We shall finde David in great anguish and distresse of spirit Psal 25. 17. 18. The troubles of mine heart are inlarged oh bring thou mee out of my distresses wringing pressing anguishes looke upon my affliction and my paine Here be troubles of heart distresses of spirit affliction and paine But what is it now that thus wrings distresses and paines David See the last words And forgive all my sinnes not forgive all my punishments Davids sin not his punishment was his paine Wee shall see the like in him 2 Sam. 24. 10. I have sinned greatly I beseech thee take away the iniquity of thy servant hee mentions not the taking away of any smart nay Vers 17. He is willing to beare it I have sinned let thine hand be against me He begs that the punishment may be laid upon him but begs that his iniquity may be taken away Let God be pleased to take away his iniquity and he is nothing solicitous for the punishment the offence of GOD troubled him more than his personall smart So that Gods heart were but towards him in the pardon of his sinne he did not care though Gods hand were against him in smiting him with temporall chastisement And this will better appeare if wee doe but compare Pharaoh with David Ex. 8. 8. Intreat the Lord that hee may take away the Frogs from mee the Frogs troubled him more than his sin against God Take away the Frogs but no mention at all of taking away his sin And when afterwards a confession of sin is extorted from him yet was it not his sin that disquieted him Exod. 9. 27 28. not take away my sin but take away the thunderings and the haile Lord sayes David Take away the iniquity of thy servant oh sayes Pharaoh take away these filthy Frogs and this dreadfull thunder A repenting heart is more troubled at sin then at thunder and Frogs It sees more filthinesse in sin than in Frogs or Toads or what ever else can bee presented more ugly to it A repenting sinner hath his eye upon God and upon his Law Hee sees the holinesse of God that he is a God of pure eyes that cannot behold iniquity Hab. 1. 13. Hee sees him a good gracious patient Father and so it cuts him to the heart to have offended such a Father and God He looks upon the Law and sees it to be Holy just and good and this gals him to the heart to have violated so holy and so pure a Law Now wicked men they looke wholly at the justice and wrath of GOD at the curse of the Law and so nothing troubles them but the feare of hell and death If these might be avoided the offending of an holy and good God the violating of an holy and a good Law would not a whit afflict or disquiet them Nay it is remarkable in David that though hee had upon Nathans message to him confessed his sin and Nathan upon his confession had pronounced the pardon of it yet after this he cries out My sinne is ever before me against thee only have I sinned Marke then that even pardoned sinne forgiven sin vexes and disquiets a true repenting heart It pinches him and disquiets him though it be forgiven it grieves him that he hath so played the foole and that ever he was such a beast to offend so gracious a God When the Prodigals Father sees him comming a far off he runs to meet him shewes compassion to him fals upon him and kisses him That kisse was the seale of his pardon as if he had said Behold I forgive thee all thy sin as when David kissed Absalom and Esau kissed Iacob they both did it in token of full reconciliation And yet for all this see how the Prodigall speakes he sayes not O Father from the ground of my heart I unfainedly thanke thee oh how great is my Fathers goodnesse thus to pardon me c. but Father I have sinned against thee I but his Father had kissed him and thereby testified that he had freely forgiven him what need hee confesse his pardoned sin Why is he not rather in the confession of praise than in the confession of sin Oh no A repenting sinner is so affected and grieved with the offence of God in his sinne that though God have pardoned and forgiven it yet he cannot but mourne for it and be afflicted with it that so holy a Law hath beene broken by him that so good a God hath beene offended by him Psal 25. 6 7. Remember O Lord thy tender mercies remember not the sinnes of my youth If God remember mercy hee forgets and forgives sinne If God forget it why doth David remember the sins of his youth Yes so will a true repenting heart doe it will remember the sin that God forgets it will mourn for the sin which God hath forgiven Now hereby may men try the truth of their repentance Pharaoh can say I have sinned yet was he not to be trusted and Saul can say so too as well as hee I have sinned and Iudas can say I have sinned as well as them both and yet not a true penitentiary of them all We may say as much and make large confessions before the Sacrament too and yet be farre from true repentance Deale honestly if thou be grieved indeed what is it that grives thee sinne or smart Such as is the object of thy griefe such is thy repentance As in the case of feare of sin so is it in the Qui Gehennas meluit non peccare metuit sed ardere Ille autem peccare metuit qui peccatum ipsum sic ut Gehennas odit August â—ep 144. case of griefe for sin In the case of fear Augustines saying is true He that feares hell feares not to sin but to burne But he feares to sin who so hates sin it selfe as hell To feare hell is to feare burning not sinning he feares sinning that dreads sinning as he dreads burning It is so in case of griefe he that is sorry because of hell is not sorry because he hath sinned but because he shall burne He is truly sorry for sin that is more grieved for sinning than he is afraid of burning If then sin meere sin without relation to hell be that which doth disquiet us and this be the thing that mainly troubles us that we have beene such beasts to offend God there is a cause of great joy in such sorrow it is an evidence of thy true repentance But if dread of hell and the feare of being damned bee the thing that workes this sorrow and griefe in us there is little cause of comfort in such repentance So may our repentance be tryed by the object of our sorrow 2 Secondly the depth and greatnesse of this sorrow will serve to try the truth of our repentance The sorrow of repentance is not a slight overly superficiall griefe but a deepe and an hearty sorrow That as David speaks of in that case Ps 73. 21. Thus
action to bee against credit profit his sensuality headstrongly headlonging him upon its satisfaction but yet not between wil and will affection and affection minde and minde no strife in the same faculty as in a beleever And there may bee a victory that an unbeleevers minde and his judgement may have over his sensuality pleading to him his losse of credit profit friends c. which is but a bare restraining of corruption in some one particular but this is far from a victory subduing and mortifying the power and body of sin to bring it into a languishing consumption which is the worke of faith Sin may live yea and rebell in a beleeving heart for it is with lusts in a beleevers heart as with those beasts Dan. 7. 12. As concerning the rest of the beasts they had their dominion taken away yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time They had their lives for a time prolonged but their dominion was taken away So in a beleever his lusts have their lives prolonged for a time but yet their dominion is taken away they live but they live slaves and they dye gradually both they and their rebellions 4 Fourthly True faith growes and increases 2 Pet. 3. 18. Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ yea it growes exceedingly 2 Thess 1. 3. Your faith growes exceedingly and Rom. 1. 17. The righteousnesse of God is revealed from faith to faith Graines of mustard-seed grow to the procerity and spred of trees in which the fowles of heaven may nestle Men may try themselves by this So much growth so much truth of faith But how would it puzzle the most to find any such growth They have beleeved ever since they can remember and yet what beleeve they more now than at the first The faith that grows not lives not the faith that lives not is dead Most mens faith therefore is fit for the grave Lord saies Martha of Lazarus Hee by this time stinketh for he hath beene dead foure dayes And what is theirs then but a carrion faith that hath beene dead more than so many yeeres for what more spirituall strength have they then at first what more experience of Gods dealing what neerer acquaintance with Christ or what sweeter communion with him Not a jot therefore not a jot of true faith 3 Thirdly Effects respecting our brethren and they are these 1 First Mercy Love Compassion and beneficence to the members of Christ in necessity Gal. 5. 6. Faith workes by love as by love to God so also to our brethren Therfore so often joyned together as an individuall paire 2 Thess 1. 3. Psal 5. 1 Tim. 1. 5. And therefore when Tyrus should be converted to the faith she should leave hoarding and heaping up her wealth and should find another manner of imployment for it namely to feed and cloath Gods Saints Isay 23. 18. Her merchandise shall not be treasured nor layed up for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the Lord to eat sufficiently and for durable cloathing When Tyrus should once beleeve she should trade in a new kind of merchandise she should trade in workes of mercy and bounty in releeving and refreshing the necessities of Gods Saints Faith is full of bowels tender-hearted and open-handed to Christs members in want She is a right Dorcas Acts 9. 39. that makes coates and garments to cloath and keepe warme the backs and loynes of Christs servants in want If we finde such compassionate bowels in us hands ready to the good workes of mercy to do poore Christians good for Christs sake in those bowels there lyes faith If we do love a Saint because a Saint that love is of faiths working How doth this one thing damne the common faith of the world They beleeve in Christ that they do but how love they a godly man Is there any whom they more disaffect distast or against whom they shew more imbittered malice This malicious spitefull faith is not the faith of Christians Thus divels beleeve they beleeve and are malicious This is a divelish faith the divels so beleeve as that they tremble and yet tremble not to be malicious against those that doe beleeve And what is their bounty and mercy Alas they are not only close fisted but with the man in the Gospell they have a withered hand not able to stretch out their hand in any worke of compassion Such a creeple and same-handed faith is not the faith that will passe with God 2 Secondly a desire and an endeavour to bring others to the faith It having once tasted and found the sweetnesse and goodnesse that is in Christ and in the wayes of God it cannot rest but it must seeke others to bring them to participate of the same goodnesse with it selfe Phil. 6. That the communication of thy faith Faith is a communicative grace and a generative grace S. Paul once come to the faith hath Timothy his own son in the faith 1 Tim. 1. 2. When Andrew hath found Christ he cals Peter when Philip hath met with he must bring Nathaniel Faith indeed in one sense doth impropriat Christ and speakes as Thomas My Lord and my God but yet though in its application it make Christ her own yet not so as it would exclude others but knowing the all-sufficiency of Christ doth desire to make him common to as many as it can and in that regard sayes Our Lord and our God So far forth then as thou endeavourest to bring on others to faith in Christ so much evidence hast thou of faith in thy self But if others specially such as neere unto thee may be what they will for any care or endeavour of thine it is an evill signe that thou thy selfe wantest that to which thou hast no care to bring others Many other trials might be added for the discerning of our faith but these shall suffice referring the Reader to the larger treatises of such as have bestowed their profitable paines in this argument Chap. 12. The examination of Repentance CHAP. 12 HOw faith is to be examined we have seene let us now see how we may try and examine the truth of repentance How true repentance may be discerned we may know by that speech of Iohn Baptist Mat. 3. 8. Bring forth fruits therefore worthy of repentance fruits meet for repentance such as become and evidence repentance where true repentance is there bee ever such fruits And those fruits are these 1 First shame for sin True repentance is ever accompanied with shame Ier. 31. 19. I was ashamed yea even confounded c. Ezek. 16. 61. Then shalt thou remember thy wayes and be ashamed yea it so individually goes with repentance that it is put for repentance it selfe 2 Thess 3. 14. That they may be ashamed that is that they may repent and reforme their evill course The Heathens said That blushing was the colour of Vertue meaning that it was a good signe to see a
desire towards his son It is said that after Absoloms three yeeres exile that Ioab perceived that the Kings heart was towards Absalom 2 Kings 14. 1. Thus seemes this Fathers heart to be towards his sonne yea that his desire such as if he sate in some higher place watching to see when he should come that he might no sooner bee within ken but hee might spie him according to that Iohn 30. 18. The Lord will wait that he may be gracious unto you I see then the Lord stands waiting and watching that we can no sooner be upon our way to come but he sees and spies us to bid us welcome 2 Secondly I see that he saw him whilest he was yet a great way off He was but yet in the beginning of his way in comming His Father might have let him alone till he had beene come quite home to his house and it had beene singular mercy to have welcomed him then But it is done whilest he is yet a great way off Is the Lord thus ready to welcome mee when yet a great way off what will he be if I be come neere to him Certainly the Lord that will draw nigh to such as yet a great way off will much more draw nigh to those that draw nigh to him 3 Thirdly I see his Father had compassion on him I see his bowels yerne worke and stir within him at the sight of his sonne at the sight of him afarre off Gods bowels yerne within him towards a beleeving repenting sinner It is said of that Harlot 1 Kings 3. 26. That her bowels yearned or were hot upon her son So when the Lord sees a sinner come to him his bowels wax hot and yerne within him Ier. 31. 18. 20. Therefore my bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy upon him God hath not only mercy but bowels of mercy Luke 1. 78. And these bowels be sounding bowels or a multitude of bowels Isay 63. 15. He delights in loving kindnesse Ier. 9. 24. And he pardons sin because mercy pleases him Mic. 7. 18. 4 Fourthly I see that his Father ran How rich and aboundant mercy had it beene in his Father to have stood still till he had come at him but what mercy is this that he will goe towards him and give him a meeting Oh mercy that his Father ran not from him but what mercy call you this that his Father runs to him If hee would needs goe meet him why might it not have served the turne to have walked towards him with a softly and grave pace No no I see that serves not the Lords turne When a sinner comes to the Lord mercy not only comes and goes a foot-pace but mercy runs Mercy comes upon the wings Gods rowling bowels sets his feet on running That as David speakes of Gods readinesse to helpe him when he called upon him in his danger Psal 18. 6. 9. 10. He rode upon a Cherub and did flye yea he did flye upon the wings of the winde So when a sinner comes to God mercy comes to him not walking but running not on foot but riding riding on the wings of the wind That looke as Gabriel came with an answer to Daniels prayers Dan. 9. 21. Hee being caused to flye swiftly or with wearinesse of flight he not only came but came flying not only flying but flying swiftly yea so swiftly as hee had wearied himselfe with the swiftnesse of his flight to make haste So comes mercy to a man comming to Christ it is caused to flye swiftly with wearinesse of flight The Father ran mercy comes full speed Nay what a difference doe I see betweene the offending son and the offended Father The sons pace is He arose and came he came walking on towards his Father The Fathers pace is And hee ran The son most needed to have run his belly was pincht with hunger yet he onely walkes but the Father runnes Bowels troubled with mercy out-pace bowels pinched with hunger God I see then makes more haste to shew mercy than we make to receive mercy Whilest we doe but go towards him he runs towards us Whilest misery goes but a walking mercy comes a running pace God who is slow to anger Psal 103. 8. is swift to mercy He ran And why then O my soule shouldest thou bee slow of heart to beleeve up and run to him that will come running with his mercy and his Christ to thee 5 Fifthly I see him falling upon his neck And fell on his neck that is he hugged and imbraced him How Fell upon his necke and imbraced him Who would not have beene loth to have toucht him yea to have come neere him Is he not in his loathsome stinking rags Smels he not of the Swine he kept Could a man come neere him without stopping his nose Would not a man be ready to lay up his stomack upon such an imbracement Certainly a sinner is a loathsome verminous person not onely clothed in rags but in stinking and vile rags Isay 64. 6. All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags What then are our unrighteousnesses What loathsome rags are they And yet let a sinner come to the Lord and the Lord will fall upon his neck will hug him and imbrace him Isaac smelt the savour of Iacobs raiment and he blessed him Gen. 27. 27. That was a sweet savour The smell of my sonne is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed no wonder that Isaac blesses him But here is one in such an unsavoury pickle that when his Father should smell the savour of his garments one would have thought he should have cursed him because his smell was as the smell of a Swine as the smell of a Gaole But yet for all that his Father claspes him in his armes and blesses him with an hearty welcome Mercy then I see is not squeamish is not nice and dainty but let a sinner have beene what he will let him be as filthy as unsavory as he can yet if once he loath himselfe God will not loath him if hee once come to God God will claspe him with the armes of mercy The Prodigall comes to his Father with the savour and in the habit of a loathsome rogue and yet his Father fals upon his neck O the stupendious and astonishing mercies and goodnesse of God to a sinner that comes unto him And will God thus imbrace a Prodigall in his loathsome rags and will he not imbrace him much more afterwards when he hath put the best robe upon him Oh the welcome then that they shall finde with God that have put on Christ and are clothed with the sweet smelling garment of their elder brother that have the whole raiment of Christs righteousnesse upon them 6 Sixthly but yet behold a greater wonder than all the rest I see him kissing his son And he kissed him Who could have brooked to have imbraced a person in so filthy a pickle much more who could have brooked to have
sense of our unworthinesse and thereupon awaken our selves to quicken the Ordinance to our selves the Sacrament shall be ready afterwards to empty it selfe with blessings upon our soules and shall prove effectuall and comfortable unto thee The first Sacrament of the Supper the Disciples received it is not like they found the efficacy of it for the present for they then knew nor understood nothing of CHRISTS death neither could it sinke into their heads that he should dye but yet afterwards when they came more cleerely to understand the mysteries of Redemption and the whole doctrine of Christ no question but they reaped the benefit of that Ordinance which then they fully understood not Physicke doth not alwayes worke when it is taken but many times a good while some dayes after It is with the Sacrament as it is with the word Many a man heares the word and minds it but for the present it hath no work at all It is possible that seven yeares twenty yeares after it may worke a Sermon preached seven yeares before may prove the meanes of a mans conversion seaven yeares after wee have an example in that kinde Iohn 10. 41 42. And many resorted unto him and said Iohn did no miracle but all things that spake of this man were true and many beleeved on him there Iohn had preacht of Christ before they did not there upon beleeve in Christ when hee preacht Iohn was dead and gone but now when Christ comes amongst them they upon Iohns former Sermons preacht a great while before doe now beleeve Iohn was dead but his word was not dead that now workes when he lyes in his grave Thus also may it be with the Sacrament it doth not alwayes presently worke it may and doth work some longer time afterwards when a Communicant humbled for his unprofitablenesse in the duely endeavours by after-diligence and Humiliation to quicken and put life into it And if such a course may quicken a Sacrament some time after then why not much more on the same day What hinders but it may bee in the case of the Sacrament of the Supper as in the Sacrament of Baptisme The efficacy and force of Baptisme doth not presently appeare no not presently upon the yeeres of discretion Many an one lives vitiously in sinfull course a swearer adulterer c. but yet afterwards if God give once a man the heart to bee toucht with the sense of his owne unworthinesse and hee beginnes to bestirre himselfe to secke GOD by faith and Repentance the Lord quickens a mans Baptisme and makes it as powerfull and efficacious as if that very day administred So in this case possibly a man that hath beene at the Lords Table and hath more then once beene an unworthy receiver but yet if a man shall come once to bee humbled of that unworthinesse God will make sacraments so oft unprofitably received to become efficacious unto him For though hee were unprepared to receive yet God was not unprepared to dispense the benefit of them Therefore if wee have miscarried in our preparations and dispositions so as we have found no benefit no comfort yet here is a remedy and an help take this course by after-diligence and after-Humiliation to fetch life into that Ordinance in which thou wert dead and which was dead unto thee in the Administration It is a frequent and foule fault amongst many that so soone as the Sacrament is done and the duty ended in publike they never once looke after it more They leave the Sacramentall disposition and devotion in the Church there they shake hands with it and bring not a whit of it home with them When the Sacrament is done all is done with them and as they come to it so they goe from it without any examination at all It is never once more thought upon And thereupon no Humiliation for deadnesse hardnesse and indisposition in the duty and no care to make up that by after diligence wherein they were wanting in the present performance 2 Secondly If upon this examination we finde that we were refreshed had our hearts enlarged had vertue from and communion with Christ and that GOD was very good to us then doe these two things 1 First Blesse God with all thy soule for his mercy shewed unto thee acknowledge with all thankefulnesse Gods gracious dealing with thee in the communication and manifestation of himselfe to thee in his Ordinance 2 Secondly Be carefull and watchfull to keepe up and maintaine that holy and gracious frame of heart in thee which thou acquirest in and bringest from the Sacrament with thee A man when he findes enlargement and a gracious disposition of spirit in the Ordinance should be of Peters mind when in the Mount with our Saviour in his transfiguration Master It is good being here It is good to be here as long as may bee when therefore in the Sacrament wee have gotten holy affections by degrees wound up to some spirituall height have gotten them up to more than an ordinary and common pitch our care should be to keep and maintaine so long as we can what we have gotten at the Sacrament to keepe the sweete meates wee bring from this banquet It is true indeed that wee cannot hold them up in that height and pitch to which we have wrought our hearts in holy duties and in the heate of holy exercises but yet wee should endeavour it what we can and so long as is possible by after private duties of prayer meditation good conference and the like That as David prayes for the people in that case 1 Chron. 29. 18. when he saw them in a floate of good affections their hearts sweetely and graciously enlarged O Lord saies he keepe this for ever in the Imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people and prepare or stablish their heart unto thee As if he had said Lord thou seest what a good frame of heart is in them at this present oh that thou wouldest keepe and maintaine this frame of heart in them ever So when we finde a good frame of heart wrought in us at the Sacrament wee should pray and endeavour that this frame of heart might bee still upheld and continued in us See an excellent example of this after a Sacrament 2 Chron. 30. 21 22. They finde their hearts comfortably and sweetly enlarged in the use of Gods Ordinance and loath they are to let this frame of heart sinke in them faine would they keepe it up still and therefore see ver 23. what they doe And the whole assembly tooke counsell to keep other seaven dayes and they kept other seaven dayes with gladnesse This was done to keep up still this gladnesse of heart which they had in keeping the first seven daies And this by way of proportion serves to teach us what a speciall care we should have after the receiving of the Sacrament to looke wisely to our selves to keepe alive as long as may be that holy fire that