not my selfe but thee onely therefore Lord deliuer me So this kind of reasoning commeth neither of ostentation nor of pride Now as to my selfe would he say when I examine my doings I find my conscience so pure that in all my proceedings I had a good warrant and in all my doings I sought not mine owne particular but thy glorie And therefore Loâ—d remember me take not my life from me that I be not a stumbling blocke to the weake ones and a reioycing to mine enemies This is the onely thing whiâ—h we aâ—e taught here We see this good King when all worldly comfort faileth him and in his greatest extremitie he reposeth himselfe vpon the testimonie of a good conscience this is the onely thing that sustaineth him this is the onely thing that comforteth him and wherein now in the very instant of his death he hath to glorie Surely when I reade through the Bible I find that all the seruants of God in their greatest trouble had recourse to this testimonie of consciâ—nce Ye see Moses when he hath to do with Core Dathan and Abiram he haâ—h recourse to the testimonie of his conscience Ye see Dauid when he hath to do with Saule he hath recourse to this testimonie of conscience Ye see Nehemiah maketh recourse to this Ye see Daniel maketh recourse to this 6.23 And the Apostle Paule 1. Cor. 4. maketh his recourse to this and saith I passe very little for your iudgment or any mans iudgement my glorie is the testimonie of mine owne conscience And the Author of the Epistle to the Hebrewes in his last Chapter I am assured saith he that I haue kept a good conscience in all things So go through all the seruants of God and ye shall see they haue had euer recourse to this testimonie of conscience and blessed is that man that iâ— not condemned in his doings by his owne conscience For if we are not able to eschue the condemnation of our owne heart how shall wee be able to eschue the condemnation of God who seeth all the secrets of the heart So that man is more then blessed that is not condemned of his owne heart For as to this conscience it is a faithfull pledge keeper the pawnes that it receiueth it rendreth of good turnes it giueth a ioyfull testimonie of euill turnes it giueth a bitter testimonie And suppose the most part of our deeds be now couered from the eye of man and her testimonie for the most part hid from our selfe yet there is a day coming which now is at hand in the which all these things that are now hid vnder darkenesse shall come to light and the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed The bookes of conscience shall be cast open and he that bringeth not in these bookes the discharge of his sinnes in register purchased by the bloud of Christ Iesus whereby our consciences are onely washen from these dead workes he that bringeth not this discharge with him to him shall his whole sinnes present themselues So that not onely shall he be iudged by the sentence of the righteous Iudge but his owne conscience which in this life foreiudged him shall coÌ„demne him there and all the Angels of God with his elect children shall iustifie his iudgement Therefore it is time we had now our discharge registred Now would God I might obtaine this of the office bearers in Church or Policie that they would now cast them in their life to haue the approbation of their conscience in the time of their death The Lord grant it to all them that seeke to serue him But specially the Lord make you Sir so to walke in your life that you may haue a ioyfull testimonie of your conscience in your death that being approued with your owne conscience and the testimonie of God within your conscience in the mouth of these two faithful witnesses your saluation may be sure not in your selfe but in the bloud of Christ Iesus whose mercie is onâ—ly our merit As this is desired in him so it is required in the rest of the office-bearers Lord grant that they may follow such a trade of life that in their death their conscience may make mention of their deeds to their ioy Thus far for this part of his behauiour Now resteth one thing to speake and so I shall end Tâ—ke vp the manner of his behauiour vnder this disease he is straitned with the extremitie of his disease on the one side and with the Lords threatning on the other what doth he in this strait pinch He seâ—keth by prayer to the same God that strooke him and now by his Pâ—ophet threatneth him This is wonderfull for if he had had to do with any other person as namely if he had had to do with the King of Ashur as before it had bene an easie matter to haue retired to God But now hauing to do with God and God apparently being his enemy it is wonderfull that he should haue recouse to God This is a notable faith in him for he hopeth against hope he runneth to that same God that smiteth him So notwithstanding that he threatneth him with death yet he runneth to him and he appealeth from his iustice to mercie in the merits of Christ he appealeth from God as a righteous Iudge vnto him as a Redeemer in Christ and his appellation is heard For as we shall heare hereafter by Gods grace he is healed Thus farre concerning his repentance Now as to the prorogation of his dayes the question might rise whether it was lawfull for him to craue it or not I shall touch it but in generall and first I say in Hezechias person it is very lawfull for he lacked posteritie and in this the promise of God had not taken effect in him and so it was lawfull for him to seeke the accomplishment of the Lords promise made to his father Dauid and also the reformation of the Church was but new begun the common-wealth was not as yet established and all these craued the presence of the King So if we looke to the particular in him it was lawfull I come to the generall it is lawfull at some times to seeke at God prorogation of dayes and my reason is this Length of dayes is one of the greatest blessings temporall that we haue as in that promise annexed to the commandement appeareth And as the Apostle in the 2. Chap. 27. to the Philip. when he maketh mention of the disease of Epaphroditus he saith No doubt he was sicke verie neare vnto death but the Lord had mercie on him and not onely vpon him but on me also So he counteth the prorogation of dayes a speciall mercie And there is no mercie nor benefit of God but it may be craued so that it be craued to the right end For we directing our life to the glorie of God and vsing it as Pilgrims and strangers seeking our home and hauing it ready to lay downe in the hands of God
at his hands or not Art thou perswaded of mercie Assure thy selfe thy conscience is in a good estate thou hast health in thy soule for by the keeping of faith the conscience is preserued as saith the Apostle 1. Tim. 1.19 Keepe this perswasion preserue it whole and sound hurt it not bring not thy soule into doubting stay not nor hinder thy perswasion if thou desire to keepe health in thy soule for if thou doubt or any way diminish thy perswasion and assâ—rance assuredly thy assurance cannot so soone be hindered nor diminished but at that very instant shall follow the diminishing of the health of thy soule yea it cannot be but in that very article of time shall follow the hurt of thy conscience for faith will not dwell but in a whole conscience Therefore at what time thou doest any thing against thy conscience at that very time thou losest a degree of thy perswasion of the mercie of God and vntill such time as thou fall downe at the feete of Christ and obtaine mercie for that wicked deede purchase peace at his hands and repaire thy perswasion thou shalt euer doubt of mercie and want health in thy conscience Then this is the first lesson to keepe health in your soules to be perswaded of mercie The second lesson to keepe a good conscience or to keepe health in thy soule is this Ye must flie eschue and forbeare whatsoeuer may trouble the health of your soule whatsoeuer may trouble the quietnes and peaceable estate of your conscience cast it out forbeare it and eschue it This generall is good But let vs see what it is that troubles the quiet estate of the conscience Onely sinne nothing but an euill nature Therefore we must of necessitie to keepe health in our soules forbeare and eschue sinne we must flie and auoide sinne It is not possible that ye can keepe a good conscience and serue the affections of your heart therefore to keepe peace and health in thy soule thou must take leaue of thy lusts thou must renounce the lusts affections of thy heart and thou must not do as thou wast wont to do thou must not be giuen to the seruice of thine affections of thine appetite to put them in execution as thou hast formerly done But in case thine affections or lust command thee to do any thing what is thy part Thou must try how far this may stand with the good will of God and how far that affection which commands thee may agree with the law of God Is there such an harmonie as that thing which thine affection commands thee may stand with Gods law and holy will Then no question it is a sanctified affection thou maist put it in execution But after this tryall if thou finde thine affections to be exorbitant and out of rule carrying thee from God and against his law beware of it resist it put it not in execution for if thou fulfill the will of thine affections what pleasure can it bring with it It may well bring a flattering pleasure in the entrie but it closeth euer with a bitter remorse in the end Then to eschue this bitter remorse should ye not all try your affections Ye must examine and try them by the square of Gods law ye must see how far they agree with his law and how farre they dissent from it and so farre as they are dissonant fâ—om that law let euery man deny himselfe renounce his affections and so this triall being taken in this maner by thy selfe it sanctifieth thine affections maketh Christ to lodge in thy soule maketh thy conscience to be at rest And the holy Spirit this way maketh both body and soule to be in good health and to reioyce Then flie from sinne This is the second lesson The third lesson is this Study to do well Wouldest thou keepe health in thy soule Studie to do better and better continually At the least haue a purpose in thy heart to do better daily which is the last lesson Seeing that when we studie to do best and that the iust man that is the most holy man falleth so often as seuen times a day yea rather seuenty times what is thy part in these slips and snares Though thou fall as thou canst not eschue to fall lie not still there sleepe not there where thou hast falne it is a shame to sleepe there therefore arise againe And how shouldest thou rise By lifting vp thy soule and running to the Fountaine of grace and mercy by repairing to Christ Iesus to obtaine mercy for thy soule and to craue that he would send out of himselfe that measure of peace that may put thy conscience at rest and restore thy soule to health So lie not where thou fallest but incontinent arise and craue mercy and in obtayning mercy thou shalt repaire thy fall thou shalt amend thy life by repentance and by repentance thou shalt get peace thou shalt haue thy conscience at rest and get health to thy soule Now keepe this rule if thou desirest to keepe thy soule in health looke that thou sleepe not in sin as Dauid did lie not still when thou art falne and so fall from one sinne to another as from adultery to murther from murther to the next c. As commonly if a man sleepe in sin and rise not in time one sinne will draw on another for there is no sinne alone but alwaies the greater and more haynous that the sinne is it hath the greater and worse sins wayting on it Therefore when ye fall delay not to arise but repaire to the fountaine of mercie and seeke grace in time run to prayer run to the Church of God wheresoeuer it be whether in the field or in the towne run to Christ Iesus and craue mercy of him that ye may haue peace in your consciences and so by these meanes euery one of you shall preserue health in your soules By these meanes ye shall learne what difference is betwixt this liuing word of mercy and grace which sounds in our religion and that slaying letter that killeth the soule of euery one that heares it I meane that idolatrous doctrine of that dumbe Masse I mention this vnto you because I see that many in these daies are falne to it and the Lord is beginning to abstract his grace and mercie from this Countrey for the contempt of this quickning word which hath so clearely sounded here and which our Countreymen for the greatest part running headlong to the diuell in a dumbe guise trauell vtterly to banish Is not this a miserable thing that so few of you haue eyes to consider and discerne of the time of peace mercy and grace which is so abundantly offred The Lord of his mercy giue you eyes in time Thus far concerning the reasons wherefore euery one of you should trie examine your owne consciences and this triall ought not to be for a day or for a yeare but it ought to be euery day and
euerlasting But alas we are come to such a lothing disdaine or reiecting of heauenlie foode in this Country that where men in the beginning would haue gone some twentie miles some fortie miles to the hearing of this word they will scarcelie now come from their houses to the Church and remaine there but one houre to heare the word but rather abide at home Wel I say too much wealth withdrawes their hearts the abundance of this word ingenders such a loathsomnes that it is a rare thing to find out any that haue that thirst desire to heare the word as they were wont to haue in the beginning And for those that are in higher places they wil here it seldom or not at all for they cannot endure to heare the thing that accuseth them and conuicts them and therefore they auoyde it But they should not do so they should not shunne Christ nor abstaine from his word that accuseth them but they should heare the word and as the word accuseth them they should accuse themselues also that thereby they may come to a confessiō of their sin obtaine mercy for the same So when Christ accuseth thee thou shouldst not run from him but thou shouldest draw neere to him thou shouldest threaten kindnesse of him and as it were make a breach and forcible entry into his kingdome It is not the way when thy sinnes touch thee and when Christ accuseth thee to run from him no thou shouldest then turne to him thou shouldest confesse thy sinne cry Peccaui and seeke mercy and after that thou hast obtained mercy this word shall become as pleasant to thee thou shalt take as great delight to come to the hearing of it as euer thou delightedst to flie from it before But alas our lothsomnesse and disdaine is growne to such an height that truly I am moued to beleeue firmly that the Lord hath concluded that we shall not enter into his rest and that onely for the great contempt of his mercy and grace which is now so richly offred For why God can not deale otherwise with vs then he dealt with our forefathers the Israelites for the negligence of his word which was but then obscurely preached for then it was farre from the incarnation of Christ and the farther that it was from his incarnation the word was euer the more obscurely preached vnder darke types and shadowes Yet notwithstanding the Fathers that heard that word preached and beleeued it not they perished all in the Wildernesse except two as ye haue sometime heard out of this place And if they perished for the contempt of so darke a light much more must ye that are their children perish for the contempt of the Sun of righteousnes who is risen so plainly shineth so cleerly now in the preaching of the Gospel except the Lord in his mercie preuent you and except ye preuent his iudgements by earnest seeking and except ye seeke a feeling and seeke inward senses that ye may see and feele the grace that is offered craue againe that he will sanctifie your hearts by repentance that ye may repent you of your sins leade an honest a godly conuersation in all time to come that both body and soule may be saued in the great day of the Lord. The Lord worke this in your soules that ye may seeke mercie seeking mercie ye may obtaine mercy and in mercie ye may lay hold on Christ and that for his righteous merits To whom with the Father and the holie Ghost be all honour praise and glorie both now and euer Amen THE SECOND SERMON VPON THE PREPARATION TO THE LORDS SVPPER 1. COR. 11.2 Let euery man therefore examine himselfe and so let him eate of this Bread and drinke of this Cup. IN the doctrine of our triall and due examination the Apostle as ye haue heard wel-beloued in Christ Iesus gaue vs a speciall command that euery one of vs should try and examine narrowly our selues that is that euery man should condescend and enter into his owne conscience try and examine the estate of his own conscience in what estate he findes it with God and in what estate he findes it with his neighbour He enioynes this triall to our selues and commandeth that euery one of vs should take paines about the true examination of our consciences He enioynes this work to vs why Because no man knoweth so much of me as I do my selfe because no man can be sure of the estate of my conscience but I my selfe because no man can so diligently nor so profitably try my conscience as I my selfe Therefore chiefly it behooueth euery man and woman before they do enter in to the hearing of the Word before they giue their eare to the Word or their mouth to the Sacrament it behooueth them to trie and examine their owne consciences Not that the Apostle would seclude the triall of other men for as it is lawfull for me to try my selfe so no doubt it is lawfull for my Pastor to try me It is lawfull for other men that haue a care ouer me to try and examine me but no man can do this so profitably to me as I my selfe And though we had neuer so many tryers and examiners all is nothing if we trie not our selues So whether there be a second or a third tryer and examiner let our selues be one and the first And no doubt the Apostles minde was this to let vs see clearely that he that cometh to that Table and hath not that knowledge nor is not of that ability to try him-selfe is a profane commer cometh vncleanely and therefore must needs come to his owne destruction Let euery man therefore grow in knowledge grow in vnderstanding grow in the spirit that he may be the more able to try and examine his owne conscience To the end that ye may go forward and proceede in the worke of this triall with the better speed and with the better fruites in this examination we laid downe this order First of all I shewed what that is which we call a conscience and what is meant thereby Next I declared for what causes ye should put your consciences to this triall and narrow examination And thirdly so farre as time suffered I entred into the points wherein euery one of you should try and examine your owne consciences As for conscience that ye may call that definition to your memory I will resume it shortly We call a conscience a certaine feeling in the heart resembling the righteous iudgement of GOD following vpon a deed done by vs flowing from a knowledge in the mind A feeling accompanied with a motion in the heart a motion either of feare or ioy trembling or reioycing I leaue the opening vp of these parts to your memories and I pray God that they may be well sanctified I come next to the causes wherefore euery one of you should be carefull in trying examining your owne consciences The first cause is
the haynous sins in the which by nature thou liest If he hath granted to thee â—n insight of thy selfe in some measure and on the other side if he hath granted thee the remedie and hath giuen thee an insight of the mercie of God in Christ Iesus if thou hast obtained an insight of the riches of his grace in Christ no doubt the holy Spirit hath begun a good worke in thee a worke which will bring forth repentance which in his owne time he will perfect So this is the first care which ye ought to haue and the first point wherein ye ought to examine your minds to see if there be any light in it whereby ye may know your miserie haue an insight of the free mercie of God in Christ Iesus This being done that thou findest a sight of these two in thy mind fâ—om thy mind go to thy heart and as thou hast tried thy mind so try thy heart And first examine thine heart if it be altered or not that the will of it be framed and bowed to Gods obedience that thy affection be turned into the life of God and be poured out on him as it was poured out on vanities on filthinesse and on the world before Trie whether the ground of thy heart and the fountaine from whence thy motions and affections proceede be sanctified or not for from a holy fountaine holy waters must distill from a holy fountaine holy motions holy cogitations and sanctified considerations must flow Trie then and examine your hearts if the Spirit of God hath wrought any such reformation as I speake of in your hearts or not And that ye may perceiue the working of the holy Spirit the better in your hearts and consciences for the holy Spirit hath his chiefe residence in your hearts I will declare vnto you the fiâ—st effect that euer the holy Spirit bringeth forth in the heart in framing it in mollifying it and in bowing it vnto the obedience of God You shall know the working of the holy Spirit by this effect namely if your minds see and behold what is ill see behold what is good perceiue and discerne your owne miserie and your sinnes which haue brought this misery vpon you and withall perceiue and behold the riches of the mercie of God in Christ Iesus If as your minds see these two your hearts be reformed and prepared to loue the sight of them and as you see in your minds the mercy of God and that in Christ if ye haue hearts to desire mercy if ye haue a thirsting and earnest desire to be partakers of mercy where this desire thirst is there the holy Spirit is he hath no doubt opened the heart On the other side if as thou seeest mercie thou seest thy misery if as thy mind seeth thy miserie it seeth also the fountaine from whence thy miserie floweth to wit from thine owne sinnes if then thy heart also hate this the holy Spirit is there if as thou seest sinne which is the cause of thy miserie with the eye which is giuen thee in the minde thou hatest this sinne with thy heart no question the holy Spirit is there And as thou hatest it if also thou sorrow for it for it is is not enough to hate it if thou lament not the committing of it and with a godly sorrow deplore it the holy Spirit is there And thirdly if with thy lamenting thou hast a care and a study to eschue that sin for what auailes it to lament if like a dogge returning to his vomite thou fall into that same gulfe againe Therefore where there is an hatred of sinne a sorrow for sinne a care and a studie to eschue sin no question the holy Spirit hath opened the heart and is working out that pretious instrument Obserue all this in a word all the operation of the holy Spirit and working in the heart and by this examine thine heart See and perceiue it the holy Spirit hath entred so farre in thee to worke in that hard heaâ—t of thine an earnest and a diligent studie a carefull solicitude continually to be reconciled with the great God whom thou hast offended Is there such a thing as a thirst as a desire to be at amity with him whom thou hast offended to be reconciled with the God of heauen whom thou hast offended by thy manifold transgressions where this care and studie of reconciliation is if this care studie of reconciliation be in the heart there is no doubt but the heart that thirsteth for this reconciliation is heartily content not onely to renounce sinne to renounce all the impieties that separated thee from God but the heart that is endued with this thirst will be heartily content to renounce it selfe to cast downe it selfe as stubboâ—â—e as it was before to cast downe it selfe at the feete of the mighty God and be wholly content at all times after to be ruled by his holy will Not to follow it owne lust it owne will and appetite as it did before but to resigne it selfe wholly into the hands of the mighty God to be ruled by his will at his pleasure and to obey his commands And except ye finde this disposition in your owne hearts to acquire your selues to renounce your selues it is a vaine thing for you to say that ye haue a thirst to be reconciled So the greater thirst of reconciliation that we haue and the more that the care study thereof groweth the greater that the apprehension of my misery of the deepe gulfes and very hels whereunto my soule is subiect increaseth in my soule the more earnest would I be to be reconciled And to be reconciled I would not stand for the renouncing of the lusts of my heart but I would renounce my heart the obedience of the will and desire why Because I see I must die for euer except the Lord reconcile himselfe with me I see the huge deepes oceans of all misery into the which I shall fall in the end except inmercie the Lord reconcile himselfe with me To eschue these miseries and inconueniences is there any question but the heart that hath any sense and is touched with them will most willingly endeuour to acquite it selfe Againe seeing the Lord hath taken paines to deliuer me out of the deepe miserie in the which I had drowned my selfe and hath purchased my redemption by so deere a price not with gold nor with siluer or any drosse of the earth but by such a wonderfull meanes by such a pretious price and rich ransome looking to the greatnesse of our misery and to the greatnesse of the price whereby he hath redeemed vs what heart is it but would willingly renounce it selfe to get a part of that redemption and to be deliuered out of that hell wherein we are presently and wherein we shall be in a greater measure hereafter except we be reconciled So thâ—n with this there is ioyned a disposition in the heart whereby the
It resteth also vpon the truth and power of God but especially vpon the promise of grace and mercie in Christ. The soule of the Papist being destitute of the feeling and taste of mercie dare not enter into this particular application and so he cannot be iustified Yea no doubt so many of them as are iustified in the mercie of God get a taste of this mercie and kindnesse before they depart this life Thus farre concerning the effects Then ye haue onely this to remember The opening of the heart the pacifying and quieting of the conscience they worke an assurance and a strong perswasion of the mercy of God in Christ. The more that the heart is opened the more that the conscience is pacified the more that the taste of that sweetnesse continueth and remaineth the more art thou assured of Gods mercie So then wouldest thou know whether thy faith be strong or not whether thy perswasion of Gods mercie be sure or not Looke to thy conscience If thy conscience be wounded assuredly thou wilt doubt and if thou doubtest thou canst not haue such a strong perswasion as otherwise thou wouldest haue if thy doubting were remooued Not that I will haue faith to be so perfect in this life that there be alwaies no doubting ioyned with it I require not that perfection but I say that a wounded conscience must euer doubt and the more we doubt the lesse is our perswasion So the more that thou woundest thy conscience the lesse faith thou hast Then thou must come to this point Keepe a sound conscience entertaine peace in thy conscience and thou shalt keepe faith and shalt haue thy perswasion in that same measure that thou hast of rest peace in thy conscience the more that thy conscience is at peace and rest the greater shall thy faith and perswasion be So this ground is certaine A doubting conscience causeth a weake faith and the more the doubting in thy conscience is the weaker is thy faith Then true it is that the Apostle saith That faith dwelleth in a good conscience that faith is locked and closed vp in a good conscience So that if ye keepe a good conscience ye shall keepe a strong faith and if ye wound your consciences ye shall wound your faith Now to make this more sensible How can I be perswaded of his mercie whose anger I feele kindled against me and against whom my conscience sheweth me that I am guiltie of many offences No question so long as the sence of his anger and feeling of my offences remaineth I cannot haue a sure perswasion that he will be mercifull vnto me but when I get accesse vnto his presence and a sight that he hath forgiuen me then I begin to be surely perswaded So then keepe a good conscience and thou shalt keepe faith and the better that thy conscience is the surer will thy faith be Then the whole exhortation that we gather from this point dependeth vpon this That euery one of you in what ranke soeuer ye be take heed vnto your consciences for losing it ye lose faith and losing faith ye lose saluation Are ye in the ranke of great and rich men Ye ought to take heede vnto your consciences especially in respect that the Lord hath placed you in a higher calling Ye haue many things wherein ye ought to controll your consciences ye ought to craue the aduice of your consciences before ye attempt any great worke in respect that ye are bound in manifold duties to God and to your inferiours And no doubt if some great men had aduised well with their consciences such dissolutions had not fallen out in their owne houses such oppressions of the poore deadly feudes with men of their owne ranke would not haue burst forth in so high a measure But the Lord seeing them take so little care vnto their consciences depriueth them of faith and of the hope of mercie and their end will be miserable Ye shall see that the God of heauen will make those who liue so dissolutely spectacles of his iudgements vnto the world for the Lord leaueth not such men vnpunished By their examples it wâ—re very necessarie that men of inferiour ranke should take heede vnto their consciences and â—herefore let euery man according vnto his calling examine his calling by the rule of his conscience Let the Iudges before they giue and pronounce forth iudgement aduise with their consciences and the law thereof and in iudgement not to follow their affections but to follow the rule of their consciences Likewise they that are of inferiour degree vnto Iudges let them controll their doings by their consciences and giue not the poore subiects iust cause to complaine of them Let them not terrifie them from the pleading of Iustice by exorbitant prices and extraordinarie kind of dealings but let them moderate all their actions so that they agree with the rule of their consciences that so far as in him lieth Iustice ceasse not Likewise the Merchants let not them looke so much to this or that as to the conscience that is in them what in conscience they may do according to the measure of knowledge that God hath placed in them and whatsoeuer they do let them beware that they do not against their knowledge I grant their knowledge will not be so learned as it should be and this maketh many deformed actions yet let no man do against his knowledge but let euery man do according vnto the measure of knowledge wherewith God hath indued him And though it be not well reformed yet do not any thing by guesse but aduise well with thy conscience and follow thy knowledge for that which is done doubtingly is sinne So whatsoeuer thou doest let not thy eye thy hand nor any member of thy bodie do against thy knowledge for this is a step to that high sinne against the holy Ghost This is the ready way to put all knowledge out of your mindes for if men do against knowledge and continue in doing against knowledge at the last they will become a masse of darknesse the Lord will scrape out all knowledge out of their mindes and all feeling of mercie out of their hearts Therefore let euery man follow his knowledge and according to the measure of his knowledge let his actions proceede It hath pleased the Lord to powre this liquor this precious ointment into vs though we be earthly and fraile vessels miserable creatures yet it hath pleased our gracious God to powre such a precious liquor into our hearts and mindes and to credite such a Iewell in our keeping that by vertue thereof we may take hold on Christ who is our iustice our wisedome sanctification and redemption Though we be miserable creatures yet the Lord of his mercy hath a respect to vs in Christ in giuing vs this precious liquor wherby our soules may be seasoned to life euerlasting In this that he poures it into our hearts we see cleerly that it growes
not in our hearts nor breedes not in our nature No this gifâ— of faith is not at mans command nor vnder his arbitrement as if it were in his power to belieue or not to beleeue as he pleaseth It is the gift of God poured downe freelie of his vndeserued grace in the riches of his mercie in Christ. That it is a gift ye see clearelie 1. Cor. 12.9 where the Apostle saith And to another is giuen faith by the same Spirit As also Philip. 1.29 For vnto you it is giuen for Christ that not onely ye should belieue in him but also suffer for his sake So faith is the gift of the holy Spirit and this gift is not giuen to all men and women as the Apostle plainlie declareth All haue not faith This gift though it be giuen it is not giuen to all but is onely giuen to the Elect that is to so many as the Lord hath appointed to life euerlasting This gift where-euer it is and in what heart soeuer it be it is neuer idle but perpetually working and working well by loue and charitie as the Apostle affirmeth Gala. 5.6 This gift where-euer it is is not dead but quicke and liuely as the Apostle Iames testifieth in his second Chapter And to let you know whether it be liuely and working or not there is no better meanes then to looke vnto the fruites and effects that flow from it And therefore that ye by your owne effects may be the more assured of the goodnesse of your faith I will giue you three speciall effects to obserue by the which ye may iudge of the goodnesse of your faith First looke to thy heart and cast thine eye on it If thou hast a desire to pray a desire to craue mercy for thy sinnes to call vpon Gods holy Name for mercy and grace if there be such a thing in thy heart as a desire to pray if thy heart be inclined and hath a thirst to seeke after mercie and grace though the greatest part of thine heart repine and would drawe thee from prayer yet assuredly that desire that thou hast in any measure to prayer is the true effect of the right faith If thou haue a heart to pray to God though this desire be but slender assure thy selfe thy soule hath life for prayer is the life of the soule and maketh thy faith liuely And why Prayer is Gods owne gift it is no gift of ours for if it were ours it would be euill but it is the best gift that euer God gaue man and so it must be the gift of his owne holy Spirit and being his owne gift it must make our faith liuely Without this thou art not able nor thou darest not call vpon him in whom thou beleeuest not as the Apostle saith Rom. 10.14 For if I intreate him by prayer I must trust in him Then prayer is a certaine argument of iustifying faith and beliefe in God for I cannot speake to him much lesse pray to him in whom I trust not And though the heart be not fully resolued and well disposed yet if there be any part of the heart that inclineth to prayer it is a sure gage that that part belieueth The second effect whereby thou shalt know whether faith be in thee or no is this Obserue and aduise with thy selfe if thy heart can be content to renounce thy rancour to forgiue thy grudges and that freely for Gods cause Canst thou do this And wilt thou forgiue thy neighbour as freely as God hath forgiuen thee Assuredly this is an effect of the right Spirit for nature could neuer giue yt. There is nothing whereunto nature bendeth it selfe more then to rancour and enuy and there is nothing wherein nature placeth her honour more greedily then in priuy reuenge Now if thy heart be so tamed and brought downe that it will willingly forgiue the iniurie for Gods cause this is the effect of the right Spirit This is not my saying it is the saying of Christ himselfe in the Euangelist Math. 6.14 where he thus speaketh If ye do forgiue men their trespasses your heauenly Father will also forgiue you And in the fifteenth verse But if ye doe not forgiue men their trespasses no more will your heauenly Father forgiue you your trespasses So that Christ saith He that forgiueth wrongs shall haue wrongs forgiuen him but he that will reuenge his wrongs wrong shall be reuenged vpon him Therefore as thou wouldest be spared of thy wrongs done vnto the mightie God spare thou thy neighbour I will not insist examine whether ye haue faith or not examine it by prayer examine it by the discharge of your owne priuie grugdes for if ye want these effects a heart full of rancour a heart voide of prayer is a heart faithlesse and meete for hell The third effect of faith is compassion Thou must bow thy heart and extend thy pity vnto the poore members of Christ his body and suffer them not to want if thou haue for except ye haue this compassion ye haue no faith Examine your selues by these three effects and if ye find these in any measure though neuer so small you haue the right faith in your hearts the faith that ye haue is true and liuely and assuredly God will be mercifull vnto you This faith of ours though it be liuely yet it is not perfect in this world but euery day and euery houre it needeth a continuall augmentation it craueth euer to be nourished for the which increase the Apostles themselues Luke 17.5 said Lord increase our faith And Christ himselfe commandeth vs to pray and say Lord increase our faith I belieue Lord helpe my vnbeliefe Then by Christ his owne command we plainely see that this faith needeth continually to be nourished helped and it cannot be helped but by prayer therefore should we alwayes continue in prayer That this faith should be helped and that we should be perpetually vpon our guard in feare and trembling to get it augmented the terrible doubtings the wonderfull pits of desperation into the which the dearest seruants of God are cast do dailie teath For the best seruants of God are exercised with terrible doubtings in their soules with wonderfull stammerings and they shall be brought at some times as appeares in their owne iudgement to the very brinke of desperation These doubtings and stammerings let vs see that this faith of ours would be perpetually nourished and that we haue need continually to pray for the increase of it It pleaseth the Lord at sometimes to let his seruants haue a sight of themselues to cast them downe and to let them see how vgly sinne is It pleaseth him to let them fall into the bitternesse of sinne and to what end Not that he will deuoure them and suffer them to be swallowed vp of destruction Though Hezekiah cryeth out That like an hungry Lyon the Lord is like to deuoure him and bruise him in peeces yet the Lord suffers him not to
despaire And though Dauid cry I cannot away with this consuming fire I cannot endure the fire of the Lords iealousie yet he despaireth not But the Lord casteth his seruants very low To what end To the end that they may feele in their hearts and consciences what Christ suffered for them on the Crosse in soule and body Yea we would thinke that there had bene plaine collusion betwixt the Father and the Sonne and that his suffering had bene no suffering except we felt in our soules in some measure the hell which he sustained in fullmeasure So to the end that we might clearely vnderstand the bitternesse of sinne that we might know how farre we are indebted to Christ who suffered such torments for our sinnes and that we may be the more able to thanke him to praise his holy Name he suffers his owne seruants to doubt but not to despaire he forgiues their doubtings he forgiues their stammerings and in his owne time he supports them and brings vs vnto the waters of life These doubtings as I haue often said may lodge in one soule with faith for doubting and faith are not directly opposite onely faith and despaire are opposite and therefore faith and despaire cannot lodge both in one soule For despaire ouerthroweth the pillars of hope and where there is no hope there can be no faith But as for doubting it may lodge it will lodge and hath lodged in the soules of the best seruants that euer God had Marke the speech of the Apostle We are alwaies in doubt saith he but we despaire not So doubting and faith may lodge both in one soule And from whence floweth this doubting We know that in the regenerate man there is a remnant of corruption for we haue not our heauen in this earth though we begin our heauen here yet we get it not fully here And if all corruption were taken away what should there want of a full heauen here So it is onely begun in this life and not perfected therefore there remaines in the soule a great corruption which is neuer idle but continually occupied This corruption is euer bringing forth the birth of sinne more or lesse euery sinne hurts the conscience a hurt conscience impaireth the perswasion so comes in the doubting For there is not a sinne that we commit but it banisheth light and casteth a mist ouer the eye of our faith whereby we doubt and stagger in our sight and were it not that the Lord in his mercie taketh vs vp giueth vs the gift of repentance and maketh vs euery day as oft as we sin to crie as oft for mercie and so to repaire the losse that we haue of faith to repaire the losse that we haue of the feeling of mercie we would wholly put out that same light But it pleaseth the Lord though we be euery day sinning to giue vs the gift of repentance and by repentance to repaire our faith to repaire the sense and feeling of mercie in vs and to put vs in that same state of perswasion wherein we were before Therefore if God begin not continue not end not with mercie in that very moment that he absâ—racts his mercie from vs we will decay So we must be diligent in calling for mercie we must be instant continually in seeking to haue a feeling of mercie Thus much for thâ— doubting Now howsoeuer it be sure and certaine that the faith of the best children of God is often subiect to doubting yet it is as sure and certaine that it is neuer wholly extinct albeit it were neuer so weake yet it shall neuer vtterly decay and perish out of the heart wherein it once maketh residence This comfort and consolation the Spirit of God hath set downe in his word to support the troubled heart That howsoeuer faiâ—h be weake yet a weake faith is faith and where that faith is there will euer be mercie Ye haue in Romanes 11.29 that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance But among all the gifts that are of this sort faith is one of the chiefest therefore it cannot be reuoked againe Ye haue in Iude 3. That faith was once giuen vnto the Saints Once giuen that is constantly giuen neuer to be changed nor vtterly taken from them The Lord will not repent him of this gift but the soule which he hath loued once he will loue perpetually It is true and certaine that the sparkles of faith which are kindled in the heart by the Spirit of God may be obscured and smothered for a long time they may be couered with the ashes of our owne corruption and with our owne ill deeds and wickednesse into which we daily fall It is true that the effects of a liuely faith will be interrupted and that thy lusts and affections will preuaile for a long time so that when thou lookest on thy selfe vpon the iudgements of God that hang ouer thy soule and bodie when thou lookest vpon thy dissolute life and on the anger of God against this dissolute life in the mind in the heart and conscience of him that hath so smothered and oppressed his faith it will oft times come to passe in his owne iudgement hauing his eyes fixed on himselfe onely that he will thinke himselfe to be a reprobate to be an outcast and neuer able to recouer mercie Where this corruption bursteth forth in this grosse manner after that the Lord hath called thee looke how soone the Lord beginneth to waken thee againe incontinent thou fixest thine eyâ—s vpon thine owne life and entrest into a deepe consideration as well of the weight of thy sinne as of the weight of the wrath of God which thou seest following thereupon and art loath to remit these cogitations to thinke vpon the deepenesse of the mercie of God Resting on these considerations it cannot but come to passe that in thine owne iudgement thou art an out-cast And yet God forbid it were so for though these sparks of the Spirit be couered by the corruption that is within thy soule yet these sparkles are not wholly put out And to let you see that they are not extinguished though they breake not forth in the outward effects that the world may know thee to be a faithfull man as heretofore yet these sparkles are not idle thou shalt find them not to be idle in thee As for confirmation of my argument that howsoeuer our bodies are let loose to all dissolution after our effectuall calling within vs in our soules that yet the sparkles are not idle ye see that though the fire be couered with the ashes yet it is a fire there is no man will say that the fire is put out though it be couered No more is faith put out of the soule though it be so couered that it neither giue heate nor light outwardly An example of this we haue clearely in the Prophet Dauid after his lamentation in that Psalme of Repentance Psal. 51.11 he prayeth
thou mightest eate the flesh of Christ with thy teeth this were a cruell manner of doing yet thou maist not eate the God-head with thy teeth this is a grosse fashion of speaking Then if euer ye get good of the Sacrament ye must get whole Christ and there is not any instrument whereby to lay hold on him but by faith onely therefore come with a faithfull heart O but ye will aske me and by appearance the definition laid downe of the thing signified giueth a ground to it If the flesh of Christ and the bloud of Christ be a part of the thing signified how can I call his flesh a spirituall thing and Christ in respect of his flesh a heauenly thing Ye will not say that the substance of Christs flesh is spirituall or that the substance of his bloud is spirituall wherefore then call ye it an heauenly and spirituall thing I will tell you The flesh of Christ is called a spirituall thing and Christ is called spirituall in respect of his flesh not that his flesh is become a Spirit or that the substance of his flesh is become spirituall No it remaineth true flesh and the substance of it is one as it was in the wombe of the Virgin His flesh is not called spiritual in respect it is glorified in the heauens at the right hand of the Father be not deceiued with that for suppose it be glorified yet it remaineth true flesh that same very flesh which he tooke out of the wombe of the blessed Virgine Neither is it spirituall because thou seest it not in the Supper if thou wert where it is thou mightest see it but it is called spirituall in respect of the spirituall ends whereunto it serueth to my body and soule because the flesh and bloud of Christ serueth to nourish me not to a temporall but to a spirituall and heauenly life Now in respect this flesh is a spirituall foode seruing me to a spirituall life for this cause it is called a spirituall thing if it nourish me as the flesh of beasts doth but to a temporall life it shoud be called but a temporall thing but in respect it nourisheth my soule not to an earâ—hly and temporall life but to an heauenly celestiall and spirituall end in respect of this end the flâ—sh of Christ and Christ in respect of his flesh is called the spirituall thing â—n the Sacrament It is called also the spirituall thing in the Sacrament in respect of the spirituall instrument whereby it is receiued The instrument whereby the flesh of Christ is receiued is not a corporall instrument is not the teeth and mouth of the bodie but it is spirituall it is the mouth of the soule which is faith and in respect the instrument is spirituall therefore Christ who is receiued is also called spirituall In respect also that the manner of receiuing is heauenly spirituall and an internall manner not a naturall nor externall manner in respect that the flesh of Christ which is giuen in the Sacrament is receiued by a spirituall and secret manner which is not seene to the eyes of men In all these respects I call Christ Iesus the heauenly and spirituall thing which is signified by the signes in the Sacrament Now I say in the end the thing signified must be applied to vs. What auaileth it me to see my medicine in a box standing in an Apothecaries shop what can it worke toward me if it be not applied What auaileth it me to see my saluation afarre of if it be not applied to me Therfore it is not enough for vs to see Christ but he must be giuen vs or else he cannot worke health and saluation in vs. And as this saluation is giuen vs we must haue a mouth to take it What auaileth it me to see meate before me except I haue a mouth to take it So the thing signified in the Sacrament must be giuen vs by God by the three persons of the Trinity one God by Christ Iesus who must giue himselfe and as he giues himselfe so we must haue a mouth to take him Suppose he present and offer himselfe yet he can profite and auaile none but them who haue a mouth to receiue him Then ye see what I call the thing signified whole Christ applyed to vs and receiued by vs whole Christ God and man without separation of his natures without distinguishing of his substance from his graces all applyed to vs. Then I say seeing we come to the Sacrament to be fed by his flesh and refreshed by his bloud to be fed to an heauenly and spirituall life and seeing there is no profite to be had at this Table without some kinde of preparation therefore let no man prease to come to this Table except in some measure he be prepared Some will be prepared in a greater measure then others alwayes let no man presume to go to it except in some measure his heart be sanctified therefore my exhortation concerning the way whereby euery one of you ought to prepare your selues that ye may fit you the better to this Table is this There is not one of you that cometh to the Table of the Lord that may bring before the Lord his integrity iustice and vprightnes but whosoeuer goeth to the Table of the Lord he ought to go with the acknowledging and confession of his misery he ought to go with a sorrowfull heart for the sinnes wherein he hath offended God he ought to go with a hatred of those sinnes Not to protest that he is holy iust and vpright but to protest and confesse that he is miserable and of all creatures the most miserable and therefore he goeth to that Table to get support for his misery to obtaine mercy at the throne of Grace to get remission and forgiuenesse of sinnes to get the gift of repentance that more and more he may study to liue vprightly holily and soberly in all time to come Therefore except ye haue entred into this course and haue a purpose to continue in this course to amend your life past to repent you of your sinnes and by the grace of God to liue more vprightly and soberly then ye haue done for Gods cause go not to the Table For where there is not a purpose to do well and to repent of necessity there must be a purpose to do il and whosouer cometh to that Table with a purpose to do ill and without a purpose to repent he cometh to mock Christ to scorne him to his face and to eate his owne present condemnation So let no man come to that Table that hath not in his heart a purpose to do better that hath not a heart to sorrow for his sinnes past and thinketh not his former folly and madnesse ouer-great Let no man come to that Table without this vnder the paine of condemnation But if ye haue in your heart a purpose to do better suppose your former life hath bene dissolute and loose
is onely true peace and quietnesse to be found Therefore our exercise should chiefly stand in this to expell this enemy and monster sinne and to possesse that sauing iuice and wholsome peace that passeth all vnderstanding The second effect whereby we may know that the soule liueth is the ioy and reioycing vnder trouble For we know by experience that trouble of it owne nature cannot bring forth this ioy but bringeth forth the contrary effects as sadnesse heauinesse and sorrow Now where the Spirit is so disposed that we reioyce vnder trouble this is a sure argument of the blessed Spirit the Spirit of life which onely quickneth the soule and this ioy maketh vs not onely to reioyce in trouble but to glory also as sayth the Apostle For surely the crosse of Christ is our onely ioy the shame of Christ is our onely honour Hereby we perceiue the great glory that the Lord hath called vs to that not onely he maketh vs to beleeue his word but to suffer for him also onely ye haue to take heede to your troubles For this ioy accompanieth not all troubles but onely those troubles that are suffred for Christs cause for righteousnesse sake are vnderserued For those troubles that are deserued the like ioy is not to be found in them The third effect whereby we may know that the soule liueth is the loue of God and hatred of euill Where this loue is kindled in the soule where we beginne to know God to loue him and to taste of him for it is not possible that we can loue him except we haue a taste of his sweetnesse this loue make vs like to God for God is loue as Iohn saith If loue dwell in thine heart God dwelleth in thine heart and this loue is a sure pledge of the life of the soule where this loue is of necessity also there must be a hatred of euill Now trie and examine if the Spirit of life hath wrought these effects in thy soule in any measure if it were neuer so small it is a sure argument that this life is begunne and the life which God hath begunne he will perfect it If the loue of God were neuer so litle and the hatred of euill were neuer so little if any of these effects were but in a small measure ye may be sure that Christ dwelleth in your hearts by faith and that the soule liueth Ye that feele this as I would that ye all felt it prease to nourish and strengthen this life not weary in well doing but go forward in working the works of the Spirit Sow not in the flesh go not forward in the lusts and appetites thereof for ye may learne of the Apostle what aduantage this labour bringeth to wit shame and confusion death of the body and death of soule Rom. 6. But on the contrary go forward in nourishing of the Spirit and in well doing Sow in the Spirit and as the Apostle sayth ye shall reape an euerlasting and incomprehensible life This Spirit then is said to be nourished and corroborate in our hearts when we nourish the light and knowledge of God in Christ Iesus when we edifie our selues in our most holy faith and continue in the exercise of prayer As by the contrary we banish this light of the good Spirit and by our euill doing we banish the knowledge of God in Christ whē we put out this light diminish our perswasion and leaue off the exercise of prayer For by the same meanes whereby the soule liueth they being remoued the soule dieth Therfore those that would liue this way they ought to nourish the knowledge of God they ought to be exercised in well doing in hearing of Gods word in edifying them in their most holy faith and in continuall crauing of grace and mercy by prayer Now the King sayth he hath this life and he hath experience of the good word in this for I take this to be a different life from the other whereof he spake before to wit this is the life of the soule which proceedeth of the word of promise for this word is the power of God to saluation to all them that beleeue Rom. 1. Set your hearts saith Moses Deut. 32 vpon this word for it is not a vaine word it is your life and felicity The words which I speake sayth our Master Iohn 6. are Spirit life And from this Iohn calleth him the word of life the bread of life Peter saith whom shall we go to for in thee are the words of life It is he that hath life in himselfe Iohn 5. From this also it is said 1. Cor. 15. that as the first Adam was made a liuing soule so the second Adam was made a quickning Spirit and by reason we are made participant of this spirit by the ministery of his word therefore it is called the word of the Spirit by the same reason we that are his Ministers are counted the Ministers of the Spirit as the Apostle calleth vs 2. Cor. 3. They that would reade further of the praise of this word I remit them to the 19. Psalme where the properties of this word are exactly set downe I will end here Who so looketh vpon the precious effects of this word and on the other side looketh vpon our vnhappy behauior I am assured it would astonish any Christian heart to behold how the Lord can suffer our contempt so long as he doth For formerly whereas there was skarsly crummes of this bread of life to be had in this countrie men sought it out diligently and ran to haue it with such zeale that they compassed both sea and land they spared neither trauell nor cost but forcibly as it were thronged and thrusted in and made irruption in this kingdome But now when it hath pleased the Lord to offer vnto vs great plentie of this foode we so despise the bountie and liberality of this good God that we turne this great grace and mercie of his into iudgement and vengeance vpon our owne heads And as to the greatest part of the multitude they disdain it so spitefully that they had rather embrace the leauen of the Pharisies and draw them to that company where they can haue no other foode but songes maskes mummings and vnknowne Languages And so thinke to feed their soules by the mockery of God Now as to the Gentlemen Earles Lords and Barrons they are so drunken with sacrilegde that ere they will part with these goods they had rather part with the life of their soule yea when it cometh to this that the word cannot be entertained but by their expences they make no choyse but had rather lose their soules an hundred times ere they would bestow a halfepenny vpon the Church This is true in the greatest part so it is the Lord that wonderfully continueth the light amongst vs that keepeth a face of a ministery in Scotland There is no good entertainment but a very great pouerty in the most part
is so wicked and corrupt that it cannot hold it selfe within bounds nor containe it selfe in any mediocrity But as when we finde the fire of Gods wrath in any mesure kindled for sinne we would looke backe to desperation So if the conscience be acquainted long with the ioy with the taste of his mercy and of his peace the diuell in this world deceiueth vs and draweth vs to presumption Therefore as before being cast downe with the consideration of thine owne sinnes so eschue desperation thou withdrawest thy consideration to the mercy of God So now to esâ—hue presumption thou must cast backe thy thoughts to the consideration of thy selfe of thine owne sinnes and iniquities and looke what thou wast before thou wast called to repentance This is the way to hold thee low and humble and to distinguish grace from nature As to the sorts of repentance Of true repentance there are two sorts an ordinary repentance wherein euery Christian is bound to walke all the dayes of his life and an extraordinary and a speciall repentance The ordinary repentance is this when any man after he is called to the participation of grace falleth into some speciall sinne the rising from that sin I call a special repentance as Dauids rising In this ordinary repentance we are commanded all to walke the speciall repentance should waken them that are fallen into one speciall viâ—e or other From the extraordinary we should beseech the Lord to preserue vs. Alwayes if we fall the Lord waken vs. Now ye haue heard the parts of repentance according to the order and diuision which I haue layd There is nothing farther to be spoken of this head except onely this We ought to praise and thanke God for the victory that we haue gotten ouer our selues through him We haue to consider and see how farre we are bound vnto him that he should haue had such a speciall regard vnto vs vile finners that he hath poured out streames heapes and conduits of his mercy among vs which he hath denied to others who in the iudgement of the world were in a better ease then we The consideration of this no doubt will raise a thankefulnesse in vs and moue vs to consider how farre we are bound to so gracious a God As for the gift it selfe seeing it is not in vs we ought euer to be instant in seeking of it Therefore I recommend this repentance to be sought of euery one of you And ere we go further let vs pray for it both to out selues and others Then remember the things that haue bene spoken What is the chiefe thing that yong men should flie to wit the lusts of the flesh what is the chiefe thing that they should follow and strictly pursue the gift of repentance Therefore from your hearts seeke this gift And ere we go forward to the rest of our action let vs pray for it and pray that this matter may haue a good issue and succeede well that for the righteous merits of Christ. To whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be all honour praise and glorie both now and euer The Sermon being ended the Minister directeth his speach to the Auditory assembled for the time in effect as followeth IT is not vnknowne to you all welbeloued in Christ Iesus how many means and sundry wayes the Lord hath to waken a sleeping conscience to bring men to the confession of their sinnes and to make them to seeke grace and mercy at his hands And as he lacketh no store of instruments and meanes so it hath pleased him of his mercy to the saluation of his soule who is penitent and to your good example who heare to worke this motion in the heart of this noble man in such sort that he is content from his hart vpon his knees to acknowledge and confesse those sinnes whereby he hath offended the maiesty of God and giuen euill example to the meanest and poorest of you And to let you vnderstand that this confession is willing and from his heart It is true and none of you can pretend ignorance of it that by the liberty of the Actes of our Church and custome receiued it had bene lawfull for him according to the order in his owne Church to haue made satisfaction yet such is the willingnesse of his owne heart that for the better satisfaction of you that are indwellers in this City he is content in this chiefe part and Church of the country and in that same place where he last shed innocent blood to repaire the same and in the presence of you all to seeke mercy at the God of heauen The Lord hath put this motion in his heart and that not suddenly not of late but he informed our brother Iames Gibson along time before his Maiesties departure out of this country and desired him to come and shew vnto vs that he was willing to make satisfactition to the Church not onely for his murther and bloodshed but for taking the name of God in vaine and for euery thing wherein he hath abused himselfe and for all his offensiue rash speeches generally for euery thing wherin he hath offended the least of you Which if we had vnderstood we had made more hastle to require the practise of it sooner Alwaies we haue euery one of vs to thanke God that he hath so moued his heart and to beseech of the Lord that it may be from his hatt that he may declare the effects of it in all time to come Therefore my Lord ye haue no further ado but fall on your knees craue of God mercy and pardon for your sinnes whereby ye haue offended him The Lord of his mercy grant it you THE WORDS WHICH THE EARLE Bothuell c. vttered being vppon his knees I would God that I could make such a Repentance as my heart desireth and I desire you all to pray for it The Lord of his mercy grant it to him and to vs all Amen THE SIXTEENTH SERMON VPON 2. TIMOTHIE 2.15 IN WAY OF EXHORTAtion to the Prouinciall assemblie of the Presbyteries of Louthiane holden at Edinborough the 16. of September 1589. 2. TIMOTHIE 2.15 Studie to shew thy selfe approoued vnto God a workeman that needeth not to be ashamed deuiding the word of truth aright IT is not vnknown vnto you Brethren that in Timothy we haue the true patterne of a Profitable Pastor set down how he should behaue himselfe in all things what he should do what he should leaue vndone what he should follow what he should flie In euery thing he is forewarned but chiefly among many of one thing that he study not to please men that he hunt not for their praise and commendation For why Experience from time to time hath taught that these men haue not onely endangered their owne estate but hazarded also the whole estate of the Church As namely there were two in his owne time in the dayes of Timothy who to get a name
what is my heart and mind doing There is not one of you but haue experience as I my selfe haue in what estate the heart and mind is before that this light enter The mind lieth drowned in blindnesse and the heart is hardned and they both conspire together in vice to set vp an Idoll in stead of God a domesticall and inuisible Idoll what sort of Idoll â—s that No doubt some worldly or fleshly affection or other this is set vp in the throne of thy heart and on this Idoll thou bestowest the seruice of thy whole heart of thy whole mind of thy whole soule and bodie So that the seruice of thy soule and bodie which should be bestowed vpon God onely is imployed vpon that Idoll which is set vp in thy heart that is in the place of God in the stead of the most high God And thou art more addicted to the seruice of that Idoll then euer thou wast to the seruice of the liuing God yea vntill such time that this Idoll of ours be banished and that this blindnesse whereby this Idoll is serued be takâ—n away there is not one of you but are seruants to one lust or other and thy soule that should be consecrated to the seruice of the liuing God is imployed vpon one affection or other vpon some worldly or fleshly lust of thine owne But from the time that the Lord beginneth to scatter the clouds of our naturall minds and vnderstanding and beginneth to chase away this thicke mist of the darke soule and placeth therein some sparke of heauenly light which floweth out of Christ and whereas we were children of the night and darknesse before he maketh vs to be light in the Lord and to be children of the light and of the day Then we see that all the things in the world besides the liuing God are vanities deceiueable allurements vnconstant shadowes fleeting and flowing without any abiding and then we see that our hearts and our minds were set on euill continually Then we begin to abhor that Idoll and to seeke to serue God onely Now except the Lord of his mercie and goodnesse place in vs this light vntill such time as we get some glimmering of this light we can neuer see our owne vanitie nor yet see God This then is the first worke of the Spirit he banisheth darknesse and errors placeth light in our minds Now this first worke of the Spirit is tearmed oftentimes in the Scripture vnder the name of faith for the mind hath it owne assent and perswasion in the owne kind as wel as the heart hath therefore the mind being illuminate and seasoned with this light the assenting knowledge in the same mind is called faith The Apostles and Euangelists giue to this knowledge the name of faith for from the time that thou once hast an eye to see God and whom he hath sent Christ Iesus when once thou gettest a sight of him and accesse to him if it were no more then in the mind it is called faith But we must not stand still here if faith go no further then the mind it is not the faith that we are seeking For the faith that iustifieth and doth vs good must open the heart as well as it openeth the mind it must banish that Idoll and affection out of the heart and in stead thereof place a throne for Christ Iesus So that except the good Spirit of God go further then the mind and banish this Idoll as well out of our hearts as out of our minds we haue not that iustifying faith whereby we may looke for mercie Yea the Spirit of God must not onely stay at the inlightening of thy mind but it must mollifie this heart of thine and change thine affections And whereas thy affections were wicked and euill Gods Spirit must change thy will and he neuer can change thy will except he make the ground of thy heart good that it may be set on God and bring forth good fruite abundantly to the owner And what teacheth this This teacheth you to seeke for an honest heart and to seeke instantly vntill ye obtaine it For what auaileth it any man to know what is good or what is euill except he haue a way shewed him how he shall eschue the euill and a meanes giuen him to make himselfe partaker of the good Is not this an idle and vnprofitable knowledge to me to see a farre off and to know that this is good for me when I find not a meanes how to be partaker of that good that it may be especially good to me Is it not an idle knowledge also to perceiue that this is ill for me that it will do me hurt if I do it and yet that same very thing I will do no other So the Spirit of God linketh these two together in this worke and as he reformeth the mind he reformeth also the heart and maketh you to be partakers of that good which ye see and to eschue that euill which ye perceiue And this is the second worke of the Spirit not onely to present a thing to thee but to make it thine in effect For howbeit the mind would do this part neuer so well and let thee see that Christ is thine and present him to thee neuer so often yet if thy heart be not reformed that will and crooked affection that is in thy heart will preferre it selfe to Christ and will make thee to account all but follie in respect of that Idoll And therefore it were an idle and a foolish thing to me to see my saluation except I get grace to be partaker of it and what auaileth it thee to see the works of the diuell to see thine owne sinnes that slay thee except thou get grace to eschue them And so the second worke of the Spirit is this he enters into the heart he danteth the heart and wonderfully changeth it making the will of it obedient he mollifieth the affection which was hard before in such sort that it is made to poure out thy affection in some measure on the liuing God whereas it was poured out on one Idoll or other of thine owne before Then except the heart wil do his part as the mind doth his part the whole soule is not consecrate to God for God hath not made the soule that the heart should serue thee and the mind onely should serue him but thy seruice is then onely acceptable to God when thou consecratest thy heart as well as thy mind to him Now this matter is so cleare that it needeth not to be illustrated by similitude yet to make it more plaine vnto you I will shew you by a similitude that the apprehension of the mind is not enough except ye get the apprehension of the heart also In corporall things in meate and drinke which serue for the vse of your bodies there must be of this meate and drinke two sorts of apprehensions and as there is two sorts of
because the Lord of heauen hath his eye continuallie vpon the conscience the eye of God is neuer from the conscience and heart of man as I proued to you by diuerse places Next because this God hath chosen his lodging and hath set downe his throne to make his residence in the conscience Therefore that he may dwell in cleannesse ye ought to haue a regard to his dwelling place Thirdly he is the Lord yea the onely Lord of this conscience who hath power onely to controlle who onely hath power to saue or to cast away therefore that it may do good seruice to thy owne Lord thou oughtest to take heede to thy conscience And last of all in respect that the health of thy soule standeth in the estate of thy conscience and if thy soule be in good health thy bodie cannot be ill therefore in respect that the soule and body depend vpon the estate of the conscience euery one of you should carefully looke to your consciences I will not amplifie this but leaue it to your memories how the health of the soule and welfare of the soule should be kept Next I come in the third and last place to the points in the which euery one of you should trie and examine your consciences And as ye may remember I set downe two points wherein ye ought to put your consciences in triall First to know whether your consciences were at peace with God or not Secondly whether your consciences were in loue and charitie and in amitie with your neighbour or not In these two points chiefly ye must trie and examinâ— your selues To know whether ye be at peace with God or not ye must first trie whether ye be in the faith or not as the Apostle saith whether ye be in the faith of Christ or not For being in the faith and iustified thereby of necessitie ye must haue peace with God Then the next care must be to trie your faith and to see whether ye haue faith or not Faith can no waies be tried but by the fruits Faith cannot be iudged of by me that looke vpon it onely but by the effects Therefore to trie whether ye be in the faith or not marke the fruits Take heede to thy mouth take heede to thy hand take heede to thy words and to thy deeds for except thou glorifie God in thy mouth confesse to thy saluation and except thou glorifie him also in thy deeds and make thy holy life a witnesse of thy holy faith all is but vaine all is but meere hypocrisie Therefore to know the sinceritie of thy faith thou must take heed that there be a harmonie betweene thy hand thy mouth and thy heart that there be a naturall consent that thy doings preiudge not thy heart that thy mouth preiudge not thy heart but that mouth and hand may testifie the sinceritie of the heart If the heart the hand and the mouth consent and agree in one harmonie together no question that heart that breaketh forth into so good fruits is coupled with God there is no question the light of thy actions the beames shining of thy life shall make the name of thy good God to be glorified Therefore the whole weight of thy triall stands chiefly vpon this point to see whether we be in the faith or not to trie and examine whether Christ dwell in vs by faith or not for without faith there can be no coupling or conioyning betwixt vs and Christ without faith our hearts cannot be sanctified and cleansed and without faith we cannot worke by charitie so all depends on this onely And therefore that ye might the better vnderstand whether ye haue faith or no I was somewhat the more exact in this matter and I began to let you see how the holy Spirit createth faith and worketh faith in your soules hearts and minds I began to shew you what order the holy Spirit kâ—pt in forming in creating this notable instrument in your hearts minds Not onely how he ingenders and begins faith but also how he entertaineth it how he nourisheth it And I shewed you the externall meanes and instruments which he vseth to this effect To beget faith in our soules the holy Spirit vseth the hearing of the word preached by him that is sent and the ministerie of the Sacraments as ordinary meanes and instruments which ordinarie meanes are onely then effectuall when as the holy Spirit concurs inwardly in our hearts with the word striking outwardly in our eares and with the Sacrament outwardly receiued And except the holy Spirit grant his concurrence to the word and Sacrament word and Sacrament both will not worke faith So all dependeth vpon the working of this holy Spirit the whole regeneration of mankind the renewing of the heart and of the conscience depend on the power of the holy Spirit and therefore it behooueth vs carefully to imploy our selues in calling vpon God for his holy Spirit By the same meanes and no other that the holy Spirit begetteth faith in vs by the same meanes he nourisheth and augmenteth that which he hath begotten And therefore as we got faith by the hearing of the word so by continuall and diligent hearing we haue this faith augmented and nourished in vs. And from hence I tooke my exhortation that if ye would haue that spirituall life nourished in you and if ye would haue a further assurance of heauen of necessitie ye must both continually diligently heare the blessed word of God Now it resteth that euery one of you carefully apply this doctrine to your owne soules and enter into the triall of your owne consciences to see if this faith as I spake be begun in your hearts and minds or not how farre or how little the holy Spirit hath proceeded in that worke trie with me and I with you The first effect of the holy Spirit whereby ye may trie your minds whether ye be in the faith or not is this Reuolue in your memories and remember if at any time it pleased the Lord in his mercie to turne the darknes of your minds into light to cause that naturall darknesse which was within you to depart through the which darknes neither had ye an eye to see your selues what you were by nature nor yet had ye an eye to see God in Christ nor any part of his mercie Examine I say whether this darknesse of the naturall vnderstanding be turned into light by the working of the Spirit or not If thou art become a child of the light a child of the day if thou art become as the Apostle speaketh light in the Lord if there be this alteration made in thy mind that whereas naturally before it was closed vp in daâ—kenesse whereas it was filled with vanities and errors wheras it was closed vp in blindnes If the Lord hath at any time inlightened the eye of thy mind and made thee to see thine owne misery to see the vglines of thine owne nature to see
heart is willing in some measure to renounce it selfe This lesson is often taught vs by our Sauiour Christ we must both take vp the crosse and renounce our selues also before that we can follow him The more that this thirst groweth in the heart the more this renouncing of our selues groweth in the heart the more that this thirst decayeth is diminished in the hart the more we cleaue to the woâ—ld the more we loue the flesh and the more are we ruled and guided by them So either we must nourish a thirst of righteousnesse a hunger of life euerlasting a thirst of mercie a hunger after that iustice that is in Christ or it is not possible that in any measure we can be his disciples Now to proceede The heart that after this manner is prepared that with a thirst to be reconciled is resolued also to renounce it selfe this heart in the which there remaineth so earnest a thirst is neuer frustrate of the expectation is neuer disappointed But as the Lord hath imprinted in it an earnest studie to be reconciled and to lay hold on Christ so in his mercie he grants vnto that heart the possession of mercie he puts that heart in some measure in possession of mercie which it seeketh in possession of Christ Iesus himselfe whom it seeketh the which apprehension which it hath of Christ the heart sensiblie feeleth and apprehendeth in that peace which he giueth to the conscience So that the conscience which was terrified exceedinglie gnawen and distracted before by the approching of this peace and of Christ with his graces incontinent it is quieted and pacified there cometh a calmnesse and soundnesse into the heart and all troubles and stormes are remoued With this peace is conioyned a taste of the powers of the world to come the heart gets a taste of the sweetnes that is in Christ of the ioy which is in the life euerlasting which taste is the only earnest pennie of that full and perfect ioy which soule and bodie in that life shall enioy And the earnest penny as ye know must be a part of the summe and of the nature of the rest of the summe And therefore that earnest pennie of ioy assures vs that when we shall gette possession of the whole summe it shall be a strange ioy and these documents lift vp the heart and make it not to linger nor wearie in the expectation of that life but being refreshed now and then therewith by so many earnest pennies they assure vs of the full fruition of that ioy for the which in patience we will sustaine all troubles So as the holy Spirit worketh a thirst in vs to be with Christ a thirst of mercy and reconciliation with him the same holy Spirit disappointeth not that same expectation and thirst but putteth the soule and heart in possession of Christ by the which the conscience is pacified the heart is reioyced and we get a taste of the sweetnes and of the power of that life to come The sensible feeling of the which taste that passeth all naturall vnderstanding what doth it in my heart and conscience It worketh a wonderfull assurance and perswasion that God loueth me The feeling of his mercie in the bowels of my heart in the bottome of my conscience worketh a certaine assurance and perswasion that he is my God that he wil saue me for Christs sake that the promise of mercy which I durst not apply vnto my conscience before now by the feeling of mercie I dare boldly applie and say mercie appertainâ—th to me life and saluation belongeth to me For the conscience being exceedingly terrified and seeing nothing in God but fire and wrath it is not possible but it must flie from him it cannot approch to a consuming fire But from the time that the conscience getteth a taste of this peace mercie and sweetnesse how fast soeuer it fled from the presence of God before now after this reconciliation it will runne as fast to him and will possesse him more more fully So the assurance perswasion of mercie ariseth from the feeling of mercie in the heart and conscience And except the heart feele it and taste it in some measure no conscience dare apply God and his mercie to it selfe I may be sure in generall that all my sinnes are remissible and that I may obtaine mercie before I feele it But to applie this mercie particularly to my selfe vntil I feele a taste of it I dare not So this particular application whereby we claime God and Christ as a property vnto vs as if no man had title to him but we to call him my God my Christ to claime his promises as if no man had interest in them but we this cometh of the sâ—nce and feeling of mercie in the heart and the more that this feeling groweth and the greater experiâ—nce that we haue in our owne hearts of this peace and mercie the more increaseth our faith and assurance Our perswasion becometh sâ— strong that we dare at the last say with the Apostle What can separate vs from the loue of God Neither death nor life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come shall be able to separate me from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. This particular application which ariseth no doubt vpon the feeling and sence of mercie is the speciall difference the chiefe marke and proper note whereby our faith who are iustified in the bloud of Christ is discerned from that generall faith of the Papists Our faith by this particular application is not onely discerned from the generall faith of the Papists but it is discerned from all the pretended faiths of all the Sects in the world For the Papist dareth not apply the promise of mercie to his owne soule he accounteth it presumption to say I am an elect I am saued and iustified And fâ—om whence floweth this Onely from hence that in their consciences they haue neuer felt mercie they haue neuer tasted of the loue fauour and sweetnes of God For looke how fast the conscience flieth from God before it get the taste of his sweetnesse it runneth as diligently to him and threatneth loue of him after that it hath gotten that taste So they miserable men content themselues with this generall faith which is no other thing but an historicall faith which groundeth onely on the truth of God whereby I know that the promises of God are true But the Papists dare not come and say They are true in me Why Because they haue not felt it and their hearts are not opened But our iustifying faith as I told you consecrateth the whole soule vnto the obedience of God in Christ. So that it resteth not onely vpon the truth of God nor it resteth not onely vpon the power of God though these be two chiefe pillars of our faith also but especially and chiefely it resteth vpon the mercie of God in Christ.
to God in these words Cast me not away from thy presence And what addeth he And take not thy holy Spirit from me Had he not lost the Spirit by his adultery and murther No for he would not haue said then Take it not from me but Restore it to me It is true that he vseth the like in the verse following Râ—store me to the ioy of thy saluation Not that he wanted the Spirit wholly but that the Spirit lacked force in him and needed strengthening and fortification it would be stirred vp that the flame of it might appeare Therefore I say in that Dauid speaketh so plainly after his adulterie and murther Take not thy Spirit from me it is a certaine argument that the faithfull haue neuer the Spirit of God alwaies taken from them in their greatest dissolutions The second point is this How proue I that these sparkles are not idle though the outward effects be interrupted As Dauid felt this in his conscience so euery one of you may feele it in your owne consciences The Spirit of God in mans heart cannot be idle but these sparkles during the time that the bodie is let loose to all dissolutions these sparkles are accusing thy dissolution are finding fault with thy manners these sparkles suffer thee not to take the pleasure of thy bodie without great bitternesse and continuall remorse And these sparkles where they are will make the soule wherein they dwell to vtter these speeches at one time or other once in the twenty-foure houres Alas I am doing the euill which I would not do if I had power or strength to resist my affection if I might be master of my affections I would not for all the world do the euill which I do Againe if I had power to do the good which I would do I would not leaue it vndone for all the world So these sparkles though they haue not such force and strength presently as to resist the affection abstaine from doing euill deeds yet perpetually in the heart they are finding fault with thy corruption and suffer thee not to take thy pleasure without paine but last of all force thee to vtter these speeches If I had strength to resist I would not do the euill which I do Where these speeches are no question they are the words of a soule which the Lord hath begun to sanctifie and being once sanctified in despite of the diuell and of the corruption that is in vs this faith shall neuer perish but if the whole soule without contradiction with a greedy appetite and pleasure be carried to euill and hath no sorrow for it that soule is in an ill estate I can looke for nothing in such a soule but death except the Lord of his great mercie preuent it But where this remorse and sorrow and such speeches are in the soule that soule in the time that God hath appointed shall recouer strength The Lord shall neuer suffer those sparkes to be wholly taken away but in his owne time he shall fortifie them and make them to breake out before the world in good works The Lord in his owne time will sanctifie them he will scatter the ashes of corruption stirre vp the sparkles and make them to breake out into a better life then euer they did before as ye may cleerely see that Dauids repentance hath done more good to the God then if he had neuer fallen Thus farre concerning the effects Though the effects of repentance be interrupted yet those sparkles are not extinguished For there is no man will thinke that the fire which is couered with ashes is extinguished but being stirred vp in the morning it will burne as cleerely as it did the night before There is no man will think the trees that now in the time of Winter want leaues fruite and externall beauty to be dead There is no man will thinke the Sunne to be out of the firmament though it be ouershadowed with a clowde of darkenesse and mist. There is great difference betweene a sleeping disease and death for men are not dead though they be sleeping and yet there is nothing liker vnto death then sleepe As there is great difference betwixt a drunken man and a dead man so there is great oddes betwixt the faith that lieth hid for a while and vttereth not it selfe and the light that is vtterly put out When we breake not forth into outward deedes God forbid that we should thinke that these sparkles are whollie extinguished Indeede the soule which is visited after foule and haynous backslidings from his calling and against his knowledge before this soule recouer the former beauty it is in a strange danger For if the Lord suffer thy corruption to get loose in such sort that it carry thee as it will and by all meanes possible maketh thee to labour to put out the sparkles of regeneration when the Lord beginnes to challenge thee or to make thee reÌ„der an account of this life past the soule of that man when it is challenged is in great danger So that no question when the Lord beginnes to lay to your charge your dissolute life the contempt and abuse of your calling assuredly your soules are so neere to the bâ—inke of desperation that there can be nothing neerer For wilt thou looke to God Thou wilt see nothing but his anger kindled as a fire against thee Wilt thou looke to thy selfe Thou wilt see nothing but sin prouoking his anger thou wilt see the contempt and abuse of thy calling enlarging his anger thou wilt see nothing but matter of despaire And what is the best pillar and surest retreat whereupon such a soule that is so neere to the brinke of desperation may repose I will shew you the helpe whereupon When thou art assaulted by all the greatest tentations thou canst imagine when there is nothing before thee but death when thou seest the diuell accusing thee thine owne conscience bearing him witnes against thee thy life accusing thee and the abuse of thy calling accusing thee whither shalt thou go Looke backe againe to thy forepast experience cast ouer thy memorie and remember if God at any time and in any measure hath loued thee if euer thou hast felt the loue and fauour of God in thy heart and conscience Remember if euer the Lord hath so disposed thy heart that as he loued thee thou louedst him and hadst a desire to obtaine him Remember if euer the Lord hath so disposed thy heart that as he loued thee thou louedst him hadst a desire to obtaine him Remember this and repose thine assurance on this that as he loued thee once he will loue thee euer and will assuredly restore thee to that loue before thou departest this life The heart that felt once this loue of God shall feele it againe and looke what gift or grace or what taste of the power of the world to come that euer the Lord gaue to his creatures in this life to
that I vse is this Seeing there is onely one precept left by our Master in recommendation to be obserued by vs namely That euery one of vs should loue another therefore our wise Master vnderstanding well that where loue was there needed no more lawes that the life of man by loue onely behooued to be most happie left onely the same in chiefe recommendation and taketh vp the whole Law and Gospell in one word Loue. And if the heart of man were endued with loue his life might be most happy and blessed for there is nothing maketh this life happie but the resemblance and likelihood that we haue with God The neerer we draw to God the more blessed is our life for there cannot be so happie a life as the life of God In the first Epist. of Iohn 4.8 God is loue therefore the more we are in loue the more neere we are to that happie life for we are in God and partakers of the life of God When I speake this ye must not thinke that loue in God and loue in vs is one thing for loue is but a qualitie in vs and it is not a qualitie in God There is nothing in God but that which is God so loue in God is his owne essence therefore the more that ye grow in loue the neerer ye draw to God and to that happie and blessed life For there is nothing more profitable more agreeable conuenient vnto nature then to loue and aboue all things to loue God And therefore it is that God and his Angels are most happie and blessed because they loue all things and desire euer to do good On the other side there is nothing more vnhappie nothing more noysome more hurtful that eateth vp nature more then to burne with enuie and hatred and therefore it is that the diuels are most miserable who torment themselues with continuall malice and hatred burning with a vehement appetite to be noysome vnto all creatures So as the life of the diuel is most vnhappie because he is full of enuie and malice so our life will be most happie if we be full of loue I will no further speake of loue Onely if ye haue loue marke the effects of it set downe 1. Cor. 13.4.5.6.7 verses which effects if ye haue not in some measure ye haue not true loue I end here Ye see in what points euery one of you ought to be prepared Ye must be endued with this loue and ye must be endued with faith and if ye haue these in any small measure go boldly to the hearing of the word and to the receiuing of the Sacraments This is the preparation that we allow of I grant the Papists haue a preparation far differing from this and therefore they can haue no warrant from the word of God Last of all seeing that we are commanded to trie our selues he that lacketh knowledge cannot trie himselfe a mad man cannot trie himselfe a child cannot trie himselfe therefore they ought not to come to the Lords Table All these things being considered aright he that hath faith and loue in any kind of measure let him come to the Table of the Lord. And all these things serue as well for the hearing of the word fruitfully as for the receiuing of the Sacrament Therefore the Lord of his mercy illuminate your minds and worke some measure of faith loue in your hearts that ye may be partakers of that heauenly life offered in the word and Sacraments that ye may begin your heauen here and obtaine the full fruition of the life to come and that in the righteous merits of Christ Iesus To whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be all honour praise and glorie both now and for euer Amen THE THIRD SERMON VPON THE SACRAMENTS IN GENERALL 1. COR. 11.23 For I haue receiued of the Lord that which I also haue deliuered vnto you to wit that the Lord Iesus in the night that he was betrayed tooke Bread c. THere is nothing in this woâ—ld nor out of the world more to be wished of euery one of you more to be craued and sought of euery one of you then to be conioyned with Christ Iesus then once to be made one with the God of glorie Christ Iesus This heauenly and celestiall coniunction is purchased brought about by two speciall meanes It is brought about by meanes of the word and preaching of the Gospell and it is brought about by the meanes of the Sacraments and ministration thereof The word leadeth vs to Christ by the eare the Sacraments leade vs to Christ by the eye two senses of all the rest which God hath chosen as most meete for this purpose to instruct vs and bring vs vnto Christ. For that doctrine must be most effectuall and mouing that wakeneth and stirreth vp most the outward senses that doctrine that wakeneth not onely the eare but the eye the taste the feeling and all the rest of the outward senses must moue the heart most must be most effectuall and piercing in the soule But so it is that this doctrine of the Sacraments moueth stirreth vp and wakeneth most the outward senses therefore it must be if we come well prepared vnto it most effectuall to stir vp the inward senses of the dull heart But there is a thing that ye must euer remember there is no doctrine neither of the simple word nor yet of the Sacraments if Christ abstract his holy Spirit that is able to moue therefore when euer ye come to heare the doctrine whether it be of the Sacraments or of the simple word craue of God that he would be present by his holy Spirit or otherwise all the doctrine in the earth will not auaile you Alwayes this doctrine of the Sacraments stirres vp and wakens most the outward senses there is no question therefore but it is an effectuall and potent instrument to waken prepare and stirre vp our hearts Then to let you see what the word Sacrament meaneth and to remoue the ambiguity of it it is certaine and out of all question that the Latine Diuines who were most ancient did interpret the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the word Sacrament and they vsed the Greeke word not onely to signifie the whole action of the Supper of the Lord and the whole action of Baptisme but they vsed the word Mystery to signifie whatsoeuer is darke and hid in it selfe and not frequented in the coÌ„mon vse of men as after this manner the Apostle calleth the vocation of the Gentiles a mystery This coniunction which is begun here betwixt vs Christ is called a mystery the Latine Interpreters call it a Sacrament to be short ye wil not find in the book of God a word more frequent then the word Mystery But as for the word Sacrament wherby they interprete the Greeke word we find not this word by the same Diuines to be taken so largely neither is
He changeth the affections and inclinations of my soule he changeth the faculties and qualities of my soule And though our hearts and minds be made new yet the substance of them is not changed but onely the faculties and qualities are changed in respect of the which change we are called new creatures and except you be found new creatures ye are not in Christ. Now to come to the point This secret coniunction is brought to passe by faith and by the holy Spirit by faith we lay hold on the bodie and bloud of Christ And though we be as farre distant as heauen and earth are the Spirit serueth vs as a ladder to conioyne vs with Christ As the ladder of Iacob which reached from the ground to the heauen to the selfe same vse serueth the Spirit of God to conioyne the bodie of Christ with my soule Then obserue the whole in a word What maketh you to haue any right or title to Christ Nothing but the Spirit nothing but faith What should be your studie then Seeke by all meanes possible to get faith that as Peter Acts 15.9 saith your hearts and consciences may be sanctified by faith And if you endeuour not as well to get faith in your hearts as in your minds your faith auaileth not What auaileth the faith that fleeteth in the fantasie and bringeth a naked knowledge without the opening of the heart and consent of the will So there must be an opening of thy heart and consent of thy will to do that thing that God commandeth or else thy faith auaileth not Then striue to get faith in your hearts and minds and doing so ye do the duties of Christians This is not done without the diligent hearing of the word and diligent receiuing of the Sacrament Then be diligent in these exercises and be diligent in prayer Praying in the holy Ghost that he would nourish your soules inwardly with the bodie and bloud of Christ That he would increase faith in your hearts and minds and make it to grow vp more and more daily vntill you come to the full fruition of that blessed immortalitie Vnto the which the Lord of his mercie bring vs and that for the righteous merits of Christ Iesus To whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be all honour praise and glorie both now and euer Amen THE FIFTH SERMON VPON THE LORDS SVPPER 1. COR. 11.23 For I haue receiued of the Lord that which I also haue deliuered vnto you to wit that the Lord Iesus in the night that he was betrayed tooke Bread c. WE haue heard wel-beloued in Christ Iesus in our last exercise what names were giuen to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper as well in the Scriptures as by the Ancients of the Latine and East Churches we heard the chiefe ends wherefore and whereunto this holy Sacrament was at first instituted we heard the things that were contained in this Sacrament what they were how they are coupled how they are deliuered and how they are receiued we heard also some obiections that might be obiected to the contrarie of this doctrine we heard them propounded and as God gaue the grace refuted we heard how the faithfull soule is said to eate Christs body and drinke Christs bloud We heard the manner how Christ is or can be receiued of vs. And we concluded in this poynt That Christ Iesus the Sauiour of mankinde our Sauiour cannot be perceiued nor yet receiued but by a spirituall way and apprehension Neither the flesh of Christ nor the bloud of Christ nor Christ himselfe can be perceiued but by the eye of faith can be receiued but by the mouth of faith nor can be layd hold on but by the hand of faith Now faith is a spirituall thing for faith is the gift of God powred downe into the hearts and minds of men and women wrought in the soule of euery one and that by the mighty working and operation of the holy Spirit So the onely way to lay hold on Christ being by faith and faith of it owne nature being spirituall it followeth therefore that there is no way to lay hold on Christ but a spirituall way there is not a hand to fasten on Christ but a spirituall hand there is not a mouth to digest Christ but a spirituall mouth The Scriptures familiarly by all these termes describe the nature and efficacy of faith We are said to eate the flesh of Christ by faith and to drinke his bloud by faith in this Sacrament chiefly in doing of two things First in calling to our remembrance the bitter death and passion of Christ the bloud that he shed vpon the crosse the Supper which he instituted in remembrance of him before he went to the Crosse the commandement which he gaue Do this in remembrance of me I say we eate his flesh and drinke his bloud spiritually First in this point in recording and remembring faithfully how he died for vs how his bloud was shed vpon the crosse This is the first point a point that cannot be remembred truly except it be wrought by the mighty power of the holy Spirit The second poynt of the spirituall eating standeth in this That I and euery one of you beleeue firmely that he died for me in particular That his bloud was shed on the crosse for a ful remission and redemption of me and my sins The chiefe and principall point of the eating of Christ his flesh drinking of his bloud standeth in beleeuing firmly that that flesh was deliuered to death for my sinnes that that bloud of his was shed for the remission of my sinnes and except euery soule come neere to himselfe and firmely consent and agree and be perswaded that Christ died for him that soule can not be saued that soule can not eate the flesh nor drinke the bloud of Christ. Then the eating of the flesh and drinking of the bloud of Christ standeth in a faithfull memorie in a firme belief and in a true applying of the merits of the death and passion of Christ to my owne conscience in particular There were sundry things obiected against this kind of receiuing I will not insist to repeate them But beside all the obiections which ye heard obiected against this kinde of spirituall receiuing by faith they say If Christ his flesh nor his bloud be not perceiued nor receiued but by the Spirit by faith in the Spirit then say they ye receiue him but by an imagination if he be not receiued carnally nor corporally but onely by the Spirit and by faith then is he not receiued but by way of imagination conceite and fantasie So they account faith an imagination of the minde a fantasie and opinion fleeting in the hearts of men I cannot blame them to thinke so of faith For as none can iudge of the sweetenesse of hony but they that haue tasted of it so there is none can discerne nor iudge of the nature of faith but they that haue felt it
worketh that same operation in my soule which the carnall head doth in my bodie therefore he is called a spirituall head therefore he is called the head of his Church because he furnisheth her with spirituall motion and senses which is the life of the Church So to be short there is nothing in this coniunction carnall there is nothing grosse in it there is nothing that may be compassed by our naturall iudgement and vnderstanding And therefore whosoeuer would attaine to any small in-sight of this spirituall coniunction betweene Christ and vs of necessitie he must humble himselfe earnestly pray for the Spirit otherwise it is not possible to get any vnderstanding no not the least apprehension how the flesh of Christ and we are conioyned except we haue some light giuen vs by the Spirit that is except our hearts be wakened by the mighty working of the Spirit of Christ this shall remaine as a dead closed letter vnto vs. So ye are to craue that the Lord in his mercie would waken you illuminate your vnderstandings and make you to haue a spirituall light to discerne of these spirituall things Next ye must studie and be carefull to remoue all vaine cogitations earthly fantasies when ye come to heare so high a matter ye must cast off all filthie thoughts ill motions and care of the world and ye must shake off all things that clog your hearts Thirdly ye must come with a purpose to heare the word to giue diligent eare to the word with a sanctified heart to receiue it with a purpose to grow and increase in holinesse as well in bodie as in soule all the daies of your life And coming with this purpose no question the holie Spirit shall reueale those things to you which ye want And though this word passe and bring no commoditie for the present yet the holie Spirit hereafter shall reueale to thee the truth of that which thou hast now heard This then is the end of all Be present in your hearts and minds and let your soules be emptied of all the cares of the world that they may receiue that comfort which is offered in the hearing of the word Now I come to the defining of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper I call this Sacrament An holy Seale annexed to the couenant of grace and mercie in Christ. A seale to be ministred publikely alwaies according to the holy institution of Christ Iesus that by the lawful ministery thereof the Sacramentall vnion betweene the signes and the thing signified may stand and this vnion standing Christ Iesuâ— who is the thing signified is as truly deliuered to the increase of our spirituall nourishment as the signes are giuen and deliuered to the body for our temporall nourishment Now let vs examine the words and parts of this definition First of all I call this Sacrament a Seale because this Sacrament serueth to the same vse to our soules that a common seale doth to a common Euidence As the seale which is annexed to the Euidence confirmes seales vp the truth contained in the Euidence so this Sacrament of the body and bloud of Christ confirmeth and sealeth vp the truth of mercy and grace contained in the couenant of mercy and grace for this respect it is called a seale It is called An holy Seale Why Because it is taken from profane vse whereunto that bread serued before and that bread is applyed to an holy vse There is a power giuen to that bread to signifie the precious body of Christ Iesus to represent the nourishing and feeding of our soules And in respect it serueth now in the Sacrament to so holy an vse therfore I call it an holy seale This is not my word it is the Apostles Rom. 4.11 where he giueth the Sacrament the same name and calleth it a seale And further if the wisedome of Christ in his Apostle had bene followed and if men had not inuented new names of their owne for this Sacrament but had contented satisfied themselues with the names which God hath giuen by his Apostle that Christ himselfe hath giuen to this Sacrament I am assured none of these controuersies and debates which neuer will ceasse had fallen out but where men will go about to be wiser then God and go beyond God in deuising names which he neuer gaue vpon mens owne inuention such debates haue fallen out A lesson by the way that no flesh presume to be wiser then God but let them stoupe keepe the names which God hath giuen to this Sacrament Thirdly I say annexed to the Couenant annexed and hung to the Charter because it cannot be called a seale properly except it be hung to an Euidence What it is by nature the same it remaineth and no more if it be not annexed to some Euidence it is onely the hanging of it to the Euidence that maketh men account it a seale not being esteemed except it be hanged to the Euidence Euen so it is here if this Sacrament be not ministred and ioyned to the preached word to the preaching of the couenant of mercy and grace it cannot be a seale but what it is by nature it is no more As by nature it is but a common peece of bread so it is no more if it be not annexed to the preaching of the word and ministred therewith as Christ hath commanded Therfore I say the seale must be annexed and hanged to the Euidence to the preaching of the word for the confirming of the Euidence otherwise it is not a seale But it is not so with the Euidence which is the word of God for ye know any Euidence will make faith though it want a seale and it will serue to make a right if it be subscribed without a seale but the seale without the Euidence auaileth nothing Euen so it is with the word of God though the Sacraments be not annexed to the word yet the word will serue the turne it serueth vs to get Christ it serueth to ingender and beget faith in vs and maketh vs to grow vp in faith But the seale without the word can serue vs to no holy vse therefore I say the seale must be annexed to the word preached to the couenant of mercy and grace Now it followeth in the definition that this seale must be ministred publikely Wherefore say I publikly To exclude all priuate administration of this Sacrament For if this Sacrament be administred to any priuately it is not a Sacrament Why Because the Apostle calleth this Sacrament a Communion therefore if ye administer it priuately ye lose the Sacrament For this Sacrament is a Communion of the body and bloud of Christ therefore of necessity it must be by way of communication and so the action must be publikely ministred Secondly this Sacrament must be publikely ministred because Christ Iesus who is the thing signified in this Sacrament is no such thing as pertaineth to one man
of the Lords Supper is partly corporall and partly spiritual I call this action partly corporall not in respect onely that the obiects that is that bread and wine are corporall but also in respect my mouth whereunto these things are offered the instrument whereby and the manner how these things are receiued are all corporall and naturall I â—all the same action againe partly spirituall not onely in respect of Christ Iesus who is the heauenly and spirituall thing of the Sacrament but also in respect of my soule wherunto Christ is offered and giuen in respect the instrument whereby and the manner how he is receiued are all spirituall for I get not Christ corporally but spiritually So in these respects I call this action partly corporall and partly spirituall Now confound not these two sorts of actions the corporall and naturall signes with the spirituall thing signified thereby againe confound not the mouth of the body with the mouth of the soule Thirdly confound not the outward manner of receiuing by the hand of the bodie with the spirituall manner of receiuing by the hand of the soule And so it shall be exceeding cleare to see that each thing shall be present to the owne instrument that is the bodie of Christ which is the spirituall thing signified shall be present to the spirituall mouth and hand and the bread and wine which are the corporall signes are present to the corporall mouth and hand Then how is any obiect present A corporall obiect is corporally present and an inward obiect is inwardly present Of what nature is the thing signified It is of an heauenly natuâ—e Then aske you how he is present He iâ— spiritually and heauenly present to the soule and the mouth of the soule which is faith For it were a preposterous thing to make the thing signified present to thy bellie or to the mouth or eye of thy bodie for if that were so it should not be spiritually present because euery thing is present as it agreeth in it owne nature Is it a bodily thing it is bodily present and if it bâ— a heauenly thing it is spiritually present So I thinke no man can doubt how the bodie of Christ is present he is not â—arnally present but spiritually present to my soule and to faith in my soule Thus far concerning the manner of his presence Now the last part of our difference is this we haue to consider to whom the words ought to be directed and pronounced For we and the Papists differ in this last point we say that the words ought to be directed and pronounced vnto the people to the faithfull communicants They on the contrary say that the words ought not to be directed nor pronounced to the people but to the elements and not to be clearely pronounced but whispered on the elements So that if they be spoken to the people or spoken openly their charme auaileth not Now I say that as this holy action is peruerted by them in all the rest so they peruert it in this point also in speaking that to the dumbe elements which they should speake to the people of God For I shall proue it clearely by three arguments taken out of the Scriptures that the words ought not to be spoken to the bread but to the people of God And first I say the promises of mercie and grace ought to be directed and pronounced to them in whom the Lord performeth them and maketh them effectuall But so it is that the promises of mercie and grace are performed and made effectuall not in bread and wine but in faithfull men and women Therefore these promises should be directed to faithfull men and women Now here is the promise of mercie and graces This is my bodie which is broken for you and this promise is made to no other thing but to the faithfull and so to them onely it ought to be directed Secondly we haue to consider that this Sacrament seales vp a couenant of grace and mercie Now with whom will God make his couenant of mercie and grace will he make a couenant with a peece of bread or any dumbe element There is no man will enter into couenant with his seruant much lesse wil enter inter couenaÌ„t with a dumbe element So in respect this Sacrament seales vp a couenant this couenant of necessity must be made with a faithfull soule and in no wise with the dumbe element and therefore these words cannot be directed to the elements Thirdly looke to the end wherefore this Sacrament was appointed Is it not to leade vs to Christ Is it not to nourish my faith in Christ Is it not to nourish me in a constant perswasion of the Lords mercy in Christ Was this Sacrament appointed to make the elements Gods No for if ye marke Gods purpose in this institution ye shal find that Christ hath not ordained this institution to nobilitate the elements to fauour respect the elements which were Bread and Wine yesterday to be Gods to day We on the contrary say plainly that the institution of Christ respecteth not the elements to alter their nature Indeed it is appointed to alter vs to change vs and to make vs more and more spirituall and to sanctifie the elements to our vse But the speciall end is this to make vs holy and more and more â—o grow vp in a sure faith in Christ not to alter the elements nor to make them gods And therefore by all these three Arguments it is euident that the words ought nor to be directed to the elements but to the people and faithfull communicants Now to come to an end There is one thing without the which we cannot profit let vs discourse neuer so long vpon the right vnderstanding of the Sacrament Ye see now how all that is spoken concerning the Sacrament is grounded and dependeth vpon faith Let a man haue faith be it neuer so little he shall get some hold of Christ and some insight in the vnderstanding of this Sacrament but wanting faith though a man endeuour himselfe to make the Sacraments neuer so sensible it is not possible that he can get any hold of Christ or any insight of him For without faith we cannot be Christians we can neither get a sight of God nor feele God in Christ without faith Faith is the onely thing that translateth our soules out of that death and damnation wherein we were conceiued and borne and planteth life in vs. So the whole studie and endeuour of a Christian should tend to this To craue that the Lord in his mercie would illuminate his mind with the eye of faith and that he would kindle in his heart a loue of faith and worke in his heart a thirst and desire of the obiect of faith and more and more to thirst and hunger for the foode of faith that nourisheth vs to life eternall Without this faith how-soeuer the naturall man vnderstanding naturally would flatter himselfe surely there
is no blessednesse but all his life is more then terrible miserie For whatsoeuer it be that flatters and pleaseth thee now be it a thought or motion of the mind or an action of the bodie that pleaseth thee now without faith the same very motion cogitation or action shall torment thee hereafter So without faith it is not possible to please God and whatsoeuer pleaseth not God is done to torment thee Therefore craue mercie for whatsoeuer motion cogitation or action wherein thou hast offended God or for the same God shall offend and torment thee And to eschue the offence of God there is no meanes but by true faith therefore the studie of a Christian should be to grow in faith Now by hearing of the word thou gettest faith and by receiuing this Sacrament thou obtainest the increase of faith and hauing faith the receiuing of the Sacrament shall be fruitfull but without faith thou eatest thine owne condemnation Then the whole studie of a Christian is to get faith and this faith cannot be obtained with idlenesse but by earnest prayer therefore let euery one of vs fall downe and craue earnestly this faith and the increase of it whereby we may be worthie receiuers of this blessed Sacrament and that for the righteous merits of Christ Iesus To whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be all honour praise and glorie both now and euer Amen THE SIXTH SERMON VPON THE 38. CHAP. OF the Prophecie of ISAIAH preached in the presence of the Kings Maiestie ISAIAH 38. 1 About that time was Hezekiah sicke vnto the death and the Prophet Isaiah the sonne of Amos came vnto him and said vnto him Thus saith the Lord Put thine house in an order for thou shalt die and not liue 2 And Hezekiah turned his face vnto the wall and prayed to the Lord. 3 And said I beseech thee Lord remember now how I haue walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and haue done that which is good in thy sight and Hezekiah wept sore IN these words which I haue presently read welbeloued in Christ Iesus the heauie disease whereinto this godly King fell is at length described and the manner of his behauiour vnder this disease is well set downe It pleased the Lord to exercise this godly King with this heauie tentation amongst many moe And suppose it be true that diseases are common to all flesh yet the manner how to behaue our selues vnder diseases is not common Therefore let all flesh take heede to the seuerall parts of this historie that they may learne so to behaue themselues in the day of their miserie that taking vp this Kings behauiour they may in the end obtaine his comfort In the beginning of this Chapter the King is brought in lying vnder an heauie disease the kinde and manner of this disease is concealed although it may be gathered from the 21 verse of the Chap. and therefore I note it here Secondly the time when he fell into this disease is also noted Thirdly the greatnesse and weight of this disease is likewise noted And last of all the manner of the Kings behauiour vnder so terrible a disease is at length set downe To returne to the first The kinde of the disease as may be gathered out of that verse was a pestilentious byle for the name which is giuen to the byle is the same name which is giuen to the botch of Egypt that same name which is expressed Exod. 9.9 a matterie kinde of byle breaking out into many heads for so the nature of the word signifieth The most dangerous and deadly kinde of plague that was in the daies of that king In deed since as the world hath growne in wickednesse so it hath brought foorth more dangerous kinds of botches then before the experience whereof this Towne hath had For as man is ingenious to inuent new sinnes to prouoke God to wrath the Lord being both iust and prudent on the other part deuiseth new plagues to punish these new sinnes of men for the store-house of the Lords iudgements can neuer be emptied But surely it is a wonderfull matter that he should haue visited so godly a King with so terrible a both in respect that this plague proceedeth commonly from his hote rage and wrath For from his wrath it takes these names ofttimes as when it is called the finger of the Lord his feare by night his flying arrow by day and the deuouring plague Now I say the matter is wonderfull that he louing this King so well should so extremely haue plagued him in the sight of the whole world What should this teach vs This visitation of the King teacheth vs two necessarie lessons First it teacheth vs not to measure the fauor and hatred of God by any externall thing on the earth For if we looke to the visitation of God vpon his children if we looke to the nature of the plague and affliction either in quantitie or qualitie if we looke to the long continuance diuturnity of the plague in the iudgement of man and in the iudgement of him that is afflicted sometime it shall come to passe that he shall thinke himselfe in a worse case then any of the reprobate But howsoeuer it be so esteemed in the heart and iudgement of man yet it is farre otherwise in the iudgement of God For there lieth hid one thing in the heart of God concerning vs that are his children and an other thing concerning the Reprobate in such sort that suppose affliction be common to vs and them yet the cause from whence the affliction proceedeth is not common not the end whereunto it tendeth For as to vs our affliction sloweth from the fauour loue and mercy of God in Christ Iesus and tendeth to our great profite and commodity to wit that we being corrected here should not perish hereafter with the wicked world But as for the affliction of the reprobate it floweth from the hote wrath and indignation of God vpon them he as a righteous iudge beginning their punishment here which shall last for euer So affliction that is vnto them a part of his iustice vnto vs is a mercifull correction The Prophet Isaiah in his 27. chap. expresseth this matter so liuely that I thinke there is no part of Scripture in the which there is greater comfort In the 4. and 7. verses of that chapter he saith to the Church I am not saith he in furie I am not in rage suppose I strike thee yea suppose I beate thee saith he I strike not thee as I strike them that strike thee I slay not thee as I them that slay thee for in correcting thee I purge thee from thine iniquity in striking thee I remoue thy sins from thee but I do not so with the rest Then the first lesson that ye haue to learne here is this Measure not the fauour of God by any externall thing in the earth whether it be prosperity or aduersitie The
zeale or of force we shall be spoyled of it Thus farre concerning the second cause As to the third I shall touch it shortly and so I shall end The third cause is this he sayth he shall see man no more among the inhabitants of the earth Now what a cause is this This appeareth to be a very slight cause that he should be grieued at his death because he should see man no more For I am assured there were men in his daies whom he tooke no pleasure to see and whom he could not see without great griefe euen such monsters as are now in our dayes This generall must be restrained to this as if he would say I shal not see men that is faithfull men honest and obedient subiects to God and their King of whose company I had delight and whose protection I was I shall see these good men no more He had such a care of the Church and of the Christian subiects vnder him that in the very houre of his death he sheweth his compassion toward them and is grieued that they should lacke his protection in time coming Well the country is exceeding blessed that hath such a Prince who is endued with the care of his subiects and specially of the Church that in his death he is sorrie that they should be depriued of his protection And turne it ouer againe As cursed and vnhappy is that countrie who hath a King that hath no kind of care or respect of his subiects much lesse of Gods Church which is the best part of his subiects Therfore it is euery one of your duties that heare me see what it is to lacke this blessing to craue of God that he would distill his grace into his Maiesties heart which may moue him to take vp another manner of protection then hitherto he hath done Oh would to God it were so Thus farre for the exposition of the causes shortly In all these causes some things are worthy of praise and some things are worthy of dispraise for I stand not to iustifie him in them all They are worthy of commendation so far as they flowed from faith and tended to the glory of God and weale of his Church They are worthy of reproofe so far as they flowed from the foolish affectioÌ„ corruption of nature without the which none can be so long as we be in this life Then ye see the best goods that we haue to carry with vs of our owne is this corruption foolish affection No question Kings haue not this power to carry their iewels magnificencâ— with them but surely they carry their vices faults of their gouernment with them which shall meete them And surely if this good King caried any of this stuffe with him much more shall other Kings And as it is in Kings so is it in euery of vs we shall all carry with vs vertues or vices If we cary vertue with vs then shal we haue a good conscience to meete vs there Then to end this matter prepare your hearts and make both hand and heart voide of the loue and affection of the world that your hearts being busied onely with the loue of good things ye may cary your hearts with you when the Lord calleth And as your eares are bent to receiue this word so let it be digested in your hearts that in your death I may see the fruites and effects thereof And seeing we must either cary with vs vertues or vices the fauour of God to mercy or the fauour of sathan to iudgement should not our whole indeuour be that these foule vices may be remoued out of our hearts and should not our whole study be that our soule which is holden so fast bound in the chaines of wickednesse may be set at freedome and liberty That we may haue melting hearts acknowledging that by the bloud of Christ our sins are forgiuen that through a stedfast faith in his bloud sure hope in his mercy we may seale vp that peace which floweth from the pacification purchased by the offering vp of his owne body Now when I see mine owne conscience pacified and my soule so washed from the spots of corruption that all my sinnes are forgiuen me am I not happy and this can neuer be except in your hearts ye be as attentiue as with your eares ye are to heare me But if this matter as it is heard by the eare so it were learned remeÌ„bred by the heart we should see greater profite in sanctification and newnesse of life this day then we do and death would not be so fearefull to many as it is For the ready way to eschue the feare of death is not to delay your repentaÌ„ce but let the whole course of your life be a continuall repentance Happy is he that learneth this lesson and more then happy is he that followeth it and as vnhappy he that neuer practiseth it The Lord worke so with vs grant vs such increase of his Spirit that we may follow it and study to practise it in our life and conuersation The Lord grant this for the righteous merits of Iesus Christ to whom with the Father and the holy Spirit be all praise honour and glory for now and for euer Amen THE NINTH SERMON VPON ISAIAH CHAPTER 38. 12 Mine habitation is departed and is remoued from me like a shepheards tent I haue cut off like a weauer my life he will cut me off from the height from day to night thou wilt make an end of me 13 I reckoned to the morning but he brake all my bones like a Lion from day to night wilt thou make an end of me 14 Like a Crane or Swallow so did I chatter I did mourne as a Doue mine eyes were lift vp on high O Lord it hath oppressed me comfort me IN our last sermon welbeloued in Christ Iesus the Prophet assureth the King of his health by a wonderfull signe which was giuen to him The manner and forme of the manifesting of the signe was this The King seeketh a signe and the Lord granteth a signe vnto him and after the same manner that he sought a signe it was giuen to him Thirdly the Lord manifesteth this signe by his owne power and vertue without the support of any creature The King seeketh a signe not that he is distrustfull of Gods promise nor yet to tempt God as the wicked do but he seeketh a signe to strengthen his beliefe in the Lords promise He belieueth the promise yet his beliefe was weake and to strengthen his weake faiâ—h he seeketh the signe The thing that weakeneth his beliefe was this The Prophet in an houre and shorter space cometh to the King and proposeth two contrarie sentences Fiâ—st he saith to him Make thee readie thou must die in an instant of time he pronounceth the plaine contrarie and saith Thou shalt liue both these two could not stand Therefore he seeketh a signe to strengthen
that ye haue your life and the commodities of it ready to lay downe at his feete ready to offer vp in sacrifice when it pleaseth him Of this I shall gather one or two notes and so I shall end this present exercise The first thing that I wil you to marke is the contrary voices that this King vttereth in the 14. verse and in the verse foregoing Reade these verses and ye shall see how contrary he is to himselfe In the 13. verse ye see he vttereth voices full of doubting and as it appeareth full of despaire at the least full of doubting he vttereth such voices as if God had bene his deadly enemy In the fourteenth ver he vttereth the flat contrary And he maketh his recourse to the same God whom he seeemeth to make his enemy in the 13. verse and he seeketh a blessing of him which testifieth that he trusted in him for none can call on him in whom they trust not So this is his behauiour in this disease one while he thinketh God a consuming fire another while he hath his recouse to him as his onely refuge One while he vttereth voices full of doubting another while he vttereth voices full of confidence Now the question ariseth Is it possible that faith and doubting can haue place both in one soule I say it is very possible there is neuer a one of the seruants of God but they haue had it And this is sure that there is no conscience so at rest that it is without al trouble and no estate of men so quiet that is without some inquietnesse in this life for it is the custome of God to bring his dearest children sometime into doubting suppose he do so yet in the meane time he susteineth them from despaire Know we not that this faith of ours is imperfect subiect to a continuall growing and progresse but neuer coming to a perfection so long as we are here subiect to stammering to manifold errors wrastlings and doubtings Yet all these imperfections are freely pardoned in the righteous merites of Iesus Christ. Where is that soule or who is he that hath that soule â—hat if he will examine his faith with the absolute perfection that is in the nature of God to whon nothing is pleasant but that which is perfect who shall not fall in doubting so soone as he beholdeth him Examine your faith with that perfection which is commanded in the Scriptures and with that progresse that is wished for in the holy Scriptures who shall not doubt By this examination let him but cast downe his eyes on the manifold corruption that is in him and on the heauy iudgement of God that hangeth ouer both body and soule for sinne and who will not doubt It is not possible but he must doubt hauing his eyes bent on himselfe and his affections wherewith he is defiled So I say doubting is common to all the best seruants of God There is none of you that will esteeme Paul to haue bene one of the worst and yet his words declare that there was a doubting in his soule for 2. Corinth 4.8 he sayth plainely we are alwayes in affliction but not in distresse We are in doubt but we despaire not So he granteth that there is a doubting in the soule that hath faith onely he denieth despaire As if he would say I giue you to vnderstand that doubting may stand in the soule with faith but not to despaire for the word despaire importeth of it selfe the cutting of the pillars of our beliefe Therefore faith and despaire cannot both stand in one soule But faith and doubting do lodge in my soule and shall lodge in all the soules of the faithfull to the end of the world Vnder doubting he comprehendeth all the errors tentations stammerings and wrastlings wherewith our faith is assaulted full oft which makes vs sometimes incline to despaire sometimes to hope whilest we looke on our selues to despaire and whilest we looke on the mercy of God in Christ Iesus to hope Now the Apostle taketh this doubting to himselfe as a thing whereunto all Christians are subiect There are few of you that know what this meaneth although it is certaine ye may be visited this way therefore keepe in memory this that suppose ye haue not to do with it your selues yet ye may vse it when you visite others for seeing we carry about with vs these bodyes of sinne for the spirit of faith and sanctification filleth not all the soule in this life and the largest part of the soule being defiled with this remanent corruption it must vtter such stuffe as it hath to wit doubting and stammering Now seeing there remaineth in the greatest part this corruption of necessity it must be occupied in doing it must be working And what bringeth it forth Sinne. And what doth the multiplication of sinne but hindereth our faith and perswasion and casteth a veile and a mist betwixt the sight of God and vs and therefore the Prophet calleth it a separation whereby we are depriued of the sight of God which we haue in the Mediator Christ. Seeing then so long as we are in these bodies of â—lay we are subiect to sinne we cannot but doubt For suppose we fall not into these grosse iniquities yet sinne and the guiltinesse thereof bringeth a doubting and casteth a veile ouer the eye of our faith and this veile being on the eye of our fayth out of question it hindreth our perswasion and maketh vs not to be so stedfast in our beliefe as otherwise we would be for he that seeth euill will oft times take one thing for another So this corruption is the cause of our doubting which in some measure is euer in the soule Now what learne we of this first we learne this coÌ„fort that it is no new thing to the seruants of God to vtter contrary voices in their great trouble to vtter voices proceeding of a deepe sense of the loue and the mercy of God in one word and in another word to vtter a feâ—ling of his hatred and wrath as if he were our deadly enemy Sometimes this King vttereth words full of doubting sometime he seeketh benefites of him as he were his good friend Christ vsed these contrary voices There was neuer a speciall seruant of God but they had them And Christ had them himselfe more then any seruant that he hath not proceeding of any doubting or mistrust in the mercy of his Father because in him there was no roote of infidelity but coming of the feeling of his extreme wrath for a time Looke Matthew 26. There he sayth twise ouer Let this cup depart from me And againe he taketh vp himselfe and he sath Not I as will but as thou wilt These are quite contrary he saith to God why hast thou forsaken me and yet he calleth him my God my God So I say it is no new thing to the seruants of God being in trouble and hauing
Sunne whereof ye heard and heauen and earth shall perish ere a iot of his promise faile Yet notwithstanding this is true that there is such a constancie and fidelitie in him all these promises will not auaile vs except the Lord prepare our hearts yea except he sanctifie our hearts by meanes of faith that in our soules we may see this truth we shall neuer regard it and except he giue vs a heart to apply this truth all the promises which he hath made and is to make serue for no vse to vs. Therefore it is the dutie of all Christians to be instant in crauing that the Lord would prepare their hearts by faith that seeing him in their minds and feeling him in their hearts they may find his mercie and truth and repose in them for euer After this we entred into the recommendation of the word of God and generally we praysed the word from this that we haue the benefit of this temporall life by it as this is true in generall so he goeth forward and praiseth the word from his owne experience in particular and he granteth that not onely he hath the benefit of this temporall life by the word but of the spirituall also And as he hath the life whereby he liueth in his body by it so he hath by it the life whereby he liueth in the soule For as there is a life and death of the bodie so there is a life and death of the soule The life of the bodie may be conioyned well with the death of the soule for we may liue in the bodie and be dead in the soule at one time Also the death of the bodie may stand with the life of the soule for we may depart from this life and go to a better The life of the bodie standeth in the presence of the soule but the life of the soule standeth in the presence of the Spirit of life except our soules be borne anew againe by the vertue of that Spirit of life it is not possible that we can see God and taste of his ioy For by nature we are not onely hurt lame maimed but altogeâ—her dead in sinne so that looke how voide a corps is of a naturall life as voide are we of a heauenly and spirituall life The reason is this where death hath place there life must be wholly put out But by nature death hath place in vs therefore the spiâ—ituall life must be wholly put out If the Spiâ—it of life be wholly put out there remaineth not so much as a breath out of the which any good cogitations or actions may proceede If so be there is not so much as one breath where is all that free-will of the Papists where is that integritie which remaineth in the filthie nature Then I say we naturally remaine in the death of bodie and soule still vntill that by the paâ—ticipation of the Spirit of life which dwelleth in the bodie of Christ vntill I say that this Spirit free vs from sin and death And so vntill this time we shall neuer mount aboue the clouds nor see the face of God And therefore as I exhorted you the last day so I insist in the same exhortation now that euery one of you marke and perceiue your selues whether you haue such a life begun in you or not I gaue you three effects which will neuer deceiue you The first is if ye find your selues refreshed and recreate in your spirits from the terrours of your conscience and the feare of sinne which recreation and refreshment of the spirit is called that peace that passeth all vnderstanding whereof the world is ignorant he that findeth any of this if it were neuer so little within him no question he hath this life begun in him and the more this peace is augmented the more the life groweth But this peace groweth by remoouing of sinne Therefore our whole studie should be to remooue sinne for the onely thing that troubleth the conscience is sinne Take away sinne the conscience shall be at rest Wherefore this was the chiefe effect I willed you to take heede vnto The second effect is ioy and reioycing vnder trouble For we see trouble of the owne nature bringeth not foorth this effect but rather bringeth foorth sorrow heauinesse and lamentation Then when our spirit is so disposed that vnder trouble we reioyce and glorie in it this is the Spirit of life This ioy is not in all troubles it is not in the trouble which we procure but onely in the trouble which we sustaine for righteousnesse sake and which we sustaine for Christ his sake The third effect is if ye haue a loue of God and good men and a hatred of euill where these effects are in any measure no doubt but the Spirit of life is there As by the contrary where there is a loue of wicked and euill men no question let them speake of Christ as they will the spirit of the diuell hath full dominion This Spirit of life we shew was entertained by nourishing of the knowledge of God when we edifie our selues in our most holy faith when we nourish the exercise of prayer As by the contrary the Spirit is put out when by our euill doings we put out the knowledge of God when we diminish our perswasion of his mercie in Christ fall from the exercise of prayer Then ye that haue this life begunne nourish it by well doing for by well doing no question our faith is corroborate Delight therefore in well doing sow in the Spirit and not in the flesh run not with the thiefe nor consent not with the murtherer for so ye shall be participant of their punishment but sow in the Spirit and of this ye shall reape an euerlasting and comfortable life where otherwise of sinne ye shall reape nothing but shame and euerlasting condemnation I haue discoursed long on this head because it is very necessarie and I would wish you to consider of these things Thinke on the great benefits of God granted vnto this countrey Thinke againe vpon our ingratitude and vnnaturall behauiour There is no Christian that will weigh these two in one ballance but he shall conclude that it is wonderfull why the Lord suffereth iniquitie in this countrey so long to be vnpunished Formerly when there was but crums of the bread of life they ran to seeke it so that they compassed both sea and land and spared neither trauell nor cost to be ingrafted into the kingdome of Christ But now when there is plentie of it we haue taken such a lothsomnesse thereof that we abuse the liberalitie of God offered to vs and turne his grace and mercie into vengeance on our owne heads For as to the multitude ye see that they haue alreadie preferred the leauen of the Pharises and gone to mumchances mumries and vnknowne language wherein they pudled before As to the noble and gentlemen they are so drunken with sacriledge that rather then they will render these goods
precious corner Albeit in this point among the rest we haue this petition to seeke at God that howsoeuer it be a stumbling stone vnto them it may remaine a sure foundation ground-stone to vs on the which we being builded as liuely stones may be an holy Temple to our Lord and that the Lord in time would preuent this vtter extermination which the diuell in his rage and members intend Thus farre concerning the particulars by iust proportion betwixt that singular deliuery from Senacherib and our deliuery from Spaine Now what resteth ye see in the 7. verse he is rauished in admiration of the great work and of this great benefit And what doeth he he bursteth forth in the pithy sentence Thou euen thou art terible as if he would say Thou only euen thou art terrible hast not any match or cōpanion For the proudest man in the earth he that is most high in his own conceit is not able to strike any such terror as to dash a man or stupifie his senses This terror is proper to God only it is he only that giueth the heart to men and spoyleth them of this heart when he pleaseth and casteth them into a dead sleepe Therefore this onely is proper to God And wherefore is it that he doubleth the Pronoune Thou thou but to testifie that it is he onely that is terrible He proueth this in the end of the verse how By an interrogation there saying Who is able to stand and abide in his presence if once his anger beginneth neuer so little to kindle Looke to the diuell what became of him from the time he presumed to make himselfe companion to him He was cast downe out of heauen perpetually Looke to Adam from the time he beganne to follow the wit of the diuell and presumed in himselfe he was cast out of Paradise And so there is no creature that can abide in the presence of God of it selfe For how is it possible that we that are stubble can abide in the presence of a consuming fire Is not stubble the mater of fyre euen so we that are conceiued in sinne borne in sinne and are but a masse of sinnes we are no more but as stubble is to the fyre so are we in the presence of God who is a consuming fire except we haur a sconce except we haue Christ Iesus to stand betwixt vs and him And therefore he is appointed to be a mediator and intercessor to stand betwixt vs and God the Father to make our prayers acceptable his merits step in betwixt the Father and vs his iustice couereth our wickednesse his purity couereth our impurity that vnder this couerture the Father may be well satisfied we may stand in his presence be defended from the diuel and all enemies Otherwise there is no creature able to stand in the presence of God What teacheth this vs It letteth vs see the great weaknesse infirmity of the creature in respect of the Creator Is not this a great weaknesse when the blessed Angels although they stand shal stand by grace yet they are not able to behold his countenance but must couer their faces with their wings how much more are other creatures vnable to stand in his presence And yet notwithstanding all this great infirmity which is in vs which are but wormes of the earth sinfull flesh will sometime forget it selfe so that in it owne conceit it will match it selfe with God and in his word despite him and prouoke him to the combat as it were as Iuliā did I haue heard of him that hath prouoked God to combat and it hath come to mine eares this is blasphemy If it be true that man is fallen into the hands of the liuing God And suppose he be delayed because the Lord is long suffering to try his repentance if he abuse the Lords patience that by blasphemies his wrath be nourished and his anger as it were with coales incensed heauy shall his end be Well it is an heauy thing that he is fallen into the hands of such a God Iest not with the maiesty of God whateuer ye do with flesh Indeed it is no new thing for flesh to misse-know it selfe and specially whilest he hath cast them into a reprobate sense and spoyled them not onely of supernaturall light but of naturall also Alas they know not what torments abideth them nor the terrible hell that is prepared for them except God preuent them in his mercy Indeed I wish that God may preuent them who vtter these blasphemies and if it be possible they may be reclaimed that their life may testifie their repentance And now to end this present exercise that I and so many of you as are to communicate may dresse vs to that Table let vs remember that he is onely terrible and seeing he only is terrible because he is onely Lord of body soule onely he hath power to saue and cast away And seeing it is so let vs feare and retyre our selues to him who is able to preserue and keepe both body and soule and sanctifie them throughout and present them blamelesse at that great day of the glorious appearing of Iesus Christ. To whom with the Father and the holy Ghost be all honour praise and glory both now and for euer Amen THE THIRTEENTH SERMON VPON THE 76. PSALME 8 Thou diddest cause thy iudgment to be heard from heauen therefore the earth feared and was still When thou O God arose to iudgement to helpe all the meeke of the earth Selah 10 Surely the rage of man shall turne to thy praise the remnant of the rage shalt thou restraine 11 Vow and performe vnto the Lord your God all ye that be round about him let them bring presents vnto him that ought to be feared 12 He shall cut off the spirit of Princes he is terrible to the Kings of the earth WE deuided welbeloued in Christ Iesus this Psalme in three parts In the first part there was propounded vnto you certaine benefits wherein the Lord sheweth himselfe exceeding mercifull and gracious to his Church The benefits wherein he sheweth himselfe so gracious were two namely The first and chiefe benefit wherein he sheweth himselfe exceeding mercifull to his Church was this that he had reuealed himselfe to her by a familiar and heauenly reuelation For why the Church knoweth not onely that which may be knowne of God by a generall knowledge which is common to the whole world but she knoweth that which may be knowne of God by a speciall knowledge heauenly reuelation and supernaturall light the which supernaturall light and heauenly reuelation maketh vs to be counted the children of the light and of the day Which supernaturall light seuereth vs from the rest of the world who are darknesse and the children of the night supernaturall light is proper to the Church onely so that there is none that can know God rightly but they who haue receiued of this
as if he had offended no creature he addresseth him to God and craueth pardon and mercy for his sinnes of him onely So this is the true repentance where men and women although they haue offended the creatures yet they run to God onely to seeke remission And indeed this is the right way for why it is onely God that can forgiue them their sinnes although they haue offended men women there is no man nor woman that is able to purge theâ—r conscience to take away the guiltinesse of sinne in their conscience It is onely God who by the vertue of the bloud of his Son doth purge the conscience Therefore they addresse them to God onely Properly also it is him whom they haue offended for as for men and women they may escape their eies but it is not possible that they can escape the all-seeing eye of God who seeth the sins of the heart as well as the sins of the body Therefore in respect of his all-seeing eye it becometh them specially to haue recourse to him to addresse them to him onely This is called the godly sorrow In this part ye haue onely this to beware of for the diuell is euer ready at thine hand and this caution is not onely necessarie for an hard wilfull heart but if men and women through the weightinesse of their sinnes conceiue ouerdeep sorrow in their hearts in this case they would be helped For I say at that time the diuel is present and so soone as he perceiueth thee beaten downe with the consideration of thine owne sins that thou art as it were presently in the pit of hell then he is busie to make thee to doubt to make thee to despaire and to make thee to thinke that thy sinnes are so many so vglie and so great that the Lord wil neuer forgiue them and casteth in this or that stay before thee to terrifie thee that thou come not to seeke grace at the throne of grace Therfore men should in this point take heed to themselues they should remit their cogitation not hold it euer fixed vpon the consideration of the vglinesse of their sinnes and weightinesse of their iniquities but thou oughtst to remit these cogitations sometime to take thee to the consideration of the mercy of God to hoise it vp to the consideration of the great goodnes of God to the infinite store of mercy which he hath promised to penitent sinners in Christ Iesus So when thou art cast downe and the diuell would draw thee to desperation withdraw rather thine heart to the coÌ„sideration of the riches of the mercie of God And whatsoeuer thou thinke of thy selfe and the more abiect so thou end in humilitie and not in desperation it is the better thinke nothing of God but more then excellent and of his mercy as a thing that passeth all his works an infinite thing that cannot be compassed For of all sinnes that can be committed I esteeme this the greatest when a man in his heart will match the greatnesse of his iniquitie with the infinite weight of the mercie of God when the diuell by his suggestion maketh thee to beleeue that thy sins are greater then the mercy of God and his mercy although it be infinit lesse then thy sinnes Of all sinnes I thinke this the greatest for in this thou spoilest God of his maiestie of his infinite power thou makest him not a God For if he were not infinite in all things he were not a God So I say in true dolor to preuent this thing men must not sticke perpetually vpon the consideration of their sins but sometime it is necessary that they withdraw their cogitation This sorow where it is appeareth in the effects For if the effects of it appeare not in thy life thy repentance is not true Where this godly dolor is first it bringeth forth in that person a hatred of that which God hateth it maketh that person to agree with God in that he hateth the thing which God hateth and loueth the thing which he loueth It worketh then first an hatred of sinne which God hateth This hatred of sinne bringeth forth a turning from sinne For I could neuer turne from it if I hated it not This turning from the sinne bringeth forth a flight that is a further turning continuance in departing This flight from sinne bringeth forth a care and studie how to please God and this studie bringeth a more earnest care how to hold fast that hold of him which thou hast gotten to retaine his fauour which thou hast felt All these effects flow froÌ„ the right sorrow dolor This part of repentance is called mortification or as the Ancients call it Contrition It is called mortification because by the power of the Spirit which worketh this dolor sinne is mortified It slayeth the lusts and affections that are in me it taketh away the strength and power of sinne within me in respect of the which slaughter it is called mortification For Christ not onely ouercame sin and death hell by vertue of his death perfectly in his owne person but he spoyled sin and death of his power and caried such a rich honourable triumph ouer them all that sin hath lost his power and death hath lost his sting So that whosoeuer can get hold of Christ and his power by the vertue therof sinne shall die in him and his affections shall be dayly by litle litle slaine In respect of the which effects this part of repentance is called mortification Of this godly sorrow springeth the other part of repentance whereby we turne our harts to God apply the mercie of God to our selues And this part is called by the Prophets conuersion by the Apostle himselfe Rom. 2. Circumcision of the heart And Christ speaking of repentance he speaketh of it vnder the name of conuersion as the chiefe part of repentance speaking to the men of Galilee Luk. 13. Except also ye repent ye shall all perish also that is except ye turne also This conuersion whereby our hearts are turned vnto God floweth from this godly sorrow But take heed this turning is not the first effect it is not wrought in an instant of time It is not possible that the conscience that is onely terrified with the sight of the owne sinnes can turne vnto God It is a great matter to the heart that feeleth the wrath of God in so great measure to wrastle out against desperation much more to turne vnto him It is a greater matter to the soule that is vnder the feare of hell and euerlasting death to turne vnto him But so long as I find him a fire burning me vp as stubble no question I must flie from him So long as the present torment remaineth in mine heart it is not possible that I can turne to him Therefore there goeth before this turning a feeling of mercie a feeling of his peace a feeling of his
kings life shewed in two similitudes 1. Similitude Doctrine to be gathered of the first similitude Why the Patriarkes dwelled in tents The second similitude Application His words beside the diseaâ—e of the bodie vtter the disease of his soule Why the Lord suffereth his children to fall into the disease of the soule Application By what waieâ— Hezechiah sought God Why the K. sought the prorogation of his dayes In what respect it is lawfull to seeke the prorogation of dayes First lesson Whether faith and doubting may be in a soule or not What the Apostle comprehendeth vnder doubting Doctrine The contrary voices that Christ vsed in his trouble The King teacheth vs how to pray in extremity Note Repetition Diuision Three things that the King granteth in his thanksgiuing Sacrifice of thanksgiuing haue succeeded to corporall sacrâ—fices of the law In thanksgiuing three things are to be marked A good conscience thanketh God euer for his benefits The King sheweth the greatnesse of the benefit receiued Deut. 32. Exed 32. Isa. 48. Isa. 43. An effect which issued out of the benefit The sweetnes of the benefite maketh him to burst forth into the praise of the word first in generall next in particular Math 4. How a man shall know if the Spirit of life be begun in him How the Spirit is said to be nourished in vs how he is said to be banished 1. Cor. 15. Recapitulation Application Diuision Application The manner how the King was deliuered Sin is the only thing that is punished in the wicked purged in the godly Lesson Remission of sinnes cureth all diseases When God forgiueth he also forgetteth God onely forgiueth sinner The cause that moued God to forgiue him his sinnes The reasonâ— wherfore the Lord forgaue him his sinneâ— They that are dead in their body leaue not off the execise of praise in â—heir soule 1. Obseruation 2. Obseruation Why the Lord worketh by means and second causes First end Second end Third end The purpose of the Prophet in this psalme Exhortation to be thankfull The diuision of the Psalme A mercy that God is neare vnto his people What is meant by the name of God in this place The true knowledge of God and the true praise of God accompany others mutually Application The profite thâ—t redoundeth to vs of giuing thanks A Prayer Verse 2. A mercie for God to lodge with his people Application A Prayer Diuision Application What is it that dislodges God What is meant by the moâ—ntâ—ines of prey Lesson Verse 5.6 How this victory was obtained How the Lord is said to rebuke Gods formall dealing with his Church What are the ends wherefore the Lord appointed enemies to his Church First end 2. end 3. end Verse 7. The end of his mercy is admiration Conclusion Recapitulation Diuision Verse 8. God onely did this great worke The effects of this great worke Vse Verse 9. The time of this great iudgement The time of Gods sitting He answered to an obiection of the Church Answer Exhortation to thankfulnesse Hope How hope differeth from faith The life of Hope Doctrine Hope and mourning may stand together How to know when God heareth our prayer though he granteth not instantly our suite Notâ— Constant mourning in trouble assures certaine deliuerance Note Lesson Lesson Why the Lord delayeth to helpe his Seruants He that belieueth shall not make hast A mysticall meaning The Prophet and Apostle reconciled Lesson The end why our prayers are heard Lesson Two sorts of abusing the grace of God Note Euil thoughtâ— make vs not guiltie if resisted Lesson The heads to be intreated of in this Sermon What is the chiefe thing that young men should flee What is meant by the lusts of youth Whereof cometh the restraint of sinne Why the Lord restraineth impiety Note Note An exhortation to the Lord Bothwell Whaâ— things yong men should chielfly seeke after Heads to be intreated of repentance Definition of repentance Two sorts of repentance In what respects the worldly sorrow is called blind terror What is the godly and right sorow A caution to be obserued in this part of repentance What is the greatest sinne a man may commit The effects of this godly dolor Why this part of repentance is called mortification Note A feeling and hope of mercie goâ—th before conuersion Why this part of repentance is called viuification There nothing that the diuel staieth more nor our confessioÌ„ A caution to be obserued in this part of repentance Two sorts of repentance Conclusion M. Patrik Adamson late Bishop of S. Andrewes The heads to be intreated of What it is to rule in the Lord.