit that a Man puts forth the Act of Faith at first and upon this the Spirit is further given to dwell in him or a principle of Grace renewing sanctifying habits are wrought in him seated in his Soul still disposing and inclining unto gracious Acts to a life of Holiness and Obedience Christ is said to dwell in the Heart by Faith Eph. 3.17 He dwelleth in us by his Spirit And it is Faith that letteth in Christ and the Holy Spirit into the Heart to dwell there Thus Faith ushereth in the Spirit of Sanctification And so if any Man be in Christ by Faith he is a new Creature 2 Cor. 5.17 Compare Gal. 5.6 with 6.15 In the former you have Faith in the latter a new Creature Thou art not a true Believer if thou art not a new Creature And as we enter into a state of Sanctification by Faith So by Faith we make progress in it As the Life which the Apostle lived after he came in to Christ was by the Faith of the Son of God Gal. 2.20 He was still drawing vertue from Christ and receiving of his fulness even Grace for Grace As Faith hath respect to the several parts of the Word not only Doctrines and Promises but Commands and Threatnings too So it hath an influence on all other Graces and hath an hand in all acts of Obedience that a Believer performs as we see in Heb. 11. Therefore if you would know whether you have Saving-Faith enquire seriously whether you are Sanctified by Faith And to give you some help here 1. Where Sanctifying Faith is there is not only an outward but an inward change Sanctifying-Grace is properly and immediately seated in the Soul as its Subject and the Soul is really changed by it though not as to its substance yet as to its qualities The Heart is new-moulded There are new dispositions inclinations and affections in the Soul It acteth from a new Principle and aimeth at other ends The Body is not changed by Grace either in substance or quality immediately but being under the government of a Soul that is sanctified and being a part of one that is by Grace truly resolved for God and his Service it will certainly be engaged and used for God too according to Rom. 6.19 Indeed such cannot be sanctified who are not so much as outwardly reformed Such as were known to be common Swearers Sabbath-breakers Drunkards c. and are so still one may pronounce them Vnclean Vnclean 1 Cor. 6.11 Such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified To be sanctified and to live and continue in gross known Sin are estates directly opposite Yet there may be an outward reformation without true Sanctification Sanctification connotates a change of Heart and Life both Not a bare abstinence from the outward act of Sin but a mortifying of it and a dying to it Not a leaving it in practise only but a forsaking it in affection too That the Heart which was set upon its Lusts is now turned and set against them it now loaths what it was formerly in love with Now is thy heart purified Jer. 4.14 O Jerusalem wash thine Heart from wickedness that thou mayst be saved It is not enough to have hands washed but our Hearts must be cleansed if we would be saved Psal 24.3 4. Who shall ascend into the Hill of the Lord He that hath clean hands and a pure Heart What is it to live free from gross Sins to be no Extortioner Oppressor Swearer Drunkard Adulterer c. but to be like a whited Sepulchre which appears beautiful outward but within is full of all uncleanness as the Pharisees that outwardly appeared righteous unto Men but within were full of Hypocrisy and Iniquity What is it for one to change his Life and Course while his Heart and Mind is not changed Though he that was given to Stealing should steal no more and he that was given to Lying Cursing Swearing
Life REpentance is not a more common than necessary Subject It is part of the Foundation of Christianity Heb. 6.1 And without true Repentance Mens hopes of Salvation are built on the Sand. I do not say that any Man is saved for his Repentance yet speaking of the Adult we must say that none are or can be saved without it Except ye repent ye shall perish Luk. 13.3 5. Repent and be Converted that your Sins may be blotted out Act. 3.19 without Repentance no Pardon no Remission and consequently no Salvation But what is this Repentance unto Life And how may it be known In the late Confession of Faith chap. 15. a good and full account is given of it viz. By it a Sinner out of the sight and sense not only of the danger but also of the filthiness and odiousness of his Sins as contrary to the Holy Nature and Righteous Law of God and upon the apprehension of his Mercy in Christ to such as are penitent so grieves for and hates his Sins as to turn from them all unto God purposing and endeavouring to walk with him in all the wayes of his Commandments The Subject of Repentance is a Sinner Mat. 9.13 I am not come to call the Righteous but Sinners to Repentance In Paradise while Man retained his Innocency which indeed was but a while he had no need of Repentance In Heaven the Saints are made Perfect in Holiness and so have no more occasion for Repentance The Subject of Repentance is a Sinner Yea a Sinner of some hopes In Hell a place full of Sin as ever it can hold there is no hope of obtaining Pardon or finding Mercy and so no place for Repentance Hell that is full of Despair has no place for Repentance Only upon Earth as there is no Man that liveth and sinneth not and as God hath graciously promised pardon to all that truely Repent here is both an engagement upon Sinners and encouragement for Sinners to Repent Some go further and make the Subject of Repentance a believing Sinner Supposing that Faith in order of Nature goes before Repentance As I conceive the principle or habit of Faith and of Repentance and other Graces are infused together But by the special help and operation of God's Spirit the Soul is first inabled to put forth a gracious act in consenting to the terms of Gods Covenant actually closing with and accepting of Christ as he is there offered upon which the Spirit of Grace is given to dwell in the Heart gracious habits are implanted in the Soul as a new nature inclining it to such acts Which I could wish added to what I have written in a former Treatise scil of the Covenants p. 224 225. Now though the general assenting Act of Faith must necessarily be supposed to go before Repentance as it is in the Will Cathol Theol. lib. 1. par 2. p. 84. as Mr. B. noteth yet a Man cannot truly accept of Christ as a perfect Saviour without a sense and feeling of the burthen of his Sins and being humbled under it nor can he accept of Christ as Lord and King without a resolution and hearty purpose of turning from all Sin unto the Lord. That in the very first act of Faith as saving there is Repentance also included Repentance may be thus distinguished 1. It is either initial or continued Initial Repentance at a Man's first Confession Continued that which follows through the course of ones Life afterwards 2. There is an habitual and virtual Repentance a Disposition or Inclination to mourn for and turn from all our Sins as we come to have our Sins discovered to us And actual formal Repentance actually grieving at loathing resolving and striving against the Sins we have found out and are convinced of 3. There is an ordinary Repentance daily practised for daily ordinary failings and a special extraordinary Repentance exercised upon some foul Fall sad Declining or Backsliding as in David's and in Peter's case Renewed Repentance as some call it in regard of some sad Interruption before Yet these Distinctions do not imply various kinds of Repentance but only different degrees There are two main essential constitutive Parts of true Repentance viz. Humiliation and Reformation or Contrition and Conversion A mourning for Sin after a godly sort 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and a turning from Sin unto God Now first Of godly Sorrow for Sin The Hebrew Word nacham and the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Latine * Poenitet me quod poena tener me Poenitet est idem quod â—edet vel piget Poenitet all shew Repentance to have Grief and Sorrow in it A Man that grieves not for what he hath done amiss repents not Yea there is no right forsaking of Sin without an hearty Sorrow for it There is a Rending of the Heart for Sin before it is rent from Sin Quest But how shall a Man know whether his Sorrow for Sin be right 1. Right Sorrow for Sin is upon right Grounds As the Lord says Hos 7.14 They have not cried unto me when they howled upon their Beds And Zech. 7.5 Did ye at all fast unto me even unto me So there are many that cry out of their Sins are troubled about their Sins that yet do not sorrow after a godly sort but have respect only to themselves Many are troubled for Sin not as contrary to God but only as mischievous or injurious to themselves not as it dishonoureth God but as it brings shame and disgrace upon themselves not as it displeaseth God but as it subjecteth them to his Wrath and Curse not as God is offended by it but as they are like to suffer for it Many only respect the Shame or Punishment felt or feared Now that Humiliation which comes only from Pride cannot be sound Humiliation And that Sorrow which is meerly from self-respect cannot be godly Sorrow Hard-hearted Pharaoh would sometimes confess his Sin under the sence of an heavy Plague so wicked Ahab could humble himself under the fear of Judgment threatned while far enough from true Repentance And as there is a Principle of self-self-love planted in all Men the wickedst Man on Earth would not be miserable for ever is not willing to be damned And so when a Sinners Conscience is awakened that he sees himself obnoxious to God's everlasting Wrath and to the torments of Hell for ever no wonder if he be full of horror Nature only without the least dram of Grace would teach one under such terrors to cry out with Judas Oh! I have sinned Thus a Sinner under Convictions may have stronger passionate Workings of Grief than gracious Souls have ordinarily The Passion of Grief may be very much stirred when yet there is no godly Sorrow Though I grant it is lawful to be troubled for Sin as it is against our selves But if we are troubled for Sin only as against our selves not as against God such Trouble is privatively sinful Godly Sorrow is not
odious One that hath true Grace sees himself to be more vile by Sin than all the Afflictions in the World could make him 2. There is a greater dislike of and displicence against Sin in the Will It 's possible that a Man might dye with less pain than he must indure in some cases to preserve his Life and yet he would chuse to submit to great pain rather than to the most easy Death A Womans travelling Pangs may be more grievous to sense than the Pangs of Death would be yet ordinarily Women would chuse to endure the former rather than the latter Thus a gracious Soul had rather any Affliction should befal him here than to be left under the Power of Sin And he is so grieved for his Sins past that he could wish he had been sick in his Bed taken up with pains at that time he was taken up with the pleasures of Sin He would submit to any Affliction and acknowledg God's Faithfulness in afflicting him may he find this Fruit of it even the taking away of Sin He would kiss the Rod that whippeth Folly out of his Heart 3. One that is truly gracious is often grieved that he has been apt to exceed in his grief for and under his Afflictions and that he hath grieved no more for Sin that here he falleth short He repenteth of his immoderate worldly Sorrow revoketh what he hath done is heartily sorry that any of his Sighs and Tears should run waste or have been mispent when he hath spent too few on his Sins Thus by an after-Act he would substract and deduct from his worldly Sorrow and make what addition he can to his Sorrow for Sin It is a real grief and burthen to his Spirit that Sin hath not been a greater grief and burthen to him Which one calleth a Reflexive Grief Besides a direct grief for Sin there is also in a gracious Heart a reflexive grief as it is oft sad to think how far short it falleth in mourning for Sin as it ought And thus immoderate worldly Sorrow is oft an occasion of the increase of godly Sorrow a sinful dejection under some outward cross is an occasion of deeper Humiliation for Sin A gracious Soul upon a serious reflection and review of it self is ashamed of his being so cast down under worldly troubles and that he is no more humbled under all his Sins 4. One that is truly gracious may be more moved at some great Affliction for a fit but his Sorrow for Sin is deeper rooted and of longer continuance It is true that commonly as Mr. Greenham said When Affliction lieth heavy Sin lieth light But the greatest worldly troubles do not affect the Heart of one that is gracious at such a distance as his Sins will do In a little time he gets over that perturbation of Spirit raised by an Affliction while his trouble for Sin still remaineth He can think of many an Affliction past and bless the Lord for his Faithfulness in the same As grievous as they were for the present yet he sees he could not well have been without them But he is oft renewing his Sorrow for old Sins When he may be grown old yet he oft calls to mind the Iniquities of his Youth with shame and grief Quest 3. Whether can one mourn and grieve too much for Sin Answ 1. As grief is seated in the rational Faculties so it is hard for any one to exceed As it implieth a sense or apprehension of the evil and vileness of Sin One can hardly think worse of Sin than it deserves unless he conceit erroneously that God suffers dammage in his very Being and essential Glory and perfection by it whereas it is not in the Power of all the Sinners in the World to hurt him in the least Job 35.6 8. He is over all God Blessed for ever Rom. 9.5 Or unless a Man should think his Sins so great that the Satisfaction and Merits of Christ could not expiate them or that the free Grace of God could not pardon them * Tanta est autem benignitas Omnipotentiae Omnipotentia benignitatis in Deo ut nihil sit quod nolit aut non possit relaxare converso Fulgent Epist 7. But otherwise not derogating from the Honour of God and Jesus Christ I know not how we can have too bad thoughts of Sin As it is against an infinite Majesty against the Will of God against his declarative Glory which shineth forth in his most wise and righteous Laws and should be held forth by all his Creatures especially by Man a reasonable Creature thus there is more intrinsick evil and vileness in Sin than our narrow Capacities can fully conceive And as Grief for Sin imports the Will 's dislike of it it is not possible that we should be too averse from Sin that we should hate Sin too much or be too much displeased at it 2. But as Grief is in the sensitive part and as it is expressed outwardly by Sighs Groans and Tears it may be too much Though indeed there are very few that erre on this hand But what the Apostle writes to the Corinthians concerning the incestuous Person 2 Cor. 2.7 that upon his repentance they should comfort him lest perhaps he should be swallowed up of overmuch Sorrow is observable here as it implieth that even Sorrow for Sin may be overmuch 3. The Passion of Grief is required to be exercised about Sin not meerly for it self but in order to a further end As ver 9. to imbitter Sin to us to endear Christ to us to make us more willing to part with Sin and to close with and accept of Jesus Christ And therefore that Sorrow which reacheth not the End how great soever it may seem is not enough 4. There are other and higher Duties that Christians are also called unto And Duties must be so managed that one may not clash and interfere with and exclude and justle out another They ought to be so carried on as one may not obstruct and hinder but further on and promote another Now a Life of Faith in Christ and a Life in the Love and joyful Praises of God is that which indeed all Christians should desire to live and study and endeavour by all means to attain unto And our Sorrow for Sin should be a Preparative to Joy and Delight in the Lord and should be an Help to close and comfortable walking with God And for a Christian to be wholly taken up in poring on his Sins and mourning over them neglecting the exercise of Faith and the drawing out of his Heart to God and Jesus Christ in love and thankfulness is a very great practical Error which must needs keep his Soul low in Grace as well as in Comfort 5. That Sorrow which is without Hope which casts the Soul into * Qualecunque sit ergo peccatum a Deo quidem potest remitti converso sed ille sibi remitti non sinit qui des
Man's case is many times most sad when he has no sense of his Sickness 2. You may not be under Terrors of Conscience for Sin and yet may be under the Dominion of Sin While the strong Man keeps his Palace all is in Peace An evil Conscience may be a quiet Conscience may be lull'd asleep for a time 3. You may be under the arrest of your own Consciences Conscience may shake and terrifie you and thus you may be brought to a kind of remorse for Sin and yet not freed from the Dominion of Sin Sinner wouldest thou fain put off Conscience dost thou indeavour to do all thou canst to stop its Mouth to still its Clamours Art thou far from joyning and taking part with Conscience against thy Lusts Then it is plain thou art joyned to thy Lusts And whatever trouble thou hast for sins committed if it does not weaken the Power and Habit of Sin in thee if it be not joyned with a serious purpose and resolution against Sin if thou art as ready to commit the same Sin again when a Temptation and Opportunity is offered thy Repentance is little better than a Mock-repentance 4. Thou mayest have a kind of Conflict within thy self against Sin and yet be under the Dominion of Sin For 1. Sometimes one Lust makes head against another Though all Sins agree in their general Nature as contrary to the holy Law of God yet some Sins disagree in respect of their particular Objects and Interests So Pride may set against such Sins as would bring a Man to shame and disgrace So a Sinner's Covetousness may cross a costly expensive Lust which otherwise he has a mind on 2. Or the Conflict in a Sinner is thus his Will is to serve and satisfy such a Lust but his Conscience is against it Thus a Sinner hath many sad checks of Conscience sore against his Will The Conscience of many a natural Man does not only oft accuse and condemn him for Sins committed but also sometimes does check menace and terrify him when he is about the commission of Sin while yet the Will is predominantly set upon Sin As there may be Insurrections great Stirs and Busles in a Kingdom against its Government and yet the Government not be cast off but may prevail and suppress those Insurrections So Conscience is stirring in a Sinner sometimes it riseth up against such or such a Lust but for all that there is a stronger Party within a corrupt Will a depraved Appetite and Affections that adhere to it still and keep it in the Throne 5. A Child of God may fall into the same Sin materially and yet that be but a Sin of Infirmity in him which may be a reigning Sin in thee Though thou mayest sometimes see those that are better than thy self overtaken with Passion or see them sometimes immoderate spending too much precious time in Sports and Recreations c. And yet Sinner know there is a difference betwixt their falling into a Sin and thy living and lying still in it There is a difference betwixt their being sometimes foiled by it and thy yielding up thy self fully to it There is a difference betwixt their serious repenting of it and breaking off a Course of Sin and thy allowing and full liking of it and holding on thy Course 6. Thou mayest be free from all gross Sins and yet be under the Dominion of Sin Though Divines sometimes distinguish betwixt a partial and a total Dominion of Sin and say further that a partial Dominion of Sin may stand with a State of Grace but not a total yet here you must not understand them as if by partial Dominion they meant the Dominion of some Sins only and by total the Dominion of all kind of Sins That is not their meaning But that is the full and total compleat and absolute Dominion of Sin when a Man freely peaceably fully ex studio ex animo gives up himself to any known Sin whether it be scandalous or not whether it be open or secret And the partial Dominion of Sin with them is when Sin gets Mastery for a time when there is not an actual or at least not a prevalent Resistance and Opposition of Sin as to some particular Acts and yet Sin gets not full and peaceable possession but there is the Spirit lusting and striving against the Flesh there is a Principle of Reluctance to that Sin a Man is drawn to commit that though at present he be worsted by it yet he yields not up himself to it But as one has the Comparison as there are several Forms of Government or Dominion as Democracy Aristocracy and Monarchy Sometimes the Dominion is exercised by many sometimes by one alone yet Subjection to any of them is true Subjection and sets up Dominion So though in some more Sins bear rule together in others some one Sin bears chief rule yet a full willing Subjection to Sin whether one or more proves the Dominion of Sin Thus though thou keepest free from gross scandalous Sins yet if thou freely allowest thy self to continue in other Sins in any known Sin thou art the Servant of Sin and Sin hath Dominion over thee Yea note further Thou mayest live in those Sins which yet break not forth into the outward Act. While Sin hath the Command of the Heart it hath Dominion And thus thou art an unclean Person who allowest thy self and delightest in speculative Wickedness though thou never didst commit the Act of Uncleanness Lusting after a Woman is committing adultery in the heart Mat. 5.28 So thou mayest be a meer Sensualist a Swine a Brute though thou never drinkest unto drunkenness and never eatest to gluttonous excess if thou only designest the pleasing of thy Appetite and Palate if thou lookest no higher than to the pleasing of the Flesh So Covetousness may be a reigning Sin in thee though thou art not to be charged with hording up riches that should be laid out to the glory of God and good of others though thou hast never so little of the World in thy possession yet thou mayest be a covetous Man and an Idolater if thy Heart be full of inordinate love to worldly Riches 7. You may be morally honest just in your dealings charitable to the poor your Lives may be adorned with a shew of many fair moral Vertues and yet you may remain under the Dominion of Sin and in an ungodly State As you may still be without the true Fear of God and without Love to God and may have no care to serve him Sin shews and exercises its ruling Power and Dominion not only in commanding but in forbidding not only in putting Men upon the works of the Flesh but in keeping them off from a Course of Piety As one If Sin have a negative Voice in your Religion whether God shall be worshipped and obeyed or not it is your King Not seeking not serving God is enough to prove thee ungodly Living in the neglect of
to wallow in the Mire 6. This is a sure Sign that a Man is not under the Dominion of Sin when his Heart is turned to hate all known Sin As the Apostle though he was not without Sin yet he was not in love in league with any Sin no it was the thing he hated Rom. 7.15 If thou art an Enemy to Sin to all known Sin then certainly thou art not a willing Subject to it A Man would not take and chuse him for his Master whom he hates If now it is thy great care to shun and avoid Sin as an Enemy and the greatest Enemy thou hast in the World and if thou settest against Sin as thy worst Enemy and nothing will satisfy thee but the Death of Sin if thou art daily bestirring thy self to beat down a Body of Sin to mortify thy earthly Members to crucify the Flesh with the Affections and Lusts thereof this Hatred and Opposition of Sin is one of the clearest and best Evidences thou canst have that thou art not under the Dominion of Sin And where Sin is not habitually more hated than loved it has Dominion But where there is such an habitual Hatred of Sin though remaining In-dwelling Corruption prevails too oft so far as to draw a Man to commit the Act of Sin yet he is not thereupon reconciled to Sin and for a sinful Course But when the Temptation is over when he comes to himself to act according to the Principle and Habit of Grace within him he cannot but loath himself and abhor that Sin As Zanchy Ac certum est electos renatos Tom. 7. p. 257. antequam peccent odisse peccatum malle mori quà m peccare postquam peccârunt dolere odisse peccatum quum peccant peccare non cum odio Legis aut contemptu Dei sed ex infirmitate Fidei Thus though Sin gets Victory sometimes yet it never obtains a full Conquest A gracious Soul though he hath been worsted again and again will be for renewing the Fight So the Dominion of Sin cannot be concluded from its violent assaults on the Soul but rather one may conclude the contrary from the Hatred and hearty Opposition of it If the Sins which most prevail against thee are the greatest trouble to thee and nothing in the World would so glad thy Heart as to be rid of them If the Pardon of Sin alone would not satisfy thee without Power against it 't is a good Sign that Sin has not Dominion over thee 7. Thou mayest know thou art not under the Dominion of Sin if indeed thou hast chosen and heartily accepted of a new Lord if thou hast sincerely resigned up thy self to God and Jesus Christ If it be so that Christ is now Lord and Master in thee then certainly thou art not a Servant of Sin Thou canst not be under both these Masters While thou wast a Subject and a Servant of Sin thou wast a Rebel against God a Rebel against Jesus Christ But if now thy Heart and Will is to be governed by God and Christ to come under his Laws the Government of Sin is cast off If the prevailing Bent of thy Will and the general Course of thy Life proves thee to be most for obeying God and subjecting thy self to the Rule of his holy Word if thou wouldest not allow thy self in any thing thou knowest to be cross and contrary to his Will if it is the grief of thy Soul that thou canst not obey him perfectly if thou wouldest not have a Dispensation to break any Command of his but have Grace and Strength to keep them Then thou hast changed thy Master Rom. 6.16 Know ye not that to whom ye yield your selves to obey his Servants ye are More I might add but I chuse to conlude with some Passages out of Reverend Mr. Baxter Thus he saith He that seldom or never committeth such external Crimes and yet loveth not God Christian Directory pag. 428. and Heaven and Holiness above all the Pleasures and Interests of the Flesh is in a state of Death under the Dominion of Sin Again It is certain that his Love to God and Holiness is not prodominant whose carnal Interest and Lust hath ordinarily in the drift and tenour of his Life more power to draw him to the wilful committing of known Sin than the said Love of God and Heaven and Holiness have to keep him from it Rom. 6.16 He that will sin thus as oft as will stand with saving Grace shall never have the Assurance of his Sincerity or the Peace or Comfort of a sound Believer till he repent and lead a better Life Again He that in his Sin retaineth that habitual Divine Love hath also habitual vertual Repentance for that very Sin before he actually repenteth because he hath that habitual Hatred of it which will cause actual Repentance when he is composed to act according to his predominant Habits Again There are some Sins which all Men continue in or the best are not freed from while they live as Defect in the degrees of Faith Hope Love c. Vain Thoughts Words Passions c. Where the evil is prevalent in the Will against the good so far as to commit those Sins though not so far as to vitiate the Bent of the Heart or Life Again That which is apprehended to be either of doubtful evil or but a little sin will be much less resisted and oftner committed than Sins that are clearly apprehendeded to be great Now if this Apprehension be wrong and come from the predominancy of a carnal or ungodly Heart which will not suffer the Understanding to do its Office nor to take that to be evil which he would not leave then both the Judgment and the Sin occasioned by it are mortal and not mortified pardoned Sins Again Though it is true that all good Christians should not indulge the smallest Sin and that true Grace will make a Man willing to forsake the least yet No good Men rise up with so great and constant watchfulness against an idle Thought or Word or Disorder in Prayer c. as they do against an hainous Sin Some things I pass over being touched at before I shall only add one Note more though already hinted at There are some Sins so easily known to be Sins Cathol Theo l. part 2. pag. 104. and so notoriously calling the Conscience to repent that to lie in them unrepented of long when the sudden violent Temptation and Passion is over and a Man hath opportunity to act according to his setled Habit will not consist with the truth of an Habit of Love to God and Holiness and of Hatred to Sin Of Love to God John 5.42 But I know you that ye have not the Love of God in you HOw sad is it if the like may be said of us How many that will say He is not worthy to live that does not love God And yet the Lord knows they are such themselves as have
David 1 Sam. 18.1 And here is no respect of persons but a respect of goodness to love them best who are best But if on the contrary a Man only beareth with Holiness in a lower degree and with such as may be Godly in the main but very remiss too much complying with the manners of the World or perhaps can afford such a good word sometimes saying such are honest sober moderate Men when he would thereby condemn those who are more forward when he utterly dislikes and his heart is rising against those whose hearts are lifted up in the ways of God when he cannot endure such as are more exactly conscientious and more zealous for God when he is barking at them as Hot-spurs Fanaticks and I know not what or if he lash them not with the tongue yet his heart is full of envy against them what can this shew but a graceless spirit And let such a one know that the love of God is not in him If the holiness of a Saint be such an eye-sore to thee for which thou canst not affect him how canst thou love God who is Holiness it self There is none holy as the Lord he is infinitely holy If the light of the Moon offends thee which yet shines not without its spots how canst thou bear the surpassing brightness of the Sun it self And how unmeet art thou for fellowship with the Saints in Heaven with the Spirits of Just Ones made perfect who canst not away with such as have attained to any eminent degree of holiness here The Saints in Heaven are more holy than any of those thou thinkest too strict too precise Perhaps thou wilt say 1. Thou couldst love and honour them if they were as good as they seem but they are Hypocrites they do but make a show Answ And dost thou indeed hate Hypocrisie O then take heed that thou beest not guilty of Hypocrisie in this very plea pretending that thou canst not love them because they are not so good as they seem when in very deed thou couldst like well of them if they were worse than they are Again Though it is true Hypocrites there will be among the Saints here yet take heed that thou dost not censure and condemn those as Hypocrites whom the Lord accepteth and approveth of as sincere and upright Thy hard censures cannot hurt and prejudice them so much as thy self The Devil accused Job to be no better than an Hypocrite As he is called The Accuser of the Brethren Rev. 12.10 That this is a Diabolical Practice And to justifie the Wicked and to condemn the Righteous are both of them an abomination to the Lord. How angry was the Lord with Job's three friends for their rash censures of him and harsh dealing with him The Vpright though they are abhorred of many in the World are God's delight And think of it Shall not the Saints judg the World at last Many that censure and accuse them here shall be judged and condemded by them hereafter Yea their holy lives that the World is so offended at shall condemn the World And thou that abhorrest their strict lives think of it whether with Balaam thou wouldest not desire to dye their Death Or 2. Perhaps thou wilt say They make more ado than needs Answ And wherein Indeed it becomes not a Christian to be a busy-body in other Mens matters He has work enough of his own to mind And let all that fear God have a care to walk so that others may find no occasion against them but in the matters of their God But certainly the Command Mat. 22.37 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart c. will bear them out in their greatest Zeal and Activity for God So Luke 13.24 strive to enter in at the straight Gate c. And Phil. 2.18 Work out your own Salvation with fear and trembling And 2 Pet. 2.10 Give diligence to make your Calling and Election sure will warrant their most strenuous endeavours to get to Heaven And Ephes 5.15 See that ye walk circumspectly And 1 Thes 5.22 Abstain from all appearance of evil will justify their tenderness of Spirit and fear of Sin And Col. 1.10 Walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fruitfull in every good work And 1 Cor. 15.58 Always abounding in the work of the Lord will prove that the best are so far from doing more than needs that they fall very far short of doing what they ought in Religion And therefore as Christ said to his Disciples Mat. 26.10 Why trouble ye the Woman for she hath wrought a good work on me So why do any go about to discourage such as for his Name sake are labouring and taking pains to glorifie God and save their souls Are any offended that they do so much Alas they see great cause to be ashamed that they have done so little that they do no more for God and Jesus Christ for their own and others souls It 's granted we should not be righteous over much as we should take heed of being over wise Eccles 7.16 To be wise above that which is written is Wisdom falsly so called and to be righteous above that which is commanded is but a Pharisaical righteousness That which is beyond the Rule is not true Religion but vain Superstition And works of Supererrogation are works of Superarrogancy But keeping to the Rule none can be over-righteous When it is said there v. 17. Be not over-much wicked surely the meaning is not that we may allow our selves a little here They that would shun all impiety more and less are not to be condemned as over-precise or doing more than needs Or 3. perhaps thou wilt say Thou canst not be quiet for them they will not let thee alone but are still reproving thee Answ And does that offend thee Then as the Psalmist says For my love they are my adversaries thou dost ill requite thy best thy most faithful friends Then it seems thou lovest thine enemies but hatest thy friends And is this well done of thee If they could be satisfied to suffer thee to go on offending and provoking God and wronging thine own Soul which is not love but hatred then thou couldst be better pleased with them If it be thus thou neither lovest the Godly nor thy self aright You may think me very long on this third particular Note That if we love the Godly for God and Godliness-sake then we love them most who are most like God most eminent in Godliness And yet before I pass on to another there is a Question or two that fall in here to be answered Quest 1. Are we to love the Godly more than near Relations if they be not Godly and to love those who are eminent in Godliness above Godly Relations that are not so eminent Answ 1. There is a peculiar love due unto Relations as such which is in part natural and sensitive as irrational Creatures also have a love to their mates and
be an offence of another nature a greater offence against them than to grieve them This is real scandal Like Peters withdrawing and separating himself from the Gentiles for fear of displeasing the Jews Gal. 2.11 12. And yet I confess when we care not unnecessarily to grieve the spirits of the Godly this is not to walk charitably Rom. 14.15 If thy Brother be grieved with thy meat now walkest thou not charitably or according to the rule of Charity But it is a greater wrong to them sure to be unnecessarily an occasion of their offending God and wounding Conscience It is no charity to neglect duty that we may not displease some of our Brethren when thereby we should both wrong our selves and their souls too thus allowing and encouraging them in their mistakes 7. If we love the Godly we shall take well their just reproofs and faithful admonitions We shall not be offended thereat nor have our hearts thereupon alienated and drawn from them Psal 141.5 Let the Righteous smite me it shall be a kindness And yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities They that are so in love with their sins that they cannot endure any should speak against them have little love to Holiness They that are offended at others zeal against Sin should not pretend to love them for their Holiness Prov. 9.8 Rebuke a wise Man and he will love thee None but fools would fall out with their friends for telling them of their faults If we love the Godly indeed it will more endear them to us the more experience we have of their love and faithfulness this way As was observed of Mr. Whately Clark's Lives Par. 1. p. 932. He was glad when any of the Righteous smote him and would take it well not only from his Superiors but from his Equals and far Inferiors and would really shew more testimonies of his love to such afterwards than ever he did before 8. If we love the Godly as we wish well to their souls we should watch over them and be ready to admonish them as there is occasion Bern. Epist 243. Habet vera amicitia nonnunquam objurgationem adulationem nunquam A sharp rebuke is not so contrary to true love as smooth flattery If we love our Brethren we must neither despise them for their infirmities nor sooth them up with flatteries cloke over their infirmities but do what in us lies to cure them As we would not hate our Brother in our heart we must rebuke him and not suffer sin upon him Lev. 19.17 And one offers this sense of it That if we know any fault by our Brother Byfield on 1 Pet. 3. p. 104. and feel our selves tempted to an alienation from him upon that account we must not suffer our hearts to be withdrawn from him but give them vent by a plain and discreet rebuke We must do what we can to reform him that we may not have our hearts withdrawn from him When Absalom hated Amnon he would speak to him neither good nor bad 2 Sam. 13.22 But how many alas who instead of watching over their Brethren to prevent their falling and to raise them up when fallen do rather watch for their halting How many that can extenuate or make light of the foul miscarriages of others who love to aggravate the least failings of serious Professors and are forward to speak of them to others never admonishing the guilty parties themselves Have such any true love to them Are they not false Brethren That in Lev. 19.17 Thou shalt not suffer sin upon him Some render thus Mr. Pools Synopsis Criticorum Non elevabis super eum peccatum Thou shalt not lift or hold up sin upon him And give this sense Thou shalt rebuke privately not openly As Mat. 18.15 Tell him his fault between thee and him alone And so it is covered as it were but when it is proclaimed abroad then it is as it were held up over him 9. If we truly love the Godly than we really sympathize with them We shall be like those Twins that used to laugh and weep together The prosperity of such will be our joy and their adversity and sufferings our grief and sorrow As it is Isa 66.10 Rejoyce ye with Jerusalem and be glad with her all ye that love her As if one member be honoured all the members will rejoyce with it 1 Cor 12.26 So on the other hand if one member suffers all the members suffer with it Now do we rejoyce with them that rejoyce and weep with them that weep As Job 30.25 Did not I weep for him that was in trouble Was not my Soul grieved for the poor Thus Nehemiah shewed his love to God's People when hearing that the remnant of the captivity were in great affliction and reproach he mourned and wept and fasted and prayed Neh. 1.3 4. He could not but look sad upon it Chap. 2.1 2. The believing Hebrews were companions with them that suffered Heb. 10.33 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were partakers had afflictions in common with them were grieved for others troubles as if they had been their own or more then if they had been their own for we read in the next verse they took joyfully the spoiling of their own goods So they had compassion on the Apostle in his bonds ver 34. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ye sympathized as if ye had been fellow-sufferers with me So if indeed we love the Godly a friend loveth at all times we shall love them when they are most hated of the World we shall honour them when most contemned and trampled on we shall be pittiful and have our bowels troubled for them when others may shew themselves harsh and cruel full of spite against them The Trials of the Faithful will be so far from cooling and abating our love if it be sincere that rather they will occasion a drawing of it out more If we are only summer-Friends our love is nothing-worth 10. If we love the Godly we shall not be ashamed to own them when under reproach and sufferings When they are black with lying among the Pots we shall not therefore turn away our faces from them As Onesiphorus shewed his love to the Apostle Paul 2 Tim. 1.16 17. He was not ashamed of my Chain says the Apostle But when he was in Rome he sought me out very diligently and found me As Vegetius Epagathus was called The Advocate of the Christians Euseb Ecclesiast Hist lib. 5. cap. 1. We shall be ready to vindicate and plead for them when slandered reproached and unjustly condemned of others To be like the Samaritans that would claim kindred with the Jews while they were in a flourishing and prosperous estate but would disown them when at an under To seem to be on their side while they are countenanced and favoured but to forsake them when the World frowns on them would argue our love unsound To love them but in subordination to our reputation in
others God's Fear and to promote it in others As Abraham that feared God would teach his Children and his Houshold after him to keep the way of the Lord. As the Psalmist Psal 34.11 Come ye Children hearken unto me I will teach you the Fear of the Lord. As he took up his fellow Luk. 23.40 Dost not thou fear God So if we have the Fear of God we shall desire to establish and confirm others in his Fear Mal. 3.16 Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another They thought on God's Name still and would be speaking for God and his ways even then when the mouth of Blasphemy was most open against him They would be confirming one another in the belief of God's Providence Justice Goodness Truth and Faithfulness how much soever wicked Atheists disputed and denied them Thus they that are acquainted with the true Fear of God are real Friends to it would promote it in others what they can 10. If we have the Fear of God we are for making progress in Holiness The true Fear of God as it opposeth all Sin it will be quickning unto and in every Duty and will befriend every Grace And that is right indeed when we are perfecting Holiness in the Fear of God 2 Cor. 7.1 though here it be not fully perfected So much of the Effects of God's Fear 5. True Fear may be known by the Concomitants of it by its Companions Though I shall but touch on a few of these very briefly 1. When Fear and Faith go together that 's right As we read of Noah's Faith and Fear Heb. 11.7 Psal 15.11 Ye that fear the Lord trust in the Lord. Psal 33.18 Behold the eyes of the Lord are on them that fear him upon them that hope in his Mercy And the Lord takes pleasure in such Psal 147.11 That is not a right Fear which is the Van-guard of Horrour and Despair A fear of Diffidence is no blessed thing Though it's true some degrees of this may be with true Faith and Fear That of the Psalmist Psal 101.1 I will sing of Mercy and Judgment The Chaldee Paraphrase hath thus If thou dealest mercifully with me if thou dost Judgment with me for all I will sing Praise And so some take it thus I will not presume of thy Mercy so as not to fear thy Judgment nor so fear thy Judgment as to despair of thy Mercy Which I offer but as an Allusion not as the Sense 2. When Fear and Godly Sorrow go together that 's right The true Fear of God is seated in a poor and contrite spirit Isa 66.2 Godly Fear and Godly Sorrow are undivided Companions 2 Cor. 7.11 Behold this self-same thing that ye sorrowed after a godly sort what carefulness it wrought in you yea what fear Which Text seems to make Fear the Daughter of Repentance or Godly Sorrow And like Naomi and Ruth they never part There is a phrase Isa 63.17 Why hast thou hardned our hearts from thy Fear Which implieth so much that an Heart which is hardned is no-way disposed to his Fear So Prov. 28.14 Happy is the Man that feareth alway but he that hardneth his heart shall fall into mischief Where we see he that hardneth his heart is opposed to the Man that feareth with a blessed Fear 3. When Fear and Love go together that 's right When these go hand in hand it is certainly a filial fear But no doubt that is a sinful fear which drives souls from God which is contrary to the Love of God O dread such Fear 4. How comfortable is it when Fear and Joy in the Lord go together Though I must confess all that fear God cannot find this Joy There are that fear the Lord and that yet walk in darkness Isa 50.10 But as the most High is to be feared we should rejoice in his Highness too As those good Women who came to seek Jesus departed from the Sepulchre with fear and great joy Mat. 28.8 It is an happy thing indeed when our fear of the Lord is joyned with spiritual delight in him and his service Psal 2.11 Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling So let us labour to be like those Act. 9.31 that walked in the Fear of the Lord and in the Comfort of the Holy Ghost Of Humility 1 PET. 5.5 And be clothed with Humility for God resisteth the Proud and giveth Grace to the Humble HUmility is a Christian's Livery This Clothing every Christian must put on and wear must never put off Without this our great Lord and Master will not know us will not own us for his He beholds the proud a far off Humility is as the ground-work both of Grace and Happiness Mat. 5.3 Blessed are the poor in spirit that is the humble in spirit It is the first of the Beatitudes laid as the foundation of the rest As it is from poverty and humility in spirit that we are put upon spiritual mourning It is this that causeth a spiritual hungring It is this that meekeneth and softeneth the heart towards others that makes peaceable and makes patient under Sufferings This is a preservative of holiness and purity Pride is supposed to be the special sin that cast the Angels out of Heaven That text 1 Tim. 3.6 seems to hint so much that * Fugite superbiam fratres mei quaeso mul tum fugite Initium omnis peccati Superbia quae tam velociter ipsum quoque Syderibus cunctis clarius micantem aeternâ caligine obtnebravit Luciferum I quae non modo Angelum sed Angelcrum primum in Diabolum commutavit Bern. de Adv. Dom. Serm. 1. Pride was the condemnation of the Devil the cause of his condemnation And Pride was evident in Man's first defection from God Man fell by his Pride affecting to be as God And certainly Humility is necessary to his recovery As God created the World of nothing when he createth us again he brings us to a sense of our own emptiness and nothingness Humility is both a Grace and a Vessel a receptacle of Grace God gives more Grace to the Humble It is a good expression one has Humility emptieth the heart for God to fill it Humility is a Nursekeeper of other Graces Radix omnium malorum superbia custos omnium virtutum hamilitas est When I am weak then am I strong says the Apostle And a Christian's strength lieth very much in an humble sense of his own weakness Humility is a great preservative from Temptation Such as lie low are safest most out of the way of Satan's Gun-shot But Souls that are lifted up stand as a fair mark for him Humility is the way to Glory Chilo asking Aesop what God was doing he answered That he does humble the Lofty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Laert. in Chilo l. 1. p. 47. abase them and exalt the humble He brings down high things and sets up low things Luk. 14.11 He that humbleth himself shal be exalted But
what he allows and much more to be zealous against what he approves and commandeth is contrary to his Will Interest and Honour This is not in a true account Zeal for God but rather against him That Zeal which is not according to knowledg which is not guided and warranted by the Word hath an errour in the foundation It hath nothing to difference it from the Zeal of the grossest Idolaters in the World A Papist may be heartily zealous in his way zealous to promote his Religion and gain Proselytes to it zealous against the soundest Christians crying out against such as dangerous Hereticks wishing that they might come to their old work again to burn such as Hereticks In this his Zeal he may follow his judgment thinking he should do God good service as Joh. 16.2 even in persecuting the faithful to the death if it was in his power when alas he is miserably mistaken This will not justifie any in their Zeal for Idolatry that they think God best served most honoured that way This will not warrant any in their rage against the Saints and Servants of the most High God that they take them to be Hereticks or Hypocrites But they shall find it was their duty to have informed themselves better and not to condemn the righteous and not to call good evil The Devil that cannot endure but is an utter enemy to right Zeal is ready to promote a false blind Zeal all he can He is never weary of blowing this coal This he knows would do him Knights service He cannot but account such his best servants who are zealous in his service Such do as much as can be to credit his Cause who put the honourable title of Zeal for God upon the service they do his grand enemy Such fight against God while they carry his Colours blind Zeal is a piece of the greatest disservice to the interest of God and Religion Sometimes blind Zeal fights with a shadow strikes at a Sign-post but letteth the enemy quietly pass by And which is worse it sometimes falleth foul on those whom it ought to defend A Man acted with Blind Zeal is like one that shoots at Rovers who is more likely to do mischief than hit the Mark or like one that fighteth blindfold striking Friends as soon as Foes What sad havock what woful work hath blind Zeal oft made in the Church Even like a violent Fire that getting head layeth all waste before it The Devil has no stiffer prop to uphold his Kingdom and no fiercer engine of Persecution or battering Ram to employ against the Kingdom of Christ Therefore let not any please themselves in this that they are Zealous in their way when perhaps they are out of the way And if so the more haste the worse speed Zeal in a false way casts Men more behind No Offering acceptable to God without Fire yet to offer strange-Fire here is very perillous And that is not Fire from Heaven where there is heat without Light Where these go alone either Heat without Light Zeal without Knowledg or Light without Heat Knowledg without Zeal it is sadly ominous but where they go together very comfortable Are you zealous but who and what are you zealous for And what is your Zeal against I have been very zealous for the Lord God of Hosts says Elijah because the Children of Israel have forsaken thy Covenant thrown down thine Altars and slain thy Prophets c. 1 King 19.14 Is thy Zeal against Sin indeed So that thou canst not indure to see God dishonoured his Worship neglected and contemned his Truth opposed his Saints and Servants evil intreated c. Is thy Zeal for that which is good Gal. 4.18 It is good to be zealously affected alwayes in a good thing The Apostle Paul was very zealous before his Conversion but of the traditions of his Fathers Gal. 1.14 Many have a Zeal but for their own fancies and private opinions Oh what pitty is it that such spirits should evaporate and be lost Let a Man's Zeal be never so hearty if the Mettal have not a right stamp it is not currant Zeal unless it be rightly guided sayes learned Hooker when it indeavoureth most busily to please God Eccl. polit l. 5. §. 3. p. 190. forceth upon him those unseasonable Offices which please him not For which cause if they who this way swerve be compared with such as are sincere sound and discreet as was Abraham the friend of God the service of the one is like unto flattery the other like the faithful sedulity of friendship 2. Right Zeal burns within before it flames out Hypocrites can be hot in their expressions but are not fervent in spirit Hot in the Mouth but cold at Stomach cold at Heart Like Glow-worms fiery in appearance yet really cold in themselves Blind Zeal is strange Fire an hypocritical fained Zeal is false Fire But true Zeal is not all in shew though it will shew it self It lieth chiefly in the fervency and intention of the Spirit and Affections The life of Zeal is in the Heart As when the Apostle Paul was at Athens seeing the City wholly given to Idolatry his spirit was stirred in him and this stirred him up to dispute and Preach against their Idolatry Act. 17.16 c. As Ezekiel's hearers with their mouth shewed much love Ezek. 33.13 it is possible that many in their outward expressions may shew much Zeal declaming freely and often against the Sins of the Age as the horrible increase of Prophaneness growth of Popery c. and may seem to bewail the woful declining state of true Piety amongst us but are our hearts deeply touched and affected with the sense of these things Surely that Zeal which is only from the teeth outward is not true but feigned 3. True Zeal hath respect to God it pointeth towards God As Fire ascends Sparks fly upwards That is not right Zeal which is flashy vain-glorious in pretence for God but really for self To pretend Zeal for the Lord as Jehu did but really to design and aim at self-applause and self-advantage this is to mock God or this is but to flatter him And certainly that God which searcheth the heart will put a difference betwixt such flatterers and his true friends They that have a true Zeal for God will ordinarily prefer God's Honour and Interest before their own concerns True Zeal is accompanied with self-denial Such can be zealous for God when they are like to suffer for their Zeal They could better endure to suffer themselves than that the Truth should suffer They could take it more patiently to be reviled themselves to have their names cast out as evil than that the good wayes of God be evil spoken of 4. True Zeal will burn alone As Elijah was zealous for the Lord God of Hosts even when he seemed to himself to be left alone when he knew not of one that would take his part 1 Kings 19.10 As the Apostle Paul
11. True Zeal is for expedition in God's Service As Phinehas Ignis est maxime actuosus maximè mobilis who was zealous for God could not sit still when he saw God so greatly Dishonoured Psal 106. Then stood up Phinehas and executed Judgment Then stood up Phinehas The word may import his readiness and forwardness to appear for God against Sin as occasion was then offered So Nehemiah testified against the Merchants that had lodged but once or twice without Jerusalem under the Wall on the Sabbath threatning to clap them up If they did so again he would lay hands on them Neh. 13.20 21. So David Psal 101.8 I will early destroy all the wicked Though it may point at the usual time of sitting in Judgment in the morning yet withal it may import that he would not be delatory in the work Thus Zeal will set Men early on work for God will make Men quick and speedy in giving check to Sin as they have power and opportunity to put a stop to it as soon as they can Sinful sluggish demurs delays put-offs are contrary to the nature of true Zeal So a listlesness to Duty is no sign of Zeal It is cold that benummeth So it is a sign of the want of Zeal a sign of extream coldness when we cannot find our hands to turn them to any good work when we are like the slothful Prov. 19.24 that hides his hand in his bosom 12. True Zeal makes souls as forward unto so free and lively in God's service What a Man does zealously he does very heartily To be zealous of good Works is not barely to do some good Works but it further implieth earnestness alacrity and fervency of spirit in the doing of Good Works To pray with Zeal is more than saying a Prayer it is no less than to be fervent in Prayer to pray earnestly To be zealous in works of Charity is not meerly to give to such that stand in need but to give willingly and freely Like those of Macedonia 2 Cor. 8.3 that were willing of themselves That needed no spurring on What the Apostle sayes of Love 1 Cor. 13.4 It is kind bountiful this may well be said of Zeal which is the fervour of Love Zeal is bountiful at least in will and desire Cold has a condensing and contracting quality but heat rarifies and extends So Zeal in the Heart enlarges it A zealous Christian would not serve God at an ordinary rate he desires to abound in the work of the Lord. The flame will be mounting upwards A zealous spirit is a raised spirit raised in God's Service But a cold dead heart is still bearing downward We read of Jehoshaphat that his heart was lifted up in the wayes of the Lord 2 Chron. 17.6 So one of a zealous spirit never thinks he does enough for God He will desire still to serve him more and to serve him better 13. True Zeal gives courage in the Cause of God filleth the Soul full of resolution for God And indeed that may be the meaning of Jehoshaphat's heart being lifted up in the wayes of the Lord. A zealous Spirit is a magnanimous Spirit An holy Zeal is indeed Cos fortitudinis the Whetstone of Valour As Esther's Zeal for God and his People put courage into her though she might naturally be timorous as is common to her Sex What an heroick resolution was there Esth 4.16 I will go in unto the King and if I perish I perish If we have no Spirit no Courage to appear for God his Truth and Wayes sure we have no Zeal forthem Indeed of all things Sinners are most offended at holy Zeal They that have nothing to say against Christian Meekness or Charitableness and some other Graces yet can ill endure the heat of Godly Zeal O it is scorching and tormenting to them Here they are ready to cry out Fire fire as one says This oft puts them into a great combustion Yet true Zeal will break thorow opposition Many Waters cannot quench Love neither can the Floods drown it The like may be said of Zeal It is not quenched or cooled but oft more intended and increased when others would discourage it 14. True Zeal that is a cause of such courage and resolution for God that giveth confidence and boldness before Men yet is joyned with Humility and Holy Fear and Trembling before God One gracious disposition is not contrary to another And true Zeal is not blown up with high thoughts of ones self but with high thoughts of God The Dread and Reverence of the most High of an infinitely Glorious and Holy Majesty promotes true Zeal for God helpeth to set an edge upon it and steeleth the Soul with an holy boldness hardeneth it against a base carnal fear of Man Mr. Vines But it is not right when as one says Zeal that should eat us up is eaten up of Pride 15. Right regular Zeal will more dispose and fit us for our Work and Duty not take off from Duty or transport into Sin That is not Zeal but distempered Passion it is not from Grace but from the workings of Corruption when we are discomposed and unhinged 16. If we have true Zeal for God it will be a joy to us to see any zealous and active for God As on the other hand it will be our great grief to see Men generally cold indifferent lukewarm in Religion To see others regardless of God and of the interest of true Religion will move our displeasure and indignation But it will not offend us to see any acted with regular Zeal for God Indeed the Apostle did and would rejoyce that Christ was Preached though some preached Christ out of envy Phil. 1.15 18. How much more would he have rejoyced to have seen as good proof and evidence of their pure Love and Zeal as he saw of their Envy carrying them out in the work If we are truly zealous for God we shall be taken with those whom we see or hear to be zealous for him our hearts will be towards such yea knit to them as Jonathans was to David And we shall bless God for such As Deborah Judg. 5.9 My heart is towards the Governours of Israel that offered themselves willingly among the People Bless the Lord. She desired that the Lord might be praised that put such a spirit into them If others out-shine us here yet if we have true Zeal for God we shall be so far from envying them that the more zealous any are the more we shall honour and be taken with them 17. If we are truly zealous we have an holy emulation a desire to follow yea if it might be to outstrip those that excel in vertue As the Apostle speaks 1 Cor. 14.12 Forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts seek that ye may excel As the Corinthians Zeal and forwardness provoked very many 2 Cor 9.2 We should not envy such as have got the start of us and yet should in a good
they should tell them such things as they have no mind to hear or know of themselves are not likely to have any other than a false Peace and false Joy 5. Spiritual Joy useth to come in in a way of Prayer Therefore in the want of it David betook himself to earnest Prayer Psal 51.8 12. Make me to hear Joy and Gladness that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce Restore unto me the Joy of thy Salvation Yea he pleads this as an Argument with God Psal 86.4 Rejoyce the Soul of thy Servant for unto thee O Lord do I lift up my Soul So he pleads it for others Psal 105.3 Let the Heart of them rejoyce that seek the Lord. If it be not rather a call to such to rejoyce and glory in him This advice and counsel Christ gave his dear Disciples Joh. 16.24 Ask and you shall receive that your Joy may be full Christians that are most Prayerful are in the most hopeful way to be full of Joy too But such as neglect and despise Prayer their Joy may well be questioned There is just cause to fear such come not honestly by it who count not such Mercies worth asking who have it without begging for 6. Another ordinary means of Spiritual Joy is attendance on God's Ordinances Usually it is in this way that it is given in or increased And therefore Ordinances have been a great Joy and comfort to the Faithful As the Psalmist was glad when he thought of going into the House of the Lord Psal 122.1 So he rejoiceth at the Word as one that findeth great spoil Psal 119.126 So the Word to Jeremiah was the Joy and rejoicing of his Heart Jer. 15.16 No wonder that Ordinances are a matter of Joy to the Faithful which are an ordinary means of the furtherance of their Joy Isa 56.6 7. There God promiseth that those who joyn themselves to the Lord to serve him and keep the Sabboth from polluting it shall be made joyful in the House of Prayer Isa 12.3 With Joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of Salvation Which may be applied to God's Ordinances as well as to Promises They are breasts of Consolation too As here we may apply that Isa 66.11 That ye may suck and be satisfied with the breasts of her Consolations c. This way indeed we might find comfort in Ordinances if we come a thirst to them come with an appetite and put forth the strength of our affections in them if we draw hard at these Wells and suck at these Breasts But they that cry down Ordinances as empty Forms and dry Breasts they that count themselves above Ordinances what ever raptures of Joy they may seem to have we have cause to think they are only sporting themselves with their own deceivings Some have cast off Prayer and giving of Thanks some despise Prophesyings slight and turn their backs on the Ministry of the Word and yet pretend to rejoyce evermore But certainly the Apostle Paul was not of their way see 1 Thes 5.16 17 18 20. And the Joy of the Primitive Christians came in another way Act. 2.42 46. Some again are full of confidence because they frequent God's Worship and Ordinances like those that cryed The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord. But there is little comfort to be taken in an outward attendance on Ordinances without a Spiritual improvement of them Yea some that may fall away have a taste of the good Word of God Heb. 6.5 6. The stony-ground Hearers received the Word with Joy Mat. 13.20 Herod heard John Baptist gladly Mar. 6.20 The unbelieving Jews some of them for a season rejoiced in the Light of John's Ministry Joh. 5.35 Some are taken with a Sermon sometimes for the comfortable matter of it or for the Abilities of the Preacher his eloquent utterance or affectionate delivery c. who yet are very far from that Spiritual delight upright ones find in it These are not so taken with the Sound as with the Power of it They are best pleased with the Word when it meets with their Corruptions and does greatest execution on them when they have not only their affections moved in the present hearing of the Word but their Hearts established by it when they can find their Souls more quickened and Grace actuated and increased by it 7. Spiritual Joy hath God for its cheif ultimate term and Object As it is called the Joy of the Lord Neh. 8.10 The Joy of the Lord non activè sed passivè Joy in him How oft are we called to rejoice in the Lord As the Psalmist called God his exceeding Joy Psal 43.4 Vnto God my exceeding Joy or the gladness of my Joy or my Joy and exultation Psal 9.2 I will be glad and rejoice in thee Act. 2.28 Thou shalt make me full of Joy with thy Countenance So a gracious Soul can greatly rejoice if he has a sense of God's presence notwithstanding the absence of creature-comforts Hab. 3.18 Although the Fig-tree blosom not c. Isa 61.10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord my Soul shall be joyful in my God Now hence it appears that such as have not come to place their cheif delight and happiness in God are strangers to Spiritual Joy 8. Spiritual Joy is also a rejoycing in Christ Jesus As he is the cheif and principal means to bring us to God Rom. 5. We Joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have now received the atonement The faithful are described to be such as worship God in the Spirit and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the Flesh Phil. 3.3 As he rejoiced who had found the hid treasure Mat. 13.44 So do Believers rejoice having found Christ that rich Treasure and Pearl of greatest price 1 Pet. 1.8 In whom believing ye rejoice with Joy unspeakable and full of Glory Or if sometimes they walk heavily 't is because they discern not their interest in him or find not his presence with them as their Souls desire We can have no ground of rejoycing in God but through Jesus Christ out of whom he is a consuming Fire to Sinners Therefore they that make no account of Christ that see not their need of him their misery without him that rejoice in sparks of their own kindling not regarding the Son of Righteousness have no sound Joy 9. That is Spiritual Joy when we are most taken with Spiritual Mercies That is Joy in the â—oly Ghost when we rejoice more in any experience of the gracious workings of God's Spirit in us than in all outward earthly enjoyments Or when we rejoice in outward Mercies upon a Spiritual account When we see them Blessings indeed and sanctified to us When they steal not away our Heart from but draw them nearer to God When they are a means of increasing our Love to God of strengthening and encouraging our trust and dependance on him of engaging us to serve him with greater chearfulness
of the World than we are at God's command and that habitually and ordinarily it is plain we prefer our selves and honour the Creature above God and while it is thus how can we say that we love him If we love God we shall follow him and love to walk in his ways As they said of their Idols Jer. 2.25 I have loved strangers and after them will I go Had they loved God indeed they would have been for following him and not strangers The counsel of a special friend is much regarded and surely if we love God we shall not despise his counsels Psal 119.128 I esteem all thy Precepts concerning all things to be right He approved of them all he would not have any one of God's Laws nulled and abrogated To love the Lord to walk in all his ways and to cleave to him are conjoyned Deut. 11.22 And to love the Lord and to walk ever in his ways Deut. 19.9 So the love of God will incline souls to sincere impartial and constant obedience 14. If we love God we shall desire to be more like him Eph. 5.1 Be followers of God as dear Children 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Imitators though we cannot be like him in respect of those Attributes stiled incommunicable Our first Parents fell from God when they affected to be as Gods And in some other respect too we may not be like him We may not act for our own glory as God does This would entrench upon the glory due from us to God and cross the end of our beings Yet if we love God we shall desire to be like him so far as we may There is an assimulating vertue and power in love We are ready to imitate those we love Their example is very moving and is wont to take much with us If we love God we shall desire that we may have hearts after his heart to love that which he loves and to hate that which he hates Amicorum idem velle idem nolle We shall desire to be holy as he is holy and merciful as he is merciful and perfect as our Father in Heaven is perfect Though it is impossible for any Creature to be as holy as merciful as perfect as God is Though an equality here is not to be thought of yet a likeness and similitude a conformity to God in our measure such as we may attain to we must study and endeavour and this the love of God would put us upon But if we rather wish that God was altogether such a one as our selves if we rather desire that he would come down to us and comply with allow of our crooked Tempers and Manners than to have our souls raised up to him by the restoring of his Image and a divine Nature wrought in us it would shew indeed that we are little taken with him but rather how little cause soever there is for it we are still in love with our sinful selves 15. If we love God we shall highly account of his favours We shall not despise common benefits as coming from him but we shall most prize any special Love-token he hath given us We set a value on Mercies according as God's love appears in them When Tamar had got Judah's Signet and Bracelets she would not part with them for a Kid. One would have prized a kiss of Cyrus above the golden Cup he gave him The soul that loves God will value spiritual Mercies above temporal enjoyments The consolations of God will not be small in such a ones account His comforts will be more desired longed for or if enjoyed will more delight and refresh the soul than any worldly comforts And the more we love God the more we shall praise him for any intimations and expressions of his love We shall delight to tell others what he hath done for our souls as the Psalmist Psal 66.16 Come and hear all ye that fear God and I will declare what he hath done for my soul Psal 103.1 2 3 4. This would in part shew we love God for himself and not only for his Benefits if indeed we set the highest value and account on those Benefits wherein we might read his special love But they that would account more of the Birth-right than of the Blessing and set more store by Corn and Wine than they could do by the light of God's Countenance shew little love to God 16. If we love God we are for putting a good construction on his severest dispensations We would not take any thing unkindly from him We are not for entertaining hard thoughts of God Si mihi irascatur Deus num illi ego similiter reirasear non utique sed pavebo sed contremiseam sed veniam deprecabor Ita si me arguat not redarguetur à me sed ex me potius justificabitur Nec si me judicabit judicabo ego eum sed adorabo Bern. in Cant. Scr. 83. though he shew us hard things We shall desire to keep up good thoughts of God still but have worse thoughts of our selves When he afflicts us we shall fall out with our selves fall out more with Sin not be displeased at him We shall still follow him even though he walk contrary to us as Isa 26.8 9. When we are chastened of him we shall not censure his dealings but judge our selves We shall be ready to justify God and to condemn our selves acknowledging God to be righteous and to punish less than our iniquities deserve If we cry to God and he seem not to hear we shall not hereupon take pett but conclude with the Psalmist Psal 22.2 3. Yet thou art holy Indeed we shall be ready in our troubles to complain to him as we use in trouble to complain to our friends but we would not complain of him If we love God Afflictions will not ordinarily drive us from God but rather drive us nearer to him If he shews his displeasure it will grieve us most that we have displeased him that we have offended our good and gracious Father that we have provoked the God of Patience a God so rich in Mercy And so we shall be for humbling our selves and making our peace with him But if when we are afflicted instead of accepting of the punishment of our Iniquities and humbling our selves and seeking his face our hearts do nothing but fret against the Lord we are strange Children We have had Fathers of our flesh which corrected us and we gave them reverence and if we are not much rather in subjection to the Father of Spirits we shew not a childlike disposition And how sad is it if in our afflictions we are ready to say with him of whom we read This evil is of the Lord why should I wait on the Lord any longer How sad is it when Crosses that should crucify and deaden our hearts more to the World have this contrary effect deadning them towards God and towards holy Duties That we have less heart to serve God have less