times it was very much taken notice of by the very Heathen That in the depth of misery when Fathers and Mothers forsook their Children Christians otherwise strangers stuck close one to another their love of Religion and one of another proved firmer then that of nature They seem to take away the Sun out of the World said the Orator who take away friendship from the life of men And we do not more need fire and water then constant friendship Ninthly That Love that accompanies Salvation doth manifest and shew it self by working the Soul to be quiet and still under Christs rebukes John 21. 16 17 18 Peter sits down quiet under a threefold reproof Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee So Eli It is 1 Sam. 3. 18. the Lord let him do what seems good in his own eyes And Aaron holds his peace Levit. 10. 3. when he saw the flames about his sons ears So David I was dumb I opened Psal 39. 9. not my mouth because thou didst it The lovers of Christ are like the Scythian that went naked in the Snow and when Alexander wondered how he could endure it he answered I am all forehead O the lovers of Christ are all forehead to bear the rebukes of the Lord Jesus The Lovers of Christ know That all his rebukes are from love whom he Revel 3. 19. loves he rebukes they can see smiles thorow Christs frowns They know that to argue that Christ hates them because he rebukes them is the Devils Logick They know that all the rebukes of Christ are in order to their internal and eternal good and that quiets them They know that all the rebukes of Christ are but fore-runners of some glorious manifestations of greater love to their souls Psal 71. 20 21. Thou which hast shewed me great and sore troubles shalt quicken me again and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the Earth Thou shalt increase my greatness and comfort me on every side They know that it is the forest judgment in the world to go on freely in a way of sin without rebukes Ebhraim is joyned to Idols let him alone Hos 4. 17. And therefore they keep silence before the Lord they lay one hand upon their mouthes and the other upon their hearts and so sit mute before the Holy One. Tenthly That Love that accompanies Salvation shews it self by working the heart to be affected and afflicted with the least dishonors that are done to Christ Love is curious of little things it is as much afflicted with an idle word or with an impure dream as lovers of Christ are with adultery or blasphemy David did but cut off the lap of Sauls Garment and his heart â—mote him 1 Sam. 24. 5. Though he did it to convince Saul of his false jealousie and his own innocency Love will not allow of the least infirmity Rom. 7. 15. That which I do I allow not Love will make a man aim at Angelical purity and perfect innocency love will be getting up to the top of Jacobs Ladder love can rest in nothing below perfection Love makes a man look more at what he should be then at what he is it makes a man strive as for life to imitate the highest examples and to write after the choicest copies Love fears The sin and the coat of the sin is to be hated saith Ambrose every Image of offence it trembles at the appearance of sin it doth not it cannot allow it self to do any thing that looks like sin it hates the Garment spotted with the flesh it shuns the occasions of sin as it shuns Hell it self This is the Divine curiosity and glory of a Christians love Love says Melius mori fame quam Idolothytis vesci Aug. Marcus Arethusius in Julians time It is better to die with hunger then to eat that which is offered to Idols I have read of a holy man who out of his love to Christ and hatred of Idolatry would not give one half-penny toward the building of an Idols Temple though he was provoked thereunto by intollerable torments Love The Nieene Fathers would not gratifie Arrius no not in one tittle knows that the least evils are contrary to the greatest good they are contrary to the Nature of Christ the Commands of Christ the Spirit of Christ the Grace of Christ the Glory of Christ the Blood of Christ Love knows that little dishonors if I may call any sin little make way for greater as little Theeves unlock the door and make way for greater Love knows that little sins multiplied become great As love knows that there is nothing lesser then a grain of Sand so love knows that there is nothing heavier then the Sand of the Sea when multiplied Eleventhly That love that accompanies Salvation will shew it self by keeping the doors of the heart shut against those treacherous lovers that would draw the heart from Christ Love is a Golden Key to let in Christ and a strong lock to keep out others Though many may knock at Loves door yet Love will open to none but Christ Cant. 5. 6. I opened to my Beloved 8. 7. Many waters cannot quench love neither can the floods drown it If a man would give all the substance of his house for love it would utterly be contemned Bon Jabuzu contemning it would be contemned When the world would buy So did Luther Galeaciouâ— that noble Italian his love he cryes out with Peter Thy money perish with thee Love makes a man look with a holy scorn and disdain upon all persons and things that attempt either to force or flatter her out of her love and loyalty to her Beloved It is neither force nor fraud it is neither promises nor threatnings it is neither the Cross nor the Crown the Palace nor the Prison the Rod nor the Robe the Hempton Halter nor the Golden Chain that will make love embrace a stranger in the room of Christ Go says Divine Love offer your Gold and empty Glories to others your Pleasures and your Treasures to others put on your Lyons skin and fright others As for my part I scorn and contemn your golden offers and I disdain and deride your rage and threats Love makes a man too noble too high too gallant and too faithful to open to any lover but Christ to let any lie between the Brests but Christ Cant. 1. 13. A bundle of myrrhe is my welbeloved unto me be shall lie all night betwixt my Brests When Basil was Plato saith Pliny took as much delight and glory in those dignities and honoâ—â— he denied as he did in those he did enjoy It â—s just so with the Saints tempted with money and preferment he answers Pecuniam da quae perma neat ac continuo duret gloriam quae semper floreat Give money that may last for ever and glory that may eternally flourish Love makes a man cry out when tempted Let
see the worth of Assurance I have long sought Assurance and now I finde the sweetness of Assurance Ah it is such a Pearl of price it is such a Beam of God it is such a spark of glory that makes my Soul a rich amends for all its waiting weeping and wrastling So when it pleased Gal. 1. 15 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In me God to call Paul by his grace and to reveal Christ in him and to him Ah how doth he labor as for life to bring others to an acquaintance with Christ and to an acceptance of Christ and to an Assurance of Everlasting Happiness and Blessedness by Christ After Paul had been in Paradise he makes it his 2 Cor. 12. all to bring others to Paradise So the Spouse in the Canticles having assurance Cant. 5. 10 ult 6. 1 c. of her interest in Christ how doth she labor by all holy and heavenly Rhetorick and Logick by all the strains of love and sweetness to draw the daughters of Jerusalem to a sight of Christ and to an assurance of the love of Christ When a Beam of Divine light and love had shined upon Andrew John 1. 40 41 42. he labors to draw his Brother Simon to the Fountain of all light and love and when Philip had but a cast of Vers 43 44 45 46 47. Christs countenance his pulse beats and his heart calls upon Nathaniel to come and share with him in that loving kindness that was better then life The constant cry of Souls under the power of Assurance is Come taste and Psal 34. 8. see how good the Lord is Ah sinners sinners his wayes are wayes of pleasantness Prov. 3. 17. 1 John 5. 3. and all his paths are peace his commands are not grievous but joyous his yoke Matth. 11. 30. is easie and his burden is light not onely for keeping but also in keeping of Psal 19. 11. his commands there is great reward Assurance will strongly put men upon winning of others by counsel by example by prayer and by communicating their Spiritual Experiences to them Assurance will furnish a man with will skill and experience to confute all those false reports that vain men frequently cast upon the Lord and his ways It will make a man proclaim to the world That one Psal 84. 10. day in the Lords courts is better then a thousand years elswhere That there are more glorious joyes more pure comforts more abiding peace more royal contents more celestial delights in one dayes walking with God in one hours communion with God c. then is to be found in all things below God And by these and such like wayes Souls under the power of a wel-grounded Assurance do endeavor to make others happy with themselves A Soul under Assurance is unwilling to go to Heaven without company he is often a crying out Father bless this Soul too and crown that Soul too Let us to Heaven together let us be made happy together Sixthly A wel-grounded Assurance of Gods love and of a mans Everlasting Happiness and Blessedness will exceedingly arm and strengthen him against all wickedness and baseness No man loaths sin and himself for sin Ezek. 16 60 61 62 63. as such a man no man wars and watches against sin more then such a man no man sighs and mourns Rom. 7. 22 ult bleeds and complains under the sense of sinful motions and sinful operations Luke 7. 44. ult more then such a man Every stirring of sin makes a man that is under the power of Assurance to cry out O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death Psal 85. 8. I will hear what God the Lord will speak for he will speak peace unto his people and to his Saints And let them not turn again to folly or as the Hebrew will bear And they shall not return to folly Gods speaking peace to his people fences and fortifies them against folly and vanity The Assurance that Joseph had of his Masters love armed him against the lascivious assaults of his lustful Mistress and will not Divine love that is stronger then death do this Cant 8. 6 7. and more Assurance makes a man say to his sins as he to his Idols get you hence for What have I any Hosea 14. 8. compared with the 2 3 4 5 6. versâ—â— more to do with Idols So sayes the assured Soul away pride away passion away worldly mindedness away uncleanness away uncharitableness c. For what have I any more to do with you Assurance makes the Soul speak to sin as David speaks to sinners Psal 119. 115. Depart from me ye workers of iniquity for I will keep the Commandments of my God So sayes the assured Soul depart from me O my lusts for I have tasted of the love of God and I have given up my self wholly and oneâ—y to God and I cannot but keep the Commandments of my God The Jewish Rabbins report that the same night that Israel departed out of Egypt towards Canaan all the Idols and idolatrous Temples in Egypt by Lightning and Earthquakes were broken down So when Christ and Assurance comes to be set up in the Soul all the Idols of Satan and a mans own heart are cast down and cast out as an abomination Sound Assurance puts a man upon purifying himself even as Christ is 1 John 3. 2 3. pure The assured Christian knows That it is dangerous to sin against light that it is more dangerous to sin against love that it is most dangerons to sin against love revealed and manifested God may well say to such a Christian Is this thy kindness to thy friend To sin under Assurance is to sin against the Bowels of Mercy it is to sin against the choicest Remedy it is to sin against the highest Hopes of Glory and this will certainly provoke God to be angry 1 Kings 11. 9. And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Lord was angry with Solomon because Vaiithannaph in Pihil to shew that the Lord was greatly angry with Solomon the Root 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies properly to snuff with anger It notes such anger as appeareth in the paleness of the face and snuffing of the nose his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel that had appeared to him twice To sin under Assurance is to sin in Paradise it is to sin under the flaming sword it is to sin in the Suburbs of Heaven it is to run the hazard of losing that favor that is better then life of that joy that is unspeakable and full of glory and of that peace that passes understanding To sin under Assurance is to cast reproach upon Christ to grieve the Spirit to wound Conscience to weaken your Graces to blur your Evidences to usher in Calamities to imbitter your Mercies and to provoke the Tempter to triumph over your Saviour Verily that Assurance is but
The Lord hath in much mercy and love propounded in his Word the wayes and meanes whereby Beleevers may obtain a wel-grounded assurance of their everlasting happiness and blessedness and therefore it may be obtained take three Scriptures to evidence this The first is in that 2 Pet. 1. chap. 5-13 if you 2 Pet. 1. ch 5. 13. turne to the words you shal finde that the Lord does not only presse them to give all diligence to make their calling and election sure but he shewes them plainly the way and meanes whereby this may be done namely by adding to your faith vertue and to vertue knowledge c. The second Scripture is 1 Cor. 11. 28 that in the 1 Cor. 11. 28. But let a man examine himselfe and so let him eate of that bread and drinke of that cup. By examination the Soule comes to see what right it hath to Christ and all the precious things of his House and beleevingly to eate so of that Bread of Life of that heavenly Manna as that it may live for ever The third Scripture is that 2 Cor. 13. 5. Examine 2 Cor. 13. 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Goldsmith does the gold in the fire 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. unapproved or counterfeit not reprobates as it is translated vide Grâ—tius your selves whether yee be in the faith prove your selves know yee not your owne selves how that Christ is in you except yee be reprobates or unapproved or rejected by a serious examination of a mans owne estate he may know whether he hath faith or not whether he be Christs Spouse or the Devils strumpet whether there bee a worke of grace upon his heart or not and certainly it cannot stand with the glorious wisdome unspotted righteousness and transcendent holiness of God to put men upon the use of such Eâ—od 15. 11. and such meanes in order to the obtaining of such an end if that end could not be obtained by the use of the meanes prescribed Man that hath but a sparke of that wisdome righteousnesse Job 38. 5. 5. 18. 21. 33. verses compared and holinesse that is in God wil not put any upon the use of such oâ— such meanes for the obtaining of health wealth or the like unlesse there be a proper tendency in the use of those means prescribed to reach such Abstracts do better expresse God then concretes and adjectives ends and will God who is wisdome righteousnesse and holiness in the abstract Surely no God is one infinite perfection in himselfe which is eminently and virtually all perfections of the creatures and therefore it is impossible that God should act below the creature which he should do if he should put the creature upon the use of those meanes that would not reach the ends for which the means were used Thus you cleerly see by this seventh Argument that beleevers may in this life attain to a Well-grounded Assurance of their everlasting happiness and blessedness Eightly It was the principal end of Christs institution of the Sacrament of the Supper that he might assure them of his love and that hee might seale up to them the forgivenesse Matth. 26 27 28. of their sinnes the acceptation of their persons and the salvation of their soules The nature of a Seale is to make things sure and firme among Dan. 6 8. Mat. 27. 66. men So the Supper of the Lord is Christs Broad-seal it is Christs Privy-seale whereby he seals and assures his people that they are happy here that they shall be more happy hereafter that they are everlastingly beloved of God that his heart is set upon them that their names are written in the 2 Tim. 4. 8. Book of life That there is laid up for them a crowne of righteousnesse and that nothing shall be able to separate them from him who is their light their life their Col 3. 11. crowne their all in all In this Sacrament Christ comes forth and shews his love his heart his bowels his blood that his children may no longer say Doth the Lord Jesus love us doth he delight in us c but that they may say with the Spouse I am my beloveds Caâ— 7. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and his desire is towards me Many precious Christians there are that have laine long under feares His desirous affection is towards me as the wiveâ— is towards her dearest husband So the Hebrew word signifies and doubts sighing and mourning and that have run from Minister to Minister and from one duty to another c. and yet could never be perswaded of the love of Christ to their poor soules but still their fears and doubts have followed them till they have waited upon the Lord in this glorious Ordinance by which the Lord hath assured them of the remission of their sins and the salvation of their soules In this Ordinance God hath given Rev 2. 17. them mannah to eat and a white stone and new name which no man knoweth but he that receiveth it Tell me you precious beleeving souls whether you have not found God in this Ordinance often whispering of you in the ear saying Sons and daughters be of Mat. 9. 2. good cheer your sinnes are forgiven you I know you have Those Scriptures that do expresly require Saints to be abundant and constant in rejoycing and in praising of God to have alwayes harps in their Nulla verior miseria quâ—m falsa laetitia there is no â—â—uer misery then false joyâ— hands and Hallelujahs in their mouths doe clearly evidence that beleevers may attaine to a well-grounded Assurance in this life How can they rejoyce and glory in God that doe not know whether hee will bee an everlasting friend or an everlasting enemy to them whether hee will alwayes breath out love or wrath upon them how can they Psal 13 7. 2. but hang their harps on the Willows that do not know but that they may live in a strange land yea in a land of darknesse all their dayes How can they be cheerful or thankful that doe not know but that they may at last heare that heart-breaking that conscience-wounding that soul-slaying word Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting Matth. 25. 4. It would even be an endlesse businesse to cite every Scripture wherein this duty is injoyned It is a duty that is much pressed in both Testaments as little practised by all whimpering Christians fire prepared for the devil and his Angels Now there is no duty in the whole Book of God that is more frequently and abundantly prest upon beleevers then this of joy and rejoycing of praise and thanksgiving as all know that know any thing of the Scripture 1 Thess 5. 16. Rejoyce evermore God would not have his children alwayes a putting finger in the eye Ah Christians remember what Christ hath done for you and what he is still a doing for you in heaven and what
the soul makes a man sit cheerful and thankful Noah-like in the midst of all tempests and storms Look as the playing with a bosom sin speaks out Hypocrisie so the mortifying of a bosom sin speaks ouâ— Sincerity The second Motive to provoke Motive 2. doubting souls to trample upon their bosom sins is Solemnly to consider that the conquests of their darling sins will render the conquests of other sins easie When Goliah was slain the rest 1 Sam. 17. 51 52. of the Philistims fled when a General in an Army is cut off the common Souldiers are easily routed and destroyed Ah complaining doubting The Lacedemoniaâ—s in all battles resolved to go home conquerors or to die conquered souls did you but take the courage and resolution to fall with all your might and spiritual strength upon those particular sins that stick so close unto you and that do so easily captivate you you would finde that the great Mountains Zach 4 7. that are before you would soon be made a Plain Other sins will not be long lived when Justice is done upon your bosom sins thrust but a dart thorow the heart of Absalom 2 Sam. 18. 14. ult and a compleat conquest will follow The third Motive to provoke you Motive 3. to crucifie your bosom sins be they what they will is Seriously to consider the very great damage that your souls have already sustained by your bosom sins Saul by casting an amorous Some there be that had rather lose their hearts then their conceits others had rather lose their souls then their sins these shall be chronicled in hell for Fools and Bedlams eye upon Agag lost his Crown and Kingdom Samson by dallying with his Delilah lost his strength sight light liberty and life But what are these losses to thy loss of Spiritual strength to thy loss of communion with God to thy loss of the Spirit of Light Life Liberty and Glory to thy loss of Joy unspeakable and Peace that passes understanding and to thy loss of those fresh and sparkling hopes of glory that were once sparkling in thy Brest Mark Anthony was so far bewitched with his Cleopatra that in the heat of the battle of Actium when the Empire of the world his life and all lay at stake that he fled from Augustus to pursue her to the ruine and loss of all So many there are so bewitched to some Cleopatra to some darling sin or other that they pursue the enjoyment of them to the loss of God Christ Heaven and their Souls for ever Ah Christians that the sense of what you have formerly lost and of what you daily loose by your playing with sin might provoke you to set upon some effectual course for the mortifying of them It was a blasphemous speech of Henry the second who said when Mentz his City was taken That he should never love God any more who suffered a City so dear to him to be taken from him But it will be a blessed and a happy thing for you in uprightness to say O we will never love we will never favor we will never dally with our bosom sins more for they have damnified us in our Spiritual enjoyments and in our Spiritual returns from Heaven Shall the sense Nay how many in these days are mad against publick Instruments for seeming losses of outward losses by this and that instrument work us out of love with them and shall not the senâ—e of our Spiritual losses by bosom sins work us much more out with them Ah Lord of what Iron mettal is that heart that can look upon those sad losses that hath attended playing with bosom sins and yet still dally with those Delilahs The fourth Motive to provoke you Motive 4. The Heathens as many Professors now had not the right art of mortifying sin Sapientia eorum plerumque abscondit vitia non abscindit All their wisdom was to hide a lust not to quench it therefore their joy was like the crackling of thorns under a pot to be the death of your darling sins is Solemnly to consider that the conquest and effectual mortifying of one bosom sin will yeeld a Christian more glorious joy comfort and peace then ever he hath found in the gratifying and committing of all other sins The pleasure and sweetness that follows victory over sin is a thousand times beyond that seeming sweetness that is in the gratifying of sin The joy that attends the subduing of sin is a noble joy a pure joy a peculiar joy an increasing joy and a lasting joy but that joy that attends the committing of sin is an ignoble joy a corrupt joy a decreasing joy a dying joy the truth is were there the least real joy in sin there could be no perfect Hell where men shall most perfectly sin and be most perfectly tormented with their sin Ah doubting Christians as ever The Leper under the Law was still to keep his hair shaven Levit. 14 5. So should we be still a cutting and shaving that though the roots of sin remain yet they may not grow and sprout you would have good days as ever you would walk in the light as ever you would like the Angels have always Harps in your hands and Allelujahs in your mouths be restless till in the Spirit and Power of Jesus you have brought under the sin that sticks so close unto you Remember this nothing below the conquest of bosom sins can make a jubilee in the heart it is not a mans whining and complaining over sin but his mortifying of sin that will make his life a paradise of pleasure If notwithstanding all that hath been said you are still resolved to dally with sin then you must resolve to live as a stranger to God and as a stranger to assurance and peace You must expect sad trials without and sore troubles within you must expect to finde Satan playing his part both as a Lion and as a Serpent both as a Devil and as an Angel of light you must expect either no news from Heaven or but bad news from Heaven and you must expect that Conscience Conscience is Index Judex Vindex will play the part both of a scolding Wife and of a Lion that wants his prey And this shall be your just reward for playing with sin if you like the reward then take your course and dally with sin still if otherwise then sacrifice your Isaac The fifth Motive to work you to Motive 5. Some Heathens and many profane persons have earnestly desired that they had done that at first that they would fain have done at last but could not the worst would be good and do good at last But at last they will be found the best and wisest who have made it their business to do that every day that every one would do upon a dying day trample upon your bosom sins is Wisely to consider that it is your duty and glory to do that every day
not any man think that he will embrace other mens goods to forsake Christ who hath forsaken his own proper goods to follow Christ Love makes a man cry out when tempted as that worthy Convert did Ego non sum ego I am not the man that I was When my heart was voide of Divine Love I was as easily conquered as I was tempted O but now he hath shed abroad his love in my soul I am not the man that I was I had rather die then flie or fall before a temptation Twelfthly That Love that accompanies Salvation shews it self by secret kindnesses by secret visits by secret expressions of love A Soul that truly loves Christ loves to meet him in a corner to meet him behinde the door to meet him in the clefts of the Cant. 2. 14. Matth. 6. 6. Rock where no eye sees nor no ear hears nor no heart observes Feigned love is much in commending and kissing Christ upon the stage but unfeigned love is much in embracing and weeping over Christ in a Closet The Pharisee loved to stand praying in the Matth. 6. Market-place and in the Temple but Nathaniel was with Christ under the John 1. 48. Fig-tree and Cornelius was at it in the Acts 10. corner of his house and Peter was at it on the Leads and the Spouse Cant. 7. 11. was at it in the Villages Souls that truly love Christ are much in secret visits in secret prayer in secret sighing in secret groaning in secret mourning c. True love is good at bolting of the door and is always best when it is most with Christ in a corner The secret discoveries that Christ makes to souls do much oblige them to closet services Arcesilaus in Plutarch visiting his sick friend and perceiving his necessity that he wanted and yet his modesty that he was ashamed to ask that he might satisfie the one and yet salve the other secretly conveyed money under his Pillow which his friend finding after he was gone was wont to say Arcesilaus stole this So Christ steals secret kindnesses upon his people and that draws them out to be much in secret in closet services Thirteenthly That Love that accompanies Salvation shews it self by breathing after more clear evidence and full assurance of Christs love To the soul Divine love would fain have her drop turned into an Ocean her spark into a flame her penny into a pound her mite into a million A soul that truly loves can never see enough nor never taste enough nor never feel enough nor never enjoy enough of the love of Christ when once they have found his love to be better then Wine then nothing will satisfie them but the kisses of his mouth Cant. 1. 3. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth Not with a kiss but with the kisses of his mouth A soul once kissed by Christ can never have enough of the kisses of Christ his lips drop myrrhe and mercy no kisses to the kisses of Christ The The more a Virgins love is drawn out to another the more she desires to be confirmed and assured of his love to her more any soul loves Christ the more serious studious and industrious will that soul be to have the love of Christ discovered confirmed witnessed and sealed to it That is a sweet word of the Spouse Cant. 8. 6. Set me as a seal upon thy heart as a seal upon thy arm for love is strong as death Set me as a seal upon thy heart that is Let me be deeply engraven as a seal into thy heart and affections Let the love and remembrance of me make a deep impression in thee and set me as a seal or signet on thy arm 1. The seal you know is for ratifying confirming and making sure of things O sayes the Spouse establish and confirm me in thy love and in the outward expressions and manifestations of it 2. Seals among the Jews were used not as Ornaments onely but as Monuments of love that were continually in sight and remembrance O says the Church Let me be still in thy sight and remembrance as a monument of thy love In the Old Law you know Exod. 28. 11 12 21 29. compared the High Priest did bear the names of Israel engraven on stones upon his heart and shoulder for a memorial Ah says the Church Let my name be deeply engraven upon thy heart let me be alwayes in thy eye let me be always a memorial upon thy shoulder 3. Great men have their signets upon their hands in precious esteem Jere. 22. 24. As I live saith the Lord though Coniah the son of Jehojakim King of Judah were the signet upon my right hand yet would I pluck thee thence Ah sayes the Spouse O highly prize me Lord Jesus highly esteem of me O let me be as dear and precious unto thee as the signet that thou carriest about with thee or as signets are to great men that wear them Lastly That Love that accompanies Salvation shews it self by working a true lover of Christ to commit his richest Treasures his choicest Jewels to the care and custody of Christ Where we love we will trust and as we love we will trust Little trust speaks out little love great trust speaks out great love The lovers of Christ commend to Christs Psal 31. 15. So Job so Paul 2 Tim. 1. 12. 4. 7 8 Micah 7. 8 9. Dan 6. 22. care their Pearls of greatest price their Names their Lives their Souls their Crowns their Innocency their All. It was a notable saying of Luther Let him that died for my soul see to the salvation of it Caesar received not his wounds from the swords of enemies but from the hands of friends that is from trusting in them Oh! but the lovers of Christ shall never receive any wounds by trusting in Christ by committing their choicest Jewels to his care for he hath a powerful hand and a wise and loving heart Christ will hold fast whatever the Father or the Saints put into his hand And thus I have shewed you what that Love is that doth accompany Salvation I come now in the sixth place to shew you what Prayer that is that doth accompany Salvation But I see that I must contract what remains into a narrow room lest I should tire out both the Reader and my self Which that I may not I shall endeavor by Divine Assistance to minde brevity in what remains Now that Prayer doth accompany Salvation I have formerly shewed Now I am briefly to shew you what Prayer that is that doth accompany Salvation and that I shall do in these following particulars First Prayer is a Divine Worship The matter of Prayer may be reduced to these heads 1. Petition 2. Deprecation 3. Intercession 4. Expostulation There are other distinctions in regard of the manner As first Mental Prayer which is the inward lifting up of the heart to God Secondly Vocal which is uttered by words
is so fully perswaded of its eternal happinesse and blessednesse that it s carried like 4 There is a divine perswasion that flows from divine principles and causes Noahs Arke above al waves doubts and fears and Noah-like fits still and quiet and can with the Apostle Paul triumph over sinne hell wrath death and devill This is sometimes called Col. 2. 2. Heb. 6 11. 18 19 cha 10. 22. full assurance of understanding sometimes it is called full assurance of hope and sometimes it is called full assurance of faith because these are the choice and pleasant springs from whence assurance flows Now though this full assurance is earnestly desired and highly This full Assurance is the maximum quod sic the highest pinacle of Assurance prized and the want of it much lamented the injoyment of it much endevoured after by al Saints yet t is only obtained by a few Assurance is a mercy too good for most mens hearts it is a Crowne too weighty for most mens heads Assurance is optimum maximum the best and greatest mercy and therefore God will onely give it to his best and dearest friends Augustus in his solemne feasts gave trifles to some but gold to others honours and riches c. are trifles that God gives to the worst of men Rev. 3. 18. But Assurance is that tryed gold that God onely gives to tried friends Among those few that have a share or Most Saints I beleeve can give aloud testimony to this truth I shall rejoyce when their experiences shall confute â—r portion in the special love and favour of God there are but a very few that have an assurance of his love It is one mercy for God to love the soule and another mercy for God to assure the soule of his love God writes many a mans name in the Book of life and yet will not let him know it till his houre of death as the experience of many precious soules doth cleerly evidence Assurance is a flower of Paradise that God sticks but Rom. 8. 16 17. in a few mens bosomes It is one thing to be an heire of heaven and another thing for a man to know or see himselfe an heire of heaven The childe in the arms may be heire to a Crown a Kingdome and yet not understand it so many a Saint may bee heire to a Crowne a Kingdome of glory and yet not know it As the babes that passes the pangs of the first birth do not presently cry Father Father so the new borne Babes in Christ that have 1 Pet. 2. 2. past the pangs of the second birth doe not presently cry Abba Father they doe not presently cry out Heaven Heaven is ours Glory Glory is ours The third Proposition is this That The third Proposition a man may have true grace that hath not Assurance of the love and favour The blinde man in the Gospel called his faith unbeleef of God or of the remission of his sins and salvation of his soule A man may be truly holy and yet not have assurance that he shall be eternally happy A man may be Gods and yet he not know it his estate may be good and yet he not see it he may Mat. 15. 22. 29. be in a safe condition when he is not in a comfortable condition All may be well with him in the Court of glory when hee would give a thousand worlds that all were but well in the court of conscience The Canaanite woman shewed much love wisdome zeale humility and faith yea such strength of faith as makes Christ admire her and yeeld to her grace her and gratifie her and yet shee had no assurance that wee read of So Paul speaking of the beleeving Eph 1. 13. They that honour God by sealing to his truth those God will honour by sealing them with his Spirit Ephesians saith In whom ye also trusted after that yee heard the word of truth the Gospel of your salvation in whom also after that yee beleeved yee were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise First They heard the word and then secondly they beleeved and then thirdly they were sealed that is fully assured of a heavenly inheritance of a Saints have eternal life 1 In praetio 2 In promisso 3 In primitiis purchased possession So 1 John 5. 13. These things have I written unto you that beleeve on the name of the Sonne of God that yee may know that yee have eternal life and that yee may beleeve on the name of the Son of God So in that Isa 50. 10. Who is among you that feareth the Lord that obeyeth the voyce of his servant that walketh in darknesse and hath no light let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay himselfe upon his God So in that Mich. 7. 8. 9. verses Rejoyce not against me O mine enemy when I fall I shall arise when I sit in darknesse the Lord shall be a light unto me I will bear the indignation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Lord because I have sinned against him untill he plead my cause and Zagnaph Signifies vehement anger with a sad and lowring countenance Dan. 1. 10. vide Merâ— execute judgement for me he will bring me forth to the light and I shall behold his Righteousnesse Asaph was a very holy man a man eminent in grace and yet without assurance as may bee seen at large in that 77. Ps Heman doubtlesse was a very precious soule and yet from his youth up hee was even distracted with terrours Psalm 88. There are thousand Christians that are in a state of grace and shall bee Isa 8. 17. Chap. 49. 14 15 16. Ch. 54 6 7 8 9 10 11. saved that want assurance and the proper effects of it as high joy pure comfort glorious peace and vehement longings after the coming of Christ Assurance is requisite to the well-being of a Christian but not to the being it is requisite to the consolation of a Christian but not to the salvation of a Christian it is requisite to the well-being of Grace but not to the meer being of Grace Though a man cannot be saved without faith yet he may bee saved without assurance God hath in many places of the Scripture declared that without faith God never said except you be assured I will pardon you I will never pardon you except you are assured I will save you I will never save you this is language God never spoke and why then should men speak it there is no salvation but God hath not in any one place of Scripture declared that without assurance there is no salvation A man must first bee saved before he can be assured of his salvation for he cannot be assured of that which is not and a man must have saving grace before he can bee saved for hee cannot be saved by that which hee hath not Againe a man must be ingrafted into Christ before
but dig and search diligently after it There is grace in the heart and you might see it if you would but take the candle of the Lord and looke narrowly after it Looke as many a man upon a diligent search may finde his temporall estate to bee better then hee apprehends Worthlesse Dayses grow in sight upon the surface of the earth but the precious and richest rarities are hid within the bowels of the earth You are wise and know how to apply it it So many choice soules upon a diligent search may finde their spiritual estate to bee far better then they conceived or judged it to bee therefore soules cease from complaining cease from rash judging and dooming of your selves to hell and be diligent in enquiring what the Lord hath done and what the Lord is a doing in you and for you compare the books together compare his working upon you and others together what is there no light no love no longings no hungrings no thirstings after God what is there no The cry that was heard in the Temple was migremus hinc Let us go hence Let us go hence sighing no complaining no mourning under the sense of sinne and under the want of divine favour Surely if you search you will finde some of these things and if you doe prize them as jewels that are more worth then a world God will not despise the day of small things and will you will you dare you say that that is little that is more worth then heaven the least sparke of grace shall at last be turned into a crowne of glory Well remember this that as the least grace if true and sincere is sufficient to salvation so the sense of the least grace should be sufficient to your consolation The fourth Proposition is this viz. The fourth Proposition That God may deny assurance long and yet give it in to his children at last after patient waiting God appears to David and brings him out of an horrible pit or out of a pit of noise and Psal 4. 1 2 3 4. sets his feet upon a rocke and puts a new song into his mouth After the Church in the Canticles had run through Chap. 3. 5. many hazards and hardships many difficulties and dangers she findes him whom her soule loved The Prophet sits Psal 69. 2 3. downe and bewayles his sad condition Vers 20. thus I am weary of my crying my throat is dried mine eyes faile while I wait for my God And I am full of heavinesse and I looked for some to take pity but there was none and for comforters but I found none I but at last God appears and then sayes he I will praise the name of Vers 30. Job 8. 9. God with a song and will magnifie him with thanksgiving Job sighs it out Behold I goe forward but he is not there and backward but I cannot perceive him On the left hand where he doth worke but I cannot behold him he hideth himselfe on the right hand that I cannot see him Chap. 27. 5 6. But after this sighing he sings it out Till I dye I will not remove my integrity from me My righteousnesse I hold fast and will not let it goe my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live Mr. Frogmorten was as holy and as choice a Preacher as most was in England in those dayes and hee lived seven and thirty yeers without assurance and then dyed having assurance but an houre before hee dyed he went to dye at Mr. Dods who is now with the Lord and did dye there in full Assurance of the justification of his person Experience doth abundantly evidence that this is the manner of Gods dealing with abundance of those precious souls of whom this world is not worthy I could say much to this point from my owne knowledge but I must forbear lighting a candle to see the Sun at noon the remission of his sinnes and the salvation of his soule God denied assurance a great while to Mr. Glover though hee sought it with many prayers and tears and yet when hee was in sight of the fire the Lord shined forth in his favor so sweerly upon him that he cries out to his friend He is come he is come meaning the Comforter So Mrs. Katherine Bretterge after many bitter conflicts with Satan the day before she dyed she had sweet assurance of that Kingdome that shakes not of those riches that corrupt not and of that Crowne of righteousnesse that sades not away I have read of three Martyrs that were bound and brought to the stake and one of them gets from under his chaine to admiration and falls downe upon the ground and wrastles earnestly with God for the sense of his love and God gave it him then at that instant and so he came and imbraced the stake and died cheerfully and resolutely a glorious Martyr God delayed till he was bound and then le ts out himself sweetly and gloriously to him Now God doth delay the giving in of assurance to his dearest ones and that partly to let them know that hee will be waited on and that assurance Voluntas Dei necessitas rei God will have every childe of his to put his fiat his places to Gods go it never so much against the hair is a jewel worth waiting for The least smile from God when our last glasse is running will make our soules amends for all their waiting and partly that wee may know that hee is free in his workings and that he is not tied to any proportions or qualifications in the creature but is free to come when he will and goe when hee will and stay as long as hee will though the soule doth sigh it out How long Lord how long will it bee before my mourning bee turned into rejoycing Again God delayes the giving in of assurance not because he delights to keep his children in feares and doubts nor because hee thinks that assurance is too rare too great too choice a jewel to bestow upon them Isa 59. 1 2. Jer. 5. 25. but it is either because he thinks their soules doe not stand at a sufficient distance from sinne or because their soules are so taken up and filled with creature-enjoyments as that Christ is put to lodge in an out-house or else Luke 2. 7. it is because they pursue not after assurance with all their might they give not all diligence to make their calling 2 Pet. 2. 5. and election sure or else it is because their hearts are not prepared are not low enough for so high a favour Now Gods delaying assurance upon these weighty grounds should rather worke us to admire him to justifie him and quietly to wait for him then to have any hard thoughts of him or to carry it unkindly to him or impatiently Jud 5 28. to say Why is his Chariot so long a comming The fifth Proposition is this That
souls as makes them bid defiance to the greatest dangers and as Crowns them Conquerors of the greatest difficulties Ah says a soul that hath walked some turns in Paradise what is dross to gold what is darkness to light what is Hell to Heaven no more is all difficulties and oppositions to me who have found As they said once of the Grecians in the Epigramme whom they thought invulnerable we shoot at them but they fâ—ll not down we wound them and yet not kill them c. the sweetness of Divine Grace and have had the happiness to lie in the bosom of God Dioclesian the worst and last Persecutor in all the Ten Persecutions observed That the more he sought to blot out the name of Christ the more it became legible and to block up the way of Christ the more it became passible and whatever of Christ he thought to root out it rooted the deeper and rose the higher in the hearts and lives of the Saints among whom he had scattered the beams of his love and the rich pearls of his grace Such souls as have once been in the arms of God in the midst of all oppositions they are as men made all of fire walking in stubble they consume and overcome all oppositions all difficulties are but as whetstones to their Fortitude The Moon will run her course though the Dogs bark at it so will all those choice souls that have found warmth under Christs wings run their Christian race in spight of all difficulties and dangers The Horse neighs at the Trumpet the Leviathan laughs at the Spear so does a Saint under the power of assurance laugh at all hazards and dangers that he meets with in the Lords service The sense of Gods love and goodness makes him to triumph over the greatest difficulties Fourthly and lastly God gives his Reas 4 people some tastes of his love when he puts them upon hard and difficult services that the mouths of the wicked may be stopt should God lay heavy burdens upon his peoples shoulders and not put under his finger to give some ease should God double their tale of brick and yet deny them straw should God engage them against a potent enemy and then desert them should God send them upon some weighty embassage and not give proportionable encouragements to them what would the world say would Exod. 32. 12. Num. 14. 12 13 14 15 16. they not say That he is a hard Master and that his ways are not equal would they not say Verily they are lyers that say he is glorious in power and wonderful in counsel and infinite in mercy and admirable in goodness and rich in grace and unsearchable in his understanding for surely were he he could not he would not put his children upon such hard and dangerous services but he would own them and stand by them he would assist them and smile upon them he would be as careful to bring them bravely off as he hath been ready to bring them freely on O he could not see them in garments rouled in blood but his bowels would yern towards them and he would arise and have compassion on them Then thirdly Waiting times are times wherein God is pleased to give his people some sweet tastes of his love and to lift up the light of his countenance upon them I waited patiently Psal 40. 1 2 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the Lord saith David and he inclined unto me and heard my cry Waiting I waited He brought me up also out of an horrible pit or out of a pit of noise out of the miry clay and set my feet upon a rock and established my goings And he hath put a new song in my mouth even praise unto our God After God had exercised Davids patience in waiting he sweetly breaks in upon him and knocks off his bolts and opens the prison doors and takes him by the hand and leads him out of the pit of noise and confusion in which he was and causes his love and goodness so to beam forth upon him as causes his heart to rejoyce and his tongue to sing So after devout Simeon had waited for the consolation Luke 2. 25 to 33. of Israel that is for Christs coming the Holy Ghost falls upon him and leads him to a sight of Christ in the Temple and this makes the good old man sing nunc dimittas Now let thy servant depart in peace Ah says Simeon I have lived long enough now I have got Christ in my heart and Christ in my arms who is my light my life my love my joy my crown let me depart according to thy Word Ah Saints I appeal to you have not many of you found by experience the sweet breathings of Christ upon you even whilest you have been waiting at the door of Mercy while you have been weeping and waiting hath not the Lord Jesus come in and said Peace be to you waiting souls be of good cheer it is I be of good cheer your sins are pardoned surely you have Hath not God made that word good unto you Wait Psal 37. 14. on the Lord be of good courage and he shall strengthen thine heart Wait I say on the Lord yes And hath he Isa 49. 23. These words Shall not be ashamed in the Hebrew Dialect do not simply import that such shall not be brought to shame or shall not perish but that he shall be advanced to great dignity and glory to everlasting happiness and blessedness Isai 30. 18. Lam 3. 25. not made that good to you They shall not be ashamed that wait for me that is they shall not be deceived or disappointed of their hopes and expectations that wait for me yes And have you not found that word made sweet to your souls Therefore will the Lord wait that he may be gracious blessed are all they that wait for him Yes And hath not the Lord made that word good to you The Lord is good unto them that wait for him to the soul that seeketh him Yes Waiting souls remember this assurance is yours but the time of giving it is the Lords the Jewel is yours but the season in which he will give it is in his own hand the Gold Chain is yours but he onely knows the hour wherein he will put it about your necks Well wait patiently and quietly wait expectingly wait believingly wait affectionately and wait diligently and you shall finde that Scripture made good in power upon your souls Yet a Heb. 10. 37. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hab. 2. 3. Mal 3. 1. little little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry he will certainly come he will seasonably come he will suddenly come as the Prophet Malachi speaks Behold I will send my messenger and he shall prepare the way before me and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his Temple even the messenger of the Covenant whom ye delight in Behold he
applying precious promises and suitable remedies to all your maladies Have you not found God a bringing in unexpected mercy in the day of your adversity suitable to that promise Hosea 2. 14. I will allure her and bring her into the wilderness and speak comfortably to her or I will earnestly speak to her heart as the Hebrew reads it yes Have you not found that God hath so sweetned and sanctified afflictions to you as to make them a means to discover many sins that lay hid and to purge you from many sins that cleaved close unto you and to prevent you from falling into many sins that would have been the breaking of your bones and the loss of your comfort yes Have you not found that you have Musk saith one when it hath lost its sweetness if it be put into the sink amongst filth it recovers it so doth afflictions recover and revive decayed graces been like the Walnut tree the better for beating and like the Vine the better for bleeding and like the ingenious childe the better for whiping yes Have you not found afflictions to revive quicken and recover your decayed graces have they not inflamed that love that hath been cold and put life into that Faith that hath been dying and quickned those hopes that have been withering and put spirits into those joyes and comforts that have been languishing yes O then stand up and declare to all the world That times of affliction have been the times wherein you have seen the face of God and heard the voice of God and sucked sweetness from the brests of God and fed upon the delicates of God and drunk deep of the consolations of God and have been most satisfied and delighted with the presence and in-comes of God When Hezekiah in his great affliction lamentingly said I shall go mourning Isai 38. 9. to 21. to my grave I shall not see the Lord in the Land of the living he will cut me off with pining sickness he will break all my bones Like a Crane or a Swallow so did I chatter I did mourn as a Dove mine eyes fail with looking upward O Lord I am oppressed undertake for me So now God comes in a way of mercy to him and prints his love upon his heart Vers 17. Thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption or rather as the Hebrew reads 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it Thou hast loved my soul from the grave for thou hast cast all my sins behinde thy back Ah says Hezekiah I have now found that in my afflictions thy affections have been most strongly carried towards me as towards one whom thou art exceedingly taken with O now thou hast warmed me with thy love and visited me with thy grace thou hast made my darkness to be light and turned my sighing into singing and my mourning into rejoycing So when Habakkuks belly trembled Hab 3. 16 17 18. and his lips quivered and rottenness entered into his bones and all Creature comforts failed yet then had he such a sweet presence of God with his Spirit as makes him to rejoyce in the midst of sorrows Yet says he I will rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my salvation And thus you see it clear That in times of affliction God makes sweet manifestations of his love and favor to his Childrens souls Eighthly Praying times are times wherein the Lord is graciously pleased to give his people some sweet and comfortable assurance of his love and favor towards them Prayer crowns Nunquam abs te absque te recedo Bern. ep 116. O Lord saith he I never go away from thee without thee He was a man very much in prayer as some Writers observe God with the honor and glory that is due to his Name and God crowns prayer with assurance and comfort usually the most praying souls are the most assured souls There is no service wherein souls have such a neer familiar and friendly entercourse with God as in this of prayer neither is there any service wherein God doth more delight to make known his grace and goodness his mercy and bounty his beauty and glory to poor souls then this of prayer The best and sweetest flowers of paradise God gives to his people when they are upon their knees Prayer is Porta coeli clavis padisi the Gate of Heaven a Key to let us into paradise when John was weeping in prayer doubtless the Sealed Book was open to him Many Christians have found by experience praying times to be sealing times times wherein God hath sealed up to them the remission of their sins and the salvation of their souls They have found prayer to be a shelter to their souls a sacrifice to God a sweet savor to Christ a scourge to Satan and an in-let to assurance God loves to lade the wings of prayer with the choicest and chiefest blessings Ah! how often Christians hath God kist you at the beginning of prayer and spoke peace to you in the midst of prayer and filled you with joy and assurance upon the close of prayer That nineth of Daniel from the seventeenth to the four and twentieth verse is full to the point in hand I shall onely cite the words of the four last Verses And whilest I was speaking and praying Dan. 9. 20. and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the Holy Mountain of my God Yea whilest I was speaking in prayer even the man Gabriel whom I had seen in the vision at the begining 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 With weariness or flight tired as it were with his making speed being caused to flie swiftly touched me about the time of the Evening Oblation And he informed me and talked with me and said O Daniel I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth and I am come to shew thee for thou art greatly beloved therefore understand the Matter and consider the Vision In these words you see whilest Daniel was in prayer the Lord appears to him and gives him a Divine touch and tells him That he is a man greatly beloved or as the Hebrew hath it a man of desires So 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chamudoth a man of desires that is one singularly beloved of God one that is very pleasing and delightful to God Act 10. 1 2 3 4. There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius a Centurion of the Band called the Italian Band a devout man and one that feared God with all his house which gave much alms to the people and prayed to God alway He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an Angel of God coming in to him and saying unto him Cornelius And when he looked on him he was afraid and said What is it Lord And he said unto him Thy
before the Lord for that you have so eagerly pursued after lying vanities for that you have in so great a measure forsaken the Fountain of living water for that with Martha you have been busied about many things when Christ and Assurance the two things necessary have been so much neglected and disregarded by you Get this World this Moon under your feet take no rest till you have broken thorow this silken net till you have got off these Golden Fetters A heart that is full of the world is a heart full of wants Ah the Joy the Peace the Comfort the Confidence the Assurance that such hearts wants The Stars which have least circuit are nearest the Pole and men whose hearts are least entangled with the world are always nearest to God and to the Assurance of his Favor Worldly Christians remember â—his You and Mundus cadaver est petentes â—um sunt caâ—es is an Arabick Proverb that is The world is a carcass and those that hunt after it are dogs This Proverb makes a great many of our glistering Professors to be but dogs the world must part or else assurance and your souls will never meet When a worldly Christian is saved he is saved as by fire and before ever he shall be assured of his salvation he must cry out Omnes humanae consolationes sunt desolationes All humane consolations are but desolations God will not give the Sweet meats of Heaven to those that are gorged and surfetted with the delicates of the Earth The Cock upon the Dunghil prefers a Barley Corn above the choicest Pearl such Dunghil Christians that prefer a little Barley Corn above this Pearl of price Assurance that with Esau prefer Heb 12. 16 17. a morsel of meat before this Blessing of blessings that prefer Paris above Paradise Gods coyn above his countenance may at last with Esau seek and seek with tears this Heavenly Jewel Assurance and yet as he be rejected and repulsed The tenth and last Impediment that 10. Impediment keeps Christians from Assurance is The secret cherishing and running out of their hearts to some bosom darling sin It is dark night with the soul when the soul will cast a propitious eye upon this or that bosom sin and secretly say Is it not a little one and my soul shall live though God and Conscience hath formerly checkt and whipt the soul for so doing Ah how many be there that dally play with sin even after they have put up many prayers and complaints against sin and after they have lamented and bitterly mourned over their sins Many there be that complain of their deadness barrenness frowardness conceitedness cenforiousness and other baseness and yet are ready at every turn to gratifie if not to justifie those very sins that they complain against No wonder that such want Assurance After the Israelites had eat Manna in the Wilderness and drunk water out of the Rock after God had been to them a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night after he had led them by the arms and kept them as the apple of his eye after he had made them spectators of his wonders they hankered after the flesh-pots of Egypt so when after God hath given a man a new name and a white stone after he hath made a report of his love to the soul after he hath taken a man up into paradise after he hath set a man upon his knee and carried him in his bosom after he hath spoke peace pardon to the soul Psal 85. 8. for the soul to return to folly O this cannot but prove a woful hinderance to Assurance this will provoke God to change his countenance and to carry it not as a Friend but as an enemy When Love is abused Justice takes up the Iron Rod God will strike hard and home when men kick against the Bowels of Mercy God hath made an Everlasting separation betwixt Sin and Peace betwixt Sin and Joy and betwixt Sin and Assurance God will be out with that man that is in with his sin if sin and the soul be one God and the soul must needs be two He that is resolved to dally with any sin he must resolve to live in many fears Never forget this he that favoreth any one sin though he forgoeth many doth but as Benadab recover of one disease and die of another yea he takes pains to plunge himself â—nto two hells a hell here and a hell hereafter Therefore as ever thou wouldst have Assurance offer up thy Isaac part with thy Benjamin pull out thy right eye cut off thy right hand otherwise Assurance and Joy will not be thy portion Now that I may remove this Impediment which is of such a dangerous consequence to Christians souls and keeps Christians for ever from smiling upon any bosom sin I shall first lay down a few considerations to provoke them to dally and play no more with sin but to put off that sin that does so easily beset them that sticks so close Heb. 12. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unto them and then in the second place I shall propound some means that may contribute to the bringing under of bosom sins that so it may be no longer night with the soul The first Motive to provoke you to Motive 1. put out all your strength and might against bosom sins that you are so apt to play withal is Seriously to consider that this will be a strong and choice Demonstration and evidence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gnimme With him of the Sincerity and uprightness of your hearts Psal 18. 23. I was also upright with him and I kept my self from mine iniquity I kept a strict and diligent watch upon that particular sin that I found my self most inclined unto And this says David is a clear evidence to me of the uprightness of my heart with God The truth is there is no Hypocrite in the world but doth dandle and dally with some Job 20. 12 13. bosom sin or other And though at times and upon carnal accounts they seem to be very zealous against this and that sin yet at the very same time their hearts stand strongly and affectionately engaged to some bosom sin as might be shewed in Saul Jehu Judas and Herod therefore as ever you would have a sure Argument of your uprightness trample upon your Dalilaes This very evidence of thy uprightness may yeeld thee more comfort and refreshing in a day of trouble and darkness then for the present thou dost apprehend or hast Faith to believe Some there be that can tell thee that the joy of the Bridegroom nor the joy of the Harvest is not to be compared with that joy that arises in the soul from the sense and evidence 2 Cor. 1. 12. of a mans own uprightness Sincerity is the very queen of vertues she holds the throne and will be sure to keep it yea the very sight of it in
As it is a Christians glory to be eminent in every grace so it is a Christians special dutie to excel in that particular grace that is most contrary to his darling sins Is it pride is it the world is it hypocrisie c. that is thy bosom sin that is the cheif favorite in thy soul O then labor above all to be cloathed with humilitie to abound in Heavenly-mindedness to transcend in sinceritie c. I know no surer no choicer no sweeter way effectually to crucifie a bosom sin then this He that comes up to this counsel will not be long held in golden fetters it will not be long before such a soul cries out Victory victory The third Means to help us to trample Means 3. upon bosom sins is To look upon bosom sins now as they will appear to us at last to look upon them in the time of health as they will appear to us in times of sickness to look upon them in the time of our life as they will appear to us in the day of our death Ah souls of all unpardoned sins your bosom sins will be presented by God Conscience and Satan at last as the most filthy and ugly as the most terrible and dreadful your bosom sins at last-will appear to be those Many there be that have found these things by woful experience Wo wo to that soul that shall put it to the tryal monsters those fiends of Hell that have most provoked God against you that have shut up Christs bowels of Love and Compassion from you that have armed Conscience against you that have barred the Gates of Glory against you that have prepared the hottest place in Hell for you and that have given Satan the greatest advantage eternally to triumph over you Ah Souls at last your bosom sins will more press and oppress you more sad and sink you more terrifie and amaze you then all your other transgressions Those sins that seem most sweet in life will prove most bitter Job 20. 11 to ult at death those pleasant morsels will prove thy greatest Hell when there is but a short step between thy soul and eternity Ah Christians never look upon bosom sins but with that eye which within a few hours you must behold them and this you will finde by experience will be a singular means to bring under your bosom sins The fourth Means to subdue bosom Means 4. sins is To apply your selves to extraordinary means as Fasting and Prayer c. Ordinary Physick will not remove extraordinary distempers nor ordinary duties will not remove bosom sins who by long and familiar acquaintance with the soul are exceedingly strengthned and advantaged You read of some devils in the Gospel that could not be cast out but Matth. 17. 14 to 22. by Prayer and Fasting So bosom sins are those white devils that will not that cannot be cast out but by fervent and constant Prayer joyned with Fasting and Humiliation Souls that are serious and conscientious in observing of this rule will finde such a Divine power to atâ—end their endeavors as will give them to lead captivity captive and to triumph Col. 2. 14 15. over those white devils within as Christ triumphed over Principalities and Powers upon the Cross Fifthly and lastly As you would Means 5. have victory over bosoms sins keep off from all those occasions that tend to lead thee to the gratifying of them He that shuns not the occasions of sin tempts two at once Satan and his own heart he tempts Satan to tempt him to taste of forbidden fruit and he tempts his own heart to feed upon forbidden fruit Abstain from all appearance of 1 Thes 5. 22. Jude v. 23. evil hate the garment spotted by the flesh What ever carries with it an ill show or shadow savor or suspition that abstain from that you may neither wound God nor the Gospel your own Consciences nor others If there be any fuel to feed thy bosom sin in thy house remove it or before thine eie remove it or in thy hand remove it put it far away thy soul cannot be safe it cannot be secure so long as the occasions of sin are thy companions Wouldst thou have a clear evidence of the truth of thy grace then shun the occasions of sin wouldst thou imitate the choicest Saints then shun the Gen. 39. 10. Job 31. 1. Psal 26. 4 5 6. occasions of sin wouldst thou stand in shaking times then keep off from the occasions of sin wouldst thou keep alwaies peace with God and peace with Conscience then keep ofâ— from the occasions of sin wouldst thou frustrate Satans greatest designes and countermine him in his deep 〈…〉 plots then keep off from the occasion of sin wouldst thou keep thy bones from breaking and thy heart from bleeding then keep off from the occasions of sin wouldst thou keep down fears and doubts and keep up faith and hope then keep off from the occasions of sin wouldst thou have assurance in life and joy and peace in death then keep off from the occasions of sin Do this and you do all if you do not this you do nothing at all And thus I have done with the Impediments that hinder Souls from Assurance as also with the Means to remove those Impediments CHAP. IV. Containing several Motives to provoke Christians to be restless till they have obtained a wel-grounded Assurance of their Eternal Happiness and Blessedness NOw the first Motive that Motive 1. I shall lay down to provoke you to get a wel-grounded Assurance is Solemnly to consider that many are now dropped into Hell that have formerly presumed of their going to Heaven as those that came bouncing at Heaven gate crying out Lord Lord open to us for we have prophesied Matth. 7. 22 26 27. So few in the old world feared an eternal miscarriage Matth 25. So were the Jews that cryed out The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord. in thy Name and in thy Name have cast out devils and in thy Name have done many wonderful works and yet that direful and dreadful sentence is past upon them Depart from me ye workers of iniquities The foolish Virgins were in a golden dream that they were as happy as the best and yet when they were awakned they found the Bridegroom entred into his glory and the door of mercy shut against them Men are naturally prone to Isa 40. 27. Deut. 29. 19. flatter themselves that their sins are not sins when indeed they be and that they are but small sins when they are great and grievous and they are apt to flatter themselves that they have grace when they have none and that Prov. 30. 12. their grace is true when it is but counterfeit and that their condition is not Revel 3. 17 18. so bad as others when it is worse and with Agag that the bitterness of Micah 3. 11 death is past when God hath his
They know that it is not their profession but living up to their principles that will effectually stop the mouths and convince the consciences of vain men 1 Pet. 2. 15. For so is the Will of God that by wel-doing that is by living up to your own principles you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men There is no such way in the world to still and silence wicked men to make them dumb and speechless to muzzle and tie up their mouths as the Greek word notes as by living up 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to your own principles The lives of men convince more strongly then their words the tongue perswades but the life commands thirdly They know by living up to their principles they cast a general glory upon Christ and Matth. 5. 16. 1 Pet. 2. 11 12. his ways This makes Christ and his ways to be well thought on and well spoke on fourthly They know that the ready way the onely way to get 2 Pet. 1 5. to 13. and keep Assurance Joy Peace c. is to live up to their principles fifthly They know that by their living below their own principles or contrary to their own principles they do but gratifie Satan and provoke wicked men to blaspheme that worthy Name by which they are called They know Jam. 2. 7. The very Heathen as Salvian observes did thus reproach Christians that walked contrary to their principles Where is that good law which they do believe they read and hear the holy Scriptures and yet are drunk and unclean they follow Christ and yet disobey Christ they profess a Holy Law and yet do lead impure lives that by their not living up to their own principles they do but multiply their own fears and doubts and put a sword into the hand of Conscience and make sad work for future Repentance Now these and such like Considerations do exceedingly stir and provoke Believers to labor with all their might to live up to their own principles to get to the very top of Holiness to be more and more a pressing towards the mark and to think that nothing is done till they have attained to the highest perfections that are attainable in this life It is true many Hypocrites may go up some rounds of Jacobs Ladder such as make for their Gen. 28. 12. profit pleasure applause c. and yet tumble down at last to the bottom of Hell as Judas and others have done Hypocrites do not look nor like nor love to come up to the top of Jacobs Ladder to the top of Holiness as you may see in the Scribes and Pharisees and all other Hypocrites that the Scripture speaks of Thirdly It is their greatest desire and endeavor that sin may be cured rather then covered Sin most afflicts a gracious soul David cryes not perii Psal 51. out peccavi not I am undone but I have done foolishly Daniel complains Dan. 9. 5. not we are reproached and oppressed but we have rebelled Paul cryes not Rom. 7 23. If a Snake should sting thy dearly beloved Spâ—use to deaâ—h wouldst thou preserve it alive warm it at the fire hug it in thy bosom and not rather stab it wâ—th a thousand wounds You are wise and know how to apply it out of his Persecutors but of the law in his members rebelling against the law of his minde A gracious soul grieves more that God by his sin is grieved and dishonored then that for it he is afflicted and chastned The heart feeling within her the operation of the Serpents poyson runs from the thorns and thickets and runs over he green and pleasant Pastures that she may drink of the Fountain and be cured So gracious souls being sensible of the poyson and venom of sin runs from the Creatures that are but as thorns and thickets and runs over their own duties and righteousness which are but as pleasant Pastures to come to Christ the Fountain of Life that they may drink of those Waters of Consolation of those Wells of Salvation that be in him and cast up and cast out their spiritual poyson and be cured for ever Believers know that their sins do most pierce and grieve the Lord they lie hardest and heaviest Amos 2. 13. upon his heart and are most obvious to his eye The sin of Judah is written Jere. 17. 1. with a Pen of Iron and with the point of a Diamond their sins are When Brutus went to stab Julius Caesar he cried out What thou my sen Brutus c. So may God well cry out what thou my Son what wilt thou stab me wâ—th thy sins is it not enough that others stab my honor but wilâ— thou my Son against beams of strongest light they are against the bowels of tenderest mercy they are against the manifestations of greatest love they are against the nearest and dearest relations they are against the choicest and highest expectations And this makes believing souls cry out O a cure Lord a cure Lord O give me purging grace give me purging grace though I should never taste of pardoning mercy yet give me purging grace It was a notable Speech of Câ—smus Duke oâ— â—lorence I have read saith he that I must forgive my enemies but never that I must forgive my friends The sins of Gods friends of Gods people provoke him most and sad him most and this makes them sigh and groan it out Who shall deliver us from this body of death O but now wicked men labor not that sin may be cured but onely that sin might be covered and that the consequents of sin viz. Afflictions and the stingings Hosea 7. 10. to ult of Conscience may be removed as you may see in Cain Saul Judas and divers others In their affliction they Hosea 5. 14 15. will seek me early saith God they wâ—ll then seek to be rid of their affliction but not to be rid of their sins that hath brought down the affliction upon them Like the patient that would fain be rid of his pain and torment under which he groans but cares not to be rid of those evil habits that hath brought the pain and torment Sin doth ill in the eye worse in the tongue worser in the heart but worst of all in the life upon them Psal 78. 34 35 36 37. When he slew them then they sought him and they returned and enquired early after God And they remembred that God was their Rock and the High God their Redeemer Nevertheless they did flatter him with their mouth and they lied unto him with their tongues For their heart was not right with him neither were they stedfast in his Covenant In these words Ah England England as face answers faee so doth thy carriâ—ge towards God answer the carriage of these people whose baseness and falseness God hath put upon record to this very day c. you see plainly that these people are very early and earnest in
Christian will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 preach forth the vertues of Christ in an imitable practise and till then a man under all other knowledge will remain an incarnate Devil When a beam of Divine Light shined from Heaven upon Paul Ah how did it Acts 9. 3 c. Divine light layes upon a man Felix necessitas a happy necessity of obeying God c. change and metomorphise him how did it alter and transform him it made his rebellious soul obedient Acts 9. 6. Lord what wilt thou have me to do God bids him arise and go into the City and it should be told him what he should do and he obeyes the Heavenly vision Chap. 26. 19. Divine light makes this Lion a Lamb this Persecutor a Preacher this Destroyer of the Saints a Builder up of the Saints this Tormentor a Comforter this Monster an Angel this Notorious Blasphemer a very great admirer of God and the actings of his Free-grace as you may see by comparing the nineth and twenty sixt Chapters of the Acts together So when a spark of this Heavenly fire fell upon the heart of Mary Magdalen Luke 7. O what a change what a turn doth it make in her now she loves much and believes much and repents much and weeps much O what a change did Divine light make in Zacheus and in the Jailor Verily if thy light thy knowledge doth not better thee if it doth not change and transform thee if under all thy light and knowledge thou remainest as vile and base as ever thy light thy knowledge thy notions thy speculations will be like to fire not on the Hearth but in the Room that will burn the House and the Inhabitant too it will be like mettle in a blinde horse that serves for nothing but to break the neck of the rider That knowledge that is not a transforming knowledge will torment a man at last more then all the Devils in Hell it will be a Sword to cut him a Rod to lash him a Serpent to bite him a Scorpion to sting him and a Vulture a Worm eternally gnawing him When Tamberlain was in his wars one having found and digged up a great pot of Gold brought it to him Tamberlain asked whether it had his Fathers stamp upon it but when he saw it had the Roman stamp and not his Fathers he would not own it So God at last will own no knowledge but that which leaves the stamp of Christ the print of Christ the image of Christ upon the heart But that which changes and transforms the soul that makes a man a new man another man then what he was before Divine light shined upon him Thirdly That Knowledge that accompanies salvation is experimental Knowledge it is knowledge that springs from a spiritual sense and taste of holy and heavenly things Cant. 1. 2. Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth for thy loves is better then wine The Spouse had experienced the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By loves his plural loves she means all the fruits of his love viz. Righteousness Holiness Joy Peace Assurance c. sweetness of Christs loves his loves sayes she is better then wine Though wine is an excellent creature a useful creature a comfortable and delightful creature a reviving and restorative creature and this draws out her heart and makes her insatiable in longing and very earnest in courting not a kiss but kisses not a little but much of Christ Her knowledge being experimental she is impatient and restless till she was drawn into the nearest and highest communion and fellowship with Christ So in Verse 13. A bundle of myrrhe is my wel-beloved Psal 45. 8. Prov. 7. 17. So Plin. l. 12. c. 15 16 c. unto me he shall lie all night betwixt my brests Myrrhe is marvellous sweet and savory so is my wel-beloved unto me sayes the Spouse I have found Jesus Christ to be marvellous sweet and savory to my soul Myrrhe is bitter Every good man hath in him two men Rom 7. 15 ult Gal. 5. 17. to the taste though it be sweet to the smâ—ll so is my wel-beloved unto me sayes the Spouse I have found him to be bitter and bloody to the old man to the ignoble and worser part of man And I have found him to be sweet and lovely to the New Man to the Regenerate Man to the noble part of man I have found him to be a bitter and a bloody enemy to my sins and at the same time to be a sweet and precious friend unto my soul Myrrhe is of a preserving nature it is hot and dry in the second degree as the Naturalists observe so is my wel-beloved unto me sayes the Spouse O I have found the Lord Jesus Austin thanks God that his heart and the temptation did not meet together preserving my soul from closing with such and such temptations and from falling under the power of such and such corruptions and from fainting under such and such afflictions c. Considerable to the same purpose is that of Phil. 1. 9. And this I pray that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgeme 〈…〉 The Greek word that is here rendr 〈…〉 â—udgement 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sense The soul hath her senses as well as the body and they must be exercised Heb 5. 14. properly signifies sense not a corporal but a spiritual sense and taste an inward experimental knowledge of holy and heavenly things The Apostle well knew that all notional and speculative knowledge would leave men on this side Heaven and therefore he earnestly prayes that their knowledge might be experimental that being the knowledge that accompanies What is the Schollers knowledge of the strength riches glories and sweetnesses of far Countries obrained by Maps and Books to their knowledge that daily see and enjoy those things salvation that will give a man at last a possession of salvation Verily that knowledge that is onely notional speculative and general that is gathered out of books discourses and other outward advantages is such a knowledge that will make men sit down on this side salvation as it did Judas Demas the Scribes and Pharisees c. Christ will at last shut the doore of hope of help of consolation and salvation upon all those that know much of him notionally but nothing feelingly as you may see in his shutting the door of happinesse against the foolish Virgins Matth. 25. and against Surgunt in docti rapiuâ—t coelum Nos cum doctrinis detrudimur in Geheunam Aus those forward Professors Preachers and workers of Miracles Mat. 7. who had much speculative knowledge but no experimental knowledge who had much outward general knowledge of Christ but no spiritual inward acquaintance with Christ A man that hath that experimental knowledge that accompanies salvation will from his experience tell you That sin is the Rom. 7. greatest evill in the world
will shew it self at the Spring and so will the habits of Faith break forth into acts when the Sun of Righteousness shall shine forth and make it a pleasant spring to thy soul And thus much for this second particular The third Property of that Faith that accompanies Salvation is this It makes those things that are great and glorious in the worlds account to be very little and low in the eyes of a Believer Faith makes a Believer to Heb. 11. 9. live in the Land of Promise as in a strange Country it is nothing to live as a stranger in a strange Land but to live as a stranger in the Land of Promise this is the excellency and glory of Faith Faith will make a man set his feet where other men sets their hearts Faith looks with an eye of scorn and disdain upon the things of this world What sayes Faith are earthly treasures to the treasures of Matth 6. 19 20. Heaven what are stones to silver dross to gold darkness to light Hell to Heaven No more sayes Faith are all the treasures pleasures and delights of this world to the light of Psal 4. 6 7. thy countenance to the joy of thy spirit to the influences of thy grace I see nothing sayes David in this wide world onely thy Commandments are exceeding Heb. 11. 24 25 26. broad Faith makes David account his Crown nothing his treasures nothing his victories nothing his attendants nothing c. Faith will make a man write nothing upon the best of worldly things it will make a man trample upon the Pearls of this Phil. 3. 8. world as upon dross and dung Faith deadens a mans heart to the things of this world I am crucified to the world Gal. 6. and the world is crucified to me sayes Paul This world sayes Faith is not my house my habitation my home I 2 Cor 5. 1 2. look for a better Country for a better City for a better home He that is adopted Heir to a Crown a Kingdom looks with an eye of scorn and disdain upon every thing below a Kingdom below a Crown Faith tells the soul that it hath a Crown a Kingdom 2 Tim 4. 8. in reversion and this makes the soul to set light by the things of this world Faith raises and sets the soul high And hath raised us up together Ephes 2. 6. and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus saith the Apostle Faith makes a man live high our conversation Phil. 3. 20. is in Heaven and the higher any man lives the less the lower will the things of this world be in his eye The fancy of Lucian is very pleasant who placeth Charon on the top of an high Hill viewing all the affairs of men and looking on their greatest richest and most glorious Cities as little Birds Nests Faith sets the soul upon the Hill of God the Mountain of God that is A high Mountain and from thence Faith gives the soul a sight a prospect of all things here below And ah how like Birds Nests does all the riches braveries and glories of this world look and appear to them that Faith hath set upon Gods high Hill Faith having set Luther upon this high Hill he protests that God should not put him off with these poor low things Faith set Moses Heb. 11. high it set him among invisibles and that made him look upon all the treasures pleasures riches and glories of Egypt as little Birds-Nests as Mole-hills as dross and dung as things that were too little and too low for him to set his heart upon Verily when once Faith hath given a man a sight a prospect of Heaven all things on Earth will be looked upon as little and low And so much for this third Property of Faith The fourth Property of that Faith that accompanies Salvation is this It purifies the heart it is a heart-purifying Acts 15. 9. faith Purifying their hearts by faith Faith hath two hands one to lay hold on Christ and another to sweep the heart which is Christs house Faith knows that Christ is of a Dove-like nature he loves to lie clean and sweet Faith hath a neat Huswifes hand as well as an Eagles eye Faith is as good at purging out of sin as it is at discovering of sin There is a cleansing quality in Faith as well as a healing quality in Faith Sound faith will purge the soul from the love of sin from a delight in sin and from the Ezek. 16. reign and dominion of sin Sin shall not have dominion over you for ye are Rom. 6. 14 21. not under the Law but under Grace Now Faith purges and cleanseth the heart from sin sometimes by pressing and putting God to make good the promises of Sanctification Faith takes that promise in Jere. 33. 8. And I will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will purifie them is an allusion to the purifications prescribed in the Law for the cleansing of polluted persons till which purifications were performed they could not be admitted into the Camp or Congregation c. cleanse them from all their iniquity whereby they have sinned against me and that promise in Micah 7. 19. He will turn again he will have compassion upon us he will subdue our iniquities and thou wilt cast all their sins into the bottom of the sea And that promise in Psal 65. 3. Iniquities prevail against me as for our transgressions thou shalt purge them away And that promise in Isai 1. 25. And I will turn my hand upon thee and purely purge away thy dross and take away all thy Tin And spreads them before the Lord and will never leave urging and pressing seeking and suing till God makes them good Faith makes the soul divinely impudent divinely shameless Lord sayes Faith are not these thine own words hast thou said it and shall it not come to pass art thou no◠a faithful God is not thine honor engaged to make good the promises that thou hast made Arise O God and let my sins be scattered turn thy hand upon me and let my sins be purged And thus Faith purifies the heart Again sometimes Faith purifies the heart from sin by engaging against sin in Christs strength as David engaged against Goliah not in 1 Sam. 17. 45. his own strength but in the strength and name of the Lord of Hosts Faith leads the soul directly to God and engages God against sin so as that the combate by the wisdom of Faith is changed and made now rather between God and sin then between sin and the soul and so sin comes to fall before the power and glorious presence of God that is a choice word Psal 61. 2. From the ends of the earth will I cry to thee When my heart is over-whelmed lead me to the Rock that is higher then I. Look as a childe that is set upon by one that is stronger then he cryes
himself in his own tears let me give this Caution viz. That there is nothing beyond remedy but the tears of the damned A man who may persist in the way to Paradise should not place himself in the condition of a little Hell and he that may or can hope for that great all ought not to be dejected nor overwhelmed for any thing 4. That Repentance that accompanies Salvation doth include not onely contrition for sin but also a holy shame and blushing for sin Ezra 9. 6. Jer. 3. 24 25. 31. 19. Ezek. 16. 61 63. And thou shalt be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Bosh to blush to be abashed to wax pale and wan c. Quantum displicet Deo immundiâ—ia peccati in tantum placet Deo erubiscentia paenitentis Ber. the Lord God When the Penitent Soul sees his sins pardoned the anger of God pacified and Divine Justice satisfied then he sits down ashamed So in Rom. 6. 21. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed Sin and shame are inseparable companions So much the more God hath been diâ—pleased with the blackness of sin the more will he be well pleased with â—he blushing of the sinner A man cannot have the seeming sweet of sin but he shall have the real shame that accompanies sin These two God hath joyned together and all the world cannot put them asunder It was an impenitent Caligula that said of himself that he loved nothing better in himself then that he could not be ashamed Justinus Motto was Quod pudet hoc pigeat that should grieve most which is shameful in it self and done against conscience And doubtless those things are onely shameful that are sinful A soul that hath sinned away all shame is a soul ripe for Hell and given up to Satan A greater plague cannot befal a man in this life then to sin and not to blush Fifthly That Repentance that accompanies Salvation comprehends loathing and abhorring of sin and of Vis magnus esse incipe ab imo Wilt thou be great begin from below saith one It is very observable that those brave Creatures the Eâ—gle and the Lyon were not offered in sacrifice unto God but the poor Lamb and Dove to note That God regards not your brave high lofty spirits but poor meek and contemptible spirits our selves for sin as well as shame and blushing for sin Job 42. 6. Ezek. 16. 61 62 63. Amos 5. 15. Ezek. 20. 41 42 43. And ye shall remember your ways and all your doings wherein ye have been defiled and ye shall loath your selves in your own sight for â—all the evils that you have committed The sincere penitent loaths his sins and he loaths himself also because of his sins He crys out O these wanton eies O these wicked hands O this deceiptful tongue O this crooked will O this corrupt heart O how do I loath my sins how do I loath my self how do I loath sinful-self and how do I loath my natural-self because of sinful-self My sins are a burden to me and they make me a burden to my self my sins are an abhorring to me and they make me abhor my self in dust and ashes A true Penitent hath not onely low thoughts of himself but loathsome thoughts of himself none can think or speak so vilely of him as he doth and will think and speak of himself Ezek. 6. 9. And they that escape of you shall remember me among the Nations whither they shall be carried captives because I am broken with their whorish heart as the heart of a Husband is at the adulterous carriage of his wife which hath departed from me and with their eyes which go a whoring after their Idols and they shall loath themselves for evils which they have committed in all their abominations If thy Repentance do not work thee out with Some people can shed tears for nothing some for any thing but a sound penitent sheds more tears for his sins then he doth for his sufferings thy sins and thy sins work thee out of love with thy self thy Repentance is not that Repentance that accompanies Salvation And thus you see the particular things that that Repentance that doth accompany Salvation doth comprehend and include Sixthly That Repentance that accompanies Salvation hath these choice companions attending of it First Faith Zach. 12. 10 11. They shall look upon him whom they have pierced and mourn c. Mourning and beleeving go together So in Matth. 4. 17. Mark 1. 14 15. Now after that John was put in prison Jesus came into Galilee Preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom of God And saying The time is fulfilled and the Kingdom of God is at hand Repent ye and believe the Gospel Secondly Love to Christ doth always accompany that Repentance that accompanies Salvation as you may see in Mary Magdalen in that seventh of Luke Thirdly A filial fear of offending God and a holy care to honor God doth always accompanie that Repentance that accompanies Salvation 2 Cor. 7. 11. For godly sorrow worketh Repentance to Salvation Repentance is post naufragium tabula the fair daughter of a foul mother Repentance is a fruitful Womb. not to be repented of for behold this self same thing that ye sorrowed after a godly sort what carefulness it wrought in you yea what clearing of your selves yea what indignation yea what fear yea what vehement desire yea what zeal yea what revenge In all things ye have approved your selves to be clear in this matter Verily Repentance to life hath all these lively companions attending of it they are born together and will live together till the penitent soul changes Earth for Heaven Grace for Glory Seventhly and lastly That Repentance that accompanies Salvation is a continued act a Repentance never to be 2 Cor. 7. 10. repented of Repentance is a continual spring where the waters of godly sorrow are alwayes flowing A sound Penitent is still a turning nearer and nearer to God he is still a turning further and further from sin This makes the Penitent Soul to sigh and Rom. 7. mourn that he can get no nearer to God that he can get no further from sin The work of Repentance is not the work of an hour a day a yeer but the work of this life A sincere Penitent makes as much conscience of repenting Quid restat ò peccator nisi ut in tota vita tua deplores totam vitam tuam Anselmus O then what then remains but in our whole life to lament the sins of our whole life daily as he doth of believing daily and he can as easily content himself with one act of Faith or Love or Joy as he can content himself with one act of Repentance My sins are ever before me sayes David Next to my being kept from sin I count
it the greatest mercy in the world to be still a mourning over sin sayes the Penitent soul The Penitent soul never ceases repenting till he ceases living He goes to Heaven with the joyful tears of Repentance in his eyes He knows that his whole life is but a day of sowing tears that he may at last reap everlasting joyes That Repentance that accompanies Salvatition is a final forsaking of sin It is a bidding sin an everlasting adieu it is a taking an eternal farwel of sin a never turning to folly more What have I to do any more with Idols says Ephraim Hos 14. 8. I have tasted of the bitterness that is in sin I have tasted of the sweetness of divine mercy in pardoning of sin therefore away sin I will never have to do with you more you have robbed Christ of his service and me of my comfort and crown Away away sin you shall never be courted nor countenanced by me more That man that onely puts off his sins in the day of adversity as he doth his garments at night when he goes to bed with an intent to put them on again in the morning of prosperity never yet truly repented He is a dog that returns to the vomit again he is a swine that returns to the wallowing in the mire such a dog was Judas such a swine was Demas It is an extraordinary vanity in some men to lay aside their sins before solemn duties but with a purpose to return to them again as the Serpent layeth aside his poyson when he goeth to drink and when he hath drunk he returns to it again as they fable it It is sad when men say to their lusts as Abraham said to his servants Abide you here and I will go and worship and return again to you Gen. 22. 5. Verily such souls are far off from that Repentance that accompanies Salvation for that makes a final and everlasting separation between sin and the soul it makes such a divorce between sin and the soul and puts them so far a sunder that all the world can never bring them to meet as two lovers together The Penitent Soul looks upon sin and deals with sin not as a friend but as an enemy it deals with sin as Amnon dealt with Tamar 2 Sam. 13. 15. And Amnon hated her exceedingly so that the hatred wherewith he hated her was greater then the love wherewith he had loved her And Amnon said unto her Arise be gone Just thus doth the Penitent Soul carry it self towards sin And thus you see what Repentance that is that accompanies Salvation The fourth thing I am to shew is What Obedience that is that doth accompany Salvation That Obedience doth accompany Salvation I have formerly proved Now what this Obedience is that doth accompany or comprehend Salvation I shall shew you in these following particulars First That Obedience that accompanies Salvation is cordial and hearty the heart the inward man doth answer and eccho to the Word and Will of God The Believer knows That no Obedience but hearty Obedience is acceptable to Christ he knows Isa 29. 13. Matth. 15. 7 8 9. The heart is Camâ—ra omnipotentis regis i. e. The presence chamber of the King of Heaven and that upon which his eye his hand his heart is most set that nothing takes Christs heart but what comes from the heart Christ was hearty in his obedience for me sayes the Believer and shall not I be hearty in my obedience to him Christ will lay his hand of love his hand of acceptance upon no obedience but what flows from the heart Rom. 6. 9. Ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you So in Rom. 7. ult So then with the minde I myself serve the Law of God My heart sayes Paul is in my obedience So in Rom. 1. 9. God is my witness whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of his Son Many serve God with their bodies but I serve him with my spirit many serve him with the outward man but I serve him with my inward man God hath written his Law in Ezek. 36. 26 27. Believers hearts and therefore they cannot but obey it from the heart I delight to do thy will O my God how so why thy Law is within my heart or in the midst of my bowels as the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath it The heart within ecchoes and answers to the Commandments without as a Book written answers to his minde that writes it as face answers to face as the impression on the wax answers to the character engraven on the seal The Scribes and Pharisees were much in the outward obedience of the Law but their hearts were not in their obedience and therefore all they did signified nothing in the account of Christ who is onely taken with outward actions as they flow from the heart and affections their souls were not in their services and therefore all their services were lost services They were very glorious in Matth. 23. their outward profession but their hearts were as filthy Sepulchres their out-sides shined as the Sun but their in-sides were as black as Hell They were like the Egyptians Temples beautiful without but filthy within Well remember this No action no service goes for current in Heaven but that which is sealed up with integrity of heart God will not be put off with the shell when we give the Devil the Kernel Secondly That Obedience that accompanies Salvation is universal as well as cordial the soul falls in with every part and point of Gods will so far as he knows it without prejudice or partiality without tilting the ballance on one side or another A soul Non eligit mandata He doth not pick and chuse He obeyes all in respect of his sincere purpose desire and endeavor and this God accepts in Christ for perfect and compleat Obedience c. sincerely obedient will not pick and chuse what commands to obey and what to reject as Hypocrites do he hath an eye to see an ear to hear and a heart to obey the first Table as well as the second and the second as well as the first he doth not adhere to the first and neglect the second as Hypocrites do neither doth he adhere to the second and contemn the first as prophane men do he obeys not out of humor but out of duty he obeys not out of choice but out of conscience Psal 119. 6. Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy Commandments Look as Faith never singles out his object but layes hold on every object God holds forth for it to close with Faith doth not chuse this truth and reject that it doth not close with one and reject another Faith doth not say I will trust God in this case but not in that I will trust him for this mercy but not for that mercy I will trust him in this way but not in
Come Lord Jesus come quickly Revel 22. 20. Cant. 8. ult 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beâ—ahh dod Flee away speedily my beloved Make haste my beloved and be thou like to a Roe or to a yong Hart upon the Mountain of Spices I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ which for me is best of all It is a mercy sayes Paul for Christ to be with me but it is a greater mercy for me to be with Christ I desire to die that I Austin longed to see that head that was crowned with thorns may see my Saviour I refuse to live that I may live with my Redeemer Love desires and endeavors for ever to be present to converse with to enjoy to be closely and eternally united to its object Christ The longing of the espoused Maid for the marriage day of the Traveller for his Inn of the Mariner for his Haven of the Captive for his Ransom c. Is not to be compared to the longings of the Lovers of Christ after a further and fuller enjoyment of Christ The Lovers of Christ do well God hath reserved the best Wine the best things till last know that till they are taken up into glory their chains will not fall off till then their glorious Robes shall not be put on till then all sorrow and tears shall not be wiped from their eyes till then their joy will not be full their Comforts pure their Peace lasting their Graces perfect and this makes them look and long after the enjoyment of the Person of Christ It was a notable saying of one Let all the Devils in Hell saith he beset me round let fasting macerat my body let sorrows oppress my minde let pains consume my flesh let watchings dry me or heat scorch me or cold freeze me Let all these and what can come more happen unto me so I may enjoy my Saviour Secondly Love to Christ shews it self by working the Soul to abase it self that Christ may be exalted to Revel 4. 10 11. Joh 3 26 to 31. Phil. 3. 7 8. throw down it self that Christ may be set up to lessen it self to greaten Christ to cloud it self that Christ aâ—one may shine Love cares not what it is nor what it doth so it may but advance the Lord Jesus Love makes the Soul willing to be a footstool for Christ to be any thing to be nothing that Christ may be all in all Thirdly That love that accompanies Salvation sometimes shews it self by working the Soul to be chearful and resolute to be patient and confident in sufferings for Christ 1 Cor. Acts 5. 16. 13. Love endureth all things Love will not complain Love will not say the burden is too great the Prison is too dark the Furnace is too hot the Chains are too heavy the Cup is too bitter c. A true lover of Christ can slight Acts 21. 13. his life out of love to Christ as that blessed Virgin in Basil who being condemned for Christianity to the fire and having her estate and life offered her if she would worship Idols cryed Let money perish and life vanish Christ is better then all So Alice Driver said I drove my Fathers Plough often yet I can die for Christ as soon as any of you all That Love that accompanies Salvation makes a Christian free and forward in suffering any thing that makes for the glory of Christ Fourthly That Love that accompanies Salvation shews it self by working the Soul to be pleased or displeased It is a saying in Natural Philosophy That it is Naturalissimum opus viventis generare sibi simile the most natural act or work of every living thing to produce another like unto it self Psâ—l 45. 7. 1â—9 104 113 128 163. as Christ is pleased or displeased A Soul that loves Christ hath his eye upon Christ and that which makes Christ frown makes him frown and what makes Christ smile makes him smile Love is impatient of any thing that may displease a beloved Christ Look what Harpalus once said Quod Regi placet mihi placet What pleaseth the King pleaseth me That sayes a true lover of Christ What pleaseth Christ that pleaseth me Holiness pleaseth Christ and holiness pleaseth me sayes a lover of Christ It pleaseth Christ to overcome evil with good to overcome Hatred with Love Enmity with Amity Pride with Humility Passion with Meekness c. And the same pleaseth me sayes a lover of Christ 1 John 4. 17. As he is so are we in this world Our love answers to Christs love and our hatred answers to Christs hatred he loves all Righteousness and hates all wickedness so do we say the Lovers of Christ Psal 119. 113 128 163. It is said of Constantines Children Eusebius in his Ecclesiastical History That they resembled their Father to the life that they put him wholly on The true Lovers of Christ resemble Christ to the life and they put him wholly on Hence it is That they are called Christs 1 Cor. 12. 12. Fifthly True love to Christ shews it self sometimes by working the Lovers of Christ to expose themselves to suffering to save Christ from suffering in his glory to adventure the loss of their own crowns to keep Christs Crown upon his head to adventure drowing to save Christs honor from sinking Thus did the Three Children Daniel Moses and other Worthies I Heb. 11. have read of a servant who dearly loved his Master and knowing that his Master was looked for by his enemies he put on his Masters Cloaths and was taken for his Master and suffered death for him Divine love will make a man do as much for Christ it will make a man hang for Christ and burn for Christ Revel 12. 11. They loved not their lives unto the death Christ and his Truth was dearer to them then their lives They slighted contemned yea despised their very lives when they stood in competition with Christ and his glory and chose rather to suffer the greatest misery then that Christ should lose the least dram of his glory Sixthly That Love that accompanies Salvation shews it self sometimes by working the lovers of Christ to be affected and afflicted with the dishonors that are done to Christ Psal 119. Mine eyes run down with Rivers Jere 9. 1 2. of tears because men keep not thy Law So Lots soul was vexed racked 2 Pet. 2. 7 8. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies two things 1. The search and examination of a thing 2. The racking and vexing a man upon the tryal and tortured with the filthy conversation of the wicked Sodomites The turning of his own flesh his Wife into a Pillar of Salt did not vex him but their sins did rack his righteous soul Psal 6â— â— The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell upon me A woman is most wounded in her Husband so is a Christian in his Christ Though Though King Craesus his son were dumb all his life time yet
all be loved with a sincere and cordial love The Apostle James doth roundly condemn that partial love that was among Professors in his days Jam. 2. 1 2. Not that the Apostle doth absolutely prohibit a civil differencing of men in place from others but when the rich Non gens sed mens non genus sed genius Not race or place but grace truly sets forth a man mans wealth is more regarded then the poor mans godliness and when men carry it so to the rich as to cast scorn contempt disgrace and discouragement upon the godly poor This is a sin for which God will visit the sons of Pride Pompey told his Cornelia it is no praise to thee to have loved Pompeium Magnum Pompey the Great but if thou lovest Pompeium Miserum Pompey the Miserable thou shalt be a pattern for imitation to all posterity I will leave you to apply it Romanus the Martyr who was born of Noble Parentage intreated his Persecutors that they would not favor him for his Nobility For it is not said he the blood of my Ancestors but my Christian Faith that makes me noble Verily he that loves one Saint for Yet there is a love of familiarity which we may lawfully shew more to one godly man then to another Thus Christ loved John more then the other Disciples the Grace that is in him for that Holiness that Image of God that is upon him he cannot but fall in love with every Saint that bears the lovely Image of the Father upon him he cannot but love a Saint in rags as well as a Saint in robes a Saint upon the dunghill as well as a Saint upon the throne Usually the most ragged Christians are the richest Christians they usually have most of Heaven that have least of Earth Jam. 2. 5. The true Diamond shines best in the dark Thirdly Our Love to the Saints is Yet this must be granted That grace in a rugged unhewn nature is like a Gold Ring on a leprous hand or a Diamond set in Iron As a Gold Ring is most pleasing and taking when it is on a neat clean hand and as a Diamond when it is set in a Ring of Gold so grace is most pleasing and taking to us in a sweet nature and not so much when it is in a rugged unhewn nature the beauty and glory of it being clouded and darkned by a rugged nature right when we love them and delight in them answerable to the Spiritualcauses of love that shine in them as the more holy and gracious they are the more we love them Psal 16. 2 3. My goodness extendeth not to thee but to the Saints that are in the earth and to the excellent in whom is all my delight This is most certain If godliness be the reason why we love any then the more any excel others in the Love Spirit Power and practise of Godliness the more we should love them There are those that seem to love such godly men as are weak in their judgments low in their principles and dull in their practises and yet look with a squint-eye upon those that are more sound in their judgments more high in their principles and more holy in their practises which doubtless speaks out more hypocrisie then sincerity Verily he hath either no grace or but a little grace that doth not love most where the Spiritual causes of love do most shine and appear Surely those Christians are under a very great distemper of spirit that envy those gifts and graces of God in others that out-shine their own Johns Disciples muttered and murmured because Christ had more followers and admirers then John And Johns Disciples are not all dead yea they seem to have a new Resurrection in these days Well as the fairest day hath its Clouds the finest Linnen its spots the richest Jewels their flaws the sweetest Fruits their Worms So when precious Christians are under temptations they may and too often do envy and repine at those excellent Graces Abilities and Excellencies that cloud darken and out-shine their own The best of men are too full of pride and self-love that makes them sometimes cast dirt and disgrace upon that excellency that themselves want Eusâ—bius speaks of him in his Ecclesiastical History As that great man that could not write his own name and yet called the Liberal Arts a Publick Poyson and Pestilence There is no greater Argument that our grace is true and that we do love others for grace sake then our loving them best that have most grace though they have least of worldly goods A Pearl is rich if found on a dunghil though it may glister more when set in a Ring of Gold so many a poor Believer is rich and glorious in the eye of Christ and should be so in ours though like Job he sits upon a dunghil though to the world he may seem to glister most when adorned with riches honor and outward pomp c. Fourthly True Love to Saints is constant 1 Cor. 13. 8. Love never faileth it continues for ever in Heaven that love was never true that is not constant Heb. 13. 1. Let brotherly love continue True love is constant in prosperity Consalvus a Spanish Bishop and Iâ—quisitor wondered how the Christians had thâ—t Commandment Thou shalt love thy Neighbor as thy self so indelibly Printed in their hearts that no torture could blot it out and make them confess and betray one another or cease from loving one another and adversity in storms and calms in health and sickness in presence and in absence Thy own friend and thy Fathers friend forsake not A friend sayes the Wiseman loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity Prosperity makes friends and Adversity will try friends A true friend is neither known in prosperity nor hid in adversity True love is like to that of Ruths to Naomi and that of Jonathans to David permanent and constant Many there be whose love to the Saint is like Jobs Brooks Job 6. 15 16. which in Winter when we have no need over-flows with tenders of service and shews of love but when the season is hot and dry and the poor thirsty Travellor stands in most need of water to refresh him then the Brooks are quite dried up They are like the Swallow that will stay by you in the Summer but flie from you in the Winter It is observed by Josephus of the Samaritans that when ever the Jews affairs prospered they would be their friends and profess much love to them Augustus Caesar was a constant friends to those whom he loved he used to say Amare nec cito desisto nec teâ—ere incipio Late ere I love as long ere I leave but if the Jews were in trouble and wanted their assistance then they would not own them nor have any thing to do with them This age is full of such Samaritans yet such as truly love will always love In the Primitive
heart speaks if the heart be dumb God will certainly be deaf No Prayer takes with God but that which is the travel of the heart Seventhly Gracious Souls usually Dan 9. 9. Nehe. 10. compared Rom. 8. 26. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Helpeth together or helps us as the nurse doth the little childe Prayer is the breath of the Spirit c. come off from Prayer with hearts more disengaged from sin and more vehemently set against it The precious communion that they have with God in Prayer the sweet breathings of God into their hearts whilest they are a breathing out their requests in his ears and the secret assistance stirrings and movings of the Spirit upon their souls in Prayer arm them more against sin and makes them stand upon the highest terms of defiance with sin How shall I do this or that wickedness against God Sayes the praying Soul O I cannot I will not do any thing unworthy of him that hath caused his glory to pass before me in Prayer Ah but wicked men come off from Prayer with hearts more encouraged to sin and more resolved to walk in ways of sin Prov. 7. 14 15-24 I have Peace-offerings with me saith the Harlot This day have I paid my vows Therefore came I forth to meet thee diligently to seek thy face and I have found thee Come let us take our fill of love until 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Be drunken with loves which shews her unsatiable lusts the morning let us solace our selves with loves So in Jere. 7. 9 10. Will ye steal murder and commit adultery and swear falsly and burn incense unto Baal and walk after other gods whom ye know not And come and stand before me in this house which is called by my Name and say We are delivered to do all these abominations Wicked men are like Lewis King of France that would swear and then kiss the cross and then swear more bitterly and then kiss the cross So they sin and pray and pray Mr. Shepherd in his Sincere Convert speaks of such a monster yea this age is full of such Monsters that have no pity upon themselves and sin and the more they pray the more easily resolutely and impudently do they sin They make use of Prayer to charm their Consciences that so they may sin with more pleasure and less regreet Ah what pains do such sinners take to go to Hell and to arm their Consciences against themselves in that day wherein they shall say There is no help there is no hope Eighthly and lastly Gracious Souls do more eye and observe how their own hearts are wrought upon in Prayer Psal 35. 13. My Prayer returned into my own bosom Isa◠26. 8 9. then how others hearts are wrought upon When they pray they look with a curious eye upon their own spirits they look with a narrow eye upon their own hearts and observe how they are affected melted humbled quickned raised spiritualized and bettered by Prayer But vain men as they pray to be seen of men so they eye most how others like their prayers and Matth. 6. 23. The vertue of some lieth in the spectators eyes are affected and taken with their prayers they are most critical in observing what operations their prayers have upon others hearts but never minde to any purpose how they operate upon their own hearts a worse plague cannot befal them And thus I have endeavored to shew you what a wide difference there is betwixt the Prayers of the godly and the ungodly and by this as by the former particulars laid down you may see what Prayer that is that accompanies Salvation Now in the seventh place I shall The seventh thing that accompanies Salvation is Perseverance shew you what Perseverance that is that accompanies Salvation and that I shall do in these following particulars First That Perseverance that accompanies Salvation is Perseverance in a holy Profession Heb. 4. 14. Seeing then that we have a great High Priest that is passed into the Heavens Jesus the Son of God Let us hold fast our profession by a strong hand or by a hand of holy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 violence So in Chap. 10. 23. Let us hold fast the profession of our Faith without 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies A forcible holding a holding with both hands 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wavering or as it is in the Greek without tilting or tossing to one side or other for he is faithful that promised Therefore let no temptation affliction opposition or persecution take us off from our holy Profession but let us hold our Profession with a forcible hand yea with both hands in the face of all difficulties dangers and deaths As Cynaegirus the Athenian Captain did the ship that was laden with the rich spoil of his Country Secondly That Perseverance that accompanies Salvation is a Perseverance in holy and spiritual Principles It is an abiding in love John 15. 9 10. So in Col. 1. 23. 1 Tim. 2. 15. Heb. 13. 1. 11. 13. These all died in Faith or as it is in the Greek They all died according to Faith that is Persevering in Faith And an abiding in faith and hope 1 Cor. 13. 13 c. Perseverence is not a particular distinct Grace of it self but such a Vertue as crowns all vertue it is such a Grace as casts a general glory and beauty upon every grace It is a Grace that leads every grace on to perfection To persevere in holy and heavenly Principles is To persevere in Believing in Repenting in Mourning in Hoping It is to persevere in Love in Fear in Humility in Patience in Self-denial c. Now it is this perseverance It is a Rule in the Civil Law Nec videtur actum si quid superfit quod agatur that nothing seems to be done if there remain ought to be done Let a man do never so much if he do not persevere he will be found to have done nothing in holy and gracious Principles that accompaines Salvation that leads to Salvation No grace no not the most sparkling and shining grace can bring a man to Heaven of it self without Perseverance not Faith which is the Champion of Grace if it faint and fail not Love which is the Nurse of Grace if it decline and wax cold not Humility which is the adorner beautifier of Grace if it continue not to the end not Obedience not Repentance not Patience nor no other Grace except they have their perfect work It is Perseverance in Grace that crowns every Grace and every gracious Soul with a crown of glory at last Revel 2. 10. Be thou faithful to the death and I will give thee a crown of life Such as As all Hypocrites onely do John 6 c. onely believe for a time and repent for a time and love for a time and repent for a time and love for a time and rejoyce for a time and hope for a
time c. But do not persevere and hold out will be doubly miserable in the day of vengeance Perseverance is the accomplishment of every Grace without it he that fights cannot hope to overcome and he that for the present doth overcome cannot look for the Crown unless he still perseveres and goes on conquering and to conquer till he findes all his enemies slain before him Thirdly That Perseverance that accompanies Salvation is An abiding You must persevere and hold fast the faith of the Gospel without wavering in it or startling from it You must be as the Center or as Mount Sion stedfast and unmoveable or continuing in the Word or Doctrine of Christ John 15. 7. If ye abide in me and my words abide in you ye shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you 1 John 2. 14. I have written unto you yong men because ye are strong and the Word of God abideth in you Vers 24. Let that therefore abide in you which you have heard from the beginning if that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you ye also shall continue in the Son and in the Father 2 John vers 9. Whosoever tranfgresseth and abideth not in the Doctrine of Christ hath not God He that abideth in the Doctrine of Christ he hath both the Father and the Son None shall receive the end of The Tabernacle was covered over with red and the purple feathers tell us that they take that habit for the same intent to note That we must defend the truâ—h and abide by the truth even to essusion of blood their Faith the Salvation of their Souls but those that hold fast the Doctrine of Faith foundly sincerely and entirely to the end John 8. 31. If ye continue in my Word then are ye my Disciples indeed It is the End that crowns the action as the Evening crowns the day as the last act commends the whole Scene It is not enough to begin well except we end well the beginning of Christians is not so considerable as the end Manasseh and Paul began ill but ended well Neroes first five years were famous but afterwards who more cruel Judas and Demas began well but ended ill It is not the knowledge of the Doctrine of Christ nor the commending of the Word of Christ but the abiding in Christs Word the continuing in Christs Doctrine that accompanies Life and Glory and that will render a man happy at last Such that with Hymeneus and Alexander put away 1 Tim. 1. 19 20. 1 Cor. 5. 5. or make shipwrack of the Doctrine of Faith of the Word of Faith shall by the Lord or his people or by both be delivered unto Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme Usually the end of such is worse then the beginning Double 2 Pet. 2. 20 21 22. 2 Tim 3. 13. damnation attends those that begin in the Spirit and end in the Flesh Fourthly and lastly That Perseverance that accompanies Salvation is A Perseverance in holy and gracius Phil. 3. 10-14 Isa 40. ult Actions and Motions it is a continuing in Pious Duties and Religious Services The life of Christian consists in Motion Non progrediest regredi Not to go forwards is to go backwards not in Session A Christians Emblem should be an House moving towards Heaven he must never stand still he must alwayes be a going on from Faith to Faith and from strength to strength When Saints have done their work in this life they shall sit upon Thrones in a better life Perseverance Acts 13. 43. 14. 22. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifying a continuance in Prayer and Supplication with an invincible and strong constancy There was a Temple of Concord among the Heathens and shall it not be found among Christians that are the Temple of the Holy Ghost is a going on a holding out in ways of piety and sanctity Acts 1. 14. These all continued with one accord in Prayer and Supplication Chap. 2. 42. And they continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and Fellowship and in breaking of Bread and in Prayers Vers 46. And they continued daily with one accord in the Temple and breaking Bread from house to house did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart 1 Tim. 5. 5. Now she that is a widow indeed and desolate trusteth in God and continueth in Supplications and Prayers night and day Rom. 12. 12. Continuing instant in Prayer Christians must work hard in a Wilderness before they sit down in paradise They must make a constant progress in holiness before they enter into happiness It is the excellency of Perseverance that it keeps a Christian still in motion God-wards Heaven-wards Holiness-wards It is a Grace that quickens a man to motion to action it keeps a man still going still doing And Motion is the excellency of the Creature and the more excellent any Creature is the more excellent is that Creature in its motions as you may see in the motions of the Celestial Bodies the Sun Moon and Stars Perseverance is a perpetual motion in ways of Grace and Holiness Perseverance will Psal 44. 16 17 18 19 20. make a man hold up and hold on in the work and ways of the Lord in the face of all impediments discouragements temptations tribulations and persecutions As the Moon holds on her motion though the dogs bark so Perseverance will make a Christian hold on in his holy and heavenly Motions though vain men bark and bite c. And thus I have shewed you what Perseverance that is that accompanies Salvation Now in the Eighth place I shall The eighth and last thing that accompanies Salvation is Hope I shall gather up what I have to say concernâ—ng Hope into as narrow a compass as I can being unwilling to tire the Readers patience and my own spirits The Philosophers excluded Hope out of their Catalogues of vertues numbering it among the perturbations but God by his Werd hath taught us better shew you very briefly First That Hope doth accompany Salvation Secondly What that Hope is that doth accompany Salvation First That Hope doth accompany Salvation these Scriptures speak it out Rom. 8. 24. For we are saved by hope Gal. 5. 5. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith Ephes 1. 18. The eyes of your understanding being inlightned that ye may know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints 1 Thes 5. 8. But let us who are of the day be sober putting on the brest-plate of Faith and Love and for an helmet the Hope of Salvation Tit. 3. 7. That being justified by his grace we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life Chap. 1. 2. In hope of eternal life which God that cannot lie promised before the world began By all these Scriptures it doth fully
c. is taken by a Metonimy for the things hoped for viz. All that glory and felicity that blessedness and happiness that is laid up for us in Heaven So in Heb. 6. 18. Who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us Hope here is put for the object of Hope viz. Heaven and Happiness Hope layes such fast hold as the Greek word here 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies upon Heaven and Happiness that none shall ever be able to take those precious things out of Hopes hand So Hope is put for the glorious things hoped for Ephes 1. 18. And thus you see those precious and glorious objects about which that Hope that accompanies Salvation is exercised Thirdly That Hope that accompanies Salvation that comprehends Salvation that borders upon Salvation is grounded upon the firmest foundations to wit the Promises of God as hath Psal 40. 4. Prov. 10. 28. been fully shewed before and it is built upon the Free-grace of God 1 Pet. 1. 13. It is built upon the infinite and glorious power of God Rom. 4. 21. It is built upon the truth and faithfulness of God 2 Tim. 2. 13. These precious and glorious Foundations do bear up the hopes of the Saints as the three Pillars bore up the hangings in the Tabernacle A Believers hope is founded upon the Love of Christ the Blood of Christ the Righteousness of Christ the Satisfaction of Christ and the Intercession of Christ c. But the hopes of Hypocrites and wicked men are always built upon weak slender and sandy foundations sometimes they build their hopes upon their outward profession upon their Lamps though Matth. 25. 3. they are empty Lamps and sometimes upon their duties and services as Isai 58 1 2 3. Matth. 6. Every false principle in Religion is a Reed of Egypt that will certainly deceive souls at last therefore take heed of leaning upon any of those Reeds the Jews Scribes and Pharisees did and sometimes upon their outward priviledges crying out The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord and sometimes they build their hopes upon others good opinion of them and sometimes upon flashes of joy and sometimes upon enlargements in duties and sometimes upon the heat and vigor of their spirits in Religious services c. And all these are but sandy foundations and they that build their hope upon them will certainly fall and great will be their fall The hopes of the Saints are built upon the surest and the strongest foundations It was a good saying of one of the Ancients I Bernard Sâ—rm 3. de fragm Sept. Miser consider saith he three things in which all my hope consisteth to wit 1. Gods love in my Adoption 2. The truth of his Promise And 3. his power of performance Therefore let my foolish cogitation murmur as long as it list saying Who art thou or what is that glory or by what merits dost thou hope to attain it For I can answer with sure confidence I know 2 Tim. 1. 12. on whom I have believed And I am certain First That in his love he adopted me Secondly That he is true in his promise And thirdly That he is able to perform it This is the threefold cord which is not easily broken Fourthly That Hope that accompanies Salvation that borders upon Salvation that comprehends Salvation that brings Salvation may be known from all false hopes by the excellent properties of it and they are these that follow The first property of that Hope that accompanies Salvation is this It Matth 6. 20 21. Phil 3. 20 Col 3. 1. Mark wicked mens hopes never raise them as high as Heaven under all their hopes they are as very enemies and as great strangers to God Christ and Heaven as ever elevates and raises the heart to live above where its treasure is This Hope is from above and it makes the heart to live above it is a spark of glory and it leads the heart to live in glory Divine hope carries a man to Heaven for life to quicken him and for wisdom to direct him and for power to uphold him and for righteousness to justifie him and for holiness to sanctifie him and for mercy to forgive him and for assurance to rejoyce him and for happiness to crown him Divine hope takes in the pleasures of Heaven before hand it lives in the joyful expectation of them it fancies to it self as I may say the pleasures and joyes of eternity and lives in a sweet anticipation of what it possesseth by Faith Hopes richest treasures and choicest friends and chiefest delights and sweetest contents are in the Country above and therefore Hope loves best to live there most A second property of that Hope that accompanies Salvation is this It will strengthen the Soul against all afflictions oppositions and temptations Dan. 3. 57. Psal 4. 6 7. Heb. 10 34. 11. 2 Cor. 4. 16 17 18. 1 Thes 5. 8. But let us who are of the day be sober putting on the brest-plate of faith and love and for an helmet the hope of salvation Look as the Helmet defends and secures the head so doth Hope defend and secure the heart Hope is a Helmet that keeps off all darts that Satan or the world casts at the Soul The hopes of heavenly riches made It was a wicked and hopeless Cardinal that said He would not leave his part in Paris for a part in Paradise those worthies in that eleventh of the Hebrews to despise the riches of this world The hopes they had of a heavenly Countrey made them willing to leave their own Countrey and to live in the very Land of Promise as in a strange Countrey The hopes they had of possessing at last a house not made with hands but eternal in the Heavens made them willingly and cheerfully to live in deserts and in mountains and in dens and caves of the Earth The hopes they had of a glorious Resurrection made them couragiously to withstand the strongest temptations c. A Saints hope will out-live Rom. 5. 2 3 4 5. Some are verily perswaded that the want of this Divine hope hath been the reason that many among the Heathen have laid violent hands upon themselves See Plutarch in Caesar and Catoes lives Heb. 11. 10 14 16 25 32 compared all fears and cares all tryals and troubles all afflictions and temptations Saints have much in hope though little in hand they have much in reversion though but little in possession they have much in the promise though but little in the purse A Saint can truly say Spero meliora my hopes are better then my possessions Hope can see Heaven through the thickest clouds Hope can see light through darkness life through death smiles through frowns and glory through misery Hope holds life and soul together it holds Christ and the Soul together it holds the Soul and the Promises together it holds the Soul and Heaven together
when he comes to die that his hope will be like the morning dew like the Spiders web like the crackling of thorns under a pot and like the giving up of the ghost Job 8. 13 14. 11. 20. 27. 8. Prov. 14. 32. 11. 7. And this is now the upright mans joy that who ever leaves him yet his hope will not leave him till he hath put on his Crown and is set down in Paradise And thus you see what Hope that is that doth accompany Salvation before I close up this Chapter take these two Cautions with you they make for your comfort and settlement The first Caution is this That all Caution 1. The Scripture tells you of Saints of several sizes some are babes some are children some are yongmen some are old men now all these do noâ— attain to the same degree but hâ—ppy is he that hath the least degree Saints have not these things that accompany Salvation in the same degree if thou hast but the least measure or degree of that Knowledge that accompanies Salvation or of that Faith that accompanies Salvation or of that Repentance or of that Obedience or of that Love c. that accompanies Salvation thou mayest be as assuredly confident of thy Salvation as if thou wast already in Heaven The least degree O Christian of those things that accompany Salvation will certainly yeeld thee a Heaven hereafter and why then should it not yeeld thee a Heaven here It will undoubtedly yeeld thee a Crown at last and why should it not yeeld thee Comfort and Assurance now I judge it may if thou art not an enemy to thine own Soul and to thy own Peace and Comfort The second Caution is this Though Caution 2. No Saints are at all times ensâ—ble that all those precious things that accompany Salvatâ—â—n aâ—e iâ— them It is not always day with the Saints thou doest not finde every one of those things in thee that do accompany Salvation yet if thou doest finde some of those things I though but a few of those things yea though but one of those things that accompanies Salvation that comprehends Salvation that borders upon Salvation thy estate is safe and happiness will be thy portion at last Thy sense and feeling of one of those precious things that accompanies Salvation should be of more power to work thee to conclude that thy estate is good then any other thing should work thee to conclude that all is naught and that thou shalt miscarry at last Do not alwayes side with sin and Satan against thine own precious Soul Having thus discovered to you the Way and Means of attaining to a wel-grounded Assurance I shall now hasten to a close CHAP. VI. Shewing the difference between a true and a counterfeit Assurance between sound Assurance and Presumption FIrst A sound and wel-grounded Assurance is attended with a deep admiration of Gods transcendent love and favor to the Soul in the Lord Jesus The assured Soul is often a breathing it out thus Ah Lord who am I what am I that thou shouldst give into my bosome the white stone of Absolution Revel 2. 17. The white stone given among the Romans was a sign of Absolution and the black stone was a sign of condemnation when the world hath given into their bosoms onely the black stone of Condemnation Lord what mercy is this that thou shouldst give me Assurance give me water out of the Rock and feed me with Manna from Heaven when many of thy dearest ones spend their days in sighing mourning and complaining for want of Assurance Lord what manner of love is this that thou shouldst set me upon thy knee embrace me in thy arms lodge me in thy bosome and kiss me with the sweet kisses of thy blessed mouth with those kisses that are better then Cant. 1. 2. Psal 63. 3. wine yea better then life when many are even weary of their lives because they want what I enjoy Ah Lord by what name shall I call this Mercy Assurance is a wonderful Alchimy it changeth Iron to Gold Ignominies to Crowns and all sufferings to delights this Assurance that thou hast given me It being a mercy that fits me to do duties to bear crosses and to improve mercies that fits me to speak sweetly to judge righteously to give liberally to act seriously to suffer cheerfully and to walk humbly I cannot sayes the assured Soul but sing it out with Moses Who is like unto thee O Exod. 15. 11. Lord amongst the gods Who is like thee glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wonders And with the Apostle O the height the depth the length and Eph. 3. 18 19. Assurance of Christs love made Jerome admiringly to say O my Saviour didst thou die for love of me alone more dolorous then death but to me a death more lovely then love it self I cannot live love thee and be longer from thee breadth of the love of Christ which passeth knowledge If the Queen of Sheâ—a sayes the assured Soul was so swallowed up in a deep admâ—ration of Solomons wisdom greatness goodness excellency and glory that she could not but admiringly breathe it thus out Happy are thy men happy are these thy servants which stand continually before thee and that hear thy wisdom O then how should that blessed Assurance that I have of the love of God of my interest in God of my union and communion with God of my blessedness here and my happiness hereafter work me to a deep and serious to a real and perpetual admiration of God! Secondly A wel-grounded Assurance doth alwayes beget in the Soul an earnest and an impatient longing after a further a clearer and fuller enjoyment of God and Christ Psal 63. 1. O God thou art my God here is David though in a wilderness seeks not for bread or water or protection but for more of God Phil. 1. 23. Assurance well what follows Early will I seek thee My soul thirsteth for thee my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty Land where no water is The assured Soul cryes out I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ And Make haste Cant. 8. 14. my beloved And Come Lord Jesus come Revel 22. 17. quickly O Lord Jesus sayes the assured The assured Souls Motto is O my God when shall I be with thee when shall I be with thee Soul thou art my light thou art my life thou art my love thou art my joy thou art my crown thou art my heaven thou art my all I cannot but long to see that beautiful face that was spit upon for my sins and that glorious head that was crowned with thorns for my transgressions I long to take some turns with thee in Paradise to see the glory of thy Jerusalem above to drink of those Rivers of pleasures that be at thy right hand to taste of all the delicates of thy Kingdom and to be acquainted with those
are among the precious Sons and Daughters of Zion that have lost this Pearl of price and after waiting weeping and wrestling have found it again therefore be not discouraged O sighing losing Souls In the loss of emporals it is a great support to mens spirits that their loss may be made up and why should it not be so in spirituals also The fourth Support to keep their Support 4 hearts from sinking and breaking that have lost that sweet Assurance that once they had is seriously to consider that your loss is no greater nor no sadder then what the noblest and the choicest Saints have sustained as you may see by comparing the Scriptures Psal 30. 6 7. 51. 12. Job 23. 8 9. Isa 8. 17. in the Margent together Those that were once the Worthies of this world and are now triumphing in that other World among the Princes of glory have lost that sweet Assurance and sense of Divine love and favor that once they enjoyed therefore let not your spirits faint and fail In temporal Acts 16. trials it is a comfort and a support to have companions with us and why should it not much more be so in spirituals The fifth Support to bear up their Support 5 spirits that have lost that sweet Assurance that once they had is for them to remember and seriously minde that though they have lost Assurance yet they have not lost the blessed breathings and sweet influences of the Spirit Cant. 3. 5. Micah 7. 7 8 9. compared Isa 8. 17. Isa 50. 10. upon them witness their love to Christ their longing after Christ their fear of offending Christ their care to please Christ their high esteem of Christ and their mourning for the dishonors that by themselves or others are done to Christ c. A man may enjoy the warmth heat and influence of the Sun when he hath lost the sight of the Sun David had lost his Assurance he had lost the sight of the Sun and yet he enjoyed the warmth and influences of it upon his heart as is evident in the One and fiftieth Psalm Though thy Sun O Christian be set in a cloud yet it will rise again and in the interim thou hast and dost enjoy the warmth and influences of the Sun therefore sorrow not mourn not as one without hope Those warm influences that the Sun of Righteousness hath now upon thy heart are infallible evidences that he will shine Psal 42. 5 7 8 11. forth and smile upon thee as in the days of old therefore let thy Bowe still abide in strength The sixth Support to keep their Support 6 hearts from fainting and sinking that have lost that sweet Assurance that once they had is seriously to consider that it will be but as a day but as a short day before the loss of thy Assurance shall be made up with a more clear full perfect and compleat enjoyment of God ere long O mourning Soul thy Sun shall rise and never set thy joy and comfort shall be always Isa 57. 18 19 20. fresh and green God shall comfort thee on every side it shall be night with thee no more thou shalt be always in the bosom of God Psal 71. 20 21. Thou which hast shewed me great and sore troubles shalt quicken me again and shalt bring me up again from the depths of the Earth Thou shalt increase my greatness and comfort me on every side The day is at hand O perplexed Soul when thou shalt have smiles without frowns light without darkness day without night wine without water sweet without bitter and joy without sorrow The year of Jubile is at hand thou Levit 25. Psal 126. 5. Isa 35. 2. now sowest in tears thou shalt shortly reap in joy yea Everlasting joy shall be upon thy head and sorrow and sighing shall flee away therefore faint not The third Question is this viz. Quest 3 What means must Souls use to recover Assurance when it is lost I shall give a few short Answers to this Question and so draw to a cloze First If thou wouldst recover Assurance Austin saith Humanum est peccare diabolicum perseverare Angelicum resurgere It is a humane thing to fall into sin a devilish to persevere therein and an Angelical or supernatural to rise from it then thou must labor diligently to finde out that sin that Achan that hath robbed thee of thy Wedg of Gold of thy Assurance surely it is not for infirmities but enormities that God hath put out thy candle and caused thy Sun to set at Noon surely thou hast been feeding I say not tasting of forbidden fruit that God hath stript thee of thy robes and taken the crown from off thy head and turned thee out of Paradise But this is not all Therefore in the second place weep Reve. 2. 4 5. When ancient Rome was Heathenish if the Malefactor brought to be whipped sell upon his knees at his feet whom he had offended it was held as a sin if he suffered him to be whipt much mourn much over the Achan over those wickednesses that have turned thy day into night thy rejoycing into sighing c. David doth thus in that One and fiftieth Psalm and God takes him up from his knees and restores to him the joy of his Salvation Though God be displeased with your sins yet he is wel-pleased with your tears The promise is that he will revive the spirit of the contrite Isa 51. 15. It is said of Adam that he turned his face towards the Garden of Eden and from his heart lamented his fall Ah losing Souls turn your faces towards Heaven and from your hearts lament your fall lament your loss nothing puts God to it like penitent tears No sooner doth Ephraim weep over his sins Jere 31. 18 19 20. It is an excellent expression of Basil It grieves it irks it is tediâ— is to our most munificient great glorious King If we ask any thing little of him he would have us ask great things of him but the bowels of God are stirring towards him and God cannot hold but he must proclaim to the world that mourning Ephraim bemoaning Ephraim is his dear son his pleasant childe and that he will surely have mercy on him or as the Hebrew hath it Rahhem arahhamenu I will having mercy have mercy on him or I will abundantly have mercy on him When our hearts are set to weep over our sins God will so act in ways of love towards us that it shall not be long night with our Souls God will never suffer them to be drowned in sorrow that are set upon drowning their sins in penitential tears The Jews have a saying That since the destruction of Jerusalem the door of Prayers hath been shut but the door of tears was Psal 39. 12. Job 16. 20. Mark 9. 24 25 c. never shut saith one God hath by promise engaged himself That those that sow in tears shall reap
all the world yea Ten thousand worlds When the Spanish Ambassador boasted that his Master was King of such a place and of such a place and of such a place c. The French Ambassador answered My Master is King of France K. or France K. of France signifying thereby that France was as much or more worth then all the Kingdoms under the power of the King of Spain Ah Christians when the men of the world shall cry out O their riches O their honors O their preferments c. You may well cry out O Assurance Assurance Assurance there being more real worth and glory in that then is to be found in all the wealth and glory of the world therefore do not envy the outward prosperity and felicity of worldly men c. Thirdly If God hath given you Use 3 Assurance then give no way to slavish fears fear not the scorn and reproaches of men Fear not wants God will Saul had but five pence to give the Seer the Seer after much good chear gives him freely the Kingdom 1 Sam. 9. 8. 10. 1. So God deals with his not deny him a crust to whom he hath given a Christ he will not deny him a crumb upon whom he hath bestowed a Crown he will not deny him a less mercy upon whom he hath bestowed Assurance which is the Prince of mercies Fear not death for why shouldst thou fear death that hast Assurance of a better life c. Fourthly If God hath given you a Use 4 wel-grounded Assurance of your Everlasting Happiness and Blessedness then question his love no more God doth not love to have his love at every turn called in question by those that he hath once assured of his love He doth expect that as no sin of ours doth Psal 89. 30 31 32 33 34 35. Jere. 31. 3. make any substantial alteration in his affections to us so none no not his sharpest dispensations should make any alteration in our thoughts and affections towards him Fifthly and lastly If God hath given Use 5 Eccles 9. 8. Revel 3. 4. Matth. 5. 16. Vive ut vivas Live that thou mayest live Live in such sort saith Periander King of Corinth that thou mayest have honor by thy life and that after thy death men may account thee happy you Assurance then live holily live angelically keep your garments pure and white walk with an even foot be shining lights Your Happiness here is your Holiness and in Heaven your highest Happiness will be your perfect Holiness Holiness differs nothing from Happiness but in name Holiness is Happiness in the bud and Happiness is Holiness at the full Happiness is nothing but the quintessence of Holiness The more holy any man is the more the Lord loves him John 14. 21 23. Augustine doth excellently observe in his Tract on John the first and the 14. That God loved the humanity of Christ more then any man because he was Grace and Truth then any man The Philosopher could say That God was but an empty name without vertue so are all our professions without Holiness Holiness is the very marrow and quintessence of Ille non est bonus qui non vnlt esse melior The loose walking of many Christians was as Salvian complains made by the Pagans the reproach of Christ himself saying If Christ had taught holy doctrine surely his followers had led better lives all Religion Holiness is God stamped and printed upon the Soul it is Christ formed in the Heart it is our Light our Life our Beauty our Glory our Joy our Crown our Heaven our All. The holy Soul is happy in Life and blessed in Death and shall be transcendently glorious in the Morning of the Resurrection when Christ shall say Lo here am I and my holy Ones who are my Joy Lo here am I and my holy Ones who are my Crown and therefore upon the Heads of these holy Ones will I set an Immortal Crown Even so Amen Lord Jesus FINIS Imprimatur Joseph Caryl ERRATA PAge 7. Margent adde can be p. 37. Marg. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ib. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 41. Marg. r. opera p. 56. l. 4. adde a p. 60. l. 13. r. done p. 67. l. 5. adde a l. 11. r. preparations pag. 80. l. 28. r. let p. 103. Marg. r. crux p. 110. l. 12. r. cheared p. 113. l. 25. dele of p. 115. l. 3. adde the p. 117. l. 21. r. renewing p. 135. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ib. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 138. Marg. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 144. l 5. r. liveless p. 152. l. 22. r. foiling p. 159. r. infinite p. 162. l. 2. dele the p. 164. l. 2. adde that p. 184. l. 20. r. doubled p. 186. l. 18. dele a p. 230. l 4. r. spittle p. 258. l. 22. r. daring p. 275. Marg. r. affectibus p. 276. Marg. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pag. 279. l. 28. r. means p. 304. l. 15. r. him p. 318. Marg r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p 334 l. 11. r. coveting p. 344. Marg. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 363. Marg. r. mediatum p. 404. l. 21. add as p. 436. l. 5. r. if There is another Book lately published by Mr. Thomas Brooks entituled Pretious Remedies against Satans Devices or Salve for Believers and Unbelievers sores being a Companion for those that are in Christ or out of Christ that slight or neglect Ordinances under a pretence of living above them that are growing in Spirituals or decaying that are tempted or deserted c. Sold by John Hancock at the entring into Popes-head Alley