consciences with the flames of unquenchable fire Matth. 37 9 10 12. The Apostles also follow the same method Peter Acts 2. and Stephen Acts 7. and Paul Acts 17. and 24 make it their first work to preach the Law and Judgment So that it seemes needlesse to me to insist any longer on this head 3. The Examples of those Converts the manner of whose conversion is declared in the Scripture hold forth a farther evidence to this Truth Ephraim is so converted Jer. 31. 18. Smites on the thigh Manasseh is humbled greatly and the Crucifiers of our Saviour are pricked in their hearts Acts 2 Chro. 33. 12 2. 37. and the Jailor comes in trembling chap. 16. 29. Paul is smitten to the ground Acts 9. 4. and trembles and is astonished verse 6. And the incestuous Corinthian is even swallowed up of sorrow 2 Cor. 2. 7. And if any examples as those of Zacheus and Lydia seem to speak no such matter yet seeing the Scriptures are not so punctual in the manner but only relate the matter they must rather be rdeuced to this rule then be urged as examples against it Sure if God had dealt with them another way and would have had us to have made any such exceptions from the general rule of his dealing with others he would have been more particular in the recording of those passages that might ground them Besides it is concieved by some of no mean note that they were converted before as members of the Jewish Church and their then conversion was but to Christianity from Judaism which needed no such work As for Lydia 't is clear she was one that before was a Proselyte one that worshipped God the Text saith Acts 16. 14. CHAP. XI The Designes and Intendments of the Spirit in this method of working Conversion in twelve Particulars Quest 4. WHy will the Spirit work this way Answ For several Reasons 1. Hereby is Christ made far more precious then he would be if he dropt this grace into our mouthes without any such sharpning our appetites by the pain of hunger and want to receive him The full soul loatheth or as it is in the Original treadeth under foot the honey comb Prov. 27. 7. The whole will think a fee lost upon a Physician and the man on whom the Law hath not passed will not say Gramercy for a pardon And on the other side it is necessity that endears any thing to us And the more extreme that necessity is the more welcome is the supply A beggar that is pinched with hunger and even starved with cold what course fare and thread bare garments will he beg hard for A man upon the Gallowes and ready to be turned off what will he give for a pardon Sharking Tradesmen know well enough what use to make of the buyers necessity to enhance the price A man will huck and drive the bargain for Christ to half pence and farthings till he be brought to this passe 2. Hereby doth God engage the hearts of men more to him Look over the thankful remembrances of Gods Saints over all the Word and see how great an ingredient their misery is into their thankfulness Ezra We were bond-men yet our God hath not forsaken us in our Bondage c. Ezra 9. 9 David frequently enlargeth upon this common place Psal 18. 5 6 7. The cords of hell compassed me about and the snares of death prevented me In my distress I cryed upon the Lord and he heard my voice c. And so Psal 116. The sorrowes of death compassed me and the pains of hell gate hold upon me Then called I on the name of the Lord c. And after followes a thankful enquiry Quid retribuam What shall I render to the Lord q. d. I do not know any return in the world that may be answerable to so great a mercy So Hezekiah Isai 38. 20. after his sad complaint wherein he drawes a picture of his sad condition in all the saddest and darkest colours imaginable at last saith he The Lord was ready to save me therefore will I sing my songs to the stringed instruments all my life long in the house of the Lord. Think how thankful a starving begger will be for an Almes a condemned man for a Pardon a Prisoner in Argier for a Ransom a man that roars under the Stone or Gout or Collick for a cure and in some sort you conceive how engaging such a mercy as Pardon Redemption Healing is to a sinner broken weary laden with the weight of his sins terrified afrighted distracted with the sense of Gods displeasure for them to hear of a Saviour a Redeemer a Comforter how welcome is it How Paul speaks 1 Tim. 1. 13 15 16 I was a Persecutor a Blasphemer injurious c. 3. Love in such a soul will keep even pace with thankfulness Undoubtedly the more low the Spirit sinks us in this dungeon the more low thoughts will men have of themselves and by consequence the more love will they shew to Christ who even in such a condition did not abhor them but took them out of such a condition to advance them unto the neerest friendship with himselfe For a Prince to take a condemned Malefactor from the Prison or Gallowes and advance her to his Bed and Throne how endearing a love would this bee how every way free undeserved unexpected unconceived must it appear This is evident in the former Psalm 18. 1. c. and Psalm 116. 1. c. compared with their following Verses 4. Sinne must needs be far more odious to to such a soul The burnt child dreads the fire 't is the wormwood upon the dug that weans the child from it say to a condemned thief or other malefactor that hath narrowly escaped the gallowes as the wicked tempters are brought in seducing Prov. 1. 11. come with us cast in thy lot among us we will all have one purse will he not except he be a desperately hardened wretch deny the motion with detestation God forbid that I that but now am come off from the Ladder that but now have had the bolts knockt off my hands should any more take up that course that brought me thither Let a mans jolly companions sollicite such an one as hath been acquainted with the Spirit of Bondage whose feet have been hunt in the stocks of the Law and the Iron hath entred into his soul to a drinking match or a stage play or any other of the sinnes and vanities of his former days what will he say but as that Philosopher when the whore valued her common ware at so dear a rate Non emam tanti poenitere Friends forbear to presse me any longer Had you felt those heart aches and cramps those agues and convulsions of conscience which I have done for such courses as those had you been in the Spirits house of Bondage as I have been had you been stretched upon the Spirits rack had you felt the strappado of the Law and
2 Cor. 1. 9. upon the pronouncing whereof the Law lays heavy fetters and chaines of darkenesse upon the soul that keep it shut up to the hope that afterwards by the Gospel is revealed 3. The proper impressions of this condition must needs be fearfull And thence is this Spirit said to be the Author of bondage to fear And is therefore called the Spirit of fear 2 Tim. 1. 7. This is that fear which the Author to the Hebrews 2. 15. tells us that men may be all their lives long enslaved unto til Christ deliver them A fear of Death i. e. of eternal death the wages of sinne A fear that gives a convinced sinner a tast of hell here it is the very anguish and smart of the arrows of God sticking fast in Job 6. 4. a mans spirit the very wales and furrowes which when the back of conscience is plowed up with the knotted whips of its own guilt do fester and stinke and corrupt as David Psal 38 5 expresseth it that is make the spirit of a man a burthen to it selfe and that intolerable This is the condition which the Apostle expresseth and I am to handle under the notion of the Spirit of bondage i. e. That Work of Gods Spirit whereby he convinceth and terrifieth sinners in order to conversion 4. And when he doth so in the fourth place we are said to receive him that is to be through free grace the patient and submissive subjects of this influence of his bearing the indignation of the Lord because we have sined Lam. 3. 29 against him and laying our mouth in the dust if so be there may be hope until God shall command deliverance for us and pull us out of the horrible pit and out of the deep mire and clay and break those chains of hell and snares of death wherein we are fettered and bring us forth into a large place 5. The Subjects of this Work of the Spirit the Apostle expresseth under the pronoun Ye including the generality of believers among the Romans and in them the generality of beleevers among all Nations in all times these works being of a common nature to all the people of God there being nothing in any one Saint which renders him a more incapable subject of this work then in another and nothing in the Word elsewhere to priviledge one above another herein 6. And lastly the time of the Saints being under this work the Apostle plainly expresseth not to be then when by faith they could call God Father the influence of the Spirit of Adoption enabling them so to do delivered them out of that fearful condition whence it follows that the experience they had of this work was before their Adoption and relation to God thereby as before I have declared And so much shall suffice for this first Chapter the clearing of our Subject And this done wee will proceed to the handling of it in the following Chapters CHAP. II. Wherein the first grand Thesis or Proposition concerning this state of Bondage is explained I Shall begin with this state as a work of the Spirit of God laying this Thesis or proposition for a foundation of our following discourse That those convictions shakings and terrours The first Proposition or Thesis of conscience under which unregenerate sinners suffer bondage when the Law chargeth them home with the guilt of sinne and apprehensions of wrath are ordinarily the works of Gods blessed Spirit I say ordinarily because sometimes Satan brings or at least keeps souls and those the souls of Gods Elect too under this bondage He promiseth liberty when he tempts to sinne but brings into bondage when he accuseth for sinne And therefore we must make a distinction between the bondage which the holy Spirit and the bondage which the wicked spirit brings into or keeps under First therefore There is a bondage which admits and is mitigated by the conjunction of hope of liberty and works towards a deliverance and there is a bondage that excludes all hope and possibility in the apprehension of a sinner of ever being removed A bondage in which the chains with which the conscience is held and fettered are of the same nature with the Devils bonds of death chains of darknesse and despaire Now such as these the holy Spirit knits not except the despair be partial and bear relation only to humane helps and means of escape and such a despair is in every soul that makes out after Christ those that we speak of now Satan lays on the conscience these must needs call him Father because they are black dismal apprehensions like him Such he wrought in Kain and Judas that made the former desperately blaspheme the mercy of God the other deâ—perately to lay violent hands on himselfe and to those despairing terrours is a soul given up when justly excommunicated and therefore is said to be delivered 1 Cor. 5. 5. to Satan for that censure binding sinne upon a man and God having promised to ratifie that sentence in Heaven the Devill the tormentor is at hand to load such a soul with Matth. 16. 19. terrors enough if he do not contemptuously go on adding sin to sin but be any way sensible of it he endeavors to drive him to despair whence the Church is bidden upon this knowledge of Satans devices to comfort such a man and confirm comfort to him by absolution lest he be swallowed up of sorrow 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 2. 8. 11. These satanical terrours have sin in them and therâ—fore as such can no way be the effects of the Spirit of God Indeed the Spirit of God may cause them inchoativè by discovering to a man his sinne and misery but the improvement of these discoveries in such a measure and to such an issue is the work of Satan who in this as in things of other nature can counterfeit the very Spirit of God and so perswade a poor soul that 't is his duty to refuse comfort and despair of Salvation 2. I say these terrours when they are wrought by the Spirit of God are in unconverted sinners which makes a farther distinction between the worke of the Spirit of God and the spirit of Satan herein the Devil makes it most of his businesse to trouble converts As for unconverted wretches that are his fast enough he seldome disturbes them as a Souldier will not disturbe his own Quarters but his enemies a Magistrate will not if he be well advised harrasle his own dominions But the Spirit of God speakes terrour to the Consciences of unregenerate sinners to whom it belongs when he speaks Law he speaks to them that are under the Law Rom. 3. 19. 3. But therin is a difference also If the Spirit of God lay the conscience under terrours it is for conversion they are not penal only but medicinal also they are one sort of Gods â—ods by which he brings men within the bonds of the Covenant Ezek 20
its Natural inclination which tends another way but as we do with living Creatures when we use such means to stoop them to our designes as their natures require Thus we make advantage of the hunger of the Hawk to tempt him to the fist and of the fish to bring him to the hook and watch wild creatures that out of need of rest we may make them content to become tame and tractable And thus doth the Spirit deal with men Their intellectual natures are moved to higher objects but in the same way by making use of emptiness and appetite to work upon the moving powers of the soul and carry them out towards an object that will satisfie For certainly though I am assured that moral perswasion is not sufficient to convert without a supernatural infusion of perswasible faculties wherein I stand at professed defiance with the Papist and Arminian yet this supernatual work is not ordained to perfect the conversion of any sinner he continuing meerly passive all the while for then a man would be saved by meer force and faith as the condition applying the Covenant of Grace which implies knowledg and choice were utterly uselesse and so might innocently be denyed by the Antinomians The Spirit therefore infuseth new power into the faculties and then sets them on working after spiritual objects in an order sutable to their nature I dare say There is nothing more supernatural and yet nothing more Natural in the world then sound conversion It is supernatural in its power and principle it is most natural in its manner method and order God doth not destroy but renew our faculties in conversion and when renewed makes use of them without any violence in the most natural way And therefore though he renew the understanding to apprehend and the Will to choose and the Affections to pursue heavenly objects which of themselves they had no power at all to do yet he doth not invert their usual order of working upon each other And so by consequence that transforming light which from heaven swayes the last dictate of the practical understanding where the Work of Grace begins so renewing the mind effectually works upon the will enabled at the same instant to embrace it and that in like manner stirs the affections at the same moment made ductile and obedient to the Law of the mind So then the root of this tree of Life lies in the mighty power of God in changing and affecting the Judgment And that therefore must first be brought to passe a right sentence on its own condition and the condition to which it is called that so the will may not make a blind fortuitous choice when it accepts of Christ and salvation Now can you perswade a man that Physick is good for him except you first convince him that he is sick Can you perswade a man that feels Matth. 9. 22 no fetters to cry out for liberty a man that thinks he is in the best way to take anothers Can you possibly make a man apply himselfe to one only Physician to cure him and give him any thing that he will ask yea if he ask a mans whole estate when there are many that professe to be able to do the cure and profer their service at an easier rate except you can possesse him strongly that all these be Mountabanks and he must go to that one if ever he meanes to be cured The poor woman never sought to Christ for her Flux till she had found all other Physicians had emptied her purse of its coyne but could not her body of its distemper Luke 8 43. 2. It is the usual way of the Ministers of Jesus Christ in the Old and New Testament nay the way of Jesus Christ himselfe in their Labours and Endeavours for conversion of sinners Certainly the method of the Spirit in working conversion is not different from that which God will have his Ministers walk in and which Christ himself hath thought fit to tread in to that end Now this I hope to clear by abundance of instances The Ministry of Moses who was not only a Law giver but a Typical Mediator and so his Ministry was the Ministry of Christ was in this method first he layes downe the Moral Law for conviction and ratifies it with a curse as the proper ingredient into that cup of trembling which belongs to unconverted sinners and then supposing its work to be done preacheth Christ in the Ceremonial Law as the proper remedy for such a malady Downwards observe the method of the Prophets Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel all their Prophecies are by the Holy Spirit cast into this order How severely doth Isaiah for five or six of the first Chapters convince reprove threaten the rebellious people for their sins and those precious Evangelical comforts of which he of all the Prophets is most full are cast off to the latter part of his Prophesie Jeremiahs commission is first to root out and to pull down and to destroy and to throw down obstinate and unconverted sinners and then to build and to plant chap. 1. 10. And as that people were an obstinate and stiff-necked people see how he handles them with reproofs convictions threatnings for above twenty Chapters together before he is commissioned to speak any considerable portion of comfort to them Ezekiels commission also is full of Lamentations and mourning and woe a bitter Roll chap. 2. 10. and 3. 1. c. and for thirty Chapters downeward we find little else but the contents of that Roll scarce a dust of sugar to sweeten the Pill Hosea is to pronounce the people Lo-ruhamah and Lo-ammi a people that have not obtained mercy that were none of Gods people ere he is to administer one dram of comfort and that which he doth chap. 2. it is conditioned with threatnings of severe afflictions and judgments for sin Joel and the rest are generally in the same strain I grant the order of the Prophecies doth not necessarily imply they were uttered in the same manner as they are written yet seeing the Spirit of God who directed the Pen-men as well as the Speakers thinks fit so to dispose them it seems likely he did it for some such use as we have observed But these may to some seem Legal Preachers let us therefore see how our Saviour and John the Baptist and the Apostles bestir themselves in their Ministry The first Doctrine that our Saviour preacheth is Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand Mark 1. 15. And in the fifth sixth and seventh of Matthew how severe an Interpreter of the Law how effectual a convincer of sin how rigorous a Pronouncer of Judgement and Condemnation upon sinners doth he shew himselfe And how many woes afterwards upon all occasions doth he denounce John the Baptist convinceth the Scribes and Pharisees of their viperous hearts and vaine confidences and threatens them with wrath to come layes the axe to the root of all their hopes scorcheth their
to eternity But 2. That thou acknowledgest the Justice of God herein gives good hope of thee To accept of the punishment of our iniquity and to acquit God is one good sign of the truth and soundnesse of humiliation When a man is humbled as low as hell takes it for his portion and deserved too sure God useth not to be deaf to such an acknowledgment as this The Judg at the Bench is never more inclined to mercy then when an Offendor takes his guilt on him and acquits the Bench and the Jury and confesseth his condemnation is and execution will be just 3. We may possibly offend in bringing down God to the line of men in this case and therefore there are Promises of acceptance to such as thou art Hos 14. 4. Jer. 3. 22. Though thou canst not go to God upon meer grounds of probability yet thou maist upon his own Promises and Engagements Object But possibly I have sinned against the Holy Ghost Answ 1. Every sin against the Holy Ghost is not the sin against the Holy Ghost the emphatical sin against the Holy Ghost Every Apostasie is not that sin then Peter had sinn'd unpardonably and Cranmer and divers others in the late times that have recanted the Truth and have returned againe to their stedfastnesse and dyed for it Every wilful sin against convictions is not that sin then had David no doubt in his plotted murder and adultery sinned against the Holy Ghost in this unpardonable way So had Abraham in denying his wife and Peter also in denying his Master sure they knew such acts were sins That sin is all these but you must add to make up the full nature of it that it must be a total Apostacy against full light ending in a malicious persecution of the knowne Truth and wayes of holinesse The Pharisees were such Persecutors and Reproachers of the Doctrine and Works of Christ as coming from Satan which by the miracles that accompanied him they could not but in their consciences believe came from God and therefore Christ chargeth them justly with that sin Malice there must be for persecution out of ignorance in Pauls example is pardonable 1 Tim. 1. 17 18. And in an heat of passion one godly man hath persecuted another So Asa 2 Chron. 16. 10. Lastly That thou hast not sinned that sin is clear in that thou art affraid of it and that fear is thy greatest grief and burthen c. That sinne carries with it an heart that cannot repent a seared conscience However look on thy present condition as very dangerous although not desperate Penal hardnesse of heart and the fore-mentioned attendants of it are a rode way to it Timely caution may prevent thy falling so far Please not thy selfe in such sins with this conceit that yet thou hast not sinned the sin against the Holy Ghost and therefore mayst yet go on in them with hope of mercy Presumptuous sinnes are the ushers to the great transgression Psalm 19. 13. as we render the word CHAP. XXV An exhortation to certain duties proper to this condition of bondage HEre is also an Exhortation to such as are under this condition 1. Be patient under the present hand of the Spirit A man will bear a great trouble patiently when he can see likelyhood of a good issue in it A sick man is contented to be made sicker for healths sake Finis confert amabilitatem mediis say the Schoolmen and a man that hath a gangrened arm or legge will endure the sawing it off willingly to save the whole body Troubles of conscience are grievous troubles But so long as they are in the hand of the spirit as instrumental means to facilitate conversion how patiently shouldest thou undergo them If they were to thy eternal confusion patience were meet partly as to a punishment deserved and of thy own choice partly as to a condition which repining at it may augment but never remedy How much more when these troubles are converting saving troubles or are used by the spirit to that end The good ground brought forth its fruit with patience Luke 8. 15. And if ever thou wilt see fruit of thy soul troubles thou must stay the time 2. Keep up hope under all discouragements I know a thousand discouragements are ready upon every occasion to beat thee off thy hold and hopes And against them set those promises which Scripture is every where full of to persons in thy condition together with the examples of others recorded there and to these add thy own experience both in the persons of others and thine own Think how many such sad souls in all ages Gods Spirit hath conducted through the wildernesse and caused them to rest in the full assurance and undoubted evidence of his love Read over the sad complaints of David in his convictions and soul troubles and how God at last compassed him about with songs of deliverance set in joynt all his broken bones and bestowed on him the joy of his salvation Nay how many of those Saints that you dayly do or may converse withall can speak no lesse from their own experience Thou art under a condition of hope whiles thou art under this work it is the method of the Spirit in conversion as was before shewed It is with thee as with the people Ezra 10. 2. though thy case be sad yet now God hath affected thy heart with thy sinne and misery and made thee confesse and bewail thy sinnes before him now there is hope in Israel concerning this as Shechaniah saith after the humiliation of the people for their strange wives in the preceding Chapter Thou art yet a prisoner but a prisoner of hope Zech. 9. 12. See what advice and encouragement the Church from her own experience gives Lam. 3. 26 27 28 c. It is good for a man to hope for the salvation of the Lord why so See verse 31 32. For the Lord will not cast off for Lam. 3. ever but though he cause grief yet will hee have compassion according to the multitude of his tender mercies O saith the soul what is my strength that I should hope as Job 6. 11. alas the Lord hath cast me off for ever I see my present agony and distresse of spirit that he intends to break all my bones and send me ver 4. to hell with all my bones broken on the wheele of his displeasure The more I cry ver 8. the more deaf he seems to be unto my prayer ver 4 6. he hath brought me into darknesse and made my skin old he hath builded against me fortified ver 5. his kingdome against all my attempts by a resolution that I shall not enter into his rest he hath compassed me with gall and travel hee ver 5. 6. 7. 8. 10. 11. 12. 13. 15. 16. hath set me in dark places he hath hedged me about and made my chain heavie he shuts out my prayer he is a bear and a lion
sense of mercies Thou wantest at least in thy apprehension grace and Christ or it may be but the evidence and assurance of these now thou perpetually art on the complaining hand and when thou comest into Gods presence he hears nothing from thee but these complaints and all that thou conversest with can have nothing else from thee but querulous language and it may be murmuring discourses concerning the sadnesse of thy condition and present wants But here is not a word of acknowledgment of what thou hast Thou never goest to God and acknowledgest that it is a great mercy he hath made thee see the sinfulnesse and misery of thy present condition and affected thy heart with it Now certainly this were a more likely way to speed 8. Labour to keep your hearts warm by keeping those things most fresh upon your spirits by constant meditation which most affect you Thou goest home warm from a Sermon affected it may be deeply with thy own condition by nature or it may be convinced of the exceeding sinfulnesse of some Master sin or other when thou comest home that this may be effectual to thy conversion dwell upon those passages in thy thoughts and when they are ready to dye recover them again by fresh recollection desiring God to fix them upon thy spirit till they have done their work And this puts a special force into the Word which it would utterly lose if these thoughts by worldly diversions should be buryed as soon as thou art gone from the Publick Assembly And at other times whiles this work is upon thee thou maist do well to take up thoughts on these Heads which may be matter for meditation in such a condition 1 The sinfulnesse of sin under all its aggravations and the sad condition of a person under it Here thou maist think what a sad Apostacy from the perfection of mans nature and being sin hath brought into the world how black an image of Satan it hath drawn upon the soul what an holy and righteous Law it is against what a just condemnation it hath subjected thee unto And here thoughts of hel and the eternal wrath of God under all its affecting circumstances may bee considered in relation to thy case 2 Your own particular sins and their heightning circumstances How much more vile thou art then others and thy sins more great then those of others what by means and mercies and judgments and convictions and education and vowes and covenants of forsaking them by Apostacies and backslidings into them after a temporary desertion of them by being accessary or Author to the sinnes of others c. 3 The necessity of returnings to God That therefore in the way thou art in thou art running with all speed to the chambers of death if thou dye the next moment hell must receive thee and heaven be for ever shut against thee That thou hast no way to escape but by a speedy return to God and taking up a new course Matth. 5. 25. 4 The impotency hardnesse deceitfulnesse of your own heart That although thou see so much need of getting into another condition entring into another way yet it is not in thy power so to do and if it were thou hast such an heart as would dissemble with God and thee and put him and thee off with shewes and colours in stead of real fruits of grace or if it could bring forth such yet they cannot justifie and are frail and uncertain 5 The excellency of Christ in his grace and in his righteousnesse That therefore God hath appointed a way in which thy sins may be pardoned and thy nature renewed by the righteousnesse and grace of another That all that thou seest wanting in thy self Christ is abundantly able to supply That there is therefore that in Christ for which he deserves to be valued above all the world for grace and peace 6 The riches and freenesse of Gospel Promises in which Christ is communicated especially those that we call absolute Promises of the first grace That to persons so lost in themselves there is an abundant fountain of Grace opened in Christ That God invites all such persons to come to him and if they want wherewithal to procure Christ that he hath promised that too even the Spirit Zech. 12. 10. Luke 11. 13. Faith Phil. 1. 29. A new heart Ezek 36. 26 CHAP. XXVI Farther Directions of the same kind 9 TAke heed your particular callings prove not a snare to you That may be two wayes 1 By wholly neglecting of them For hereby a soul is exposed to a million of temptations whereunto a moderate prosecution of the affairs of a mans calling might prove a considerable diversion 'T is true I would have every soul upon the first smiting of his heart to set apart some time for a serious meditation upon it till he hath stated his condition and by Gods assistance begged in Prayer gained a clear sight of his estate brought his heart under such fixed impressions as will stick upon him through all his other imployments After which he may go about the works of his calling moderately and take set times out of it to begin where he left last so carrying on that work yet not neglecting the other As a Tradesman takes time to state his Accounts and when so falls to his Imployment again and having brought his Accounts into method he can again find where he left 2 By over eager following them Mat. 13. 22. The cares of the world choak the Word The Divel when a soul sets all its power on work to hunt him out runs like a hare among a flock of sheep and so puzles the pursuing soul and divers it A man in such a condition if his necessary imployments cannot be carryed on by other hands may and must follow them yet he must take heed that his whole heart never be let out in them stil must the impressions of the Spirit of God run as a black thread through the whole web of his businesse that when he hath gained time from his business to think on it more seriously he miss not his heart 10. Avoid all cooling company and choose those whose affections are warmest and their zeal hottest provided they be sound in the faith This I have touched upon before as also most of the rest in a sort and therefore shall be but brief in it When you are convinced possibly your company before conviction was meerly worldly possibly vicious drunken dissolute now fly the very occasions of conversing with them and seek cleave to and esteem only the company of the strictest These will be sure to help you out in the managing of your troubles will give advice pray with and for you c. See Act. 2. 40. 11. Keep no considerable passages of your present condition secret O that I could perswade people when the Word works any impressions upon their consciences presently to let the same or some other but most chiefly the same Minister
Hebrews 6. 4 5 6. and 10. 26 27 28 29. And one in the second of Peter 2. 20 21. In the ambiguity of some dark phrases in those Texts of Scripture doth Satan perplex the soul and this is a strong hold that he will not presently surrender Thus he perswades them that every neglect of duty every vain thought or wicked action after illumination and the work of conviction utterly and totally excludeth them from repentance or pardon and therefore it is in vain to endeavour their comfort who have sinned against the Holy Ghost that should comfort them and that unpardonably and irrecoverably I have spoken to this already in the second point and shall again hereafter And therfore it shall suffice at present to warn you of this rub which Satan laies in the way of your peace and to intreat you to take no heed to it when it is obtruded to barre you from laying hold of the promises of mercy and pardon which are proclaimed unto you For take this for a certain rule God never intends any terrours of Scripture as bugbears to affright any sinner from Christ who earnestly desires him the severest scorpions of the Law are intended only to drive us to Christ Gal. 3. 24. much lesse doth he intend that any of them should conclude any soul under an apprehended impossibility of pardon for then he would be chargeable with all those desperate conclusions which men usually draw from such premises But he always encourageth the greatest sinners to beleeve and supposing that to take comfort from the boundlesnesse of his mercy in pardoning all maner of sinnes Isay 55. 7. and 1. 18. How frequently doth he for their sakes display his bowels of tender mercies as if he foresaw that the greatest difficulty of his work would lie in perswading them of those CHAP. XII Certain other Hinderances removed A Sixth Hinderance is 6. Keeping Satans counsel Many a soul bears sad burthens in this kind oftentimes because he is ashamed to utter what it is that troubles him As many a man bears a Disease in some part which he is loath to discover and will not be knowne of it till there be no remedy but he must dye of it This is Satans policy to represent the soul before conversion as beautiful in all the ornaments of civility and good nature as we say and formality as is possible But after conversion when the soul pants after Assurance of Gods love then to shew it its own face in as black a glasse as hell or its Landskip an accusing terrifying conscience can afford And therefore he enlargeth ordinary infirmities into monstrous Apostacies and sins against the Holy Ghost and if the soul be satisfied that its sins are not of that dye because it never entertained a thought of malice and envy against God or his wayes which is required to that sin Then he will inject fearful suggestions into the mind horribilia de Deo c. horrid thoughts of God Christ Religion Scriptures c. And then he acts as a wicked Whore when he hath laid these brats of his at a Saints door then he pursues him as the father of them for maintenance solicites Reason to defend them or at least to dispute them and if a soul throw them out as fast as he casts them in then he makes it his next businesse to perswade it to keep his counsel in these thoughts and temptations for saith he what will godly people think of thee if thou shouldst discover such things as these No one that fears God would ever come nigh thee any more So concerning thoughts of self-murder temptations to fearful and horrid pollutions c. If he cannot fasten them upon the heart he will labour at least to prevail for our secrecy in them And then he knowes he can make great advantages of those concealments As a loose companion when he hath tempted an honest woman to uncleannesse and cannot prevail his next designe is to perswade her to keep his attempt close and to allow him her company still which if he can do he will afterwards as being one that regards not his owne reputation blast her as if she were really guilty of the Fact and endeavor to make her concealment of his temptations and continued converse with him the Argument to prove her so So if Satan can prevail so far he will quickly perswade a soul that he hath consented to what he hath concealed and so lay all that load of desperate conclusions which would follow from the sins themselves upon the suspicion of them And therefore as a woman that is honest and wise will discover such sollicitations to an husband or near friend and desire them to watch over her lest she be overcome by importunity to an act she so much abhors and if need be will reveal them more publickly by way of Caution for her fuller Vindication So in this case it is the best way to deal with Satan Let no such thought arise but away first to God and then to a godly Minister or a godly friend and unbosom thy selfe for hereby thou shalt be able to call witnesse against Satan upon every occasion and take away the advantage from him of suggesting many desperate thoughts to thee which if he have so much footing as thy bare silence he will inject with a great deal of vehemency On the other side he will quickly be discouraged from tempting if what he speaks in secret were published upon the house tops 7 Secret tempting of God and dependance upon such means and such men for peace and limiting God to such and such a time and resolving not to wait on God beyond that time or not to expect it from any other meanes It may bee slighted means and an unexpected time shall bring thee that comfort which thou hast in vain looked for from more likely instruments and more probable seasons Truly friends God will have peace as well as grace to be every way free and unconfined Say not such a Minister indeed is an honest man and preacheth well but I shall never profit by him if ever I have comfort it must be from such or such a mouth Say not if God answer me not in such an ordinance or such a duty I am hopelesse c. It oftentimes falls out here as it doth in dangerous diseases among great personages They perswade themselves that such or such a plain honest Physician whom they vouchsafe to consult with in ordinary cases is able to do them no good in their present distempers he is not studied or hath not experience enough and therefore they must advise with such or such a Court Doctor of eminent practise and then they think they cannot misse of a cure But many times it so happens that after they have spent their strength and estate on fees and bills and are come down into the Country to dye a plain countrey Physician and a little Kitchin-physick hath restored them Truly friends 't is
guilt upon his mercy that notwithstanding so deep an Engagement in the way of sin and Satan you are so perswaded of the beauty of his wayes as to come off to his colâ—urs with an heart willing to take up his yoak c. And as for the good which your self may possibly reap by aggravating sins to the losse of your peace I cannot possibly conceive If you think it will humble you more work repentance in you more kindly c. you deceive your selves Those gracious streams never run so full and never over flow their banks so abundantly as when they spring from a fountain of fullest Assurance Zech. 12 10. 4 But what are these sinnes Dost thou not aggravate them beyond measure Before grace the soul useth to diminish and extenuate sins and so deceive it self that way After grace it is as apt to aggravate them beyond measure Such a soul thinks he can scarce sin under a Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost and thence affrights it self not only into darkness but despair I have spoken enough before to satisfie in this particular to which I refer you only take notice of it as an usual weaknesse in the Saints that out of a desire to do God right they make little conscience of doing themselves wrong Object But Sir is it possible for a child of God to fall often into the same sin after conversion or comfort soundly wrought Answ Oh friend how shall I answer thee this Question and not put a plea into the mouth of hardned sinners How shall I fortifie against their usurpations and encroachments and yet give thee thy due comfort and encouragement Well the Lord see to it I cannot avoid such Doctrines when they come clearly in my way Sinners if they harden you I cannot help it Only I warn you before hand Gospel Cordials to a fowl heart are the deadliest poison But for Zions sake I cannot hold my peace He may But 1 First He cannot with so full and free a consent as before conversion For before all the stream of nature carryed him that way Good actions went before against the hair with him and though he many times performed them yet it was like swimming against the stream Now the principle is altered and that which then was the condition of good actions now is the condition of sinful ones they go as much against the grain of a renewed spirit as evil ones did before Yet you must know withal that there is not the like violent opposition alwayes against sin in a gracious heart as against good in a natural heart because the stream of corruption in a natural heart is broken by no opposition but is whole and entire Nature is wholly corrupted But on the other side the stream of grace in a gracious heart is much abated by damms of natural corruption We are gracious but in part yet this know a natural heart commits and recommits sin with greedinesse as a Glutton eats at a Feast cuts and cuts again and is not satisfied A godly man may commit and recommit sin but with imperfect consent at the time and regret and displicency afterwards As a sick man tastes of a forbidden dish and so cannot take a full comfort in the sins he acts as he gives not a full consent to them Ob. But so will you say a natural man may from conviction of conscience eat sins delicates with regret and fear and that may hinder him from taking a full content in them may he not Answ Yes but herein is a second and farther difference 2 The regret and displicency that is in a natural heart is a burthen to him and he would fain perswade his conscience to bee quiet and let him feed heartily upon his sinful sweet-meats A godly mans sin displeaseth him as far as he knowes it to be so and his tendernesse and fear is so far from wearying him that he loves it and wishes more of it and cherisheth that which hee hath already 3 As a wicked man sutably to what hath been said is displeased more at the terrors of his conscience for sin so is he angry at the sins for the terrors sake when he is displeased at sin at all But a godly mans displeasure against sin which imbittered such sinful acts to him is against the sin principally which appears in that he is many times displeased at it and never more displeased at it then when he is most assured of freedom from those terrours Object Yea but the Law may be the principle in such a stirring of spirit by which a ful consent to sin is hindered And so it may in a wicked man Answ The Law is either Regula or Judex either a Rule or Judge The ruling power of the Law discovers sin the judging power of the Law condemns sin The wicked man mostly looks on it in the latter act the godly man in the former If the wicked man ever consider the rule of the Law it is to wish it away the godly man to approve it Rom. 7. 16 CHAP. XXXIX The Case of afflictions as it influenceth upon the Doubts of a gracious soul concerning his Estate answered Object BUt I am under sad afflictions and I am haunted with fearful and horrid temptations such afflictions as I am told no child of God can be under and such temptations as never assaulted any Saint Answ 1. What afflictions are those that any child of God may not fall under 1 Is not the rod part of the childs portion whiles under nonage whiles in the School Heb. 12. 6 7 8. And who art thou that wilt argue thy self a bastard from that which is not only the lot but the happinesse of sons Psal 94. 12. 2 Doth God make any bargain with his sons wherein he makes a difference of rods Is there any place in the Word of God that saith I will use this or that rod only to my sons 3 Canst thou name any affliction which God did not lay upon his own natural Son And who art thou who desirest gentler usage from the hands of God then Christ himself Obj. Wilt thou say Christ stood as an enemy under the sins and curses of Gods Elect and his wounds therefore were the wounds of a cruel one and his chastisements the chastisements of our peace But all Gods children are Isai 53. priviledged from all such sufferings as Christ underwent because he underwent them so that it is no Argument that any ones afflictions are not beyond the line of fatherly chastisements that Christ underwent the same It will rather follow that they may be the strokes of an enemy because Gods strokes upon Christ standing in our stead were such Answ Christs sufferings it is true as to the causes were different from those of all Saints But as to the substance of them they are common to all others of Gods children Thence we are said to fill up the sufferings of Christ Col. 1. 24. To be conformable to his death Phil. 3. 10.
hereafter for ever That thou canst not tell with what face to call him Father having so mis-behaved thy self towards him 2 Apply thy self to his Throne of Grace for renewed pardon and that the sense of that pardon may open thy mouth again Psal 51 12 13 15. 3 Consider thy acceptance depends not on thine own worthinesse but on his meer mercy and goodnesse in Jesus Christ who is an Advocate for sinners and a Propitiation for sins 1 Joh 2. 1 2. 4 Put a bold face upon it as wee say and adventure as before upon the claim of that relation and use it in order to the obtaining of all necessary grace from God resolving in case thou ever see his face again in love yea though thou shouldst never see it again to watch against thy corruptions for time to come and walk more carefully under the Obligation of that relation then ever before Follow on this course though against the grain of thy own jealous heart and thou wilt find thy heart grow warm and thy pulse more quick by a sensible recovery of lost spirits and life to thy prayers II. This lets us know how we may maintain when we have and recover when we have lost the heat of our affections and confidence of our hearts in Prayer to wit by maintaining our Assurance of Gods love 1 John 5. 14 15. The Apostle writes to them whom he endeavours by several tokens to assure that they are the children of God and then drawes up the advantage of that Assurance And this is the confidence that we have in or concerning him that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us c. The way then to keep present and renew lost boldnesse is to keep and renew assurance of Gods love by the Spirit How you may do that I have shewne before at large and so shall spare repetition here CHAP. L. Three Duties pressed on all Assured Saints The first to be much improving the supply of the Spirit in approaching to God frequently-Urged with eight Motives III. THis stirs up all who have the witnesse of the Spirit to three Duties 1 To be much in Prayer 1 Those that have it not are not to neglect it nor are they excusable for slighting it over who walk in darknesse Now if they must drive on in this rode who because the wheels of their Chariots are taken off must needs drive heavily how are you bound who have wheels and those oyled too that you may go on the more cheerfully 2. If God should with-draw what you neglect the comfortable refreshments of his Spirit and make you howle after him under spiritual darknesse in a wide and howling wildernesse of desertions and temptations you will find a difference between sailing in a clear day and a calm sea and steering the same vessel in a dark night and stormy sea when neither Sun nor Moon nor Star appeares to direct the course And then you will wish you had used days of spiritual peace for maintaining Trade with God Troublesome times are bad times to trade in The uncertainty of Adventures and returnes must needs cool the Merchants endeavours 3 Others may but you must prevail with God I mean the arrowes of prayer which by souls in darknesse are shot at adventure are not altogether without hope of acceptance but yours are beyond possibility of miscarrying and that not only in themselves but to you also you being in the light of Gods countenance are particularly assured that whatever you ask according to his Word he heareth you 1 Joh. 5. 14 15. 4 Hopes to speed are the wings of prayer Assurance as I before have shewed will be maintained by prayer and weakned by the neglect of it Let a man be never so intimately acquainted with a friend and never so certainly assured of his love yet disuse of entercourse will occasion jealousie and distrust or at least shynesse and feare of being too bold with each other 5 You wrong many others You are the Favourites of heaven how many Petitions of poor dark Saints in corners are put into your hands for dispatch to the Throne of Grace How many occasions wherein you may serve the Church come athwart you as wee say daily And can you betray all these by your negligence of improving your interest at the Throne of God No man may do more good if he attend with diligence and watchfulnesse then an honest Favourite to an earthly Prince You must not pray for your selves only but for them that cannot pray too You that are Gods Favourites may do much good if you bestir your selves 6 Know this also that God delights in the Musick of your Prayers Other men alwayes find matter of complaint but you are more fitted for Sacrifices of praise And he that offereth praise glorifieth God and so 't is no wonder if God delight most in such a Petitioner I must not be understood as if God did not also delight in the saddest complaints of a troubled spirit as they are offered up to him in a way of Petition But yet surely I think I may say God loves that Prayer most that most carries man out of himself to him and praises of assured souls are such giving Duties if I may so speak as do not only receive from God but in a sort bestow upon him 7 Adde to this that the very present comfort of communion with God if there were no other advantage to a gracious soul were encouragement enough to Duty How are the Saints of God wont to rejoyce if God give them now and then a glance of his countenance How when they have not had communion with him for a while do they complain as if every day were a year every year an Age And is the refreshment of that communion so slight unto thee that thou canst now passe many dayes it may be weeks without any sensible affection of grief and trouble at the slendernesse of intercourse between thy soul and him especially when 't is not through his strangenesse but through thine own 8 Consider what this liberty of approaching to God cost Christ for thee He laid down his dearest bloud to bring thee so nigh Ephes 2. 13. and Heb. 10. 20. He hath consecrated a new and living way through the vail i e. his flesh CHAP. LI. A second Duty pressed upon them viz. stirring up all their graces to pray with life and fervency upon six Motives 2 STir up the grace of God that is in you pray with life and fervency When we are bid not to quench the Spirit that prohibition stands between two verses wherein the proper means of preserving the Spirit alive in the soul are prescribed Pray without ceasing and in every thing give thanks 1 Thess 5. 17 18 19 20 goes before and Despise not prophecying comes after Implying if our affections be indifferent to prayer and preaching we need use no other meanes to quench the Spirit Fire will be extinguished by neglect