more fear he hath Spiritual mercies for your souls Psal 130.4 There is mercy with thee that thou mayest be feared It is impossible that the true fear of the Lord should bee planted and advanced in the heart without this consideration this mercy is pardoning mercy it is Soul mercy other considerations with this are usefull to ballance the Spirit but this is principally attractive this is the very door of the fear of the Lord where this is shut there is no way unto repentance Jerem. 2.25 But thou saidest there is no hope for I have loved strangers and after them I will go And Chap. 18.12 And they said there is no hope but wee will walke after our own devices and wee will every one do the imagination of his evil heart If God had no mercy for men it would be vain to perswade them to fear if men had not some kind of hope they would be hellishly wicked And that I might yet advance this Motive in your Souls take these particulars 1. He is willing to be reconciled to thee although he can destroy thee 2 Cor. 5.20 Now then we are Embassadours for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christ that you be reconciled to God he hath ways enough to make thee stoop without wooing of thee and can dash thee in pieces when he pleaseth yet he beseecheth thee he intreats thee though hee hath no need of thee but thou hast need of him what need hath God of thee more then of the Heathens or Indians or Turks who know him not he could as easily have invited them as thee at this day he invites thee though thou art as the damned thy nature is as corrupt as theirs and thy sins as great as others before they were cast in there Rom. 3.22 23. There is no difference for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God O what impression should these have upon thy soul if thou wouldest give them their full allowance upon thy soul in meditation 2. He moves them to fear him by his mercies he might require it by his power without mercy hee might have called for as much duty and have given no encouragement at all unto it but beloved what heart-ensnaring language doth he speak Isa 55.7 Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon The Lord might have chosen another manner of Stile then this 3 He offers thee better termes then thou art like to meet withall else-where the world cannot bid so faire nor perform so faithfully as he doth See that Promise which the Lord makes to the returning sinner Isa 55.1 2 Ho every one that thirsteth come yee to the waters and he that hath no money come ye buy and eat yea come buy wine and milk without price vers 2. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread and your labour for that which satisfieth not Hearken diligently unto me and eat yee that which is good and let your soul delight in fatnesse c. Search and finde where the Devil the World and Sin promiseth and when and to whom he gives such a thing as is held out attainable in following God 4 If thou hast tasted of mercy thou canst not but acknowledg that it is an engaging thing Tit. 2.11.12 For the grace of God that bringeth Salvation hath appeared unto all men teaching us that denying all ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world 5. If thou pretendest to Saintship and are not drawn by mercy surely thou hast a frame of spirit much different from the Saints of old for the love of God constrained them 1 Cor. 5.4 they had beseeching spirits which were very much affected with such arguments as I shewed you Rom. 12.1 6. If these are not perswasive motives how then art thou under that promise Hos 3.5 Afterward shall the children of Israel return and seek the Lord their God and David their King and shall feare the Lord and his goodnesse in the latter dayes 7. Is it not reason that thou shouldest do Gods work when he hath provided one to do thine he hath sent a Christ unto thee who offers himself to be thy life and thy strength and he tells thee That he hath left Heaven for a time that he might come down and make such an offer of himself to sinners and wilt thou not leave a little of the world to offer up thy self to him Shall the kind proffers of Christ in the Gospel meet with no returns Canst thou do lesse then offer up all that thou hast or art as a reasonable sacrifice to him who so freely offers thee himself in his Son to be thy righteousnesse wisdom sanctification and redemption In a word to be all and in all to thy soul Canst thou deny him thy time who offers thee Eternity Is thy present time and condition and ability too good to give out to him who offers thee more in Christ then thy present condition is able to bear more then can enter into thine heart to conceive Reserve nothing from him of thy little who gives thee with a reserve for this reason because thy present condition is not capable of all he intends thee Sixthly Consider how quick the Lord is with some men to cut them off without giving them many warnings or suffering them to grow up to such a measure of sin as he does others as he did Nadab and Abihu And that Gods coming to Judgement will appear quick when ever it comes 1. Though thou mayest have a smooth time in sin yet when that time of pleasure in sin is past it will seem very short Ask the old man and he wil tel that his Youth was quickly gone and Age came suddenly upon him Is not the life past like a tale that is told If God should suffer thee to live a full age and then cut thee off in thy sin wouldest not thou seem to go down quickly into hell 2. If you compare the time past with Eternity God is not slack concerning his comming saith the Apostle you will finde him quick enough when he comes Art thou come say the spirits to torment us before the time as some say before the end of the World and I exclude not that but how did the Divel know the end was not yet But it intimates that although the Divel had so many thousand years to tempt yet he thought it too soon to be troubled 3 He may be quick in that he wil be unwelcome and unwelcom guests when ever they come wil come too soon 4 When he cometh latest he will come before thou lookest for him he will come unawares and so wil be quick with thy soul notwithstanding all this patience the evil servant said not I have no Master nor that his Master wil
thou think that when thou hast served them night and day with the heat and fervency of all thy affections that he will be put off with a cold sleepy drousie profession Will he not say See such a man pretends to Religion to act for me did he act so heavily and drousily for sin doth he act so for himself in things of self-concernment Away with such pretenders saith the Lord that will not act for me at the same rate that they have acted for the world and for themselves and their own lusts 13. Consider what an honour it is to be employed for God to be called the servant oâ— the most High David envied the very Sparrow that built about the Altar when he was shut out and wilt thou shut out thy self when God cals thee to such honorable employment Psalm 84. the people of God who have known how to value their relations to God have valued the very worst things of Christ and the least imployment for him above the best things in the world as in Moses Heb. 11.24 25 26. Moses refused to be called the Son of Pharaoh's daughter chusing rather to suffer with the people of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season vers 26. Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches then the treasures in Egypt And in David Psalm 84.10 For a day in thy Courts is better than a thousand I had rather be a Door-keeper in the house of my God then to dwell in the tents of Wickednesse Art thou seeking and thirsting after honour and honourable imployments behold here it is to remember thy Creator to be busied about him and for him thou art never like to get so much honour and repute at the last by serving sin and Lust as thou maist get in serving the Lord Rom. 6.21 What fruit had you in those things whereof ye are now ashamed for the end thereof is death You have the two Genuine and Natural fruits of sin Shame and Death and to this we may oppose that of the Wise man Prov. 3.16 Length of dayes is in her right hand and in her left hand riches and honour Prov. 4.8 Exalt her and she shall promote thee shee shall bring thee to honour when thou doest embrace her 14. Consider his great bounty to his Servants You shall alway hear them that are sincere with him speak well of him yea very largely of his freenesse and fulnesse to their Souls I might compasse you with a cloud of Witnesses if I should call in all the Saints in the Old and New Testament to speak out their experience which they would willingly do to commend their Lord and Master to the world but I shall onely call in two or three to speak for all the rest Gen. 32.10 saith Jacob I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies and of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy Servant for with my staffe I passed over this Jordan and now I am become two bands He found when he had cast up his accompts he was paid with an over-plus it would be too long a story to hear David tell how good he had found God you have him largely speaking of the bounty and goodness of God to his Soul Psal 34. upon which he spends the whole Psalm yet while he was speaking he feared that men would hardly judge aright of this by hearing they would apprehend more by tasting he calls therefore upon men vers 8. O taste and see that the Lord is good blessed is the man that trusteth in him God is better known by experience then by notion he would perswade them not to content themselves with hear-sayes that God was good but desires them to make triall of him and of his wayes certainly David knew the force of this Argument to draw Souls to be more and more in love with God Ps 66.16 Come and I will declare what God hath done for my soule hearing how liberall and free the Lord is to others encourageth us to expect great things from him also specially if we finde him generally so free We know a Servant is very ambitious to serve a free Master and if he be generally free to all his Servants it encourageth him to expect something in his service if he hears every Servant in the Family to commend him and cry up his bounty Thus it is with God all that are his Servants in deed speak very freely of him David gives a notable hint of this In his Temple doth every one speak of his glory he layeth this down I suppose as an argument to presse to this duty he had used many others from the Works of God he draws one from the practice of his Saints because they do speak well of him and tell large experimentall stories of his glory 15. Consider his faithfulness in his Promises he is yea and Amen with Souls he is at a word what he promiseth he gives and much more then what we can expect David useth this as an argument because there is no unfaithfulness in him there was never any Soul that ventured on any promise of his that ever found him worse then his word nay when he promised and that very largely too and by them hath heightened the desires and expectations of his people he hath reserved to himself a liberty of coming in beyond their expectations 1 Cor. 2.9 Eye hath not seen ear hath not heard neither hath it entred into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them which love him If these considerations were faithfully laid together and seriously weighed and applyed to our spirits would they not perswade us to draw that conclusion which we finde upon the same account Jer. 10.7 Who would not fear thee O King of Nations and if we do not learn the skil of setting the Lord in such considerations as these before us we shal never excel in his fear The second Head follows How this considering and setting God before us doth make way for and advance the fear of God in our hearts I shal explain this in the ensuing particulars First it serves to ballance and six the vain light and frothy unconstant spirit of man it helps much to the putting his heart into a serious frame by setting the glory of the great Omniscient and Omni-present God before him men will be more circumspect in their behaviours when they conceive themselves to be in the presence of some great one the want of this makes men vain and vile in the World Psal 73.11 12. And they say how doth God know and is there knowledge in the most high Behold these are the ungodly who prosper in the world they increase in riches doth God know say they we are not under the eye of the Lord and therefore we need not trouble our thoughts about him and what follows these are the ungodly ungodliness in practice must needs follow those that have cast the thoughts of God farre from them
may suffice to have been careless and negligent of my own soul and disobedient to the Gospel and to the checks of Conscience as for that which remains it is little enough for the great work of serving the Lord and making my Calling and Election sure Now enquire Do thy present convictions work thus do they put thee upon more close and constant pursuance of God upon endeavouring to walk close with him and to redeem time for him this carries yet more light of evidence with it that thy day is not over 4 Dost thou find a difference betwixt these convictions and those which thou hadst formerly That there is more of the stirring of the wil and affections in these than were in them There is a great difference betwixt the stirring of the conscience and the stirring of the Wil Conscience may be awakened and that may move a man strongly after reformation and the wil and affections may move him after his lusts all the while and where conscience is awakened and the Wil not changed there the Devil may steal these troubles away upon false grounds he hath many waies to quiet such mens consciences but if the Wil be moved truly toward God there is no way to quiet that but by the enjoiment of its end which is the enjoyment of God Therefore the main thing by which we should judge of the work and so of the day of Grace is this by labouring to enform our selves aright what difference there is betwixt these and former convictions and whether these be better than they or no which did die away and whether there be more of the wil and affections in these than in those we formerly had for every work is so much the better as it hath more of Wil in it which is indeed the seat of Grace Q. How shall I know whether my stirrings are of my Conscience or my Will A. I might give you many things but I touch it now but occasionallie therefore I shal confine my self to these three short directions Observe thy 1 Troubles 2 Dâ—sires 3 Endeavours First observe thy Troubles whether they be most for the sense of sin or the apprehensions of wrath if conscience be only awakened that eyes only the wrath to come and thinks of nothing else but of escaping and it takes not sin into consideration but as it is forced by the necessary connexion betwixt that and judgement but if the wil and affections be wrought over in this trouble then the greatest trouble is because of the evil of sin as it dishonours God and as it hinders the Soul from communion with God and the soul is troubled at the presence of that and studies how it may be rid of that Sin is a heavy burthen to a sanctified wil but wrath is the only burden to an intangled but not renewed conscience 2 Observe thy Desires What do they run out most after Christ or Comfort Peace or Purity if the trouble be onely a forced trouble from conscience then the Soul dos ordinarily look no farther then the present trouble and how to be rid of that it is peace that conscience looks after but if the Wil be moved that must have something else besides Peace it is not a calm wilserve the turn it must have Christ and communion with him or nothing wil satisfie 3 Look to thy endeavours when are they strongest and most vigorous and drawn out most after heaven and heavenly things in thy troubles or in thy calms I have observed some that when they have been under trouble and terrours of Conscience they would then be very stirring and seem to take much pain for Heaven but when Conscience is a little quieted they lay aside their Religion and there is no more noise of it this is a sign that their stirrings were barely from Conscience But other Souls whose wils were wrought upon as wel as their Consciences have been more active and stirring in the ways of God as they have gotten more peace and assurance of Gods love and there is a clear reason for such different effects from their quiet because quiet and peace was the thing which the inflamed Conscience sought for but the sanctified will and affections sought for another thing and although a little Peace may satisfie Conscience and take off the edge of it this will set an edge upon the affections that which calms Conscience quickens the sanctified Wil for every relish that it hath of grace or peace makes it seek for more Try your selves by these things and if you find that your Convictions are accompanied with the stirrings of the wil and affections be of good hope for thy day of grace is not over if thou hast a will for God if he strive and you grow more tender and sensible fear not to follow thy convictions and to lay hold of the Promises which suit with thy condition Let former convictions neglected humble thee but let them not discourage thee But withal take this word of advice and so I shal conclude 1 Take heed of thy Heart lest it deceive thee thou hast had such stirrings which did look like a work of grace before but they have died away be jealous of these lest they should do so also Thou knowest how subject the heart is to grow cold and to shift and put off Convictions and when it is under them how seemingly willing it is to convert and return to God how ready to make promises and vows to God and how ready to forsake all these again it hath cheated thee once already therefore watch it as a deceitful thing the way not to be deceived is to expect it or at least fear it 2 Resolve to take the more pains because thou hast lost so many precious opportunities knowing that if thou art not nearer to happiness and eternal life then other men thou art farther off and thou hadst need labour to redeem what thou hast lost 3 Beleeve not Satan who says thy day is over for he knows it not and he is a Lyar from the beginning There is abundantly more hope of thee who liest under such fears than there is of one who lies and lives in sin and says his day is not yet past Satan ordinarily tels men that the day is past when it does begin to shine upon them and he tels them who are in darkness and in the night that it is day and it is time enough for them 4 Prize thy Convictions highly and look upon it as a great Mercy that God wil at last look upon thee a poor sinner an old sinner an old slighter of convictions an old back-slider O what a mercy is it to thee that that dreadful passage is not made good upon thy soul Prov. 14.14 The back slider in heart shall be filled with his own wayes God might have said to thee when thou didst cast off Convictions at first and when thou didst back-slide from the reformation which thou didst begin Be filled with back-slidings thou shalt have thy belly ful of them thou shalt never have any more help to return O what a mercy is it that after all this he should begin to recover thee and set thee a fresh about the work of returning to Christ 5 Be much in blessing God for what he hath done that he hath vouchsafed again to visit thy Soul from on high and to stir up thee again when perhaps many that are in Hell were in thy case formerly God hath taken advantage against them for slighting the Word and Conscience and he might have done so with thee if he would have dealt exactly with thee Who is it that maketh thee to differ Is it not the Lord To him therefore be given all honour and glory and praise FINIS Reader these Books are in the Press ANthologia Biblica or a Methodical distribution of divine Scriptures under several heads which will serve for a common place Book a Concordance and a Commentary together with a Praxis discovering the manifold uses and advantages thereof in Fol. By that Reverend Divine Mr. John Clark of Fiskerton neer Lincoln A learned Comment on the Epistles of St. Paul by David Dixon translated into English by William Retchford Minister of St. Albans Englands Advancement a very useful peece of rare secrets in Physick and Chyrurgery by Tho. Collings Practitioner in Physick FINIS