spirit of spirituall ioy Where it doth testifie that you are Gods children there it will give you new harts causing you to desire and endevour to live like Gods children in reverent feare and love leading you in the right way checking you and calling you backe out of the way of sinne stirring you up to prayer with sighes desires and inward groanes at least making you to coÌ„fesse your sinnes and to aske and hope for pardon in the name of CHRIST And will still be putting you on to live like obedient children giving you no quietif you doe not Thus much of the first and principall meanes of getting true peace and comfort Secondly If you would have the invaluable Iewell of pâ—ace then abstaine as much as is possible from the act of all grosse and from all presumptuous sins and from the allowance of any sinne For the more sin the more guilt and the lesse sin the lesse guilt Now the lesse guilt lyeth upon the Conscience the more peace of Conscience the more guilt the lesse peace Thirdly When you fall into sinne for who liveth and sinneth not then with all speed affect your heart with godly sorrow for it cause it to be a burden and a load and wearinesse to the Conscience but withall affect your heart wiâ—h hope of mercy forgivenes and grace through Christ. Then with all humble submission you must seeke unto GOD the God of peace but come to him by Christ Iesus the Prince of peace upon whom lay the chastisement of your peace Aske mercy and forgivenesse Aske repentance grace and new obedience Beleeve in Christ If you doe all this then you come unto Christ and unto God by Christ according to his Commandement and you have his sure promise that you shall have rest to your soules This doe for in Christ onely can you have peace This true application of CHRISTS bloud and satisfaction will so sprinkle the Conscience from the guilt of sinne that there shall remaine no more Conscience for sinne that is no more guilt which shall draw upon you the wrath of God and eternall punishment for sinne whence must needs follow peace of Conscience because the Conscience hath nothing to accuse you of guiltinesse being washed off by Christs bloud As soone as David after his foule sinnes could come thus to God his heart had ease But when you have thus gotten a good and cleare Conscience take heede of defiling it againe or giving it any matter of unrest Be as tender in keeping your Conscience unspotted and unwounded as you are of the apple of your eye Sin not against knowledge and Conscience and in any case smother not the good checks and watchwards of your Conscience For if being washed you doe againe defile it this will cause new trouble of heart and you must againe apply your selves to this last prescribed remedy In the fourth place CHRIST having taken upon him the burden of your sinnes which was intollerable you must take upon you and submit unto the yoke of Christs service which is light and easie You must indevour to doe whatsoever hee hath commanded in his Word and Gospell following his steppes in all his imitable actions in all humility and meekenesse in all spirituall and heavenly mindednesse When you can thus subject your selves to Christ in holinesse you shall have peace For the holy Ghost saith the worke of righteousnesse is peace and againe saith To be spiritually minded is peace that is bringeth with it peace I comprehend CHRISTS yoke of the Gospell in these three Faith Hope and Love As these three be in you and abound in the same degrees shall peace be in you and shall abound Having Faith in Christ saith the Apostle we have peace with God It is God that justifieth who shall lay any thing to your charge For justifying Faith is the ground and spring from which onely sound and true comfort doth flow Hope will make you wait and expect with patience for the accomplishment of GODS sure promises whereby it will hold you as steady and as sure from wracke of soule as any Anchor can hold a ship God doth therefore give hope that it may be as an Anchor sure and stedfast Though while you are in the Sea of this world it doth not keepe you so quiet but that you may bee in part tossed and disquieted with the waves and billowes of feare and doubt to try the goodnesse of your vessell and strength of your Anchor and tacklings Yet you shall be sure not to make shipwracke of Faith and a good Conscience if you shall lay hold upon this hope set before you And as for Love They that love the Lord shall have peace you must therefore love God love his ordinances and his people Love God with all your heart Love your neighbours as your selves love Gods Commandements For great peace shall they have saith the Prophet that love Gods Law and nothing shall offend them Whosoever doe thus take up Christs yoke and follow him shall find rest to their soules and peace shall be upon them as upon the Israel of God Fiftly If you would have peace use all good meanes whereby you may bee oft put in remembrance of the exhortations and consolations of God They in the Hebrewes were therefore out of quiet and readie to faint in their minds both because they forgat the exhortation which said My sonne despise not the chastening of the Lord c. And because they forgat the consolation which saith Whom the LORD loveth he chasteneth The principall meanes of being put in minde of GODS consolations are these following 1. You must be much Conversant in Scriptures by reading hearing and meditating thereon For they were all written to that end that through patience and comfort of the Scriptures you might have hope The Scriptures of God they are the very Wells and Breasts of consolation and Salvation The Law discovers sinne and by its threats against you and by relating judgements executed upon others doth drive you to Christ The promises of the Gospell made to you and the signification of the accomplishment thereof to others doe settle and confirme you in Christ whereby your heart is filled with joy and consolations The Gospell is called the Gospell of peace and the Ministers of the Gospell are said to bring glad tydings of this peace â—t is the bright shining light in the Gospel which will guide your feet in the way of peace 2. Be much in good Company especially in theirs who are full of ioy and peace in beleeving whose example and counsell will mind you of joy and comfort and will be of excellent use unto you to establish you in peace Sixtly and lastly Acquaint your selfe with God touching the course he useth to take with his children in bringing them to glory Acquaint your selfe with God
also in praying much for peace unto him who is the God of peace the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation then shall you have peace and much good shall be unto you For it is GOD that speaketh peace to his people wherefore assuredly his answer to him that asketh peace will be an answer of peace even this peace which passeth all understanding GOD shall give you peace and with it glory even a glorious peace Thus having directed my Pen not onely to you in particular in this tract of peace but sith it is judged fit to be publike both in this and the other directions to a daily walke unto all other that need and desire it you may see the excellency of peace together with the impediments furtherances and meanes of peace Shâ—nne the Impediments improve the furtherances and I dare assure you that albeit in this life you may still feele a conflict betweene faith and doubting betweene hope and feare and betweene peace and trouble of minde yet in the end you shall have perfect peace and in the meane time though I cannot promise you to have alwaies that peace which will afford you sense of ioy yet God hath promised that you shal have that which shall keepe your hearts and mindes in Christ And what would you have more Thus I have endevoured to satisfie your godly desire I have of purpose written much in as few words as the points in hand would well beare I did it the rather not onely because writing is tedious to mee but because I know that you are established already in these truths wherefore these may be sufficient to helpe you unto distinct notions of the most necessarie things that belong to a Christian life and to put you in remembrance I have omitted many allegations of Scriptures and have forborne to write out most that are alleaged It was partly for haste partly for mine owne ease and partly because it would have made this Booke to be too big for a vade mecum to carry about with you but I considered that you are much conversant and well read in the Scriptures and you may turne to the places both in the line and in the marâ—ent for you will finde that for the most part the life of each point in hand lyeth hid in the Text of the Scripture alledged I thanke God I have reaped much benefit to my self in studying and Penning these directions I pray God that â—ou may reap much good in reading of them Now the God of hope fill you with all ioy and peace in beleeving And the God of peace that brought againe from the dead our Lord Iesus that great Shepheard of the Sheepe by the bloud of the everlasting Covenant make you perfect in every good worke to doe his will working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight through Iesus Christ to whom be glory for ever and ever Amen A Table of the chiefe things observable in this BOOKE A DOubts of Gods love because of grievous Afflictions removed 554 In what cases God usually doth not Afflict his children 559 The ends why God doth grievously Afflict his children 563 A Caution in becomming All things to all men 215 How to walke with God Alone 184 Fit meditations when we Apparell our selves 21 Rules how to Apparell our selves 22 Cautious to the directions about Arising and apparelling 27 How to Awake with God 19 Fit meditations when wee Awake and arise 21 22 B Fit meditations at going to Bed before sleepe 180 When a man loveth Brotherly 234 Benefits of Brotherly love 233 How Brotherly love is expressed 235 Meanes to live and love Brotherly 239 Motives to Brotherly love and communion of Saints 242 C How a man should carry himselfe as before God in his particular Calling 55 Difference betweene Care and Carefulnesse 384 Adescription of lawfull Care ib. A description of Carefulnesse ib. True properties of provident care whereby it is differenced from Carefulnesse 387 c. When Cares of this life are inordinate 393 Gods children should not take thought or be carefull about any thing 396 Disswasives from carefulnesse 399 Why no man should be Carefull about earthly things ibid Why no man must care about successe in any thing 401 The evill effects of Caring about successe in any thing 405 Meanes to be free from Carefulnesse 409 The condition of a true Christian even when he hath sinned differeth from that of a formal Christian when he sinneth 688 How a man should be have himselfe in all Company 213 How a man should make good use to himselfe by all Company 218 Meanes of good speech and carriage in all Company 225 Rules wherby a man may well order himselfe in evil Company 228 How to be kept from infection of sin by bad Company 231 How to demeane a mans selfe in good Company 234 What is to be done after a man hath beene in Company 244 Motives to Brotherly love and Communion of Saints 242 How a man may know that he hath beene sufficiently humbled and prepared for Conversion 630 None can know that the time of his Conversion is past 542 None must bee troubled though they know not when nor by whom they were Converted 631 What grace God giveth in the first Conversion 686 What Conversion and true repentance is 474 Men over-gone with trouble of Conscience are most unfit to iudge of their owne estate 767 An excellent helpe to peace of Conscience in the former câ—se 765 c. When the Conscience is troubled it is good to lay it open to some faithfull and skilfull Christian ibid Rules touching opening a mans state to others when the Conscience is troubled ibid How to keepe the Conscience tender 480. 679 How to walke as in Gods sight under Crosses in all adversity 273 Rules how to passe by or beare lighter Crosses 274 Rules how to beare all Crosses 275 Of bearing Crosses thankefully 313 Of bearing Crosses fruitfully ib D How to begin the Day well 28 29 How to walke in the sequell of the Day after it is well begun 53 How to end the Day well 179 Reasons why naturally all are unwilling to Dye 585 Reasons why some are more fearefull to Die than others ibid Causes why Christians are too unwilling to Dye 587 Helpes against feare of Death 588 Difference betweene the sinning of the regenerate and unregenerate 688 E Rules for Eating and drinking 64 In what order a man should ascend to the knowledge of his Election 518 Whence it is that the Elect may backeslide aud how farre 685 The Elect never fall from the first infused grace 688 Some thinke they Endevour to doe well yet doe not 324 What Endevour is in generall ibid Some thinke they Endevour not when yet they doe 326 What is true Endevour ibid A mans Endevour in some caseâ— may be as true when yet he cannot performe it as in some other cases when he can performe it to the full 327 The
from the marriage-bed and the like Thirdly Abstaine from all worldly labour as upon a Sabbath day for worldly busines the cares thereof doe as well as worldly delights distract the thoughts and hinder humble devotion and a ceasing there-from giveth a full opportunitie to holy imployments the whole day Therfore the Iewes were commanded to sanctifie a fast And that yearely Fast called the day of Atonement was upon perill of their lives to be kept by a forbearance of all manner of worke Now albeit the Ceremonials of that day are abolished in Christ yet forbearing worke as well as meate and drinke being of the substance of a Fast doth remaine to bee observed in all such as may properly be called Religious Fasts Thus much for the outward fast you must be as strict in observing the inward Begin the day with prayer according as I directed you to doe every day but with more than ordinary preparation with fervency and faith praying for Gods special grace to enable you to sanctifie a fast that day according to the Commandement Then apply your selfe to the maine worke of the day which hath these parts 1 unfained Humiliation 2 Reformation together with Reconciliation and 3 earnest Invocation The soule is then humbled the heart rent and truly afflicted when a man is become vile in his owne eyes through conscience of his owne unworthinesse and when his heart is full of compunction and anguish through feare of Gods displeasure with godly sorrow and holy shame in himselfe and anger against himselfe for sinne These affections stirred doe much afflict the heart To attaine this deepe humiliation know that it is to be wrought partly by awakening your Conscience through a sight of the Law and apprehension of Gods just judgements due to you for the breach of it which wil break your heart and partly by the Gospell raising up your heart to an apprehension and admiration of the love of God to you in Christ which will melt your heart and cause you the more kindely to grieve and to loath your selfe for sin and withall to conceive hope of mercy whence wil follow reconciliation reformation and holy calling upon God by prayer To worke this Humiliation there must be First Examination to find out your sinne Secondly a Accusation of your selfe with due aggravation of your sinne Thirdly Iudging and passing sentence against your selfe for sinne Sinne is the transgression of the Law and revealed will of God Wherefore for the better search and finding out of your sinne you must set before youthe glasse of the Law for your Light and Rule And if you have not learned or cannot beare in minde the heads of the manifold duties commanded or vices forbidden then get some Catalogue or Table wherein the same are set downe to your hand which you may reade with pausing and due consideration staying your thoughts most upon those particular sinnes whereof you finde your selfe most guiltie If of those many that are you doe not meete with one more fit for this purpose or which you shall like better then use this Examinatorie Table in manner as Followeth But expect not herein an enumeration of all particular sinnes which is beyond my skill nor yet of all the heads of duties or kindes of sinnes which would require a volumne but of those which are principall and most common yet hereby if your Conscience be awake it will be occasioned to bring to your thoughts those other not mentioned in the Table if you bee thereof guiltie The first Table of the Law concerneth duties of love and pietie to God the performance whereof tendeth immediately to the glory of God and mediately to the salvation and good of man The first Commandement concerneth the setting up of the onely true God to your selfe to bee your God Examining your selfe by this and so in the other Commandements thinke thus with your selfe Doe I know and acknowledge the onely true GOD to be such a one as hee hath revealed himselfe in his Word works namely One onely Infinite Immateriall Immutable Incomprehensible Spirit and Everlasting Lord God having beeing and All-sufficiencie in and from himselfe One who is simply full of all perfections and uncapable of the least defect being Wisedome Goodnesse Omnipotencie Love Truth Mercy Iustice Holinesse and whatsoever is originally and of it selfe Excellent The only Potentate King of Kings Lord of Lords of whom through whom and to whom are all things The Father Sonne and holy Ghost God blessed for ever Amen Doe I Beleeve his Word in all things related commanded promised and threatned therein and that his holy and wise Providence is in all things Have I Him and his Word in continuall remembrance Doe I esteeme and exalt God in my heart above all so that it doth humbly adore him at the very mention and thought of him making my selfe to be nothing in mine owne eyes yea esteeming all creatures to bee nothing in comparison of him Have I given religious worship to him onely Have I beleeved in him and in him onely Have I sworne by him as there hath beene cause and by him alone Have I prayed onely unto him and have I sought to him and to obtaine helpe of him only by such meanes as he hath appointed giving the glory and thanks of my being and well-being and of al other things which are good unto him Is my Conscience so convinced of the truth Authority of God that it holdeth it selfe absolutely bound to obey him in all things that it doth incite to that which is good restrain from that which is evill encourage me in well-doing and check me when I doe ill Is my will resolved upon absolute and unfained obedience to doe whatsoever God commandeth to forbeare whatsoeuer hee forbiddeth to subscribe to whatsoever he doth as well done and have I borne patiently all which either by himselfe or by any of his creatures hee hath inflicted upon me Have mine affections beene so for God that I have loved him with al my heart loving nothing more than him nothing equally to him Doe I hate every thing that is contrary to him Hath my Confidence beene onely in him and my expectation of good from him Have my desires beene to him and for him longing above all things to have communion with him Hath it beene my greatest feare to offend him or to be severed from him Hath it beene my greatest griefe and shame that I have sinned against him Have I reioyced in God as in my chiefe Good Hath mine anger risen against whatsoever I saw crosse to his glory Have I beene zealous for God And have I made him the utmost end of all mine actions Hath my whole outward man as tongue senses and all other active powers of my body been readie to professe the true God and to yeeld obedience to his will Or contrariwise Am I not guilty of denying of God in word in workes or at least in heart
things and according to the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh A man must have the heart of the wise before the tongue can be taught to speake wisely Secondly You must resolve before-hand as David did to take heed to your wayes that you sinne not with your tongue And that you will keepe your mouth as with a bridle And before your speech and actions be well advised weigh and ponder in the ballance of discretion all your actions and words before you vent them Thirdly Let no passion of joy griefe feare anger c. get the head and exceed their limits For wise and good men as well as bad when they have beene in any of these passions have spoken unadvisedly with their lips And experience will teach you that your tongue doth never runne before your wit so soone as when you are over-feared over-grieved over-angry or over-ioyed Fourthly You must be much in prayer unto God before you come into company that you may be able to order your conversation aright Let your heart also be lifted up oft to God when your are in company that he would set a watch before your mouth and keepe the doore of your lips and that your heart may not incline to any evill thing to practise wicked workes with men that worke iniquity and that he would open your lippes that your mouth may shew forth his prayse and that you may speake as you ought to speake knowing how to answer every man for the tongue is such an unruly evill that no man onely God can tame and governe it SECTION 2. Of ordering a mans selfe well in ill Company VVHen Company is sinfull and naught if you may choose come not into it at all For keeping evill company wil 1 blemish your Name 2 It wil expose you oft-times to many hazards of your life state And 3 you are alwayes in danger to be corrupted by the contagious infection of it By bad company I doe not onely understand seducers and such as are openly prophane or riotous but also such civill men who yet remaine meere worldlings and all luke-warme professours who are neither hot nor cold For although the sinnes of these latter doe not carrie such a manifest appearance of grosse impietie and dishonestie as doe the sinnes of open Blasphemers Drunkards whore-Masters and the like yet they are not lesse dangerous your hart wil quickly rise against these manifest enormous evils but the other by reason of their unsuspected danger through that tolerable good opinion which in comparison is had of them though in truth they be as dangerous and as hatefull will sooner insnare infect you by an insensible chilling of your spirits by taking off the edge of your zeale which you had to the power of godlinesse And so by little and little draw you to a remissenesse and indifferencie in Religion and to a love of the world If you shall thinke that by keeping evill company you may convert them and draw them to goodnesse be not deceived It is presumption so to think Hath not God expresly forbidden you such company If you be not necessarily called to be in sinfull company you may justly feare that you shall be sooner perverted and made naught by their wickednes than that they should be converted and made good by your holinesse Secondly when by reason of common occasions in respect of the affaires of your calling generall or particular in Church Common-wealth and Familie you cannot shunne ill company Looke 1 that in speciall sort your conversation be honest unblameable harmelesse even with a Dove-like innocency that by your good example they may without the Word be brought to the Word and to a love of the power and sinceritie of that true Religion which you professe Howsoever give no advantage to the adversary to speake evill either of you or of your Religion but by a holy life stop the mouths of ignorant and foolish men or if they will notwithstanding speake against you this your holy life shall shame all that blame your good conversation in Christ Iesus 2 Be wise as serpents Walke warily lest they bring you into trouble and doe harme you but especially lest they infect you with their sinne for a little leaven will quickly sowre the whole lumpe That you may not be infected by that ill company which you cannot avoid use these preservatives 1 Be not high minded but feare lest you doe commit the same or the like sinne for you are of the same nature and are subject to the same and like temptations He that seeth his neighbour slip and fall before him had need to taâ—â— heed lâ—st he himselfe fall 2 Your soule like the riotous soule of Lot must be vixed daily with seeing and hearing their unlawfull deeds 3 Raise your heart to a sensible loathing of their sinne yet have compassion on the sinner and so farre as you have calling admonish him as a brother 4 When you see or heare any wickednes lift up your heart to GOD and before him confesse it and disclaime all liking of it pray unto God to keepe you from it and that he would forgive your companion his sinne and give unto him grace to repent of it Lastly though you may converse with sinnefull companie when your calling is to be with them in a common and â—older kinde of fellowship by a common love whereby you do wish well to all and would doe good to all yet you must not converse with them with such speciall and intimate Christian familiaritie and delight as you doe with the Saints that are excellent Thus doe and the Lord can and will keepe you in the midst of Aegypt and Babel as hee did Ioseph and Daniel if hee call you â—o it Thirdly As soone as possibly you can depart out of their company when you finde not in them the â—…ppes of knowledge or when they â—…ny way declare that they have onely a forme but deny the power of godlinesse From such turne away â—aith the Apostle And so use the preservatives prescribed or any other whereof you have proofe that you depart not more evill or lesse good then when you â—ame together SECTION 3. How a man should carry himselfe towards good company NOw touching good company First highly esteeme of it and much desire it For you should love the brotherhood howsoever the world scoffe at it and forsake not the fellowship or consorting with the godly as the manner of some is But with David as much as may be be a companion with them that feare God Secondly when you are in good company you must expresse all brotherly love improving your time together for your mutuall good chiefly in the increase of each others faith and holinesse provoking one another to love and to good workes Then you love
for joy before ever they have made a legge and shewn any signe of thankfulnes you will easily be overtaken in this kinde and neglect God that gave it The furtherances of thankfulnesse are most of them directly contrary to the former hindrances of many take these First Get sound knowledge of God and of his infinite excellencies and absolutenesse every way of his independency on man or any other creature whence it is that he needeth not any thing that man hath or can doe neither can he be beholding to man But know that you stand in need of God and must be beholding to him for al things Know also that whatsoever God doth by whatsoever meanes it be hee doth it from himselfe induced by nothing out of himselfe being free in all that he doth Know likewise that whatsoever was the instrument of your good God was the Author both of the good and of the instrument Next Fill your selfe with a due knowledge of the full worth and excellent use of Gods gifts both common and speciall Wealth honour libertie health life senses limmes wit and reason c. considered in themselves and in their use wil be held to be great benefits but if you coÌ„sider them in their absence when you are sensible of poverty sicknesse and the rest or if you be so blessed that you know not the want of them then if you shall advisedly and humbly looke vpon the poore base imprisoned captives sicke deafe blind dumbe distracted c. Putting your selfe in their case you will â—ay that you are unspeakeably beholding to God for these corporal and temporall blessings But chiefely learne to know aâ—d consider well the worth of spirituall blessings One of them the peace of God passeth all understanding To enjoy the Gospell upon any tearmes to have â—â—â—vation such a salvation offered by Christ to have faith hope love and other the manifold saving graces of the Spirit though but in the least measure in the very first seed of the Spirit though no bigger then a grain of Mustard-seed with never so much outward affliction is of such value and consequent that it is more then eye hath seene eare hath heard or ever entred into the heart of man For besides that the least grace is invaluable in it selfe it doth give proof of better gifts namely that God hath given his Spirit hath given Christ and in him hath given himselfe a propitious and gracious God hath given all things also When you know God aright his gifts aright knowing all things in God and God in all things then you will be full of praises and thankes Secondly Be low and base in your owne eyes Let all things be base in your eyes in comparison of God account them worthlesse and helpelesse things without him Iudge your selfe to be as indeed you are lesse then the least of Gods mercies For what are you of your selfe but a compound of dust and sinne unworthy any good worthy of all misery You stand in need of God â—he not of you It is his mercy that you are not consumed When you can be thus sensible of your owne neede and that helpe can come onely from God and that you are worthy of no good thing then you will be glad and thankefull at heart to God for any thing An humble man will be more thankfull for a peny then a proud man will for a pound Thirdly Call all the forementioned knowledge of God and of his gifts into fresh memory Commune with your soule and cause it to represeÌ„t lively to your thoughts what God is in himselfe what to his Church and to you how precious his thoughts are to you-ward Tell your selfe oft what God hath done and what he will doe for your soule Call to minde with what varietie of good gifts he doth store his Church blesse you you will find that they will passe all account and number When withal you call to minde that God is free in all his gifts to you who are unworthy the least of them If you would cause your selfe to dwell upon these and the like thoughts they would worke in you an holy rapture and admiration out of which you shall with David break out into these or the like prayses Oh Lord our Lord how excellent is thy name in all the earth I thanke thee I praise thee I devote my selfe as my best sacrifice to thee I will blesse thy Name for ever and ever Fourthly Be perswaded of Gods love to you in these good things which he giveth unto you First he loveth you as his creature and if onely in that regard he doth preserve you and doe you good you are bound to thanke him Secondly you cannot know but that he loveth you with a speciall love to Salvation Gods revealed will professeth as much you must not meddle with that which is secret I am sure he maketh proffer of his love and you daily receive tokens of his love both in means of this life and that which is to come Did not he love you when out of his free and everlasting good will towards you He gave his Sonne to die for you that you beleeving in him should not dye but have everlasting life What though yet you be in your sinnes Doth hee not bid you turne and hath hee not said â—hee will love you freely What though you cannot turn to him nor love him as you would yet endevour these in the use of all good meanes to be and doe as God will have you then doubt noâ— but that GOD doth love you and you must wait till you see it in the performance of his gracious promises unto you But if you would consider things aright you may know certainly that the good things you have received of God are bestowed in love to you I will onely aske these Questions Hath Gods mercie made you to bethinke your selfe of your dutie and obedience to God have you had a will to be thankefull upon the thoughts thereof or if you finde a defect and barrennesse herein hath not this unfruitfull and unthankefull receiving of good things from God beene a great burden and griefe of heart to you If yea this is an evident signe that God gave those good things to you in love because this holy and good effect is wrought in you by them Againe Dâ—â— you love God would you love God and his wayes and Ordinances yet more This provetâ— that God loveth you for 〈…〉 man can love God till God have first loved him Likewise doe you love the children of God Theâ— certainly you are Gods childe and are loved of God By these you have proofe of your calling and election how that you are now translated from death to life after which time though God may give you many things in anger as a father giveth correction yet he never giveth any thing
should bee patient taken 1 from GOD that sent it 2 from your selfe on whom it â—eth 3 from the nature and â—â—e of the affliction it selfe 4 by considering the evils of impatience 5 by comparing the blessings you have and are assured that you shall have with the crosses you have especially if patiently endured You shall from all these considerations see reason why your heart should be quiet under the greatest afflictions First consider well that whatsoever the trouble and crosse be and whatsoever bee the instrument of it either in the sense of evill or in the want of good promised God your Father 1 who doth all things according to the wisedome and counsell of his will 2 who doth afflict with most tender affection 3 who correcteth and afflicteth in measure 4 who hath alwayes holy purposes and ends in all afflictions and that for your good hath sent it First consider that it was God that did it There is no evil 〈…〉 of punishment in a City whicâ— the Lord hath not done saith Amos It is the Lord let him doe what seemeth him good saith El. I opened not my mouth saith David because thou Lord didst it The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken away blessed bee the Name of the Lord saith Iob. 2. All this GOD doth to his children with a fatherly affection in much love and pitty He hath your soule still in remembrance while you are in adversitie Yea he beareth some part of the burden with you for speaking after the manner of man hee saith that in all the afflictions of his children he is afflicted He delighteth not in afflicting the children of men much lesse his owne children If you aske Why then doth hee afflict or why doth he not ease you speedily I aske you Why a tender-harted father being a Chirurgion who is grieved and troubled at the paine and anguish which he himselfe caused his childe to feele with corrosives or hot irons would notwithstanding apply the burning irons and suffer those plaisters to vexe him for a long time You will say Sure the wound or malady of the childe required it and that else it could not be cured This is the case betwixt God and you Gods heart is tender and yerneth towards you when his hand is upon you therefore beare it patiently 3. God afflicteth you in measure fitting your affliction for kinde time and weight according to your need and according to the strength of grace which he hath already given you or which certainely he will give you He doth never lay more upon you then what you shall be able to beare and will alwayes with the crosse and temptation make a way to escape The husbandman will not alwayes bee plowing and harrowing of his ground but onely giveth it so many earths and so many tynes to some more to some lesse as the ground hath need and as it can beare them So likewise he thresheth his divers sorts of graine with divers Instruments according as the graine can endure them the fitches are not threshed with a threshing instrument neither is the cart wheele turned about upon the cummin bread-corne is bruised because hee will not ever be threshing it nor breake it with the wheele of his cart nor bruise it with his horsemen If the husbandman doe all this by the discretion wherewith God hath instructed him can you think that God who is wonderfull in counsell and excellent in working will plow and harrow any of his ground or thresh any of his corne above that which is fit and more than his ground and corne can beare Should not you his ground and corne bee patient at such tillage and at such threshing 4. Gods end in afflicting is alwayes his owne glory in your good as to humble you and to bring you to a sight of your sinne to breake up the fallow ground of your heart that you may sow in righteousnesse and reape in mercy to harrow you that the seed of grace may take root in you All Gods afflictions are either to remove impediments of grace By this saith Esay shall the inequity of Iacob bee purged and this is all the fruit to take away his sin All the plowing is but to kill weeds and to fit the ground for seed all the threshing and winnowing is but to sever the chaffe from the corne and all the grinding and boulting by afflictions is but to sever the bran from the flowre that Gods people may be a pure meate-offering acceptable to him Or else he afflicts that his children might have experience of his love power in preserving and delivering them or that they might have the exercise proofe and increase of faith hope love and other principall graces scil to worke patience and experience by them which serve for the beautifying perfecting of a Christian God doth iudge his children here that they may repent and be reformed that they may not bee condemned with the world Gods end in chastising you shall be found to be alwayes for your good that you shall be able to say It was good for mee to be afflicted For it is that you may be partaker of his holinesse and accordingly of his glory and happinesse Beare therefore all afflictions patiently for they are for your good If this be your crosse and trouble that you want many of the graces and good gifts of GOD which he hath promised Know also that this deferring to give graces and comforts is of God not out of neglect or forget fulnesse of you but of set wise and good purpose even to you-ward As to inkindle your desires more and more after them and it may be that you should seek them in a better manner It is likewise to try your faith and hope whether you will doe him that honour as to wait and rest upon his bare word When you are fit for them you shall have them You must therefore worke your heart yet to wait patiently for them considering the faithfulnesse power of God that promised and how that all the promises of God are Yea and Amen in Christ He is wise true and able to fulfill them in the due time and in the best manner for faithfull is he that hath promised and will fulfill it and yet a little while and hee that shall come will come and will not tarry Secondly when the Soule beginneth to be disquieted consider your selfe how unworthy you are of any blessing how worthy you are of all Gods curses yea of eternall damnation in Hell and that justly because of the sin of your nature and wicked actions of your life When you shall doe thus your heart will be quiet and content you wil say with the Church whatsoever your trouble be I will beare the indignation of the Lord for I have sinned against him He that doth acknowledge that he hath deserved to be hanged
that God will not call you before you dye It were a farre wiser and better course for you that will bee thus hasty in judging your selves to be Reprobates to busie your selves first with other things Acquaint your selves with Gods revealed will in his Word Learne to know what God hath commanded you to doe and do that also what he hath threatned and feare that and what hee hath promised and beleeve and rest on that After you haue done this you may looke into your selves and you shall reade your Election written in golden and great Letters For God never intended that the first lesson which a Christian should learne should be the hardest and highest lesson that can be learned taken out of the book of his eternall counsell decree and so to descend to the A. B. C. of Christianity Which were a course most perplexed and preposterous But his wil is that his schollers children should learn out of his written Word here on earth first that God made all things and that hee made man good and how that man hearkening to Sathan they found out evill devices and so fell from grace and from God and so both they and the whole world that came of their loynes became guilty of eternal dānation Next God would have you to learne that hee in is infinite wisdome goodnesse and mercy thought of and concluded a new covenant of Grace for the effecting whereof hee found out and appointed a way and meanes to pacifie his wrath by satisfying his justice punishing sin in mans nature by which he opened away unto his mercie to shew it to whom he would namely Hee gave his onely Sonne very God to become very man and being made a common person and surety in mans stead dyed and endured the punishment due to the sinne of man and rose againe and was exalted to sit at Gods right hand to raigne having all authority committed vnto him Thus he made the new covenant of grace established in his Sonne Iesus Christ the tenour and condition whereof required on mans part is that man accept of enter into this covenant beleeving in Christ in whom it is established then whosoever beleeveth in him shall not dye but have everlasting life This God did in his wisedome justice mercy and love to man that hee himselfe might be inst and yet a iustifier of him that is of the faith of Iesus And hath therefore given his Word and Sacraments and hath called and hath given gifts to his Ministers thereby to beget and increase faith in men by publishing this good newes and by commanding them as in Christs stead in Gods name to beleeve and to be reconciled to God and to live no longer according to the will of their old Masters the Divell the World and the Flesh under whom they were in cursed bondage but according to the will of him that redeemed them in holinesse and righteousnesse whose service is a perfect blessed freedome Now when you have learned these lessons first and by looking into your selves can finde faith and new obedience then by this your effectuall calling you may as by safe stayres ascend to that high point of your Predestination which will give you comfort through assurance that you shall never fall away When you observe this order in learning your Election to life it will not minister vnto you matter of curious and dangerous dispute either with God or man thereabout but of high admiration thankesgiving and unspeakeable comfort causing you to cry out with the Apostle O the depth of the riches both of the wisedome and knowledge of God c. And Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Iesus Christ who hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that wee should bee holy and without blame before him in love having Predestinated us unto the Adoption of children by Iesus Christ to himselfe according to the good pleasure of his will to the prayse of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us accepted in his well-beloved c. There are yet some who having heard that there is a sinne against the holy Ghost and that it is unpardonable are full of feares that they have committed that sinne thence conclude that they are Reprobates for they say that they have sinned willingly against knowledge conscience since they received the knowledge of the truth and tasted of the heavenly gift and of the good Word of God If you who thus object have sinned against knowledge and conscience you have much cause of griefe complaint against your selfe and have much cause of humbling your selfe before God confessing it to him asking pardon of him and grace to beleeve and repent both which you must endevour by all means Yet I see no cause why you should conclude so desperately that you have sinned against the holy Ghost and are a Reprobate For as few in comparison though too many commit this sinne so few know what it is All sinne against knowledge and conscience is not this sinne Nor yet all wilfull sinning It is not any one sinne against the law nor yet the direct breach of the whole law nor every malicious opposing of the Gospell if it be of ignorance neither is it every blasphemie or persecution of the Gospell and of those that professe the truth if these be done out of ignorance or passion Nor yet is it every Apostacie and falling into grosse sinnes of diverssorts though done against knowledge and conscience yet this sinne against the holy Ghost containeth all these and more It is a sinne against the Gospell and free offer and dispensation of grace and salvation by CHRIST through the Spirit Yet it is not any particular sinne against the Gospell nor yet a rejecting of the whole Gospell if in ignorance nor yet every denying of Christ or sudden revolting from the outward profession of the Gospell when it is of infirmitie through feare such like temptation Neither is it called the sinne against the holy Ghost and is unpardonable because it is committed against the Essence or Person of the holy Ghost for the essence of the three persons in Trinitie is all one And the person of the holy Ghost is not more excellent than the person of the Father and the Sonne but it is called the sinne against the holy Ghost and becommeth unpardonable because it is against the Office of the holy Ghost and against the gracious operations of the holy Ghost and therein against the whole blessed Trinitie all whose works out of themselves are consummate and perfected in the worke of the holy Ghost Moreover know that it is unpardonable not in respect of GODS power but in respect of his will Hee having in his holy wisedome determined never to pardon it And good reason why he should will not to pardon it in respect of the
them but rather worse If it be so it is your sinne and it behoveth you presently to repent but doe not say these things cannot befall those who are in state of grace and beloved of God For did not David by his adultery and murder bring upon himselfe much affliction And had not penitent Iob divers fits of impatience And was not the Prophet at first rather worse than better by his afflictions when thereby he had almost judged the state of the wicked because they prospered to be better than his because he was continually chastened and plagued thinking that all his Religion had beene in vaine and to no purpose It was their faults and so it is yours if it bee true which you say yet it cannot be denyed but that God loved them and so he may you notwithstanding You may know that afflictions many times doe worke like Physicke which at first stirreth humors and which discovereth and seemeth to increase the disease before that it cure it and this God doth many times that his children may more fully see their corruptions to their through humbling before he cure them There are others and it may be the same when the tide of affliction is turned because they Prosper and are not in trouble as other men doe conceive that God doth not love them For it is said as many as hee loveth he doth rebuke and chasten and hee doth chasten every Sonne whom he receiveth See a fearefull and doubtfull heart will draw matter to feede its feares and doubts out of any thing But know God is a wise and good Father hee knoweth whento strike and when to hold his hands In these cases God doth not usually afflict his children with his heavie rod. First when they bee Infants babes in Christ or if they bee growne to yeares when they be spiritually weake or sicke and cannot beare correction then though they be way ward and froward and deserve strokes God doth forbeare and is inclined to pitty rather Secondly when they be good Children that is shew that they would please him indevouring to do what they are able though it be with much imperfection then GOD will not strike but spareth them as a Father spareth his onely sonne that serveth him Thirdly when forbearance of punishment and when fruits and tokens of kindnesse will reclaime his children from evill and doe prove incitements unto good God in this case also like a wise and loving Father had rather draw them by the cords of love then drive them with the lashes of his displeasure Thus you see God may love his Children and not bee alwayes afflicting of them The Husbandman doth not alwayes plow and harrow his land nor yet is hee alwayes threshing of his corne Well doe you prosper Then take notice of Gods goodnesse towards you with thanksgiving studie and indevor therefore tobe the more obedient If you cannot yet grieve because you cannot be more thankfull and more obedient Then because prosperity hath made you better or at least to will to be better hence you may assure your selves that your prosperity is not given you in wrath but in love But take heed quarrell not with God because hee forbeareth to afflict you either make this use that you be good and amend without blowes or else be sure the more is behinde and then when it commeth it will bee the more grievous because for his good will you did foolishly call his love into question As the forementioned did question Gods love from considerations taken from their outward conditions so there are very many besides what they conclude from outward crosses gather also from their inward horrors and distresses of Conscience and from their intolerable perplexities of soule that God doth not love them they think that their distresse is other or greater than the affliction of any of GODS Children therefore they want peace fearing that God doth not love them Those to whom GOD doth beare speciall love may bee so far perplexed with inward and strange terrors and discomforts that they may think themselves to be forsaken of God Thus the Psalmist complaineth will the Lord cast off for ever And will he be favourable no more Yea not onely hee but Christ Iesus himselfe and his Church did in their sense feeling take themselves to be forsaken of God yet none that are wise will say that these were out of Gods love or were ever quite forsaken though never so much perplexed and cast downe though in their owne feelings and sense they in the agony of their spirits did thus thinke or speake God hath most holy and blessed ends why that many times hee doth leade and leave his Children in such straits that they are altogether without sense of his love First it may be a just correction of them for their not shewing love to God and because they doe in part forsake him by their sinnes This is therefore to humble them and to make them know themselves and to bring them to repentance God may be pacified towards them in the maine yet for a time shew them no countenance as DAVID though his anger was appeased towards Absolon yet for a time he wold not let him see his love for hee would not let him come in his sight that Absolon might be more humbled and might the more detest his sinne Secondly God exerciseth his beloved ones with many feares horrors and doubts to prevent that spirituall pride which else would be in them and that selfe-sufficiency which else they would conceive to be in themselves If they should alwayes have sense of inward spiritual comforts and should not sometimes have prickes in the flesh and buffetings of Satan they would be exalted above measure and would bee some thing in thēselves in their owne opinion But when there is such difficulty in getting and in holding of grace and comfort and when they shall finde what neede they have of both and how neither can bee had but from God in and by Christ it will make them empty themselves of all things in themselves that they may bee something in Christ And then when they have grace and comfort they will acknowledge themselues to be beholding to GOD for the same Thirdly GOD doth withhold from his Children the sense of his favour to try the sinceritie and truth of their sole dependace on him trying whether because GOD seemeth to forsake them they will forsake him whethsr like King Ioram they will say why shall they wait upon God any longer And whether they will with Saul betake them to unlawfull meanes of helpe Or whether on the other side they will say with Iob and David though GOD kill us or forget us yet wee will trust in him hope in him and praise him who they are perswaded is and will shew himselfe to be the health of their countenance and their GOD. God useth to
Ministers cannot say yea and that such an instruction and such a promise in the Word did helpe him then you conclude that you are incurable But last of all let it be supposed that your case is worse than any bodies else Is there not a soveraigne Balme in Gods Word a Catholicon that will heale all spirituall diseases Gods Word is like himselfe to a beleever an Omnipotent Word Is any thing too hard for the LORD Neither is there any spiritual disease too hard for his Word When Christ healed the people with his Word did it not heale even such the like whereof were never knowne to be cured before They made no question whether he cured the like before Indeede Martha failed in this for she said of her brother Lazarus being dead LORD he stinketh for he hath beene dead foure dayes she conceived her brothers case to be desperate and that none in his case could be raised But Christ did blame her for want of faith and by his Word hee did as easily raise Lazarus from being dead so long as hee did cure Peters wiues mother sicke but of an ague It is not greatnesse of any mans distres whatsoever that can hinder from helpe and comfort but onely as then in curing mens bodies so now in curing and comforting mens soules nothing hinders the cure but the greatnesse of the unbeliefe of the party to be cured for all things are possible to him that beleeveth You will yet Reply indeed here lyeth the difficultie in the unbelife Well be it so If unbeliefe be your disease and trouble doe you thinke that God cannot cure you of unbeliefe as well as of any other sinne But know that if with him in the Gospell you feele your unbeliefe and complaine of it and confesse it unto GOD saying Lord I have cause to beleeve Lord I doe I would beleeve helpe thou my unbeliefe if withall you will waite untill GOD give you power to beleeve and to enjoy comfort in beleeving for faith maketh no haste this same is both to beleeve in truth and is a certaine meanes to increase in beleeving Wherefore let not Sathan nor yet a fearefull heart make you to judge your case to be desperate and remedilesse either in respect of Gods power or will though you yet be in distresse and doe feele in you much feare and unbeliefe Seeke to God and with patience waite the good time of deliverance and comfort and in due time you shall have helpe and comfort as well as any other There are yet some that feare God doth not love them because they have prayed oft and much but God rejected their prayers and hath not heard them There are many just causes why God may reject or at least not grant your prayers and yet may love your persons For first It may be you aske amisse either asking things unlawfull or asking things inconvenient for the present or in asking to have good things temporall or spirituall in that quantity degree which GOD doth not hold fit for you as yet or you aske good things to an ill end as to satisfie some lust as pride voluptuousnesse covetousnesse or some other or it may bee you might aske onely with a naturall desire or if with spirituall yet you did it but faintly without fervor or lastly though you failed in neither of the former yet you failed in this you were doubtfull you did not aske in faith you did not beleeve you should have the things so asked Whosoever doe thus faile in asking let them not thinke ever to receive any thing in favour from the LORD And it is a fruit of Gods love when he doth not answer prayers so made For it will cause you to seeke him and to pray to him in a better manner that you may be heard Secondly God doth many times in love and mercy heare his childrens praiers when they thinke he doth not God heareth prayers many wayes you must observe this else you will judge that he doth not heare your praiers when yet indeed he doth Sometimes yea alwaies when it is good for you he giveth the vâ—râ— thing which you pray for Someâ—â—â—â—s hee giveth not that thing which you aske but some thingâ—s good nay much better As when you aske corporall and temporall good things he denyeth to grant them but in stead therof doth give you things spirituall and eternall likewise when you aske grace in some special degree such as joy or comfort in God or the like it may please him not to let it appeare that hee giveth the same unto you but in stead thereof he doth enlarge your desires and he giveth humility and patience to wait his leisure which will doe you more good than that which you prayed for So likewise when you pray that GOD would rid and ease you of such or such a temptation God doth not alwayes rid and ease you of it but he in stead thereof giveth you strength to withstand it and keepeth you that you are not overcome by it thus Christ was heard in that which he feared so he said to the Apostle My grace is sufficient for thee Which is better than to have your particular request For now GODS power is seene in your weakenesse and God hath the glory of it and you hereby have experience of GODS power which experienceis of excellent use Likewise you may desire to have such or such a crosse removed yet God may suffer the crosse to remaine for a time but he giveth you stâ—ength and patience to beare it wisedome and grace to be lesse earthly and more heavenly minded by reason of it There was never any that with an holy and humble heart made lawfull requests according to the wil of Christ beleeving he should be heard but though he were a man of many failings in himselfe and did discover many weaknesses in his prayer was heard in that hee prayed either in what he did ask or in what he should rather have asked either in that very thing or in a better I would have you leave objecting and questioning whether God love you Consider this Hath hee not loved you that hath given his onely be gotten Sonne for you and to you who hath washed you with his bloud having given him to dye for your sinnes and to rise againe for your iustification and hath hereby translated you into the kingdome of his deare Sonne having also given unto you to beleeve in his Name hereby making you his children inheritours with the Saints in light What greater signe can there be of greater love of God towards you And what better evidence can you have of Gods love in justifying of you then the evidence of your faith whereby you are iustified SECTION 5. A removall of false feares rising from doubtings whether they have faith and are Iustified ALL men will grant that if they were sure that they
had faith they should not doubt of their iustification nor of Gods love to them in Christ But many doubt that they have no faith or if they have any it is so little that it cannot be sufficient to carry them through all oppositions to the end unto salvation First if you have any faith though no more then as a graine of Mustard-seed you should not feare your finall estate nor yet doubt of Gods love for it is not the great quantitie and measure of faith that saveth but the excellent property and use of faith if it be true though never so small For a man is not saved by the worth of his faith by which he beleeveth but by the worth of Christ the person on whom hee beleeveth Now the least true faith doth apprehend whole Christ as a little hand may hold a Iewel of infinite worth as well though not so strongly as a bigger The least infant is as truly a man as soone as ever it is endued with a reasonable soule as afterward when it is able to shew forth the operations of it though not so strong a man even so it is in the state of Regeneration Now you should consider that God hath Babes in Christ as well as â—ld men feeble minded as well as strong sicke children as well as whole in his familie And those that have least strength and are weakest of whom the holy Ghost saith they have a little strength in comparison yet they have so much as through God will enable them in the time of greatest trials to keepe Gods Word and that they shall not deny Christs Name Also know God like a tender father doth not cast off such as are little feeble and weake but hath given speciall charge concerning the cherishing supporting and comforting of these rather than others And Christ Iesus hee will blow up and not quench the least sparke of faith This which I have said in commendation of little faith is onely to keepe him that hath no more from despaire Let none herby please or content himselfe with his little faith not striving to grow and be strong in faith If he do it is to be feared that he hath none at all or if he have yet he must know that hee will have much to doe to live when he hath no more than can keepe life and soule together and his life will be very unprofitable and uncomfortable in comparison of him that hath a strong faith But you will say you are 1 so full of feares and doubtings 2 you are so fearefull to dye and to heare of our comming to iudgement and 3 you cannot feele that you have faith you cannot feele joy and comfort in beleeving wherefore you feare you have no faith First if you having so sure a word and promise doe yet doubt and feare so much as you say it is your great sinne and I must blame you now in our Saviours name as he did his Disciples then saying Why are you fearefull why are yee doubtfull O yee of little faith But to your reformation and comfort observe it he doth not argue them to be of no faith but onely of little faith saying O yee of little faith Thus you see that some feares and doubtings doe not argue no faith Secondly Touching feare of death and judgement some feare doth not exclude all faith Many out of their naturall constitution are more fearefull of death than others Yea pure nature will startle and shrink to think of the separation of two so neare and so ancient and such deare friends as the soule and body have been Good men such as David and Hezekiah have shewed their unwillingnesse to die And many upon a mistaking conceiving the pangs and paines of death in the parting of the soule out of the body to be most torterous and unsufferable are afraid to dye Whereas unto many the neerer they are to their end the lesse is their extremitie of paine and very many goe away in a quiet swoone without paine And as for being moved with some feare at the thought of the day of Iudgement who can thinke of that great appearance before so glorious a Maiesty such as Christ shall appeare in to answer for all the things he hath done in his body without trembling The Apostle calleth the thoughts thereof the terror of the Lord. Indeede to bee perplexed with the thoughts of the one or other argueth imperfection of faith and hope but not an utter absence of either You have other and better things to doe in this case than to make such dangerous conclusions viz. that you have no faith c. upon such weake grounds You should rather when you feele this over-fearefulnesse to die and come to Iudgement labour to finde out the ground of your error and study and indevour to reforme it Vnwillingnesse to dye may come from these causes First From too high an estimation and from too great a love to earthly things of some kinde or other which maketh you afraid and too loath to part with them Secondly You may bee unwilling to die because of ignorance of the super abundant and inconceivable excellencies of the happinesse of Saints departed which if you knew you would bee willing Thirdly Feare of death and comming to Iudgement doth for the most part rise from a conscience guilty of the sentence of condemnation being without assurance that when you dye you shall goe to heaven Wherefore if you would be free from troublesome feare of death and Iudgement Learne 1 to thinke meanely and basely of the world in comparison of those better things provided for them that love God and use all things of the world accordingly without setting your heart upon them as if you used them not 2 While you live here on earth take your selves aside oft times in your thoughts and enter into heaven and contemplate deeply the ioyes thereof 3 Give all diligence to make your calling and election and right unto heaven sure unto your selves But let me give you this needfull Item that you be willing and ready to judge it to be sure when it is sure and when you have cause so to judge Let your care bee onely to live well joyning unto faith vertue c. and you cannot but dye well Death at first appearance like a Serpent seemeth terrible but by faith you may see this Serpents sting taken out which when you consider you may for your refreshing receive it into your bosome The sting of death is sinne the strength of sinne is the Law but the Law of the spirit of life in Christ hath freed you from the law of sinne and of death I confesse that when you see this pale horse death approaching it may cause nature to shrinke but when you consider that his errant is to carry you with speede unto your desired home unto a state of glory how can you
excellency of Christian Experience 126 127. F An answer to them that question their Faith because they want feeling 590 Many doe not feele they have Faith because they feele not for it 603 How a man may know that he hath Faith 621 Reasons why many without cause thinke they have no Faith 584 Many presume they have Faith but have none 614 Reason for which many thinke they have Faith but have not 463 Who may Fall from grace and how 683 A regenerate man may Fall farre backe but not quite away 685 Grounds of difference betweene the Fals of men truly sanctified and others 688 Whence it is that a true Convert cannot Fall quite away from grace 695 Of Religious Fasting 68 A generall Reason of Fasting 72 Reasons why the body must be afflicted in Fasting 73 Reasons why the soule must be afflicted in Fasting 74 Who are to keepe a publike Fast 76 Who may keepe a private Fast 77 How oft we must Fast 78 How long we must Fast 80 Preparation to a Fast 82 How to keepe a Religious Fast 84 c. What to doe when a man is interrupted in his private Fast 142 Motives to oft Fasting 143 Directions what is to be done after a Fast 145 Cautions touching Fasting 146 Needful fear before coÌ„version 485 Holy Feare after conversion 486 Causlesse Feare 488 The kindes of causlesse Feares ibid Strange effects of Feares rising from naturall distempers 489 There is some difference between the regenerate in those Feares which arise froÌ„ melaÌ„choly others 490 Difference betweene those Feares which arise chiefly from melancholy and those which arise from trouble of conscience ibid Grounds of false Feares 495 Feare of punishment must be turned into trouble for sinne 498 Feares of sinning against the holy Ghost removed 527 Feare that because the heart condemneth God will condemne much more removed 529 Feare of being reprobates removed 531 Feare that God will not have mercie because they have let passe the time of their Conversion removed 540 Feares arising from doubts of Gods love removed 576 c. Feares through conceit of being in worse case than any other removed 561 Feares that God loveth them not because they thinke their prayers are reiected removed 576 Feares from doubting of faith removed 581 Feares of not being sanctified because they thinke they were never sufficiently humbled nor have repented removed 626 Reasons why some feele more sense of Feare and horror in their first conversion than others 627 Feares that a man is not sanctified because he is pestered with worse thoughts than ever removed 637 Feares of not being sanctified because of falling into grosse sinnes removed 656 Feares that they are not sanctified because of sense of dulnesse and deadnessein spirituall duties removed 665 Feares of not being sanctified because of sudden dulnesse after fresh feeling comforts removed 670 Feares of not being sanctified because out-gone by others removed 671 Feares of not being sanctified because of hardnesse of heart removed 677 Feares of falling away from grace removed 681 c. Feares taken from thinking the heart is deceitfull removed 727 Feares from present fainting removed ibid Feares because we doe not our part removed 729 Feare from want of such graces where of God hath absolutely promised removed 676 Feares through want of peace of Sanctification removed 744 G Convincing reasons to prove that there is a God 647 God doth never wholly forsake his children 566 Once and ever in state of Grace 685 Reasons why man being once in state of grace can never fall quite from it 701 Reasons why many thinke they have lesse grace now than in their first conversion but mistake 714 H What is the cause of Hypocrites well-doing 341 Disswasives from hypocrisie 361 365 Meanes against hypocrisie 373 Grounds of false hope discovered and removed 444 I Meanes to strengthen the Inner man 133 Rules to direct Inferiours 62 Causes of error in Iudging of a mans state 754 Of Iudging and condemning of a mans selfe 126 L ATable of Duties commanded and of Vices forbidden in the Morall Law 90 c. No man must abuse Christs lenity 620 Signes to know when God giveth good things in love 265 Directions for sanctisying the Lords day 147 M What Meditation is 195 The distinct acts and parts of Meditation 198 Rules for meditation 202 Cautions about the matter of meditation 203 Motives perswading to meditation 211 Meanes of Mortification 131 O When it is that a man obeyeth out of conscience and love to Christ 340 Weakest performance of duties is lesse dangerous than whole omissions 551 P A description of Christian Patience 286 Inducements to patience 286 287 Meanes of Christian patience 288 Vpon what grounds arguments may be taken to worke the heart to patience 291 292 What peace is in generall 414 The peace of GOD explained and magnified by the opening of Philip. 4. 6. 7. 415 The different sorts of peace of God 421 Reasons proving the excellency of the peace of God 432 The impediments of peace 437 Whence presumption and false peace doth arise 441 Signes of false hope and false peace 476 An excellent helpe to peace of conscience 765 Meanes to get and keep true peace ibid How to know in time of peace to hold out in time of persecution 725 How to be kept from dastardly feare in time of persecution 723 Reasons of due preparation of the heart to prayer 32 How to bee disposeà in the act of prayer 35 God heareth prayer many wayes 578 Cautions to be observed in preparation and in prayer 37 Signes of distempered thoughts thorough worldly businesse to prayer 42 Remedies against distempered thoughts in preparation and in prayer 43 How to know when thoughts of worldly businesse are distractfull in preparation in prayer 45 Remedies against the said distractions in preparation and in prayer 47 Pride is a manifest hinderance of Christiâ—â— Comfort 764 765 Grounds of presumption discovered and removed 437. unto 481 Rules of holy carriage in prosperity and when men have good successe 245 246 Good effects of prosperity 247 Doubts of Gods love because men prosper removed 559 Presumption of Gods love because they prosper removed 448 Presumption ariseth either from false grounds of hope or from true grounds misapplyed 442 Presumption that God will save a man because he made him removed 444 Presumption of escaping Hell because men thinke they have it in this life removed 445 Presumption they shall ever be wel because hither to they have escaped evill removed 446 Presumption they shall be saved because as great sinners as they have bin saved removed 450 Presumption of Salvation by Popes Pardons pennance and merit of workes removed 452 Presumption of salvation because God is mercifull removed 454 Presumption from universall Redemption removed 456 Presumption of Salvation because as men thinke their faith and repentance is good when it is not removed 462 Presumption of repenting hereafter removed 475 R How to read the Word profitably 187 Who must