Justification then now thou standest as afar off and darest scare look up to heaven but smitest on thy breast and saist Lord be mercifull to me a sinner Luke 18.11 12 13 14. Not that extortioners unjust adulterers or any that are ungodly are justified or can be saved while they are such Nor that a smiting on the breast with a Lord be mercifull to me a sinner will serve their turn while they continue in their wicked lives But when thou art brought to accuse and condemn thy self thou art prepared for his grace that must renew and justifie thee None sped better with Christ then the woman that confest her self a dog and begged but for the childrens crums And the Centurion that sent friends to Christ to mediate for him and as being unworthy to come himself and unworthy that Christ should enter under his roof For of the first Christ said O woman great is thy faith be it unto thee even as thou wilt Mat. 15.27 28. And of the second he saith with admiration I have not found so great faith no not in Israel Luke 7.6 7 8.9 Though thou art ready to deny the title of a child and to number thy self with the dogs yet go to him and beg his crums of mercy Though thou think that Christ will not come to such a one as thou and though thou beg prayers of others as thinking he will not hear thy own thou little thinkest how this self-abasement and self-denyal prepareth thee for his tenderest mercies and his esteem When thou art contrite as the dust that 's trodden underfeet and poor and tremblest at the Word then will he look at thee with compassion and respect Isa 66.2 For thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity whose name is holy I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones For I will not contend for ever neither will I be alwayes wroth for the spirit should fail before me and the souls which I have made Isa 57.15 When thou art using the self-condemning words of Paul Rom. 7.14 to 25. I am carnal sold under sin what I would that do I not and what I hate that do I. For I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing I find a law that when I would do good evil is present with me A Law in my members warring against the Law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the Law of sin when thou criest out with him O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death thou art then fitter to look to thy Redeemer and use the following words I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. When thou didst exalt thy self thou wast obnoxious to the stormes of Justice which was engaged to bring thee low But now thou humblest thy self thou liest in the way of Mercy that is engaged to exalt thee Luke 14.11 18.14 Mercy looketh downard and can quickly â—pie a sinner in the dust but cannot leave him there nor deny him compassion and relief Art thou cast out as helpless wounded by thy sin and neglected by all others that pass by Thou art the fittest object for the skill and mercy of him that washeth sinners in his blood and tenderly bindeth up their wounds and undertakes the perfecting of the cure though yet thou must bear the Surgeons hand till his time of perfect cure be come Luke 10.33 34 35. Now thou perceivest the greatness of thy sin and misery thou art fit to study the greatness of his mercy with all Saints to strive to comprehend what is the breadth length depth height and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge Ephes 3.18 19. Now thou hast smitten upon the thigh and said What have I done Jerem. 31.19 8.6 thou art fitter to look unto him that was wounded and smitten for thy transgressions and to consider what he hath done and suffered how he hath born thy grief and carried thy sorrows and was bruised for thy iniquities the chastisment of our peace was laid upon him and we are healed by his stripes All we like sheep have gone astray we have turned every one to his own way and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of 〈◊〉 all Isa 53.4 5 6 c. Art thou in doubt whether there be any forgiveness for thy sins and whether there be any place for Repentance Remember that Christ is exalted by Gods right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour to give Repentnace unto Israel and forgivness of sins Act. 5.31 And that he himself hath spoken it that All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men except the Blasphemy against the Spirit Math. 12.32 And this Forgiveness of sins thou art bound to believe as an Article of thy Creed that it is purchased by Christ and freely offered in the Gospell Mercy did but wait all this while till thou wast brought to understand the want and worth of it that it might be thine When a Peter that denyeth Christ with oaths and cursing goeth out and weepeth he speedily finds mercy from him without that he but now denyed within When so bloody a persecuter as Paul findeth mercy upon his prostration and confession and when so great an offender as Manasseh is forgiven upon his penitence in bonds when all his witchcraft Idolatry and crueltyes are pardoned upon a repentance that might seeme to have been forced by a grievous scourge what sinner that perceives his sin and misery can question his entertainment if he come to Christ Come to him sinner with thy load and burden Come to him with all thy acknowledged unworthyness and try whether he will refuse thee He hath professed that 〈◊〉 that cometh to him he will in no wise 〈◊〉 out Joh. 6.37 He refused not his very murderers when they were pricked at the heart and enquired after a remedie Act. 2.37 And will he refuse thee Hath our Physicion poured out his blood to make a medicine for distracted sinners and now is he unwilling to work the cure Fusus est saâ—guis medici factum est medicamentâ—â— frenetici saith Augustine O siner 〈◊〉 thou art brought to know thy self know Christ also and the cure is done Let thy thoughts of the Remedie be deeper and larger and longer then all thy thoughts of thy Misery It is thy sin and shame if it be not 〈◊〉 Why wilt thou have twenty thoughts of sin and misery for one that thou hast of Christ and mercy when mercy is so large and great and wonderfull as to triumph over misery and Grace aboundeth much more where sin hath abounded Rom 5.20 Inspice vulnera pendentis sanguinem mâ—rientis pretium redimentes cicatrices reâ—â—â—gentis Caput habet inclinatum ad oscular dum cor apertum ad diligendum bracâ—id extensa ad
est superbia elati sed confessio non ingrati habere te cognosce nihil ex te habere ut nec superbus sis nec ingratus Dic Deo tuo quoniam sanctus sum quia sanctificasti me quia accepi nonquae habui quia tu dedisti non quae ego merui saith Augustine This is not the Pride of one lift up but the acknowledgement of one that 's not unthankfull Know that thou hast and know that thou hast nothing of thy self that thou maist neither be proud nor yet unthankfull Say to thy God I am holy fer thou hast sanctified me for I have received what I had not and thou hast given me what I deserved not The Thanksgiving of a faithfull soul is so far from being displeasing to God as a Pharisaical ostentation that it is a great and excellent duty and a most sweet and acceptable sacrifice Psal 50.14.23 Offer unto God thaenksgiving He that offereth praise Glorifieth me 8. And as to the Lords Supper what work they are there like to make that are unacquainted with themselvelves you may conjecture from the nature of the work and the command of self-examination and self-judging Though some may be wellcomed by Christ that have faith and love though they doubt of their sincerity and know not themselves to be children of God yet none can be welcome that know not themselves to be sinners condemned by the Law and needing a Saviour to Reconcile and Justifie them Who will be there humbled at the feet of Grace and thankfull for a Redeemer and hunger and thirst for Sacramental benefits that knoweth not his own unworthiness and necessities O what inestimable mercy would appear in a Sacrament to us in the offers of Christ and saving grace and communion with God and with his Saints if our appetites were but quickned by the knowledge of our selves 9. And I beseech you consider whether all your studies and learning and employments be not irrational preposterous and impertinent while you study not first to know your selves You are nearest to your selves and therefore should be best acquainted with your selves What should you more observe then the case of your own souls and what should you know better then what 's within you and what you carry still about you and that which me thinks you should alwayes feel even the bent of your own estimations and affections the sicknesses of your souls your guilt your wants and greatest necessities All your Learning is but the concomitant of your dotage till you know your selves Your wisest studies are but the workings of a distracted mind while you study not your selves and the things of everlasting consequence The wise man was but derided by the standers by that fell over head into a ditch whilst he was busily taking the height of a Star To study whether it be the Sun or Earth that moveth and not consider what motion is predominant in thy soul and life is a pittifull preposterous study To think more what stars are in the firmament then what Grace is in thy heart and what planet reigneth then what disposition reigneth in thy self and whether the Spirit or flesh have the dominion is but to be learnedly besides thy self Illum ego jure Despiciam qui scit quanto sublimior Atlas Omnibus in Lybia sit montibus hic tamen idem Ignoret quantum ferrata distet ab arca Is it not a laborious madness to travail into far Countreys and compass Sea and land to satisfie a curiosity and to be at so much cost and pains to know the scituation government and manners of the Cities and Countreys of the world and in the mean time to be utterly strange at home and never bestow one day or hour in a serious survey of heart and life To carry about a dark unknown neglected soul while they are travelling to know remotest things that less concern them Me thinks it is a pittifull thing to hear men ingeniously discoursing of the quality laws and customs of other Nations and of the affairs of Princes and Common-wealths and of the riches and commodities of Sea and land and to be mute when they should express their acquaintance with themselves either in confession and prayer to God or in any humble experimental conference with men To trade abroad and utterly neglect the trade of godliness at home To keep correspondency with persons of all degrees and to have no correspondence with themselves To keep their shop-books and accounts with diligence and never regard the Book of Conscience nor keep account of that for which they must ere long be accountable to God It s a pittifull thing to see men turn over voluminous histories to know what hath been done from the beginning of the world and regard no more the history of their own lives nor once look back with penitent remorse upon their ungodly careless Conversations nor say What have we done To see men have well-furnish't Libraries and read over a multitude of Books and never read the state and records of their souls Quid juvat immensos scire atque evolvere casus Si facienda fugis si fugienda facis It maketh you but objects of wonder and compassion to read Laws and Records and understand all Cases and never endeavor to understand the Case of your immortal souls To counsell others for their temporal estates and never understand your own spiritual state To study the mysteries of Nature and search into all the works of God except your selves and that which your happiness or misery doth depend on To study the nature and causes and signs of bodily diseases and their several remedies and never study the diseases of your own souls nor the precious remedy which Mercy hath provided you To cure the sicknesses of other mens bodies and never feel a stony proud or sensual heart nor use any care and industry for the cure To know the matters of all Arts and sciences to be able to discourse of them all to the admiration of the hearers is but an aggravation of thy lamentable folly if thou be all this while a stranger to thy self and that because thou art mindless of thy souls condition You would but laugh at such a Learned fool that knew not how to dress himself or eat or drink or go and yet could talk of the profoundest speculations in Metaphysicks or other sciences It is more necessary to know your selves your sin your duty your hopes your dangers then to know how to eat or drink or cloath your selves Alas it is a pittifull kind of knowledge that will not keep you out of Hell and a foolish wisdom that teacheth you not to save your souls Per veram scientiam itur ad disciplinam per disciplinâ—m ad bonitatem per bonitatem ad beattiudinem saith Hugo Till you know your selves the rest of your knowledge is but a confused dream When you know the thing you know not the end and use and worth of it
a sweet delightful boldness and make you 〈◊〉 to him as your help and refuge in all your necessities When you find the great promise fulfilled to your selves I will put my Law in their hearts and in their minds will I write them and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more you will have boldness to enter into the Holyest by the blood of Jesus by the new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the veil that is to say his flesh And having an high Priest over the house of God you may draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith having your hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience or the conscience of evil as your bodies are washed in baptism with pure water Heb. 10.16 17 18 19 20 21 22. In Christ we may have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him Eph. 3.12 This intimate acquaintance with our great High Priest that is passed into the Heavens and yet abideth and reigneth in our hearts will encourage us to hold fast our profession and to come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need Heb. 4.14 16. When by unfeigned Love we know that we are of the truth and may assure our hearts before him and our Heart condemneth us not then we have confidence towards God and whatever we ask we receive of him because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight 1 Joh. 3.18 19 20 21 22. 6. When once you know that you have Christ within you you may cheerfully proceed in the way of Life when doubting Christians that know not whether they are in the way or not are still looking behind them and spend their time in perplexed fears lest they are out of the way and go on with heaviness and trouble as uncertain whether they may not lose their labour and are still questioning their groundwork when the building should go on It is an unspeakable mercy when a believing Soul is freed from these distracting hindering doubts and may bodily and cheerfully hold on his way and be walking or working when other men are fearing and enquiring of the way and may with patience and comfort wait for the reward the â—rown of life when others are still questioning whether they were ever regenerate and whether their hopes have any ground We may be stedfast unmoveable always abounding in the work of the Lord when we know that our labour is not in vain in the Lord 1 Cor. 15.58 We may then gird up the lâ—ins of the mind and in sobriety hope unto the end for the grace that is to be brought us at the Revelation of Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 1.13 7. When you are assured that you have Christ within you it may preserve you from those terrors of soul that affright theâ— that have no such assurance O he thâ—â— knoweth what it is to think of the intolerable wrath of God and says I fear I 〈◊〉 the object of this wrath and must bear thâ—â— intolerable lead everlastingly may knowâ— what a mercy it is to be assured of our escape He that knows what it is to think of Hell and say I know not but those endless flames may be my portion will know what a mercy it is to be assured of deliverance and to be able to say I know I am saved from the wrath to come 1 Thes 1.10 And that we are not of them thâ—â— draw back to perdition but of them that believe to â—he saving of the soul Heb. 10.39 And that God hath not appointed us to wrath but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ who dyed for us that whether we wake or sleep we should live together with him We may comfort our selves together and edifie one another when we have this assurance 1 Thes 5.9 10 11. They that have felt the burden of a wounded spirit and know what it is to feel the terrors of the Lord and to see Hell fire as it were before their eyes and to be kept waking by the dreadful apprehensions of their danger to be pursued daily by an accusing conscience setting their sins in order before them and bringing the threatnings of God to their remembrance these persons will understand that to be assured of a Christ within us and consequently of a Christ that is preparing a place in glory for us is a mercy that the mind of man is now unable to value according to the ten thousandth part of its worth 8. Were you assured that Christ himself is in you it would sweeten all the mercies of your lives It would assure you that they are all the pledges of his love And love in all would be the Kernel and the Life of all your friends your health your wealth your deliverances would be steeped in the dearest Love of Christ and have a spiritual sweetnss in them when to the worldling they have but a carnal unwholsome luscious sweetness and to the doubting Christians they will be turned into troubles while they are questioning the Love and meaning of the giver and whether they are sent for good to them or to aggravate their condemnation and the Company of the Giver will advance your estimation of the gift Mean things with the company of our dearest friends are sweeter then abundance in their absence To have money in your purses and goods in your houses and books in your studies and friends in your near and sweet society are all advanced to the higher value when you know that you have also Christ in your hearts and that all these are but the attendants of your Lord and the fruits that drop from the tree of life and the tokens of his Love importing greater things to follow Whereas in the crowd of all those mercies the foul would be uncomfortable or worse if it mist the presence of its dearest friend and in the midst of all would live but as in a wilderness and go seeking after Christ with tears as Mary at his Sepulchre because they had taken away her Lord as she thought and she knew not where they had laid him Joh. 20.13 All mercies would be bitter to us if the presence of Christ do not put into them that special sweetness which is above the estimate of sense 9. This assurance would do much to preserve you from the temptation of sensual delights While you had within you the matter of more excellent contentment and when you find that these inferiour pleasures â—re enemies to those which are your happiâ—ess and life you would not be easily taken with the bait The poorest brutish pleasures â—re made much of by them that never were â—cquainted with any better But after the â—weetness of assurance of the Love of God â—ow little relish is there to be found in the pleasures that are so valued by sensual unbeâ—ievers Let them take them for me saith â—he believing soul may I
THE MISCHIEFS OF Self-Ignorance AND THE BENEFITS OF Self-Acquaintance Opened in Divers Sermons at Dunstan's-West And Published in answer to the Accusations of some and the Desires of others By Richard Baxter For if a man think himself to be something when he is nothing he deceiveth himself But let every man prove his own work and then shall he have rejoycing in himself alone and not in another For every man shall bear his own burden 〈◊〉 Printed by R. White for F. Tyton at the three daggers in Fleet-street 1662. 〈…〉 To the right Honourable Anne Countess of Balcarres c. Madam THough it be usual in Dedications to proclaim the honour of inscribed names and though the proclaiming of yours be a work that none are like to be offended at that know you they esteeming you the honour of your â—â—x and nation yet that you may see I intend â—ot to displease you by any unsafe or unsaâ—oury applause I shall presume here to lay 〈◊〉 double dishonour upon you The one by â—refixing your name to these lean and hasty â—ermons The other by laying part of the â—ame upon your self and telling the world â—â—at the fault is partly yours that they are â—â—â—blished Not only yours I confess For had it not been for some such auditors as Christ had Luk. 20.20 and Mark 12.13 and for the frequent reports of such as are mentioned Psal 35.11 I had not written down all that I delivered and so had been uncapable of so easily answering your desires But it was you that was not content to hear them but have invited them to recite their message more publikely as if that were like to be valued and effectual upon common hearts which through your strength of charity and holy appetite is so with yours My own thoughts went in the middle way neither thinking as those that accused these Sermons of injurious tendencie against I know not whom or what that have been so long in contention that they dream they are still contending and fancie every word they hear from those that their uncharitableness calleth adversaries to signifie some hostile terrible thing as the scalded head doth fear cold water nor yet did I thinke them worthy to be tendered by such a publication to the world But valuing your judgement and knowing that the subject is of great necessity though the manner of handling be dull and dry I hope it may be profitable to some and I find nothing in it to be hurtful unto any anâ— therefore submit and leave you both to bear the blame and take the thanks if any be returned I perceive you value the subjects which you have found in the practice of your soul to be most useful As they that know God would fain have all others to know him so those that know themselves do love the Glass and would have others to make use of it I wonder not if your experience of the benefits of self-acquaintance provoke you to desire to have more partakers in so profitable and so sweet aâ—knowledge Had you not known your self you had never known your Saiviour your God your way and â—our end as you have done you had never â—een so well acquainted with the symptomes â—nd cure of the diseases of the Soul the â—ature and exercise of grace the way â—f mortification and the comfortable â—upports refreshments and fore-tasts of â—eavenly believers you had never so clearly â—â—en the vanity of all the pomp and fulness â—f the world nor so easily and resolutely deâ—ised its flatteries and baits nor so quietly â—â—rn variety of afflictions nor imitated â—oses Heb. 11.25 26. nor received the 〈◊〉 Character Psal 15. He that is a stranger 〈◊〉 himself his sin his misery his necessity c. is a stranger to God and to all that might denominate him wise or happy To have taken the true measure of our capacities abilities infirmities and necessities and thereupon to perceive what is really BEST FOR VS and most agreeable to our case is the first part of true practical saving knnowledge Did the distracted mindless world consider what work they have at home for their most serious thoughts and care and diligence and of what unspeakable concernment and necessity it is and that men carry within them the matter of their final doom and the beginning of endless Joy or sorrows they would be called home from their busie-idleness their laborious-loss of precious time and unprofitable vagaries and would be studying their hearts while they are doting about a multitude of impertinencies and would be pleasing God while they are purveying for the flesh and they would see that it more concerneth them to know the day of their salvation and now to lay up a-treasure in Heaven that they may die in faith and live in everlasting Joy and Glory than iâ— the crowd and noise of the ambitious covetous voluptuous Sensualists to run after a feather till time is past and mercy gone and endless woe hath unexpectedly surprized them Yet do these dead men think they live because they laugh and talke and ride and goe and dwell among gnats and flies in the sun shine and not with worms and dust in darkness They think they are awake because they dream that they are busie and that they are doing the works of men because they make a pudder and a noise for finer cloaths and larger room and sweeter morsels and lower congees and submissions than their poorer undeceived neighbours have They think they are sailing to felicity because they are tossed up and down And if they can play the Jacks among the fishes or the wolves or foxes in the flocks of Christ or if they can attain to the honour of a Pestilence to be able to do a great deal of â—urt they are proud of it and look as high â—s if they saw neither the Grave nor Hell â—or knew how quickly they must be taken down and laid so low that the Righteous shall see it and fear and laugh at â—hem saying Lo this is the man that made not God his strength but trusted in â—he abundance of his riches and strengthâ—ed himself in his wickedness Psal 52. â— 7. Behold these are the ungodly that â—rosper in the world and increase in richâ—s surely they are set in slippery places and cast down to destruction and brought to desolation as in a moment and utterly consumed with terrors As a dream when one awaketh so O Lord when thou awakest thou shalt despise their image Psal 73. Though while they lived they blessed themselves and were praised by mâ—n yet when they die they carry nothing away their glory shall not descend after them like sheep they are laid in the grave death shall feed on them and the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning Man in honour abideth not he is like the beasts that perish This their way is their folly yet their posterity approve their sayings Psal 49. As the proverb is At last the wolfs skin is
if you â—ere ofter in your hearts Prayer would not â—eem needless if you knew your needs Know your selves and be prayerless if you can When the Prodigal was convinced he presently purposeth to Confess and Pray When Paul was converted Ananias hath this evidence of it from God Behold he prayeth Act. 9.11 Indeed the inward part of prayer is the motion of a returning soul to God saith Hugo Oratio est piae mentis humilis ad Deum conversio fide spe charitate subnixa Prayer is the turning of a pious humble soul to God leaning upon faith hope and love It is Oranti subsidium Deo sacrificium daemonibus flagellum The relief of the Petitioner the sacrifice of God the scourge of Devils And self-knowledge would teach men how to pray Your own hearts would be the best Prayer-books to you if you were skilfull in reading them Did you see what sin is and in what Relation you stand to God to Heaven and Hell it would drive you above your beads and lifeless words of course and make you know that 〈◊〉 pray to God for pardon and salvation 〈◊〉 not a work for a sleepy soul saith 〈◊〉 Ille Deo veram Orationem exhibet 〈◊〉 metipsum cognoscit quia pulvis sit 〈◊〉 videt qui nihil sibi virtutis tribuit 〈◊〉 He offereth the truest prayer to God 〈◊〉 knoweth himself that humbly seeth he is but dust and ascribeth not vertue to himself c. Nothing quencheth prayer more then to be mistaken or mindless about our selves When we go from home this fire goes out But when we return and search our hearts and see the sins the wants the weaknesses that are there and perceive the danger that is before us and withall the glorious hopes that are offered us here 's fuell and bellows to enflame the soul and cure it of its drowsiness and dumbness Help any sinner to a clearer light to see into his heart and life and to a livelyer sense of his own condition and I warrant you he will be more disposed to fervent prayer and will better understand the meaning of those words Luke 18.1 That men ought alwayes to pray and not to faint and 1 Thes 5.17 Pray without ceasing You may hear some impious persons now disputing against frequent and fervent prayer and saying What need all this ado But if you were able to open these mens eyes and shew them what is within them and before them you would quickly answer all their arguments and convince them better then words can do and put an end to the dispute You would set all the prayerless families in Town and Country Gentlemens and poor mens on fervent calling upon God if you could but help them to such a sight of their sin and danger as shortly the stoutest of them must have Why do they pray and call for prayers when they come to die but that they begin a little better to know themselves They see then that youth and health and honour are not the things nor make them not so happy as befooling prosperity once perswaded them Did they believe and consider what God saith of them and not what flattery and self-love say it would open the mouths of them that are most speechless But those that are born deaf are alwayes dumb How can they speak that language with desire to God which they never learn't by faith from God or by knowledge of themselves And self-knowledge would teach men what to ask They would feel most need of spiritual mercies and beg hardest for them and for outward things they would ask but for their daily bread and not be foolishly importunate with God for that which they know not to be suitable or good for them Fideliter supplicans Deo pro necessitatibus hujus vitae miserecorditer auditur miserecorditer non auditur Quid enim infirmo sit utilius magis novit medicus quam agrotus saith Prosper It s mercy to be denyed sometimes when we pray for outward things Our Physition and not we must choose our Physick and prescribe our diet And if men knew themselves it would teach them on what terms to expect the hearing of their prayers Neither to be accepted for their merits nor yet to be accepted without that faith and Repentance and desire that seriousness humility and sincerity of heart which the very nature of Prayer to God doth contain or presuppose He that nameth the name of Christ must depart from iniquity 2 Tim. 2.19 and must wash himself and make him clean and put away the evil of his doings from before the eyes of God and cease to do evil and learn to do well Isa 1.16 17. As knowing that though a Simon Magus must Repent and Pray Acts 8.22 and the wicked in forsaking his way and thoughts and returning to the Lord must seek him while he may be found and call upon him while he is near Isa 55.6 7. and the prayers of a humbled Publican are heard when he sets his prayer against his sins Yet if he would cherish his sin by prayer and flatter himself into a presumption and security in a wicked life because he useth to ask God forgiveness iâ— he thus regard iniquity in his heart God will not hear his prayers Psal 66.18 and we know that such impenitent sinners God heareth not John 9.31 And thus the prayers of the wicked as wicked which are not a withdrawing from his wickedness but a bolster of his security and as a craving of protection and leave to sin are but an abomination to the Lord Prov. 17.8 28 9. Ferrum prius extrahendum The bullet the thorn must be first got out before any medicine can heal their wounds Saith Augustine Plus Deo placet latratus canum mugitus boum grunnitus porcorum quan cantus clericorum luxuriantium The barking of dogs the lowing of beasts the grunting of swine doth please God better then the singing of luxuriant Clergy men Did men know themselves and who they have to do with in their prayers they would not go from Cards and Dice and gluttony and fornication and railing lying or reviling at the servants of the Lord to a few hypocritical words of prayer to salve all till the next time and wipe their mouthâ— as if one sin had procured the forgiveness of another Nor would they shut up a day â—f worldliness ambition sensuality or â—rofaneness with a few heartless words of confession and supplication or with the words of penitence while their hearts are impenitent as if when they have abused God by sin they would make him amends or reconcile him by their mockery Nor would they think to be accepted by Praying for that which they would not have for holiness when they hate it and for deliverance from the sins which they would not be delivered from and would not have their prayers granted 7. If you know not your selves it will unfit you for Thanksgiving Your greatest Mercies will be least
as he goeth further for the world and setteth it nearest to his heart and holds it fastest and will do most for it and consequently loveth it better then Christ he is no true Christian nor in a state of grace The Scriptures put this also out of doubt as you may see Mat. 10.37 38. Luke â—4 26 27 33. He that loveth Father or Mother more then me is not worthy of me c. Whosoever doth not bear his Cross and come after me cannot be my Disciple Whoâ—ver he be of you that forsaketh not all that â—e hath he cannot be my Disciple Know â—e not that the friendship of the world is â—nmity with God Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God â—am 4.4 No wonder then if the world must be renounced in our Baptism Love not the world neither the things that are in the world If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him 1 John 2.15 You see by this time what it is to be Regenerate and to be a Christian indeed by what is contained even in our Baptism and consequently how you may Know your selves whether you are sanctified and the heirs of heaven or not Again therefore I summon you to appear before your consciences and if indeed these Evidences of regeneration are not in you stop not the sentence but confess your sinfull miserable state and condemn your selves and say no longer I hope yet that my present condition may serve turn and that God will forgive me though I should die without any further change Thosâ— Hopes that you may be saved without reâ—generation or that you are regenerate wheâ— you are not are the pillars of Satans forâ—tress in your hearts and keep you froâ— the saving Hopes of the Regenerate thaâ— that will never make you ashamed Upâ—hold not that which Christ is engageâ— against Down it must either by Graâ—â— or Judgement and therefore abuse noâ— your souls by underpropping such an ill-grounded false deceitfull hope You have now time to take it down so orderly and safely as that it fall not on your heads and overwhelm you not for ever But if you stay till death shall undermine it the falâ— will be great and your ruine irreparable If you are wise therefore Know your selves in time II. I have done with that part of my special Exhortation which concerned the unregenerate I am next to speak to those of you that by Grace are brought into a better state and to tell you that it very much concerneth you also even the best of you to labour to be well acquainted with your selves and that both in respect of 1. Your sins and wants and 2. Your Graces and your duties I. Be acquainted with the root and remnant of your sins with your particular inclinations and corrupt affections with their quality their degree and strength with the weaknesses of every grace with your disability to duty and with the omissions or sinfull practises of your lives Search diligently and deeply frequently and accurately peruse your hearts and wayes till you certainly and throughly know your selves And I beseech you let it not suffice you that you know your states and have found your selves in the Love of God in the faith of Christ and possessed by his Spirit Though this be a mercy worth many worlds yet this is not all concerning your selves that you have to know If yet you say that you have no sin you deceive your selves If yet you think you are past all danger your danger is the greater for this mistake As much as you have been humbled for sin as much as you have loathed it and your selves for it as oft as you have confessed it lamented it and complained and prayed against it yet it is alive Though it be mortified it is alive It is said to be mortified as to the prevalency and reign but the relicts of it yet survive were it perfectly dead you were perfectly delivered from it and might say you have no sin but it is not yet so happy with you It will find work for the blood and spirit of Christ and for your selves as long as you are in the flesh And alas too many that know themselves to be upright in the main are yet so much unacquainted with their hearts and lives as to the degrees of grace and sin as that it much disadvantageth them in their Christian progress Go along with me in the carefull observation of these following Evils that may befall even the regenerate by the remnants of self-ignorance 1. The work of Mortification is very much hindered because you know your selves no better as may appear in all these following discoveries 1. You confess not sin to God or man so penitently and sensibly as you ought because you know your selves no better Did you see your inside with a fuller view how deeply would you aggravate your sin How heavily would you charge your selves Repentance would be more intense and more effectual and when you were more contrite you would be more meet for the sense of pardon and for Gods delight Isa 51.15 66.2 It would fill you more with godly shame and self-abhorrence if you better knew your selves It would make you more sensibly say with Paul Rom. 7.23 24. I see another Law in my members warring against the Law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the Law of sin which is in my members O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death And with David Psal 38.18 I will declare my iniquity I will be sorry for my sin 40.12 They are more then the hairs of my head 32.5 I acknowledged my sin unto thee and mine iniquity have I not hid I said I will confess my transgressions to the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin Repentance is the Death of sin and the knowledge of our selves and the sight of our sins is the life of Repentance 2. You pray not against sin for grace and pardon so earnestly as you should because you know your selves no better O that God would but open these too-close hearts unto us and anatomize the relicts of the old man and shew us all the recesses of our self-deceit and the filth of worldliness and carnal inclinations that lurk within us and read us a Lecture upon every part what prayers would it teach us to indite That you be not proud of your holiness let me tell you Christians that a full display of the corruptions that the best of you carry about you would not only take down self-exalting thoughts that you be not lift up above measure but would teach you to pray with fervour and importunity and waken you out of your sleepy indifferency and make you cry O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me If the sight of a Lazar or cripple or naked person move you to compassion though they use no words if the sight
and understand much you cannot in modesty think that all the sense of Scripture about those points is known as exactly to you as to your most judicious Teachers and that you are as able at once to see all the passages of the word and of the fact as may enable you to pass so clear a judgement on it Perhaps you will say that you know your own hearts and actions better then they do I answer You do so or should do so as to the matter of fact and it is you that they must know it from And yet when you have done you may not be able to judge of your State by those acts which you say you know You must shew the Lawyer all your evidences He cannot see them till you shew them him and yet when he seeth them he can judge of them whether they are good or bad and of your title by them better then you can that have the keeping of them because he better understands the Law The Physicion feeleth not your pain nor knoweth it till you tell it him And yet when you have told it him he knows better then you what it signifieth and whether it tendeth and whether be curable or not and what must cure it But perhaps you will say that when you have gone to Ministers and opened your case to them they cannot resolve you but you are still in doubt I answer 1. Perhaps when they have resolved them yet you would not be resolved Have they not told you the truth and you would not believe it Or directed you to Remedies which you would not use They cannot when they have told you the truth compell you to believe it nor when they have told you what will do the cure they cannot make you use it if you refuse 2. And what if the nature of the disease be obstinate and will not be cured easily and at once but with time and diligence and patience Will you therefore think the means are vain Must you at once or in a short time be resolved and delivered from all your doubts about your title to eternal life or else will you cast off all advice should you do so by your bodies you may know what were like to be the issue should your children learn thus of their teachers they were like to make unhappy Schollars As you will not have done with Christ if he cure you not at once nor give over praying if you have not all your desires at once if you love your selves So you must not have done with the Counsel of your Guides if they satisfie not your doubts at once As you cease not hearing them in publike though you have still your doubtings so why should you cease advising with them personally upon that account Use Gods means and be thankful if by degrees they do the care and prevail at last Object But I find it is God only that can speak peace and therefore it is vain to hang on men I answer God speaketh by his word and spirit His word is to be delivered expounded and applyed to you by his Ministers If therefore you will have it from God you must not refuse his own appointed ordinary means The spirit comforteth by the promise As in Conversion God useth not to do it by the spirit without but in and by the Ministery of the word so also in all our directions and satisfaction and comfort afterwards As he that will run from the Ministry of the word because it is God that must convert doth indeed run from God and is not like to be converted so is it in point of assurance and consolation The Teachers of the Church are to be accounted of as the Ministers of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God 1 Cor. 4.1 by whom the people have believed 1 Cor. 3.5 not having dominion over their faith but being helpers of their joy 2 Cor. 1.24 who are comforted in all their tribulations that they might be able to comfort them that are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith they themselves are comforted of God v. 4. They are to be faithful and wise stewards whom the Lord maketh Rulers over his houshold to give them their portion of meat in due season Luk. 12.42 Thus Christ hath given authority to his servants and appointed to every man his work Mark 13.34 and given Pastors and Teachers to his Church for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the son of God to a perfect man Eph. 4.11 12 13. These therefore being Christs officers and this their appointed work we must receive so much of Gods mercies by their hands as belongeth to their office to administer If there be a messenger with him an interpreter one among a thousand to shew unto man his uprightness then God is gracious unto him and saith Deliver him from going down to the pit I have found a ransome Job 33.23 24. So that you see it is Gods way to shew to man his uprightness and to speak peace to souls by his messengers and interpreters that are fitted and authorized thereto Object But it is but few that are able thus to discuss the case of unsetled doubting souls and to give them clear and safe directions that may save them both from presumption and despair In many places the Ministers are senseless of these things and unacquainted with the concernments and works of conscience and have nothing to say to us unless to deride us as scrupulous and precise and bid us not trouble our heads about such matters seeing God is merciful and Christ dyed for sinners They will discourse with us long enough about news or worldly businesses or opinions or controversies but when we open to them the state of our souls and desire their advice for the making our calling and election sure they have no sense or savour of such discourse And many ministers that are truly Conscientious are yet so unskilful and so weak that we have no encouragement to acquaint them with our state To this I answer It cannot be denyed but all this is too true and it is matter of lamentation and must send us to God with the old petition which Christ himself hath put into our mouths Math. 9.37 38. The harvest truly is plenteous but the labourers are few Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he will send forth labourers into his harvest But consider that this is no wonder or unusual thing For all this there is no nation under heaven that hath more able faithful Ministers of Christ then are in these Nations Alas how much of the Church is guided by meer ignorant Readers and how much by superstitious deceivers Did you know the case of the poor Christians in the Ethiopian the Greek and the Roman Churches you would bless God that it is so well with us Even