doth at last cast her selfe upon the promise resigning up her selfe to it so farre as to beleeve it to be her owne portion 3. Why Thirdly the Lord calls the soule from misery to mercie to the end that it might enter into a covenant of holinesse and become a Saint by calling Rom 1 7. called to sanctification and the image of him that called it That as the soule lives by grace so grace might live in the soule And this hee doth by the voyce of the Spirit of Regeneration and Baptisme The which by the immortall seede of the word sheddeth the love of God into the soule to the end his seede may beget the image of God in it By which meanes the whole bent and frame of it is changed subdued and turned from sinne to God so that now Gods Spirit is that unto and in it which old Adam before was according to the capacity of the soule This Power the Spirit of Grace workes in the beleever because it is that Spirit of Christ which cannot be divided in her parts of Reconciling and renuing but carries the soule into Christ for both More plainly and breefely this Spirit writeth the purpose of the covenant in the soule to wit Iere. 31.33 that it may have the law engraven in it it may be cleansed as with pure water and may be caused as by an inward new Principle to walke in the Obedience of all Commandements of Law and Gospell as compting them an easie yoake and perfect freedome These three are wrought according to the measure of mercy in every calling one and are not so much the markes as the parts of effectuall calling and who so is thus called is also in covenant with God and by vertue thereof hath true right to the Sacrament of the supper for the growing up in the grace of the covenant Howbeit because it is hard for a Camell to goe through a needles eye 2. Triall of estate by markes of calling and every poore soule can not receive all this whole frame all at once to try it selfe thereby I will helpe it a little by taking it so into peeces that each severall triall may enter in at the narrow dore the more easily Let then the soule that would try it selfe about her calling proceede in this or the like manner First hath God called thee Try it by his Preventing grace canst thou say 1 Make Preventing Grace That when thou thoughst of nothing lesse than grace yet God was found of one that sought him not Did the Lord so mightily over rule and so order thy occasions of education company acquaintance calling ministry placing employments that in all thou sawest God spreading his net for thee that thou mightest not run thy course but bee taken in it and bee brought homewards Did the Lord by this way of Providence make thee of a dead unsavory peece of flesh to beginne to hearken after and savour the things of God It s a good signe Secondly canst thou say That the Lord suffered thee not to content thy selfe with vanishing devotions and groundlesse hopes or wishes of good But by his word wrought thy heart to see into thy corrupt heart and course Did the Lord discover thee to thy selfe either in thy particular lusts or generall bad course or in thy Originall poyson of heart Did he knocke thee off from all thy colours shifts and excuses Convince thee of sinne and curses and cause thee to stinke in thy owne nosethrils It s a good signe especially when the 10. Commandement did it Thirdly did the Lord keepe thee from extremities in this case Either from revolting backe to thy old lusts as one weary of Gods yoake before the time or rushing into desperation or falling into a presumptuous loosenesse and peace of heart in this thy dangerous condition I say did the Lord hold thee downe under his hand of the Spirit of bondage till thy ranke jolly and lusty heart were kill'd and tamed in thee It is a good signe Fourthly when thou wast in thine owne sence as one hanging betweene heaven and earth at an utter losse joylesse in any earthly thing and yet voyd of spirituall did the Lord yet in secret put some poore hope of not utter perishing into thee and whisper thus Yet what if the Lord will turne away his fierce wrath And didst thou feele thy selfe by this meanes stayd till better newes came It is a good signe In the 2 place I aske hath God called thee Try it by his Assisting grace 2. Marke Assisting grace thus Did not the Lord leave thee thus but ply thy heart with the word and nourish thy feeble hope with more and more light in his Promise Canst thou say this light was no Moone light darke and doubtfull but as the light of the morning dawning and encreasing in thy soule It s a good signe Mat. 24.27 Secondly did this light vanish and fleet away into flashy pangs of joy without any abiding or did it draw thee to behold something in God able to bottome thy hope as the Law was to unsettle thy rotten peace Did it cause thy spirit within thee to goe aside and hide this pearle digest it the worth the weight of it Mat. 13 44. To ponder the truth and warrant of the promise thou that mightest see how able it was to beare thee So that thou wouldst not in so weighty a thing as this leave all at sixe or seaven and trust rather than try It s a good signe Thirdly when thy Affections were up in armes to pursue this grace with a broken hungry heart and desire felt'st thou the resistance of thy selfe and selfelove to breed in thy soule even the paines of conception or quickning in thee Did this cause thee to discerne selfe in the worke selfe pride selfe unworthinesse selfe feares selfe hope carnall reason cavills objections Felt'st thou Satan heere to plye faster with buffetings and temptations than presently the word it selfe could stay thee Did this conflict of selfe against the light of the word so affect thee as the strugling of the twinnes in her wombe affected Rebecca when she went to God for counsell Didst thou enquire still for counsell and by degrees labour to see the heavenly rest and ease of a promise the wofull restlesse pudder of selfe within thee Did this still make thy soule more to loath selfe and dive into the freedome and fulnesse of Christ in the promise It s a good signe Fourthly when thou couldst not feele such an overuling power in the word as thou desirest but rather selfe and doubting over ruled the word canst thou say that in this suspence and darkenesse of thine thou yet strovest to hold to the naked truth of God To his faithfull covenant in which he cannot lye Sawest thou enough in that to satisfie thee although thou wantedst a bucket to draw up this water out of the wells of Salvation And did this sustaine thee in the others
that which he hath built and undoe his owne worke Psal 119.94 As David saith I am thine Lord save me I meane not that beleeving one promise should save us a labour in beleeving the rest But become a good pledge of performing the rest 2 Cor. 1.20 As all the promises of God in Christ are yea and Amen so all speciall ones are yea and Amen in the generall He that hath given his Sonne Rom. 8.32 how shall he not with him give us all things Vse of the second ground The use of which briefely is to instruct and convince us of that horrible treason to Gods Alsufficient promise which every one is guilty of who will not cleave to God in his first and maine promise of mercy and redemption Alas what man is there who oft descries not to find God good to him in the Sacrament there to fill him with good things seale vp his pardon purge out his corruption and the like But because hee seekes not to know God in his Covenant how should his Seale doe him good What is a Seale save a relation to a former bargaine If thou never strakest hand with God for his Christ thy righteousnesse how camest thou in for his wisedome sanctification and redemption They belong not unto thee either thou must have all Christ to set thee out of feare or thou hast never a whit of his benefits And to apply this to the present point how shouldst thou come to God by speciall faith in the Sacrament when thou wantest him in the chiefe faith of the first promise Oh! then cuttest off thy selfe thou knowest not from what liberties and mercies when as thou art carelesse to be made sure of the maine Thou shouldst dispute thus The time will come when I shall crouch to God for strength to beare the Crosse to be afflicted in all my afflictions to die willingly c. But then why doe not I the whilest make sure in the maine with the Lord that he might finish his owne worke and save me because I am his Doubtlesse if I dally with this or goe upon false grounds deceiving my selfe the Lord will be guiltlesse in not regarding mee because the time was when hee cried out to my soule Beleeve robbe mee not of my glory distrust mee not in my offer But because thou wert deafe to my cry Prov. 1.24 so its just that I stoppe mine eares at thine goe therefore and seeke releefe of thy idols of ease selfe-love and the world which thou preferredst before mee It is with thee as it was with Israel Iudges Chapter 1. verse 21. Iudg. 1.21 The Lord had given them one promise for all to drive out the Cannanites now because they beleeved not the maine therefore here one Cananitish city there another prevailed and became goades and prickes to them And so hence it is that neither promise of Sacrament or of other Ordinances doe prevaile to purge out their lusts but they remaine as thornes unto them because they never tooke paines to joyne issue with God in the truth of his Covenant to pardon them and make them his beloved Thus much for the second ground teaching that the triall of ones speciall faith rests in the triall of the maine The third ground issues from this second Ground 3. viz. That the triall of our first beleeving may and must make the other easie and familiar It s our great sinne if it bee otherwise For why The Lord gives us assurance of the one in the other yea teaches us to argue from one to another without wavering so far as our weakenesse will permit Excellent is that of Paul Rom. 5.10 Rom. 5.10 If when we were enemies we were reconciled by his death how much more being friends shall wee be saved by his life Marke his manner of speech How much more If God made that easie to us which seem'd impossible how much more easie is that which is under a direct promise if God had cast us quite off being enemies we had the mends In out owne hands and could not complaine But having his word to make good our owne desires wee have the Lord tied to us and at a kinde of advantage be it spoken with reverence so that wee cannot be defeated Great is the oddes betweene being an enemy formerly and being now reconciled He that will release a stranger from prison and pay an hundred pound for him will in reason lend a friend twentie shillings Such an argument is this heere Vse of the third ground The use of the point is first to condemne the practise of all such as having found the Lord above their expectation in the promise of reconciliation 1. Conviction yet dare not trust him for some shreds in comparison of blessings of lesser nature as to overcome their passions revenge worldlinesse c. Oh! Thou art like Ahaz and his subjects Esay 7.12 who would not tempt God in asking a signe when as yet they beleeved not without it The Prophet tels them Verse 13. Is it not enough that yee weary men but ye must weary my God also Thou tyrest the Lord when he seeth that none of his wayes will prevaile against thy infidelity But still thou art ever out and in with him as Ioabs sword that could not hold in his scabbard and putst him to crie out Oh! Ephraim Hos 6.4 oh Iudah What shall I doe or how shall I intreate thee Is the worke of faith as farre off now as when thou first beleevedst Oh! weake if not froward wretch how long shall I suffer thee As they in the wildernesse whom no miracles no providence could perswade but were as farre to seeke at the end of fortie yeares as the first day Oh! the Lord loves when his Schollers are apt to learne especially this lesson of faith by many warnings and when our experience teacheth us to buy and sell upon his word 1 King 20.23 But to seeme to trust God with the foiling the enemies of the hils and yet to distrust him with those in the vallies to pretend that they doubt him not for heaven but distrust him for earthly blessings surely it either justly calls thy first beleeving into suspicion or else argues a carelesse heart not able to improve thy Talent of reconciliation to warrant thy faith for a poore supply of this life Vse 2 Secondly it should very much presse upon those in speciall who are to receive the Supper in which the Lord offers the encrease of first graces received in Baptisme to trie their Sacramentall faith with all readinesse of minde Is it easier to doe by many degrees than to beleeve the promise of mercy at first And doth the Lord with farre greater ease as I may say beteame to the soule growing in faith than breeding of it Why then doe they who beleeve come to this triall with so much adoe and bury the Talent of God unthankefully in the earth As those
servants of Naaman told him 2 King 5 14. If the Prophet had bid thee doe some great thing wouldst thou not have done it How much more then when he onely bids thee Wash and be cleane So say I put case the Lord required the greatest worke of thee would it not seeme small in respect of the good of the Sacrament How much more when he saith Revive thy faith in the promise of the Sacrament If thou wert bidden to trie what almes thou hast given since thy last receiving or what prayers thou hast made or what zeale thou hast uttered against sinne c. oh how wouldest thou plod and gather thy goodnesse together Now when the Lord saith Revive the edge of thy faith once received oft renewed quicken it up in some Sacramentall promise or other ere thou come to the Supper lo how hard a taske it seemes Why save that those morall duties partly are from thy selfe and are mixt with selfe-love But the other is a meere divine grace without thee freely given and relying barely upon the promise and behold how tedious it is whereas thou shouldest say If I were found of God when I sought him not Esay 65.1 how much more easie will it be when I seeke him unfeignedly If mercy were free when I had no promise who should doubt of the more assurednesse of it when God hath tied himselfe Surely the verie ease of it should teach us to dispute strongly for our selves the Lord teacheth us to argue for our selves In other matters that serve for our owne ends wee can argue fast enough but in this either God must put us to it and shame us or else we will lose our benefit for lacke of pleading and so come to the Supper with a dead or unrevived faith May not the Lord repent him of all his cost when he sees so small profit The point it selfe And thus much of this third ground Now having premised these things thus let us apply them to the point in hand The Question then will be how a Christian may try his Sacramentall faith Two waies of trying faith 1 First beleeving I answer by these two wayes 1. When he can prove by good evidences that he hath beleeved the promise of reconciliation already Secondly when he can revive his faith upon the promise of the Sacrament Therefore of these two I will speake a little and so come to the use of the chapter Question It will first be demanded how a Christian may find and trie himselfe to have beleeved savingly How may first beleeving be tried Answ To which I answer this may be done sundry wayes 1. By the meane conducing in the purpose of God to beleeve 2. The Object upon which the soule looketh that it might beleeve The 3. The Roote out of which faith springeth 4. The Act it selfe of beleeving 5. The scope and end which faith propounds to her selfe in beleeving The 6. and last The effects and properties ascribed to faith The order wherein I would lay downe these points is this 1. I would propound the truth of them 2. Shew how the soule may try it selfe about them Which ere I enter upon let the Reader for avoiding of confusion take notice that in the second Chapter of this Treatise under the head of assisting grace I named five trials which doe all agree with that which now I am to speake of the triall of beleeving Onely there necessitie lead me to speake of the end of calling here more specially I treate of saving faith Let not any thinke that I make these two diverse But let him borrow what light that point will affoord for the better conceiving of this and so adde what this point affoords to that knowing that the grace of faith is the upshot of calling This by the way 1 Position The meane conducing to faith Now for the first Position The meane conducting unto faith is the distinct understanding of the Doctrine of the satisfaction of Christ both in life and death It was the foundation of Election Ephe. 1.3 not the cause in which the Lord answered his owne Iustice fully to the end that here might set open a doore of mercy to poore Adams lost posteritie Now that which was a meane ordained by the Lord for the declaring of his righteousnesse in saving Rom. 3.25 must be the meane also to conduct the soule to fasten upon the offer of God For why As nothing save a ransome could stop the course of Iustice or cause him to be reconciled with a sinner so nothing can stop the feare of conscience guiltie of wrath nor warrant her that she may be reconciled to God save this propitiation Till the soule come to know Esay 27 4. that anger is not in God she cannot thinke shee may dare come neere him seeing shee knowes him to be a consuming fire Therefore 2 Cor. 5.20.21 Paul grounds a fearefull soule strongly upon this bottome Be reconciled to God poore soule For why 2 Cor. 5.22 Hee hath made him to be sinne that knew none both by obaying and suffering that wee might be the righteousnesse of God in him So saith Elihu Iob 33.24 Iob 33 24. Deliver him for I have received a ransome The triall then of faith by this Rule is this Triall by this Canst thou say truly that in the conflict of thy soule with Gods anger for thy sinnes thy long lyen in deepely died sinnes both of omission commission morrall spirituall offences and revolts thou hast beheld the meane of grace in the alsufficient merit of Christ Hath this stai'd thy heart that God hath cut off his plea against thee in giving his Sonne to satisfie Canst thou say Heb. 10 20. that thine high Priest hath brought thee to God and caused thee to see his face with joy Hast thou sent Satan to Christ and told him God cannot be satisfied and yet angry still Heb. 6.18 Hast thou found strong consolation in the pursuit of Satan from this that thou beholdest this citie of Refuge the satisfaction of Christ as a sure Sanctuary to rescue thee from the avenger of bloud Psal 100.7 Hast thou dranke of this brooke or well-spring and lifted up thine head in hope of being accepted Deny not thy selfe if it hath beene thus with thee it is a good signe I say a good signe if thou hast any condition of faith any feeling of thy burden wrought in thee and sending thee to this meane For why By vertue of this price the righteousnesse of wrath is turned into a righteousnesse of mercy so that it is a meete and equall thing with God having thus received a ransome to forgive yea in Christ God himselfe was reconciling the world and now he doth declare his righteousnesse in justifying a sinner through the faith of Iesus yea thou maist say with David Save me O Lord according to thy righteousns See Rom. 5.26 2 Cor. 5.17 Briefely for the 2. The
and the grace of love for the great worke of receiving-Its in him the first principle of life who made them to bestow them Renounce thy selfe thy own sence wil-worship devotion religion It s no moralitie to receive well no act of ours It s a most spirituall act about an object of divine excellencie the relation of a Sacrament the end of it the manner of partaking it require a new bottome and the casting out of our owne till God have stript us of our selves flesh and bloud shall never feele any subsisting of Sacraments they will vanish Onely a word of promise and a seale of the Spirit added to it by and from a God of boundlesse mercie can breede faith to become as reall an evidence and convincing the soule that there is Christ Pardon and Grace to be gotten as ever Pharisee felt false bottome in his owne work wrought carnall and outward devotion and farre greater And this note The Lord is not so to be counted the ordainer of Sacraments as if he had put all his power over unto them to conferre grace to all sorts No no he holds the bridle still in his owne hand if he blesse they shall be blessed if not accursed and all to teach us to seeke him for the grace of his Ordinance to abhorre our selves to pray for the Spirit of the Promise to make the seale effectuall else all is empty and bottomlesse The second thing is the matter of a Sacrament In the which point two branches offer themselves to be considered Secondly Matter Two things First Necessitie First The necessitie of it Secondly The simplicitie Touching the former Elements must be sensible I meane no absolute necessitie but such as the sutablenesse to providence to the impotencie of our nature requireth Such is the wofull blindnesse and dulnesse of our understanding and unbeleefe of our hearts to conceive or apply to our selves the Mystery of Christ that except the Lord should suffer men to vanish wholly in this their wretchednesse hee must of necessitie steppe out of his spirituall â—â—â—rse and temper himselfe to our infirmity declaring spirituall things by carnall And hee doth by this meanes condescend to us First Our weakenesse requires it least we should be offended with the hard things of his kingdome but might even see touch taste them and by speaking to all these sences at once hee might convey the savor and faith of them and in them familiarly to us He doth catch us as it were by this wise crafte which though it bewray much dulnesse in us yet no lesse deepe wisedome and love in God And this course hee hath taken in all times past with his Church for when any promise charge threat or act of his hath passed to corrupt man hee hath beene faine to second it with some signe and outward warrant to the sence to confirme them in the truth of it who were Actors or beholders thereof When the Lord sent Moses as a Saviour to Israel and to Pharaoh Exod. 32. and 4.3 Iudg. 7 38. Esay 38 21. Ier. 13.9 and 24 2 24. 25 15. Ezek. 12.3 c. how did the Lord both ratifie his calling and threats by miraculous signes So Gideon and Hezekiah so the Prophets in their errands as those Stories of the rod becomming a Serpent the drie and wet Fleece the rottten Girdle the Pot with the scumme and flesh sodden together doe witnesse Not to speake of those many Shaddowes and Types of holy things in the Worship of God there being scarce any one materiall thing in the whole Mystery of Christ which had not some one perhaps more spirituall resemblances Yea wee see in the new Testament how the Holy Ghost doth parallell many passages of History to spirituall Mysteries as Hagar and Sina to resimble legall bondage Gal. 4 24. Ierusalem to typifie the opposite libertie the water that supported Noa's Arke to expresse Christ and Baptisme which although I speake not to equall Types and Figures to Sacraments which are of a farre higher nature yet generally they serve to shew what the infirmity of our dull nature doth call for at the hands of God to vouchsafe these Sacraments Vnto which another respect may bee added to wit Secondly For prevention of Idolatry prevention of will-worship As the Lord gave the Iewes an earthly tabernacle and a materiall instruments of worship warranted by his owne Will to restraine the carnall part from devising Idoll-inventions to serve him by So Sacraments serve in a sort to curbe our base hearts from the like errors For if even these be not sufficient to stop our folly in this kinde which will know no God or worship further than we see him then what would wee have devised to our selves if God had not allowed us these Let the many additions of Popish Sacraments and Sacramentalls Images Idols and the Crucifixe c. be evident proofe hereof Vse 1 Teaching us to circumscribe our curious and fickle hearts within Gods bounds and secondly to magnifie his provision in this kinde for the releefe of our dull and slow hearts yea as Manoahs Angell ascended in the smoake of the sacrifice Iudg. 13.20 so let us incorporate and indoctrinate our feeble mindes and soules into the evidence of these divine proppes of the Sacraments As our Saviour said to Thomas Iohn 20.17 Put thy hand into my sides and the print of the nailes he being content that his exalted estate should admit such scars to convince him so in this Sacrament he shewes us his markes bidding us to be not more formall and hardned but faithfull The more wayes the Lord seekes to encounter the dul conceit and the stupor of our understandings yea the blunt edge of our affections in holy mysteries the more naturally and familiarly he deales that he might surprise our earthlinesse sensualitie and heavinesse of spirit slow to beleeve these heavenly things I say let us be the more teachable and pliable to his discipline Let the impression of his Ordinance pierce more deepely into us and work a more through conquest of our hearts to the obedience of him A pen of a Diamond hath tenfold that force to engrave a Figure in glasse or mettall than some ordinary toole So when the Lord seekes to send instruction into us many wayes at once by all the sences eyes tast touch as well as by the worke of the bare word oh let us beware least our resistance of Spirit and hardnes of heart discourage him quite from any further dealing and tearting with us Iohn 3.12 If when I teach you carnall things saith our Saviour for so it was his course to teach nothing save by Similitudes Parables and sometimes reall objects as by setting a little child before them and washing and wiping their feete himselfe in that lesson of Humiliation and Selfe-deniall Ye understand not Mat. 13 2. Iohn 13 4. how shall ye conceive heavenly Meaning if those things which were used as the more
the water And the essence of Baptisme in the very symbolicalnesse of it urgeth no lesse For what resemblance of ingrafting putting on of Christ is there in sprinkling what typicalnesse is there of our descending into and ascending out of the water both which are expresly spoken of Christ in his baptisme of Iordan What resemblance of our buriall or resurrection with Christ is there in it So that I doubt not but contrary to our Churches intention this errour having once crept in is maintained still by the carnall ease and tendernesse of such as looking more at themselves than at God stretch the liberty of the Church in this case deeper and further than eyther the Church her selfe would or the solemnenesse of this Sacrament may well and safely admit I doe not speake this as a thing meete to disturbe a Churches peace but as desiring such as it concernes in their places to looke to their liberty and duty in this behalfe The fourth person the infant The fourth and cheefe person yea equall object of Baptisme is the party baptised For not onely the Church may and doth baptise her infants but also adultos growne ones also if any such being bred Pagans and brought within the pale of the Church shall testifie their competent understanding of the new covenant and professe their desire to bee seazed with Baptisme for the strengthning of their soule in the faith thereof professe it I say not basely and slightly but with earnestnesse and entirenesse cutting off their haire and nailes and abhorring their Paganisme A short touch of the baptisme of infants But the truth is the exercise of the Churches baptisme is upon infants Here the Anabaptists rise up pleading the corruption of such baptisme and urging the first baptisme of catechised ones and confessors of sinne and cravers of the seale upon the worke of the Ministry foregoing in knowledge and faith which can be incident onely to Adulti or growne ones They alledge that we seale to a blank to no covenant and therefore it s a nullity Sundry learned men have undertaken to stop their scismaticall mouths to answer their peevish Arguments my scope tends another way in this Treaty so farre as my digression may be veniall I say this for the setling of such as are not willfull that I take the baptisme of infants to be one of the most reverend generall and uncontroled traditions which the Church hath and which I would no lesse doubt of than the Creede to bee Apostolicall And although I confesse my selfe yet unconvinced by demonstration of Scripture for it yet Reasons for it first Sithence Circumcision was applyed to the infant the eighth day in the Old Testament Secondly there is no word in the New Testament to infringe the liberty of the Church in it nor speciall reason why wee should bereave her of it Thirdly sundry Scriptures afford some friendly proofes by consequence of it Fourthly the holinesse of the child externall and visible is from their parents who are or ought to be catechised confessors penitent and Protestants in truth which privelidge onely open revolt disables them from therefore I say The seede being holy and belonging to the Covenant the Lord graciously admits them also to the seale of it in Baptisme 1 Cor. 7 14 Quest Howbeit here a further quaere arises And How it is capable 1 Pet. 3 21. because the Sacrament of Baptisme is here handled by us not as halfe a Sacrament onely including a washing of the flesh but an entire Sacrament holding out and giving an invisible grace by outward meanes By what authority shall we say an infant may be presented to that whereof it is not capable To that I answer Answere First it s not meete that Baptisme being the Sacrament of new birth which can be but once should destroy her owne Analogy by frequent administring therefore if but once the most comprehensive way is to doe it in the infancy when the outward admission of a member is allowed to it Secondly although the child be not capable of the grace of the Sacrament by that way whereby the growne are by hearing conceiving and beleeving yet this followes not that infants are not capable of Sacramentall grace in and by another way Pittifull are the shifts of them that have no other way to stop an Anabaptists mouth save by an errour that an infant may have faith It s easy to distinguish betweene the gift conveyed and the manner of conveying it For if the former be the latter in such case will poore needlesse But if the infant be truly susceptive of the substance of Christ none can deny it the Sacrament Now to understand this marke that infants borne of beleeving parents are of the number of those that shall be saved though dying in their infancy none of our reformed Churches will deny It is enough therefore that such before death doe partake the benefit of Election in Christ together with the benefits of Christ in regeneration adoption redemption and glory Now that the Spirit can apply these unto such infants is not doubted of though the manner thereof to us bee as hidden and mysticall thing yet so it is the Spirit of Christ can as really unite the soule of an infant to God imprint upon it the true title of a sonne and daughter by adoption and the image of God by sanctification without faith as with it Now if the thing of baptisme be thus given it why not baptisme Nay I adde further I see no cause to deny that even in and at and by the act of baptisme as the necessity of the weake infant may admit the Spirit may imprint these upon the soule of the infant Vse Let the use of the point bee to all such as are growne to yeares of discretion to looke backe to their Baptisme Let such blesse the Lord for his bounteous prevention of them with the Sacrament even before they had any strength to conceive it Why should the Lord so doe except to heape hot coales upon thy head oh poore wretch and to teach thee to conclude Esay 65.1 Iam. 4 8. Psal 119.10 that he who was found of thee when thou soughtest him not will much more draw neare to thee when thou art fayne upon him and seekest him with thy whole heart What a mercy is it to know the Lord to be a provoker of the soule to imbrace that covenant the seale whereof hee is content to bestow before hand for the hope of time to come Who should so play the Traytor in coole blood having found the Lord so faithfull in his love and to cavill thus I was baptized and made my covenant when I knew nothing nay I did make none my selfe but others for me Let them looke to their stipulation and promise I made none Can any Trecherous wretch so requite the Lord Rather if any sparke of love be in thee wilt thou not breake thy heart by this early mercy before
savoring all occasions offered to draw neerer to God in the fellowship of his graces and in the increase of holinesse And to this course she endeavours as infirmitie will admit to bend the ayme and streame of her spirit her thoughts and affections without wearines walking with God till he come unto her watching to it girding to it Luke 12 35. and standing with her loynes girt and lampe burning that at the comming of the Lord shee may bee found faithfull and well occupied And thus much for a view of a christian ordinary practise of repentance so farre as I thinke meete for this place least any pretending willingnesse to try themselves should alledge they know not how The second followeth that is the practise of repentance by occasion of revolting from God The 2. In revolts For we have hitherto spoken of repentance rather as it is Gods way than as many finde it to bee or practise it They have many starting holes and goe in and out of order as horses out of their traces yea many make the way of God nothing else save a falling sicknesse ever a falling and a rising as those in Iudges did which the Lord abhorres Sometime by their secret and inward declinings of heart and spirituall wickednesses and infidelity hypocrisie formality and timeserving security pride c. Iudg. 4 and 6 and 7 8 c. Sometime by morrall open falls into wordlinesse uncharitablâ—nesse strong Passions and lusts neglect of the meanes In this case the Lord hath provided a repentance of recovery and redresse of such falls for shall a man fall and not arise Shall he lye still in the slough as an asse under his burden No but repent of his Backslidings Ier. 8 4. Ier. 3.14 and make up his breaches and make peace againe But how may some say is this to be done I will give a short draught of this also and so draw to applycation of the whole by way of tryall And that 1. Branch Know then that for substance this repentance is no other than the former onely it differs in circumstance And for the better conceiving of it observe these particular acts of it First as the Lord susteynes his people so even by that seede of his in them that they shall not totally shake out the Spirit nor yet poure out themselves so farre into sinne as to sinne with a full bent and streame of soule but with a checke and controll of grace so when conscience is awaked by any word or worke of God upon them they are kept from extremitie of uttter depaire Corruption through the malice of Satan is alwayes ready to suggest utter deserting of God and that they are cast out of his sight As we see in those pangs of the best of Gods children in Scripture Esay 38 11. Psal 51.11 Ionah 2 4. Lam. 3 18. Hezekia David Ionah and others yea in the Church of God forsaken for a time in captivity all which were by temptation brought to the graves brinke and to thinke themselves cut off from the land of the living Ier. 2 25. and to say No no. There is no hope Here then the first worke of returning to God is To stay and stoppe themselves in this headlong ruine and by some glimpse of God a farre off to bee kept from utter dashing in peeces Thus wee see in all those examples if wee looke into the texts that the Lord wrought a stoppe of despaire Iona in the Whales belly Iona 2 5. and in his horrors yet stayes up himselfe by an hope Yet saith hee I will looke backe to thine holy Temple Lam. 3 19. and the Church in the Lamentations considered and felt the gall and the wormewood that is that God smote her not to cast her off but to draw her to repent and so shee had hope It cannot bee thus with the reprobate who as they fall totally so they want an eye to see God in their horrors but apprehend as dismall and finall desertion of God as Saul 1 Sam. 23 6. Maâ— 27 5. Iudas and others so that they are sent away packing from the presence of God without pity and left to what ends themselves chuze even oft to lay violent hands upon themselves the Lord that caring what becomes of them It is not so heere But some light is given to them that see Gods meaning in the afflicting of their soules with wrath not that he might give them a taste of hell a comming but that hee might pinch them to returne home and turne them from the pit Secondly 2 Branch the Lord addes a more cleere sight of himselfe to his fallen servants and causes them more fully to call to mind his mercies of old and thereby to bee more sensibly upholden This is caused by a reviving of his seede in them which cannot dye So David Psal 119 52. even in his agonies when to his feeling the Lord had forgotten him yet remembring times past was comforted An hypocrite I knew will catch at these things to bane himselfe but children must not be starved therefore They seriously weigh this That neither their goodnesse did first worke their pardon nor yet that sinne truely repented of can cut off their estate in grace for why The gifts of God are without repentance and his Covenant is eternall Esay 54.8 9. Rom. 11 29. 2 Cor. 5.21 Even as the covenant with Noe as the Prophet speakes The Lord Iesus being made sinne all sinne for the elect sinne of offence and sinne of revolt they dare not abridge his merit and therefore conceave the covenant by this meanes established to bee sutable This then is the 2 steppe of the returne of the godly The experience of former free mâ—rcy when they had no title therefore now having a title which sin cannot cut off the elect from they much more are stayed by it By which meanes she sees that even the sinnes of deepe hardnesse of heart yeelding to temptation and the violence of lust secure lying still for a time in sinne or other sinnes as falling to embrace the world cleaving to base fellowship in evill are yet curable revolts with God and there is balme in Gilead for them to heale them not to encourage the soule to tempt God further but in the sence of bottomlesse mercy to returne home for ever as Onesimus by occasion of his running away became better to Philemon Philem. 15. than ever The third steppe is The 3. Branch that grace in the children of God fallen doth cleere up the understanding from that confuzion which sinne else would cause in them and deterre them from God and from any heart to returne Thus it is with the hypocrite his minde doth so present the multitude of sinne in so intricate a manner that it confounds the spirit and causes him to thinke Genes 4.13 that his sinne is above pardon The slavery of his defiled minde is so great when he weighes
thing viz. 1. How the soule hath carried it selfe in respect of former Sacraments received how it hath lived and thriven in grace by them 2 How it hath fayled therein and broken the covenant there renued in speciall 3. What repentance it feeles for that speciall sin what faith it hath in the promise of the Sacrament what fitnesse to joyne with the Church in communion of the body by love What desire after former fruit and growth by experience thereof 4. This triall at the Sacrament is a speciall Reviving stirring up and quickning of all these graces for the use of the Sacrament that thereby through mercy the soule may goe and receive with the lesse feare and more faith to speed of her desire The summe and scope of all is thus much Vse 1 1. To teach Gods people how to make use of all the former Trialls for the helping them forward to this Vse 2 Then secondly to shew how a Christian should accommodate himself to every duty wifely orderly without error and confusion which is no small grace Vse 3 3. To confute the blindnesse of such as see no distinct grace contein'd in this triall for the Sacrament and therefore thinke that if they can be devout catch up a booke and reade put on a demure habit and violently keepe off themselves from usuall riots and profanenesse of life or simper with a few good words that they carry good hearts to God meaning no man any hurt they thinke this to be that which will passe for their tryall at the Sacrament To whom I say Prov. 19 2. Without knowledge the heart is naught If they who have practized the 4. Tryalls abovesayd yet must not confound them with this but revive this triall at and for the Sacrament what shall be sayd to such blind and ignorant tryers as these without rule or reason Lastly it should informe every good communicant in the nature of this true tryall not to desist and give it over by wearinesse sloth or difficulty till in some measure he finde how he is qualified for the Sacrament seeing till then hee doth but mistake the whole scope of the Ordinance and mocke his owne soule The fourth branch of the description is Generall The issue of it The issue of this triall viz. That accordingly a man may either proceed to the Sacrament or desist for the present And this the nature it selfe of triall requires and otherwise it were needelesse to try except it were for the issue Which is plaine by the end which the Lord hath in trialls of another kind Why is the Lord sayd to try his people with false teachers and lying Prophets Deut. 13 3. Is it not no know whether wee will cleave to the truth or beleeve lyes Is it not that the faith of the elect might bee discerned from the rottennesse of hypocrites Why doth the Lord try us with streights and crosses Doth hee not intend to try whether wee will bee content with our portion or murmure and use indirect shifts So the Lord tryed Gedeons souldies who were meet for warre Iudges 7.5 who not Men also in their trialls as at Assyses what intend they save either to acquite or condemne My scope is to shew that Sacramentall triall hath also her issue either to encourage a man to receive with comfort or to desist for the time till beter provided with caution and warinesse The Vse 1 Which point is of great use 1. To instruct all Christian examinants in their triall to bee carefull of themselves and not to suffer themselves to bee deceived by error or selfe-love For why Instruction The issue is great either the comfort of well receiving and danger of loosing a great blessing if we come not Or else the perill of incurring of a great mischiefe and judgement if they presume to come We say the end of a thing is last in execution but first in intention If this were so in the purpose of such as try themselves how wisely jealously and religiously would they goe to worke If they knew and considered that the scope of triall is either to come or to forbeare and that our desisting it selfe if it bee ordinary is a mocking of God what colour soever we pretend how close and wise would it make them in going betweene both extremities either of rushing to the Sacrament without triall or desisting upon unsufficient triall How would it cause them both to tremble at contempt and refuzall and yet also at neglect of due triall ere they come Which is indeed to make a vertue of a necessity The Vse 2 Secondly this condemnes the formall and fulsome practise of common Protestants Reproofe who if they pull'd out of the vile profanenesse of such as abhorre all triall doe presently thinke that God is so beholding to them for their trying themselves that let their tryall bee what it will hee owes them welcome to the Sacrament for it Alas poore wretch Triall is appointed for an issue not for a fashion and formality to stoppe the mouth of God and conscience That triall which hath no issue can have no due substance of matter or manner in it but rather is a confuzed doing of somewhat without rule with opinion of something in the deed it selfe to commend a man to God No. As well the tryer of himselfe may see cause of not comming as the not trier ought not to come Triall hath still a respect to the issue and must be used to avoyd sin and punishment not to encrease both The Vse 3 Lastly let it be Admonit admonition to others who upon triall doe finde themselves unfit for the Sacrament Of which sort there may be two Braunch 1 Some such as although Gods people yet having fallen into some such sinne as hath deepely defiled and hardened them cannot find either their faith so lively or their repentance so sensible as that they dare to come In such a case I say if upon advise with wiser than themselves they find it so to require their duty is to consider that the Sacrament may prove so far from helping thē that it might rather encrease their guilt by boldnesse Therfore it shal be their wisedome to consider That the Lord hath other Ordinances to use than the Sacrament As that serves to nourish the faithfull so there bee others that serve to humble and cast downe the loose and presumptuous Let them therefore inquire after them as Counsell of the Minister of God able to helpe them Penitentiall Search and Triall of themselves about the occasion of their fall Fasting and Prayer with conference if they feele Sathan hath deeply bewitcht them and hardned them These Ordinances are appointed to cast out sinne if it be yet unseene and unrepented of Mark 9.29 and to expell such Devills as neither the Sacrament nor any other Ordinance can especially the publique Ministery being the setter of them on worke and the first convincer of the conscience It s a
object of faith The second object which is the promise which containeth 2. things either the good things offred in the promise or the hearty meaning and purpose of him that freely markes the promise The good thing offred in the promise pardon peace a purged conscience life of grace support in grace the earnest penny of the Spirit and the like serve to draw the affections which carry the soule unto God and to dash out of countenance all false objects of gaine ease pleasure lusts to draw the soule to God in desire esteeme of mercy and in hungring mourning and endeavouring after Christ Secondly the manner of offring these good things being free full faithfull entire and simple exceeding desirous the soule should embrace them Rom. 5. ut supr sorry it should reject them urging it to beleeve serves to put it out of question that the Lord meanes as hee speakes else needed he not to have prevented us at all but seeing even when we were enemies neither deserving nor desiring any favour yet the Lord out of the meere graciousnesse of his heart would needs bestow it upon us Triall by this therefore he would have us conclude he will not repent him of his freedome if wee come in to lay claime and plead this promise Try thy faith then by the promise thus first whence came those dispositions of heart in thee I meane those teares of thine those desires prayers fastings and diligent searching after grace Came they from selfe-love or from an heart of basenesse bringing thy money and cost to God to buy mercy If so thou hast little to boast of but if the good things of the promise wrought them in thee if thou can say that faith and the preparations to faith proceeded from the promise The good things offered therein drew thee to God as with cords If thou canst say that thy good affections could never purchase faith rather that promise which bred faith bred also those affections in thy soule because thou sawest God willing to save thee and pardon thee therefore thou mournest after him prayest unto him Ionas 3.9 and as Nineve couldst not give him over the rising of the Sunne caused this dawning of heart in thee and these making towards grace it is a good signe Secondly try thy selfe thus If the freedome fulnesse and strength of the promiser have truly wrought upon thee then thy base conceits of the Majesty of God are vanish'd I meane thy enmity and hatefull spirit is gone And whereas thou once couldst not thinke a good thought of him but all thy thoughts framed him rather to be angry envious cruell unbeteaming now thou stoppest and as one better setled beginst to say oh my poore soule who couldst never get out of thy slavery and slightnesse thinke of the promise a little better What wilt thou say if by all this offering urging expostulating charging to be reconciled upon paine of hell the Lord meanes thee well Perhaps he may If while he seekes to save thee thou devize how to get out from him will it not be bitter at last Thus weake hope breakes the ice and sets the soule forward Then the Spirit of grace createth in thee both thoughts and affections of such strange goodnesse bounty long-suffering free grace and compassion that thy heart breakes into wondring at him and saying Who is a God like to our God Mica 7. ult 1 Sam. 24 19. forgiving and passing by the sinnes of his people Who could finde his enemie at the vantage and not destroy him Therefore my soule is even carried into the streame of his grace and perswaded to beleeve I see the good will and meaning of his heart shining in his promise and whereas it was wont to be a barren sound and emptie noise for me to heare a promise now I see it as a vessell standing full and running over yea a streame to carry me in with holy confidence saying If the strength of Israel can lie if free grace if faithfulnesse it selfe can shrinke backe and deny it selfe I am content to perish Thirdly trie it thus If a promise have beene thy Object then thou confessest that the power it selfe to beleeve is in a promise as well as the motives to beleeve The promise is the instrument of the Spirit to perswade And as when the Lord made a promise to the Iewes that if they did come to the Temple to worship hee would keepe their dwellings and goods safe the whil'st Lo this promise had in it such a power as held off all Robbers and enemies from attempting any pillage they durst not they could not so much more in the promise to a loaden heart there is alway the strength of God to effect that which he promiseth and such a soule neede not stand out strangerlike and say here is a sweet promise if I could beleeve But here is a promise strong and able to cause mee to beleeve it If in any measure these trialls be in thee they are all good signes Triall 3. By the roote of it Thirdly trie thy faith by the roote of it which root is selfe-deniall All other graces seeme to have some inherencie and being of their own in the soule onely faith is rooted in the overthrow of a mans selfe This selfe is nothing else save the spirit of old Adam resisting the Spirit of grace and as we see in defenced cities some of their Bulwarkes are out-workes and retrenchments others are maine sorts neere the walls wherein their chiefe strength consisteth So here selfe hath her out-workes selfe-wealth selfe-ease credit and esteeme learning parts experience These are more easily cast downe because Christ and they are of two severall kindes Others are forts of greater consequence in which the heart more trusts as carnall reason and the wisedome of the flesh which Paul in 2 Cor. 10.5 2 Cor. 10.5 calls high thoughts and strong imaginations of flesh setting themselves up against the obedience of faith so also Religious duties and performances whether will-worships of Papists or duties required as Iewish righteousnesse by the Law and all the devotions of carnall Protestants To these I may adde the secret counterminings of the heart mixing it selfe with the preparation to faith and so destroying the worke of God as selfe-mournings desires and use of meanes Now of all these the Scripture tels us That if any will beleeve hee must denie himselfe and be content to be stript of those or else grace will not dwell in him Trust not in thy owne wisedome but trust in the Lord Prov. 3.5 Prov. 3 5. So Paul That I may be found not having my owne righteousnesse of the Law Phil. 3.9 but of faith See how Paul opposes them All the frame of Creation Redemption yea of the whole Word of God prooves it Esay 42 6. God will not give his glory to another He that boasteth must boast of the Lord. Two suites of apparrell may as well agree with
worke of the Spirit for before it counted him her enemy who sought to sow the least dissention betweene sin and her selfe Then secondly shee hath indignation against her selfe for sinne We know how our nature is given to miscall our enemy So doth a repenter miscall himselfe 2 Cor. 7.11 Thus the Corinthians are sayd to revenge themselves for that bolstering up the incestuous person in his sinne and David called himselfe not in a pang but cordialy a wretch Psal 73.22 a foole Rom. 7.24 a beast for his distrust of the promise Paul also O miserable man And this revenge reacheth to the very instruments of sinne that they may never provoke the soule to the like any more As we may see in those Act. 19.19 Act. 19.19 who destroyed their curious bookes of witchcraft amounting to a great value Yea lastly the soule of a penitent revenges it selfe by intercepting all provision of old lusts and denying it selfe the lawfullest liberty if tending to occasion the sinne as Iob would vow that hee would not feede his eye with so much as looking at a mayde to cut off lust so farre would hee bee from fulfilling it And Salomon bids the young man to balke the way Prov. 5 8. and not so much as to come neere the strange woman This is to beare the voluntary markes of Christ even to cut off the right hand and pull out the eye that offends Mat. 18 8. And this for the fourth point of affection The third and last is the life part The 3. The life or the part of practise And therein a repenter doth 2 things 1. Renounces his sinne 2. Returnes to the Lord. Reade Esay 55 7. Esay 55.7 For the first What were the other two but meere equivocation without this This is called a departing from iniquity Either in renouncing sin a forsaking of our evill way and workes and is used by the holy Ghost as a description of repentance When the soule so falls out with sinne as that it sues a divorce and abhorreth a Reconciliation Saying with David Remove farre from me all the wayes of deceit Psal 119 29. This is the soules utter resigning up all her right and possession of sinne so that as shee who hath given up her right to her land never lookes to bee a penny the better for it nor to receive one penny maintenance by it so heere And this is very materiall For sinne is like an old harlot which will plead welcome after long intermission by old familiarity and sweetenesse As that harlot which Austine answered when she meet her lover and told him it is I. He answered but I am not I. When old unlawfull gaines in shops and trades old base company and unlawfull gaines when old stollen pleasures and waters offer themselves in a golden cup saying How canst thou want us Then for the soule to answere by wofull experience how dare I buy repentance so deere how dare I returne to that I have abhorred Rom. 6 21. What fruite have I had of those things whereof I am ashamed Doe I hasten to woe that I repent mee of my repentance When Achish saw David to goe against Saul and beare armes against him Hee told him Now hee had made himselfe stinke in Sauls nosthrils hee shall returne no more 2 Sam. 27 1â— How odious were it then for thee to returne to that sinne which the Lord hath caused to stinke in thy nosthrils An hypocrite would faine be a repenter but he would keepe that which cuts the throate of repentance As David would faine bee King of Israel and keepe his crowne but his first question is Is the young man Absalon alive and safe 2 Sam. 18 19. What absurdity was heere or how could these two stand together But repentance answeres as Cushi did Would all the enemies of the Lord were as he is verse 32. He is thrust through and dispatcht never to trouble thee with his treason more So heere renouncing of evill stands at the elboe of repentance and when the old remnants of lust suggest to the soule how sweete it is to keepe under hand some sweete partnership with sinne as uncleanenesse againe she prompts it thus How shall those that are dead to sinne Rom. 6 2. 2 Kings 9.32 live any more therein Cst downe this painted Iezabell Cast out this Idoll to the batts and moles Take no more thought for her renounce her not onely in her selfe but in all her colours shifts and occasions Play not the foole to follow thy harlot but keepe closely thy heart to a finall divorce and so prosper Say thus In my unrenued part I feele strong motives to returne to folly Rom. 7 25. But my deere friend repentance will not suffer mee I feele an hundred fold gaine for this forfeicture of my lust Luke 18.30 Psal 85.8 I doe not forbeare sinne as a slave but I have boote in beame within mee the Lord Iesus hath spoken peace to mee that I may not returne to it The latter part of the practise is returning to the Lord. Or returning to God For repenting is no staggering betweene two it s no darke carririage rather standing in the absence of some vices than the practise of vertues But an apparent turning from the one that it might returne to the other not to one or two duties but to the Lord universally entirely equally and faithfully uprightly and constantly according to the measure of mercy received And by this phrase the holy Ghost usually urgeth repentance For why returning to God is such a clozing with God in the promise of reconciliation and mercy as proceedes to a cleaving close to him in all his revealed will and wayes with comelinesse 1 Cor. 7 35. without separation drawing dayly strength from the love of God tasted and renued to hold the soule to God with fuller purpose of heart without revoltings As the loadstone pulles the iron to it selfe by a secret instinct and so holds it close so doth the love of God attract the soule to God Rom. 7.22 and fasten it to him with delight counting his yoake easie and his burden light It sides with God stands for God the desires of her soule are to him his wayes and ends Esay 26 12. yea the remembrance of his name It seekes God balkes no knowledge or information of his will wherein he will bee worshipped even in all commands and ordinances Luke 1 6. both in the immediate service of the two first as in the mediate of the third Renuing covenant duely with him where any breach hath beene and looking more narrowly to her pathes by occasion of slippes Not fleeting off the fat and sweete leaving the rest But taking Gods worke as it lyes the hardest duties of selfe-deniall and bearing the crosse aswell as the easiest diligent in all those meanes using which serve either to purge out corruption or to nourish goodnesse observing and
the woefull course which hee hath runne Deut. 29.19 Rom 2 3 4. adding drunkennesse to thirst and heaping up wrath against the day of wrath that hee is as one who hath run out above his ability to pay and therefore his booke of accounts is yrkesome to cast over it is death to him to thinke of it Thus it was with Cain each hundred of yeeres that hee lived the debt of his murther was so encreased by other sinnes and the penalties thereof that at last it became inextricable But repentance in the true children of God causes the view of sinne and the chaine thereof to bee presented with some hope of forgivenesse because although perhaps the conscience is amazed yet it s not privie to that trechery which the wicked were carried by in sinning Psal 51 4. Mark 14 72. And therefore their sinne is sayd to bee ever before them they are sayd to come to themselves Peter is sayd to weigh his sinne ere hee went out which argues that the weight of it oppressed him not Thi reviving of the mind from the horrour and oppression of it is a great mercy in the midst of such misery Iona was infolded as in a labyrinth of Sea Ionah 2 6. Whale and conscience yet in this gulfe hee was not swallowed up but conceaved in his mind a possiblenesse for God to bring order out of his confuzion So that the first occasions of revolt the circumstances attending the degrees following and the danger incurred rather serve to magnifie mercy in keeping the soule from utter Apostacy from the living God than to beate off the soule from hope The 4. Branch The fourth and one of the many is the recovering of a sensible and broken heart after long hardnesse by the deceitfulnesse and sweete baites of sinne Heb. 3 12. A most sweete fruit of the spirit of election For it was not possible for the hard heart of Saul or Iudas to relent upon the checke of conscience there was no droppe of the seede of repentance in them It would seeme impossible that Peter and David after so long a lying in so hideous sinnes Mark 14 72. 1 Sam. 12 3 4. should at the first conviction of Nathan relent and breaking through all the barres of his sinne say I have sinned It was not in the words speaking 1 Sam. 15 24. Mat. 27 3 4 for Saul and Iudas spake the same but in the broken heart which uttered them But the cause was That grace and mercy which lay at the roote Oh! that they should after such mercy once felt and vowes so oft renued so basely handle the Lord and hazard as much as in them lay their title to heaven and sell their birthright And yet should the Lord renue a second charter or rather the first a second time Oh! it pierces them to the quicke This chases away the cloudes of dedolence and impenitency and cleeres the coast againe The fifth is The 5. Branch That yet they doe not so easily shake off their feares the Lord so orders it that either by his word or workes they feele his wrath for their revolt so seazing upon their conscience that it doth worke out and purge their corruption through mercy so that they vomit up their sweete morsells And as one under the Phisition his hand lying in an hot bath sweates out the venome of his disease so is it with a penitent soule Gpd mixes gall and wormewood for them to drinke Hee causes them to possesse the sinnes of their youth with sorrow though long since committed Lam. 3 19. Psal 6 5. hee payes them for old and new at once makes their bed a bath of teares till hee have caused all that sinne which they dranke in with such greedinesse to returne backe with as much loathsomnes Then being under this racke hee makes them feele in their owne spirits how their sinne lyes upon his shoulders and by their owne pinching hee makes them confesse Now I see what my pride ill company stollen liberties come to and must cost ere I be rid of them As I like such sawce so let me returne to the meate againe I thought I had but dallied I cast arrowes and darts into the flesh of the Lord Iesus in sport But now they gugg mee Now I see ihe Lord will not beare all I must beare somewhat and if I provoke him it must bee to the confusion of my face As I troubled and greeved the Spirit of God so the Lord troubles mine this day Iosh 7 25 The shame the ill report the sorrow and sting outward and inward which I sustaine sinne is no trifle The 6. Branch Sixtly the Lord now in season proceeds to offer himselfe in a promise to this revolting penitent And that in two kinds First That their revolt hath not extinguisht mercy Esay 57.17 18. Ier. 3 1 2. See Esay 57 17. I will heale their covetuousnesse Ier. 3 1 2. If a mans wife play the harlot wilt thou returne to her Wilt thou not write her a Bill of divorcement Yet returne to me and I will receive thee after all thy whoredomes And againe I will heale all their backeslidings c. So Ier. 3.12 Rev. 2 5. 3.19 Revelations chap. 3 verse 19. Bee zealous and amend Yea the spirit of grace in that fulnesse of Satisfaction by Christ doth fixe and settle such promises upon the soule so that it heares them not as the sound of many waters but dwells upon and digests them as concerning her So that they leave not a wanzing conceit as in presumptuous hypocrites who sinne that grace may abound But they so fasten upon the promise as a reall comfort to cure them of their falling sicknesse Rom 6 1. Secondly the Lord reveales the promise to them as the due order of their recovery For whereas the ungodly doe returne to their trade See Iona 3 21. â—1 upon the suppozall that their doggish vomit shall serve the turne Lo the Lord alway comes betweene the revolting and repenting of his owne with a savory application of the promise Teaching them that if there were no more but their mourning to make up their repentance Alas It would vanish and come to nought Therefore hee will have them lay hold upon the promise of free grace which may quiet and clense their conscience Psal 51.10.12 and restore them to that former influence which they had from grace And although their pipes are still set in the welhead yet because they are stopped the Lord by faith cleeres the passage of grace for them that they may partake that strength and encouragement from their head which may cause their repentance to bee sound and put new hope of holding out into them Lastly by this meanes They keepe themselves well while they are so The 7. branch and dare not by that experience they have gotten of smarty sinne adventure upon it any more They abhorre to tempt
Effectualnesse of faith one property to try faith by Page 98 Effectuall faith prevailes against all distempers and doubtings of the soule and what they are ib. Experience of the fruit of the Sacraments a signe of faith renewed Page 104 Extent of repentance is one triall of the soundnesse of it Page 113 Meane Esteeme of our selves and higher prizing of others a signe of repentance Page 136 Edifying of the body the end of love Page 183 Sacraments to last Eternally in the Church 220. How and by whom ib. Expâ—rience of our former Receivings a great meane to make preparation sweet Page 237 Bad Example an enemy to good Receiving with the remedy Page 242 F. FAith consists not in the overpowring of the soule but in resting on the promise Page 43 Great need of pressing faith effectuall ib. Sacramentall Faith above all graces to be tried at the Sacrament Page 81 Faith being well grounded upon the maine promise is easily tried in the particular Page 87 How Faith in the maine promise is to be tried Page 90 How Faith is to be tried in the reviving of it See reviving of it Exhortation to renew and to bring renewed faith to the Sacrament Page 106 The Forme of repentance is one triall of the so undnesse thereof Page 112 Folly of love purged by Faith Page 144 Fulnesse of Christ emptying the soule of her selfe one triall of desire Page 205 Feeding savorily a good triall of true desire after the Sacrament Page 206 Faith and the exercise thereof one speciall part of our carriage after our Receiving Page 2â—5 Faith lottes upon the promise Page 226 Feare a speciall grace to be exercised after our Receiving Page 230 G. SVch as can finde no substance of grace must cut off themselves from Sacraments Page 44 Such good persons as seeke not to bee Grounded reproved and yet comforted Page 69 The end of beleeving which is the Glorifying of grace a marke of faith Page 97 Graces Sacramentall Page 5 And why they onely Page 63 Why Graces Sacramentall must be tried Page 63 Why these five especially and whether equally ib. Graces of Sacraments are not to bee onely for Sacraments but perpetually Page 64 God not tyed to our girdles at the Sacrament Page 105 Graces to be practised after our receiving the Sacrament Page 230 H. HVmiliation of soule with selfe-deniall and prayer a speciall meane to renew faith at the Sacrament Page 105 Holding out with God in the triall of Sacrament a signe of renewed faith at the Sacrament Page 105 Hearkning after food a sure triall of hungring after the Sacrament Page 206 Hiding of sin a great enemy of good Receiving in the best Page 243 With the Remedy ib. I. POpish Ignorance pretended to be the mother of devotion confuted Page 74 Ignorant Communicants reproved and admonished Page 75 The seeds and fomenters of Ignorance to be abhorred 77. what they be ib. Ignorance may damne aswell as knowledge abused Page 77 Wofull fruits of Ignorance discovered Page 78 God hath given an Instinct to his people to seeke supply of their wants Page 52 Iudging our selves for our wants necessary Page 62 To rest in Gods Imputation as a reall thing a signe of faith Page 97 Impenitent receivers of the Sacrament in a wofull case Page 129 Inconstancy purged from love by faith Page 144 Ignorance a common cause of ill Receiving with the Remedy Page 239 K. KNowledge one of the Sacramentall graces to be tryed Page 64 With reasons of it Page 64 65 Knowledge the key of other graces ib. a principall helpe to discerne Christs body ib. Objections against Knowledge answered Page 67 68 What Knowledge is necessary for the Sacrament Page 69 And the particulars at large opened Page 71 72 73 Trials of Sacramentall Knowledge Page 78 79 80 L. LOve of lusts and secret evils the seed of ignorance Page 77 The Life part of repentance in a Christian course a signe of sound repentance Page 120 God sustaines the Light of his Spirit in the Elect to keepe them in their fals from confusion Page 121 Love of grace as grace and hatred of sin as sin though small a triall of repentance Page 136 Sacramentall Love necessary to true receiving and how farre Page 140 183. What Sacramentall Love is Page 140 Love a sanctifying grace of the Spirit Page 140 To be discerned from carnall Page 141 True Love bred by faith 142 and purged Page 143 Love to be revived at Sacrament Page 145 Those that dare receive without Love wofull and what colours they have Page 186 187 Dishonouring God on Sacrament dayes under pretence of Love odious Page 187 Gods owne people reprooved for comming to the Sacrament with little Love Page 188 Love at the Sacrament to be renewed and tryed Page 189 Sundry trials of Sacramentall Love 189 190 191. Note and peruse them well in speciall Such as can prove their Love to bee sound may be comforted Page 191 Surfeit of Lusts an enemy to Sacramentall desire Page 203 Excesse of lawfull Liberties also is so Page 203 Life of faith daily an excellent helpe to make preparation to Sacrament sâ—eâ—t Page 235 M. 〈◊〉 â—â—â—ster of God must be carefull 〈◊〉 â—â—y the Communicants Page 30 〈◊〉 them with knowledge yet not alone Page 78 Faith in the maine promise lookes at the Meane of beleeving viz. Satisfaction Page 90 The Meditation of Gods meaning freely to offer Christ fully and beteamingly at the Sacrament is a meane to revive faith Page 101 The Matter of repentance is one triall of the soundnesse of it 111. in a turning to God ib. God supports his relapsing servants by the Memory of old Mercies Page 121 Good Matter must be gotten ere the soule can remember Christ Page 217 Meanes to be used after our Receiving for the preserving of grace Page 230 Constant ayming at the Sacrament in the use of all Meanes a meane to make our preparation to the Sacrament sweet Page 238 Want of Meanes an enemy to good Receiving 241. The Remedy ib. O. ORdinances are familiar wayes to convey all Gods good things to us Page 82 Faith in the maine promise lookes at the Object and how Page 93 Each Ordinance hath a peculiar exhibiting of Christ by special promise Page 110 Turning the eye of faith upon the Ordinance of the Supper is a meane to revive faith at the Sacrament Page 100 The meditation of Christs omnipotency in the Sacrament a speciall helpe to renew faith Page 102 Each Ordinance requires repentance ere it can be well partaken Page 110 Cleaving to God when the Occasion of 〈◊〉 evill presents it selfe a triall of repentance Page 137 Object of love manifold Page 181 Both Ministers people soule bodies Page 182 Object of Sacramentall desire is Christ the soules full nourishment Page 196 P. PRreparation for the Sacrament more generall then Triall What it is Page 2 Tryall of our estate by Preventing grace is one marke of our calling 37 and how Page 38 Tryall of our selves by the Perfitting
from the Crowne would bee so idle as repaire to the King for they are excluded If the Parliament grant the King a subsidie from his subjects no man that knowes himselfe to bee no subsidie man would prepare any such money for the King for the businesse concernes him not So is it here The Lord calls his free-denizons by spirituall baptisme to renue the Assurance of their pardon peace and adoption at his supper and promiseth there to all such a further increase in the graces of his covenant should then any be so madde as claime a part in this Sacrament who never have beene or baptized called and partakers of the Spirit of grace at all Now then how shall that be discerned True it is those that are free borne and true members know it or may doe as Paul quickely could tell Lysias he was a Romane But who shall stoppe the mouthes of Aliants and strangers such as are of Ashdod and Cham when they come to plead themselves Israelites I meane when hypocrites come to the Sacrament pleading themselves to be Gods people doubtles there must bee some Rules of Triall which will not deceive they must be urged to proove their Genealogie or else bee convinced to bee counterfeits Answer 2 But be it granted that this triall of estate concernes also such as are Gods people yet it followeth not that they cannot use it but they must by and by bee anxious and perplexed about their condition No farre be it from any to thinke so The Lord affords all his To stand fast in their liberties and to be above the bondage not onely of Popish or Iewish ceremonies Gal. 5 1. but of unbeleefe especially and to walke according to that they have received For peace shall bee to all that walke according to rule even the Israel of God Yea as its ridiculous for any such to seeke new grounds to build upon so is it sinnefull to stagger about the old because the covenant of God is with us as the Covenant of Noe as the Covenant of the Sunne and Moone Esay 54 8. yea everlasting after these shall have an end Farre other use are Gods people to make of this tryall at the Sacrament First many know not all such grounds as their faith rests upon although they beleeve unfeignedly ignorance may hinder them Againe although they have had them in a readinesse yet by Satans deluding them with other diversions to worldly objects or by forgetfulnesse or being dazeled by some secret love of evill or by the errour of others these things may be growne strange to them darke and to seeke Besides although it be not so yet may it bee a sweete exercise for a beleever to bee well skill'd in his best Evidences and it may joy him to have the things revived in his spirit which hee hath knowne before and especially at the Sacrament when they may most encourage him Men doe looke upon their evidences of lands for more ends than feare of their Titles And yet I will not deny but that as the case may stand the triall of a mans estate at than Sacrament may and ought to bee anxious and sollicitous yea and that so that for the time he were better desist than proceed viz. when having snared himselfe with some lust which hee cannot easily bee rid of hee questions his estate thereupon and till God have eased the hardnesse and despaire of his spirit through unbeleefe perhaps hee can neither perceive nor yet rellish his evidences as hee hath done This may be one case in which this tryall may bee used with some doubting and distemper Howbeit neither is this so ordinary but to be sure not the onely case Therefore this objection is of no force To proceede then 2 Sorts of tryall of estate 1 Our first calling This tryall of our estate I would call to these two heads as breefly as I can First to a mans first calling home to God Secondly to some essentiall markes either accompanying or following the same Concerning the former of these it shall not be amisse to give the reader a short generall view of calling before I mention any triall in speciall belonging thereto In a mans calling therefore In calling 3. things 1 from what consider first from what secondly unto what thirdly to what end God calls First the Lord calles a soule from an estate of woe and misery through sinne and curse common to it with all the posterity of Adam wherein shee lay plundged deadly from a covenant I say with sinne death and hell wherein shee was wrapped This hee doth by the Ministery of the Law which Eph. 5 â— crying a dismall and lowd alarme in the eares of a drowsie and sleepie sinner awakens him from the dead Being rouzed out of this sleepe it beholdes a deepe gulfe set betweene the Lord and it selfe so that it cannot come at him By this meanes the soule is broken off from all her rotten proppes either naturall through secure ignorance or Religious through conceit of knowledge or the old covenant of workes and performances And whether Publicane or Pharisee before this Law putting no difference condemnes and kills a sinner in point of all his former life and jollitie in sinne holding him under the Arrest of Iustice in an estate of bondage till it be brought to utter despaire in him selfe more or lesse of any redresse Secondly the Lord calles the soule to an estate in grace through the Lord Iesus 2. To what And this hee doth by a most sweete voyce of the Gospell spoken in the eares of it while it lyeth in this Pit of selfe despaire The which doth let in by degrees a Spirit and Covenant of grace into it first in susteyning it from extremities by an hope of possible Deliverance Secondly by presenting the soule with an encreasing light and sight of the All-sufficient price of grace and reconciliation in Christ the satisfyer of wrath and procurer of peace Thirdly by declaring himselfe fully appeased by this satisfaction so that former anger is turned into welpleasednesse Fourthly by expressing his placable and pittifull heart to a sinner in an offer of a covenant with him adding moreover that hee would have him to be reconciled and receive his promise as freely as hee makes it Lastly by enlarging his promise in the apprehension of the sinner both in respect of the infinite many good things contained in the same as also the most free full gracious faithfull heart of the promiser loving strong and sure which cannot lye I say by all these presentments of grace in a most apt sweete and powerfull manner hee workes in the soule such preparations of meditation desire esteeme inquisition restlesnesse of heart and unweariednesse of meanes using That at last this seede breakes out into fruit so that the soule weighing all duly in the ballance to wit the worth of grace offered the mercy of the offerer beyond exception and her unavoidable condemnation in refuzing it