immediately from heaven which would be lost if the Christian had any strength to help himselfe though this stock of strength came at first from God Which think you speaks more love and condescent for a Prince to give a pension to a Favourite on which he may live by his owne care or for this Prince to take the chief care upon himself and come from day to day to this mans house and look into his Cupboard and see what provision he hath what expence he is at and so constantly to provide for the man from time to time Possibly some proud spirit that likes to be his own man or loves his meanes better then his Prince would prefer the former but one that is ambitious to have the heart and love of his Prince would be ravish't with the latter Thus God doth with his Saints the great God comes and looks into their Cupboard and sees how they are laid in and sends in accordingly as he findes them Your heavenly Father knowes you have need of these things and you shall have them He knows you need strength to pray hear suffer for him and in ipsâ horâ dabitur Secondly this way of Gods dealing with his Saints addes to the fulnesse and stability of their strength Were the stock in our own hands we should soon prove broken Merchants God knows we are but leaking vessels when fullest we could not hold it long and therefore to make all sure he sets us under the streamings forth of his strength and a leaking vessel under a cock gets what it loseth Thus we have our leakage supplied continually This was the provision God made for Israel in the wildernesse He clave the rock and the rock followed them They had not only a draught at present but it ran in a streame after them so that you hear no more of their complaints for water This rock was Christ Every believer hath Christ at his back following him with strength as he goes for every condition and trial One flower with the root is worth many in a posie which though sweet yet do not grow but wither as we wear them in our bosomes Gods strength as the root keeps our grace lively without which though as orient as Adams was it would die The second design God hath in his Saints happinesse is that he may so expresse his mercy and love to them as may rebound back to him in the highest advance of his own glory therein Eph. 1.4 12. which is fully attained in this way of empowering Saints by a strength not of their own but of their God his sending as they are put to expence Had God given his Saints a stock of grace to have set up with and left them to the improvement of it he had been magnified indeed because it was more then God did owe the creature but he had not been omnified as now when not only the Christians first strength to close with Christ is from God but he is beholden still to God for the exercise of that strength in every action of his Christian course As a childe that travels in his fathers company all is paid for but his father carries the purse not himself so the Christians shot is discharged in every condition but he cannot say this I did or that I suffered but God wrought all in me and for me The very combe of pride is cut here no room for any self exalting thoughts The Christian cannot say that I am a Saint is mercy but being a Saint that my faith is strong this is the childe of my own care and watchfulnesse Alas poor Christian who kept thine eye waking and stirr'd up thy care was not this the off-spring of God as well as thy faith at first No Saint shall say of Heaven when he comes there This is Heaven which I have built by the power of my might No Jerusalem above is a City whose builder and maker is God Every grace yea degree of grace is a stone in that building the topstone whereof is laid in glory where Saints shall more plainly see how God was not only Founder to begin but Benefactour also to finish the same The glory of the work shall not be crumbled and piece-meal'd out some to God and some to the creature but all entirely paid in to God and he acknowledged all in all SECTION 2. Vse 1 Is the Christians strength in the Lord not in himself Surely then the Christlesse person must needs be a poor impotent creature void of all strength and ability of doing any thing of it self towards its own salvation If the ship launch't rigg'd and with her sails spread cannot stir till the winde come faire and fills them much lesse can the timber that lies in the Carpenters yard hew and frame it self into a ship If the living tree cannot grow except the root communicate its sap much lesse can a dead rotten stake in the hedge which hath no root live of its own accord In a word if a Christian that hath this spiritual life of grace cannot exercise this life without strength from above then surely one void of this new life dead in sins and trespasses can never be able to beget this in himselfe or concur to the production of it The state of unregeneracy is a state of impotency When we were without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly Rom. 5.6 And as Christ found the lump of mankinde covered with the ruines of their lapsed estate no more able to raise themselves from under the weight of Gods wrath which lay upon them then one buried under the rubbish of a fallen house is to free himselfe of that weight without help so the Spirit findes sinners in as helpless a condition as unable to repent or believe on Christ for salvation as they were of themselves to purchase it Confounded therefore for ever be the language of those sons of pride who cry up the power of nature as if man with his own brick and slime of natural abilities were able to reare up such a building whose top may reach heaven it selfe It is not of him that willeth or runneth but God that sheweth mercy God himself hath scattered such Babel-builders in the imaginations of their hearts who raiseth this spiritual Temple in the soules of men not by might nor by a power of their own but by his Spirit that so grace grace might be proclaimed before it for ever And therefore if any yet in their natural estate would become wise to salvation let them first become fooles in their own eyes and renounce their carnal wisdom which perceives not the things of God and beg wisdom of God who giveth and upbraideth not If any man would have strength to believe let them become weak and die to their own for by strength shall no man prevaile 1 Sam. 2.9 Vse 2 Secondly doth the Christians strength lie in God not in himselfe this may for ever keep the Christian humble when most
Satan though a General will shew little pity to a souldier that should traiterously throw down his armes and run to the enemy yet if another in fighting receives a wound and be worsted it will be no dishonour for him to expresse his pity and love no though he should send him out of the field in his own coach lay him in his own bed and appoint him his own Chirurgion God doth not encourage wickednesse in his Saints but pities weaknesse Even when the Saints fall into a sin in its nature presumptuous they do not commit it so presumptuously as others there is a part true to God in their bosomes though over-voted Moses spake unadvisedly but the devil had his instruments to provoke him quite against the good mans temper David numbers the people but see how the devil dogg'd and hunted him till at last he got the better 1 Chron. 21.1 Satan stood up and provoked David to number Israel How bravely did Job repel Satans darts no wonder if in such a shower some one should get between the joynts of his armour And for Peter we know good man with what a loyal heart yea zealous he went into the field though when the enemy appear'd his heart fail'd him Secondly consider but the way how God communicates his love after his Saints falls not in sinning or for sinning but in mourning and humbling their souls for their sins Indeed did God smile on them while acting sinfully this might strengthen their sin as wine in a feaver would the disease but when the fit is off the venome of the disease spent and breathed out in a kindly humiliation now the creature lies low Gods wine of comfort is a cordial to the drooping spirit not fuel for sin When David was led into temptation first he must be clad in sack-cloth and mourning and then God takes it off and puts on the garment of joy and praise 1 Chron. 21.10 15. Job though he exprest so much courage and patience yet bewraying some infirmities after he was baited long by so many fresh dogs men and devils he must cry peccavi and abhor himself in dust and ashes before God will take him into his armes Job 42.6 and the same way God takes with all his children Now to his Saints in such a posture God may with safety to his honour and their good give a larger draught of his love then ordinary their feares and sorrow which their sin hath cost them will serve instead of water to dash this strong wine of joy and take away its headinesse that it neither fume up into pride nor occasion them to reele backward into Apostasie Quest But why doth God now communicate his love Answ 1 First from his own pitiful nature You have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord that the Lordis very pitiful and of tender mercy God loves not to rake in bleeding wounds he knowes a mourning soul is subject to be discouraged A frown or an angry look from God whom the Saint so dearly loves must needs go near the heart therefore God declares himself at hand to revive such Isa 57 15. and he gives the reason verse 16. For I will not contend for ever neither will I be alwayes wreth for the spirit should faile before me Whose spirit is there meant not of the presumptuous sinner he goes on and never blunks but of the contrite and humble ones As the father observes the disposition of his children one commits a fault and goes on rebelliously despising his fathers anger another when offending him layes it to heart refuseth to eat gets into some corner to lament the displeasure of his father the father sees it and his bowels yerne towards him Indeed should he not put his childe out of feare by discovering his love the spirit of such a one would faile 't is not possible there should be a long breach between such a father and such a son the one relenting over his sin the other over his mourning son Secondly God doth thus to poure the greater shame upon Satan who is the great make-bate between God and the soule How is the man ashamed that hath stirr'd up variance between husband and wife father and son to see the breach made up and all set themselves against him It went ill on Christs side when Herod and Pilate were made friends and can it go well with Satan to see all well between God and his children If Esther be in favour Haman her enemy shall have his face covered Indeed this covers Satans face with shame to see a poor Saint even now his prisoner whom he had leave to rob and plunder tempt and disquiet now sitting in the Sun-shine of Gods love while he like a ravening Lion takes on for the losse of his prey Secondly Satans aime is to weaken the Saints faith on God and cool his love to God but befool'd in both for first God turnes their temptations yea their falls to the further establishment of their faith which like the tree stands stronger for its shaking or like the Gyant Anteus who in his wrestling with Hercules is feigned to get strength by every fall to the ground False faith indeed once foiled seldom comes on again but true faith riseth and fights more valiantly as we see in Peter and other Scripture-examples Temptation to faith is as fire to gold 1 Pet. 1.7 The fire doth not only discover which is true gold but makes the true gold more pure it comes out may be lesse in bulk and weight because severed from that soile and drosse which embased it but more in value and worth when Satan is bound up and the Christian walks under the shines of divine favour and encouragement of divine assistance his faith may appear great if compared with another under the withdrawings of God and buffetings of Satan but this is not equall judging as if to try who is biggest of two men we should measure one naked and the other over his clothes or in comparing two pieces of gold weigh one with the drosse and dirt it contracts in the purse with the other purged from these in the fire faith before temptation hath much heterogeneal stuffe that cleaves to it and goes for faith but when temptation comes these are discovered Now the Christian feels corruption stir which lay as dead before now a cloud comes between the soule and the sweet face of God the sense of which latter and the little sense of the other bore up his faith before but these bladders prick't he comes now to learne the true stroke in this heavenly Art of swimming on the promise having nothing else to beat him up but that and a little of this carries more of the precious nature of faith in it then all the other yea is like Gideons handful of men stronger when all these accessaries to faith are sent away then when they were present and here is all the devil gets in stead
of these then the other There is hardly a fleshly lust but hath some spiritual sinne analogical to it as they say there is no species of creatures on the land but may be pattern'd in the sea Thus the heart of man can produce spiritual sinnes answering carnal lusts for whoredom and uncleannesse of the flesh there is idolatry call'd in Scripture spiritual adultery from which the seat of Antichrist is call'd spiritual Sodom for sensual drunkennesse there is a drunkennesse of the minde intoxicating the judgement with errour a drunkennesse of the heart in cares and feares for carnal pride in beauty riches honour there is a spiritual pride of gifts graces c. Now Satan in an especial manner assaults the Christian with such as these it would require a larger discourse then I can allow to runne over the several kindes of them I shall of many pick out two or three As first Satan labours to corrupt the mind with erroneous principles he was at work at the very first plantation of the Gospel sowing his darnel assoon almost as Christ his wheate which sprung up in pernicious errours even in the Apostles times which made them take the weeding-hook into their hands and in all their Epistles labour to countermine Satan in this design Now Satan hath a double design in this his endeavour to corrupt the mindes of men especially Professours with errour SECT I. First he doth this in despite to God against whom he cannot vent his malice at a higher rate then by corrupting his truth which God hath so highly honoured Psal 138.2 Thou hast magnified thy Word above all thy Name Every creature bears the Name of God but in his Word and truth therein contained 't is writ at length and therefore he is more choice of this then of all his other works he cares not much what becomes of the world and all in it so he keeps his Word and saves his truth Ere long we shall see the world on a light flame the heavens and earth shall passe away but the Word of the Lord endures for ever When God will he can make more such worlds as this is but he cannot make another truth and therefore he will not lose one iota thereof Satan knowing this sets all his wits on work to deface this truth and disfigure it by unsound doctrine The Word is the glasse in which we see God and seeing him are changed into his likenesse by his Spirit If this glasse be crackt then our conceptions we have of God will mis-repesent him unto us whereas the Word in its native clearnesse sets him out in all his glory unto our eye Secondly he endeavours to draw into this spiritual sin of errour as the most subtil and effectual means to weaken if not destroy the power of godlinesse in them The Apostle joynes the Spirit of power and a sound minde together 2 Tim 1.7 Indeed the power of holinesse in practice depends much on the foundnesse of judgement Godlinesse is the childe of truth and it must be nurst if we will have it thrive with no other milk then of its own mother Therefore we are exhorted to desire the sincere milk of the Word that we may grow 1 Pet. 2.2 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if this milk be but a little dash't with errour it is not so nutritive All errour how innocent soever any may seem like the Ivy draws away the strength of the souls love from holinesse Hosea tells us Whoredom and wine take away the heart now errour is spiritual adultery Paul speaks of his espousing them to Christ when a person receives an errour he takes a stranger into Christs bed and it is the nature of adulterous love to take away the wises heart from her true husband that she delights not in his company so much as of her adulterous lover and do we not see it at this day fulfill'd do not many shew more zeal in contending for one errour then for many truths how strangely are the hearts of many taken off from the wayes of God their love cool'd to the Ordinances and Messengers of Christ and all this occasioned by some corrupt principle got into their bosomes which controuls Christ and his truth as Hagar and her son did Sarah and her childe Indeed Christ will never enjoy true conjugal love from the soule till like Abraham he turns these out of doors Errour is not so innocent a thing as many think it it is as unwholesome food to the body that poisons the spirits and surfeits the whole body which seldom passeth away and not break out into sores As the knowledge of Christ carries a soule above the pollutions of the world so errour entangles and betrayes it to those lusts whose hands it had escaped Thirdly Satan in drawing a soule into this spiritual sin hath a designe to disturb the peace of the Church which is rent and shattered when this fire-ship comes among them I hear saith Paul there are divisions among you and I partly beleeve it for there must be heresies 1 Cor. 11.18 19. implying that divisions are the natural issue of heresie Errour cannot well agree with errour except it be against the truth then indeed like Pilate and Herod they are easily made friends but when truth seems to be overcome and the battel is over with that then they fall out among themselves and therefore it is no wonder if it be so troublesom a neighbour to truth O Sirs what a sweet silence and peace was there among Christians a dozen years ago me thinks the looking back to those blessed dayes in this respect though they had also another way their troubles yet not so uncomfortable because that storme united this scatters the Saints spirits is joyous to remember in what unity and love Christians walk't that the Persecutors of those times might have said as their Predecessours did of the Saints in primitive times See how they love one another but now alas they may jeere and say See how they that loved so dearly are ready to pluck one anothers throats out SECT II. The application of this shall be only in a word of exhortation to all especially you who bear the Name of Christ by a more eminent Profession of him O beware of this soul-infection this leprosie of the head I hope you do not think it needlesse for 't is the disease of the times This plague is begun yea spreads apace not a flock a Congregation hardly that hath not this scab among them Paul was a Preacher the best of us all may write after and he presseth this home upon the Saints yea in the constant course of his preaching it made a piece of his Sermon Acts 20.30 31. he sets us Preachers also on this work Take heed to your selves and to all the flock for I know this that after my departure shall grievous wolves enter also of your own selves shall men arise speaking perverse things therefore watch And then he presents his
own Thus do thou consider what thou standest engaged to thy worldly credit profit slavish feare of God and selfish desire of happinesse and when thou hast allowed for all these see then what remaines of thy feare of God love to God c. if nothing thou art nought if any the lesse there be the weaker Christian thou art and when thou comest to be tried in Gods fire thou wilt suffer losse of all the other which as hay and stubble will be burnt up SECT V. Every soule clad with this Armour of God shall stand and persevere Or thus true grace can never be vanquish't The Christian is borne a Conquerour the gates of hell shall nor prevail against him He that is borne of God overcometh the world 1 John 5.4 Mark from whence the victory is dated even from his birth There is victory sowen in his new nature even that seed of God which will keep him from being swallowed up by sin or Satan As Christ rose never to die more so doth he raise soules from the grave of sin never to come under the power of spiritual death more These holy ones of God cannot see corruption Hence he that believes is said in the present tense to have eternal life At the Law that came foure hundred years after could not make void the promise made to Abraham so nothing that intervenes can hinder the accomplishing of that promise of eternal life which was given and passed to Christ in their behalf before the foundation of the world If a Saint could any way miscarry and fall short of this eternal life it must be from one of these three causes 1. Because God may forsake the Christian and withdraw his grace and help from him Or 2. Because the believer may forsake God Or lastly because Satan may pluck him out of the hands of God A fourth I know not Now none of these can be First God can never forsake the Christian Some unadvised speeches have drop't from tempted soules discovering some fears of Gods casting them off but they have been confuted and have eaten their words with shame as we see in Job and David O what admirable security hath the great God given his children in this particular First in Promises He hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee Five negatives in that promise as so many seals to ratifie it to our faith he assures us there never did or can so much as arise a repenting thought in his heart concerning the purposes of his love and special grace towards his children Rom. 11.29 The gifts and calling of God are without repentance even the believers sin against him their froward carriage stirs not up thoughts of casting them off but of reducing them For the iniquity of this covetousnesse I was wroth and smote him I hid me and was wroth and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart I have seen his wayes and will heal them Isa 57.27 28. The water of the Saints failings cast on the fire of Gods love cannot quench it Whom he loves he loves to the end Secondly God to give further weight and credit to our unbelieving and mis-giving hearts seals his promise with an oath See Isa 54.9 10. With everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer this is as the waters of Noah unto me for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should not return over the earth so have I sworn that I will not be wroth with thee Yea he goes on and tells them The monntaines shall depart meaning at the end of the world when the whole frame of the heavens and earth shall be dissolv'd but his kindnesse shall not depart neither shall his Covenant of peace be removed Now lest any should think this was some charter belonging to the Jewes alone we finde it v. 17. setled on every servant of God as his portion This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their righteousnesse is of me saith the Lord. And surely God that is so careful to make his childrens inheritance sure to them will con them little thanks who busie their wits to invalid and weaken his conveyances yea disprove his will if they had taken a bribe they could not plead Satans cause better Thirdly in the actual fulfilling these promises which he hath made to beleevers to Christ their Attourney As God before the world began gave a promise of eternal life to Christ for them so now hath he given actual possession of that glorious place to Christ as their Advocate and Attourney where that eternal life shall be enjoyed by them for as he came upon our errand from heaven so thither he returned again to take and hold possession of that inheritance which God had of old promised and he in one summe at his death had paid for And now what ground of feare can there be in the believers heart concerning Gods love standiog firme to him when he sees the whole Covenant performed already to Christ for him whom God hath not only called to sanctified for and upheld in the great work he was to finish for us but also justified in his Resurrection and Jayle-delivery and received him into heaven there to sit on the right hand of the Majesty on high by which he hath not only possession for us but full power to give it unto all believers A second occasion of feare to the believer that he shall not persevere may be taken from himself He has many sad feares and tremblings of heart that he shall at last forsake God The journey is long to heaven and his grace weak O saith he is it not possible that this little grace should faile and I fall short at last of glory Now here there is such provision made in the Covenant as scatters this cloud also First the Spirit of God is given on purpose to prevent this Christ left his mother with John but his Saints with his Spirit to tutour and keep them that they should not lose themselves in their journey to heaven O how sweet is that place Ezek. 36.27 I will put my Spirit in you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my judgements and do them He doth not say they shall have his Spirit if they will walk in his statutes no his Spirit shall cause them to do it But may be thou art afraid thou mayest grieve him and so he in anger leave thee and thou perish for want of his help and counsel Answ The Spirit of God is indeed sensible of unkindnesse and upon a Saints sin may withdraw in regard of present assistance but never in regard of his care as a mother may let her froward childe go alone till it get a knock that may make it cry to be taken up again into her armes but still her eye is on it that it shall not fall into mischief The Spirit withdrew from Samson and he fell into the
and worne daily by us whereas the same weight on our shoulder would trouble us thus the grievousnesse of religious duties to carnal ones is taken away in the Saints partly by the fitnesse of them to the Saints principles as also by their daily exercise in them The disciples when newly entered into the wayes of Christ could not pray much or fast long the bottles were new and that wine too strong but by that time they had walk't a few yeares they grew mighty in both doest thou complain that heaven-way is rugged be the oftner walking in it and that will make it smooth But secondly were this constant exercise of grace more troublesome to the flesh which is the only complainer the sweet advantage that accrues by this to the Christian will abundantly recompence all his labour and pains First the exercise of thy grace will encrease thy grace The diligent hand makes rich A provident man counts that lost which might have been got not only when his money is stole out of his chest but when it lies there unimproved Such a commodity saith the Tradesman if I had bought with that money in my bags would have brought me in so much gaine which is now lost so the Christian may say My dawning knowledge had I followed on to know the Lord might have spread to broad day I have more understanding saith David then all my teachers How came he by it he 'll tell you in the next words for thy testimonies are my meditation He was more in the exercise of duty and grace The best wits are not alwayes the greatest Scholars because their study is not suitable to their parts neither alwayes proves he the richest man that sets up with the greatest stock A little grace well-husbanded by daily exercise will encrease when greater neglected shall decay Secondly as exercise encreaseth so it evidenceth grace Would a man know whether he be lame or no let him rise he 'll be sooner satisfied by one turn in a room then by a long dispute and he sit still Wouldest thou know whether thou lovest God be frequent in exerting acts of love the more the fire is blown up the sooner 'tis seen and so of all other graces Sometimes the soule is questioning whether it hath any patience any faith till God comes and puts him into an afflicted estate where he must either exercise this grace or perish and then it appeares like one that thinks he cannot swim yet being thrown into the river then uniting all his strength he makes a shift to swim to land and sees what he can do How oft have we heard Christians say I thought I could never have endured such a pain trusted God in such a strait but now God hath taught me what he can do for me what he hath wrought in me and this thou mightest have known before if thou wouldest have oftner stirred up and exercised thy grace Thirdly exercise of grace doth invite God to communicate himself to such a soul God sets the Christian at work and then meets him in it Vp and be doing and the Lord be with you He sets a soul a reading as the Eunuch and then joynes to his chariot a praying and then comes the messenger from heaven O Daniel greatly beloved The Spouse who lost her Beloved on her bed findes him as she comes from the Sermon Cant. 3.4 It was but a little that I passed from them but I found him whom my soule loved SECT 3. Vse 1 This falls heavy on their heads who are so far from exercising grace that they walk in the exercise of their lusts their hearts are like a glasse-house the fire is never out the shop-windows never shut they are alwayes at work hammering some wicked project or other upon the anvil of their hearts there are some who give full scope to their lusts what their wretched hearts will they shall have they cocker their lusts as some their children deny them nothing who as it is recorded of David to Adonijah do not so much as say to their souls Why doest thou so why art thou so proud so covetous so prophane They spend their dayes in making provision for these guests as at some Innes the house never cooles but as one guest goes out another comes in as one lust is served another is calling for attendance as some exercise grace more then others so there are greater traders in sin that set more a work then others and return more wrath in a day then others in a moneth Happy are such in comparison of these who are chain'd up by Gods restraint upon their outward man or inward that they cannot drive on so furiously as these who by health of body power and greatnesse in place riches and treasures in their coffers numbnesse and dedolency in their consciences are hurried on to fill up the measure of their sins We reade of the Assyrian that he enlarged his heart as hell stretching out his desires as men do their bags that are thrack't full with money to hold more Hab. 2.5 Thus the adulterer as if his body were not quick enough to execute the commands of his lust stirs it up by sending forth his amorous glances which come home laden with adultery blows up this fire with unchaste sonnets and belly-chear proper fuel for the devils kitchin and the malicious man who that he may lose no time from his lust is a tearing his neighbour in pieces as he lies on his bed cannot sleep unlesse some such bloody sacrifice be offered to his ravening lust O how may this shame the Saints how oft is your zeal so hot that you cannot sleep till your hearts have been in heaven as you are on your beds and there pacified with the sight of your dear Saviour and some embraces of love from him Vse 2 It reproves those who flout and mock at the Saints while exercising their graces None jeer'd as the Saint in his calling Men may work in their shops and every one follow his calling as diligently as they please and no wonder made of this by those that passe by in the streets but let the Christian be seen at work for God in the exercise of any duty or grace and he is hooted at despised yea hated Few so bad indeed but seem to like Religion in the notion they can commend a Sermon of holiness like a discourse of God or Christ in the Pulpit but when these are really set before their eyes as they sparkle in a Saints conversation they are very contemptible and hateful to them this living and walking holinesse bites and though they liked the Preachers Art in painting forth the same in his discourse yet now they run from them and spit at them this exercise of grace offends the prophane heart and stirs up the enmity that lies within As Michal she could not but flout David to see him dancing before the Ark. He that commended the Preacher for making a learned discourse of
presently indeed as the loud windes do blow away the raine so these terrours do keep off the soule from this Gospel-sorrow While the creature is making an out-cry 't is damn'd 't is damn'd it is taken up so much with the feare of hell that sin as sin which is the proper object of godly sorrow is little look't on or mourned for A Murderer condemned to die is so possest with the feare of death and thought of the gallowes that there lies the slaine body it may be before him unlamented by him but when his pardon is brought then he can bestow his teares freely on his murdered friend They shall look on him whom they have pierced and mourne Faith is the eye this eye beholding its sin piercing Christ and Christ pardoning its sin affects the heart the heart affected sighes these inward clouds melt and run from the eye of faith in tears and all this is done when there is no tempest of terrour upon the spirit but a sweet serenity of love and peace and therefore Christian see how Satan abuseth thee when he would perswade thee thou art not humbled enough because thy sorrow is not attended with these legal sorrowes CHAP. VI. A brief Application of the second Branch of the Point viz. Of Satans subtilty as a Troubler and Accuser for sin Vse 1 IS Satan so subtile to trouble the Saints peace this proves them to be the children of Satan who shew the same Art and subtilty in vexing the spirits of the Saints as doth their infernal father not to speak of bloody Persecutors who are the devils slaughter-slaves to butcher the Saints but of those who more slily trouble and molest the Saints peace First such as rake up the Saints old sins which God hath forgiven and forgotten meerly to grieve their spirits and bespatter their names these shew their divellish malice indeed who can take such pains to travel many yeares back that they may finde a handful of dirt to throw on the Saints face Thus Shimei twitted David Come out thou bloody man When you that feare God meet with such reproaches answer them as Beza did the Papists who for want of other matter charged him for some wanton Poems penn'd by him in his youth Hi homunciones invident mihi gratiam Dei These men said he grudge me the pardoning mercy of God Secondly such as watch for the Saints halting and catch at every infirmity to make them odious and themselves merry 'T is a dreadful curse such bring upon themselves though they little think of it no lesse then Amaleks the remembrance of whose name God threatened to blot from under heaven why what had Amalek done to deserve this they smote the hindermost those that were feeble and could not march with the rest And was it so great a cruelty to do this much more to smite with the edge of a mocking tongue the feeble in grace Thirdly such who father their sins upon the Saints thus Ahab calls the Prophet the Troubler of Israel when it was himself and his fathers house What a grief was it think you to Moses his spirit for the Israelites to lay the blood of those that died in the wildernesse at his door whereas God knows he was their constant Baile when at any time Gods hand was up to destroy them and this is the charge which the best of Gods servants in this crooked generation of ours lie under We may thank them say the profane for all our late miseries in the Nation we were well enough till they would reforme us O for shame blame not the good Physick that was administred but the corrupt body of the Nation that could not bear it Fourthly such as will themselves sin meerly to trouble the Saints spirit Thus Rabshakeh blasphemed and when desired to speak in another language he goes on the more to grieve them Sometimes you shall have a profane wretch knowing one to be consciencious and cannot brook to hear the Name of God taken in vain or the ways of God flouted will on purpose fall upon such discourse as shall grate his chaste eares and trouble his gracious spirit such a one strikes father and childe at one blow think it not enough to dishonour God except the Saint stands by to see and heare the wrong done to his heavenly Father Vse 2 Secondly This may afford matter of admiration and thankfulnesse to any of you O ye Saints who are not at this day under Satans hatches Is he so subtile to disquiet and hast thou any peace in thy conscience To whom art thou beholden for that serenity that is on thy spirit to none but thy God under whose wing thou sittest to warme and safe Is there not combustible matter enough in thy conscience for his sparks to kindle Perhaps thou hast not committed such bloody sins as others that 's not the reason of thy peace for the least is big enough to damne much more to trouble thee Thou hast not grossely fallen may be since Conversion that 's rare if thou beest of long standing yet the ghosts of thy unregenerate sins might walk in thy conscience thou hast had many testimonies of Gods favour hast thou not who more then David yet he at a losse sometimes learning to spell his evidences as if he could never have read them The sense of Gods love comes and goes with the present tast He that is in the dark while there sees not the more for former light O bless God for that light which shines in at thy window Satan is plotting to undermine thy comfort every day This Thief sees thy pleasant fruits as they hang and his teeth water at them but the wall is too high for him to climbe thy God keeps this Serpent out of thy Paradise 'T is not the grace of God in thee but the favour of God as a shield about thee defends thee from the wicked one Vse 3 Thirdly let Satans subtilty to molest your peace make thee O Christian more wise and wary thou hast not a fool to deale with but one that hath wit enough to spill thy comfort and spoil thy joy if not narrowly watch't this is the dainty bit he gapes for 't is not harder to keep the flies out of your Cup-boards in Summer from tainting your provision then Satan out of your consciences many a sweet meal hath he robbed the Saints of and sent them supperlesse to bed take heed therefore that he roams not thine away also CHAP. VII Containing some Directions tending to entrench and fortifie the Christian against the assaults and wiles of the devil as a Troubler of the soules Peace Quest HOw shall I stand in a defensive posture may the Christian say against these wiles of Satan as a Troubler SECT I. First if thou wouldest be guarded from him as a Troubler take heed of him as a seducer The hast of Satans hatchet with which he lies chopping at the root of the Christians comfort is
in their holy course by the scandal he hath given but God here befooles him First making the miscarriages of such a seasonable caveat to others to look to their standing Doest thou see a meek Moses provok't to anger what watch and ward hast thou need keep over thy unruly heart though loud winds do some hurt by blowing down here a loose tyle and there a turret which was falling before yet the common good surmounts the private damage of some few these being as a broom in Gods hand to sweep and cleanse the aire so though some that are wicked are by Gods righteous judgement for the same hardened into further abominations by the Saints falls yet the good which sincere soules receive by having their formality and security in a further degree purged doth abundantly countervaile the other who are but sent a little faster whither they were going before Secondly God makes his Saints falls an argument for comfort to distressed consciences This hath been and is as a feather when the passage seems so stop't that no comfort can be got down otherwise to drop a little hope into the soule to keep the creature alive from falling into utter despair some have been revived with this when next door to hell in their own feares Davids sin was great yet found mercy Peter fell foully yet now in heaven Why sittest thou here O my soul under the hatches of despair up and call upon thy God for mercy who hath pardoned the same to others Thirdly God hath a design in suffering Satan to trounce some of his Saints by temptation to train them up into a fitnesse to succour their fellow-brethren in the like condition he sends them hither to school where they are under Satans ferular and lash that his cruel hand over them may make them study the Word and their own hearts by which they get experience of Satans policies till at last they commence Masters in this Art of comforting tempted soules It is an Art by it self to speak a word in season to the weary soule 't is not serving out an Apprenticeship to humane Arts will furnish a man for this great Doctors have proved very dunces here knowing no more how to handle a wounded conscience then a Rustick the Chirurgions instrument in dissecting the body when an Anatomy-Lecture is to be read 'T is not the knowledge of the Scripture though a man were as well acquainted with it as the Apothecary with his pots and glasses in his shop able to go directly to any promise on a sudden will suffice No not grace it selfe except exercised with these buffetings and soul-conflicts Christ himself we finde trained up in this school Isa 50.4 He wakeneth mine eare to heare as the learned Even as the Tutor calls up his Pupil to reade to him and what is the Lecture which is read to Christ that he may have the tongue of the learned to speak a word in season to the weary soule see vers 5. The Lord hath opened mine eare and I was not rebellious neither turned I away my back I gave my back to the smiters c. His sufferings which were all along mingled with temptations were the Lecture from which Christ came out so learned to resolve and comfort distressed soules So that the devil had better have let Christ alone yea and his Saints also who do him but the greater disservice in comforting others none will handle poor soules so gently as those who remember the smart of their owne heart-sorrowes none so skilful in applying the comforts of the Word to wounded consciences as those who have layen bleeding themselves such know the symptomes of soul-troubles and feel others pains in their own bosomes which some that know the Scriptures for sack of experience do not and therefore are like a novice Physician who perhaps can tell you every plant in the Herbal yet wanting the practick part when a Patient comes knowes not well how to make use of his skill The Saints experiences help them to a soveraign treacle made of the Scorpions own flesh which they through Christ have slain and that hath a vertue above all other to expel the venome of Satans temptations from the heart SECT III. Thirdly Satan in tempting the Saint to sin labours to make a breach between God and the soule He hates both and therefore labours to divide these dear friends If I can thinks he get such a one to sin God will be angry and when angry he 'll whip his childe foundly this will be some sport and when God is correcting the Saint he 'll be questioning the love of God to him and cooles in his love to God so though I should not keep him from heaven at last yet he shall have little joy thither in the way In this case God and the soul will be like man and wife fallen out who neither of them look kindly one upon another Now see how God befooles Satan in both these First God useth his Saints temptations as his method by which he advanceth the communications of his love unto them The devil thought he had got the goale when he got Adam to eate the forbidden fruit he thought now he had man in the same predicament with himself as unlikely ever to see the face of God as those Apostate spirits but alas this was by God intended to usher in that great Gospel-plot of saving man by Christ who assoon as this Prologue of mans fall is done is brought upon the stage in that grand Promise of the Gospel made to Adam and at Gods command undertakes the charge of recovering lost man out of Satans clutches and re-instating him in his primitive glory with an accesse of more then ever man had at first so that the meanest lilly in Christs field exceeds Adam in all his native Royalty And as Satan sped in his first temptation so he is still on the losing hand what got he by all his paines upon Job but to let that holy man know at last how dearly God loved him When he foiled Peter so shamefully do we not finde Christ owning Peter with as much love as ever Peter must be the only disciple to whom by name the joyful newes of his resurrection is sent Go tell my disciples and Peter As if Christ had said Be sure let his sad heart be comforted with this newes that he may know I am friends with him for all his late cowardise Quest But doth not this seem to countenance sin and make Christians heedlesse whether they fall into temptation or no If God do thus shew his love to his Saints after their falls and foiles why should we be so shy of sin which ends so well at last Answ Two things will prevent the danger of such an inference First we must distinguish between a soules being foiled through his own infirmity and his enemies subtilty and power over-matching him and another who through a false heart doth voluntarily prostrate himself to the lust of
to do them good Surely God will have something for the sweat yea lives of his servants which were worne out in striving with such rebellious ones May be yet sinners your firmament is clear no cloud to be seen that portends a storme but know as you use to say winter does not rock in the clouds you shall have it at last every threatening which your faithful Ministers have denounced against you out of the Word God is bound to make good He confirmeth the Word of his servant and performeth the counsel of his messengers and that in judgement against sinners confirming the threatenings as well as in mercy performing the promises which they declare as the portion of his children But it will be time enough to ask such on a sick-bed or a dying houre whether the words of the Lord delivered by their faithful Preachers have not taken hold of them Some have confessed with horrour they have as the Jewes Zech. 1.6 Like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us so hath he dealt with us Secondly the Spirit strives with men more immediately when he makes his inward approaches to the consciences of men debating in their own bosoms the case with them one while he shews them their sins in their bloody colours and whether they will surely bring them if not look't to timely which he doth so convincingly that the creature smells sometimes the very fire and brimstone about him and is at present in a temporary hell another while he falls a parlying and treating with them making gracious overtures to the sinner if he will return at his reproof presents the grace of the Gospel and opens a door of hope for his recovery yea falls a wooing and beseeching of him to throw down his rebellious armes and come to Christ for life whose heart is in a present disposition to receive and embrace the first motion the returning sinner makes for mercy Now when the Spirit of God follows the sinner from place to place and time to time suggesting such motions and renewing his old suit and the creature shall fling out of the Spirits hands thus striving with him re infectâ as far from renouncing his lusts or taking any liking to Christ as ever This is to resist the Spirit to his face and it carries so much malignity in it that even where it hath not been final poor humbled soules have been so over-set with the horrour of it that they could not for a long time be perswaded but that it was the unpardonable sin Take heed therefore sinners how you use the Spirit when he comes knocking at the door of your hearts Open at his knock and he will be your guest you shall have his sweet company repulse him and you have not a Promise hee 'll knock again And if once he leave striving with thee unhappy man thou art lost for ever thou liest like a ship cast up by the waves upon some high rock where the tide never comes to fetch it off Thou mayest come to the Word converse with other Ordinances but in vain 'T is the Spirit in them which is both tide and winde to set the soule afloat and carry it on or else it lies like a ship on dry ground which stirs not Secondly we wrestle against God when we wrestle with his Providence and that two wayes First when we are discontented with his providential disposure of us Gods carving for us doth not please us so but that we are objecting against his dealings towards us at least muttering something with the fool in our hearts which God heares as lightly as man our words God counts then we begin to quarrel with him when we do not acquiesce in and say Amen to his Providence whatever it is He calls it a contending with the Almighty Iob. 40.1 yea a reproving of God And he is a bold man sure that dare finde fault with God and article against heaven God challengeth him whoever he is that doth this to answer it at his peril He that reproveth God let him answer it v. 2. of the chapter fore-mentioned It was high time for Iob to have done when he heares what a sense God puts upon those unwary words which drop't from him in the anguish of his Spirit and paroxysme of his sufferings contend with the Almighty reprove God Good man how blank he is and cries out I am vile what shall I answer thee I will lay my hand upon my mouth Let God but pardon what is past and he shall hear such language no more O Sirs take heed of this wrestling above all other Contention is uncomfortable with whomsoever it is we fall out Neighbours or friends wife or husband children or servants but worst of all with God If God cannot please thee but thy heart riseth against him what hopes are there of thy pleasing him who will take nothing kindly from that man who is angry with him And how can love to God be preserved in a discontented heart that is alwayes muttering against him Love cannot think any evil of God nor endure to heare anyspeak evil of him but it must take Gods part as Ionathan Davids when Saul spake basely of him and when it cannot be heard will like him arise and be gone When afflicted love can allow thee to groan but not to grumble If thou wilt ease thy incumbred spirit into Gods bosome by prayer and humbly wrestle with God on thy knees love is for thee and will help thee to the best arguments thou canst use to God But if thou wilt vent thy distempered passions and shew a mutinous spirit against God this stabs it to the heart Secondly we wrestle against Providence when uncorrigible under the various dispensations of God towards us Providence has a voice if we had an eare mercies should draw afflictions drive now when neither faire meanes nor foule do us good but we are impenitent under both this is to wrestle against God with both hands Either of these have their peculiar aggravations One is against love and so dis-ingenuous the other is against the smart of his rod and therein we slight his anger and are cruel to our selves in kicking against the pricks Mercy should make us ashamed wrath afraid to sin He that is not ashamed has not the spirit of a man He that is not afraid when smitten is worse then the beast who stands in aw of whip spur Sometimes mercy especially these outward mercies which have a pleasing relish to the carnal part in a Christian hath prov'd a snare to the best of men but then affliction useth to recover them but when affliction makes men worse and they harden themselves against God to sin more and more while the rod is on them what is like to reclaim them few are made better by prosperity whom afflictions make worse He that will sin though he goes in pain will much more if that once be gone But take heed of thus contesting with God
There is nothing got by scuffling with God but blows or worse If he say he will afflict thee no more 't is even the worst he can say 't is as much as if he should say he 'll be in thy debt till another world and there pay thee altogether But if he means thee mercy thou shalt hear from him in some sharper affliction then ever He hath wedges that can rive thee wert thou a more knotty piece then thou art Are there yet the treasures of wickednesse and the scant measure that is abominable saith God to Israel what uncorrigible though the Lords voice crieth unto the City bidding you hear the rod and him that hath appointed it See what course God resolvs on v. 13. Therefore will I make thee sick in smiting of thee As if he had said my other Physick I see was too weak it did not work or turne your stomack but I will prepare a potion that shall make you sick at heart Secondly It reproves those who seem to wrestle against sin but not according to the Word of Command that Christ gives There is a Law in wrestling which must be observ'd 2 Tim. 2.5 If a man also strive for Masteries yet is he not crowned except he strive lawfully He alludes to the Romane games to which there were Judges appointed to see that no foule play were offered contrary to the Law for wrestling the prize being denied to such though they did foile their adversary which the Apostle improves to make the Christian careful in his war as being under a stricter Law and Discipline that requires not only valour to fight but obedience to fight by order and according to the Word of Command Now few do this that go for great Wrestlers First some while they wrestle against one sin embrace another and in this case 't is not the person wrestles against sin but one sin wrestles with another and 't is no wonder to see thieves fall out when they come to divide the spoil Lusts are divers Tit. 3.3 and 't is hard to please many Masters especially when their commands are so contrary when pride bids lay on in bravery lavish out in entertainment covetousnesse bids lay up when malice bids revenge carnal policy saith conceal thy wrath though not forgive When lust sends to his whores hypocrisie pulls him back for shame of the world Now is he Gods Champion that resists one sin at the command of another it may be a worse Secondly some wrestle but they are prest into the field not Voluntiers their slavish feare scares them at present from their lust so that the Combate is rather betwixt their Conscience and Will then them and their lust Give me such a sin saith Will No saith conscience it will scall'd and throwes it away A man may love the wine though he is loath to have his lips burnt Hypocrites themselves are afraid to burne In such Combates the Will at last prevails either by bribing the understanding to present the lust it desires in a more pleasing dresse that conscience may not be scared with such hideous apparitions of wrath or by pacifying conscience with some promise of repentance for the future or by forbearing some sin for the present which it can best spare thereby to gain the reputation of something like a reformation Or if all this will not do then prompted by the fury of its lust the Will proclaims open war against conscience sinning in the face of it like some wilde horse impatient of the spur which pricks him and bridle that curbs him gets the bit between his teeth and runs with full speed till at last he easeth himself of his Rider and then where he sees fattest pasture no hedge or ditch can withhold him till in the end you finde him starving in some pound for his trespasse Thus many sin at such rate that conscience can no longer hold the reines nor sit the saddle but is thrown down and laid for dead and then the wretches range where their lusts can have the fullest meal till at last they pay for their stollen pleasures most dearly when conscience comes to it self pursues them and takes them more surely by the throat then ever never to let them go till it brings them before Gods Tribunal Thirdly others wrestle with sin but they do not hate it and therefore they are favourable to it and seek not the life of sin as their deadly enemy these wrestle in jest and not in earnest the wounds they give sin one day are healed by the next Let men resolve never so strongly against sin yet it will creep again into their favour till the love of sin be quenched in the heart and this fire will never the of it self the love of Christ must quench the love of sin as Ierome excellently Vnus amor extinguit alium This heavenly fire will indeed put out that flame of hell which he illustrates by Ahashuerus his carriage to Vashti his Queen who in the first Chapter makes a decree in all haste that she comes no more before him but when his passion is a little down chap. 2. v. 1. he begins to relent towards her which his Councel perceiving presently seek out for a beautiful Virgin on whom the King might place his love and take into his royal bed which done we hear no more of Vashti then and not till then will the soules decree stand against sin when the soule hath taken Christ into his bosome SECT IV. Secondly to the Saints seeing your life is a continual wrestling here on earth 't is your wisdom to study how you may best manage the combate with your best enemy which that you may do take these few directions First look thou goest not into the field without thy Second my meaning is engage God by prayer to stand at thy back God is in a league offensive and defensive with thee but he looks to be called Did the Ephraimites take it ill that Gideon called them into the field and may not God much more as if thou meanedst to steal a victory before he should know it Thou hast more valour then Moses who would not stir without God no though he sent an Angel for his Lieutenant Thou art wiser then Iacob who to overcome Esau now marching up turnes from him and falls upon God he knew if he could wrestle with God he might trust God to deale with his brother Engage God and the back-door is shut no enemy can come behinde thee yea thine enemy shall fall before thee God turne the counsel of Achitophel into foolishnesse saith David Heaven saith Amen to his prayer and the wretch hangs himself Secondly be very careful of giving thine enemy hand-hold Wrestlers strive to fasten upon some part or other which gives them advantage more easily to throw their adversary to prevent which they used First to lay aside their garments Secondly to anoint their bodies For the first Christian labour to put off the old man which
All is done at Christ his cost with whom God indented and to whom he gave the promise of eternal life before the world began as a free estate to settle upon every believing soul in the day they should come to Christ and receive him for their Prince and Saviour so that from the houre thou didst come under Christs shadow all the sweet fruit that grows on this tree of life is thine with Christ all that both worlds have falls to thee All is yours because you are Christs O Christian look upon thy self now and blesse thy God to see what a change there is made in thy state since that black and dismal time when thou wert slave to the Prince of darknesse how couldest thou like thy old Scullions work again or think of returning to thy house of bondage now thou knowest the priviledges of Christs Kingdomes Great Princes who from basenesse and beggery have ascended to Kingdomes and Empires to adde to the joy of their present honour have delighted to speak often of their base birth to go and see the mean cottages where they were first entertained and had their birth and breeding and the like And 't is not unuseful for the Christian to look in at the grate to see the smokie hole where once he lay to view the chaines wherewith he was laden and so to compare Christs Court the divels prison the felicity of the one and the horror of the other together But when we do our best to affect our hearts with this mercy by all the inhancing aggravations we can find out Alas how little a portion of it shalwe know here this is a nimium excellens which cannot be fully seen unlesse it be by a glorified eye how can it be fully known by us where it cannot be fully enjoyed thou art translated into the Kingdome of Christ but thou art a great way from his Court That is kept in heaven and that the Christian knows but as we far countreys which we never saw only by map or some rarities that are sent us as a taste of what grows there in abundance Vse 3 Thirdly this Christian calls for thy loyalty and faithful service to Christ who hath saved thee from Satans bondage Say O ye Saints to Christ as they to Gideon Come thou and rule over us for thou hast delivered us from the hand not of Midian but of Satan Who so able to defend thee from his wrath as he who broke his power who like to rule thee so tenderly as he that could not brook anothers tyranny over thee In a word who hath right to thee besides him who ventur'd his life to redeem thee that being delivered from all thine enemies thou mayest serve him without feare in holinesse all the dayes of thy life And wee it not pity that Christ should take all this pains to lift up thy head from Satans house of bondage and give thee a place among those in his own house who are admitted to minister unto him which is the highest honour the nature of men or Angels is capable of and that thou shouldest after all this be found to have a hand in any treasonable practice against thy dear Saviour surely Christ may think he hath deserved better at your hands if at none besides Where shall a Prince safely dwell if not in the midst of his own Courtiers and those such who were all taken from chains and prisons to be thus preferr'd the more to oblige them in his service Let devils and devillish men do their own work but let not thy hand O Christian be upon thy dear Saviour But this is too litle to bid thee not play the traitour If thou hast any loyal blood running in thy veines thy own heart will smite thee when thou rendest the least skirt of his holy Law thou canst as well carry burning coales in thy bosome as hide any treason there against thy dear Soveraign No 't is some noble enterprise I would have thee think upon how thou mayest advance the Name of Christ higher in thy heart and world too as much as in thee lies O how kindely did God take it that David when peaceably set in his throne was casting about not how he might entertain himself with those pleasures which usually corrupt and debauch the Courts of Princes in times of peace but how he might shew his zeal for God in building a house for his worship that had rear'd a throne for him 2 Sam. 7. And is there nothing Christian thou canst think on wherein thou mayest eminently be instrumental for God in thy generation He is not a good subject that is all for what he can get of his Prince but never thinks what service he may do for him Nor he the true Christian whose thoughts dwell more on his own happinesse then the honour of his God If subjects might chuse what life stands best for their own enjoyment all would desire to live at Court with their Prince But because the Princes honour is more to be valued then this therefore noble spirits to do their Prince service can deny themselves the delicacies of a Court to jeopard their lives in the field and thank their Prince too for the honour of their employment Blessed Paul upon these termes was willing to have his day of coronation in glory prorogued he to stay as companion with his brethren in tribulation here for the furtherance of the Gospel This indeed makes it opera pretium vivere worth the while to live that we have by it a faire opportunity if hearts to husband it in which we may give a proof of our real gratitude to our God for his redeeming love in rescuing us out of the power of the Prince of darknesse and translating us into the Kingdome of his dear Son And therefore Christian lose no time but what thou meanest to do for God do it quickly Art thou a Magistrate now it will be soon seen on whose side thou art if indeed thou hast renounced allegiance to Satan and taken Christ for thy Prince declare thy self an enemy to all that bear the name of Satan and march under his colours Study well thy commission and when thou understandest the duty of thy place fall to work zealously for God Thou hast thy Princes sword put into thy hand be sure thou use it and take heed how thou usest it that when call'd to deliver it up and thy account also it may not be found rusty in the sheath through sloth and cowardise besmeared with the blood of violence nor bent and gap't with partiality and injustice Art thou a Minister of the Gospel thy employment is high an Ambassadour and that not from some petty Prince but the great God to his rebellious subjects A calling so honourable that the Son of God disdained not to come in extraordinary from heaven to perform it call'd therefore the messenger of the Covenant yea he had to this day stay'd on earth in person about it
that ye are of mine elect ones which will stand you more in stead at the great day then all this SECT II. A second Priviledge is when God honours a person to suffer for his truth this is a great Priviledge Vnto you it is given not only to beleeve but to suffer for his sake God doth not use to give worthless gifts to his Saints there is some preciousnesse in it which a carnal eye cannot see Faith you will say is a great gift but perseverance greater without which faith would be little worth and perseverance in suffering this above both honourable This made John Carelesse our English Martyr who though he died not at the stake yet in prison for Christ say Such an honour 't is as Angels are not permitted to have therefore God forgive me mine unthankfulnesse Now when Satan cannot scare a soul from prison yet then he will labour to puffe him up in prison when he cannot make him pity himself then he will flatter him till he prides in himself Affliction from God exposeth to impatience for God to pride and therefore Christians labour to fortifie your selves against this temptation of Satan how soon you may be called to suffering work you know not such clouds oft are not long arising Now to keep thy heart humble when thou art honoured to suffer for the truth Consider First though thou doest not deserve those sufferings at mans hand thou canst and mayest in that regard glory in thy innocency thou sufferest not as an evil doer yet thou canst not but confesse it is a just affliction from God in regard of sin in thee and this methinks should keep thee humble the same suffering may be Martyrdome in regard of man and yet a fatherly chastising for sin in regard of God none suffered without sin but Christ and therefore none may glory in them but he Christ in his own we in his God forbid that I should glory save in the Crosse of Christ Gal. 6. This kept Mr. Bradford humble in his sufferings for the truth none more rejoyced in them and blessed God for them yet none more humble under them then he and what kept him in this humble frame reade his godly letters and you shall finde almost in all how he bemoans his sins and the sins of the Protestants under the reign of King Edward It was time saith he for God to put his rod into the Papists hands we were grown so proud formal unfruitful yea to loath and despise the means of grace when we enjoyed the liberty therof and therfore God hath brought the wheele of persecution on us As he look't at the honour to make him thankful so to sinne to keep him humble Secondly consider who bears thee up and carries thee through thy sufferings for Christ Is it thy grace or his that is sufficient for such a work thy spirit or Christs by which thou speakest when call'd to bear witnesse to his truth how comes it to passe thou art a sufterer and not a persecutour a confessour and not a denier yea betrayer of Christ and his Gospel This thou owest for to God he is not beholden to thee that thou wilt part with estate credit or life it self for his sake If thou hadst a thousand lives thou wouldest owe them all to him but thou art beholden to God exceedingly that he will call for these in this way which has such an honour and reward attending it He might have suffered thee to live in thy lusts and at last to suffer the losse of all these for them O how many die at the Gallowes as Martyrs in the devils cause for felonies rapes and murders Or he might withdraw his grace and leave thee to thy own cowardise and unbelief and then thou wouldest soon shew thy self in thy colours The stoutest Champions for Christ have been taught how weak they are if Christ steps aside Some that have given great testimony of their faith and resolution in Christs cause even to come so near dying for his Name as to give themselves to be bound to the stake and fire to be kindled upon them yet then their hearts have failed as that holy man Mr. Benbridge in our English Martyrol who thrust the faggots from him and cried out I recant I recant Yet this man when re-inforc't in his faith and indued with power from above was able within the space of a week after that sad foile to die at the stake cheerfully Qui pro nobis mortem semel vicit semper in nobis vincit He that once overcame death for us 't is he that alwayes overcame death in us And who should be thy Song but he that is thy strength applaud not thy selfe but blesse him 'T is one of Gods Names he is call'd the glory of his peoples strength Psal 89.17 The more thou gloriest in God that gives thee strength to suffer for him the lesse thou wilt boast of thy self A thankful heart and a proud cannot dwell together in one bosome Thirdly consider what a foule blot pride gives to all thy sufferings where it is not bewailed and resisted it alters the case The old saying is that 't is not the punishment but the cause makes the Martyr we may safely say further it is not barely the cause but the sincere frame of the heart in suffering for a good cause that makes a man a Martyr in Gods sight Though thou shouldest give thy body to be burnt if thou hast not an humble heart of a sufferer for Christ thou turnest Merchant for thy self Thou deniest but one self to set up another runnest the hazard of thy estate and life to gain some applause may be and reare up a monument to thy honour in the opinions of men thou doest no more in this case then a souldier who for a name of valour will venture into the mouth of death and danger only thou shewest thy pride under a religious disguise but that helps it not but makes it the worse If thou wilt in thy sufferings be a sacrifice acceptable to God thou must not only be ready to offer up thy life for his truth but sacrifice thy pride also or else thou mayest tumble out of one fire into another suffer here from man as a seeming champion for the Gospel and in another world from God for robbing him of his glory in thy sufferings SECT III. A third priviledge is when God flowes in with more then ordinary manifestations of his love then the Christian is in danger of having his heart secretly lift up in pride Indeed the genuine and natural effect which such discoveries of divine love have on a gracious soule is to humble it The sight of mercy encreaseth the sense of sin and that sense dissolves the soule kindely into sorrow as we see in Magdalen The heart which possibly was hard and frozen in the shade will give and thaw in the Sun-shine of love and so long all pride is hid from the creatures eye Then saith God
the most Saint-like conversation that ever any lived on earth yet if this be thy shelter against the evil day thou wilt perish No salvation when that flood comes but Christ yea being in Christ hanging on the out-side of the Ark by a specious Profession will not save Me thinks I see how those of the old world ran for their lives some to this hill and others to that high tree and how the waves pursued them till at last they were swept into the devouring flood Such will your end be that turn any other way for help then to Christ yet the Ark waits on you yea comes up close to your gate to take you in Noah did not put forth his hand more willingly to take in the dove then Christ doth to receive those who flie to him for refuge O reject not your own mercies for lying vanity Vse 3 Let it put thee upon the enquiry whoever thou art whether thou beest in a posture of defence for this evil day Ask thy soul soberly and solemnly Art thou provided for this day this evil day how couldest thou part with what that will take away and welcome what it will certainly bring Death comes with a voider to carry away all thy carnal enjoyments and to bring thee up a reckoning for them O canst thou take thy leave of the one and with peace and confidence reade the other will it not affright thee to have thy health and strength turn'd into faintnesse and feeblenesse thy sweet nights of rest into waking eyes and restlesse tossings up and down thy voice that has so often chanted to the viol to be now acquainted with no other tune but sighs and groans O how canst thou look upon thy sweet and dear relations with thoughts of removing from them yea behold the instrument as it were whetting that shall give the fatal stroke to sever soul and body think that thou wert now half dead in thy members that are most remote from the fountain of life and death to have but a few moments journey before it arrive to thy heart and so beat thy last breath out of thy body Possibly the inevitable necessity of these do make thee to harden thy self against them this might indeed in some Heathen that is not resolv'd whether there be another world or no help a little to blunt the edge of that terrour which otherwise would cut deeper in his amazed heart But if thou believest another world and that judgement which stands at deaths back ready to allot thee thy unchangeable state in blisse or misery surely thou canst not relieve thy awakened conscience with such a poor cordial O therefore think what answer thou meanest to give unto the great God at thy appearing before him when he shall ask thee what thou canst say why the sentence of eternal damnation should not then be pronounced against thee Truly we deale unfaithfully with our owne soules if we bring not our thoughts to this issue If now you should ask how you should provide against the evill day so that you may stand before that dreadful bar and live so in the mean time that you might not be under a slavish bondage through the fearful expectation of it Take it in a few directions First if ever you would have a blessed issue of this evil day so as to stand in judgement before the great God rest not till thou hast got into a Covenant-relation with Christ Dying Davids living comfort was drawn from the Covenant God had made with him this was all his desire and all his salvation how canst thou put thy head into the other world without horrour if thou hast not solid ground that Christ will own thee for his Heaven hath its proper heires and so hath hell The heires of heaven are such as are in Covenant with God The foundation of it was laid in a Covenant and all the mansions there are prepared for a people in Covenant with him Gather my Saints together that have made a Covenant with me But how mayest thou get into this Covenant-relation First break thy covenant with sin Thou art by nature a covenant-servant to sin and Satan may be thou hast not expresly in words and formally as witches seal'd this covenant yet virtually as thou hast done the work of Satan and been at the command of thy lusts accepting the reward of unrighteousnesse the pleasure and carnal advantages they have paid thee in for the same therein thou hast declared thy self to be so Now if ever thou wilt be taken into Covenant with God break this a Covenant with hell and heaven cannot stand together Secondly betroth thy self to Christ The Covenant of grace is the joynture which God settles only upon Christs Spouse Rebeccah had not the Jewels and costly raiment till she was promised to become Isaaks wife Gen. 24.53 All the Promises are Yea and Amen in Christ If once thou receivest Christ with him thou receivest them He that owes the tree hath right to all the fruit that is on it Now that thou mayest not huddle up a marriage between Christ and thee so as to be disown'd of Christ and it prove a nullity at last it behooves thee to look to it that there be found in thee what Christ expects in every soul that he espouseth First therefore consider whether thou canst heartily love the person of Christ Look wishly on him again and again as he is set forth in all his spiritual excellencies are they such as thy heart can close with doth his holy nature and all those heavenly graces with which he is beautified render him desirable to thee or couldest thou like him better if he were not so precise and exactly holy yea is thy heart so inflamed with a desire of him that thou canst love him with a conjugal love A woman may love one as a friend whom she cannot love so as to make him her husband A friendly love may stand with a love of some other equal to it yea Superiour But a conjugal love is such as will bear neither canst thou finde in thy heart to forsake all other and cleave to Christ does thy heart speak thee ready and present thee willing to go with thy sweet Jesus though he carry thee from father and fathers house Is thy confidence such of his power to protect thee from all thy enemies sin wrath and hell that thou canst resolvedly put the life of thy soul into his hands to be saved by the sole vertue of his blood and strength of his omnipotent arme and of his care to provide for thee for this life and the other that rhou canst acquiesce in what he promiseth to do for thee In a word if thou hast Christ thou must not only love him but for his sake all thy new Kindred which by thy marriage to him thou shalt be allied unto How canst thou fadge to call the Saints thy brethren canst thou love them heartily and forget all the old grudges thou
the light 214 Love Saints the object of Gods love in a threefold respect 30 31 The best way to quench our love to the creature is to set it on Christ 79 Satan ambitious to tempt after manifestations of Gods love and why 96 Why God communicates his love to Saints after their falls 149 Saints love to Christ advanced by their temptations 150 How this comes to passe 151 Gods love to the soul sometimes an occasion of pride 302 Saints should watch against this 303 How to prevent it ib. M. Man Man is flesh 174 Why seeing his better part is a spirit is he called flesh 175 Man not to be trusted in 176 Memory How to remember what we hear 248 Ministers Ministers duty towards the ignorant 235 Four wayes they may be guilty of their peoples ignorance 236 Ministery Ministery of the Word the means to get knowledge 246 Motions Satan annoyes Saints with sinful motions 260 Saints should resist thsee motions for three reasons 262 Helps against them 26â— O. Obedience Obedience strong or weak as our faith is on the power of God 34 Weak endeavours with sincerity accepted by God as full obedience 373 Old-age The misery of old-age yoked with ignorance 241 P. Parents Parents duty to instruct their children and why 229 230 Parts What fooles men of the greatest parts are without grace 55 Perfection Perfection of grace to be prest after and why 77 78 How God confutes those that dream of perfection here c. 80 Persecute When wicked men persecute us we should pity them and save our wrath for the devil 181 Perseverance See falling away Perseverance necessary 9 How to persevere in our Christian course against all opposition 12 Without true grace no perseverance 377 Where true grace is that soul shall persevere 381 The doctrine of perseverance not to be abused 388 Pity God's pity to the fraile nature of his children in three particulars 178 Pleasure The sinners pleasures but short 209 Policy Sinful policy thrives not with Saints 105 It makes men like the devil 110 Poverty Not poverty but ignorance makes miserable 241 Power Satans power discovered in five particulars 196 Saints not to be dismayed at his power and that for three reasons 204 205 Prayer Prayer sometimes answered when it is not perceiv'd and in what cases this is 43 44 Preach What truthes are to be preached often 331 Against lazy Preachers 333 Preferment To stand before God in Heaven the highest preferment 394 Prevent God to be admired for preventing mercy 258 Pride Pride makes use of good and evil to draw her chariot 273 Pride double carnal and spiritual The Saint commonly in most danger of the latter and why 274 Pride of gifts See Gifts Pride of grace See Grace A mannerly pride how it hinders from Christ 290 291 It hinders from peace 292 A self-applauding pride what it is and the evil of it 294 Pride of priviledges what 299 Prince Satan a great Prince 183 How he obtained it 185 Trialls whether Christ or Satan be our Prince 187 188 The blessednesse of those that have Christ to be their Prince 193 See Christ Prison How Paul spent his time in prison Profession Heaven not won by good words and a faire Profession 371 Profit How to profit by the Word 247 248 Promise The end of the Promises to give security to the Saints faith 34 Not to endeavour an establish't faith on them is to undervalue them ib. In claiming the benefit of the Promise we must keep close to the condition 41 When absolute Promises stand the soul in great stead 136 Protection An unregenerate soule cannot claim Gods protection 55 Providence Dark Providences used by Satan to trouble Saints 133 Q. Question Satan pusles the Christian with nice questions 130 R. Reserve Satan hath his reserves to fall on when former temptations are beaten back 101 Retreat Satans politick retreats 102 Rich. Rich men poore with knowledge 242 Rule The time when Satan rules 209 The place where 211 The subjects whom he rules 212 Now to get from under Satans rule 221 His policy to keep sinners under his rule 222 S. Satan The reason why Satans conquests are so great 97 Of Satans rule 209 Of Satans wiles See Wiles Scripture Obscure Scriptures most mused on by tempted soules 102 Satans policie therein and what is to be done 133 Security The danger of security 363 Sense Affliction grievous to sense 353 Sincerity Sincerity a comfort in the evil day 370 Sinne. In troubles of conscience for the greatnesse of sinne what to do 39 Satan hath a strange Art in aggravating the Saints sins 116 How he fathers his own sin upon the Christian 115 Satans method to tempt to sin before he troubles for sinne 128 Why sin is call'd flesh 129 The state of sin a state of misery 217 The devils design in tempting to sin an argument to hate it 258 Sin hardens the heart 305 Sins against rebukes of conscience very grievous 365 We must not take liberty to sin because if true Christians we shall not fall away 389 Sinner The sinner and Satan friends when they seem to fight 57 Every sinner under Satans rule 213 The sinner an unserviceable creature 215 Singularity How it is necessary in the Saints 7 Sloth The difficulty of recovering a soule out of spiritual sloth 83 Solicitour Christ in heaven the Saints Solicitour and his faithfulnesse therein 32 33 Spiritual Of spiritual sins and how Satan annoyes the Saints with them 259 How to know our spiritual state 251 Stability The stability of the Saints not from their grace but from God reinforcing their grace 20 Strength A Christians strength in God not in himself 13 God takes it kindly we will make use of his strength 42 Lesse assisting strength given to advance accepting grace 46 The sweetnesse of being at Gods finding for assisting and comforting strength 19 A Christian when foiled stronger then another when a seeming Conquerour over the same temptation in two respects 71 72 Subtilty Satans subtilty in drawing to sin 98 Suffering No reason to be proud of our suffering for God 300 T. Tempt Temptation Satan chooseth the best season to tempt 93 How the presence of the object gives force to the temptation 96 Satans subtilty in tempting 98 His approaches in tempting are gradual 100 The same sin Satan tempts to purged by the temptation 143 Satan in tempting one Saint hath a designe against others 144 How God disappoints him 144 145 Why God suffers his Saints to be tempted 152 Temptation to one sin God orders to prevent another 143 Thoughts How thoughts good for the matter may be sinful 266 Trouble Satan the troubler of the Saints for sin 114 Troublers of the Saints thereby prove themselves Satans children 125 Foure wayes wicked men may trouble the Saints spirits 126 The mercy of being kept out of Satans hands as a troubler 127 It s dangerous in temptation to keep our troubles secret 137 The Saints troubles but short 211 The Christians life in this world full of trouble 349 Trust To trust God when he withdraws yea frowns very hard 8 The evil of trusting to the strength of grace 286 287 U. Unregenerate Unregeneracy a state of ignorance 50 Unthankfulnesse Unthankfulnesse for what we have hinders our receiving what we would have 48 Uprightnesse See Sincerity W. Waiting Waiting on God under discoucouragements a signe of strong grace 50 Such are assured to speed well at last 50 51 War How hard to war with bosome-sins 5. Weak Encouragements to the weake in grace to presse for more 80 Weak endeavours with sincerity accepted by God through Christ as full obedience 373 A cordial to weake believers 387 Wicked Wickednesse The attempts of the wicked against the Saints are folly and why 16 Wicked men trouble the Saints 180 The devils wickednesse 253 The wickednesse of mans nature 256 Wicked men the worse for affliction 356 Wiles Christians should labour to know Satans wiles 112 How we may know them ib. Wisdome The Wisdome of God in baffling Satan 140 Great wisdome to provide for the evil day 360 Word How to profit by the Word 247 248 Wrath. The devil is in the wrath of wicked men Wrestling The Saints life is a wrestling 159 It s dangerous wrestling with God 161 How sinners wrestle against the Spirit 162 163 How against Providence in two particulars 164 165 Several sorts that wrestle against sin but not lawfully 166 167 How we are to wrestle against sin 168 Y. Youth Youth the best time to get knowledge 240 FINIS 2 Tim. 2.4 Doct. Gen. 22 1â— Judg. 17. v. 2 37. Joh. 7.13 2 Sam. 2.22 Job 13.15 Heb. 2. Doct. John 17. Rom. 8. Ps 138.2 Act 16.14 Isa 48.17 Rom. 9.16 Doct. Mat. 8.2 Doct. Zech. 3. Psal 91.1 Observ Observ Jer. 23.32 Gen. 3.21 Jude 20. 1 Pet. 1.3 Tit. 1.1 Eph. 4.24 Vse Heb. 12.1 Acts 1.4 Ioh. 15.2 Rom. 5.3 Vse Doct. 1 Thes 5.16 17. 1 Pet. 1.13 Luke 4.13 Ps 119.99 2 Pet. 1.11 Doct. Ezek. 1.2 6 8. 1 Sam 24 1. 1 Sam. 13.3 Mat. 4 4 5 Pro. 30.19 Deut. 18.17 Numb 16 2 19. Numb 16 3 19 2. Cor. 10.10 Answ 1. Pro. 19.22 2 Cor. 2.11 2 Chro. 33 12. Acts 5.31 Zech. 12.10 Acts 2.37 2 Co. 5.11 1 Joh. 3.21 1 Sam. 16.7 Deut. 25.19 Psal 77. Answ 1. Joh. 14.30 Ps 19.13 1 Kings 22.35 Rom. 3.24 Rom. 4.5 Rom. 14.1 Heb. 13.5 Judg. 5.25 Doct. 2 Cor. 12.9 Jam. 5.11 Peâ—s 1. Isa 10.5 Ps 17.13 Isa 10.15 Joh. 21.15 2 Sam. 21. Doct. Acts 7.51 Ezek. 2.5 Isa 44.25 * Mic. 6.9 Heb 12 1â— Vse Doct. Mal. 3.1 2 Sam. 3.26 Isa 10.7 Tit. 2.12 1 Cor. 15.24.25 Doct. 1. Vse Mat. 11.28 Iâ—… 11.10 Heb. 2.14 15. Heb. 4.15 Phil. 1.29 Heb. 11.3 Luke 15. Doct. 2. Job 36. Prov. 1.21 22 23. Doct. 2. Heb. 3.10 Vse Job 33.17.19 1 Sam. 17.28 Vse Job 9.21 Luke 10.12 * See Dr. Gouge oâ— the place Doct. Gen. 33.9 11. Doct. Ezek. 18. Doct. Heb. 12.11 Jud. 2.15 Dan. 4.31 33. Doct. 2. Doct. 1. Rom. 13.10 Vse Doct. 2. Vse Doct. 3. Heb. 13.5 2 Cor. 2.17 Jer. 37.10 Lev. 26. Dan. 11.25 Cant. 1.12
a spiritual war you shall reade of and that not a history of what was fought many ages past and is now over but of what now is doing the Tragedy is at present acting and that not at the furthest end of the world but what concernes thee and every one that reades it The stage whereon this war is fought is every mans own soul Here is no Neuter in this war the whole world is engaged in the quarrel either for God against Satan or for Satan against God It was a great question some yeares past Who are you for The not giving a good account to which hath cost many a life O my dear friends think solemnly what answer you meane to give to God and conscience when they in a dying houre shall ask every one of you Who art thou for 'T is an incomparable mercy that you are yet where you may choose your side It will not be ever so may be not a day to an end If once in another world you must then stand to your colours yet you may run from the Devils quarters and be taken into Christs pay The Drum beats in the Gospel for Voluntiers O the Lord make you willing in the day of his power I know you all would be on the surest side O what can you be sure of while under the devils Ensigne but damnation The curse of God cleavs to him and all that takes part with him O let not the little plunder spoil of sinful pleasures and pelf bewitch you still to follow his Camp What is that souldier better for his booty he gets in a fight who before he can get off with it is himself slain upon the place so many have been served in these wars if reports be true 'T is that thou must certainly look for The piece is charg'd and aime taken at thy breast which will be thy eternal death if thou persistest Gods threatenings will go off at last and then where art thou where but in hell where thy wedge of gold and Babylonish garment thy wages of unrighteousnesse will do thee little stead O Neighbours I am loath to leave you in the way where Gods bullets flie but I must have a word for you my Christian friends who have espoused Christs quarrel and are in the field against Satan My heart is towards you who have thus willingly offered your selves among the Lords people to his help against the mighty He can destroy him without you but he takes your love as kindly as if he could not God hath sent me as Jesse did David with this little present to you and the rest of my Brethren that are in his Camp May it be but to the strengthening of your hearts and hands in fighting the Lords battels and I shall blesse God that put it into my heart thus to visit you O hold on dear friends in your Christian warfare let none take the crown from you Whet your courage at the throne of grace from whence all your recruits of soule-strength come Send faith oft up the hill of the Promise to see and bring you the certain newes of Christs coming to you yea for you and assured victory with him Reade the exploits which Christs Worthies by faith have done and in their Conquests reade your own for in them he spake with us as the Prophet of Jacob. Be thankful for every victory you get and let not the houling wildernesse yet before you put the song of your praises for temptations past out of tune yet rejoyce with trembling as those who are still in your enemies countrey and must keep by the sword what you get by the sword Be sure you stand in close order amongst your selves These times give us too many sad examples of such who first fell from communion with their Brethren and then into the devourers hand straglers are soon snap't you will finde you are safest in a body Take heed of a private spirit let not only your particular safety but of the whole Army of Saints be in your eye and care especially that company in which you march Congregation I mean that souldier which can see an enemy in fight with his brethren and not help them he makes â—t but the more easie for the enemy to slay himself at last Say not therefore Am I my brothers Keeper God would not keep him that cared not to keep his brother Watch over one another not to play the Criticks on your brothers failings and triumph when he halts but to help him up if he falls or if possible to keep him from falling by a timely rescue as Abishai came to Davids succour Keep your rank and file We see what advantage Satan hath got in these loose times since we have learnt to fight him out of order and the private souldier Christian I mean hath taken the officers work out of his hands Harden your selves against the scandals which the cowardize and treachery of false brethren hath given you He is the right souldier that is not discouraged by those that run from or that are slain in the battel but still presseth on to victory though he goes to it over the backs of others that are killed upon the place In a word Disintangle your hearts what you can from the love of and distracting cares for this present world No man that warreth intangleth himself with the affaires of this life that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a souldier 2 Tim. 2.4 If it behoves any to have their Will ready made and their worldly interests set at some stay then surely the souldier if any souldier then the Christian Get but once your hearts mortified to the world and care rolled upon God for name estate and relations here and then you are fit to march whereever Christ will lead you The want of this hath made many run home to save their own private stake there when they should have been in the field for Christ And now my Christian friends march on not in the confidence of your Armour but in the power of his might who hath promised shortly to subdue Satan under your feet I have done only I must crave pardon of you for rending this part of the Treatise from the other which neither my little strength or leisure would suffer me to grasp at once But this having first put forth its hand in preaching can make no great breach upon that though it get the start a little in printing Let me therefore dear friends if God shall make this imperfect birth any way serviceable to your faith humbly desire that you would as continue to strive at the throne of grace for a blessing on my poor Ministery among you so also lift up a prayer that strength may be given to bring forth what of this yet is undeliver'd I do not send you thither where I intend not to meet you but shall desire grace to be found faithful in striving with you and for you that amongst
nothing more poor and dastard-like Such a one is as great a stranger to this enterprise as the craven souldier is to the exploits of a valiant Chieftain The Christian in prayer comes up close to God with an humble boldnesse of faith and takes hold of him wrestles with him yea will not let him go without a blessing and all this in the face of his own sins and divine justice which let flie upon him from the fiery mouth of the Law while the others boldness in prayer is but the childe either of ignorance in his minde or hardnesse in his heart whereby not feeling his sins and not knowing his danger he rushes upon duty with a blinde confidence which soon quails when conscience awakes and gives him the alarâ—m that his sins are upon him as the Philistines on Samson alas then in a fright the poor-spirited wretch throwes down his weapon flies the presence of God with guilty Adam and dares not look him on the face Indeed there is no duty in a Christians whole course of walking with God or acting for God but is lined with many difficulties which shoot like enemies through the hedges at the Christian whilest he is marching toward Heaven so that he is put to dispute every inch of ground as he goes They are only a few noble-spirited soules who dare take Heaven by force that are fit for this calling For the further proof of this Point see some few pieces of service that every Christian engageth in First the Christian is to proclaim and prosecute an irreconcileable war against his bosome-sins those sins which have layen nearest his heart must now be trampled under his feet So David I have kept my self from my iniquity Now what courage and resolution doth this require you think Abraham was tried to purpose when called to take his son his son Isaac his only son whom he loved and offer him up with his own hands and no other yet what was that to this Soul take thy lust thy only lust which is the childe of thy dearest love thy Isaac the sin which hath caused most joy and laughter from which thou hast promised thy self the greatest return of pleasure or profit as ever thou lookest to see my face with comfort lay hands on it and offer it up poure out the blood of it before me run the sacrificing knife of mortification into the very heart of it and this freely joyfully for it is no pleasing sacrifice that is offered with a countenance cast down and all this now before thou hast one embrace more from it Truly this is a hard chapter flesh and blood cannot bear this saying our lust will not lie so patiently on the Altar as Isaac or as a Lambe that is brought to the slaughter which is dumb but will roar and shreek yea even shake and rend the heart with their hideous out-cries Who is able to expresse the conflicts the wrestlings the convulsions of Spirit the Christian feels before he can bring his heart to this work or who can fully set forth the Art the Rhetorical insinuations which such a lust will plead with for its life one while Satan will extenuate and mince the matter It is but a little one O spare it and thy soule shall live for all that Another while he flatters the soul with the secrecy of it Thou mayest keep me and thy credit also I will not be seen abroad in thy company to shame thee among thy neighbours shut me up in the most retired room thou hast in thy heart from the hearing of others if thou wilt only let me now and then have the wanton embraces of thy thoughts and affections in secret if that cannot be granted then Satan will seem only to desire execution may be stayed a while as Jephtha's daughter of her father Let me alone a monthor two and then do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth well knowing few such reprieved lusts but at last obtain their full pardon yea recover their favour with the soule Now what resolution doth it require to break through such violence and importunity and notwithstanding all this to do present execution Here the valiant Sword-men of the world have shewed themselves meer cowards who have come out of the field with victorious banners and then lived yea died slaves to a base lust at home As one could say of a great Romane Captain who as he rode in his triumphant Chariot through Rome had his eye never off a Courtizan that walk't along the street Behold how this goodly Captain that conquered such potent Armies is himself conquered by one silly woman Secondly the Christian is to walk singularly not after the worlds guise Rom. 12.2 we are commanded not to be conformed to this world that is not to accommodate our selves to the corrupt customes of the world The Christian must not be of such a complying nature to cut the coat of his Profession according to the fashion of the times or the humour of the company he falls into like that Courtier who being ask't how he could keep his preferment in such changing times which one while had a Prince for Popery another while against Popery answered he was Esalice non ex quercu ortus he was not a stubborn oake but bending osier that could yield to the winde No the Christian must stand fixt to his principles and not change his habit but freely shew what Country-man he is by his holy constancy in the truth Now what an odium what snares what dangers doth this singularity expose the Christian to Some will hoot and mock him as one in a Spanish fashion would be laugh't at in your streets Thus Michal flouted David Indeed the world counts the Christian for his singularity of life the only foole which I have thought gave the first occasion to that nick-name whereby men commonly expresse a silly man or a fool Such a one say they is a meer Abraham that is in the worlds account a foole But why an Abraham because Abraham did that which carnal reason the worlds idol laughs at as meere folly he left a present estate in his fathers house to go he know not whither to receive an inheritance he knew not when And truly luch fooles all the Saints are branded for by the wise world You know the man and his communication said Jehu to his companions asking what that mad fellow came for who was no other then a Prophet 2 Kings 9.11 Now this requires courage to despise the shame which the Christian must expect to meete withal for his singularity Shame is that which proud nature most disdaines to avoid which many durst not confesse Christ openly many lose heaven because they are ashamed to go in a fooles coat thither Again as some will mock so others will persecute to death meerly for this non-conformity in the Christians principles and practices to them This was the trap laid for the three children they
of God except thou canst prove thy pedigree by this heroick spirit to dare to be holy in spite of men and devils The Eagle tries her young ones by the Sun Christ tries his children by their courage that dare look on the face of death and danger for his sake Mark 8.34 35. O how uncomly a sight is it a bold sinner and a fearful Saint one resolved to be wicked and a Christian wavering in his holy course to see guilt put innocency to flight and hell keep the field impudently braving it with displayed banners of open profanenesse and Saints to hide their colours for shame or run from them for feare who should rather wrap themselves in them and die upon the place then thus betray the glorious Name of God which is called upon by them to the scorne of the uncircumcised Take heart therefore O ye Saints and be strong your cause is good God himself espouseth your quarrel who hath appointed you his own Son General of the field called The Captain of our salvation He shall lead you on with courage and bring you off with honour He lived and died for you he will live and die with you for mercy and tendernesse to his souldiers none like him Trajan 't is said rent his clothes to binde up his souldiers wounds Christ poured out his blood as balm to heal his Saints wounds teares of his flesh to binde them up For prowesse none to compare with him he never turn'd his head from danger no not when hells malice and heavens justice appeared in field against him Knowing all that should come upon him went forth and said Whom seek ye John 18.4 For successe insuperable he never lost battel even when he lost his life he wan the field carrying the spoiles thereof in the triumphant chariot of his Ascension to heaven with him where he makes an open shew of them to the unspeakable joy of Saints and Angels You march in the midst of gallant spirits your fellow-souldiers every one the Son of a Prince Behold some enduring with you here below a great fight of afflictions and temptations take heaven by storme and force Others you may see after many assaults repulses and rallyings of their faith and patience got upon the walls of heaven Conquerours from whence they do as it were look down and call you their fellow-brethren on earth to march up the hill after them crying aloud Fall on and the city is your own as now it is ours who for a few dayes conflict are now crowned with heavens glory one moments enjoyment of which hath dried up all our teares healed all our wounds and made us forget the sharpnesse of the fight with the joy of our present victory In a word Christians God and Angels are Spectatours observing how you quit your selves like children of the most High every exploit your faith doth against sin and Satan causeth a shout in heaven while you valiantly prostrate this temptation scale that difficulty regain the other ground you even now lost out of your enemies hands Your deare Saviour who stands by with a reserve for your relief at a pinch his very heart leaps within him for joy to see the proof of your love to him and zeal for him in all your combates and will not forget all the faithful service you have done in his wars on earth but when thou comest out of the field will receive thee with the like joy as he was entertained himself at his return to heaven of his Father Now Christian if thou meanest thus couragiously to bear up against all opposition in thy march to heaven as thou shouldest do well to raise thy spirit with such generous and soul-ennobling thoughts so in an especial manner look thy principles be well fixt or else thy heart will be unstable and an unstable heart is weak as water it cannot excel in courage Two things are required to fix our principles First an established judgement in the truth of God He that knows not well what or whom he fights for may soon be perswaded to change his side or at least stand Neuter such may be found that go for Professours that can hardly give an account what they hope for or whom they hope in yet Christians they must be thought though they run before they know their errand or if they have some principles they go upon they are so unsetled that every winde blowes them down like loose tyles from the house top Blinde zeale is soon put to a shameful retreat while holy resolution built on fast principles lifts up its head like a rock in the midst of the waves Those that know their God shall be strong and do exploits Dan. 11.32 The Angel told Daniel who were the men that would stand to their tackling and bear up for God in that houre both of temptation and persecution which should be brought upon them by Antiochus not all the Jewes some of them should be corrupt barely by flatteries others scared by threats out of their Profession only a few of fixed principles who knew their God whom they served and were grounded in their Religion these should be strong and do exploits that is to flatteries they should be incorruptible and to power and force unconquerable Secondly a sincere aime at the right end in our Profession Let a man be never so knowing in the things of Christ if his aime be not right in his Profession that mans principles will hang loose he 'll not venture much or far for Christ no more no further then he can save his own stake A hypocrite may shew some mettal at hand some courage for a spurt in conquering some difficulties but he 'll shew himself a jade at length He that hath a false end in his Profession will soon come to an end of his Profession when he is pinch't on that toe where his corn is I meane called to deny that his naughty heart aimed at all this while now his heart sailes him he can go no further O take heed of this squint eye to our profit pleasure honour or any thing beneath Christ and heaven for they will take away your heart as the Prophet saith of wine and women that is our love and if our love be taken away there will be little courage left for Christ How couragious was Jehu at first and he tells the world it is zeale for God but why doth his heart faile him then before half his work be done his heart was never right set that very thing that stirr'd up hâ—s zeal at first at last quench't and cow'd it and that was his ambition his desire of a Kingdom made him zealous against Ahabs house to cut off them who might in time justle him besides the throne which done and he quietly setled he dare not go through-stitch with Gods work lest he should lose what he got by provoking the people with a thorough information Like some souldiers when once they meet with a rich
this Point will fall in under the next which is CHAP. IV. Of acting our faith on the Almighty Power of God as engaged for our help THat it is the Saints duty and should be their care not only to believe God Almighty but also strongly to believe that this Almighty Power of God is theirs that is engaged for their defence and help so as to make use of it in all straits and temptations SECT I. First I shall prove that the Almighty Power of God is engaged for the Christians defence with the grounds of it Secondly why the Christian should strongly act his faith on this First the Almighty Power of God is engaged for the Saints defence God brought Israel out of Egypt with an high hand but did he set them down on the other side the Red-sea to finde and force their way to Canaan by their own policie or power When he had opened the iron gate of their house of bondage and brought them into the open fields did he vanish as the Angel from Peter when out of prison No as a man carries his son so the Lord bare them in all the way they went Deut. 1.31 This doth lively set forth the Saints march to heaven God brings a soule out of spiritual Egypt by his converting grace that is the day of his power wherein he makes the soule willing to come out of Satans clutches Now when the Saint is upon his march all the countrey riseth upon him How shall this poore creature passe the pikes and get safely by all his enemies borders God himself infolds him in the arme of his everlasting strength We are kept by the Power of God through faith unto salvation 1 Pet. 1.5 The Power of God is that shoulder on which Christ carries his sheep home rejoycing all the way he goes Luke 15.5 These everlasting armes of his strength are those Eagles wings upon which the Saints are both tenderly and securely conveyed to glory Exod. 19.4 There is a five fold tie or engagement that lies upon Gods power to be the Saints life-guard First the near relation he hath to his Saints they are his own dear children every one takes care of his own the silly Hen how doth she bussle and bestir her self to gather her brood under her wing when the Kite appears No care like that which Nature teacheth How much more will God who is the Father of such dispositions in his creature stir up his whole strength to defend his children He said They are my people so be became their Saviour Isa 33.8 As if God had said Shall I sit still with my hand in my bosome while my own people are thus misused before my face I cannot beare it The Mother as she sits in her house heares one shreek and knowes the voice cries out O 't is my childe away she throws all and runs to him Thus God takes the alarm of his childrens cry I heard Ephraim bemoaning himself saith the Lord his cry pierced his eare and his eare affected his bowels and his bowels call'd up his power to the rescue of him Secondly the dear love he beareth to his Saints engageth his power He that hath Gods heart cannot want his arme Love in the creature commands all the other affections sets all the powers of the whole man on work thus in God love sets all his other attributes on work when God once pitch't his thoughts of doing good to lost man then wisdom fell on projecting the way Almighty power that undertook to raise the fabrick according to wisdomes modell All are ready to effect what God saith he likes Now the believing soule is an object of Gods choicest love even the same with which he loves his Son John 17.26 First God loves the believer as the birth of his everlasting counsel when a soul believes then Gods eternal purpose and counsel concerning him whom he chose in Christ before the foundation of the world and with whom his thoughts went so long big brings forth And how must God needs love that creature whom he carried so long in the wombe of his eternal purpose This goodly Fabrick of heaven and earth had not been built but as a stage whereon he would in time act what he decreed in heaven of old concerning the saving of thee and a few more his Elect and therefore according to the same rate of delight with which God pleased and entertained himself in the thoughts of this before the world was must he needs rejoyce over the soule now believing with love and complacency unconceivable and God having brought his counsel thus far towards its issue surely will raise all the power he hath rather then be disappointed of his glory within a few steps of home I mean his whole design in the believers salvation The Lord who hath chosen his Saints as Christ prayes for Joshua their representative will rebuke Satan and all their enemies Secondly God loves his Saints as the purchase of his Sons blood they cost him dear and that which is so hardly got shall not be easily lost He that was willing to expend his Sons blood to gain them will not deny his power to keep them Thirdly God loves the Saints for their likenesse to himselfe so that if he loves himself he cannot but love himself appearing in them and as he loves himself in them so he defends himself in defending them What is it in a Saint that enrageth hell but the image of God without which the war would soon be at an end It is the hatred the Panther hath to man that makes him flie at his picture For thy sake we are slain all the day long and if the quarrel be Gods surely the Saint shall not go forth to war at his own cost Thirdly the Covenant engageth Gods Almighty power Gen. 17.1 I am the Almighty God walk before me There is a League offensive and defensive between God and his Saints he gives it under his hand that he will put forth the whole power of his Godhead for them 1 Chron. 17.24 The Lord of Hostes is the God of Israel even a God to Israel God doth not parcel himself out by retaile but gives his Saints leave to challenge whatever a God hath as theirs and let him whoever he is sit in Gods throne and take away his crown that can fasten any untruth on the Holy One as his Name is so is his Nature a God keeping Covenant for ever The Promises stand as the mountains about Jerusalem never to be removed the weak as wel as the strong Christian is within this line of Communication Were Saints to fight it out in open field by the strength of their own grace then the strong were more likely to stand and the weak to fall in battel but both castled in the Covenant are alike safe Fourthly the Saints dependance on God and expectation from God in all their straits oblige his power for their succour whither doth a gracious soule
weak prone to be worsted O how careful will this should this make such a one of every company of every occasion Such a one had not need give his enemie any advantage Secondly God may deny the Christian such assisting strength in duty or mortifying strength of corruption as he desires purely on a gracious design that he may thereby have an advantage of expressing his love in such a way as shall most kindly work upon the ingenuity of the soule to love God again Perhaps Christian thou prayest for a mercy thou wantest or for deliverance out of some great affliction and in the duty thou findest not more assistance then ordinary yea many distractions of spirit in it and mis-giving thoughts with unbelieving feares after it Well notwithstanding those defects in thy duty yet God heares thy prayer and sends in the mercy on purpose that he may greaten his love in thine eye and make it more luscious and sweet to thy taste from his accepting thy weak services and passing by the distempers of thy spirit Here is lesse strength for the duty that thou mayest have more love in the mercy nothing will affect a gracious heart more then such a consideration See it in David Psal 116.11 12. I said in my haste All men are liars What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits towards me As if David had said notwithstanding all the comfortable messages I had from God by his Prophets concerning this matter my own prayers and those remarkable providences which carried in them a partial answer to them and performance of what was promised yet I betray'd much unbelief questioning the truth of the one and the return of the other and hath God notwithstanding all my infirmities fulfill'd my desire and performed his promise O what shall I render unto the Lord Thus David reades Gods mercy through the spectacles of his own weaknesse and infirmity and it appears great whereas if a mercy should come in as an answer to a duty managed with such strength of faith and height of other graces as might free him and his duty from usual infirmities this might prove a snare and occasion some self-applauding rather then mercy-admiring thoughts in the creature Thirdly God may communicate the lesse of his assisting strength that he may shew the more of his supporting strength in upholding weak grace We do not wonder to see a man of strong constitution that eats his bread heartily and sleeps soundly live But for a crazie body full of ailes and infirmities to be so patcht and shored up by the Physicians Art that he stands to old age this begets some wonder in the beholders It may be thou art a poor trembling soule thy faith is weak and thy assaults from Satan strong thy corruptions stirring and active and thy mortifying strength little so that in thy opinion they rather gain ground on thy grace then give ground to it ever and anon thou art ready to think thou shalt be cast as a wrack upon the devils shoare and yet to this day thy grace lives though full of leaks now is it not worth the stepping aside to see this strange sight A broken ship with masts and hull rent and torne thus towed along by Almighty power through an angry sea and Armadoes of sins and devils safely into its harbour To see a poore dilling or rush candle in the face of the boisterous winde and not blown out In a word to see a weak stripling in grace held up in Gods armes till he beats the devil craven This God is doing in upholding thee thou art one of those babes out of whose mouth God is perfecting his praise by ordaining such strength for thee that thou a babe in grace shalt yet foile a giant in wrath and power Thirdly if after long waiting for strength from God it be as thou complainest enquire whether the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which hinders be not found in thy self The head is the seat of animal spirits yet there may be such obstructions in the body as the other members may for a time be deprived of them till the passage be free between Christ thy head and thee thy strength will not come and therefore be willing to enquire First hast thou come indeed to God for strength to performe duty to mortifie corruption and the like perhaps thou wilt say Yes I have waited on those Ordinances which are the way in which he hath promised to give out strength But is this all thou mayest come to them and not wait on God in them Hast thou not carnally expected strength from them and so put the Ordinance as she her husband in Gods stead Hath not the frame of thy spirit some affinity with theirs in James 4.13 We will go into such a city and buy and sell and get gaine Hath not thy heart said I will go and hear such a man and get comfort get strength and doest thou wonder thou art weak barren and unfruitful Are Ordinances God that they should make you strong or comfortable Thou mayest heare them answer thee poor soul as the King to the woman in the siege of Samaria Help O prayer sayest thou or O Minister How can they help except the Lord help These are but Christs servants Christ keeps the Key of his wine-cellar they cannot so much as make you drink when you come to their Masters house and therefore poor soul stay not short of Christ but presse through all the croud of Ordinances and ask to speak with Jesus to see Jesus and touch him and vertue will come forth Secondly ask thy soule whether thou hast been thankful for that little strength thou hast though thou art not of that strength in grace to run with the foremost and hold pace with the tallest of thy brethren yet art thou thankful that thou hast any strength at all though it be but to cry after them whom thou seest out-strip thee in grace this is worth thy thanks All in Davids army attained not to be equal with his few Worthies in prowesse and honour and yet did not cashiere themselves thou hast reason to be thankful for the meanest place in the army of Saints the least communications of Gospel mercy and grace must not be over-look't Assoon as ever Moses with his army was through the sea they strike up before they stir from the bank-side and acknowledge the wonderful appearance of Gods power and mercy for them though this was but one step in their way a howling wildernesse presented it self to them and they not able to subsist a few dayes with all their provision for all their great victory yet Moses he will praise God for this handsel of mercy This holy man knew the only way to keep credit with God so as to have more was to keep touch and pay down his praise for what was received If thou wouldest have fuller communications of divine strength owne God in what he hath done Art thou weak
concerning some truth or promise but then hath a spiritual eye which the Christlesse person wants and so is darknesse And this darknesse cannot be enlightened but by its union with Christ which is exprest in the following phrase But now are ye light in the Lord. As the eye of the body once put out can never be restored by the creatures Art so neither can the spiritual eye lost by Adams sin be restored by the teaching of men or Angels It is one of the diseases which Christ came to cure Luke 4.18 'T is true there is a light of reason which is imparted to every man by nature but this light is darknesse compared with the Saints As the night is dark to the day even when the moon is in its full glory This night-light of Reason may save a person from some ditch or pond great and broad sins but it will never help him to escape the more secret corruptions which the Saint sees like atomes in the beams of spiritual knowledge There is such curious work the creature is to do which cannot be wrought by candle-light of natural knowledge Nay more where the common illumination of the Spirit is superadded to this light of nature yet that is darknesse compar'd with the sanctifying knowledge of a renewed soule which doth both discover spiritual truths and warme the heart at the same time with the love of truth having like the Sun a prolifical and quickening vertue which the other wants so that the heart lies under such common illuminations cold and dead He hath no more strength to resist Satan then if he knew not the command whereas the Christians knowledge even when taken Prisoner by a temptation pursues and brings back the soul as Abraham his Nephew out of the enemies hands which hints the third Thirdly the Christlesse state is a state of impotency Rom. 5. When we were without strength Christ came to die for the ungodly What can a disarm'd people that have not sword or gun do to shake off the yoke of a conquering enemie Such a power hath Satan over the soule Luke 11.21 he is call'd the strong man that keeps the soule as his Palace If he hath no disturbance from heaven he need feare no mutiny within he keeps all in peace there What the Spirit of God doth in a Saint that in a manner doth Satan in a sinner The Spirit fills the heart of his with love joy holy desires feares so Satan fills the sinners heart with pride lust lying Why hath Satan filled thy heart saith Peter And thus fill'd with Satan as the drunkard with wine he is not his own man but Satans slave Fourthly the state of unregeneracy is a state of friendship with sin and Satan If it be enmity against God as it is then friendship with Satan Now it will be hard to make that soule fight in earnest against his friend Is Satan divided will the devil within fight against the devil without Satan in the heart shut out Satan at the door sometimes indeed there appears a scuffle between Satan and a carnal heart but it is a meer cheat like the fighting of two fencers on a stage you would think at first they were in earnest but observing how wary they are where they hit one another you may soon know they do not mean to kill and that which puts all out of doubt when the prize is done you shall see them making merry together with what they have got of their Spectatours which was all they fought for when a carnal heart makes the greatest bussle against sin by complaining of it or praying against it follow him but off the stage of duty where he hath gained the reputation of a Saint the prize he fights for and you shall see them sit as friendly together in a corner as ever Vse 1 First this takes away the wonder of Satans great Conquests in the world when you look abroad and see his vast Empire and what a little spot of ground contains Christs subjects what heaps of precious souls lie prostrate under this foot of pride and what a little regiment of Saints march under Christs banner perhaps the strangenesse of the thing may make you ask Is hell stronger then heaven the armes of Satan more victorious then the Crosse of Christ No such matter Consider but this one thing and you will wonder that Christ hath any to follow him rather then that he hath so few Satan findes the world unarm'd when the Prince of the world comes he findes nothing to oppose the whole soule is in a disposition to yield at first summons and if Conscience Governour for God in the creature stands out a while all the other powers as will and affections are in a discontent like mutinous souldiers in a garrison who never rest till they have brought over conscience to yield or against its command set open the City gate to the enemie and so deliver traiterously their conscience prisoner to their lusts But when Christ comes to demand the soul he meets a scornful answer Depart from us we desire not the knowledge of the most High We will not have this man to reign over us With one consent they vote against him and rise up as the Philistines against Samson whom they call'd the Destroyer of the countrey Ye will not come unto me saith Christ O how true are poor sinners to the devils trust They will not deliver the Castle they hold for Satan till fired over their heads Pharaoh opposeth Moses on one hand and Israel cry out upon him on the other Such measure hath Christ both at Satans hand and the sinners That which lessened Alexanders Conquests was he overcame a people buried in barbarisme without armes or discipline of war and that which heightened Cesars though not so many he overcame a people more warlike and furnish't Satans victories are of poor ignorant gracelesse souls who have neither armes nor hands nor hearts to oppose but when he assaults a Saint then he sits down before a city with gates and bars and ever riseth with shame unable to take the weakest hold to pluck the weakest Saint out of Christs hands but Christ brings souls out of his dominion with a high hand in spite of all the force and fury of hell which like Pharaoh and his hoste pursue them Vse 2 Secondly this gives us a reason why the devil hath so great a spite against the Gospel Why because this opens a magazine of armes and furniture for the soule the Word is that Tower of David Cant. 4.4 built for an Armourie wherein there hang a thousand bucklers all the shields of mighty men Hence the Saints have ever had their armour and the preaching of the Gospel unlocks it As Gospel-light ascends so Satans shady Kingdom of darknesse vanisheth Rev. 14.6 there one Angel comes forth to preach the everlasting Gospel and another Angel followes at his back verse 8. crying Victoria Babylon is fallen is fallen The very first
Apostle Peter in his second Epistle chap. 1. ver 5 6 7. presseth the Christian to a joynt endeavour to encrease the whole body of grace indeed that is health when the whole body thrives Adde saith he to your faith vertue Faith is the file-leading grace Well hast thou faith adde vertue True faith is of a working stirring nature without good works it is dead or dying Fides pinguescit operibus Luther 'T is kept in plight and heart by a holy life as the flesh which plaisters over the frame of mans body though it receives its heat from the vitals within yet helps to preserve the very life of those vitals thus good works and gracious actions have their life from faith yet are necessary helps to preserve the life of faith thus we see sometimes the childe nursing the Parent that bare it and therein performes but his duty Thou art fruitful in good works yet thou art not out of the devils shot except thou addest to thy vertue knowledge This is the candle without which faith cannot see to do its work Art thou going to give an almes if it be not oculata charitas if charity hath not this eye of knowledge to direct when how what and to whom thou art to give thou mayest at once wrong God the person thou relievest and thy self Art thou humbling thy selfe for thy sin for want of knowledge in the tenour of the Gospel Satan may play upon thy ignorance and either perswade thee thou art not humbled enough when God knowes thou art almost quackled with thy teares and even carried down by the impetuous torrent of thy sorrow into despair or else shewing thee thy blubber'd face may flatter thee into a carnal confidence of thy humiliation Perhaps thou seest the Name of God dishonoured in the place where thou livest and thy spirit is stirred within thee as Pauls at Athens now if knowledge sits not in the saddle to reine and bridle in thy zeal thou wilt be soon carried over hedge and ditch till thou fallest into some precipice or other by thy irregular acting Neither is knowledge enough except thou beest arm'd with Temperance which here I conceive is that grace whereby the Christian as Master of his own house so orders his affections like servants to reason and faith that they do not irregularly move or inordinately lash out into desires of cares for or joy in the creature-comforts of this life without which Satan will be too hard for thee The Historian tells us that in one of the famous battels between the English and French that which lost the French the day was a shower of English arrowes which did so gall their horse as put the whole army into disorder their horse knowing no ranks did tread down their own men The affections are but as the horse to the Rider on which knowledge should be mounted if Satans barbed arrows light on them so that thy desires of the creature prove unruly and justle with thy desires of Christ thy care to keepe thy credit or estate put thy care to keep a good conscience to disorder and thy carnal joy in wife and childe trample down or get before thy joy in the Lord judge on which side victory is like to fal Well suppose thou marchest provided thus far in goodly array towards heaven while thou art swimming in prosperity most thou not also prepare for foule way and weather I mean an afflicted estate Satan will line the hedges with a thousand temptations when thou comest into the narrow lanes of adversity where thou canst not run from this sort of temptation as in the Champaigne of prosperity Possibly thou that didst escape the snare of an alluring world mayest be dismounted by the same when it frownes though temperance kept thee from being drunk with the sweet wines of those pleasures yet for want of patience thou mayest be drunk with the wine of astonishment which is in afflictions hand therefore saith the Apostle to temperance adde patience either possesse thy self in patience or else some raving devil of discontent will possesse thee An impatient soule in affliction is a bedlam in chains yea too like the devil in his chaines that rageth against God while he is fettered by him Well hast thou patience an excellent grace indeed but not enough thou must be a pious man as well as a patient Therefore saith the Apostle to patience adde godlinesse There is an atheistical stupid patience and there is a godly Christian patience Satan numbs the conscience of the one and no wonder he complains not that feels not but the Spirit of Christ sweetly calmes the other not by taking away the sense of paine but by overcoming it with the sense of his love Now godlinesse comprehends the whole worship of God inward and outward If thou beest never so exact in thy morals and not a worshipper of God then thou art an Atheist If thou doest worship God and that devoutly but not by Scripture-rule thou art an idolater If according to the rule but not in Spirit and truth then thou art an hypocrite and so fallest into the devils mouth Or if thou doest give God one piece of his worship and denyest another still Satan comes to his market Prov. 28.9 He that turneth back his eare from hearing the Law his prayer is an abomination to the Lord. Yet Christian all thy Armour is not on Thy godlinesse indeed would suffice wert thou to live in a world by thy self or hadst nothing to do but immediate communion with God But Christian thou must not always dwell on this mount of immediate worship and when thou descendest thou hast many brethren and servants to thy Father who live with thee in the same family and thou must comport thy self becomingly or else thy Father will be angry First thou hast brethren heires of the same promise with thee therefore you must adde to godlinesse brotherly kindnesse If Satan can set you at odds he gives a deep wound to your godlinesse You will hardly joyne hearts in a duty that cannot joyne hands in love Secondly there are not only brethren but servants a multitude of profane carnal ones who though they never had the names of sons and daughters yet retain to Gods family and thy heavenly Father will have thee walk unblameably yea winningly to those that are without which that thou mayest do thou must adde to brotherly kindnesse charity by which grace thou shalt be willing to do good to the worst of men when they curse thee thou must pray for them yea pray for no lesse then a Christ a heaven for them Father forgive them said Christ while they were raking in his side for his heart-blood And truly I am perswaded the want of this last piece of armour hath given Satan great advantage in these our times We are so afraid our charity should be too broad whereas in this sense if it be not as wide as the world it is too strait for the
dregs of carnal passions which Satan knows and therefore chooseth to stir what he sees troubled already Secondly when the Saint is beset with some great affliction This is as some blinde lane or solitary place fit for this thief to call for his purse in An expert Captain first labours to make a breach in the wall and then falls on instorming the City Satan first got power from God to weaken Job in his estate children health and other comforts he had and now tempts him to impatience and what not he le ts Christ fast fourty dayes before he comes and then he falls to his work as an army stayes till a Castle be pinch't for provision within and then sends a parley never more likely to be embraced then in such a strait A temptation comes strong when the way to relief seems to lie through the sin that Satan is wooing to when one is poor and Satan comes What wilt starve rather then step over the hedge and steal for thy supply this is enough to put flesh and blood to the stand Thirdly when the Christian is about some notable enterprize for Gods glory then Satan will lie like a Serpent in the way an Adder in the path that biteth his horse-heels so that his Rider shall fall backward Thus he stood at Joshua's right hand to resist him The right hand is the working hand and his standing there implies his desire to hinder him in his enterprize Indeed the devil was never friend to Temple-work and therefore that work is so long a doing What a handsom excuse doth he help the Jews unto The time is not come Gods time was come but not the devils and therefore he helps them to this poor shift perverting the sense of Providence as if it were not time because they were so poor whereas they thrive no better because they went no sooner about the work as God tells them plainly Paul and Barnabas had a holy design in their thoughts to go visit the brethren in every City and strengthen their faith the devil knew what a blow this might give to his Kingdome their visiting might hinder him in his Circuit and he stirs up an unhappy difference between these two holy men who grow so hot that they part in this storme Acts 15.30 There were two remarkable periods of Christs life his Intrat and Exit his entrance into his publick Ministery at his Baptisme and his finishing it at his passion and at both we have the devil fiercely encountring him The more publick thy place Christian and the more eminent thy service for God the more thou must look that the devil will have some more dangerous design or other against thee and therefore if every private souldier needs armour against Satans bullets of temptation then the Commanders and Officers who stand in the front of the battel much more Fourthly when he hath the presence of some object to enforce his temptation Thus he takes Eve when she is near the tree and had it in her eye while he should make the motion that assaulting two Ports at once it might be the harder for her to hinder the landing of his temptation and if Eves eye did so soon affect her heart with an inordinate desire then much more now is it easie for him by the presence of the object to excite and actuate that lust which lies dormant in the heart As Naomi sent her daughter to lie at Boaz his feet knowing well if he endured her there there were hope he might take her into his bed at last If the Christian can let the object come so near Satan will promise himself his suit may in time be granted Therefore it should be our care if we would not yield to the sin not to walk by or sit at the door of the occasion Look not on that beauty with a wandring eye by which thou wouldest not be taken Prisoner parley not with that in thy thoughts which thou meanest not to let into thy heart conversation begets affection some by this have been brought to marry those whom at first they thought they could not have liked Fifthly after great manifestations of Gods love then the Tempter comes Such is the weak constitution of grace that it can neither well bear smiles or frowns from God without a snare As one said of our English Nation Totam nec pati potest libertatem nec servitutem It cannot well bear liberty nor bondage in the height So neither can the soule if God smile and opens himself a little familiarly to us then we are prone to grow high and wanton if he frown then we sink as much in our faith thus the one like faire weather and warme gleams bring up the weeds of corruption and the other lâ—ke sharp frosts nip and even kill the flowers of grace the Christian is in danger on both hands therefore Satan takes this advantage when the Christian is flush of comfort even as a cheater who strikes in with some young heire when he hath newly received his rents and never leaves till he hath eased him of his money thus Satan lies upon the catch then to inveigle a Saint into one sin or other which he knows will soon leak out his joy Had ever any a larger testimony from Heaven then Peter Matth. 16.17 where Christ pronounceth him blessed and puts a singular honour upon him making him the Representative for all his Saints No doubt this favour to Peter stirred up the envious spirit the sooner to fall upon him If Josephs party-coloured coat made the Patriarchs to plot against him their brother no wonder malice should prompt Satan to shew his spite where Christ had set such a mark of love and honour and therefore we finde him soon at Peters elbowe making him his instrument to tempt his Master who soon espied his cloven foot and rebukes Peter with a Get thee behinde me Satan He that seem'd a Rock even now through Satans policy is laid as a stone of offence for Christ to stumble at So David when he had received such wonderful mercies setled in his throne with the ruine of his enemies yea pardoned for his bloody sin now ready to lay down his head with peace in the dust Satan chops in to cloud his clear evening and tempts him to number the people so ambitious is Satan then chiefly to throw the Saint into the mire of sin when his coat is cleanest Sixthly at the houre of death when the Saint is down and prostrate in his bodily strength now this coward falls upon him 't is the last cast indeed he hath for the game now or never overcome him now and ever as they say of the natural serpent Nunquam nisi moriens producitur in longum he never is seen at his length till dying so this mystical serpent never strains his wits and wiles more then when his time is thus short The Saint is even stepping into eternity and now he treads upon his heele which
doest not go up to heaven and pry into Gods secrets but heaven comes down to thee and reveals them Again he will ask the Christian what was the time of his Conversion Art thou a Christian will he say and dost thou not know when thou commencedst now keep the Plains content thy self with this that thou seest the streams of grace though the time of thy Conversion be like the head of Nylus not to be found God oft comes betimes before grosse sins have deflowered the soule and steals into the creatures bosome without much noise In such a case Satan doth but abuse thee when he sends thee on this errand you may know the Sun is up though you did not observe when it rose Again what will become of thee saith Satan if God should bring thee into such an affliction on trial when thou must burn or turn or when all thy outward estate shall be rent from thee no meal in the barrel no money in the purse darest thou have so good an opinion of thy selfe as to think that thy faith will hold out in such an houre of temptation It thou hast but half an eye Christian thou mayest see what Satan drives at this is an ensnaring question by the feare of future troubles he labours to bring thee into a neglect of thy present duty and indispose thee also for such a stare whenever it falls If a man hath much businesse to do on the morrow 't is his wisdom to discharge his minde thereof when composing to sleep lest the thoughts thereof break his rest and make him the more unfit in the morning The lesse rest the soule hath in God and his promise concerning future events the lesse strength it will finde to beare them when the pinch comes When therefore thou art molested with such feares pacifie thy heart with these three plain Conclusions First every event is the product of Gods Providence not a sparrow much lesse a Saint falls to the ground by poverty sicknesse persecution c. but the hand of God is in it Secondly God hath put in caution he will never leave thee nor forsake thee He that enables thee in one condition will in another God learns his servants their whole trade Grace is an universal principle At the first moment of thy spiritual life suffering grace was infused as well as praying grace Thirdly God is wise to conceale the succours he intends in the several changes of thy life that so he may draw thy heart into an entire dependance on his faithful promise Thus to try the mettal of Abrahams faith he let him go on till his hand was stretch't forth and then he comes to his rescue Christ sends his disciples to sea but stayes behinde himself on a design to try their faith and shew his love Comfort thy self therefore with this though thou seest not thy God in the way yet thou shalt finde him in the end Secondly Satan perplexeth the tender consciences of doubting Christians with obscure Scriptures whose sense lies too deep for their weak and distempered judgements readily to finde out and with these he hampers poor soules exceedingly indeed as melancholy men delight in melancholy walks so doubting soules most frequent such places of Scripture in their musing thoughts as encrease their doubts how many have I known that have look't so long on those difficult places Heb. 6.7 Heb. 10.26 which passe the understanding as a swift stream the eye so that the sense is not perceived without great observation till their heads have turned round and they at last not able to untie the difficulties have fallen down into despairing thoughts and words of their own condition crying out O they have sinned against knowledge of the truth and therefore no mercy remains for them who if they would have refreshed their understandings by looking off these places whose engraving is too curious to be long pored on by a weak eye they might have found that in other Scriptures plainly exprest which would have enabled them as through a glasse more safely to have viewed these Therefore Christian keepe the Plaines thou mayest be sure 't is thine enemy that gives thee such stones to break thy teeth when thy condition calls rather for bread and wine such Scriptures I mean as are most apt to nourish thy faith and cheere thy drooping spirit When thou meetest such plain Scriptures which speak to thy case go over where it is fordable and do not venture beyond thy depth Art thou afraid because thou hast sinned since the knowledge of the truth and therefore no sacrifice remains for thee See David and Peters case how it patterns thine and left upon record that their recovery may be a Key in thine hand to open such places as these mayest thou not safely conclude from these this is not their meaning that none can be saved that sin after knowledge Indeed in both those places it is neither meant of the falls of such as ever had true grace nor of a falling away in some particular acts of sin but of a total universal falling away from the Faith the doctrine of it as well as seeming practice of it Now if the root of the matter were ever in thee other Scriptures will first comfort thee against those particular apostasies into which thou hast relapsed by sweet promises inviting such to return and Precedents of Saints who have had peace spoken to them after such folly and also they will satisfie thee against the other by giving full security to thy faith that thy little grace shall not die being immortal though not in its proper essence because but a creature yet by Covenant as it is a childe of Promise Thirdly Dark Providences From these Satan disputes against Gods love to and grace in a soule First he got a commission to plunder Job of his temporal estate and bereave him of his chilchildren and then labours to make him question his spiritual estate and sonship his wife would have him entertain hard thoughts of God saying Curse God and die and his friends as hard thoughts of himself as if he were an hypocrite and both upon the same mistake as if such an afflicted condition and a gracious state were inconsistent Now Christian keep the Plaines and neither from this charge God foolishly for thine enemy nor thy self as his Reade the saddest Providence with the Comment of the Word and thou canst not make such an harsh interpretation As God can make a streight line with a crooked stick be righteous when he useth wicked instruments so also gracious when he dispenseth harsh Providences Joseph kept his love when he spake roughly to his brethren I do not wonder that the wicked think they have Gods blessing because they are in the warme Sun Alas they are strangers to Gods counsels void of his Spirit and sensual judging of God and his Providence by the report their present feeling makes of them like little children who think every one loves
of destroying his faith which he aimes at he is the occasion of the refining of it and thereby adding to its strength Secondly the love of tempted Saints is enkindled to Christ by their temptations and foiles in their temptations Possibly in the fit there may seem a damp upon their love as when water is first sprinkled upon the fire but when the Conflict is a little over and the Christian comes to himself his love to Christ will break out like a vehement flame First the shame and sorrow which a gracious soule must needs feele in his bosome for his sinful miscarriage while under the temptation will provoke him to expresse his love to Christ above others as is sweetly set forth in the Spouse who when the cold fit of her distemper was off and the temptation over bestirs her to purpose her lazy sicknesse is turned to love-sicknesse she findes it as hard now to sit as she did before to rise she can rest in no place out of her Beloveds sight but runs and asks every one she meets for him and whence came all this vehemency of her zeale all occasioned by her undutiful carriage to her husband she parted so unkindly with him that bethinking what she had done away she goes to make her peace If sins committed in unregeneracy have such a force upon a gracious soule that the thought of them though pardoned will still break and melt the heart into sorrow as we see in Magdalen and prick on to shew zeal for God above others as in Paul how much more will the sins of a Saint who after sweet acquaintance with Jesus Christ lifts up the heel against that bosome where he hath layen affect yea dissolve the heart as into so many drops of water and that sorrow provoke him to serve God at a higher rate then others No childe so dutiful in all the family as he who is return'd from his rebellion Again secondly as his own shame so the experience which such a one hath of Christs love above others will encrease his love Christs love is fuel to ours Ex iisdem nutrimur quibus constamus as it gives its being so it affords growth It is both Mother and Nurse to our love The more Christ puts forth his love the more heat our love gets and next to Christs dying love none greater then his succouring love in temptation The Mother never hath such advantage to shew her affection to her childe as when in distresse sick poor or imprisoned so neither hath Christ to his children as when tempted yea worsted by temptation When his children lie in Satans prison bleeding under the wounds of their consciences this is the season he takes to give an experiment of his tender heart in pitying his faithfulnesse in praying for them his mindfulnesse in sending succour to them yea his dear love in visiting them by his comforting Spirit Now when the soul hath got off some great temptation and reades the whole history thereof together wherein he findes what his own weaknesse was to resist Satan nay his unfaithfulnesse in complying with Satan which might have provok't Christ to leave him to the fury of Satan now to see both his folly pardoned and ruine graciously prevented and that by no other hand but Christs coming in to his rescue as Abishai to David when that gyant thought to have flaine him This must needs exceedingly endear Christ to the soul At the reading of such records the Christian cannot but enquire as Ahashuerus concerning Mordecai who by discovering a treason had saved the Kings life what honour hath been done to his sweet Saviour for all this And thus Jesus Christ whom Satan thought to bring out of the soules favour and liking comes in the end to sit higher and surer in the Saints affections then ever CHAP. X. A brief Application of the Point in two Branches Vse 1 THis affords a reason why God suffers his dear children to fall into temptation because he is able to out-shoot Satan in his own bowe and in the thing wherein he thinks to out-wit the Christian to be above him God will not only be admired by his Saints in glory for his love in their salvation but for his wisdom in the way to it The love of God in saving them will be the sweet draught at the marriage-feast and the rare wisdom of God in effecting this as the curious workmanship with which the cup shall be enamel'd Now wisdom appears most in untying knots and wading through difficulties The more crosse wards there are in a businesse the more wisdome to fit a key to the lock to make choice of such means as shall meet with the several turnings in the same On purpose therefore doth God suffer such temptations to intervene that his wisdom may be the more admired in opening all these and leading his Saints that way to glory by which Satan thought to have brought them to hell The Israelites are bid remember all the way that God led them in the wildernesse for fourty yeares Deut. 8.2 The History of these warres Christian will be pleasant to reade in heaven though bloody to fight on earth Moses and Elias talk't with Christ on Tabor an Embleme of the sweet communion which shall passe between Christ and his Saints in glory and what was their talk Luke 9.30 but of his death and sufferings It seems a discourse of our sufferings and temptations are not too low a subject for that blisseful state Indeed this left out would make a blemish in the faire face of Heavens glory Could the damned forget the way they went into hell how oft the Spirit of God was wooing and how far they were overcome by the conviction of it in a word how many turnes and returnes there were in their journey forward and backward what possibilities yea probabilities they had for heaven when on earth were but some hand so kinde as to blot these tormenting passages out of their memories it would ease them wonderfully So were it possible glorified Saints could forget the way wherein they went to glory and the several dangers that interven'd from Satan and their own back-sliding hearts they and their God too would be losers by it I mean in regard of his manifestative glory What is the glory wherein God appears at Zions deliverance those royal garments of salvation that make him so admired of men and Angels but the celebration of all his Attributes according to what every one hath done towards their salvation Now wisdom being that which the creature chiefly glories in and chosen by Satan for his first bait who made Eve believe she should be like God in knowledge and wisdome therefore God to give Satan the more shameful fall gives him leave to use his wits and wiles in tempting and troubling his children in which lies his great advantage over the Saints that so the way to his own Throne where his Wisdome shall at last as well as his mercy sit in
is most personal that corruption which David calls his own iniquity Psal 18.23 This is the skirt which Satan layes hold of observe what it is and mortifie it daily then Satan will retreat with shame when he sees the head of that enemy upon the wall which should have betrayed thee into his hands Secondly the Romane wrestlers used to anoint their bodies so do thou bathe thy soul with the frequent meditation of Christs love Satan will finde little welcome where Christs love dwells love will kindle love and that will be as a wall of fire to keep off Satan it will make thee disdain the offer of a sinne and as oile supple thy joynts and make agile to offend thy enemy Think how Christ wrestled in thy quarrel sin hell and wrath had all come full mouth upon thee had not he coped with them in the way And canst thou finde in thy heart to requite his love by betraying his glory into the hands of sin by cowardise or treachery say not thou lovest him so long as thou canst lay those sins in thy bosome which pluck't his heart out of his bosome It were strange if a childe should keep and delight to use no other knife but that wherewith his father was stabb'd Thirdly improve the advantage thou gettest at any time wisely Sometimes the Christian hath his enemy on the hip yea on the ground can set his foot on the very neck of his pride and throw away his unbelief as a thing absurd and unreasonable now as a wise wrestler fall with all thy weight upon thine enemy though man think it foule play to strike when his adversary is down yet do not thou so complement with sin as to let it breath or rise Take heed thou beest not charged of God as once Ahab for letting go this enemy now in thy hands whom God hath appointed to destruction Learne a little wisdome of the Serpents brood who when they had Christ under their foot never thought they had him sure enough no not when dead and therefore both seale and watch his grave Thus do thou to hinder the resurrection of thy sin seal it down with stronger purposes solemn covenants and watch it by a wakeful circumspect walking Vse 3 This is ground of consolation to the weak Christian who disputes against the truth of his grace from the inward conflicts and fightings he hath with his lusts and is ready to say like Gideon in regard of outward enemies If God be with me why is all this befallen me why do I finde such struglings in me provoking me to sin pulling me back from that which is good Why doest ask The Answer is soon given because thou art a Wrestler not a Conquerour Thou mistakest the state of a Châ—istian in this life when one is made a Christian he is not presently call'd to triumph over his slaine enemies but carried into the field to meet and fight them The state of grace is rhe commencing of a war against sin not the ending of it rather then thou shalt not have an enemy to wrestle with God himself will come in a disguise into the field and appear to be thine enemy Thus when Jacob was alone a man wrestled with him until breaking of the day and therefore set thy heart at rest if this be thy scruple Thy soule may rather take comfort in this that thou art a wrestler This strugling within thee if upon the right ground and to the right end doth evidence there are two Nations within thee two contrary natures the one from earth earthly and the other from heaven heavenly yea for thy further comfort know though thy corrupt nature be the elder yet it shall serve the younger Vse 4 O how should this make thee Christian long to be gone home where there is none of this stir and scuffle 'T is strange that every houre seems not a day and everyday a year till death sounds thy joyful retreat and calls thee off the field where the bullets flie so thick and thou art fighting for thy life with thy deadly enemies to come to Court where not swords but palmes are seen in the Saints hands not drums but harps not groanes of bleeding souldiers and wounded consciences but sweet and ravishing musick is heard of triumphing Victors caroling the praises of God and the Lambe through whom they have overcome Well Christians while you are below comfort your selves with these things There is a place of Rest remains for the people of God You do not beat the aire but wrestle for a Heaven that is yonder above these clouds you have your worst first the best will follow You wrestle but to win a Crown and win to wear it yea wear never to lose it which once on none shall take off or put you to the hazard of battel more Here we overcome to fight again the battel of one temptation may be over but the war remaines What peace can we have as long as devils can come abroad out of their holes or anything of sinful nature remains in our selves unmortified which will even fight upon its knees and strike with one arme while the other is cut off but when death comes the last stroak is struck this good Physician will perfectly cure thee of thy spiritual blindnesse and lamenesse as the Martyr told his fellow at the stake bloody Bonner would do their bodily What is it Christian which takes away the joy of thy life but the wrestlings and combates which this bosome-enemy puts thee to Is not this the Peninnah that vexing and disturbing thy Spirit hath kept thee off many a sweet meale thou mightest have had in communion with God and his Saints or if thou hast come hath made thee cover the Altar of God with thy teares and groans and will it not be a happy hand that cuts the knot and sets thee loose from thy deadnesse hypocrisie pride and what not wherewith thou wert yoak't 'T is life which is thy losse and death which is thy gaine Be but willing to endure the rending of this vaile of thy flesh and thou art where thou wouldest be out of the reach of sin at rest in the bosome of thy God And why should a short evil of paine affright thee more then the deliverance from a continual torment of sins evil ravish thee Some you know have chose to be cut rather then to be ground daily with the stone and yet may be their pain comes again and canst thou not quietly think of dying to be delivered from the torment of these sins never to return more And yet that is not the half that death doth for thee Peace is sweet after war ease after pain but what tongue can expresse what joy what glory must fill the creature at the first sight of God and that blessed company none but one that dwells there can tell Did we know more of that blisseful state we Ministers should finde it as hard a work to perswade Christians to be
agere make the soule go faster that is on its way as the winde carries the tide with more swiftnesse but he cannot turn the stream of the heart contrary to its own course and tendency Secondly Satans power is so limited that he shall not do what he can God lets out so much of his wrath as shall praise him and be as a stream to set his purpose of love to his Saints on work and then lets down the flood-gate by restraining the residue thereof God ever takes him off before he can finish his work on a Saint He can if God suffers him rob the Christian of much of his joy and disturb his peace by his cunning insinuations but he is under command he stands like a dog by the Table while the Saints siâ— at this sweet feâ—st of comfort but dares not stir to roam off their cheer his Masters eye is on him The want of this consideration loseth God his praise and us our comfort God having lock't up our comfort in the performance of our duty Did the Christian consider what Satans power is and who damms it up This would alwayes be a Song of praise in his mouth Hath Satan power to rob and burn kill and slay torment the body distresse the minde whom may I thank that I am in any of these out of his hands doth Satan love one better then Job or am I out of fight or beside his walk is his courage cool'd or his wrath appeas'd that I scape so well no none of these his wrath is not against one but all the Saints his eye is on thee and his arme can reach thee his spirit is not cow'd nor his stomack stay'd with those millions he hath devoured but keen as ever yea sharper because now he sees God ready to take away and the end of the world drawing on so fast 'T is thy God alone whom thou art beholden to for all this his eye keepeth thee when Satan finds the good man asleep then he finds our good God awake therefore thou art not consumed because he changeth not Did his eye slumber or wander one moment there would need no other flood to drown thee yea the whole world then what would come out of this dragons mouth Thirdly Satans power is ministerial appointed by God for the service and benefit of the Saints 'T is true as it s said of the proud Assyrian be weaneth not so neither doth his heart think so but it is in his heart to destroy those he tempts but no matter what he thinks as Luther comforted himself when told what had passed at the diet at Noremburg against the Protestants that it was decreed one way there but otherwise in heaven so for the Saints comfort the thoughts which God thinks to them are peace while Satans are ruine to their graces and destruction to their soules and his counsel shall stand in spite of the devil The very mittimus which God makes when he commits any of his Saints to the devils prison runs thus Deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus 1 Cor. 5.5 so that tempted Saints may say we had perished if we had not perished to our own thinking This Leviathan while he thinks to swallow them up is but sent of God as the whale to Jonah to waft them safe to land Some of them of understanding shall fall to try them and to purge them and to make them white Dan. 11.35 This God intends when he lets his children fall into temptation as we do with our linnen the spots they get at our feasts are taken out by washing rubbing and laying them out to bleech The Saints spots are most got in peace plenty and prosperity and they never recover their whitenesse to such a degree as when they come from under Satans scouring We do too little not to feare Satan we should comfort our selves with the usefulnesse and subserviency of his temptations to our good All things are yours who are Christs He that hath given life to be yours hath given death also He that hath given heaven for your inheritance Paul and Cephas his Ministers and Ordinances to help you thither hath given the world with all the afflictions of it yea the Prince of it too with all his wrath and power in order to the same end This indeed is love and wisdom in a riddle but you who have the Spirit of Christ can unfold it CHAP V. Of the time when the place where and the subjects whom Satan rules Against the Rulers of the darknesse of this world THese words contain the third Branch in the Description of our great enemy the devil and they hold forth the proper seat of his Empire with a threefold boundary he is not Lord over all that is the incommunicable title of God but a Ruler of the darknesse of this world where the time place and subjects of his Empire are stinted 1. The time when this Prince hath his rule In this world that is now not hereafter 2. The place where he rules In this world that is here below not in heaven 3. The subjects or persons whom he rules not all in this lower world neither and they are wrap't up in these words The darknesse of this world First of the first boundary SECT The time when he rules so this word world may be taken in the text for that little spot of time which like an inconsiderable parenthesis is clasp't in on either side with vast eternity call'd sometimes the present world On this stage of time this mock-King acts the part of a Prince but when Christ comes to take down this scaffold at the end of this world then he shall be degraded his crown taken off his sword broke over his head and he hist off with scorne and shame yea of a Prince become a close prisoner in hell no more then shall he infest the Saints no nor rule the wicked but he with them and they with him shall lie under the immediate execution of Gods wrath for this very end Christ hath his Pattent and Commission which he will not give up till he shall have put down all rule then and not till then will he deliver up his Oeconomical Kingdom to his Father when he shall have put down all rule for he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet Satan is cast already his doom is past upon him as Adams was upon his first sin but full execution is stayed till the end of the world The devil knows it it is an Article in his Creed which made him trembling ask Christ why he came to torment him before his time Vse 1 First this brings ill newes to the wicked Your Prince cannot long sit in his throne sinners at present have a merry time of it if it would hold they rejoyce while Christs disciples weep and mourne they ruffle in their silkes
light in all Non dantur purae tenebrae I think is good Divinity as well as Philosophy and this night-light may discover many sins produce inward prickings of conscience for them yea stir up the creature to step aside rather then drown in such broad waters There are some sins so cruel and costly that the most prostrate soul may in time be weary of their service for low ends but what will all this come to if the creature be not acquainted with Christ the true way to God faith and repentance the only way to Christ such a one after all this busle in stead of making an escape from Satan will run full into his mouth another way There are some wayes which at first seem right to the traveller yet winde about so insensibly that when a man hath gone far and thinks himself near home he is carried back to the place from whence he set forth This will befall every soule ignorant of Christ and the way of life through him after many yeares travel as they think towards heaven by their good meanings blinde devotions and reformation when they shall expect to be within sight of heaven they shall finde themselves even where they were at first as very slaves to Satan as ever Vse 1 This speaks to you that are Parents see what need you have of instructing your children and training them up betimes in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Till these chaines of darknesse be knockt off their mindes there is no possibility of getting them out of the devils prison he hath no such tame slave as the ignorant soul such a one goes before Satan as the silly sheep before the butcher and knows not who he is nor whither he carries him and can you see the devil driving your children to the shambles and not labour to rescue them out of his hands Bloody parents you are that can thus harden your bowells against your own flesh Now the more to provoke you to your duty take these considerations 1. Your relation obligeth you to take care of their precious soules 'T is the soul is the child rather then the body and therefore in Scripture put for the whole man Abraham and Lot went forth with all the souls they had gotton in Haran Gen. 12. so All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt that is all the persons The body is but the sheath and if one should leave his sword with you to be kept safely for him would you throw away the blade and onely preserve the scabbard And yet parents do commonly judge of their care and love to their children by their providing for the outward man by their breeding that teaching them how to live like men as they say when they are dead and gone and comport themselves to their civil place and rank in the world These things indeed are commendable but is not the most weighty businesse of all forgotten in the meane time while no endeavour is used that they may live as Christians and know how to carry themselves in duty to God and man as such and can they do this without the knowledge of the holy rule they are to walk by I am sure David knew no means effectual without this and therefore propounds the question Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way and he resolves it in the next words By taking heed thereto according to thy word Psal 119.9 And how shall they compare their way and the Word together if not instructed our children are not borne with Bibles in their heads or hearts And who ought to be the instructer if not the parent yea who will do it with such natural affection As I have heard sometimes a mother say in other respects Who can take such pains with my childe and be so careful as my self that am its Mother Bloody parents then they are who acquaint not their children with God or his Word what do they but put them under a necessity of perishing if God stirre not up some to shew more mercy then themselves to them Is it any wonder to hear that ship to be sunk or dasht upon the rock which was put to sea without card or compasse no more is it they should ingulph themselves in sin and perdition that are thrust forth into the world which is a sea of temptation without the knowledge of God or their duty to him In the fear of God think of it parents your children have souls and these God set you to watch over It will be a poor account at the last day if you can only say Lord here are my children I bred them compleat Gentlemen left them rich and wealthy The rust of that silver you left them will witnesse your folly and sinne that you would do so much for that which rusts and nothing for the enriching their mindes with the knowledge of God which would have endured for ever happy if you had left them lesse money and more knowledge 2. Consider it hath ever been the Saints practice to instruct and teach their children the way of God David we finde dropping instruction into his sonne Solomon 1 Chron. 28.9 Know thou the God of thy Father and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing minde Though a King he did not put it off to his Chaplins but whetted it on him with his own lips Neither was his Queen Bathsheba forgetful of her duty her gracious counsel is upon record Prov. 31. and that she may do it with the more seriousnesse and solemnity we finde her stirring up her motherly bowels to let her sonne see that she fetcht her words deep even from her heart What my son and what the sonne of my womb and what the sonne of my vows Ver. 2. Indeed that counsel is most like to go to the heart which comes from thence Parents know not what impression such melting expressions of their love mingled with their instructions leave on their children God bids draw forth our souls to the hungry that is more then draw our purse which may be done and the heart hard and churlish Thus we should draw forth our souls with our instructions What need I tell of Timothy's Mother and Grandmother who acquainted him with the Scripture from his youth And truly I think that man calls in question his own Saintship that takes no care to acquaint his childe with God and the way that leads to him I have known some that though prophane themselves have been very solicitous their children should have good education but never knew I a Saint that was regardlesse whether his childe knew God or not 3. It is an act of great unrighteousnesse not to instruct our children We read of some that hold the truth in unrighteousnesse among others those Parents do it that lock up the knowledge of these saving truths from their children which God hath imparted to themselves There is a double unrighteousnesse in it First they are unrighteous to their children
the wickednesse of his heart in this glasse of the devils nature and he will see himself as a great debtor to the mercy of God as Manasses or the worst of sinners as in pardoning so in preventing the same cursed nature with theirs before it gave fire on God with those bloody sinnes which they committed That thou didst not act such outragious sinnes thou art beholden to Gods gracious surprize and not the goodnesse of thy nature which hath the devils stamp on it for which God might have crusht thee as we do the brood of Serpents before they sting knowing what they will do in time Who will say that Faux suffered unjustly because the Parliament was not blown up it was enough that the materials for that Massacre were provided and he taken there with match and fire about him ready to lay the traine and canst thou say when God first took hold on thee that thou had'st not those weapons of rebellion about thee a nature fully charged with enmity against God which in time would have made its own report of what for present lay like unfired ponder silent in thy bosome O Christian think of this and be humbled for thy villainous nature and say Blessed be God that sent his Spirit and grace so timely to stay thy hand as Abigail to David while thy nature meditated nothing but warre against God and his laws Vse 3 Again Thirdly are the devils so wickedly malicious against God himself O Sirs take the right notion of sinne and you will hate it The reason why we are so easily perswaded to sinne is because we understand not the bottome of his designe in drawing a creature to sinne It is with men in sinning as it is with Armies in fighting Captains beat their drummes for Voluntiers and promise all that list pay and plunder and this makes them come trowling in but few consider what the ground of the Warre is against whom or for what Satan enticeth to sinne and give golden promises what they shall have in his service with which silly souls are won but how few ask their souls Whom do I sinne against what is the devils designe in drawing me to sinne Shall I tell thee dost thou think 't is thy pleasure or profit he desires in thy sinning alas he means nothing lesse he hath greater plots in his head then so He hath by his Apostasie proclaim'd warre against God and he brings thee by sinning to espouse his quarrel and to jeopard the life of thy soul in defence of his pride and lust which that he may do he cares no more for the damnation of thy soul then the great Turk doth to see a company of his slaves cut off for the carrying on of his designe in a siege And darest thou venture to go into the field upon his quarrel against God O Earth tremble thou at the presence of the Lord. This bloody Joab sets thee where never any came off alive O stand not where Gods bullets fly throw down thy armes or thou art a dead man Whatever others do O ye Saints abhorre the thoughts of sinning willingly which when you do you help the devil against God and what more unnatural then for a childe to be seen in armes against his father CHAP. VII Of Satans plot to defile the Christians spirit with heart-sinnes The second Point followes THat these wicked Spirits do chiefly annoy the Saints with and provoke them to spiritual sinnes Sinnes may be called spiritual upon a double account either from the subject wherein they are acted or from the object about which they are conversant First in regard of the subject when the spirit or heart is the stage whereon sinne is acted this is a spiritual sinne such are all impure thoughts vile affections and desires though the object be fleshly lust yet are spiritual sinnes because they are purely acts of the soul and spirit and break not forth unto the outward man Secondly in regard of the object when that is spiritual and not carnal such as are idolatry errour spiritual pride unbelief c. both which Paul calls the filthinesse of the spirit and distinguisheth them from filthinesse of the flesh 2 Cor. 7.1 SECT I. First of the first Satan labours what he can to provoke the Christian to heart-sinnes to stirre up and foment these inward motions of sinne in the Christians bosome hence it is he can go about no duty but these his Impes I may call them haunt him one motion or other darts in to interrupt him as Paul tells us of himselfe When he would do good evil was present with him if a Christian should turne back when ever these crosse the way of him he should never go on his journey to heaven It is the chief game the devil hath left to play against the children of God now his field-army is broken and his commanding power taken away which he had over them to come out of these his holds where he lies sculking and fall upon their rear with these suggestions He knows his credit now is not so great with the soul as when it was his slave then no drudgery work was so base that it would not do at his command but now the soul is out of his bondage and he must not think to command anothers servant as his own No all he can do is to watch the fittest season when the Christian least suspects and then to present some sinful motion handsomely drest up to the eye of the soul that the Christian may before he is aware take this brat up and dandle it in his thoughts till at last he makes it his own by embracing it and this he knowes will defile the soul and may be this boy sent in at the window may open the door to let in a greater thief or if he should not so prevaile yet the guilt of these heart-sinnes yea their very neighbour-hood will be a sad vexation to a gracious heart whose nature is so pure that it abhorres all filthinesse so that to be haunted with such motions is as if a living man should be chain'd to a stinking carcase that where ever he goes he must draw that after him and whose love is so dear to Christ that it cannot bear the company of those thoughts without amazement and horrour which are so contrary and abusive to his beloved This makes Satan so desirous to be ever raking in the unregenerate part that as a dunghil stirr'd it may offend them both with the noisome streames which arise from it SECT II. Vse 1 First let this be for trial of thy spiritual state What entertainment findes Satan when he comes with these spirituals of wickednesse and solicites thee to dwell on them canst thou dispense with the filthinesse of thy spirit so thy hands be clean or dost thou wrestle against these heart-sinnes as well as others I do not ask whether such guests come within thy door for the worst of sinnes may be found in the
thy own works thou doest worse by Christ and shalt thou excel in grace Perhaps some of you have been long Professours and yet come to little growth in love to God humility heavenly-mindednesse mortification and 't is worth the digging to see what lies at the root of your Profession whether there be not a legal principle that hath too much acted you Have you not thought to carry all with God from your duties and services and too much laid up your hopes in your own actings Alas this is as so much dead earth which must be thrown out and Gospel-principles laid in the room thereof try but this course and see whether the spring of thy grace will not come on apace David gives an account how he came to stand and flourish when some that were rich and mighty on a sudden withered and came to nothing Lo saith he this is the man that made not God his strength but trusted in the abundance of his riches But I am like a green olive-tree in the House of God I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever Psal 52.7 8. While others trust in the riches of their own righteousnesse and services and make not Christ their strength do thou renounce all and trust in the mercy of God in Christ and thou shalt be like a green olive when they fade and wither Secondly Christian you will not thrive in true comfort so long as you rest in any inherent work of grace and do not stand clear of your own actings and righteousnesse Gospel-comfort springs from a Gospel-root which is Christ Phil. 3.3 We are the circumcision which worship God in the Spirit and rejoyce in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh Now a soule that rests on any holinesse in himself he graffs his comfort upon himself not Christ he sucks his own breast not Christs and so makes Christ a dry nurse and what comfort can grow on that dry tree The Spirit is our Comforter as well as our Teacher and Counsellour Now as the Spirit when he teacheth comes not with any new or strange truth but takes of Christs owne what he findes in the Word so where he comforts he takes of Christs own his righteousnesse not our own Christ is the matter and ground of his comfort all cordials are but Christ distill'd and made up in several promises his acting not ours his suffering not ours his holinesse not ours he doth not say Soul rejoyce thou art holy but Soule triumph Christ is righteous and is the Lord thy righteousnesse Not Soul thou prayest sweetly feare not but thou hast an Advocate with the Father Christ the righteous so that the first step to the receiving of comfort from the Spirit is to send away all Comforters of our own As in learning of the Spirit he that will be taught by him must first become a fool that is no way lean to his own understanding so he that would be comforted must first be emptied of all self-supports must not lean to his owne comforts As a Physician first bids his Patient cast off all others he hath tampered with he asks what Physick he hath had from them takes off their plaisters throws away their Physick and goes about the work de novo So the Spirit when he comes to comfort a poor soul First perswades the soule to send away all its old Physicians O saith the soule I have been in the hand of such a duty such a course of obedience and have thought sure now I shall be well and have comfort now I do this duty set upon such a holy course Well saith the Spirit if you will have me do any thing these must all be dismist in point of confidence Now and not till how is the soule a subject fit to receive the Spirits comforts And therefore friends as you love your inward peace beware what vessel you draw your comfort from Grace is finite and so cannot afford much 'T is leaking and so cannot hold long thou drinkest in a riven dish that hast thy comfort from thy grace 'T is mixt and so weak and weak grace cannot give strong consolation and such thou needest especially in strong conflicts Nay lastly thy comfort which thou drawest from it is stollen thou doest not come honestly by it and stollen comforts will not thrive with thee Oh what folly is it for the childe to play the thief for that which he may have freely and more fully from his Father who gives and reproacheth not that comfort which thou wouldest filch out of thy own righteousnesse and duties behold it is laid up for thee in Christ from whose fulnesse thou mayest carry as much as thy faith can hold and none to check thee yea the more thou improvest Christ for thy comfort the more heartily welcome we are bid to open our mouth wide and he will fill it CHAP. XI The third kinde of spiritual Pride viz. Pride of Priviledges THe third kinde of pride spiritual pride I mean is pride of Priviledges with which these wicked spirits labour to blow up the Christian to name three First when God calls a person to some eminent place or useth him to do some special piece of service Secondly when God honours a Saint to suffer for his truth or cause Thirdly when God flowes in with more then ordinary manifestations of his love and fills the soule with joy and comfort These are Priviledges not equally dispensed to all and therefore where they are Satan takes the advantage of assaulting such with pride SECT I. First when God calls a person to some eminent place or useth him to do some special piece of service Indeed it requires a great measure of grace to keep the heart low when the man stands high The Apostle speaking how a Minister of the Gospel should be qualified 1 Tim. 3.6 saith he must not be a Novice or a young Convert lest he should be lift up with pride and fall into the condemnation of the devil as if he had said this calling is honourable if he be not well ballast with humility a little gust from Satan will tople him into this sin The Seventy that Christ first sent out to preach the Gospel and prevailed so miraculously over Satan even these while they trod on the Serpents head he turn'd again and had like to have stung them with pride which our Saviour perceived when they return'd in triumph and told what great miracles they had wrought and therfore he takes them off that glorying left it should degenerate into vain glory and bids them not rejoyce that devils were subjest to them but rather that their names were writ in Heaven As if he had said It is not the honour of your calling and successe of your Ministery will save you there shall be some cast to the devils who shall then say Lord Lord in thy name we have cast out devils and therefore value not your selves by that but rather evidence to your soules
others but most of all themselves such may be the worlds Saints but devils in Christs account Have not I chosen twelve one of you is a devil And truly of all devils none so bad as the professing devil the preaching praying devil O Sirs be plain-hearted Religion is as tender as your eye it will not be jested with Remember the vengeance which fell on Belshazzar while he carowsed in the bowles of the Sanctuary Religion and the duties of it are consecrated things not made for thee to drink thy lusts out of God hath remarkably appeared in discovering and confounding such as have prostituted sacred things to worldly ends Jezabel fasts and prayes the better to devoure Naboths vineyard but was devoured by it Absalom was as sick till he had ravish't his fathers Crown as his brother Amnon till he had done the like to his sister and to hide his treason he puts on a religious cloak and therefore begs leave to go and pay his vow in Hebron when he had another game in chase and did he not fall by the hand of his hypocrisie of all men their judgement is endorst with most speed who silver over worldly or wicked enterprises with heavenly semblances of this gang were those 2 Pet. 2.3 concerning whom the Apostle saith Their damnation slumbers not and those Ezek. 14.7 8. to whom God saith I the Lord will answer him by my selfe and I will set my face against that man and will make him a signe and a Proverb and I will cut him off from the midst of my people and ye shall know that I am the Lord. Vse 2 Secondly try whether they be heavenly things or earthly thou chiefly pursuest certainly friends we need not be so ignorant of our soules state and affairs did we oftner converse with our thoughts and observe the haunts of our hearts we soon can tell what dish pleaseth our palate best and may you not tell whether heaven or earth be the most savoury meat to your souls and if you should ask how you might know whether heaven be the prize you chiefly desire I would put you only upon this double trial First art thou uniforme in thy pursuit Doest thou contend for heaven and that which leads to heaven also Earthly things God is pleased to retaile all have some none have all but in heavenly treasure he will not break the whole piece and cut it into remnants If thou wilt have heaven thou must have Christ if Christ thou must like his service as well as his sacrifice no holinesse no happinesse If God would cut off so much as would serve mens turnes he might have customers enough Balaam himself likes one end of the piece he would die like a righteous man though live like a wizzard as he was no God will not deal with such pedling Merchants that man alone is for God and God for him who will come roundly up to Gods offer and take all off his hands One fitly compares holinesse and happinesse to those two sisters Leah and Rachel Happinesse like Rachel seems the fairer even a carnal heart may fall in love with that but holinesse like Leah is the elder and beautiful also though in this life it appears with some disadvantage her eyes being blear'd with teares of repentance and her face furrowed with the works of mortification but this is the Law of that heavenly countrey that the younger Sister must not be bestowed before the elder We cannot enjoy faire Rachel Heaven and Happinesse except first we embrace tender-eyed Leah Holinesse with all her severe duties of repentance and mortification Now Sirs how like you this method Art thou content to marry Christ and his grace and then serving a hard Apprenticeship in temptations both of prosperity and adversity enduring the heat of the one and the cold of the other to wait till at last the other be given into thy bosome Secondly if indeed heaven and heavenly things be the prize thou wrestlest for thou wilt discover a heavenly deportment of heart even in earthly things whereever you meet a Christian he is going to Heaven Heaven is at the bottome of his lowest actions Now observe thy heart in three particulars In getting in using and in keeping earthly things whether it be after a heavenly manner First In getting earthly things If Heaven be thy chief prize then thou wilt be ruled by a heavenly Law in the gathering of these Take a carnal wretch and what his heart is set on he will have though it be by hook or crook A lie fits Gehazi's mouth well enough so he may fill his pockets by it Jezabel dares mock God and murder an innocent man for an acre or two of ground Absalom regnandi causâ what will he not do Gods fence is too low to keep a gracelesse heart in bounds when the game is before him but a soule that hath heaven in its eye is ruled by heavens law he dares not step out of heavens road to take up a crown as we see in Davids carriage towards Saul Indeed in so doing he should crosse himself in his own grand design which is the glory of God and the happinesse of his own soul in enjoying of him upon these very termes the servants of God have refused to be rich and great in the world when either of these lay at stake Moses threw his Court-preferment at his heels refusing to be call'd the son of Pharaohs daughter Abraham scorned to be made rich by the King of Sodom Gen. 14.22 that he might avoid the suspicion of covetousnesse and self-seeking it shall not be said another day that he came to enrich himself with the spoil more then to rescue his kinsmen Nehemiah would not take the taxe and tribute to maintain his state when he knew they were a poor peeled people because of the fear of the Lord. Doest thou walk by this rule wouldest thou gather no more estate or honour then thou mayest have with Gods leave and will stand with thy hopes of heaven Secondly doest thou discover a heavenly Spirit in using these things First the Saint improves his earthly things for an heavenly end where layest thou up thy treasure doest thou bestow it on thy voluptuous paunch thy hawks and thy hounds or lockest thou it up in the bosome of Christs poor members what use makest thou of thy honour and greatnesse to strengthen the hands of the godly or the wicked and so of all thy other temporal enjoyments A gracious heart improves them for God when a Saint prayes for these things he hath an eye to some heavenly end If David prayes for life it is not that he may live but live and praise God Psal 119 175. When he was driven from his regal throne by the rebellious armes of Absalom see what his desire was and hope 2 Sam. 15.25 The King said to Zadock Carry back the Ark of God into the City if I shall-finde favour in the eyes of the Lord he will bring
up is a riddle to any that know what they both are Thirdly the Christian wrongs himself in not endeavouring to repaire his broken armour and recover his declining grace By this he loses the evidence of his inheritance at least so blots it that it cannot be so clearly perceived by him A declining Christian must needs be a doubting Christian because the common symptome of an hypocrite is to wear and waste like a stake set in the ground which rots while true grace like the tree grows Is not this the knot which the devil poseth many poor soules withal and findes them work for many yeares to untie If thou wert a Christian thou wouldest grow Right Saints go from strength to streugth and thou goest from strength to weaknesse They go up the hill to Zion every Ordinance and Providence is a step that bears them nearer Heaven but thou goest down the hill and art further from thy salvation then when thou didst first believe as thou thoughtest and doth it stand wirh thy wisdom Christian to put a staffe into the devâ—ls hand an argument into his mouth to dispute against thy salvation with If you held an estate by the life of a childe which upon the death of it should all go away from you that childe I warrant you should be well look't unto his head should not ake but you would post to the Physician for counsel I pray what is your evidence for that glorious estate you hope for Is it not Christ within you Is not this new creature whâ—ch may well be call'd Christ for its likenesse to him the young heire of Heavens glory and when that is sick or weak is it not time to use all meanes for its recovery while thus thou canst neither live nor die comfortably Not live a man in a consumption has little joy of his life he neither findes sweetnesse in his meat nor delight in his work as a healthfuâ— man doth O how sweet is the promise to faith when active and vigourous how easie the yoke of the Command to the Christian when his conscience is not gall'd with guilt nor hi strength enfeebled by temptation but the Christian in a declining condition he tastes not the promise every command is grievous and every duty burdensome to him he goes in pain like one whose foot is out of joynt though the way be never so pleasant And he is as unfit to die as he is to live such a one can like no more to hear the newes of death then a tenant that wants his rent doth to hear of the quarter-day This made David beg time of God Spare me a little that I may recover my strength Having shewen you why the Christian should endeavour to recover his declining graces it will be very requisite to give a word of counsel to the Christian First to direct him how to judge of the declining state of grace that he may not passe a false judgement upon himself therein Secondly to direct him when he findes grace to be in a declination how he may recover it CHAP. III. A cautionary direction from what we may not as also from what we may judge our graces to be in a declination Quest FIrst of the first How may a Christian judge whether grace be declining in him or no Answ First I shall resolve this negatively and shew by what he is not to judge his grace to decline Secondly positively by what he may certainly conclude a decay of grace First negatively and that in several particulars Frist Christian do not judge grace to be fallen weaker because thy sense of corruption is grown stronger This oft lies at the bottome of poor souls complaints in this case O they never felt pride hypocrisie and other corruptions so haunt them as now none knows how they are vexed with these and the like besides themselves Now let me ask thee who makest this sad moane whether thou doest not think these corruptions were in thee before thou didst thus feel them how oft hast thou prayed as formally and not been troubled how oft hast thou stood chatting with the same lusts and thy soule hath not been laid low before the Lord with such abasement of thy self as now deal faithfully between God and thy soule and tell not a lie for God by bearing false witnesse against thy self If it be thus thou hast rather a comfortable signe of grace growing then decaying Sin cannot be on the getting hand if the sense of sin grow quick this is the concomitant of a thriving soul none so full of complaints of their own hearts as such the least sin goes now to their very soules which makes them think viler of themselves then ever but it is not the increase of sin in them but the advance of their love to Christ makes them judge so when the Sun shines with some power and the year gets up we observe though we may have frosts and snow yet they do not lie long but are soon dissolved by the Sun O 't is a sweet signe that the love of Christ shines with a force upon thy soule that no corruptions can lie long in thy bosome but they melt into sorrow and bitter complaints That is the decaying soul where sinne lies bound up and frozen little sense of or sorrow for it appears Secondly Take heed thou thinkest not grace decayes because thy comfort withdrawes The influence of the Sun comes where the light of it is not to be found yea is mighty as appears in those mines of gold and silver which are concocted by the same And so may the actings of grace be vigourous in thee when least under the shines of his countenance Did ever faith triumph more then in our Saviour crying My God my God here faith was at its meridian when it was midnight in respect of joy Possibly thou comest from an Ordinance and bringest not home with thee those sheaves of comfort thou usest to do and therefore conclude grace acted not in thee as formerly Truly if thou hast nothing else to go by thou mayest wrong the grace of God in thee exceedingly Because thy comfort is extrinsecal to thy duty a boon which God may give or not yea doth give to the weak and deny to the strong The traveller may go as fast and rid as much ground when the Sun doth not shine as when it doth though indeed he goes not so merrily on his journey nay somtimes he makes the more hast the warm Sun makes him sometime to lie down and loyter but when dark and cold he puts on with more speed Some graces thrive best like some flowers in the shade such as humility dependance on God c Thirdly take heed thou doest not mistake and think thy grace decayes when may be it is only thy temptations increase and not thy grace decrease If you should hear a man say because he cannot to day run so fast when a hundred weight is on his back as he could yesterday
God be more frequently conversant with it David tells us where he renewed his spiritual life and got his soul so oft into a heavenly heate when grace in him began to chill The Word he tells us quickened him This was the Sunny bank he fate under The Word draws forth the Christians grace by presenting every one with an object suitable to act upon this is of great power to rouse them up as the coming in of a friend makes us though sleepy before shake off all drowsinesse to enjoy his company Affections they are actuated when their object is before them if we love a person this is excited by sight of him or anything that mindes us of him if we hate one our blood riseth much more against him when before us Now the Word bring the Christian graces and their object together Here love may delight her self with the beholding Christ who is set out to life there in all his love and lovelinesse here the Christian may see his sins in a glasse that will not flatter him and can there any godly sorrow be in the heart any hatred of sin and not come forth while the man is reading what they cost Christ for him Secondly from the Word go to meditation this is as bellowes to the fire that grace which lies chosk't and eaten up for want of exercise will by this be cleared and break forth while thou art musing this fire will burne and thy heart grow hot within thee according to the nature of the subject thy thoughts dwell upon resolve therefore Christian to enclose some time from all worldly Suitours wherein thou mayest every day if possible at least take a view of the most remarkable occurrences that have past between God and thee First ask thy soul what takings it hath had that day what mercies heaven hath sent into thee and do not when thou hast askt the question like Pilate go out but stay till thy soul has made report of Gods gracious dealings to thee and if thou beest wise to observe and faithful to relate them thy conscience must tell thee that the cock was never turn'd the breast of mercy never put up all the day yea while thou art viewing these fresh mercies telling over this new coine hot out of the mint of Gods bounty ancient mercies they will come crowding in upon thee and call for a place in thy thoughts and tell thee what God hath done for thee moneths and years ago and indeed old debts should not be paid last give them Christian all a hearing one time or another and thou shalt see how they will work upon thy ingenious spirit It is with the Christian in this case as with some Merchants servant that keeps his Masters cash he tells his Master he hath a great summe of his by him and desires he would discharge him of it and see how his accounts stand but he can never finde him at leisure There is a great treasure of mercy alwayes in the Christians hands and conscience is oft calling the Christian to take the account and see what God has done for him but seldom it is he can finde time to tell his mercies over and is it any wonder that such should go behinde-hand in their spiritual estate who take no more notice what the gracious dealings of God are with them how can he be thankful that seldome thinks what he receives or patient when God afflicts that wants one of the most powerful arguments to pacifie a mutinous spirit in trouble and that is taken from the abundant good we receive at the hands of the Lord as well as a little evil how can such a soules love flame to God that is kept at such a distance from the mercies of God which are fuel to it and the like might be said of all the other graces Secondly reflect upon thy self and bestow a few serious thoughts upon thy own behaviour what it hath been towards God and man all along the day Ask thy soul as Elisha his servant Whence comest thou O my soul where hast thou been what hast thou done for God this day and how and when thou goest about this look that thou neither beest taken off from a through search as Jacob was by Rachels specious excuse nor be found to cocker thy self as Eli his sons when thou shalt upon enquiry take thy heart tardy in any part of thy duty take heed what thou doest for thou judgest for God who receives the wrong by thy sin and therefore will do himself justice if thou wilt not Thirdly from meditation go to prayer indeed a soul in meditation is on his way to prayer that duty leads the Christian has to this and this brings help to that when the Christian has done his utmost by meditation to excite his graces and chase his spirit into some divine heat he knows all this is but to lay the wood in order The fire must come from above to kindle and this must be fetch 't by prayer They say stars have greatest influences when they are in conjunction with the Sunne then sure the graces of a Saint should never work more powerfully then in prayer for then he is in the nearest conjunction and communion with God That Ordinance which hath such power with God must needs have a mighty influence on our selves It will not let God rest but raiseth him up to his peoples succour and is it any wonder if it be a means to rouse up and excite the Christians grace how oft do we see a dark cloud upon Davids spirit at the beginning of his prayer which by that time he is a little warme in his work begins to clear up and before he ends breaks forth into high actings of faith and acclamations of praise Only here Christian take heed of formal praying this is as baneful to grace as not praying A plaister though proper and of soveraign vertue yet if it be laid on cold may do more hurt then good Fourthly to all the former joyne fellowship and communion with the Saints thou lived amongst No wonder to hear a house is robb'd that stands far from neighbours he that walks in communion of Saints he travels in company he dwells in a City where one house keeps up another to which Jerusalem is compared 'T is observable concerning the house in whose ruines Jobs children were entombed that a winde came from the wildernesse and smote the foure corners of it it seems it stood alone the devil knowes what he does in hindering this great Ordinance of communion of Saints in doing this he hinders the progresse of grace yea brings that which Christians have into a declining wasting state The Apostle couples those two duties close together to hold fast our Profession and to consider one another and provoke unto love and to good works Heb. 10.23 24. Indeed it is a dangerous step to Apostasy to forsake the communion of Saints hence 't is said of Demas he hath left us and
Fowler because she sees him not Thou art a faire mark for Gods vengeance he sees thee and is taking his aime at thee when thou seest not him yea thou puttest thy self under an inevitable necessity of perishihg by not thinking of this day The first step to our safety is consideration of our danger Vse 2 It reproves these who if they think of the evil day yet it is so far off that it is to little purpose They will be sure to set it at such a distance from them as shall take away the force of the meditation that it shall not strike them down in the deep sense and fear of it That cannon which if we stood at the mouth of it would shatter limb from limb will not so much as scare them that get out of its reach The further we put the evil day the weaker impression it makes on us 'T is true say sinners it cannot be help't we owe a debt to nature it must be paid sickness will come and death follow on that and judgement brings up the reare of both But alas they look not for these guests yet they prophesy of these things a great while hence to come Many a faire day they hope will intervene Thus men are very kind to themselves First they wish it may be long before it comes and then because they would have it so they are bold to promise themselves it shall be so and when once they have made this promise no wonder if they then live after the rate of their vain hopes putting off the stating of their accounts till the winter-evening of old age when they shall not have such allurements to gad abroad from the pleasures of this life O then they will do great matters to fit them for the evil day Bold man who gave thee leave to cut out such large thongs of that time which is not thine but Gods Who makes the Lease the Tenant or the Landlord or doest thou forget thou farmest thy life and art not an Owner This is the device of Satan to make you delay whereas a present expectation of the evil day would not let you sit still unprepared O why do you let your soules from their work make them idle and rest from their burdens by telling them of long life while death chop in upon you unawares O what shame will your whorish hearts be put to that now say your husband is gone afar off you may fill your selves with loves if he should come before he is look't for and finde you in bed with lusts And let me tell you sudden destruction is threatened especially to such secure ones Reade Matth. 24.48 50 51. where 't is denounced against that sort of sinners who please themselves with their Lords delaying his coming that the Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him and in an houre that he is not aware of Indeed God must go out of his ordinary road of dealing with sinners if such scape a sudden ruine One is bold to challenge any to shew a President in Scripture of any that are branded for security that some remarkable yea sudden judgement did not surprise Sodom how soon after a Sun-shine morning did the heavens thicken and bury them in a few houres by a storme of fire in their own ashes Carelesse Laish cut off before they almost think of it Agag when he saw the clouds of his fears break and faire weather was in his countenance they return immediately upon him and shut him up in death he is presently hewen in pieces Amalek slaughtered by David before the triumph of their late victory was cold Nebuchadnezzar strutting himself in his Palace with this bravado in his mouth Is not this great Babylon that I have built and before he can get the words out of his throat there is another voice falling from heaven saying O King to thee be it spoken thy Kingdome is departed from thee and the same houre it was fulfill'd and he sent to graze with the beasts Dives blessing himself for many years and within a few houres the pillow is pluck't from under his head and you heare no more of him till out of hell he roare yea a whole world few persons excepted drowned and they not know till the day the flood came Mat. 24.29 and swept them all away And who art thou O man that promisest thy self an exemption when Kings Cities a whole world have been ruined after this sort Vse 3 This reproves those who indeed think oft of this evil day much against their will by reason of an awakened conscience that is ever pinching of them and preaching on Pauls text before Felix to them till it makes them tremble as he did yet such is the power of lust in their hearts that it makes them spur on notwithstanding all the rebukes conscience gives them and affrighting thoughts they have of the evil day yet they continue in their old trade of sin desperately These wretches are the objects of our saddest pity The secure sinner that has broke prison from his conscience is like a strong-brain'd drunkard he swallows down his sin as the other doth his drink with pleasure and is not stirr'd at all but here is a man that is stomack sick as I may so say his conscience is oft disgorging his sweet draughts and yet he will sinne though with pain and anguish O consider poor wretches what you do instead of arming your selves against the evil day you arme the evil day against your selves you are sticking the bed with pins and needles on which you must ere long be laid you are throwing billets into that fiery furnace wherein at last you shall be cast and all this in spight of your consciences which yet God mercifully sets in your way that the prickings of them may be as a hedge of thornes to keep thee from the pursuit of thy lusts Know therefore if thou wilt go on that as thy conscience takes from the pleasure of thy sin at present so it will adde to the horrour of thy torment hereafter Vsue 4 It reproves those who though they are not so violent and outragious in sin to make them stink above ground in the nostrils of others yet rest in an unarm'd condition they do not flie to Christ for covering and shelter against this day of storme and tempest and the reason is they have a lie in their right hand they feed on a shell and a deceived heart carries them aside from seeking after Christ It would make one tremble to see how confident many are with their false hopes and self-confidences daring to come up as Corah with his Censer as undauntedly as Moses himself even to the mouth of the grave till on a sudden they are swallowed up with destruction and sent to be undeceiv'd in hell who would not be beaten from their refuges of lies here whoever thou art O man and whatever thou hast to glory in were it
beautiful colours that were drawn on them but not laid in oyle and therefore soon wash't off again The foolish Virgins made as great a blaze with their lamps and did expect as good a day when Christ should come as the wise Virgins but alas their lamps are out before he appeared and as good never a whit as never the better The stony ground more forward then the best soile the seed comes up immediately as if a crop should soon have been reap't but a few nipping frosts turns its hue and the day of harvest proves a day of desperate sorrow All these instances and many more in Scripture do evince that nothing short of solid grace and a principle of divine life in the soul will persevere How forward soever Formalists and slighty Professours are to promise themselves hopes of reaching heaven they will finde it too long a step for their short-breathed souls to attain The reasons are First such want a principle of divine life to draw strength from Christ to persevere them in their course That by which the gracious soule it self perseveres is the continual supply it receives from Christ as the arme and foot is kept alive in the body by those vital spirits which they receive from the heart I live saith Paul yet not I but Christ in me that is I live but at Christs cost he holds as my soul so my grace in life Now the carnal person wanting this union must needs waste and consume in time He hath no root to stand on A carcase when once it begins to rot never recovers but every day grows worse till it runs all into putrefaction no salve or plaister will do it good but where there is a principle of life there when a member is wounded nature sends supplies of spirits and helps to work with the salve for a cure There is the same difference between a gracious person and an ungracious see them opposed in this respect Prov. 14.17 The righteous man falls seven times a day and riseth but the wicked falleth into mischief that is in falling he falls further and hath no power to recover himself When Cain sinned see how he falls further and further like a stone down a hill never stayes till he comes to the bottome of despair from envying his brother to malice from malice to murder from murder to impudent lying and brazen-fac't boldnesse to God himself and from that to despair so true is that 2 Tim. 3 13. Evill men shall waxe worse and worse But now when a Saint falls he riseth because when he falls he hath a principle of life to cry out to Christ and such an interest in Christ as stirs him up to help Lord save me said Peter when he began to sink and presently Christs hand is put forth he chides him for his unbelief but he helps him Secondly an unregenerate soul hath no assurance for the continuance of those common gifts of the Spirit he hath at present they come on the same termes that temporal enjoyments do to such a one A carnal person when he hath his table most sumptuously spread cannot shew any word of promise under Gods hand that he shall be provided for the next meal God gives these things to the wicked as we a crust or a nights lodging to a beggar in our barne 't is our bounty such a one could not sue us for denying the same so in the common gifts of the Spirit God was not bound to give them nor is he to continue them Thou hast some knowledge of the things of God thou mayest for all this die without knowledge at last thou art a sinner in chaines restraining grace keeps thee in this may be taken off and thou let loose to thy lusts as freely as ever And how can he persevere that in one day may from praying fall to cursing from a whining complaining conscience come to have a seared conscience Thirdly every unregenerate man when most busie with Profession hath those engagements lie upon him that will necessarily when put to it take him off one time or other One is engaged to the world and when he can come to a good market for that then he goes away he cannot have both and now he 'll make it appear which he loved best Demas hath forsaken us and embraced this present world Another is a slave to his lust and when this calls him he must go in spight of Profession conscience God and all Herod feared John and did many things but love is stronger then feare his love to Herodias overcomes his fear of John and makes him cut off at once the head of John and the hopeful buddings which appeared in the tendernesse of his conscience and begun Reformation One root of bitternesse or other will spring up in such a one If the complexion of the soul be profane it will at last come to it however for a while there may some religious colour appear in the mans face from some other external cause This shews us what is the root of all final apostasy and that is the want of a through change of the heart The Apostate doth not lose the grace he had but discovers he never had any and 't is no wonder to hear that he proves bankrupt that was worse then nought when he first set up Many take up their Saintship upon trust and trade in the duties of Religion with the credit they have gain'd from others opinion of them They believe themselves to be Christians because others hope them to be such and so their great businesse is by a zeal in those exercises of Religion that lie outmost to keep up the credit which they have abroad but do not look to get a stock of solid grace within which should maintain them in their Profession and this proves their undoing at last Let it therefore make us in the feare of God to consider upon what score we take up our Profession Is there that within which bears proportion to our outward zeal Have we laid a good bottome Is not the superstructive top heavy jetting too far beyond the weak foundation They say trees shoot as much in the root under ground as in the branches above and so doth true grace O remember what was the perishing of the seed in the stony ground it lacked root and why so but because it was stony Be willing the plough should go deep enough to humble thee for sin and rend thy heart from sinne The soul effectually brought out of the love of sin as sin will never be through friends with it again In a word be serious to finde out the great spring that sets all thy wheels on motion in thy religious trade Do as men that would know how much they are worth who set what they owe on one side and what stock they have on the other and then when they have laid out enough to discharge all debts and engagements what remaines to themselves they may call their
if they be not worth sending this messenger to Heaven truly they are worth little Thirdly consider that although the Christian be secured from a total and final apostasy yet he may fall sadly to the bruising of his conscience enfeebling his grace and reproach of the Gospel which sure are enough to keep the Christian upon his watch and the more because ordinarily the Saints back-slidings begin in their duties As it is with tradesmen in the world they first grow carelesse of their businesse often out of their shop and then they go behinde-hand in their estates So here first remisse in a duty and then fall into a decay of their graces and comforts yea sometimes into wayes that are scandalous A stuffe loseth its glosse before it weares The Christian the lustre of his grace in the lively exercise of duty and then the strength of it Secondly take heed of abusing this doctrine unto a liberty to sin shall we sin because grace abounds grow loose because we have God fast bound in his promise God forbid none but a Devil would teach us this Logick It was a great height of sin those wretched Jewes came to who could quaffe and carouse it while death look't in upon them at the windows Let us eat and drink for tomorrow we shall die They discovered their Atheisme therein But what a prodigious stature in sin must that man be grown to that can sin under the protection of the promise and draw his encouragement to sin from the everlasting love of God Let us eat and drink for we are sure to live and be saved Grace cannot dwell in that heart which drawes such a cursed conclusion from the premisses of Gods grace The Saints have not so learn't Christ The inference the Apostle makes from the sweet priviledges we enjoy in the Covenant of grace is not to wallow in sin but having these promises to cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of flesh and spirit 2 Cor. 7.1 'T is the nature of faith the grace that trades with Promises to purifie the heart Now the more certain report faith brings of Gods love from the promise to the soule the mote it purifies the heart because love by which faith works is thereby more inflamed to God and if once this affection takes fire the room becomes too hot for sin to stay there SECT VI. The fourth note and last is That it will abundantly recompence all the hardship and trouble the Christian endures in this war against sin and Satan that he shall be able when the war is ended to stand In mans wars all do not get by them that fight in them the gaines of these are commonly put into a few pockets The common souldiers endure most of the hardship but go away with little of the profit they fight to make a few that are great yet greater and are many times themselves turn'd off at last with what will hardly pay for the cure of their wounds or keep them from starving in a poor Hospital But in this war there is none loseth but he that runs away A glorious reward there is for every faithful souldier in Christs Camp and that is wrapt up in this phrase Having done all to stand Now in this place to stand imports three things which laid together will clear the point First to stand in this place is to stand Conquerours An Army when conquered is said to fall before their enemy and the Conquerour to stand Every Christian shall at the end of the war stand a Conquerour over his vanquish't lusts and Satan that headed them Many a sweet victory the Christian hath here over Satan But alas the joy of these Conquests is again interrupted with fresh alarms from his rallied enemy One day he hath the better and may be the next he is put to the hazard of another battel much ado he hath to keep what he hath got yea his very victories are such as send him bleeding out of the field Though he repulses the temptation at last yet the wounds his conscience gets in the fight do overcast the glory of the victory 'T is seldome the Christian comes off without some sad complaint of the treachery of his own heart which had like to have lost the day and betrayed him into his enemies hand But for thy eternal comfort Know poor Christian there is a blessed day coming which shall make a full and final decision of the quarrel betwixt thee and Satan Thou shalt see this enemies Camp quite broke up not a weapon left in his hand to lift up against thee Thou shalt tread upon his high places from which he hath made so many shots at thee Thou shalt see them all dismantled and demolished till there be not left standing any one corruption in thy bosome for a devil to hide and harbour himself in Satan at whose approach thou hast so trembled shall then be subdued under thy feet he that hath so oft bid thee bow down that he might go over thy soule and trample upon all thy glory shall now have his neck laid to be trodden on by thee Were there nothing else to be expected as the fruits of our watching and praying weeping mourning severe duties of mortification and self-denial with whatever else our Christian warfare puts us upon but this our labour sure would not be in vain in the Lord. Yea blessed watching and praying happy tears and wounds we meet with in this war may they out at last end in a full and eternal victory over sin and Satan Bondage is one of the worst of evils The baser an enemy is the more abhorred by noble spirits Saul feared to fail into the hands of the uncircumcised Philistines and to be abused by their scornes and reproaches more then a bloody death Who baser then Satan what viler tyrant then sin Glorious then will the day be wherein we shall praise God for delivering us out of the hands of all our sins and from the hand of Satan But dismal to you sinners who at the same time wherein you shall see the Saints stand with crowns of victory on their heads must like fettered captives be dragg'd to hells dungeon there to have your eare bored unto an eternal bondage under your lusts And what more miserable sentence can God himself passe upon you Here sin is pleasure there it will be your torment Here a sweet bit and goes down glib but there it will stick in your throats Here you have suitable provision to entertain your lusts withal Palaces for pride to dwell and strut her self in Delicious fare for your wanton palates houses and lands with coffers of silver and gold for your covetous hearts by their self-pleasing thoughts to sit brooding upon but you will finde none of these there hell is a barren place nothing grows in that land of darknesse to solace and recreate the sinners minds You shal have your lusts but want the food they long for O what a torment must