as shall make his heart dance in his breast thou poore humbled Soule the Lord will give thee a glimpse of his favour when thou art tired in thy trouble and when thou lookest up to heaven the Lord will looke downe upon thee and will refresh thee with mercy It is that which God hath prepared as a sweet morsell for his childe he will revive the humble Though the proud man shall sit and swelter himselfe in his trouble Esay 57.15 yet the Lord will not onely be in the house and heart of an humble man but looke to him and revive him It is the condition to which the Lord hath promised consolation and this Humiliation of heart is the maine termes of agreement upon which God hath ever shewed mercy Rev. 3.26 Behold I stand at the doore and knocke if any man heare my voyce and open I will come in to him and sup with him and hee with mee As when men sup together and eate in the same dish it argues a sweet rejoycing in the familiarity one of another I know you would faine have much comfort the Lord now knocks if you will but open the doore hee will come into your hearts and he will bring his owne provision with him even the sweet cordialls of his grace and comfort and hee will refresh you with those consolations which the eye of man hath not seene and the eare of man hath not heard c. only the Saints of God shall feele them Every valley shall be fill'd Luk. 3.5.6 saith the text and every hill shall be brought low and the crooked things shall be made straight and then all flesh shall see the salvation of the Lord. When shall they see it when those things are done that are there promised Iohn Baptist was to make way for Christ and the Text saith Every valley shall be fill'd that is every desperate discouraged heart and every mountaine shall be levelled that is every proud heart shall be humbled and then all flesh shall see the salvation of God here is the cause why wee finde not the assurance of Gods love that wee might and ought to have there are mighty mountaines of carnall reasonings and strange mists of discontentment betweene Christ and the Soule and these keepe of the light of Gods love in Christ which else would shine in our faces for our everlasting comfort Now be humbled and throw away all those distempers and then the Lord Iesus who comes with healing under his wings will comfort you and you shall see the salvation of God There is a Christ and comfort in him if your Soules be humbled you shall see it and finde the evidence of it When the Sunne is neere setting because there is a mountaine betweene us and it therefore wee thinke it is set when it is not whereas if a man were on the top of it he should see the Sunne cleare So it is with all those mountaines of carnall reasonings they stand betweene the Lord Iesus and thy Soule and that 's the reason why thou seest not the light of Gods countenance shining upon thee The third benefit of an humble heart Matth. 23.12 Thirdly wee also may have glory in this comfort that wee have in Christ as our Saviour saith Whosoever exalts himselfe shall be abased but whosoever humbleth himselfe shall be exalted He doth not say If such a man and such a woman humble themselves but the words are universally to be understood whatsoever thou art be thou humble and the Lord shall lift thee up It is impossible that the exaltation glory of an humble Soule should be hindered by men or devils Let the devill and all his instruments labour to cast shame and disgrace upon thee nay be thy condition never so base and meane in the worlds account be thou humbled and it cannot be hindered but that the Lord will exalt thee the Lord hath promised it and thou being as thou shouldst be the Lord will doe what he hath engaged himselfe to The Lord many times for want of this leaves men of great parts and gifts in the lirch they fret and are grieved exceedingly because such a poore man findes acceptance and is approved of and yet no man lookes after them If you know any such tell them it is by reason of their pride they seeke their owne honour and not Gods they are not humbled but seek to exalt themselves and God will abase them Let them fawne and flatter let them flatter and dissemble never so much as most men doe to get honors yet God will abase them And for this cause God blasts one mans endeavours and withers another mans gifts and brings him to shame because he is proud whereas the humble Soul that is content to honor God in his abasement the Lord will set up that man in mercy and goodnesse Psal 25.9 the Lord will teach the humble in his way Doth the Lord care for any mans parts or gifts or for his honor respect No 1 Cor. 1.28 the Lord hath chosen things that are not that is things that in the eyes of the world are accounted as nothing those hath God chosen to confound the haughtinesse of the hearts of proud men in this kinde See how David answered Michall when she mocked him and said 2 Sam. 6.20 21. Oh how glorious was the King of Israel this day c. Is not this a goodly matter for the King to doe See how he answers her it was before the Lord who chose me rather then thy father and all his house and commanded me to be ruler over his people and therefore I will play before the Lord and if this be to be vile I will yet be more vile Thy father was naught and thou art so too and hee is gone to his place The meanest in all the place wil honour the humble heart but though happily the people may feare a proud man yet they will never honour him in their hearts The fourth benefit Math. 18.4 Fourthly and lastly we have blessednesse in all that appurtaines to an humble heart Whosoever humbles himselfe as a little childe shall be greatest in the Kingdome of heaven He doth not say he that is greatest and most loftie may haply be great but he that is humble and trembles at every truth of God and every truth prevailes with him and every terror awes him hee shall be greatest in the Kingdome of heaven You take it as a disgrace to be reprooved by a servant or an inferiour but the humble Soule takes it whatsoever it is and is willing to be reprooved by any and he that doth thus shall be in the highest degree of grace here and shall be greatest in the glory of heaven and be lifted up to the highest pinacle of glory the wider and deeper a vessell is the more liquor it holds So Humiliation makes the heart wide and deepe and as thy Humiliation is so shall be thy Faith and thy
to live of another but we would faine be as able to doe duties as Adam was And it is with every naturall man as it was with Sampson he had once Sacramentall haire and therefore when any temptation came hee did shake himselfe and was able to breake strong cords and to overcome his enemies and when his haire was gone hee went out as at other times and thought to doe as he had done but the Spirit of God was gone from him So because Adam had power of himselfe to yield exact obedience and to please God a naturall man makes an offer of this still and would be doing and he goes out and shakes himselfe and saith cannot my wit and my prayers and my good meanings and my priviledges save mee and satisfie divine Iustice must the guilt of sinne still lye upon mee Thus the soule would give content to God by his owne strength as it is with a man that hath beene a rich Chapman and hath had a faire stocke but is now decayed it is hard to bring downe the pride of this mans heart he is loath to be a Iourney-man againe he will be trading though it be but for pinnes So the Lord put a stocke into Adams hand and hee turned bankrupt and yet wee will be trading here for a company of poore beggerly duties dead prayers and cold hearings and we thinke this will be sufficient This is the disposition of the soule naturally So the issue of the point is thus much if the soule through the guilt of sinne dare not appeare before God and it knowes not yet how to come to God in and through a Mediator and in regard of Adams innocency it needed not to goe out to another for any power and strength hence it is that the soule will invent any way and take up any course rather then come to Christ but all the former truthes are true and therefore still this turnes the heart to deale with God in this manner Vse 1 Here you see the reason why that opinion of some men prevailes so much and why they rest upon their owne good works because their hearts give such entertainment to it it is old Adams nature and every man seekes it but if ever God draw you home to the second Adam Christ Iesus hee will draw you from the first Adam You wonder to see a company of poore wretches build all their comfort upon what they can doe and they will patter over a few prayers it may be in their beds too it is easie to consider it Nature makes a man thus give way to himselfe in it and no wonder though his heart is prepared for this way when it comes But for instruction for our selves An use of instruction Doth the soule seeke out every where before it come to the Lord God and to the Lord Iesus Christ and will the Lord Iesus spare and succour a poore sinner when he comes then heare and see and admire at the goodnesse of the Lord that ever the Lord should vouchsafe to give entertainment to a poore sinner when hee hath made so many outs If hee come home never so late the Lord receives him when he comes Is not this mercy that when we have beene roving and ranging here and there and wee have coasted this way and that way and never thought of Christ nor mercy nor of his blood I say is not this admirable mercy that the Lord Christ should receive us when we come yea though we come to him last of all He may deale with us justly as he did with the people in Ieremy Where are thy Gods saith the Lord that thou hast made thee Ier. 2.22 let them arise if they can helpe thee in the time of thy trouble for according to the number of thy cities are thy gods oh Iudah The people made Idols and served them and when the time of trouble came and all their gods failed them then they come for succour to the Lord and would faine shelter themselves under his wings Nay saith the Lord goe to your gods that you have loved and let them helpe you as if hee had said unto them doe you come to mee in the day of your distresse have you honoured and worshipped your Idols must they have all the honour and I have all the burthen get you home to your Idols and let them succour you Oh thinke of it and wonder So the Lord may justly deale with us we that rested here upon our good prayers and our hearings and fastings and yet when all these prevaile not but the guilt of sinne remaines and wounds the conscience still and at last we are forced to looke up to the Lord Iesus Christ and to say except the Lord Iesus Christs blood purge these filthy hearts of ours we shall never have helpe and good Lord be mercifull to us Did you rest in these because there was no God in Israel and no mercy in the Almightie that you have rested upon your priviledges Goe then may the Lord say doe you come to mee to be saved and succoured goe to your meritorious works now let them cheere your hearts and pardon your sinnes and comfort you for I will not succour you at all It were just with the Lord to deale thus with us because we give him the leavings and come last to him But here is the wonder of mercies that whensoever we come hee casts us not of yet if we would but come to him and leave these broken reeds Ier. 3.1 he would receive us Yet returne to mee saith the Lord as if the Lord had said you say that all that you can doe will not succour you you have plaid the adulterers with many lovers yet at last come home to mee and beleeve in mee and settle your hearts upon my mercy and whatsoever your weakenesse and rebellions have beene I will save and succour you Vse 2 The second use is for Exhortation seeing it is so that wee are ready to seeke for succour and reliefe from our selves then let this make us watchfull against this deceit of our hearts Yet I doe not dishonour these ordinances but I curse all carnall confidence in these You cleave to these poore beggerly duties and alas you will perish for hunger the divell knowes this full well and therefore he will sinke your hearts for ever Iudas did so and hell is full of hearers and dissemblers and carnall wretches that never had hearts to seeke unto Christ in these duties and to see the value of a Saviour in them The divell slides into the heart this way unsuspected and unseene because he comes under a colour of duties exactly performed but now in that the divell labours to cheat us of heaven and salvation we should be so much more watchfull This is the stone that thousands have stumbled at yea many that have gone a great way in the way of life and salvation For howsoever the soule that is truly broken cannot be satisfied
satisfie for the sinne that thou hadst committed before conversion and if thou canst not maintaine thy owne grace then there is an absolute necessitie of going to Christ for all Nay aske your owne hearts and services and say thus prayer wilt not thou save mee and hearing wilt not thou save me they will all professe plainly and say salvation is not in mee saith prayer and salvation is not in me saith hearing and salvation is not in me saith repentance and amendment Indeed wee have heard of a Christ that hee hath dyed and satisfied and suffered and risen and delivered his poore servants and pluckt poore Soules from hell and we need a Saviour to pardon us alas we cannot save our selves All thy duties will say to thee as the King said to the woman when the famine was great in Samaria And the King was going upon the wall there cryed a woman to him 2 King 6.26 27. saying Helpe oh King And the King made this answer If the Lord God succour not how can I helpe So mee thinkes the Soule saith When it is besieged with the wrath of God Oh helpe prayer and hearing and Sacrament and the like Mee thinks I heare them reply in this manner Alas how can we helpe you have prayed sinfully and heard the Word untowardly and received the Sacraments unworthily Oh let us all goe to heaven for a Mediator good Lord pardon the sinne of these prayers and these hearings and the unworthinesse of these Sacraments and all this frothinesse and deadnesse in hearing Thus they will all send you to heaven for a Christ and say alas I cannot save you how many commands have I disobeyed how many duties have I slighted and therefore send to Christ for pardon we are weake and feeble and onely come to the eare and to the eye but the Lord Iesus must come downe from heaven and be powerfull every way to doe good to your Soules You must goe to a Christ to batter the proud flesh and to pardon all that is amisse and to performe all duties that you would have done When Elisha tooke up the cloake of Eliah he said where is the God of Eliah he did not say 2 King 2.14 Where is the the cloake but where is the God of Eliah All the ordinances of God are but as the barke of the tree but Christ and the Promise are the pith The heart and life and power of all is in Christ onely therefore looke higher then these for they doe all proclaime that there is no succour but in Christ The third meanes to drive our hearts from resting upon our duties is this The third meanes We must consider the unconceivable hazzard and danger and the inconvenience that will come if we put any affiance in any of those priviledges that we have or any duties that we performe The very consideration hereof is able to withdraw our hearts from resting upon them The danger appeares in two particulars First This carnall confidence in what we have and doe shut a man out from having any part in Christ He that is guiltie of this sinne withdrawes himselfe from the favour of the Lord and he becomes uncapable of that mercy and good which God hath revealed and Christ hath purchased for poore distressed sinners For this is all that the Lord lookes for at our hands that we should deny our selves and wholy cast our selves upon his goodnes and mercy nay that man which relyes upon what he doth puts himselfe without the reach of all that mercy and great salvation that is in Iesus Christ Christ came not to call the righteous to repentance nor them that trust in themselves nor them that thinke they can save themselves but he came to call sinners to repentance and those that see an utter insufficiency in themselves to save or succour themselves in the day of trouble there is great salvation in Christ and plenteous redemption purchassed by Christ and you heare of all this and it is all true but this I must tell you all that Christ hath done and deserved shall never doe you good if you rest upon your selves You doe thinke that it is such a great sin as indeed it is sometimes you make conscience of drunkennes and other sinnes if you make conscience of any thing then know that this is the greatest sinne in the world Gal. 5.2 See how the Apostle sets himselfe against this carnall confidence where speaking to the Galathians that trusted in their owne circumcision that answers to our Baptisme Behold saith he I Paul say I not a bare man but I Paul enspired with the Spirit in an extraordinary manner and I an Apostle that doe not nay that cannot erre I that have received a commission from the Lord I say that if you be Circumcised that is if you trust in your Circumcision Christ shall profit you nothing nay saith he Iesus Christ is made of none effect to you if you seeke to bee justified by the workes of the Law Verse 4. If you rest in the merit of your prayer Christ is made of none effect to you and you shall never receive any power from the death of Christ the bloud of Christ will never purge those filthy hearts of yours and his resurrection shall never quicken you Whatsoever your case and condition is or can be if your sinnes were never so haynous for greatnes continuance and for number if you wil but renounce your selves and goe to Christ nothing shall condemne you but if your sinnes were never soe well reformed and amended and reformation nay Christ himselfe shall never doe you any good It is with the Soule of a poore sinner as it is with the body of a man If it had some slightie disease or sicknes and that may haply be cured but if his throate begin to swell and the vitall passages be stopped up that he can receive no meat nor phisicke every neighbour will say he is but a dead man all the meanes and men in the world can doe him no good he can receive nothing downe So it is with the Soule it is annoyed with many base corruptions and sinfull distempers and if it be wounded with many rebellions there is meanes enough in Christ to cure all If thou were a filthy besotted drunkard or an adulterer the blood of Christ can purge thy drunken adulterous heart one touch of Christ can cure all thy bloody issue If thou wert dead in trespasses and sinnes the Lord Iesus could quicken thee and raise thee from death to life but if thy proud heart swell with thy owne sufficiency and thou wilt rest upon thy selfe all the merits and grace in Christ can doe thee no good This is the maine conclusion Ioh. 5.40 into which all the rest is resolved You will not come to mee saith our Saviour that you might be saved He doth not say you have many sinnes and shall not be saved but you will not come to me c.
but loose all these in the Lord Christ And see that mercy and compassion and that boundlesse goodnesse that is in the Lord Iesus and that mercy that will pardon all sinnes and forgive all sorts of sinners if they be humbled before him There is no pardon in grace nor in means in Word nor in Sacraments there is none but in Christ see none but that and when thou art there hold thy heart to it drench and drowne thy Soule there and fling thy Soule into the Sea of that plenteous Redemption in Christ and though thy prayers and all faile yet that mercy in Christ will never faile Away with these rivers these are all fresh water comforts that will faile but that Sea of mercy in Christ will hold for ever See a Sea of misery and confusion in thy soule and a Sea of mercy in Christ and say none but that Lord Here sit and here fall and for ever establish thy soule that it may goe well with thee for ever Thus you ought to goe beyond all meanes and he that doth thus doth truly despaire of all saving succour in them Therefore goe home and say thus the Lord hath given mee some comfort and some grace and a heart enlarged to walke with God and to performe dutie to him but I trust not in this comfort nor in my enlargement all my comfort is in Christ that Sea of mercy is still full and I rest there go from all these to that and rest there and let that content thee for ever Thus you see how farre the Prodigall hath gone Text. What doth he now he comes to himselfe and saith I will arise and goe to my Father and say to him Father I have sinned against heaven and before thee and am no more worthy to be called thy sonne make mee as one of thy hired servants Now his stout stomacke is come downe and he comes home by weeping crosse and he that had formerly slighted the kindnesse of a father and said Hee would not alwayes be holden within his fathers house he would have his portion and he hath it and is gone and at last when his heart and all failes him he comes to himselfe said here I may starve and die too the hogges fare better then I do therefore home I will go to my father c. This is the third passage that I told you of in the description of this worke of humiliation In these words there are these two things cleare First he submits himselfe to his father Secondly he is content to be at his fathers disposing he doth not seeke to be his owne carver and say if I may be my fathers steward and have some eminent place in the house then I will go home no but he saith father I am not worthy to be a Sonne make mee as a hired servant if I can but get into my fathers house againe I will die rather then go away any more he is content to be any thing so his father will but receive him into his family though it were but to be a drudge in the kitchen here 's a heart worth gold oh saith he let all the weight lye upon me I care not what I be only let mee be a servant So then from the former of these two the Doctrine is this The third Doctrine The distressed sinner that despaires of all supply and succour in himselfe is driven to submit himselfe to the Lord God for succour and reliefe It is no thankes to the Prodigall that hee comes home now neither is it any thanks to a poore sinner that hee returnes after all his wandring away from God yet better late then never For the opening of this point I will shew two things First What is the behaviour of the heart in this worke of submission and the manner of it Secondly The reasons why the Lord drives the heart to this stand and makes it fall downe at the footestoole of mercy What is subjection The first how the Soule behaves it selfe in this subjection The sinner having a sight of his owne sin and being troubled and overwhelmed with the unsupportable sorrow that attends there unto and yet he is not able to get power over his sinne nor assurance of pardon from the Lord for you must conceive the sinner to bee in the worke of preparation and hee yet conceives God to bee an enemy against him though he is in a good way to mercy yet God comes as an angry God against him and hee takes what course he can and seekes far and wide and improves all meanes and takes up all dutyes that if it were possible he might heale his wounded Soule and get ground against his corruptions but the truth is hee finds no succour and receives no comfort in what he hath nor in what he doth and therefore being in this despairing condition he seeth he cannot avoyd Gods anger neither can he beare it therefore he is forced though loath to make triall of the kindnesse of a father and of the Lord though for the present he apprehends God to be just to be incensed against him and though hee hath no experience of Gods favour for the while and no certainty how he shall speed if hee come to God yet because he sees that he cannot be worse then hee is but hee may be better if God please and this he knowes that none but God can helpe him therefore he fals at the footestoole of mercy and lyes grovelling at the gate of grace and submits himselfe to God that he may do what he will with him When Ionah had denounced that heavy judgement and as it were throwne wild-fire about the streets saying Ionah 3.9 within fortie dayes Nineveh shall be destroyed See what they resolve upon they fasted and prayed and put on sack cloath and ashes the Lord in mercy grant that we may take the like courses who can tell said they but God may turne and repent him of his feirce wrath that we perish not As if they had said we know not what God will do but this wee know that we cannot oppose Gods judgements nor prevent them nor succour our selves yet who can tell but the Lord may bee gratious and bountifull and yet continue peace and goodnesse to us in this kind thus it is with a sinner despairing of all succour in himselfe when he seeth hell fire flashing in his face and that he cannot succour himselfe then he saith this I know that all the meanes in the world cannot save mee yet who can tell but the Lord may have mercy upon mee and cure this distressed conscience and heale all these wounds that sinne hath made in my Soule when Paule went breathing out threatnings against the Church of God and he came furnished with letters from the high Priests with all his tricks and implements to persecute the Saints the Lord met him and there was a single combat fought between them the glory of the Lord amazed
arrows of the venome of the displeasure of the Almighty stick deepest in him and he finds the fiercenesse of Gods wrath burning in his heart Iob 14.17 and that all his sins which have been sealed up in a bag as Iob saith they are all set in order before him and the wrath of the Lord more heavie then any mountaine falls upon his back I say when the poore sinner finds himselfe thus pursued after in the fiercest and most terrible manner the abased heart dare not flye away from God nor repine against the Lord but he lyes downe meekely 1. He will not flye away from God for that is his pride Nay he dare not doe it He will not go with Saul to the Witch of Endor nor with Iudas to a halter When the Lord let Iudas see that hee had betrayed innocent blood and fill'd his heart with horror hee did not goe to God and lye down under the harshest horror but he went to a rope and hanged himselfe and all through his pride because hee was not content with the harsh dealing of God though hee leaped from the fire-pan into the fire As the proverbe is And likewise Cain went into the land of Nod. So when the Lord hath awakened a poore creature and after a good while that a man would have thought he had gone on a good way in a Christian course at last when he finds that he is not able to beare the wrath of God but more iniquity comes in against him then hee flyes of from God and fals from a Christian course and goes to the Ale-house or some other base course and so hardens his conscience but I say the humble Soule dare not doe so but lyes at Gods foot-stoole and if it were the very bottome of the dregs of Gods wrath and the very fire of hell he is content to undergoe Gods dealing He doth not question God 's dealing and say others are not thus and thus terrified and why should I be so No the Soule returnes all against it selfe and saith why doe I talke of others they have not such untoward uncleane peevish hearts as I have The humble soule resolves with the Church in Micah Micah 7.9 I have sinned and therefore I will beare the indignation of the Lord So the Soule saith I have sinned most hainouslly I know not their sinne but I know my owne sinne and therefore I will beare the Lords wrath though it be never so unsupportable and unsufferable Lord give mee a heart that I may be able to beare it When a Malefactor comes to the Assises he lookes for nothing but condemnation and execution if he can scape with burning in the hand or branding in the forehead or shoulder he is glad and goes well apaid and cryes God save the King because hee thought he should have beene hanged So it is with an humble and a selfe-denying sinner When the poore creature finds the heaviest of Gods indignation upon him and such strange distempers as if a thousand divels were within him the Soule quiets it selfe thus and saith Why do I thus fret and wherefore am I thus perplexed it is wel that I scape thus I might have beene in hell this day and blessed be God that it is no worse that I am not in hell I might have beene roaring in hell as thousands of poore reprobates are that have no more hope of mercy therefore I will beare whatsoever the Lord layes upon mee Secondly as he is content with the hardest measure so he is content with the longest time Hee is content to stay for mercy be it never so long After the poore soul hath his eyes growing dim with waiting for mercy his hands grow feeble and his tongue cleaves to the roofe of his mouth and his heart begins to sinke and his Soule shakes within him with waiting for the mercy and goodnesse of the Lord and yet he finds no mercy and hath no Inkling of any favour yet God lookes a farre of Yet his Soule is content with this If a beggar should stay halfe a day for an almes it would grieve him though that be his pride See what Esay saith I will waite upon the Lord that hath hid his face from Iacob and I will looke for him Esa 8.17 As if the poore sinner did say The Lord hath hid his face away and turned his loving Conntenance from mee yet I will looke towards heaven so long as I have an eye to see and a hand to lift up I will yet looke to heaven to the Lord that hath not as yet heard nor answered my prayers the Lord may take his owne time it is manners for mee to waite and stay Gods time Away therefore with that peevishnesse and that discontentednesse of Soule that when a poore sinner hath called and cryed and finds no answer and heares no newes from heaven he secretly intends to lay all aside As if a man lift a weight againe and againe and seeth that it is to heavy for him he lets it alone So many poore creatures are content to let all alone and say why should I waite upon God any more I have prayed and cryed thus long and finde no answer why should I waite any longer How now who shall have the worst of it cannot God have his glory without your prayers why should you waite this is horrible pride of heart Why should you waite It s no marvell that you should take such State to your selves who must waite then Must the King waite or the Subject The Master or the Servant The Iudge or the Traitor Downe with that proud and sturdy heart of yours An humble Soule dare not doe so hee is content to waite for Gods mercy and you will be brought to it too before ever the Lord will give you any mercy The humble soule saith thus I have waited thus long the Lord seemes to be angry with my person and prayers and all is blasted yet I will waite still Nay I am glad that I may waite What waite upon the Lord Iesus Christ and mercy Yes and glad you may Kings and Princes have done it and blessed are they that waite upon mercy Nay the poore broken heart resolves thus and saith if I lye and licke the dust all my dayes and cry for mercy all my life long if my last words might be mercy mercy it were well I might get mercy at my last gaspe Oh I blesse God that yet I live here and and that I am not in hell as thousands are that waite for judgement and vengeance blessed be God that yet I may waite till God looke upon mee in goodnesse and mercy Lastly when the Soule hath stayed a long time it is content with the least pittance of mercy he is not like many proud beggars that thinke much when they have stayed long if they have but a farthing Nay if hee have but from hand to mouth It is all that hee craves and all that hee lookes for
mee all you stout hearted ones of the world which are farre from righteousnesse Esay 26.12 Let mee speake to all you stout hearted men and women that are heere this day you that swell against the truth of Christ and will not come under the power of Gods ordinances you are farre from righteousnesse The further you are gone in this sinne the further you are from the righteousnesse of God A stout hearted man is a thousand miles from righteousnesse Drunkards and adulterers are far enough from it but a proud man is as it were 20. hundreth thousand miles from it hee is far from the covenant of faith Faith goes out for all that it hath to an other it reacheth up to heaven for all it wants meate and nourishment and therefore it goes to Christ for all and pride onely rests upon it selfe for all faith gives the glory of all that it hath to another but pride takes all the glory to its selfe Faith goes to another for strength in what he doth but pride rests upon it selfe for strength So that though all sinnes hinder the worke of faith yet pride hinders it more then any thing You that thinke it a brave matter to be proud and you must not buckle to the Minister and you must doe what you list you are stout-hearted men but you are farre from beleeving men The more faith the lesse pride and the more pride the lesse faith 3. A proud soule is farre from mercy Thirdly As pride opposeth God himselfe and as it opposeth the covenant of grace so it followes from the two former that the proud Soule upon these conditions that it is in shall never receive any grace from the Lord. Set your hearts at rest for that You may swell and lift up your selves but if ever you receive the worke of grace and mercy upon these termes I will bee your bond-man for ever For he that is professely contrary to the grace of God that gives all and he that is contrary to the covenant of grace by which all is conveyed let him set his heart at rest for ever receiving any mercy The Lord himselfe is not able to endure the sight of a haughty spirit he cannot looke upon him much lesse will he live with him He beholds the proud man a farre off hee drives a proud man farre from heaven Psal 138.6 The Lord deales by a proud man as a man doth that is carried with indignation against his enemy he will not looke upon him So it is with the Lord hee will not be within the ken of a proud man and if the Lord doe come neere a proud man woe to him that he doth so The Lord resists the proud Hee whets all the sharpest arrowes of his vengeance and shuts them all against a proud man You broken hearts consider this The Lord gives grace to the humble but the proud man must be content with his portion he shall be resisted not received he shall be resisted not converted nor saued nor sanctified Hee may bid farewell to all grace hee shall never have it upon those termes and as God intends no good to him so a proud man comes not within the scope of mercy nor of that redemption which Iesus Christ hath wrought and purchased Christ came not to call the righteous that is them that looke loftily in regard of what they do You stout hearted people thinke of it The Lord Christ came not to call you The devill calls and you may goe to him but Christ came to call and save the poore broken hearted sinners It is said of Christ That hee was annointed of the Lord Esa 61.1 2 3. to preach the glad tidings of the Gospell to whom to the meeke c. You meekened Soules shall heare good newes from heaven But there is not any one sillable of one promise in all the Gospel that any proud spirit can conceive to belong unto him If I could seperate all the good from the bad I would have the good to stand by and heare these good newes that I have for them and if you proud hearts will come in and yeild they may be yours too You that tremble at Gods Word and are willing to doe what God shall command if there be any such here this day as I doubt not but there are many then know that the Sonne of man came to seeke and save you it is good tidings Nay in the Lord Iesus Christ are all the Treasures of wisedome and knowledge and out of this fulnesse of holinesse and happinesse he fills all your meeke hearts and hee will give all grace according to your necessities here is newes of salvation life and comfort from heaven But to whom is it Christ came to seeke and save them that are lost that is them that are lost in their owne apprehension but the proud man was never lost in himselfe A lost man in the Wildernesse is content to be guided into his right way but the proud man saith hee will be filthy and fashionable still therefore hee was never lost and Christ never came to seeke nor save him All meanes doe a proud man no good All the meanes of Grace that God gives will never benefit a proud man So that now it is as possible nay more possible for heaven and earth to meete together then for a proud man to come to heaven except God give him a heart to stoope No man can receive benefit by the word except he be under the power of it if the wax be not under the Seale how can it receive any impression As the Apostle saith Rom 6.17 They were delivered into the forme of that doctrine propounded The forme of the Gospell tooke place in their hearts There is no Soule can get any benefit by the Gospell but hee must receive what it reveales and what it commands hee must doe and what it forbids he must labour to avoyd but a proud heart is above all meanes and therefore the word will not nay it cannot worke savingly on him As those wicked ones said Our tongues are our owne we ought to speake Psal 11.4 who is Lord over us What reproofe shall awe me saith a proud heart I will be led by my owne lusts Your owne reason leades you and your owne wills rules you your owne mindes and your lusts and what your hearts will have they must have You stout hearted ones that are resolved not to yield nor to come under the grace of God you will not have your affections framed nor made more teachable then seeing you will not bee taught be for ever deluded goe your way and be for ever hardned and for ever cast off from the presence of God and goe downe to the bottomlesse pit you will have your owne wills therefore goe to your owne places for that 's all you can have You that are the faithfull of God and know any such mourne for them Fourthly Againe 4. A proud
that you may chat and parlee a little with Christ Our Saviour saith Matth. 24.28 Where the carkasse or the dead body is there will the Eagles be This is the nature of an Eagle shee will not goe to catch flies that 's the nature of the hedge Sparrow but shee will prey upon the carkasse So this is a good heart that will not prey upon dead duties but upon the Lord Christ who is the life of the Soule If thou art of a right brood thou wilt not fill and glut thy Soule with a few duties like a hedge Sparrow still mistake me not I doe not dispraise these duties but I say they are nothing in the way of justification if faith in Christs merits be not joyned with them Therefore if thou hast a dunghill heart of thine owne thou may'st goe and content thy selfe with profession and with a few cold dead duties but if thou art an Eagle and a sound hearted Christian and one that God hath beene pleased to doe good unto thou wilt never be but where the Lord Iesus is and where his grace and mercy is As we doe at a Feast the dish is greater then the meat yet wee reach the dish not for the dishes sake but that we may cut some meat So the ordinances of God are as so many dishes wherein the Lord Iesus Christ is dished out to us Sometimes Christ in his merits is dished out in the Sacrament to all the sences and sometimes he is dished out in the Word therefore as you take the dish to cut some meate So take the Word that Communicates Christ to the eare and Prayer Communicates with Christ and the Sacrament Communicates Christ to all the sences cut the meate and let not the Lord Christ goe whole from the Table and no man looke after him fill your hungry Soules with Christ When a poore travelling man comes to the Ferry he cryes to the other side Have over have over his meaning is he would goe to the other side by a Boat he onely desires the use of the Ferry-man to convey him over So Christ is in heaven but we are here on earth as it were on the other side of the river the ordinances of God are but as so many Boats to carry us and to land us at Heaven where our hopes are and our hearts should be Therefore you would be landed Have over have over saith the Soule The Soule desires to bee landed at the Staires of Mercy and saith Oh bring me to speake with my Saviour Mary came to the Sepulchre to seeke for Christ and therefore when the Angel said to her Woman why weepest thou shee made this answer Oh they have taken away my Lord. Ioh. 20.13 So it is with you if you be not hypocrites Is there ever a Mary here is there ever a man or woman that prizeth a Christ and seeth need of a Christ and that comes weeping and mourning to the holy ordinances of God whom seekest thou saith the Word and Prayer and the Sacrament Oh saith the broken hearted sinner they have taken away my Lord Christ Oh this sinfull heart of mine oh these cursed corruptions of mine if it had not beene for these Christ would have comforted my conscience and pardoned my sinne if thou seest my Christ and my Saviour reveale him to my Soule that I may receive comfort and consolation by him This is the frame of a Christian Soule when the Ferry-man hath carried the traveller over hee stayes not there but goes to the house of his friend and saith is such a man within he desires to speake with him and to receive some good from him We heare and pray and reade till we are weary we doe not cry Have over let mee come to enjoy a neerer Communion with my Saviour that I may dwell with him and have a neerer cut to the Lord Christ I would have way that I may receive grace and mercy from Christ according to my necessities When a man hath gotten so many hundreth pounds he not onely tels that he hath met with the Ferry-man but he shewes the money that he hath gotten So you come to Church and goe from Church and you have your hearing for your hearing and your professing for your professing and the like but you should labour to say I have gotten the pardon of all my sinnes and the assurance of Gods love to my Soule I have beene with my Saviour and thus graciously and mercifully hee hath dealt with mee All that I have said is but a speech of a little time but it is a taske for all a mans life Oh thinke of it and say what have I gotten by all that I have done and what would I get when I goe to prayer I would have a Christ and mercy from him This is not in our minds I tell thee what thou must ayme at and labour for heare and pray for a Saviour See a need of Christ in all and see greater beauty in Christ then in all and be lead neerer to Christ by all or else you get nothing by all that you doe If there were no gold in the West-Indies the King of Spaine would not care for his Ships nor for that place Schoole-boyes care not for the Carrier but for Letters from a Father So now raise up your hearts higher towards heaven All holy duties are but as Ships and Carriers but the golden Mines of mercy are all in the Lord Iesus Christ It was a sweet speech of a man whether he was good or bad I know not that a man should loose the creatures in God So I would have you doe loose your selves and all ordinances and creatures and all that you have and doe in the Lord Christ How is that Let all be swallowed up and let nothing be seene but a Christ and let thy heart be set upon nothing but a Christ As it is with the Moone and Starres when the Sunne comes they loose all their light though they are there in the heavens still and as it is with rivers they all goe into the Sea and are all swallowed up of the Sea and yet there is nothing seene but the Sea So all the ordinances and creatures are as so many rivers from that Ocean of mercy and goodnesse in Christ and they all returne thither therefore onely see a Fountaine of grace goodnesse wisedome and power in Christ When a man is upon the Sea he can see no fresh water it is all swallowed up So let it be with thy Soule when thou wouldest finde mercy and grace The ordinances of God are good in themselves yet loose them all in Christ That wisedome in Christ is able to direct and that grace and mercy in Christ is able to save when all other helps faile and that power of Christ must support the Soule in the time of trouble There is some comfort and sweet and some refreshing in the Word and in the Sacrament and in the company of Gods people
Sam. 16.6 7 8 9 10 11 12. In this his heart was marveilous quiet and now he was able to beare it better then the souldiers that were with him Though his cause was just and he might have revenged it yet now he was humble and brought under and therefore quieted though never so much opposed This Humiliation of heart so settles a man that though ten thousand oppositions come against him yet nothing will disquiet him Cast disgrace upon the humble heart causelesly and he cures it thus he thinks worse of himselfe than any man else can doe and if they would make him vile and loathsome hee is more vile in his owne eyes then they can make him and therefore he is contented If they imprison an humble Soule and persecute him hee wonders at Gods goodnesse so farre hee is from being discontented that he wonders at Gods goodnesse and mercy towards him that he would cast him into a Dungeon when he might have cast him into hell Thirdly and lastly this Humiliation of Soule The third benefit brings in satisfaction and contentednesse in all the wants that may befall him Take away from him what you will and deny him any thing yet he will be quiet Hee that is contented with all Gods dealing towards him cannot be disquieted with any thing The humble Soule justifies God and is pacified and joyns side with Gods providence he justifies God in whatsoever he doth and therefore is quiet in whatsoever he hath done The ship that goes with wind and tide goes easily but if it goes against wind and tide it is wonderfully troubled so when the humble Soule goes on with Gods blessed providence and goes that way which the will of God goes he goes on quietly and the want of this humiliation of heart is the cause of all your disquietnesse when you will stand in opposition against the Almighty the Lord will have you poore and you will be rich the Lord will have you base and meane in the world and you would be honorable the Lord on the one side and you on the other side you would have it and the Lord saith you shall not if all come not according to your mind oh then you flye out God must be of your mind and be at your becke and this you must have and that you will have or els God shall heare of you thus you make your owne trouble and this troublesome Spirit breeds all the sorrow that befalls you whereas if you would go on with God you might be quieted and comforted whatsoever condition you were in as one said that he could have what he would of God why how was that because whatsoever Gods will was that was his will humiliation quiets all and supplyes all wants once make the good will of God that which thy heart shall yeild unto and Gods providence the best that can befall thee and then live comfortably for ever Oh! that our hearts were brought to this But the pride and vilenesse of our hearts is such that we trouble our selves needlesly therefore above all labour for this Be content to want what God will deny and to waite Gods good pleasure and to be at his disposing and then live quietly and comfortably for ever Oh! that I could bring your hearts to be in love with this blessed grace of God Is it so that Humiliation brings quiet in all a mans conditions Is there not a Soule here that hath beene vexed with the temptations of Sathan did you never know what it is to be under the malice of an enemy and did your owne distempers never trouble you Have none of you found hard measures at the hands of wicked men is there never a Soule here that is burthened with many wants and that loves his owne comfort have you not many necessities at home the want of friends and meanes and even of common necessaries and would you arme and fence your selves that no wants may disquiet you nor trouble you but in all to be above all and to rejoyce in all more then all oppositions in the world can doe you hurt then be humbled and for ever quieted Whatsoever can or shall befall you by the divell and his instruments and if every spire of grasse were a divell be humbled and then be above all the divels in hell and all temptations and oppositions that they shall not so disquiet you as to cause you to be unsetled or uncomforted In the next place you are to be desired The second Vse to try your selves by the former truth and let every man try his owne heart whether ever God hath given him this gracious disposition of Soule or no You must come to this truth for there is no justification nor acceptation without this Nay there is no faith can be infused into the Soule before the heart be thus fitted and prepared no preparation no perfection Never humbled never exalted therefore let every man and woman lay their hearts to the former truth and consider this one thing in the generall So farre as the heart is from this contentednesse to be at Gods dispose so farre it is from true preparation for Christ You must be empty if ever Christ fill you you must be nothing if you would have Christ all in all to you Thus much in the generall But now let us come to the particular trials and herein let us consider two things First the truth and soundnesse of our Humiliation Secondly the measure of it both of these this Doctrine doth discover to us It is very profitable to handle them both that they which have not this work may be humbled and that they which have it may see how farre they come short of the measure which they should and might have the want of which is the cause of much sorrow and the want of much comfort How to try the truth of our Humiliation You may try the truth of this worke of Humiliation thus In the generall looke how you are disposed of in your lives and conversations But in particular that you may see where we be let us observe these three rules First Let us see what it is that swayes our reasons and judgements Secondly What it is that over-powers our hearts our wils and affections Thirdly What it is that rules our lives and conversations Try your hearts by these rules and then it will be plaine and cleare whether you be truly humbled and abased or no. You know I told you that you must not onely be disposed of by God for God will dispose of you whether you will or no he will rule all things in heaven and earth he will either crush those proud hearts of yours by Humiliation here or else cast you downe to hell for ever but you must be content to be at Gods disposing To begin with the former namely to see what swayes our judgements If you will attend I hope you shall know something in your owne hearts you that are weake as