God proclaims so much and would have the proud man know where-ever he meets him he will oppose him he resists the proud Great gifts are beautiful as Rachel but pride makes them also barren like her Either we must lay self aside or God will lay us aside Secondly pride of gifts hinders the receiving of good from others Pride fills the soule and a full soul will take nothing from God much lesse from man to do it good Such a one is very dainty It is not every Sermon though wholesom food nor every prayer though savoury will go down he must have a choice dish he thinks he hath better then this of his own and is such a one like to get good And truly we may see it that as the plain Plowman that can eate of any homely food if wholesome hath more health and is able to do more work in a day then many enjoy or can do in their whole life that are nice squeamish and courtly in their fare so the humble Christian that can feed on plain truths and Ordinances which have not so much of the Art of man to commend them to their palate enjoy more of God and can do more for God then the nicer sort of Professours who are all to be served in a lordly dish of rare gifts The Church of Corinth was famous for gifts above other Churches 1 Cor. 1. but not in grace none so charged for weaknesse in that 1 Cor. 3.2 he calls them carnal babes in Christ so weak as not able to digest mans meat I havé fed you saith Paul with milk and not with meat for hitherto ye were not able to beare it neither yet now are ye able Why what is the matter the reason lies verse 3. Ye are carnal there is among you envie and strife v. 4 One saith I am of Paul another I am of Apollos Pride makes them take parts and make sides one for this Preacher another for that as they fancied one to excel another And this is not the way to thrive Pride destroyes love and love wanting edification is lost The devil hath made foul work in the Church by this engine Zanchy tells of one in Geneva who being desired to go hear Viretus that preach't at the same time with Calvin answered his friend If Paul were to preach relicto Paulo Calvinum audirem I would leave Paul himself to heaâ— Calvin And will pride in the gifts of another so far transport even to the borders of blasphemy what work then will pride make when the gifts are a mans own SECT II. Vse 1 Doth Satan thus stir up Saints to this spiritual pride of gifts first here is a word to you that have mean gifts yet truth of grace be content with thy condition Perhaps when thou hearest others how enlargedly they pray how able to discourse of the truths of God and the like thou art ready to go into a corner and mourn to think how weak thy memory how dull thy apprehension how straitened thy spirit hardly able though in secret to utter and expresse thy minde to God in prayer O thou art ready to think those the happy men and women and almost murmur at thy condition well canst thou not say though I have not words I hope I have faith I cannot dispute for the truth but I am willing to suffer for it I cannot remember a Sermon but I never hear the Word but I hate sin and love Christ more then ever Lord thou knowest I love thee Truly Christian thou hast the better part thou little think'st what a mercy may be wrapt up even in the meannes of thy gifts or what temptations their gifts expose them to which God for ought I know may in mercy deny thee Josephs coat made him finer then his brethren but this caused all his trouble this set the Archers a shooting their arrows into his side thus great gifts lift a Saint up a little higher in the eyes of men but it occasions many temptations which thou meetest not with that art kept low what with envie from their brethren malice from Satan and pride in their own hearts I dare say none finde so hard a work to go to heaven as such much ado to bear up against those waves and windes while thou creepest along the shore under the winde to heaven It is with such as with some great Lord of little estate a meaner man oft hath money in his purse when he hath none and can lâ—nd his Lordship some at a need great gifts and parts are titles of honour among men but many such may come and borrow grace and comfort of a mean gifted brother possibly the Preacher of his poor neighbour O poor Christian do not murmur or envy them but rather pity and pray for them they need it more then others his gifts are thine thy grace is for thy self thou art like a Merchant that hath his Factour goes to sea but he hath his Adventure without hazard brought home Thou joynest with him in prayer hast the help of his gifts but not the temptation of his pride Vse 2 Secondly doth Satan labour thus to draw to pride of gifts this speaks a word to you to whom God hath given more gifts then ordinary beware of pride that is now your snare Satan is at work if possible he will turne your Artillery against your selfe thy safety lies in thy humility if this lock be cut the legions of hell are on thee Remember whom thou wrestlest with spiritual wickednesse and their play is to lift up that they may give the sorer fall Now the more to stir up thy heart against it I shall adde some soul-humbling considerations First consider these spiritual gifts are not thy own and wilt thou be proud of anothers bounty Is not God the Founder and can he not soon be the Confounder of thy gifts thou that art proud of thy gourd what wilt thou be when it is gone surely then thou wilt be peevish and angry and truly thou takest the course to be strip't of them Gifts come on other termes then grace God gives grace as a free-hold it hath the promise of this and another world but gifts come on liking though a father will not cast off his childe yet he may take away his fine coat and ornaments if proud of them Secondly gifts are not meerly for thy self As the light of the Sun is ministeriall it shines not for it self so all thy gifts are for others Gifts for the edifying of the body Suppose a man should leave a chest of money in your hands to be distributed to others what folly is it in this man to put this into his own Inventory and applaud himself that he hath so much money Poor soul thou art but Gods Executour and by that time thou hast paid all the Legacies thou wilt see little left for thee to brag and boast of Thirdly know Christian thou shalt be accountable for these talents now with what face
THE CHRISTIAN IN Compleat Armour Or a TREATISE OF THE Saints War against the Devil wherein a Discovery is made of that grand enemy of God and his People in his Policies Power Seat of his Empire Wickednesse and chief design he hath against the Saints A Magazin open'd FROM Whence the Christian is furnished with Spiritual Armes for the battel help't on with his Armour and taught the use of his Weapon together with the happy issue of the whole Warre The First Part. By William Gurnall Minister of the Gospel at Lavenham Imprimatur EDMUND CALAMY LONDON Printed for Ralph Smith at the Bible in Cornhill near the Royall Exchange 1655. Gurnalls CHRISTIAN ARMOVR I. P. To my Dearly Beloved Friends and Neighbours the Inhabitants of LAVENHAM My Dear Friends SOlomon saith The desire of a man is his kindenesse and a poor man is better then a liar Prov. 19.22 If you be of his minde I dare promise these Notes which I here devote to your service a kinde acceptance at your hands You will finde me to be the poor man by the mite I present you with but the hearty desire of your eternal happinesse from which it comes will I hope clear me from being the liar I never could be so serviceable to you as many Ministers are to their people having been with you in much weaknesse and still it is the good pleasure of God I should be staked down to a short tedder of strength and other abilities I have reason therefore that I may though not recompence that want yet expresse my deep sense thereof to croud the more love into the little I can do for you And truly my heart is enlarged to you and to God for you If any thing makes me loath to be gone into another world which my dropping house bids me above many prepare for it is not the least to think I shall leave no more of you walking in the way to eternal life and you who are on your way thither in no closer Gospel-order for your mutual help and comfort in your journey yea while I am among you little do you think how much of your poor Ministers life lies at your mercy If I should measure my life by the joy of it as indeed who doth not Then in some uprightnesse I can say with Paul I live as I see any of you stand fast in the Lord and die as I see others stand fast in their sins not to be moved with all the entreaties of the Gospel which have wooed you And why my dear friends should not the life of your soules be much more precious in your own sight then mine But I forbear I would not willingly be thought as some husbands are to be kinder to you abroad before strangers then I am at home What I present you with in this Treatise is a dish from your own table and so I hope will go down the better You cannot despise it though the fare be mean except you will blame your selves who chose the Cook I cannot be earnest with others to bestow so much time as to read over these plain Sermons lest it should be to their losse it were but to call them from gathering sheaves in the more fruitful labours of others to glean a few eares and those but thin also in mine yet with you my people I may be a little bold Physicians say the mothers milk though not so weighty as anothers if no noxious humour be tasted in it because natural is more proper for the childe then a strangers And I think it would not be an errour if I should say it held in the milk which the Minister gives to his flock A people conscienciously lying at the breasts of their own Minister if the milk he gives be wholesome may expect the blessing of God for their nourishment though it has not so much lusciousnesse to please the curious taster as some others Well whatever these Sermons were some of those few spirits which you found in hearing will be missing in the reading of them It is as easie to paint fire with the heat as with pen and ink to commit that to paper which occurres in preaching There is as much difference between a Sermon in the Pulpit and printed in a book as between milk in the warme breast and in a sucking bottle yet what it loseth in the lively taste is recompenced by the convenience of it The book may be at hand when the Preacher cannot and truly that 's the chief end of printing that as the bottle and spoon is used when the mother is sick or out of the way so the book to quiet the Christian and stay his stomack in the absence of the Ordinance He that readeth Sermons and good bookes at home to save his paines of going to hear is a thief to his soul in a religious habit he consults for his ease but not for his profit he eats cold meat when he may have hot He hazards the losing the benefit of both by contemning of one If the Spouse could have had her beloved at home she needed not to have coursed the streets and waited on the publick O what need we offer sacriledge for sacrifice rob God of one duty to pay him another He hath laid our work in better order one wheele would not interfere with another if we did more regularly A chief part of Davids Arithmetick of numbring our dayes lies in that which we call division as to cast the account of this our short life so as to divide the little whole summe thereof into the several portions of time due for the performing of every duty in An Instrument is not in tune except it have all the strings and those will not make good musick if the Musician hath not wisdome to cause every string to speak in its due time The Christian is not in tune except he takes in all the duties of his place and calling neither will the performance of them be harmonious in Gods eare if every one be not done in its proper season O my friends labour not only to do the duty of your place but that duty in its own place also Heare when you should hear Know your rime for closet and time for shop and when your retiring houre comes a few minutes now and then spent in taking a repetition of what formerly you heard shall not I hope another day be reckoned with your lost time The Subject of the Treatise is solemn A War between the Saint and Satan and that so bloody a one that the cruellest which ever was fought by men will be found but sport and childes play to this Alas what is the killing of bodies to destroying of soules 'T is a sad meditation indeed to think how many thousands have been sent to the grave in a few late yeares among us by the sword of man But far more astonishing to consider how many of those may be sent to hell by the sword of Gods wrath 'T is
blesse God thou hast life Doest thou through feeblenesse often faile in duty and fall into temptation Mourne in the sense of these yet blesse God that thou doest not live in a total neglect of duty out of a prophane contempt thereof and that in stead of falling through weakness thou doest not lie in the mire of sin through the wickednesse of thy heart The unthankful soul may thank it self it thrives not better Thirdly art thou humble under the assistance and strength God hath given thee pride stops the conduit if the heart begin to swell it is time for God to hold his hand and turne the cock for all that is poured on such a soule runs over into self-applauding and so is as water spilt in regard of any good it doth the creature or any glory it brings to God A proud heart and a lofty mountain are never fruitful Now beside the common wayes that pride discovers it self as by under-valuing others and over-valuing it selfe and such like you shall observe two other symptomes of it First it appears in bold adventures when a person runs into the mouth of temptation bearing himself up on the confidence of his grace receiv'd This was Peters sin by which he was drawn to engage further then became an humble faith running into the devils-quarters and so became his prisoner for a while The good man when in his right temper had thoughts low enough of himself as when he ask't his Master Is it I but he that feared at one time lest he might be the traitour at another cannot think so ill of himself as to suspect he should be the denyer of his Master What he No though all the rest should forsake him yet he would stand to his colours Is this thy case Christian Possibly God hath given thee much of his minde thou art skilful in the Word of life and therefore thou darest venture to breath in corrupt aire as if only the weak spirits of lesse knowing Christians exposed them to be infected with the contagion of errour and heresie Thou hast a large portion of grace or at least thou thinkest so and venturest to go where an humble-minded Christian would fear his heels should slip under him Truly now thou temptest God to suffer thy lock to be cut when thou art so bold to lay thy head in the lap of a temptation Secondly pride appears in the neglect of those means whereby the Saints graces and comforts are to be fed when strongest May be Christian when thou art under feares and doubts then God hath thy company thou art oft with thy pitcher at his door but when thou hast got any measure of peace there growes presently some strangenesse between God and thee thy pitcher walks not as it was wont to these Wells of salvation No wonder if thou though rich in grace and comfort goest behinde-hand seeing thou spendest on the old stock and drivest no trade at present to bring in more Or if thou doest not thus neglect duty yet may be thou doest not perform it with that humility which formerly beautified the same then thou prayedst in the sense of thy weaknesse to get strength now thou prayest to shew thy strength that others may admire thee And if once like Hezekiah we call in Spectators to see our treasure and applaud us for our gifts and comfort then it is high time for God if he indeed love us to send some messengers to carry these away from us which carry our hearts from him Fourthly if thy heart doth not smite thee from what hath been said but thou hast sincerely waited on God and yet hast not received the strength thou desirest yet let it be thy resolution to live and die waiting on him God doth not tell us his time of coming and it were boldnesse to set on of our own heads Go saith Christ to his disciples Luke 24.49 Stay ye in Jerusalem until ye be endued with Power from on High Thus he saith to thee stay at Jerusalem wait on him in the means he hath appointed till thou beest endued with further power to mortifie thy corruptions c. And for thy comfort know First thy thus persevering to wait on God will be an evidence of strong grace in thee the lesse encouragement thou hast to duty the more thy faith and obedience to bear thee up in duty He that can trade when times are so dead that all his ware lies upon his hand and yet drawes not in his hand but rather trades more and more sure his stock is great What no comfort in hearing no ease to thy spirit in praying and yet more greedy to heare and more-frequent in prayer O soul great is thy faith and patience Secondly assure thy self when thou art at the greatest pinch strength shall come They that wait on the Lord shall renew their strength when the last handful of meale was dressing then is the Prophet sent to keep the Widows house When temptation is strong thy little strength even spent and thou ready to yield into the hands of thine enemies then expect succours from heaven to enable thee to hold out under the temptation Thus to Paul My grace is sufficient or power from heaven to raise the siege and drive away the tempter thus to Job when Satan had him at an advantage then God takes him off Like a wise Moderatour when the Respondent is hard put to it by a subtile Opponent takes him off when he would else run him down James 5.11 Ye have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord that the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy EPHESIANS 6.11 Put on the whole Armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil THis verse is a Key to the former wherein the Apostle had exhorted believers to encourage and bear up their fainting spirits on the Lord and the power of his might Now in these words he explains himself and shewes how he would have them do this not presumptuously come into the field without that armour which God hath appointed to be worne by all his souldiers and yet with a bravado to trust in the power of God to save them That soule is sure to fall short of home heaven I mean who hath nothing but a carnal confidence on the Name of God blowen up by the ignorance of God and himself No he that would have his confidence duly placed on the Power of God must conscienciously use the means appointed for his defence and not rush naked into the battel like that fanatick spirit at Munster who would needs go forth and chase away the whole army then besieging that city with no other cannon then a few words charged with the Name of The Lord of hostes which he blasphemously made bold to use saying In the Name of the Lord of hostes depart But himself soon perished to learne others wisdom by what he paid for his folly What foolish
braving language shall you hear drop from the lips of the most prophane and ignorant among us they trust in God hope in his mercy defie the devil and all his works and such like stuffe who yet are poor naked creatures without the least piece of Gods armour upon their souls To cashiere such presumption from the Saints Camp he annexeth this Directory to his exhortation Put on the whole armour of God c. So that the words fall into these two general parts First a Direction annex't to the former Exhortation shewing how we may in a regular way come to be strong in the Lord that is by putting on the whole armour of God Secondly a reason or argument strengthening this Direction that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil In the Direction observe First the furniture he directs and that is Armour Secondly the kinde or quality of this Armour Armour of God Thirdly the quantity or entirenesse of the Armour The whole Armour of God Fourthly the use of this Armour Put on the whole Armour of God To begin with the first the furniture which every one must get that would fight Christs battels The question here will be What is this Armour First by armour is meant Christ we reade of putting on the Lord Jesus Rom. 13.14 where Christ is set forth under the notion of Armour The Apostle doth not exhort them for rioting and drunkennesse to put on sobriety and temperance for chambering and wantonnesse put on chastity as the Philosopher would have done but bids Put on the Lord Jesus Christ implying thus much till Christ be put on the creature is unarmed 'T is not a mans morality and Philosophical vertues that will repel a temptation sent with a full charge from Satans cannon though possibly it may the pistol shot of some lesse solicitation so that he is the man in Armour that is in Christ Again the Graces of Christ these are Armour as the Girdle of truth the breast plate of righteousnesse and the rest Hence we are bid also put on the new man Eph. 4.24 which is made up of all the several graces as its parts and members And he is the unarm'd soule that is the unregenerate soule Not excluding those duties and means which God hath appointed the Christian to use for his defence The phrase thus opened the Point is CHAP. I. Sheweth the Christlesse and gracelesse soule to be the soule without Armour and therein his misery THat a person in a Christlesse gracelesse state is naked and unarm'd and so unfit to fight Christs battels against sin and Satan Or thus A soule out of Christ is naked and destitute of all armour to defend him against sin and Satan God at first sent man forth in compleat armour being created in righteousnesse and true holines but by a wile the devil strip't him and therfore assoon as the first sin was compleated it is written Gen. 3.7 They were naked that is poor weak creatures at the will of Satan a subdued people disarm'd by their proud Conquerour and unable to make head against him Indeed it cost Satan some dispute to make the first breach but after that he had once the gates open'd to let him in as Conquerour into the heart of man he playes Rex behold a troop of other sins croud in after him without any stroak or strife in stead of confessing their sins they run their head in a bush and by their good will would not come where God is and when they cannot flie from him how do they prevaricate before him They peale one of another shifting the sin rather then suing for mercy So quickly were their hearts hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sin And this is the woful condition of every son and daughter of Adam naked he findes us and slaves he makes us till God by his effectual call delivers us from the power of Satan into the Kingdome of his dear Son which will further appear if we consider this Christlesse state in a foure-fold notion First it is a state of alienation from God Ephes 2.12 Ye were without Christ being aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel strangers from the Covenant of Promise c. Such a one hath no more to do with any Covenant-promise then he that lives at Rome hath to do with the Charter of London which is the birth-right of its own Denisons not Strangers He is without God in the world he can claim no more protection from God then an out-law'd subject from his Prince If any mischief befalls him the mends is in his own hands whereas God hath his hedge of special providence about his Saints and the devil though his spite be most at them dares not come upon Gods ground to touch any of them without particular leave Now what a deplored condition is that wherein a soule is left to the wide world in the midst of legions of lusts and devils to be rent and torne lâ—ke a silly hare among a pack of hounds and no God to call them off Let God leave a people though never so warlike presently they lose their wits cannot finde their hands A company of children or wounded men may rise up and chase them out of their fenced Cities because God is not with them which made Caleb and Joshuah pacifie the mutinous Israelites at the tidings of giants and walled cities with this They are bread for us their defence is departed from them How much more must that soule be as bread to Satan that hath no defence from the Almighty Take men of the greatest parts natural or acquired accomplishments who only want an union with Christ and renewing grace from Christ O what fooles doth the devil make of them leading them at his pleasure some to one lust some to another the proudest of them all is slave to one or other though it be to the ruining of body and soul for ever Where lies the mystery that men of such parts and wisdom should debase themselves to such drudgery work of hell even here they are in a state of alienation from God and no more able of themselves to break the devils prison then a slave ro run from his chain Secondly the Christlesse state is a state of ignorance and such must needs be naked and unarm'd He that cannot see his enemie how can he ward off the blow he sends One seeing Prophet leads a whole army of blinde men whither he pleaseth The imperfect knowledge Saints have here is Satans advantage against them he often takes them on the blinde side how easily then may he with a parcel of good words carry the blinde soule out of his way who knowes not a step of the right Now that the Christlesse state is a state of ignorance See Eph. 5.8 Ye were sometimes darknesse but now are ye light in the Lord. Ye were darknesse not in the dark so one that hath an eye may be A childe of light is often in the dark
Satan though a General will shew little pity to a souldier that should traiterously throw down his armes and run to the enemy yet if another in fighting receives a wound and be worsted it will be no dishonour for him to expresse his pity and love no though he should send him out of the field in his own coach lay him in his own bed and appoint him his own Chirurgion God doth not encourage wickednesse in his Saints but pities weaknesse Even when the Saints fall into a sin in its nature presumptuous they do not commit it so presumptuously as others there is a part true to God in their bosomes though over-voted Moses spake unadvisedly but the devil had his instruments to provoke him quite against the good mans temper David numbers the people but see how the devil dogg'd and hunted him till at last he got the better 1 Chron. 21.1 Satan stood up and provoked David to number Israel How bravely did Job repel Satans darts no wonder if in such a shower some one should get between the joynts of his armour And for Peter we know good man with what a loyal heart yea zealous he went into the field though when the enemy appear'd his heart fail'd him Secondly consider but the way how God communicates his love after his Saints falls not in sinning or for sinning but in mourning and humbling their souls for their sins Indeed did God smile on them while acting sinfully this might strengthen their sin as wine in a feaver would the disease but when the fit is off the venome of the disease spent and breathed out in a kindly humiliation now the creature lies low Gods wine of comfort is a cordial to the drooping spirit not fuel for sin When David was led into temptation first he must be clad in sack-cloth and mourning and then God takes it off and puts on the garment of joy and praise 1 Chron. 21.10 15. Job though he exprest so much courage and patience yet bewraying some infirmities after he was baited long by so many fresh dogs men and devils he must cry peccavi and abhor himself in dust and ashes before God will take him into his armes Job 42.6 and the same way God takes with all his children Now to his Saints in such a posture God may with safety to his honour and their good give a larger draught of his love then ordinary their feares and sorrow which their sin hath cost them will serve instead of water to dash this strong wine of joy and take away its headinesse that it neither fume up into pride nor occasion them to reele backward into Apostasie Quest But why doth God now communicate his love Answ 1 First from his own pitiful nature You have heard of the patience of Job and have seen the end of the Lord that the Lordis very pitiful and of tender mercy God loves not to rake in bleeding wounds he knowes a mourning soul is subject to be discouraged A frown or an angry look from God whom the Saint so dearly loves must needs go near the heart therefore God declares himself at hand to revive such Isa 57 15. and he gives the reason verse 16. For I will not contend for ever neither will I be alwayes wreth for the spirit should faile before me Whose spirit is there meant not of the presumptuous sinner he goes on and never blunks but of the contrite and humble ones As the father observes the disposition of his children one commits a fault and goes on rebelliously despising his fathers anger another when offending him layes it to heart refuseth to eat gets into some corner to lament the displeasure of his father the father sees it and his bowels yerne towards him Indeed should he not put his childe out of feare by discovering his love the spirit of such a one would faile 't is not possible there should be a long breach between such a father and such a son the one relenting over his sin the other over his mourning son Secondly God doth thus to poure the greater shame upon Satan who is the great make-bate between God and the soule How is the man ashamed that hath stirr'd up variance between husband and wife father and son to see the breach made up and all set themselves against him It went ill on Christs side when Herod and Pilate were made friends and can it go well with Satan to see all well between God and his children If Esther be in favour Haman her enemy shall have his face covered Indeed this covers Satans face with shame to see a poor Saint even now his prisoner whom he had leave to rob and plunder tempt and disquiet now sitting in the Sun-shine of Gods love while he like a ravening Lion takes on for the losse of his prey Secondly Satans aime is to weaken the Saints faith on God and cool his love to God but befool'd in both for first God turnes their temptations yea their falls to the further establishment of their faith which like the tree stands stronger for its shaking or like the Gyant Anteus who in his wrestling with Hercules is feigned to get strength by every fall to the ground False faith indeed once foiled seldom comes on again but true faith riseth and fights more valiantly as we see in Peter and other Scripture-examples Temptation to faith is as fire to gold 1 Pet. 1.7 The fire doth not only discover which is true gold but makes the true gold more pure it comes out may be lesse in bulk and weight because severed from that soile and drosse which embased it but more in value and worth when Satan is bound up and the Christian walks under the shines of divine favour and encouragement of divine assistance his faith may appear great if compared with another under the withdrawings of God and buffetings of Satan but this is not equall judging as if to try who is biggest of two men we should measure one naked and the other over his clothes or in comparing two pieces of gold weigh one with the drosse and dirt it contracts in the purse with the other purged from these in the fire faith before temptation hath much heterogeneal stuffe that cleaves to it and goes for faith but when temptation comes these are discovered Now the Christian feels corruption stir which lay as dead before now a cloud comes between the soule and the sweet face of God the sense of which latter and the little sense of the other bore up his faith before but these bladders prick't he comes now to learne the true stroke in this heavenly Art of swimming on the promise having nothing else to beat him up but that and a little of this carries more of the precious nature of faith in it then all the other yea is like Gideons handful of men stronger when all these accessaries to faith are sent away then when they were present and here is all the devil gets in stead
a Tradesman out of his shop now and then but he is as a fish out of the water never in his element till he be in his calling again Thus when the Christian is about the world and the worldling about heavenly matters both are men out of their way not right girt till they get into their employment again Now this heavenly trade is that which Satan doth in an especial manner labour to stop Could the Christian enjoy but a free trade with heaven a few years without molestation he would soon grow a rich man too rich indeed for earth but what with losses sustained by the hands of this Pyrate Satan and also the wrong he receives by the treachery of some in his own bosome that like unfaithful servants hold correspondence with this robber he is kept but low in this life and much of his gaines are lost Now the Christians heavenly trade lies either within doors or abroad he can be free in neither Satan is at his heels in both First within doores This I may call his home-trade which is spent in secret between God and his own soule here the Christian drives an unknown trade he is at heaven and home again richly laden in his thoughts with heavenly meditations before the world knows where he hath been Every creature he sees is a text for his heart to raise some spiritual matter and observations from Every Sermon he heares cuts him out work to make up and enlarge upon when he gets alone Every Providence is as winde to his sailes and sets his heart a moving in some heavenly affection or other suitable to the occasion One while he is wrap't up with joy in the consideration of mercy another while melted into godly sorrow from the sense of his sins Sometimes exalting God in his praises anon abusing himself before God for his own vilenesse One while he is at the breast of the Covenant milking out the consolations of the Promises at another time working his heart into a holy awe and feare of the threatenings Thus the Christian walks aloft while the base worldling is licking the dust below One of these heavenly pearles which the Christian trades for is more worth then the worldling gets with all his sweat and travel in his whole life The Christians feet stand where other mens heads are he treads on the Moon and is clothed with the Sun he looks down on earthly men as one from a high hill doth upon those that live in some fenne or moore and sees them buried in a fog of carnal pleasures and profits while he breaths in a pure heavenly aire but yet not so high as to be free from all stormes and tempests many a sad gust he hath from sin and Satan without What else mean those sad complaints and groans which come from the children of God that their hearts are so dead and dull their thoughts so roving and unfixt in duty yea many times so wicked and filthy that they dare hardly tell what they are for feare of staining their own lips and offending the eares of others by naming them Surely the Christian findes it in his heart to will and desire he could meditate pray heare and live after another sort then this doth he not yes I durst be his surety he doth But so long as there is a devil tempts and we continue within his walk it will be thus more or lesse as fast as we labour to clear the spring of our hearts he will be labouring to royle or stop it again so that we have two works to do at once to performe a duty and watch him that opposeth us trowel and sword both in our hands They had need work hard indeed who have others continually endeavouring to pull down as they are labouring to rear up the building Secondly that part of the Christians trade which lies abroad is heavenly also Take a Christian in his relations calling neighbourhood he is a heavenly trader in all the great businesse of his life is to be doing or receiving some good that company is not for him that will neither give nor take this What should a Merchant be where there is no buying nor selling Every one labours as his calling is to seat himself where trade is quickest and he is likest to have most takings The Christian where he may choose takes such in relations near to himself husband wife servants as may suite with his heavenly trade and not such as will be a pull-back to him he falls in with the holiest persons as his dearest acquaintance if there be a Saint in the town where he lives he 'll finde him out and this shall be the man he will consort with and in his conversation with these and all else his chief work is for heaven his heavenly principle within inclines him to it Now this alarums hell What not contented to go to heaven himself but by his holy example gracious speeches sweet counsels seasonable reproofs will he be trading with others and labour to carry them along with him also This brings the Lion fell and mad out of his den such to be sure shall finde the devil in their way to oppose them I would have come saith Paul but Sacan hindered me He that will vouch God and let it appear by the tenure of his conversation that he trades for him shall have enemies enough if the devil can help him to such Thirdly the Christians hopes are all heavenly he lots not upon any thing the world hath to give him Indeed he would think himself the most miserable man of all others if here were all he could make of his Religion No 't is heaven and eternal life that he expects and though he be so poor as not to be able to make a Will of a groat yet he counts himself a greater heire then if he were childe to the greatest Prince on earth This inheritance he sees by faith and can rejoyce in the hope of the glory which it will bring him The masquery and cheating glory of the great ones of this world moves him not to envy their fanciful pomp but when on the dunghil himself he can forget his own present sorrowes to pity them in all their bravery knowing that within a few dayes the crosse will be off his back and the crowns off their heads together their portion will be spent when he shall be to receive all his These things entertain him with such joy that they will not suffer him to acknowledge himself miserable when others think him and the devil tells him he is such This this torments the very soule of the devil to see the Christian under saile for heaven fill'd with the sweet hope of his joyful entertainment when he comes there and therefore he raiseth what stormes and tempests he can either to hinder his arrival in that blessed Port which he most desires and doth not wholly despair of or at least to make it a troublesome winter-voyage such as
of Saints falling from grace gives a sad dash to the sweet wine of the Promises the soul-reviving comfort that sparkles in them ariseth from the sure conveyance with which they are in Christ made over to believers to have and to hold for ever Hence called the sure mercies of David Acts 13.34 mercies that shall never faile This this indeed is wine that makes glad the heart of a Saint though he may be whipt in the house when he sins yet he shall not be turned out of doores As God promised in the type to Davids seed Psal 89.33 Neverthelesse my loving kindnesse will I not utterly take from him nor suffer my faithfulnesse to faile and v. 36. His seed shall endure for ever Could any thing separate the believer from the love of God in Christ this would be as a hole at the bottome of his cup to leak out all his joy he might then feare every temptation or affliction he meets would slay him and so the wickeds curse would be the Saints portion His life would ever hang in doubt before him and the fearful expectation of his final miscarriage which he sees may befall him would eat up the joy of his present hope Now how contrary such a frame of heart is to the spirit of adoption and full assurance of hope which the grace of the new Covenant gives he that runs may reade in the Word Vse 2 This truth prepares a sovereign cordial to restore the fainting spirits of weak believers who are surprised with many feares concerning their persevering and holding out to the end of their warfare Be of good cheer poor soule God hath given Christ the life of every soule within the Ark of his Covenant Your eternal safety is provided for Whom he loves he loves to the end Jâ—h 13.1 Hath he made thee willing in the day of his power to march under his banner and espouse his quarrel against sin and hell the same power that overcame thy rebellious heart to himself will overcome all thy enemies within and without for thee say not thou art a bruised reed with this he will break Satans head and not cease till he hath brought forth judgement into compleat victory in thy soule He that can make a few wounded men rise up and take a strong city can make a wounded spirit triumph over sin and devils The Ark stood in the midst of Jordan till the whole Camp of Israel was safely got over into Canaan Josh 3. And so doth the Covenant which the Ark did but typifie yea Christ Covenant and all stand to secure the Saints a safe passage to Heaven If but one believer drownes the Covenant must drown with him Christ and the Saint are put together as co-heires of the same inheritance Rom. 8.17 If children then heires heirs of God and joynt-heirs with Christ. We cannot dispute against one but we question the firmnesse of the others title When you heare Christ is turn'd out of heaven or himself to be willing to sell his inheritance there then poore Christian feare thy coming thither and not till then Co-heires cannot sell the inheritance except both give up their right which Christ will never do nor suffer thee Vse 3 Thirdly this truth calls for a word or two of caution Though there is no feare of a Saints salling from grace yet there is great danger of others falling from the top of this comfortable doctrine into a carelesse security and presumptuous boldnesse and therefore a battlement is very necessary that from it we may with safety to our soules stand and view the pleasant prospect this truth presents to our eye That flower from which the Bee sucks honey the spider draws poison That which is a restorative to the Saints grace proves an incentive to the lust of a wicked man What Paul said of the Law we may truly of the Gospel Sin taking occasion from the grace of the Gospel and the sweet promises thereof deceives the carnal heart and works in him all manner of wickednesse Indeed sin seldome grows so rank any where as in those who water its roots with the grace of the Gospel Two wayes this doctrine may be abused First into a neglect of duty Secondly into a liberty to sin Take heed of both First beware of falling into a neglect of duty upon this score if a Christian thou canst not fall away from grace Take for an antidote against this three particulars First there are other arguments to invite yea that will constrain thee to a constant vigourous performing of duty though the feare of falling away should not come in or else thou art not a Christian what nothing make the childe diligent about his fathers businesse but feare of being disinherited and turned out of doors There is sure some better motive to duty in a Saints heart or else Religion is a melancholy work Speak for your selves O ye Saints is self-preservation all you pray for and heare for should a messenger come from Heaven and tell you Heaven were yours would this make you give over your spiritual trade and not care whether you had any more acquaintance with God till you came thither O how harsh doth this sound in your eares There are such principles engraven in the Christians bosome that will not suffer a strangenesse long to grow betwixt God and him He is under the Law of a new life which carries him naturally to desire communion with God as the childe doth to see the face of his deare father and every duty is a Mount wherein God presents himself to be seen and enjoyed by the Christian Secondly to neglect duty upon such a perswasion is contrary to Christs practice and counsel First his practice Though Christ never doubted of his Fathers love nor questioned the happy issue of all his temptations agonies and sufferings yet he prayes and prayes again more earnestly Luke 22.44 Secondly his counsel and command He told Peter that Satan had begg'd leave to have them to sift them But withal he comforts him who was to be hardest put to it with this But I have prayed for thee that thy faith faile not Sure our Saviour by this provision made for him and the rest means to save them a labour that they need not watch or pray No such matter after this as you may see v. 40. He calls them up to duty Pray that ye enter not into temptation Christs praying for them was to strengthen their faith when they should themselves pray for the same mercy not to nourish their sloth that they needed not to pray Christs prayers in Heaven for his Saints are all heard already but the returne of them is reserved to be enclosed in the answer God sends to their own prayers The Christian cannot in faith expect to receive the mercies Christ prayes for in Heaven so long as he lives in the neglect of his duty on earth They stand ready against he shall call for them by the prayer of faith and
his Heifer He opens the wombe of the soule to conceive by it as the understanding to conceive of it that the barren soul becomes a joyful mother of children David sate for halfe a year under the publick Lectures of the Law and the wombe of his heart shut up till Nathan comes and God with him and now is the time of life he conceives presently yea and brings forth in the same day falls presently into the bitter pangs of sorrow for his sins which went not over till he had cast them forth in that sweet Psalm 51. Why should this one word work more then all the former but that God now struck in with his Word which he did not before He is therefore said to teach his people to profit he sits in heaven that teacheth hearts When Gods Spirit who is the Head-master shall call a soul from his Usher to himselfe and say Soul you have not gone the way to thrive by hearing the Word thus and thus conceive of such a truth improve such a promise presently the eyes of his understanding open and his heart burnes within him while he speaks to him Thus you see the truth of this Point That the Christians strength is in the Lord. Now we shall give some demonstrations SECT I. Reason 1 The first Reason may be taken from the nature of the Saints and their grace both are creatures they and their grace also now Inesse est de esse creaturae 'T is in the very nature of the creature to depend on God its Maker both for being and operation Can you conceive an accident to be out of its subject whitenesse out of the wall or some other subject 't is as impossible that the creature should be or act without strength from God This to be act in and of himself is so incommunicable a property of the Deity that he cannot impart it to his creature God is and there is none besides him when God made the world it is said indeed he ended his work that is of Creation he made no new species and kindes of creatures more but to this day he hath not ended his work of Providence Hitherto my Father worketh saith Christ John 5.17 that is in preserving and empowering what he hath made with strength to be and act and therefore he is said to hold our souls in life Works of Art which man makes when finish't may stand some time without the Workmans help as the house when the Carpenter that made it is dead but Gods works both of nature and grace are never off his hand and therefore as the Father is said to work hitherto for the preservation of the works of nature so the Son to whom is committed the work of Redemption he tells us he worketh also Neither ended he his work when he rose again any otherways then his Father did in the work of Creation God made an end of making so Christ made an end of purchasing mercy grace and glory for believers by once dying and as God rested at the end of the Creation so he when he had wrought eternal Redemption and by himself purged our sins sate down on the right hand of the Majesty on High Heb. 1.3 But he ceaseth not to work by his intercession with God for us and by his Spirit in us for God whereby he upholds his Saints their graces and comforts in life without which they would run to ruine Thus we see as grace is a creature the Christian depends on God for his strength But further Reason 2 Secondly the Christians grace is not only a creature but a weak creature conflicting with enemies stronger then it selfe and therefore cannot keep the field without an auxiliary strength from Heaven The weakest goes to the wall if no succour comes in Grace in this life is but weak like a King in the Cradle which gives advantage to Satan to carry on his plots more strongly to the disturbance of this young Kings reigne in the soule yea he would soon make an end of the war in the ruine of the believers grace did not Heaven take the Christian into protection 'T is true indeed grace whereever it is hath a principle in it selfe that makes it desire and endeavour to preserve it self according to its strength but being over-powered must perish except assisted by God as fire in green wood which deads and damps the part kindled will in time go out except blown up or more fire put to that little so will grace in the heart God brings his grace into the heart by Conquest now as in a conquered City though some yield and become true subjects to the Conquerour yet others plot how they may shake off this yoke and therefore it requires the same power to keep as was to win it at first The Christian hath an unregenerate part that is discontented at this new change in the heart and disdains as much to come under the sweet government of Christs Scepter as the Sodomites that Lot should judge them What this fellow a Stranger controule us And Satan heads this mutinous rout against the Christian so that if God should not continually re-inforce this his new-planted Colony in the heart the very natives I mean corruptions that are left would come out of their dens and holes where they lie lurking and eat up the little grace the holiest on earth hath it would be as bread to these devourers Reason 3 A third demonstration may be taken from the grand designe which God propounds to himself in the Saints salvation yea in the transaction of it from first to last And that is two-fold First God would bring his Saints to heaven in such a way as might be most expressive of his deare love and mercy to them Secondly he would so expresse his mercy and love to them as might rebound back to him in the highest advance of his own glory possible Now how becoming this is to both that Saints should have all their ability for every step they take in the way to heaven will soon appear First this way of communicating strength to Saints gives a double accent to Gods love and mercy First it distills a sweetnesse into all the believer hath or doth when he findes any comfort in his bosome any enlargement of heart in duty any support under temptations To consider whence came all these what friend sends them in they come not from my own cisterne or any creatures O 't is my God that hath been here and left this sweet perfume of comfort behinde him in my bosome my God that hath unawares to me fill'd my sailes with the gales of his Spirit and brought me off the flats of my own deadnesse where I lay a ground O 't is his sweet Spirit that held my head stayed my heart in such an affliction and temptation or else I had gone away in a fainting fit of unbelief How can this choose but endear God to a gracious soul his succours coming so
us flee for the Lord fighteth for them Whereas there be many now a dayes will rather give the honour of their discomfitures to Satan himself then acknowledge God in the businesse more ready to say the devil fought against them then God O you that have not yet worne off the impressions which the Almighty power of God hath at any time made upon your spirits beware of having any thing to do with that generation of men whoever they are Come not near their Tabernacle cast not thy lot in amongst them who are enemies to the Saints of the most High for they are men devoted to destruction God so loves his Saints that he makes nothing to give whole Nations for their ransome He rip 't open the very wombe of Egypt to save the life of Israel his childe Isa 43.3 Vse 2 Secondly this shews the dismal deplorable condition of all you who are yet in a Christ lesse state you have seen a rich mine open'd but not a penny of this treasure comes to your share a truth laden with incomparable comfort but it is bound for another coast it belongs to the Saints into whose bosome this truth unlades all her comfort see God shutting the door upon you when he sets his children to feast themselves with such dainties Esay 65.13 My servants shall eat but ye shall be hungry my servants shall drink but ye shall be thirsty God hath his set number which he provides for He knows how many he hath in his family these and no more shall sit down One chief dish at the Saints board is the Almighty power of God This was set before Abraham and stands before all his Saints that they may eate to fulnesse of comfort on it But thou shalt be hungry He is Almighty to pardon but he will not use it for thee an impenitent sinner thou hast not a friend on the bench not an attribute in all Gods Name will speak for thee Mercy it self will sit and vote with the rest of its fellow-attributes for thy damnation God is able to save and help in a time of need but upon what acquaintance is it that thou art so bold with God as to expect his saving arme to be stretcht forth for thee Though a man will rise at midnight to let in a childe that cryes and knocks at his doore yet he will not take so much paines for a dog that lies howling there This presents thy condition sinner sad enough yet this is to tell thy story fairest for that Almighty power of God which is engaged for the beleevers salvation is as deeply obliged to bring thee to thy execution and damnation What greater tie then an oath God himself is under an oath to be the destruction of every impenitent soul That oath which God sware in his wrath against the unbeleeving Israelites that they should not enter into his rest concernes every unbeleever to the end of the world In the Name of God consider were it but the oath of a man or a company of men that like those in the Acts should sweare to be the death of such a one and thou wert the man would it not fill thee with feare and trembling night and day and take away the quiet of thy life till they were made friends What then are their pillows stuft with who can sleep so soundly without any horrour or amazement though they be told that the Almighty God is under an oath of damning them body and soul without timely repentance O bethink your selves sinners is it wisdome or valour to refuse termes of mercy from Gods hands whose Almighty power if rejected will soone bring you into the hands of justice and how fearful a thing that is to fall into the hands of Almighty God no tongue can expresse no not they who feel the weight of it Vse 3 Thirdly this speaks to you that are Saints indeed Be strong in the faith of this truth make it an Article of your Creed with the same faith that you beleeve there is a God beleeve also this Gods Almighty power is thy sure friend and then improve it to thy best advantage As First in agonies of conscience that arise from the greatnesse of thy sinnes flie for refuge into the Almighty power of God Truly Sirs when a mans sinnes are displayed in all their bloody colours and spread forth in their kâ—lling aggravations and the eye of conscience awakened to behold them through the multiplying or magnifying glasse of a temptation they must needs surprize the creature with horror and amazement till the soul can say with the Prophet for all this huge hoast There is yet more with me then against me One Almighty is more then many Mighties All these mighty sinnes and devils make not one Almighty sinne or an Almighty devil Oppose to all the hideous charges brought against thee by them this onely attribute As the French Ambassadour once silenced the Spaniards pride in repeating his Masters many titles with one that drowned them all God himself Hosea 11.9 when he had aggravated his peoples sinnes to the height then to shew what a God can do breaks out into a sweet promise I will not execute the fiercenesse of mine anger and why not I am God and not man I will shew the Almightinesse of my mercy Something like our usual phrase when a childe or a woman strikes us I am a man and not a childe or woman therefore I will not strike again The very considering God to be God supposeth him Almighty to pardon as well as to avenge and this is some relief But then to consider it is Almighty power in bond and Covenant to pardon this is more As none can binde God but himself so none can break the bond himself makes and are they not his own words that he will abundantly pardon Isa 55. he will multiply to pardon as if he had said I 'le drop mercy with your sinne and spend all I have rather then let it be said my good is overcome of your evil It fares with the gracious soul in this case as with a Captaine that yields his Castle upon gracious termes of having his life spared and he safely convey'd to his house there to be setled peaceably in his estate and possessions for all which he hath the Generals hand and Seal on which he marcheth forth but the rude souldiers assault him and put him in feare of his life he appeals to the General whose honour now is engaged for him and is presently releeved and his enemies punisht Thou mayest poore soule when accused by Satan mollested by his terrours say It is God that justifies I have his hand to it that I should have my life given me assoon as I laid down my armes and submitted to him which I desire to do behold the gates of my heart are open to let the Prince of peace in and is not the Almighty able to performe his promise I commit my selfe to him as unto a
weak prone to be worsted O how careful will this should this make such a one of every company of every occasion Such a one had not need give his enemie any advantage Secondly God may deny the Christian such assisting strength in duty or mortifying strength of corruption as he desires purely on a gracious design that he may thereby have an advantage of expressing his love in such a way as shall most kindly work upon the ingenuity of the soule to love God again Perhaps Christian thou prayest for a mercy thou wantest or for deliverance out of some great affliction and in the duty thou findest not more assistance then ordinary yea many distractions of spirit in it and mis-giving thoughts with unbelieving feares after it Well notwithstanding those defects in thy duty yet God heares thy prayer and sends in the mercy on purpose that he may greaten his love in thine eye and make it more luscious and sweet to thy taste from his accepting thy weak services and passing by the distempers of thy spirit Here is lesse strength for the duty that thou mayest have more love in the mercy nothing will affect a gracious heart more then such a consideration See it in David Psal 116.11 12. I said in my haste All men are liars What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits towards me As if David had said notwithstanding all the comfortable messages I had from God by his Prophets concerning this matter my own prayers and those remarkable providences which carried in them a partial answer to them and performance of what was promised yet I betray'd much unbelief questioning the truth of the one and the return of the other and hath God notwithstanding all my infirmities fulfill'd my desire and performed his promise O what shall I render unto the Lord Thus David reades Gods mercy through the spectacles of his own weaknesse and infirmity and it appears great whereas if a mercy should come in as an answer to a duty managed with such strength of faith and height of other graces as might free him and his duty from usual infirmities this might prove a snare and occasion some self-applauding rather then mercy-admiring thoughts in the creature Thirdly God may communicate the lesse of his assisting strength that he may shew the more of his supporting strength in upholding weak grace We do not wonder to see a man of strong constitution that eats his bread heartily and sleeps soundly live But for a crazie body full of ailes and infirmities to be so patcht and shored up by the Physicians Art that he stands to old age this begets some wonder in the beholders It may be thou art a poor trembling soule thy faith is weak and thy assaults from Satan strong thy corruptions stirring and active and thy mortifying strength little so that in thy opinion they rather gain ground on thy grace then give ground to it ever and anon thou art ready to think thou shalt be cast as a wrack upon the devils shoare and yet to this day thy grace lives though full of leaks now is it not worth the stepping aside to see this strange sight A broken ship with masts and hull rent and torne thus towed along by Almighty power through an angry sea and Armadoes of sins and devils safely into its harbour To see a poore dilling or rush candle in the face of the boisterous winde and not blown out In a word to see a weak stripling in grace held up in Gods armes till he beats the devil craven This God is doing in upholding thee thou art one of those babes out of whose mouth God is perfecting his praise by ordaining such strength for thee that thou a babe in grace shalt yet foile a giant in wrath and power Thirdly if after long waiting for strength from God it be as thou complainest enquire whether the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which hinders be not found in thy self The head is the seat of animal spirits yet there may be such obstructions in the body as the other members may for a time be deprived of them till the passage be free between Christ thy head and thee thy strength will not come and therefore be willing to enquire First hast thou come indeed to God for strength to performe duty to mortifie corruption and the like perhaps thou wilt say Yes I have waited on those Ordinances which are the way in which he hath promised to give out strength But is this all thou mayest come to them and not wait on God in them Hast thou not carnally expected strength from them and so put the Ordinance as she her husband in Gods stead Hath not the frame of thy spirit some affinity with theirs in James 4.13 We will go into such a city and buy and sell and get gaine Hath not thy heart said I will go and hear such a man and get comfort get strength and doest thou wonder thou art weak barren and unfruitful Are Ordinances God that they should make you strong or comfortable Thou mayest heare them answer thee poor soul as the King to the woman in the siege of Samaria Help O prayer sayest thou or O Minister How can they help except the Lord help These are but Christs servants Christ keeps the Key of his wine-cellar they cannot so much as make you drink when you come to their Masters house and therefore poor soul stay not short of Christ but presse through all the croud of Ordinances and ask to speak with Jesus to see Jesus and touch him and vertue will come forth Secondly ask thy soule whether thou hast been thankful for that little strength thou hast though thou art not of that strength in grace to run with the foremost and hold pace with the tallest of thy brethren yet art thou thankful that thou hast any strength at all though it be but to cry after them whom thou seest out-strip thee in grace this is worth thy thanks All in Davids army attained not to be equal with his few Worthies in prowesse and honour and yet did not cashiere themselves thou hast reason to be thankful for the meanest place in the army of Saints the least communications of Gospel mercy and grace must not be over-look't Assoon as ever Moses with his army was through the sea they strike up before they stir from the bank-side and acknowledge the wonderful appearance of Gods power and mercy for them though this was but one step in their way a howling wildernesse presented it self to them and they not able to subsist a few dayes with all their provision for all their great victory yet Moses he will praise God for this handsel of mercy This holy man knew the only way to keep credit with God so as to have more was to keep touch and pay down his praise for what was received If thou wouldest have fuller communications of divine strength owne God in what he hath done Art thou weak
God yes they hope they are not infidels but what it is how they come by it or whether it will hold in an evil-day this never was put to the question in their hearts Thus thousands perish with a vain conceit they are arm'd against Satan death and judgment when they are miserable and naked yea worse on it then those who are more naked those I mean who have not a rag of civility to hide their shame from the worlds eye and that in a double respect First it is harder to work on such a soul savingly because he hath a forme though not the power and this affords him a plea. A soule purely naked nothing like the wedding garment on he is speechlesse the drunkard hath nothing to say for himself when you ask him why he lives so swinishly you may come up to him and get within him and turn the very mouth of his conscience upon him which will shoot conviction into him But come to deal with one that prayes and heares one that is a pretender to faith and hope in God here is a man in glistering armour he hath his weapon in his hand with which he will keep the Preacher and the Word he chargeth him with at armes length Who can say I am not a Saint what duty do I neglect here 's a breast-work he lies under which makes him not so faire a mark either to the observation or reproof of another his chief defect being within where mans eye comes not Again 't is harder to work on him because he hath been tamper'd with already and miscarried in the essay How comes such a one to he acquainted with such duties to make such a Profession was it ever thus No the Word hath been at work upon him his conscience hath scared him from his trade of wickednesse into a forme of Profession but taking in short of Christ for want of a through change it is harder to remove him then the other he is like a lock whose wards have been troubled which makes it harder to turn the Key then if never potter'd with 'T is better dealing with a wilde ragged cole never back't then one that in breaking hath took a wrong stroak A bone quite out of joynt then false set In a word such a one hath more to deny then a profane person the one hath but his lusts his whores his swill and draffe but the other hath his duties his seeming graces O how hard is it to perswade such a one to light and hold Christs stirrup while he and his duties are made Christs foot-stool Secondly such a one is deepest in condemnation None sink so far into hell as those that come nearest heaven because they fall from the greatest height As it aggravates the torments of damned souls in this respect above devils they had a cord of mercy thrown out to them which devils had not so by how much God by his Spirit waits on pleads with and by both gains on a soul more then others by so much such a one if he perish will finde hell the hotter these adde to his sin and the rememberance of his sin in hell thus accented will adde to his torment None will have such a sad parting from Christ as those who went half-way with him and then left him Therefore I beseech you look to your armour David would not fight in armour he had not tried though it was a Kings perhaps some thought him too nice What is not the Kings armour good enough for David Thus many will say Art thou so curious and precise such a great man doth thus and thus and hopes to come to heaven at last and darest not thou venture thy soule in his armour No Christian follow not the example of the greatest on earth 't is thy own soul thou venturest in battel therefore thou canst not be too choice of thy armour Bring thy heart to the Word as the only touch-stone of thy grace and furniture the Word I told you is the Tower of David from whence thy armour must be fetch 't if thou canst finde this Tower-stamp on it then 't is of God else not Try it therefore by this one Scripture-stamp Those weapons are mighty which God gives his Saints to fight his battels withal 2 Cor. 10.4 The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God The sword of the Spirit hath its point and edge whereby it makes its way into the heart and conscience through the impenitency of the one and stupidity of the other wherewith Satan as with buffe and coat of male armes the sinner against God and there cuts and slashes kills and mortifies lust in its own Castle where Satan thinks himself impregnable The Breast-plate which is of God doth not bend and break at every pat of temptation but is of such a divine temperament that it repels Satans motions with scorne on Satans teeth Should such a one as I sin as Nehemiah in another case and such are all the rest Now try whether your weapons be mighty or weak what can you do or suffer more for God then an hypocrite that is clad in fleshly armour I 'le tell you what the world faith and if you be Christians clear your selves and wipe off that dirt which they throw upon your glistering armour they say These Professors indeed have God more in their talk then we they are oftner in the mount of duty then we but when they come down into their shops relations and worldly employments then the best of them all is but like one of us they can throw the Tables of Gods Commandments out of their hands as well as we come from a Sermon and be as covetous and griping as peevish and passionate as the worst they shew as little love to Christ as others when it is matter of cost as to relieve a poor Saint or maintain the Gospel you may get more from a stranger an enemie then from a professing brother O Christians either vindicate the Name of Christ whose Ensign you seem to march after or throw away your seeming armour by which you have drawn the eyes of the world upon you If you will not Christ himself will cashiere you and that with shame enough ere long Never call that Armour of God which defends thee not against the power of Satan Take therefore the several pieces of your armour and try them as the souldier before he fights will set his helmet or head-piece as a mark at which he lets flie a brace of bullets and as he findes them so will weare them or leave them but be sure thou shootest Scripture-bullets Thou boastest of a breast-plate of righteousnesse ask thy soul Didst thou ever in thy life perform a duty to please God and not to accommodate thy self Thou hast prayed often against thy sin a great noise of these pieces have been heard coming from thee by others as if there were some hot fight between thee and thy corruption but canst thou
dregs of carnal passions which Satan knows and therefore chooseth to stir what he sees troubled already Secondly when the Saint is beset with some great affliction This is as some blinde lane or solitary place fit for this thief to call for his purse in An expert Captain first labours to make a breach in the wall and then falls on instorming the City Satan first got power from God to weaken Job in his estate children health and other comforts he had and now tempts him to impatience and what not he le ts Christ fast fourty dayes before he comes and then he falls to his work as an army stayes till a Castle be pinch't for provision within and then sends a parley never more likely to be embraced then in such a strait A temptation comes strong when the way to relief seems to lie through the sin that Satan is wooing to when one is poor and Satan comes What wilt starve rather then step over the hedge and steal for thy supply this is enough to put flesh and blood to the stand Thirdly when the Christian is about some notable enterprize for Gods glory then Satan will lie like a Serpent in the way an Adder in the path that biteth his horse-heels so that his Rider shall fall backward Thus he stood at Joshua's right hand to resist him The right hand is the working hand and his standing there implies his desire to hinder him in his enterprize Indeed the devil was never friend to Temple-work and therefore that work is so long a doing What a handsom excuse doth he help the Jews unto The time is not come Gods time was come but not the devils and therefore he helps them to this poor shift perverting the sense of Providence as if it were not time because they were so poor whereas they thrive no better because they went no sooner about the work as God tells them plainly Paul and Barnabas had a holy design in their thoughts to go visit the brethren in every City and strengthen their faith the devil knew what a blow this might give to his Kingdome their visiting might hinder him in his Circuit and he stirs up an unhappy difference between these two holy men who grow so hot that they part in this storme Acts 15.30 There were two remarkable periods of Christs life his Intrat and Exit his entrance into his publick Ministery at his Baptisme and his finishing it at his passion and at both we have the devil fiercely encountring him The more publick thy place Christian and the more eminent thy service for God the more thou must look that the devil will have some more dangerous design or other against thee and therefore if every private souldier needs armour against Satans bullets of temptation then the Commanders and Officers who stand in the front of the battel much more Fourthly when he hath the presence of some object to enforce his temptation Thus he takes Eve when she is near the tree and had it in her eye while he should make the motion that assaulting two Ports at once it might be the harder for her to hinder the landing of his temptation and if Eves eye did so soon affect her heart with an inordinate desire then much more now is it easie for him by the presence of the object to excite and actuate that lust which lies dormant in the heart As Naomi sent her daughter to lie at Boaz his feet knowing well if he endured her there there were hope he might take her into his bed at last If the Christian can let the object come so near Satan will promise himself his suit may in time be granted Therefore it should be our care if we would not yield to the sin not to walk by or sit at the door of the occasion Look not on that beauty with a wandring eye by which thou wouldest not be taken Prisoner parley not with that in thy thoughts which thou meanest not to let into thy heart conversation begets affection some by this have been brought to marry those whom at first they thought they could not have liked Fifthly after great manifestations of Gods love then the Tempter comes Such is the weak constitution of grace that it can neither well bear smiles or frowns from God without a snare As one said of our English Nation Totam nec pati potest libertatem nec servitutem It cannot well bear liberty nor bondage in the height So neither can the soule if God smile and opens himself a little familiarly to us then we are prone to grow high and wanton if he frown then we sink as much in our faith thus the one like faire weather and warme gleams bring up the weeds of corruption and the other lâ—ke sharp frosts nip and even kill the flowers of grace the Christian is in danger on both hands therefore Satan takes this advantage when the Christian is flush of comfort even as a cheater who strikes in with some young heire when he hath newly received his rents and never leaves till he hath eased him of his money thus Satan lies upon the catch then to inveigle a Saint into one sin or other which he knows will soon leak out his joy Had ever any a larger testimony from Heaven then Peter Matth. 16.17 where Christ pronounceth him blessed and puts a singular honour upon him making him the Representative for all his Saints No doubt this favour to Peter stirred up the envious spirit the sooner to fall upon him If Josephs party-coloured coat made the Patriarchs to plot against him their brother no wonder malice should prompt Satan to shew his spite where Christ had set such a mark of love and honour and therefore we finde him soon at Peters elbowe making him his instrument to tempt his Master who soon espied his cloven foot and rebukes Peter with a Get thee behinde me Satan He that seem'd a Rock even now through Satans policy is laid as a stone of offence for Christ to stumble at So David when he had received such wonderful mercies setled in his throne with the ruine of his enemies yea pardoned for his bloody sin now ready to lay down his head with peace in the dust Satan chops in to cloud his clear evening and tempts him to number the people so ambitious is Satan then chiefly to throw the Saint into the mire of sin when his coat is cleanest Sixthly at the houre of death when the Saint is down and prostrate in his bodily strength now this coward falls upon him 't is the last cast indeed he hath for the game now or never overcome him now and ever as they say of the natural serpent Nunquam nisi moriens producitur in longum he never is seen at his length till dying so this mystical serpent never strains his wits and wiles more then when his time is thus short The Saint is even stepping into eternity and now he treads upon his heele which
in this case is to do with these motions as you use to serve those vagrants and rogues that come about the countrey whom though you cannot keep from passing through your town yet you look they settle not there but whip them and send them to their owne home Thus give these motions the Law in mourning for them resisting of them and they shall not be your charge yea 't is like you shall seldomer be troubled with such guests but if once you come to entertain them and be Satans nurse to them then the Law of God will cast them upon you SECT II. Secondly another wile of Satan as a troubler is in aggravating the Saints sins against which he hath a notable declamatory faculty not that he hates the sin but the Saint now in this his chief subtilty is so to lay his charge that it may seem to be the act of the holy Spirit he knowes an arrow out of Gods quiver wounds deep and therefore when he accuseth he comes in Gods Name as suppose a childe were conscious to himselfe of displeasing his father and one that owes him a spite to trouble him should counterfeit a letter from his father and cunningly conveyes it into the sons hand who receives it as from his father wherein he chargeth him with many heavy crimes disownes him and threatens he shall never come in his sight or have penny portion from him the poor son conscious to himself of many undutiful carriages and not knowing the plot takes on heavily and can neither eate nor sleep for grief here is a real trouble begot from a false and imaginary ground Thus Satan observes how the squares go between God and his children such a Saint he sees tardy in this duty faulty in that service and he knows the Christian is conscious of this and that the Spirit of God will also shew his distaste for these both which prompts Satan to draw a charge at length raking up all the bloody aggravations he can think of and give it in to the Saint as sent from God Thus he taught Jobs friends to pick up those infirmities which drop't from him in his distresse and shoot them back in his face as if indeed they had been sent from God to declare him an hypocrite and denounce his wrath for the same Quest But how should we know the false accusations of Satan from the rebukes of God and his Spirit Answ First if they crosse any former act or work of the Spirit in thy soule they are Satans not the Holy Spirits Now you shall observe Satans scope in accusing the Christian and aggravating his sin is to unsaint him and perswade him he is but an hypocrite O saith Satan now thou hast shewen what thou art see what a foule spot is on thy coat this is not the spot of a childe whoever that was a Saint commited such a sin after such a sort All thy comforts and confidence which thou hast bragg'd of were false I warrant you thus you see Satan at one blow dasheth all in pieces The whole fabrick of grace which God hath been rearing up many yeares in the soule must now at one puffe of his malicious mouth be blown down and all the sweet comforts with which the Holy Spirit hath seal'd up Gods love must be defaced with this one blot which Satan drawes over the faire copy of the Saints evidence Well soule for thy comfort know if ever the Spirit of God hath begun a sanctifying or comforting work causing thee to hope in his mercy he never is will or can be the messenger to bring contrary newes to thy soule his language is not yea and nay but Yea and Amen for ever Indeed when the Saint playes the wanton he can chide yea will frown and tell the soule roundly of its sin as he did David by Nathan Thou art the man this thou hast done and paints out his sin with such bloody colours as made Davids heart melt as it were into so many drops of water but that shall not serve his turn he tells him what a rod is steeping for him that shall smart to purpose one of his own house no other then his darling son shall rise up against him that he may the more fully conceive how ill God took the sin of him a childe a Saint when he shall know what it is to have his beloved childe traiterously invade his Crown and unnaturally hunt for his precious life yet not a word all this while is heard from Nathan teaching David to unsaint himself and call in question the work of God in his soule No he had no such commission from God he was sent to make him mourne for his sin not from his sin to question his state which God had so oft put out of doubt Secondly when they asperse the riches of Gods grace and so charge the Christian that withal they reflect upon the good Name of God then they are not of the Holy Spirit but from Satan When you finde your sins so represented and aggravated to you as exceeding either the mercy of Gods nature or the grace of his Covenant Hic se aperit diabolus this comes from that foule liar The Holy Spirit is Christs Spokesman to commend him to souls and to wooe sinners to embrace the grace of the Gospel and can such words drop from his sacred lips as should break the match and sink Christs esteem in the thoughts of the creature you may know where this was minted When you hear one commend another for a wise or good man and at last come in with a but that dasheth all you will easily think he is no friend to the man but some slie enemy that by seeming to commend desires to disgrace the more Thus when you finde God represented to you as merciful and gracious but not to such a great sinner as you to have power and strength but not able to save thee you may say Avant Satan thy speech bewrayeth thee SECT III. Thirdly another wile of Satan lies in cavilling at the Christians duties and performances by which he puts him to much toil and trouble He is at Church assoon as thou canst be Christian for thy heart yea he stands under thy closet-window and heares what thou sayest to God in secret all the while studying how he may commence a suit against thee from thy duty like those that come to Sermons to carp and catch at what the Preacher saith that they may make him an offender for some word or other mis-placed or like a cunning Opponent in the Schooles while his adversary is busie in reading his position he is studying to confute it and truly Satan hath such an Art at this that he is able to take our duties in pieces and so disfigure them that they shall appear formal though never so zealous hypocritical though enricht with much sincerity When thou hast done thy duty Christian then stands up this Sophister to ravel out thy work there
without it and much ado to go with it If the flesh be kept high and lusty then 't is wanton and will not obey if low then it 's weak and soon tires Thus the Christian rids but little ground because he must go his weak bodies pace He wrestles with a body of sin as well as of flesh this mutters and murmures when the soule is taking up any duty Sometimes it keeps the Christian from duty so that he cannot do what he would As Paul said I would have come once and again but Satan hindred me I would have prayed may the Christian say at such a time and meditated on the Word I heard the mercies I received at another but this enemy hindred 'T is true indeed grace swayes the Scepter in such a soule yet as School-boyes taking their time when their Master is abroad do shut him out and for a while lord it in misrule though they are whip't for it afterwards thus the unregenerate part takes advantage when grace is not on its watch to disturb its government and shut it out from duty though this at last makes the soul more severe in mortifying yet it costs some scuffle before it can recover its throne and when it cannot shut from duty yet then is the Christian wofully yok't with it in duty it cannot do what it doth as it would many a letter in its copy doth this enemy spoil while he joggs him with impertinent thoughts when the Christian is a praying then Satan and the flesh are a prating he cries and they louder to put him out or drown his cry Thus we see the Christian is assail'd on every side by his enemy and how can it be other when the seeds of war are laid deep in the natures of both which can never be rooted up till the devil cease to be a devil sin to be sin and the Saint to be a Saint Though wolves may snarle at one another yet soon are quiet again because the quarrel is not in their nature but the Wolfe and the Lamb can never be made friends Sin will lust against grace and grace draw upon sin whenever they meet SECT III. Vse 1 First this may reprove such as wrestle but against whom against God not against sin and Satan These are bold men indeed who dare try a fall with the Almighty yet such there are and a Wo pronounced against them Isa 45.9 Wo unto him that striveth with his Maker 'T is easie to tell which of these will be worsted What can he do but break his shins that dasheth them against a rock A goodly battel there is like to be when thorns contest with fire and stubble with flame But where live those giants that dare enter the list with the great God what are their names that we may know them and brand them for creatures above all other unworthy to live Take heed O thou who askest that the wretched man whom thou seemest so to defie be not found in thy own clothes it self Iudas was the Traitour though he would not answer to his name but put it off with a Master is it I and so mayest thou be the fighter against God The heart is deceitful Even holy David for all his anger was so hot against the rich man that took away the poor mans ewe-Lamb that he bound it with an oath the man should not live who had done it yet proves at last to be himself the man as the Prophet told him 2 Sam. 12. Now there are two wayes wherein men wrestle against God First when they wrestle against his Spirit Secondly when they wrestle against his Providence First when they wrestle against his Spirit We reade of the Spirits striving with the creature Gen. 6.3 My spirit shall not alwayes strive with man Where the striving is not in anger and wrath to destroy them that God could do without any stir or scuffle but a loving strife and contest with man The old world was running with such a cariere headlong into their ruine he sends his Spirit to interpose and by his counsels and reproofes to offer as it were to stop them and reclaim them As if one seeing another ready to offer violence on himself should strive to get the knife out of his hand with which he would do the mischief Or one that hath a purse of gold in his hand to give should follow another by all manner of entreaties striving with him to accept and take it Such a kinde of strife is this of the Spirits with men They are the lusts of men those bloody instruments of death with which sinners are mischieving themselves that the holy Spirit strives by his sweet counsels and entreaties to get out of our hands They are Christs his grace and eternal life he strives to make us accept at the hands of Gods mercy and for repulsing the Spirit thus striving with them sinners are justly counted fighters against God Ye stiffe-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears ye do alwayes resist the Holy Ghost Now there is a twofold striving of the Spirit and so of our wrestling against it First the Spirit strives in his messengers with sinners They coming on his errand and not their owne he voucheth the faithful counsels reproofs and exhortations which they give as his own act Noah that Preacher of righteousnesse what he said to the old world is call'd the Preaching of the Spirit 1 Pet. 3.19 The pains that Moses Aaron and other servants of God took in instructing Israel is call'd the instruction of the Spirit Nehem. 9.20 so that when the Word which Gods Ministers bring in his Name is rejected the faithful counsels they give are thrown at sinners heels and made light of then do they strive with the Spirit and wrestle against Christ as really as if he visibly in his own person had been in the Pulpit and preached the same Sermon to them When God comes to reckon with sinners it will prove so then God will rub up your memories and minde you of his striving with you and your unkinde resisting him They whether they will heare or whether they will forbear shall know they had a Prophet among them Now men soon forget whom and what they hear ask them what was prest upon their conscience in such a Sermon they have forgot what were the precious truthes laid out in another and they are lost well were it for them if their memories were no better in another world it would ease their torments more then a little But then they shall know they had a Prophet among them and what a price they had with him in their hands though it was in fooles keeping They shall know what he was and what he said though a thousand years past as fresh as if it were done but last night The more zealous and compassionate the more painful and powerful he was in his place the greater shall their sin be found to break from such holy violence offered
to do them good Surely God will have something for the sweat yea lives of his servants which were worne out in striving with such rebellious ones May be yet sinners your firmament is clear no cloud to be seen that portends a storme but know as you use to say winter does not rock in the clouds you shall have it at last every threatening which your faithful Ministers have denounced against you out of the Word God is bound to make good He confirmeth the Word of his servant and performeth the counsel of his messengers and that in judgement against sinners confirming the threatenings as well as in mercy performing the promises which they declare as the portion of his children But it will be time enough to ask such on a sick-bed or a dying houre whether the words of the Lord delivered by their faithful Preachers have not taken hold of them Some have confessed with horrour they have as the Jewes Zech. 1.6 Like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us so hath he dealt with us Secondly the Spirit strives with men more immediately when he makes his inward approaches to the consciences of men debating in their own bosoms the case with them one while he shews them their sins in their bloody colours and whether they will surely bring them if not look't to timely which he doth so convincingly that the creature smells sometimes the very fire and brimstone about him and is at present in a temporary hell another while he falls a parlying and treating with them making gracious overtures to the sinner if he will return at his reproof presents the grace of the Gospel and opens a door of hope for his recovery yea falls a wooing and beseeching of him to throw down his rebellious armes and come to Christ for life whose heart is in a present disposition to receive and embrace the first motion the returning sinner makes for mercy Now when the Spirit of God follows the sinner from place to place and time to time suggesting such motions and renewing his old suit and the creature shall fling out of the Spirits hands thus striving with him re infectâ as far from renouncing his lusts or taking any liking to Christ as ever This is to resist the Spirit to his face and it carries so much malignity in it that even where it hath not been final poor humbled soules have been so over-set with the horrour of it that they could not for a long time be perswaded but that it was the unpardonable sin Take heed therefore sinners how you use the Spirit when he comes knocking at the door of your hearts Open at his knock and he will be your guest you shall have his sweet company repulse him and you have not a Promise hee 'll knock again And if once he leave striving with thee unhappy man thou art lost for ever thou liest like a ship cast up by the waves upon some high rock where the tide never comes to fetch it off Thou mayest come to the Word converse with other Ordinances but in vain 'T is the Spirit in them which is both tide and winde to set the soule afloat and carry it on or else it lies like a ship on dry ground which stirs not Secondly we wrestle against God when we wrestle with his Providence and that two wayes First when we are discontented with his providential disposure of us Gods carving for us doth not please us so but that we are objecting against his dealings towards us at least muttering something with the fool in our hearts which God heares as lightly as man our words God counts then we begin to quarrel with him when we do not acquiesce in and say Amen to his Providence whatever it is He calls it a contending with the Almighty Iob. 40.1 yea a reproving of God And he is a bold man sure that dare finde fault with God and article against heaven God challengeth him whoever he is that doth this to answer it at his peril He that reproveth God let him answer it v. 2. of the chapter fore-mentioned It was high time for Iob to have done when he heares what a sense God puts upon those unwary words which drop't from him in the anguish of his Spirit and paroxysme of his sufferings contend with the Almighty reprove God Good man how blank he is and cries out I am vile what shall I answer thee I will lay my hand upon my mouth Let God but pardon what is past and he shall hear such language no more O Sirs take heed of this wrestling above all other Contention is uncomfortable with whomsoever it is we fall out Neighbours or friends wife or husband children or servants but worst of all with God If God cannot please thee but thy heart riseth against him what hopes are there of thy pleasing him who will take nothing kindly from that man who is angry with him And how can love to God be preserved in a discontented heart that is alwayes muttering against him Love cannot think any evil of God nor endure to heare anyspeak evil of him but it must take Gods part as Ionathan Davids when Saul spake basely of him and when it cannot be heard will like him arise and be gone When afflicted love can allow thee to groan but not to grumble If thou wilt ease thy incumbred spirit into Gods bosome by prayer and humbly wrestle with God on thy knees love is for thee and will help thee to the best arguments thou canst use to God But if thou wilt vent thy distempered passions and shew a mutinous spirit against God this stabs it to the heart Secondly we wrestle against Providence when uncorrigible under the various dispensations of God towards us Providence has a voice if we had an eare mercies should draw afflictions drive now when neither faire meanes nor foule do us good but we are impenitent under both this is to wrestle against God with both hands Either of these have their peculiar aggravations One is against love and so dis-ingenuous the other is against the smart of his rod and therein we slight his anger and are cruel to our selves in kicking against the pricks Mercy should make us ashamed wrath afraid to sin He that is not ashamed has not the spirit of a man He that is not afraid when smitten is worse then the beast who stands in aw of whip spur Sometimes mercy especially these outward mercies which have a pleasing relish to the carnal part in a Christian hath prov'd a snare to the best of men but then affliction useth to recover them but when affliction makes men worse and they harden themselves against God to sin more and more while the rod is on them what is like to reclaim them few are made better by prosperity whom afflictions make worse He that will sin though he goes in pain will much more if that once be gone But take heed of thus contesting with God
is strange sinners should no more tremble at this who should they see but their swine or a beast bewitch't and possest of the devil run headlong into the sea would cry out as half undone and is not one foul more worth then all these what a plague is it to have Satan possesse thy heart and spirit hurrying thee in the fury of thy lusts to perdition O poor man what a sad change hast thou made Thou who wouldest not sit under the meek and peaceful Government of God thy rightful Lord art paid for thy rebellion against him in the cruelty of this Tyrant who writes all his Lawes in the blood of his subjects and why will you sit any longer O sinners under the shadow of this Bramble from whom you can expect nothing but eternal fire to come at last and devoure you Behold Christ is in the field sent of God to recover his right and your liberty His royal Standard is pitch't in the Gospel and Proclamation made that if any poor sinners weary of the devils Government and heavy laden with the miserable chaines of his spiritual bondage so as these irons of his sins enter into his very soule to afflict it with the senfe of them shall thus come and repair to Christ he shall have protection from Gods justice the devils wrath and sins dominion In a word he shall have rest and that glorious Usually when a people have been ground with the oppression of some bloody Tyrant they are apt enough to long for a change and to listen to any overture that gives them hope of liberty though reached by the hand of a stranger who may prove as bad as the other yet bondage is so grievous that people desire to change as sick men their beds though they finde little ease thereby Why then should deliverance be unwelcome to you sinners Deliverance brought not by a stranger whom you need feare what his designe is upon you but your near Kinsman in blood who cannot mean you ill but he must first hate his own flesh and whoever did that To be sure not he who though he took part of our flesh that he might have the right of being our Redeemer yet would have no kindred with us in the sinfulnesse of our nature And 't is sin that makes us cruel yea to our own flesh What can you expect from him but pure mercy who is himself pure They are the mercies of the wicked which are cruel Believe it Sirs Christ counts it his honour that he is a King of a willing people and not of slaves He comes to make you free not to bring you into bondage to make you Kings not vassals None give Christ an evil word but those who never were his subjects Enquire but of those who have tried both Satans service and Christs they are best able to resolve you what they are You see when a soul comes over from Satans quarters unto Christ and has but once the experience of that sweetnesse which is in his service there is no getting him back to his old drudgery as they say of those who come out of the North which is cold and poor they like the warme South so well they seldome or never go back more What more dreadful to a gracious soul then to be delivered into the hands of Satan or fall under the power of his lusts It would choose rather to leap into a burning furnace then be commanded by them This is the great request a childe of God makes that he would rather whip him in his house then turne him out of it to become a prey to Satan O sinners did you know which you cannot till you come over to Christ and embrace him as your Lord Saviour what the priviledges of Christs servants are what gentle usage Saints have at Christs hands you would say those were the only happy men in the world which stand continually before him His lawes are writ not with his subjects blood as Satans are but with his own All his commands are acts of grace 't is a favour to be employed about them To you 't is given to believe yea to suffer Such an honour the Saints esteem it to do any thing he commands that they count God rewards them for one piece of service if he enables them for another This I had saith David because I kept thy Precepts Psal 119.56 what was the great reward he got see v. 55. I have remembred thy Name O Lord in the night and kept thy Law then followes This I had He got more strength and skill to keep the Law for the future by his obedience past and was he not well paid think you for his pains There 's fruit even in holinesse the Christian hath in hand which he eats while he is at work that may stay his stomack until the full reward comes which is eternal life Rom. 6.22 Jesus Christ is a Prince that loves to see his people thrive and grow rich under his Government This is he whom sinners are so afraid of that when he sets open their prison and bids them come forth they choose rather to bore their eares to the devils post then enjoy this blessed liberty It is no wonder that some of the Saints have indeed when tortured not accepted deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection But what a riddle is this that forlorne soules bound with the chaines of their lusts and the irresistible decree of God for their damnation if they believe not on the Lord Jesus should as they are driving to execution refuse deliverance This may set heaven and earth on wondring Surely dying in their sins they cannot hope for a better resurrection then they have a death I am afraid rather that they do not firmly believe they shall have any resurrection and then no wonder they make so light of Christs offer who think themselves safe when once earth't in this burrough of the grave But let sinners know 't is not the grave can hold them when the day of Assize comes and the Judge calls for the prisoners to the bar The grave was never intended to be a Sanctuary to desend sinners from the hand of justice but a close Prison to secure them against the day of trial that they may be forth-coming Then sinners shall be digg'd out of their burroughs and dragg'd out of their holes to answer their contempt of Christ and his grace O how will you be astonish't to see him become your Judge whom you now refuse to be your King to heare that Gospel witnesse against you for your damnation which at the same time shall acquit others for their salvation what think you to do sinners in that day wilt thou cry and shream for mercy at Christs hands Alas when the sentence is past thy face will immediately be covered condemned prisoners are not allowed to speak teares then are unprofitable when no place left for repentance either in Christs
heart or thine own Or meanest thou to apply thy self to thy old Lord in whose service thou hast undone thy soule and cry to him as she to Ahab Help O King Alas thine eye shall see him in the same condemnation with thy self Hadst thou not better now renounce the devils rule while thou mayest be received into Christs Government poure out thy tears and cries now for mercy and grace when they are to be had then to save them for another world to no purpose Quest But possibly thou wilt say How may I that am a home-borne slave to sin yea who have lived so many yeares under his cursed rule get out of his dominion and power and be translated into the Kingdom of Christ Answ The difficulty of this great work lies not in prevailing with Christ to receive thee for his subject who refuseth none that in truth of heart desire to come under his shadow It doth not stand with his designe to reject any such Do Physicians use to chide their Patients away Lawyers their Clients or Generals discourage those who fall off from the enemy and come to their side surely no. When David was in the field 't is said 1 Sam. 22.2 Every one that was in distresse in debt or in discontent gathered themselves to him and he became a Captain over them And so will Christ be to every one that is truly discontented with Satans Government and upon an inward dislike thereof repairs to him But the maine businesse will be to take thee off from thy engagements to thy lusts and Satan till which be done Christ will not own thee as a subject but look on thee as a Spy It fares with sinners as with servants There may be fallings out between them and their Masters and high words passe between them that you would think they would take up their pack and be gone in all haste but the fray is soon over and by next morning all is forgot and the servants are as hard at their work as ever O how oft are sinners taking their leave of their lusts and giving warning to their old Masters they will repent and reform and what not but in a few dayes they have repented of their repentance and deformed their reformings which shewes they were drunk with some passion when they thought or spake this and no wonder they reverse all when they come to their true temper Now because Satan has many policies by which he useth to keep his hold of sinners I shall discover some of them which if thou canst withstand it will be no hard matter to bring thee out of his power and rule First Satan doth his utmost that sinners may not have any serious thoughts of the miserable state they are in while under his rule or heare any thing from others which might the least unsettle their mindes from his service Consideration he knowes is the first step to repentance He that doth not consider his wayes what they are and whither they lead him is not like to change them in haste Israel stirr'd not while Moses came and had some discourse with them about their woful slavery and the gracious thoughts of God towards them and then they begin to desire to be gone Pharaoh soon bethought him what consequence might follow upon this and cunningly labours to prevent by doubling their task Ye are idle ye are idle therefore ye say Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord. Go thorefore and work Exod. 5.17 18. As if he had said Have you so much spare time to think of gadding into the wildernesse and have you your seditious Conventicles Moses and you to lay your plots together I 'le break the knot give them more work scatter them all over the land to gather straw that they may not meet to entice one anothers hearts from my service Thus Satan is very jealous of the sinner afraid every Christian that speaks to him or Ordinance he hears should inveigle him By his good-will he should come at neither no nor have a thought of heaven or hell from one end of the week to the other and that he may have as few as may be he keeps him full-handed with work The sinner grindes and he is filling the hopper that the Mill may not stand still He is with the sinner as soone as he wakes and fills his wretched heart with some wicked thoughts which as a morning draught may keep him from the infection of any favour of good that may be breathed on him by others in the day-time All the day long he watcheth him as the Master would do his man that he feares will run away And at night he like a careful Jayler locks him up again in his chamber with more bolts and fetters upon him not suffering him to sleep as he lies on his bed till he hath done some mischief Ah poor wretch was ever slave so look't to as long as the devil can keep thee thus thou art his own sure enough The Prodigal came to himselfe before he came to his Father He considered with himself what a starving condition he was in his huskes were poor meat and yet he had not enough of them neither and how easily he might mend his commons if he had but grace to go home and humble himself to his Father Now and not till now he goes Resolve thus poor sinner to sit down and consider what thy state is and what it might be if thou wouldest but change the bondage of Satan for the sweet Government of Jesus Christ First ask thy soule whether the devil can after thou hast worne out thy miserable life herein his drudg'ry prefer thee to a happy state in the other world or so much as secure thee from a state of torment and wo If he cannot whether there be not one Iesus Christ who is able and willing to do it and if so whether it be not bloody cruelty to thy precious soul to stay any longer under the shadow of this bramble when thou mayest make so blessed a change A few of these thoughts abidingly laid home to thy soule may God striking in with them shake the foundations of the devils prison and make thee haste as fast from him as one out of a house on fire about his eares 2ly Satan hath his instruments to oppose the messengers and overtures which God sends by them to bring the sinner out of Satans rule When Moses comes to deliver Israel out of the Egyptian bondage up start Iannes and Iambres to resist him When Paul preacheth to the Deputy the devil hath his Chaplain at Court to hinder him Elymas one that was full of all subtilty and mischief Some or other to be sure he will finde when God is parlying with a sinner and perswading him to come over to Christ that shall labour to clog the work Either carnal friends these he sends to plead his cause or old companions in wickednesse these bestir them one while labouring to jeer
light in all Non dantur purae tenebrae I think is good Divinity as well as Philosophy and this night-light may discover many sins produce inward prickings of conscience for them yea stir up the creature to step aside rather then drown in such broad waters There are some sins so cruel and costly that the most prostrate soul may in time be weary of their service for low ends but what will all this come to if the creature be not acquainted with Christ the true way to God faith and repentance the only way to Christ such a one after all this busle in stead of making an escape from Satan will run full into his mouth another way There are some wayes which at first seem right to the traveller yet winde about so insensibly that when a man hath gone far and thinks himself near home he is carried back to the place from whence he set forth This will befall every soule ignorant of Christ and the way of life through him after many yeares travel as they think towards heaven by their good meanings blinde devotions and reformation when they shall expect to be within sight of heaven they shall finde themselves even where they were at first as very slaves to Satan as ever Vse 1 This speaks to you that are Parents see what need you have of instructing your children and training them up betimes in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Till these chaines of darknesse be knockt off their mindes there is no possibility of getting them out of the devils prison he hath no such tame slave as the ignorant soul such a one goes before Satan as the silly sheep before the butcher and knows not who he is nor whither he carries him and can you see the devil driving your children to the shambles and not labour to rescue them out of his hands Bloody parents you are that can thus harden your bowells against your own flesh Now the more to provoke you to your duty take these considerations 1. Your relation obligeth you to take care of their precious soules 'T is the soul is the child rather then the body and therefore in Scripture put for the whole man Abraham and Lot went forth with all the souls they had gotton in Haran Gen. 12. so All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt that is all the persons The body is but the sheath and if one should leave his sword with you to be kept safely for him would you throw away the blade and onely preserve the scabbard And yet parents do commonly judge of their care and love to their children by their providing for the outward man by their breeding that teaching them how to live like men as they say when they are dead and gone and comport themselves to their civil place and rank in the world These things indeed are commendable but is not the most weighty businesse of all forgotten in the meane time while no endeavour is used that they may live as Christians and know how to carry themselves in duty to God and man as such and can they do this without the knowledge of the holy rule they are to walk by I am sure David knew no means effectual without this and therefore propounds the question Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way and he resolves it in the next words By taking heed thereto according to thy word Psal 119.9 And how shall they compare their way and the Word together if not instructed our children are not borne with Bibles in their heads or hearts And who ought to be the instructer if not the parent yea who will do it with such natural affection As I have heard sometimes a mother say in other respects Who can take such pains with my childe and be so careful as my self that am its Mother Bloody parents then they are who acquaint not their children with God or his Word what do they but put them under a necessity of perishing if God stirre not up some to shew more mercy then themselves to them Is it any wonder to hear that ship to be sunk or dasht upon the rock which was put to sea without card or compasse no more is it they should ingulph themselves in sin and perdition that are thrust forth into the world which is a sea of temptation without the knowledge of God or their duty to him In the fear of God think of it parents your children have souls and these God set you to watch over It will be a poor account at the last day if you can only say Lord here are my children I bred them compleat Gentlemen left them rich and wealthy The rust of that silver you left them will witnesse your folly and sinne that you would do so much for that which rusts and nothing for the enriching their mindes with the knowledge of God which would have endured for ever happy if you had left them lesse money and more knowledge 2. Consider it hath ever been the Saints practice to instruct and teach their children the way of God David we finde dropping instruction into his sonne Solomon 1 Chron. 28.9 Know thou the God of thy Father and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing minde Though a King he did not put it off to his Chaplins but whetted it on him with his own lips Neither was his Queen Bathsheba forgetful of her duty her gracious counsel is upon record Prov. 31. and that she may do it with the more seriousnesse and solemnity we finde her stirring up her motherly bowels to let her sonne see that she fetcht her words deep even from her heart What my son and what the sonne of my womb and what the sonne of my vows Ver. 2. Indeed that counsel is most like to go to the heart which comes from thence Parents know not what impression such melting expressions of their love mingled with their instructions leave on their children God bids draw forth our souls to the hungry that is more then draw our purse which may be done and the heart hard and churlish Thus we should draw forth our souls with our instructions What need I tell of Timothy's Mother and Grandmother who acquainted him with the Scripture from his youth And truly I think that man calls in question his own Saintship that takes no care to acquaint his childe with God and the way that leads to him I have known some that though prophane themselves have been very solicitous their children should have good education but never knew I a Saint that was regardlesse whether his childe knew God or not 3. It is an act of great unrighteousnesse not to instruct our children We read of some that hold the truth in unrighteousnesse among others those Parents do it that lock up the knowledge of these saving truths from their children which God hath imparted to themselves There is a double unrighteousnesse in it First they are unrighteous to their children
their infernal Father in the world this shews sin is mighty in them indeed Many a man though so cruel to his own soul as to be drunk or sweare yet will not like this in a childe or servant what are they then but devils incarnate who teach their children the devils Catechisme to sweare and lie drink and drab If you meet such be not afraid to call them as Paul did Elymas when he would have perverted the Deputy children of the devil full of all subtilty and mischief and enemies of all righteousnesse O do you not know what you do when you tempt I 'le tell you you do that which you cannot undo by your own repentance thou poisonest one with errour initiatest another in the devils School Alehouse I mean but afterwards may be thou seest thy mistake and recantest thy errour thy folly and givest over thy drunken trade art thou sure now to rectifie and convert them with thy selfe alas poor creatures this is out of thy power they may be will say as he though he did it upon a better account that was solicited to turne back to popery by him who had before perswaded him to renounce the same You have given me one turn but shall not give me another And what a grief to thy spirit will it be to see these going to hell on thy errand and thou not able to call them back thou mayest cry out as Lamâ—ch I have slaine a man to my wounding and a young man to my hurt Nay when thou art asleep in thy grave he whom thou seducedst may have drawn in others and thy name may be quoted to commend the opinion and practice to others by which as it is said though in another sense Abel being dead yet speaks thou mayest though dead sinne in those that are alive generation after generation A little spark kindled by the errour of one hath cost the pains of many ages to quench it and when thought to be out hath broke forth again Thirdly They are not barely wicked but maliciously wicked The Devill hath his name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to denote his spightfull nature his desire to vex and mischief others When he drawes souls to sinne it is not because he tastes any sweetnesse or findes any profit therein he hath too much light to have any joy or peace in sin he knows his doome and trembles at the thought of it and yet his spightful nature makes him vehemently desire and uncessantly endeavour the damnation of souls As you shall see a mad dogge run after a flock of sheep kill one then another and when dead not able to eate of their flesh but kills to kill so Satan is carried out with a boundlesse rage against man especially the Saints he would not if he could leave one of Christs flock alive such is the height of his malice against God whom he hates with a perfect hatred and because he cannot reach him with a direct blow therefore he strikes him at second hand through his Saints that wicked arme which reacheth not to God is extended against these excellent on the earth well knowing the life of God is in a manner bound up in theirs God cannot outlive his honour and his honour speeds as his mercy is exalted or depressed this being the attribute God meanes to honour in their salvation so highly and therefore maligned above the rest by Satan And this is the worst that can be said of these wicked spirits that they maliciously spite God and in God the glory of his mercy Vse 1 First this may help us to conceive more fully what the desperate wickednesse of mans nature is which is so hard to be known because it can never be seen at once it being a fountain whose immensity consists not in the streame of actual sinne that is visible and may seem little but in the spring that uncessantly feeds this but here is a glasse that will give us the shape of our hearts truly like themselves Seest thou the monstrous pitch and height of wickednesse that is in the devil all this there is in the heart of every man there is no lesse wickednesse potentially in the tamest sinner on earth then in the devils themselves and that one day thou whoever thou art wilt shew to purpose if God prevent thee not by his renewing grace thou art not yet fledg'd thy wings are not grown to make thee a flying Dragon but thou art of the same brood the seed of this serpent is in thee and the devil begets a child like himselfe thou yet standest in a soile not so proper for the ripening of sinne which will not come to its fulnesse till transplanted unto hell Thou who art here so maidenly and modest as to blush at some sinnes out of shame and forbear the acting of others out of fear when there thou shalt see thy case as desperate as the devil doth his then thou wilt spit out thy blasphemies with which thy nature is stuft with the same malice that he doth The Indians have a conceit that when they die they shall be transform'd into the deformed likenesse of the devil therefore in their language they have the same word for a dead man and the devil sinne makes the wicked like him before they come there but indeed they will come to their countenance more fully there when those flames shall wash off that paint which here hides their complexion The Saints in heaven shall be like the Angels in their alacrity love and constancy to serve God and the damned like the devils in sinne as well as punishment This one consideration might be of excellent use to unbottome a sinner and abase him so as never to have high thought of himself It is easie to runne down a person whose life is wicked and convince him of the evil of his actions and make him confesse what he doth is evil but here is the thicket we lose him in he will say 't is true I am overseen I do what I should not God forgive me but my heart is good Thy heart good sinner and so is the devils his nature is wicked and thine as bad as his These pimples in thy face shew the heat of thy corrupt nature within and without Gospel-physick the blood of Christ applied to thee thou wilt die a Leper none but Christ can give thee a new heart till which thou wilt every day grow worse and worse Sin is an hereditary disease that encreaseth with age A young sinner will be an old devil Vse 2 Again it would be of use to the Saints especially those in whom God by his timely call forestall'd the devils market as sometimes the Spirit of God takes sin in its quarters before it comes into the field in the sinnes of youth now such a one finding not those daring sinnes committed by him that others have been left unto may possibly not be so affected with his own sinne or Gods mercy O let such a one behold here
the wickednesse of his heart in this glasse of the devils nature and he will see himself as a great debtor to the mercy of God as Manasses or the worst of sinners as in pardoning so in preventing the same cursed nature with theirs before it gave fire on God with those bloody sinnes which they committed That thou didst not act such outragious sinnes thou art beholden to Gods gracious surprize and not the goodnesse of thy nature which hath the devils stamp on it for which God might have crusht thee as we do the brood of Serpents before they sting knowing what they will do in time Who will say that Faux suffered unjustly because the Parliament was not blown up it was enough that the materials for that Massacre were provided and he taken there with match and fire about him ready to lay the traine and canst thou say when God first took hold on thee that thou had'st not those weapons of rebellion about thee a nature fully charged with enmity against God which in time would have made its own report of what for present lay like unfired ponder silent in thy bosome O Christian think of this and be humbled for thy villainous nature and say Blessed be God that sent his Spirit and grace so timely to stay thy hand as Abigail to David while thy nature meditated nothing but warre against God and his laws Vse 3 Again Thirdly are the devils so wickedly malicious against God himself O Sirs take the right notion of sinne and you will hate it The reason why we are so easily perswaded to sinne is because we understand not the bottome of his designe in drawing a creature to sinne It is with men in sinning as it is with Armies in fighting Captains beat their drummes for Voluntiers and promise all that list pay and plunder and this makes them come trowling in but few consider what the ground of the Warre is against whom or for what Satan enticeth to sinne and give golden promises what they shall have in his service with which silly souls are won but how few ask their souls Whom do I sinne against what is the devils designe in drawing me to sinne Shall I tell thee dost thou think 't is thy pleasure or profit he desires in thy sinning alas he means nothing lesse he hath greater plots in his head then so He hath by his Apostasie proclaim'd warre against God and he brings thee by sinning to espouse his quarrel and to jeopard the life of thy soul in defence of his pride and lust which that he may do he cares no more for the damnation of thy soul then the great Turk doth to see a company of his slaves cut off for the carrying on of his designe in a siege And darest thou venture to go into the field upon his quarrel against God O Earth tremble thou at the presence of the Lord. This bloody Joab sets thee where never any came off alive O stand not where Gods bullets fly throw down thy armes or thou art a dead man Whatever others do O ye Saints abhorre the thoughts of sinning willingly which when you do you help the devil against God and what more unnatural then for a childe to be seen in armes against his father CHAP. VII Of Satans plot to defile the Christians spirit with heart-sinnes The second Point followes THat these wicked Spirits do chiefly annoy the Saints with and provoke them to spiritual sinnes Sinnes may be called spiritual upon a double account either from the subject wherein they are acted or from the object about which they are conversant First in regard of the subject when the spirit or heart is the stage whereon sinne is acted this is a spiritual sinne such are all impure thoughts vile affections and desires though the object be fleshly lust yet are spiritual sinnes because they are purely acts of the soul and spirit and break not forth unto the outward man Secondly in regard of the object when that is spiritual and not carnal such as are idolatry errour spiritual pride unbelief c. both which Paul calls the filthinesse of the spirit and distinguisheth them from filthinesse of the flesh 2 Cor. 7.1 SECT I. First of the first Satan labours what he can to provoke the Christian to heart-sinnes to stirre up and foment these inward motions of sinne in the Christians bosome hence it is he can go about no duty but these his Impes I may call them haunt him one motion or other darts in to interrupt him as Paul tells us of himselfe When he would do good evil was present with him if a Christian should turne back when ever these crosse the way of him he should never go on his journey to heaven It is the chief game the devil hath left to play against the children of God now his field-army is broken and his commanding power taken away which he had over them to come out of these his holds where he lies sculking and fall upon their rear with these suggestions He knows his credit now is not so great with the soul as when it was his slave then no drudgery work was so base that it would not do at his command but now the soul is out of his bondage and he must not think to command anothers servant as his own No all he can do is to watch the fittest season when the Christian least suspects and then to present some sinful motion handsomely drest up to the eye of the soul that the Christian may before he is aware take this brat up and dandle it in his thoughts till at last he makes it his own by embracing it and this he knowes will defile the soul and may be this boy sent in at the window may open the door to let in a greater thief or if he should not so prevaile yet the guilt of these heart-sinnes yea their very neighbour-hood will be a sad vexation to a gracious heart whose nature is so pure that it abhorres all filthinesse so that to be haunted with such motions is as if a living man should be chain'd to a stinking carcase that where ever he goes he must draw that after him and whose love is so dear to Christ that it cannot bear the company of those thoughts without amazement and horrour which are so contrary and abusive to his beloved This makes Satan so desirous to be ever raking in the unregenerate part that as a dunghil stirr'd it may offend them both with the noisome streames which arise from it SECT II. Vse 1 First let this be for trial of thy spiritual state What entertainment findes Satan when he comes with these spirituals of wickednesse and solicites thee to dwell on them canst thou dispense with the filthinesse of thy spirit so thy hands be clean or dost thou wrestle against these heart-sinnes as well as others I do not ask whether such guests come within thy door for the worst of sinnes may be found in the
of his own unworthinesse and great unrighteousnesse tell him of a pardon alas he is so wrapt up with the thoughts of his own vilenesse that you cannot fasten it upon him What will God ever take such a toad as he is into his bosome discount so many great abominations at once and receive him into his favour that hath been so long in rebellious armes against him he cannot beleeve it no though he heares what Christ hath done and suffered for sin he refuseth to be comforted Little doth the soule think what a bitter root such thoughts spring from thou thinkest thou doest well thus to declaim against thy self and aggravate thy sins indeed thou canst not paint them black enough or entertain too low and base thoughts of thy selfe for them But what wrong hath God and Christ done thee that thou shouldest so unworthily reflect upon the mercy of the one and merit of the other Mayest thou not do this and be tender of the good Name of God also Is there no way to shew thy sense of thy sin except thou asperse thy Saviour Canst thou not charge thy self but thou must condemn God and put Christ and his blood to shame before Satan who triumphs more in this then all thy other sins In a word though thou like a wretch hast undone thy self and damned thy soule by thy sins yet art thou not willing God should have the glory of pardoning them and Christ the honour of procuring the same or art thou like him in the Gospel Luke 16.3 who could not dig and to beg was ashamed Thou canst not earne heaven by thy own righteousnesse and is thy spirit so stout that thou wilt not beg it for Christs sake yea take it at Gods hands who in the Gospel comes a begging to thee and beseecheth thee to be reconciled to him Ah soule who would ever have thought there could have lien such pride under such a modest veile and yet none like it 'T is horrible pride for a beggar to starve rather then take an alms at a rich mans hands a malefactour rather to choose his halter then a pardon from his gracious Princes hand but here is one infinitely surpassing both a soule pining and perishing in sin and yet rejecting the mercy of God and the helpng hand of Christ to save him Though Abigail did not think her self worthy to be Davids wife yet she thought David was worthy of her and therefore she humbly accepted his offer and makes haste to go with the messengers That 's the sweet frame of heart indeed to lie low in the sense of your own vilenesse yet to believe to renounce all conceit of worthinesse in our selves yet not therefore to renounce all hope of mercy but the more speedily to make haste to Christ that wooes us All the pride and unmannerlinesse lies in making Christ stay for us who bids his messengers invite poor sinners to come and tell them all things are ready But may be thou wilt say still it is not pride that keeps thee off but thou canst not believe that ever God will entertain such as thou art Truly thou mendest the matter but little with this either thou keepest some lust in thy heart which thou wilt not part with to obtain the benefit of the promise and then thou art a notorious hypocrite who under such an out-cry for thy sins canst drive a secret trade with hell at the same time or if not so thou doest discover the more pride in that thou darest stand out when thou hast nothing to oppose against the many plain and clear promises of the Gospel but thy peremptory unbelief God bids the wicked forsake his wayes and turne to him and he will abundantly pardon him but thou sayest thou canst not believe this for thy own self Now who speaks the truth One of you two must be the liar either thou must take it with shame to thy self for what thou hast said against God and his promise and that is thy best course or thou must proudly yea blasphemously cast it upon God as every unbeliever doth 1 John 5.10 Nay thou makest him forsworn for God to give poor sinners the greater security in flying for refuge to Christ who is that hope set before them Heb. 6.17 18. hath sworn they should have strong consolation O beatos quorum causâ Deus jurat O miserrimos si nec juranti credamus Tertul. de poenit O happy we for whose sake God puts himself under an oath but O miserable we who will not believe God no not when he sweares Secondly when the soul hath shot the great gulfe and got into a slate of peace and life by closing with Christ yet this mannerly pride Satan makes use of in the Christians daily course of duty and obedience to disturb him and hinder his peace and comfort O how unchearfully yea joylesly do many precious soules passe their dayes If you enquire what is the cause you shall finde all their joy runs out at the crannies of their imperfect duties and weak graces they cannot pray as they would and walk as they desire with evennesse and constancy they see how short they fall of the holy rule in the Word and the patterne which others more eminent in grace do set before them and this though it doth not make them throw the Promises away and quite renounce all hope in Christ yet it begets many sad fears and suspitions yea makes them sit at the feast Christ hath provided and not know whether they may eat or not In a word as it robs them of their joy so Christ of that glory which he should receive from their rejoycing in him I do not say Christian thou oughtest not to mourn for those defects thou findest in thy graces and duties nay thou couldest not approve thy self to be sincere if thou didst not A gracious heart seeing how far short his renewed state forthe present falls of mans primitive holinesse by Creation cannot but weep and mourn as the Jewes to behold the second Temple yet Christian even while the tears are in thy eyes for thy imperfect graces for a soule riseth with his grave-clothes on thou shouldest rejoyce yea triumph over all these thy defects by faith in Christ in whom thou art compleat Col. 1.10 while imperfect in thy selfe Christs presence in the second Temple which the first had not made it though comparatively mean more glorious then the first Hag. 2.9 how much more doth his presence in this spiritual temple of a gracious heart imputing his righteousnesse to cover all its uncomelinesse make the soule glorious above man at first This is a garment for which as Christ saith of the lilie we neither spin nor toile yet Adam in all his created royalty was not so clad as the weakest believer is with this on his soul Now Christian consider well what thou doest while thou sittest languishing under the sense of thy own weaknesses and refusest to rejoyce in Christ and live comfortably
that ye are of mine elect ones which will stand you more in stead at the great day then all this SECT II. A second Priviledge is when God honours a person to suffer for his truth this is a great Priviledge Vnto you it is given not only to beleeve but to suffer for his sake God doth not use to give worthless gifts to his Saints there is some preciousnesse in it which a carnal eye cannot see Faith you will say is a great gift but perseverance greater without which faith would be little worth and perseverance in suffering this above both honourable This made John Carelesse our English Martyr who though he died not at the stake yet in prison for Christ say Such an honour 't is as Angels are not permitted to have therefore God forgive me mine unthankfulnesse Now when Satan cannot scare a soul from prison yet then he will labour to puffe him up in prison when he cannot make him pity himself then he will flatter him till he prides in himself Affliction from God exposeth to impatience for God to pride and therefore Christians labour to fortifie your selves against this temptation of Satan how soon you may be called to suffering work you know not such clouds oft are not long arising Now to keep thy heart humble when thou art honoured to suffer for the truth Consider First though thou doest not deserve those sufferings at mans hand thou canst and mayest in that regard glory in thy innocency thou sufferest not as an evil doer yet thou canst not but confesse it is a just affliction from God in regard of sin in thee and this methinks should keep thee humble the same suffering may be Martyrdome in regard of man and yet a fatherly chastising for sin in regard of God none suffered without sin but Christ and therefore none may glory in them but he Christ in his own we in his God forbid that I should glory save in the Crosse of Christ Gal. 6. This kept Mr. Bradford humble in his sufferings for the truth none more rejoyced in them and blessed God for them yet none more humble under them then he and what kept him in this humble frame reade his godly letters and you shall finde almost in all how he bemoans his sins and the sins of the Protestants under the reign of King Edward It was time saith he for God to put his rod into the Papists hands we were grown so proud formal unfruitful yea to loath and despise the means of grace when we enjoyed the liberty therof and therfore God hath brought the wheele of persecution on us As he look't at the honour to make him thankful so to sinne to keep him humble Secondly consider who bears thee up and carries thee through thy sufferings for Christ Is it thy grace or his that is sufficient for such a work thy spirit or Christs by which thou speakest when call'd to bear witnesse to his truth how comes it to passe thou art a sufterer and not a persecutour a confessour and not a denier yea betrayer of Christ and his Gospel This thou owest for to God he is not beholden to thee that thou wilt part with estate credit or life it self for his sake If thou hadst a thousand lives thou wouldest owe them all to him but thou art beholden to God exceedingly that he will call for these in this way which has such an honour and reward attending it He might have suffered thee to live in thy lusts and at last to suffer the losse of all these for them O how many die at the Gallowes as Martyrs in the devils cause for felonies rapes and murders Or he might withdraw his grace and leave thee to thy own cowardise and unbelief and then thou wouldest soon shew thy self in thy colours The stoutest Champions for Christ have been taught how weak they are if Christ steps aside Some that have given great testimony of their faith and resolution in Christs cause even to come so near dying for his Name as to give themselves to be bound to the stake and fire to be kindled upon them yet then their hearts have failed as that holy man Mr. Benbridge in our English Martyrol who thrust the faggots from him and cried out I recant I recant Yet this man when re-inforc't in his faith and indued with power from above was able within the space of a week after that sad foile to die at the stake cheerfully Qui pro nobis mortem semel vicit semper in nobis vincit He that once overcame death for us 't is he that alwayes overcame death in us And who should be thy Song but he that is thy strength applaud not thy selfe but blesse him 'T is one of Gods Names he is call'd the glory of his peoples strength Psal 89.17 The more thou gloriest in God that gives thee strength to suffer for him the lesse thou wilt boast of thy self A thankful heart and a proud cannot dwell together in one bosome Thirdly consider what a foule blot pride gives to all thy sufferings where it is not bewailed and resisted it alters the case The old saying is that 't is not the punishment but the cause makes the Martyr we may safely say further it is not barely the cause but the sincere frame of the heart in suffering for a good cause that makes a man a Martyr in Gods sight Though thou shouldest give thy body to be burnt if thou hast not an humble heart of a sufferer for Christ thou turnest Merchant for thy self Thou deniest but one self to set up another runnest the hazard of thy estate and life to gain some applause may be and reare up a monument to thy honour in the opinions of men thou doest no more in this case then a souldier who for a name of valour will venture into the mouth of death and danger only thou shewest thy pride under a religious disguise but that helps it not but makes it the worse If thou wilt in thy sufferings be a sacrifice acceptable to God thou must not only be ready to offer up thy life for his truth but sacrifice thy pride also or else thou mayest tumble out of one fire into another suffer here from man as a seeming champion for the Gospel and in another world from God for robbing him of his glory in thy sufferings SECT III. A third priviledge is when God flowes in with more then ordinary manifestations of his love then the Christian is in danger of having his heart secretly lift up in pride Indeed the genuine and natural effect which such discoveries of divine love have on a gracious soule is to humble it The sight of mercy encreaseth the sense of sin and that sense dissolves the soule kindely into sorrow as we see in Magdalen The heart which possibly was hard and frozen in the shade will give and thaw in the Sun-shine of love and so long all pride is hid from the creatures eye Then saith God